The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt Read Free

way.

    Stink dug into his backpack, pulled out a shiny red pouch, and tied it to his belt. “This’ll be for all our pirate booty. We have six already!”
    “Ye better guard that booty with your life,” said the ranger. “There be pirates all over these parts!” Then she handed them the next clue.
    Judy and Stink sat on a driftwood log and opened the clue.
    -... .-.. .- -.-. -.- -... . .- .-. -..
    “It’s in Morse code!” said Stink.
    “Morse code? Oh, no! We don’t have a clue what this means.”
    “Who says?” Stink reached into his survival backpack again.
    “Shh!”
said Judy. “Spies on deck. Spies on deck.”
    “You have the map,” they heard Tall Boy tell Smart Girl. “Where’s the library?”
    “The library!” Judy whispered. “Good idea. Let’s go —”
    Stink held up a spiral notebook with Morse code on the cover.
    “You have Morse code in your survival kit?” Judy asked.
    “You never know when you might get marooned on a desert island, like Gilligan’s Island, and have to send out a rescue signal.”
    “Stink, have I told you lately you’re a genius?”
    Stink grinned. “You just did. But tell me again.”
    Judy looked up each letter of the coded message, writing them down in Stink’s notebook as she found them.
    “What is it? What does it say?” Stink pestered.
    “Let me finish,” said Judy.
    “It’s
Bad-Bear,
” said Stink.
“Blab-ear? Blackbird? Blackbear?”
    “BLACKBEARD!”
screamed Judy and Stink at the same time, forgetting all about spies.

Judy and Stink met Mom and Dad in front of Barnacle Bob’s. “Those two girls with painted faces have maps, too,” said Judy, pointing.
    “So does that surfer-dude kid,” said Stink. “And
he’s
not stopping to eat hot dogs.”
    Judy and Stink wolfed down hot dogs, then their parents drove them all over town while they tried to solve the next clue. Something about Blackbeard.
    They went to Blackbeard’s Castle. They peeked inside a gift shop called Blackbeard’s Folly. They checked out the Barefoot Blackbeard, a surf shop. But all they found were a lot of flip-flops.

    “Let’s park and walk into the center of town,” said Mom. “I need to get sunscreen. And I’m hoping to find some art supplies so we —”
    “Do we have to?” asked Stink. He could already feel his feet falling off from all the boring old shopping.
    “C’mon — it’ll be fun,” said Mom. “There’s a toy store, and a pet shop like Fur & Fangs, and an ice-cream place.”
    “Pirates don’t play with toys,” said Stink. “Or go to pet shops.”
    “Not even Toys
Arrr
Us?” Mom joked.
    “And they definitely don’t eat ice cream,” said Judy.
    “Not even
Marrrs Barrr
Crunch?” Dad teased.
    “Sometimes parents are clueless,” Judy whispered to Stink.
    “We’re clue-less, too,” said Stink. Judy and Stink laughed till their stomachs hurt.
    “Stop!” said Stink. “You’re making me get scurvy again.”

    In the village, Judy and Stink saw kids with maps everywhere. “Stink. Across the street. Tall Boy and Smart Girl.”
    “Are you doing the Girl-Who-Cried-Pelican thing again, where you get me to look?” He looked anyway. “Let’s follow them. As in spy.”
    “That’s called cheating, Stink.” said Judy.
    “Pirate Rule Number Something-or-Other: Cheat every chance you get.”
    “Car
bunk
le,” said Judy.
    Judy and Stink trudged up and down Back Road and School Road behind Mom and Dad, in one shop and out the other. Stink made bored sounds. Judy made bored faces.

    Until . . . they heard a voice.
    “Walk the plank! Walk the plank!” said the voice. It was not a Scurvy Sam pirate voice. It was a high, squeaky voice. “Shiver me timbers! Shiver me timbers!” the voice screeched.
    “I think it’s coming from the pet shop,” said Judy, rushing inside.
    “Pet shop!” Stink called to his parents, rushing after Judy.
    “Jolly Roger! Pieces of eight! Jolly Roger!”
    “It’s that parrot!” said Stink, pointing to a