they curved down and round into a long snaky neck. At the end of the neck was a huge dragonâs head, with slitted eyes, gaping nostrils and three horns.
Ben screeched and jumped away.
He had been leaning up against the dragonâs back!
As big as a jumbo jet, the dragon was as comfortably asleep as if it lay on pillows instead of hard, knobbly treasure. Every time it snored, flames flickered out from between its spear-like teeth, and tendrils of smoke curled up from the black pits of its nostrils. A grey cloud of smoke hung over its head like a fuzzy halo.
Ben looked across at James and Tim, who were staring at the dragon like hypnotised mice.
âSshh! Donât wake it up,â Ben whispered. âLetâs find Sarah and get out of here.â
âI hope the dragon hasnât eaten her,â James whispered back.
âMe too,â Tim and Ben said together.
The dragon stirred and sighed, sending out a big gust of flame. The shadowy stretches of the cavern were lit up with that eye-smarting red light. To his amazement, Ben saw an old wooden ship lying wrecked on a great hill of treasure on the far side of the dragon.
âA pirate ship,â he whispered in delight.
The ship looked as if it was sailing away on waves glittering with the last rays of the setting sun. Except its mast was broken, its boards were rotten, and the shining ocean was made of gold and jewels.
Then the dragon breathed in and the darkness fell again, hiding the pirate ship once more. The boys all froze, too scared to move. They waited until the dragon snored out its gust of flames and they could see again before slowly scrabbling towards the ship. Coins and jewels tumbled away at every step, ringing out like dropped bells.
Then Ben saw the bones, gleaming palely through the haze of smoke. His heart shrank and grew cold.
CHAPTER EIGHT
A long table set with golden plates and goblets and candelabras stood near the dragonâs snaky tail. Skeletons sat all round it, grinning into the darkness.
Ben had never seen a real skeleton before. He stared at them, feeling rather peculiar in the tummy. He had not realised how scary they were. He glanced at James, who looked as sick as he felt.
âNone of them are Sarah,â Ben said comfortingly.
âYou sure?â
Ben nodded. âTheyâre the pirates, I bet. I wonder how they ended up here.â
âMaybe the dragon ate them all?â
âThey wouldnât be skeletons then, theyâd just be a pile of bones.â
âYuk,â James said.
The red light sank away into darkness again, unnerving them all. No-one wanted to be near the skeletons in the dark. They scrambled away hurriedly, sending treasure tumbling down, rattling and banging.
âSshh!â Ben shushed.
The dragon breathed out a great gust of flames and Ben glanced at it nervously. Then he grabbed Jamesâs arm and pointed. Something rather odd stood in the curve of the dragonâs body, protected by its sharp hind claws. It was a little white bed with a pink patchwork quilt.
âDo you think . . . ?â he whispered.
They began to slip and slide across the mounds of treasure, keeping as quiet as they could. The flying carpet floated along behind them, undulating slightly in every gust of the dragonâs fiery breath.
Tim scrambled after it, laughing and pointing, and sending gold plates and cups clattering down.
âBe quiet, Timmy, please!â Ben begged.
Tim opened his blue eyes very wide and nodded, trying to tiptoe. More treasure crashed and rolled away under his feet.
The bed was piled high with pink flowered cushions and pillows. Fast asleep in the midst of all this pink was Sarah, a real diamond tiara on her head. Her arms and fingers were crammed with rings and bracelets, and necklaces hung about her throat. It was a wonder she could sleep so deeply.
For some reason the sight of her made Ben and James feel quite cross. They woke her up
Ben screeched and jumped away.
He had been leaning up against the dragonâs back!
As big as a jumbo jet, the dragon was as comfortably asleep as if it lay on pillows instead of hard, knobbly treasure. Every time it snored, flames flickered out from between its spear-like teeth, and tendrils of smoke curled up from the black pits of its nostrils. A grey cloud of smoke hung over its head like a fuzzy halo.
Ben looked across at James and Tim, who were staring at the dragon like hypnotised mice.
âSshh! Donât wake it up,â Ben whispered. âLetâs find Sarah and get out of here.â
âI hope the dragon hasnât eaten her,â James whispered back.
âMe too,â Tim and Ben said together.
The dragon stirred and sighed, sending out a big gust of flame. The shadowy stretches of the cavern were lit up with that eye-smarting red light. To his amazement, Ben saw an old wooden ship lying wrecked on a great hill of treasure on the far side of the dragon.
âA pirate ship,â he whispered in delight.
The ship looked as if it was sailing away on waves glittering with the last rays of the setting sun. Except its mast was broken, its boards were rotten, and the shining ocean was made of gold and jewels.
Then the dragon breathed in and the darkness fell again, hiding the pirate ship once more. The boys all froze, too scared to move. They waited until the dragon snored out its gust of flames and they could see again before slowly scrabbling towards the ship. Coins and jewels tumbled away at every step, ringing out like dropped bells.
Then Ben saw the bones, gleaming palely through the haze of smoke. His heart shrank and grew cold.
CHAPTER EIGHT
A long table set with golden plates and goblets and candelabras stood near the dragonâs snaky tail. Skeletons sat all round it, grinning into the darkness.
Ben had never seen a real skeleton before. He stared at them, feeling rather peculiar in the tummy. He had not realised how scary they were. He glanced at James, who looked as sick as he felt.
âNone of them are Sarah,â Ben said comfortingly.
âYou sure?â
Ben nodded. âTheyâre the pirates, I bet. I wonder how they ended up here.â
âMaybe the dragon ate them all?â
âThey wouldnât be skeletons then, theyâd just be a pile of bones.â
âYuk,â James said.
The red light sank away into darkness again, unnerving them all. No-one wanted to be near the skeletons in the dark. They scrambled away hurriedly, sending treasure tumbling down, rattling and banging.
âSshh!â Ben shushed.
The dragon breathed out a great gust of flames and Ben glanced at it nervously. Then he grabbed Jamesâs arm and pointed. Something rather odd stood in the curve of the dragonâs body, protected by its sharp hind claws. It was a little white bed with a pink patchwork quilt.
âDo you think . . . ?â he whispered.
They began to slip and slide across the mounds of treasure, keeping as quiet as they could. The flying carpet floated along behind them, undulating slightly in every gust of the dragonâs fiery breath.
Tim scrambled after it, laughing and pointing, and sending gold plates and cups clattering down.
âBe quiet, Timmy, please!â Ben begged.
Tim opened his blue eyes very wide and nodded, trying to tiptoe. More treasure crashed and rolled away under his feet.
The bed was piled high with pink flowered cushions and pillows. Fast asleep in the midst of all this pink was Sarah, a real diamond tiara on her head. Her arms and fingers were crammed with rings and bracelets, and necklaces hung about her throat. It was a wonder she could sleep so deeply.
For some reason the sight of her made Ben and James feel quite cross. They woke her up
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