Treasure Trouble Read Online Free Page A

shouted. “No ship can survive Serpent’s Whirlpool! The water spins around so fast, it can drown any ship!”
    “Well, which is it?” Inna asked Gary.
    “Beats me.” Gary shrugged. “It depends on which way I was holding the map when I plotted the course.”
    “Um, I think I know,” Aaron said as he glanced over the railing.
    “Soggy sails! We don’t have time for you to be a show-off,” Vicky told him.
    “I’m not,” Aaron yelled. “I know because there it is! Serpent’s Whirlpool dead ahead!”
    We all looked out to sea.
    Aaron was right. The water was starting to spin in circles. If we didn’t change course, the
Sea Rat
was going to sink to the bottom of the sea!

Chapter 8
Crabby Clues!
    “One, two, three…PULL!” I shouted.
    Aaron, Vicky, Inna, and I pulled on the rope with all our might. We were trying to turn the mainsail and catch a gust of wind that would take us to safe waters. But no matter how hard we pulled, the sail wouldn’t budge.
    The ship was too much for us to man all by ourselves. We had tried to wake up the night crew. But once pirates start snoring, it’s almost impossible to wake them up.

    “Serpent’s Whirlpool is still dead ahead,” Gary shouted from the steering wheel. He was on steering duty because we were afraid he’d get tangled in the ropes if he tried to help us.

    “It’s no use,” Aaron said.
    “Aye,” Vicky agreed.
    “But we have to do something,” Inna said. “The
Sea Rat
is starting to sail in circles, which means we’re caught in the whirlpool’s current.”
    “Aye,” I said. “We have no choice. We have to try and wake the crew. We need more pirates to help us.”
    “With all the racket ye be making, ye could wake the dead.” A voice laughed behind us. It was Clegg. He was the oldest pirate on board. Plus, he was our friend.
    “CLEGG!” I shouted. “We’re glad to see you!”
    “Aye,” Vicky said. “And we’re double glad to see you’re not icky sicky.”
    “I’m fit as a whale, minus the eye, of course,” he joked pointing to his patch that covered one of his eyes. Then he looked around the deck. “Are ye li’l shipmates the only ones manning the ship?” he asked.
    “Aye!” I said.
    “Well, except for the night crew, but they’re all snoring,” Inna said.
    “The rest of the crew is seasick,” Vicky explained.
    “Except you,” Aaron said.
    “Aye,” I said. “How come you’re not sick?”
    Clegg scratched his beard. “Same reason you’re not sick, I suppose.”
    “You didn’t eat the seaweed slop either?” I asked.
    “No, I ate a heaping helping,” he told us.
    We all gulped!
    “If it wasn’t the slop, it must be something else,” Vicky said.

    “We need to remembereverything that happened yesterday, step by step,” Inna said. “Then we can figure it out.”
    “First, we rowed all the way to shore,” Vicky began.
    “Aye,” Inna said. “Then Gary splashed me.” She still seemed a little bit angry about that.
    “Aye, then he blundered into you and you tumbled into the hole,” I said. Then I covered my mouth because remembering that made me giggle.
    “Then I saved you from those stinky sand crabs that tried to attack our treasure,” Aaron said.
    “Hogwash! You mean Rotten Tooth saved
you
from those crabs!” Vicky reminded him.
    “Same thing,” Aaron said.
    Vicky was about to argue with him, but Clegg interrupted.
    “Hold on, buckoes, did ye say sand crabs attacked the treasure?” Clegg asked.
    We nodded.
    “Were they giant sand crabs?” he asked.
    We nodded again. I even held my arms farapart to show Clegg just how giant those crabs were.
    “How did you know? Were you spying on the landing party?” Vicky asked.
    Clegg shook his head. “I wish I were, matey,” he said.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” Inna asked.
    “It means the crew is in serious danger,” Clegg said. “Ye see, giant sand crabs only guard cursed treasure!”
    We all double gulped!
    “Gary was right! He knew