Pyro Watson and the Hidden Treasure (6 page)

Pyro hadn't noticed the day grow cooler or the shadows lengthen. Mr Stig had kept him so busy making up keys for his map and drawing aerial views of mountain ranges that they'd only taken time out to eat scones and jam and cream. Auntie Mor joined in and began drawing birds who might live in the mountains, even though Mr Stig's explanation about scale meant that the birds on this map would have to be drawn as big as fleas.

‘Don't be such a party-pooper,' Mor said as she settled in to draw more magpies. Her parrots were having beak trouble. ‘They could sit around the edges like a border.'

‘They could indeed,' agreed Stig, winking at Pyro. ‘What d'you think? Want borders?'

Pyro didn't really and was trying hard to think of a polite way to suggest that Auntie Mor make her own map or recipe or something, when a wet nose, followed by a sudden pair of feet and a sharp bark, interrupted him.

The boy from yesterday stood a little further out while Becks leapt and bobbed around the table.

‘Get back here!' the boy growled in his roughest voice.

Becks didn't take any notice at all.

‘I think she wants to stay here.' Pyro clicked his fingers and slapped his hands at his knees the way he'd seen other dog owners do. Becks was too busy enjoying a pat from Mr Stig to take any notice.

‘Do it this way,' the boy said as he wandered closer. He clicked his fingers loudly and, as soon as Becks looked around, bent over and slapped his hands at his legs. ‘Come on, girl. Come on!'

And Becks did.

‘You're pretty good at that,' Pyro said.

‘It's what my grandma does. She's good with dogs.'

‘So's my grandma.' It was incredible, fancy Min having a grandma just like his. ‘Do you know what she does?'

Min shook his head. He'd ambled right over and even though his head was pointed the right way his eyes were lingering over the map on the table.

‘Well, when she wants to bath Toddy, her old black dog, she has to get her swimmers on and stand in the shower with him!'

‘My gran baths Becks in the sink. She reckons it's okay because she washes my socks in there as well sometimes and Becks isn't as grubby as them.'

Auntie Mor had looked up from her magpie. ‘Old Toddy, eh. Crikey. I'd forgotten all about him.' She laughed really loudly. ‘Remember Snort?'

They remembered tales of old Snort and then reminded each other about Snooze who was Snort's mother and off they went again. There were lots of bits to make them all laugh, and Min had his own funny stories to tell.

And then a gap opened up and, just for a few seconds, everyone stopped talking and laughing.

‘She's pretty sick, you know,' Auntie Mor said quietly. ‘Your nan.' She stretched and looked out over the sea. ‘She's a tough old bird though …'

Pyro wasn't sure that Nan was tough but she certainly was old. And cranky too, sometimes. It was hard to imagine her being sick and having to stay in bed.

‘Just as well your mum's over there.' Auntie Mor straightened up. She seemed to have forgotten them. ‘Lordy, lordy,' she said when she noticed them again. ‘It's getting late. Becks is still waiting for her walk. Off you go, you two.'

Pyro began to collect up his pencils but Mr Stig waved him off. ‘We'll carry on doing some bird drawings. Don't you worry …'

Pyro was finding it hard not to worry. Auntie Mor was never quiet and there she was, sitting there looking out at the ocean again. And all because of Nan.

‘My gran was sick,' Min said suddenly. ‘She got better though. She's still not good enough to take old Becks out every day but she's getting there.'

Becks panted along happily leading the way. She seemed to know that they were to go down the cliff
path and then back around the inlet, but not across the mud flats. She didn't even check that the boys were still behind her.

It was when they'd circled the entire camping ground and were on their way back again that Min asked Pyro about his map.

‘It's for school,' Pyro lied. He wasn't sure that Min would understand that he just liked drawing things. ‘You know, pirate's maps and stuff like that.'

Min stopped. ‘Did you see
Pirate Movie
?'

‘Did I ever. I saw it four times. I loved the bit when he got that long rope and tried to sail off over the cliff …'

‘And that other bit when he almost fell overboard.' Min was bent over laughing. ‘I've got the DVD at home. It's my favourite. I love the way they had all those hiding places …'

‘Yeah, and they kept tricking everyone into getting close enough to bomb them. It was so funny.'

‘You can say that again!'

‘It was so funny!' Min burst out laughing. ‘Do you get it? You said “you can say that again” and so I did! Pretty good, don't you reckon?'

Pyro grinned. ‘You can say that again,' he said.

So Min did. And that sent them off into howls and squeals of laughter. Becks joined in, leaping and barking and making such a fuss that the old couple who travelled all over Australia came out and ticked them both off.

‘They're grumpy old grots!' Min hissed as they scarpered back across the campground.

‘You can say that again,' Pyro answered and this time they fell down and rolled about laughing so much that the old couple came out again and looked like they might even walk all the way over to really have a go.

‘Quick! This way!' Pyro leapt ahead and down the track. ‘There's a good place down here!'

Quickly he led the way to the bend and then stopped. ‘In here. Quick!'

Once they'd pushed through the tight brace of branches that clambered outwards trying to get a good place at the front, they found themselves in a tiny clearing.

‘It's like a proper hide-out,' said Min. ‘How'd you know it was here?'

‘Didn't.' Pyro tried hard not to look pleased with himself. ‘Just figured it out.'

‘You never!'

