The Curse of Snake Island Read Online Free

called back to Rotten Tooth to get a move on.
    â€œAye aye!” Rotten Tooth said and hurried off after the rest of the crew, but not before giving us one last rotten look.
    We waited until the crew was out of sight. Then I pulled the map out of my pocket.
    I looked at the words on the map. The treasure you seek is not in the feet; head for the head instead. It was easy to figure out. Since the island was shaped like a snake, it meant the treasure was in the head part.
    I looked at the map again. I turned it upside down. Then I turned it backside up. It looked the same both ways.
    â€œWhich is the head and which is the tail?” Vicky asked.

    â€œThe head is north,” Aaron said.
    â€œHow do you know?” Gary asked.
    â€œBecause the head is always at the top, that’s how!”
    I’d spun the map around so many times, I didn’t know which was the top anymore. But then I noticed two lakes that looked like eyes. “That must be the head,” I said. Aaron was right. It was north.
    Soon the sun began to set behind the Sea Rat . We all watched it, waiting for it to get dark. Well, all of us except Inna, who was watching the ground for any signs of snakes.
    Vicky looked at the map again. “The crew had a head start. We need a shortcut if we’re ever going to get there first.”
    I took a long look at the map. It said to walk along the beach. That was the way the captain had gone. Vicky was right: We’d never beat them there if we went the same way.
    Aaron pointed to the map. He made a straight line from where we were to the treasure. It took us right through the jungle! “That’s the way we should go,” he said.
    It might have been dangerous, but it was the only way.
    â€œWe’ll leave once the sun sinks into the ocean,” I said. Everyone agreed.
    â€œWe’ll just have to look out for bugs,” I warned. “The jungle is full of creepy crawlies.”
    â€œBUGS!” Inna shouted. She stuck her tongue out of her mouth and her face turned greenish. “No one said anything about bugs.”

Chapter 7
    Deep in the Jungle
    As soon as it was dark, we headed out. It was pretty spooky in the jungle. There were strange sounds all around us. Everywhere we turned, the glowing eyes of lizards and bugs followed us. To keep from being afraid, we talked about how great it was going to be when we found the treasure.
    â€œHow much treasure do you think there’ll be, Pete?” Gary asked.
    â€œLots!” I said. I wasn’t sure exactly how much, but “lots” seemed like a pretty good guess. Captain Stinky Beard wouldn’t go after any treasure that was even one penny less than lots.
    Vicky rubbed her hands together greedily. “Maybe it’ll be enough to buy our own pirate ship!” she said.
    â€œAYE!” Aaron shouted. “We kids could rule it and make Rotten Tooth scrub the dishes!”
    I imagined Rotten Tooth, the toughest pirate on the seas, wearing an apron and washing dishes. I had to admit, it was a pretty funny sight. I would’ve liked to see that.
    â€œAye, but we can’t break the pirate code,” I said.
    â€œWhat pirate code?” Vicky asked.
    â€œThe one I learned about on my old ship,” I told them.
    â€œWell, what’s it say?” Aaron asked.
    â€œIt says that a good pirate never betrays the captain,” I said. “So no matter how much treasure there is, we’re giving it all to Captain Stinky Beard. That’s the rule!”
    Aaron made a face. “I hate rules.”
    â€œLook on the bright side,” I told him. “If we give it to the captain, he’ll let us come on every pirate adventure! Then Rotten Tooth will have to make sure we’re ready.”

    â€œAnd we can learn to swashbuckle?” Aaron asked.
    â€œAye.” I nodded. That seemed to cheer him up. He picked up a stick from the muddy ground and began swinging it around like a