HIDDEN TREASURE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 129, 2 June 1928, Page 15

HIDDEN TREASURE

Dear Joan, — I have just thought of a lovely game. It is nothing like any of our other games. It is quite new. lam [ sure you will like it. If you want to ! know all about it, be waiting in Eose Cottage at 60' cloak. ,Have to closenow as I am going shopping with mother. This is what Jean Gurney read as she scanned the sheet of paper set before her. She had just paid a visit to the little box at the end of the garden, and found a rather grubby envelope addressed, "Jean Gurney," and the note inside it had been written by her friend, Grace Melfield. These two friends living nest door to one another lived in the little fishing town of Chelsea. Both their fathers were fishermen, and they earned a scanty living by this trade. The two girls were happy^ healthy, and always in the best of spirits. They helped their fathers a great deal by selling the fish for them in the neighbouring town, a little larger than their own. Both girls were fond of outdoor sports, and often they played the rather childish games of pretending they were pirates, smugglers, and many other different gamea of pretence. That very afternoon Grace had thought of another game, and she was very anxious to tell Joan about it. On the stroke of six Jean appeared full of curiosity, and a few minutes after

Grace ran into the littlo house, at the end of the garden, which she called Rose Cottage, because of the beautiful climbing roses that covered it in summer time. ' , . "Sit down here," said Grace excitedly, indicating a place beside her with her hand. "And now I will begin," she added, as Jean did as she was bid. "First of all," Grace began, "do you remember Jim, the coastguard, telling us about the smugglers that used to live in the old cavo in the cliffs? Well, as it has not been used for years I thought we could use i^ to play in. It is the very thing, because the game .is called 'Hidden Treasure,' and we want, a.safe place to hide it in, don't we?" ; Juan nodded her assent and Graco went on. "One of us is supposed to bo a smuggler, and the other a coastguard. This week I will be the smuggler, and you can be the coastguard. Next week you can be the smuggler. What I have to do is to collect several small things and hide them secretly in the cave. You have to try and 'capture' me while lam doing this. To-morrow, after dinner, we will begin, but I will not tell you what time I will be leaving as I do not want to give you any clues. We have to be very careful not to be seen by one. another." "How exciting!" Jean exclaimed enthusiastically. "I am dying for tomorrow to come." The following day* davncd bright and sunny, and the qMs were up earlier than usual to finish off all their household duties as they wanted the afternoon free for their adventure.. A few minutes past 1 o'clock Grace quietly left the house; peering round one corner after another to sco if Jean happened to be looking. As this was not the case she made her way hurriedly towards the cliffs and then began the hardest part of the adventure, for she had to climb down a practically straight piece of the cliff. Half-way clown she discovered that a tiny ledge ran right along the cliffs. Here she paused for a while and looked around. Behind her the cliff rose like some grim mountain. In front of, her there was a twenty-five feet drop to the sands below, where the white-capped waves tried in vain to reach the rocks at the bottom of the cliffs. On each side of her the narrow ledge ran along, while here and there a little bush fought for life amongst the rock and stone of the bare hillside. As she was nearing the cave she discovered that a tiny flight of steps led from the sands below to the ledge where she was now standing. Soon she reached the cave, and lighting an old lamp that she had brought with her she made her way into the darkness that loomed up before her. After walking on for a few chains she stopped, and setting down tho lamp on a large stone near by she commenced digging. The sand was quite soft and at did not take her long to dig a fairly largo hole. Burying the "treasure," which consisted of an old tin spoon, a magazine, and an empty tin, and one or two other small things, did not take very Jong, and soon she had the hole neatly filled up. Meanwhile, Jean, hearing the next door gate click, looked out of the window and saw Grace disappearing down the road. She at once donned her hat and coat and followed Grace, keeping well behind her, so as not to be seen. When she reached the cave she did not go inside, as'she knew Graco was in ■ tlrere. There was a large bush growing a few feet away from the entrance to the cave, and she hid behind this. She waited for a quarter of an hour, but Grace did not como. The minutes dragged on until the half-hour had passed, and Jean could bear the suspense no longer. She "coo-cod" a few times, but there was no answer, so she made up her mind to go and aco what was thb matter. Lighting her lamp which she had thoughtfully brought at tho last minute she entered the chilly cavo with her lamp hold high above her head si that she could boo-better. Footmarks showed her where Gh-acc had gone to and she followed these, stepping very softly as she did not want Grace to hoar her. ■ She- came to the place where- Graco had buried the treasure, but Grace had buried it so cleverly and flattened out the ground around it that Jean did not know it from any other part of tho cave. She had walked a few yards from the "treasure," when suddenly she heard a frightened cry of "Help! Help!" She recognised tho voice of her friend and this made her more anxious to continue the quest. She