‘I did. It's the way the track twists back over there.' Pyro pointed out beyond the trees as if it was obvious.

Min looked a bit puzzled.

‘We can go further in.' This time Pyro couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. ‘Look up there.'

It was a kingdom. The trees were growing out from a tiny ledge shielding a small, clear area that was perfect for looking out to sea.

But best of all, the absolute best, was the cave that was sheltered by the overhang of rock.

A realio-trulio cave.

‘There'll be none creepin' up on us now, me hearties!' San Simeon said. ‘She's a natural wonder, this lookout. And any who try … aha!'

The crew aha'd and ha-ha'd in their knowingest ways.

‘We'll get ‘em, won't we, Cap'n!' they cried, although, truth be told, they weren't sure exactly how they were going to get anyone, especially since they were hiding away hoping they wouldn't be seen.

‘We won't be gettin' ‘em,‘ said San Simeon. ‘Black Bella will though.'

Lights lit up in those pirate fighters' eyes. Old Black Bella, eh. She was the best cannon that ever was turned. They chuckled with glee as they thought of her launching her great cannonballs out, out, out over the ocean to blast holes in the tawdry bottoms of pirates' ships.

‘Her cannonballs can't miss from up here!' they roared.

 

‘What?' Min looked back. He was standing, hands on his hips, gazing out to sea from the opening formed by the rock ledge. ‘What'd you say?'

‘Just thinking.' Pyro hoped he hadn't said anything at all. ‘You could aim cannonballs out to sea from here … if you were a pirate.'

‘You could.' Min picked up a small pebble. ‘We're not pirates though.' The pebble was tossed up and down and up and down in Min's hand. ‘Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' he said.

Pyro wasn't sure. ‘Is it to do with that rock?'

‘It certainly is!'

‘Is it to do with that rock and this lookout?'

‘It certainly is!'

‘Is it to do with that rock and this lookout and pirates?'

‘YAY!!!!' Min leapt about waving his arms. ‘Give the boy a prize! He's guessed it.'

Pyro danced about too. He wasn't quite sure why but it was beginning to sound a bit like fun. ‘We can build a hide-out!'

‘We can launch cannonballs.' Min hefted the little pebble.

‘Launch cannonballs? That?' Pyro giggled. ‘It's the littlest cannonball on the planet!'

‘No, it's not!' Min scavenged around in the dust. He collected an even smaller pebble. ‘This is the smallest cannonball!'

‘'Tis not!' Now Pyro was scrambling about. ‘This is!'

By the time they'd agreed that there were no smaller cannonballs in this little bit of earth, they were covered in dust and grimy sweat.

Pyro flung himself onto the grass that clung, like a forgotten carpet, to the curve on the hill. Min sprawled out beside him with Becks keeping watch between them. She'd helped with the cannonball search by digging madly between their hands.

Pyro looked around. ‘You'd never throw a rock far enough to get out to sea.'

Min raised himself onto one elbow. ‘It'd be hard to get over those branches. You'd have to chuck it really high.'

Then, Pyro knew, they'd both had the same thought at exactly the same moment. They'd both jumped up, pointed at each other and shouted, ‘Slingshots.'

It was too much.

‘How'd you know I was going to say that?' they cried together.

And, because they'd said that together too, they had to do scissors, paper, rock to see who got to go first.

It was brilliant.

‘We could get pine cones from the other beach …'

‘And make out there's a ship down there and aim for it!'

‘Ping 'em!' Min giggled.

‘Pong 'em!' sang Pyro.

They stopped laughing long enough to make plans for the front of the hide-out. It would need some more branches shoved in so no one would be able to get in without making a lot of noise.

Perhaps it needed a bell … ‘No'! sang Min. A bucket full of water that would dump all over them if they tried.

And ropes. They could stretch some rope across so that intruders would be tripped if they managed to escape the dunking. Pyro wasn't too sure how they were going to suspend a bucket but he could see promise with the rope.

Then Becks, who'd been sitting quietly catching her breath, pricked up her ears and let out a very low growl.

‘Quick!' Min lay down flat on his stomach. ‘Get down.'

Pyro was as flat as one of Dad's handkerchiefs.

‘Guess who?'

Pyro craned forward. They were a little above the level of the track and he could see, as he peered around the lowest branches, the rising heads of the Two Worries.

‘It's the Worries,' he said.

Min giggled. ‘The Whats?'

‘Not the Whats.' Pyro was trying so hard not to giggle that he snorted. ‘The Worries! It's what I called them when they were chucking stuff at us today.'

Beyond their hiding place the Worries had slowed. ‘Did you hear something?' Plonker was glancing behind him.

‘Like what?' Sausage Lips was listening really hard. ‘Can't hear nothing at all.'

Plonker sneered. ‘Thought I heard Min Stobey. He's looking to cop it, that kid! Did you see the way he took off after school today. I reckon he's got something on.'

‘Yeah.' Sausage Lips started off up the path again. ‘I reckon he has too.'

‘What do you think it is, then? What's he up to?' Plonker glanced around again before setting off up the path.

Pyro turned around just in time to see Min pull faces at their backs.

‘I'd like to get that Plonker, just once,' he said. ‘He's always after us.'

They waited until the coast looked clear and then set off down the cliff face. They were pretty certain the Worries would be sitting at the table at the top of the cliff walk, hoping for trouble.