The two stood gazing at it a moment in puzzled silence. Then Doris threw down her knife. "It's all off with the pirate theory, Sally!" she exclaimed. "Why so?" demanded her companion, mystified for the moment. "Just because," answered Doris, "if Richard Worley lived in 1718, he couldn't possibly have built a cave with the remains of a vessel dated 1843, and neither could any other pirate, for there weren't any more pirates as late as 1843. Don't you see?" Sally did see and her countenance fell. "Then what in the world is the mystery?" she cried. "That we've got to find the answer to in some other way," replied Doris, "for we're as much in the dark as ever!" [Pg 77] [Pg 77] CHAPTER VII THE FIRST CLUE It was a discouraged pair that rowed home from Slipper Point that morning. Sally was depressed beyond words by their recent discovery, for she had counted many long months on her "pirate theory" and the ultimate unearthing of buried treasure. Doris, however, was not so much depressed as she was baffled by this curious turn of the morning's investigation. Thinking hard, she suddenly shipped her oars and turned about to face Sally with an exultant little exclamation. "Do you realize that we've made a very valuable find this morning, after all, Sally?" she cried. "Why, no, I don't. Everything's just spoiled!" retorted Sally dubiously. "If it isn't pirates, it isn't anything that's worth anything, is it?" [Pg 78] [Pg 78] "I don't know yet how much it's worth," retorted Doris, "but I do know that we've unearthed enough to start us on a new hunt." "Well, what is it?" demanded Sally, still incredulous.
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