was able to hurry, as Grace's repeated cries of help dirocted her footsteps. As she hurried on the tunnel broadened out, and on turning a corner she discovered that she had entered a large room with rock, walls, floor, and roof. There was a musty, damp smell about the place, and Jean gave a shiver as sho looked around her. Hero and there were large rooks, which, no doubt, had served for chairs long ago. Dimly outlined against the rocky wall she could see a pile of rotten sacking or cloth, probably someone's bed. Jean's thoughts travelled back years ago tvhen smugglers used to smuggle their goods into the Homeland. Daring men they weie, nevor giving a thought as to the consequences if they were caught. Coastguards and revenue men, try as they would, could not catch these law-breakers, and many a daring man had lost his life. "!Helpl Help I" came the voice of Grace again, and Jean's thoughts came back to the present. Looking round, Jean saw a passage leading off from the cave-like room, andshe hurried along this, the • cries of "help" sounding nearer. On round-1 ing a corner she stopped in surprise, for a large hole appeared in the sandy floor of ■ the cave. .From here the cries issued. Jean peered over the side of the hole and a surprising scene uxjpeared before her. The hole was about twelve feet deep and on the bottom of it sat Grace nearly in tears. "Coo-ec," cried Jean from the top. "How did you get down there?" "I fell down," said Grace, "and I don't know how to get out." "Have a look round and see if you can find anything that will do," said Jean from above. Grace hunted round and at last she was rewarded, for She found a piece of rope lying hidden under a piece of paper. "Here's a piece of rope," Grace said, throwing it up to Jean. "Tie it on to something and I will climb up it." Jean looked round for a suitable place to tie the rope on to, and. she found just what she wanted—a hook in. the wall. Tying the rope securely on to the hook she lowered the other end, and found to her" satisfaction that it just reached down to Grace. It did not take Grace long to clamber up the rope, and she was soon standing beside Jean. ... "Let us get out of this horrid place," said Grace. "I, for one, have hadenough of playing smugglers in this cave." ' . / ■ "Como on, then," said Jean, and together they made' their way to the end of the tunnel.' They both heaved a sigh of relief when a circular hole showed them that they-were at the end of the cave. "I wonder what these steps are for?'-' said Jean, for they were. walking along the ledge on their way home. "I suppose the smugglers used them when they smuggled their goods into the cave," said Grace; "Oh, by the way, do you know what.l found in the cave," sho added excitedly. "No," answered Jean in a surprised, voice. '.■--: "Look! This," and Grace drew from

her pocket a small wooden bos about three inches long and two inches wide. It was locked, and try as they might the girls could not open it. "Hurry home and wo will open it 1 there," said Jean. "I am dying to know what is iv it." It did not take long for the girls to get Lome when they were so excited. They rushed down to Eose Cottage the minute they were in the gate. "Here's an old knife. Perhaps thiswill open it," said Grace. "My, isn't the box dirty," she added, as she tried to force the lid open. Suddenly, ''snip" nrent the lid as it flew off, reavealing its contents to the two astonished girls. "Golden coins," breathed Grace. "Smugglers' treasure," whispered Jean. "00-o, what a find." Click went the gate and someone walked up the gravel path. "It's father," said Jean. "Come on, Grace, and show him the treasure. A few minutes later Jean's father was listening to the story concerning the treasure. "There's no doubt about it, that those coins, are' valuable," said Mr. Gurney. "They are Very old and will fetch a good sum of money." * * # • . What Mr. Gurney said proved to be true, for the ancient coins fetched a large sum of money, which was divided between Mr. • Gurney and Grace's father, Mr. Melfield. ' \ Now there are no happier girls in all

England than Jean and Grace, who, with their fathers, live together in a large house on the outskirts of the town of Chelsea, and who were the fortunate ones to discover "The Smuglers' Treasure."