Harry Bones and the Treasure of Raiders Cove

By RA Tidgwell

Harry Bones, Luke Butler, Abagaelle Roberts, and
Twiggy Woods search the hills above Raiders Cove for pirates treasure. There are rough looking pirates in town who are also searching for the booty. They will stop at nothing to keep Harry and his friends from getting in their way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RA Tidgwell
• Release date: May 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476347332

RA Tidgwell

RA Tidgwell lives atop Hamilton Mountain with his wife Judith and his dog Bean Bag - also known as Baggie. After having great success with his first novel - Harry bones and the Treasure of Raiders Cove he authored Bobby Roper and the Nemesis Staff (dragons, sorcerers, magic, other worlds and stuff) - and is presently working on Billy Bleaker and the Tome of the Stone Wizard (dragons, sorcerers, magic, and stuff) . RA Tidgwel is presently creating website http://ratidgwell.com where you can learn more about Been Bag. He would like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who has read, and will read, his novels. (Make a child happy. Read to them.)

Book preview

Harry Bones

and the

Treasure of Raiders Cove

R.A. Tidgwell

Harry Bones and the Treasure of Raiders Cove

By R.A. Tidgwell

Copyright 2012 R.A. Tidgwell

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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CHAPTERS

Abagaelle and the Pirates

The Off Roaders

Cutthroat Charlie’s Lookout

The Bobby Reid Gang

Damien Beckett

Old Farmer Thornwood

The Map

The Big Tree

Pirates of Buccaneer Bay

The Pirate’s Cave

Busted

The Evil Eye

Captain Jennifer Jones

Chapter One

Abagaelle and the Pirates

In the early hours of the morning a heavy set man guided a large, black sedan up Galley Street, the main street in Raiders Cove. Checking carefully to make sure that there was no one out on the street to observe his movements; he spun to his right down a narrow alley, and then drove a short distance to a dark, secluded spot where he parked behind a row of windowless buildings. He waited for two of the local Pirates who had arranged to meet him.

As the town clock tolled twice, a white van pulled up and parked close behind. Two rough looking men left the van and walked towards the sedan. The taller of the two leaned towards his partner, a thin man with a Jolly Roger tattoo on his forehead, and said, Now remember what I told you, Gig, keep your mouth shut and let me do the talkin’. The boss is not happy with you right now. After you broke that priceless relic he told me to thrown you into the bay.

Without another word they slid into the back seat of the sedan. The heavy driver looked at them in the rear-view mirror. How’s that shipment going, Nate? he asked.

Great boss, the taller man replied, rubbing his sweaty hands on his thighs. The last of the shipment will be picked up at the farm today or tomorrow; it depends on which day the buyer is ready to accept delivery.

The boss turned in his seat to look at Nate, the taller man who was sitting on the right. "Nate, that Roberts girl has been bragging that her family has papers passed down from the local pirates going back to the days when Howling Horace and the others sailed in these parts. See what information you can get from the Roberts brat. I don’t care how you get it and I don’t want to know. If you mess up you’re on your own. You get paid for the information, that’s it.

"I’m still working on buying the Bones house. It shouldn’t be long now. Once I get my hands on it I’ll tear that house to the ground brick by brick and board by board until I find what I’m looking for. Captain Gale sailed one of Howling Horace’s ships. I know there is treasure buried around here. Captain Gale had something hidden in the Bones house and since he died without leaving the house I know that it has to still be there.

Gig could keep silent no longer. But boss, all kinds of people have looked for that treasure all over the place and no one has ever found any, he said. What makes you think this treasure is still there?

Nate poked him in the ribs. Quiet Gig, he whispered.

Nate, keep Giggles quiet, the big man said.

The names Gig, Gig mumbled under his breath.

"Well, I guess you have a right to know how I’m thinkin’. I believe there’s treasure buried around here because Howling Horace died at the hands of his men somewhere between Raiders Beach and Captain Gale’s Creek. I’m sure his treasure has never been found.

"There is a little-known legend that Howling Horace tried to hide his treasure so that he and his buddies would not have to share it with the rest of the crew. He and four others rowed the treasure of three ships ashore and, using donkeys, they hauled the treasure away and hid it. But as they were returning the rest of the crew, led by Captain Gale, met them and, in a drunken rage, hung them from a huge tree without finding out where the treasure had been buried. The crew said that the men had never given up the location of the treasure but some believe that Captain Gale got the information out of Howling Horace by promising to save him from the crew. After he had obtained the information they hung Howling Horace along with the others. Captain Gale never told his mates that he knew the location of the treasure.

"He was never able to go after the treasure because the rest of the crew were suspicious of him and the reason they were suspicious was because he would sit in that tower in his house with his musket and sabre and not let anyone near the place. If he had been caught with the treasure, the crew, who lived in the village with their families, would have keel hauled him. I’m sure that the map, or some kind of clue to Howling Horace’s treasure, is hidden somewhere in that house; the same house that’s now owned by the Bones. I want that treasure.

I’ve got those two other dummies working to scare off the Bones and Butler boys. I know they’re planning on searching the hills for treasure. There’s not much chance of them finding anything. But then, you never know. The last thing we need is for them to stumble onto something.

Many of the families who lived around the cove could trace their ancestry to the Pirates who had once lived near the town. Harry discovered early that the area had once been a pirate’s haven. It was an honest-to-goodness storehouse of legends about those pirates and their hidden treasures. All of this appealed to Harry’s adventurous nature. To Harry, Raiders Cove had to be the perfect place to live. It would be awesome to roam the high trails above the shoreline in search of relics and lost treasure. As soon as he gathered enough evidence as to the most likely place where Howling Horace’s treasure might be found, he and his best friend Luke would begin the search.

Now that he had the information he came for, he just wanted to get home to record his new clues. Mr. and Mrs. Best, at The Best Book Store, had given him enough information to use as a starting point in his search. One of the interesting details that had caught his attention was when they were describing how the pirates used a trail up the side of the cliffs along the eastern shore. The trail was convenient for hauling cannons and supplies to the top. Harry was quick to note that anything, including treasure, could have been hidden in those supply and ammunition crates and hauled up to the summit. All he had to do was to find the trail up the hill. The treasure had to be somewhere up near the top of the trail. He now had a well-defined goal; to find that trail. Even after all these years since the days of the tall ships parts of it should still be visible. He couldn’t wait to tell Luke.

Harry concentrated on the second tidbit of usable info that made all his sleuthing worthwhile. The most popular theory, the Bests had told him, was that a pirate known as Howling Horace had buried his treasure in a place the kids at school called Cutthroat Charlie’s Lookout. They whispered the name and said that anyone who went back there never came out again. Harry did not put much stock in such stories. He now had two goals. Investigate Cutthroat Charlie’s Lookout and find the trail that the pirates had used to climb the cliffs.

There was now a real chance that he might find treasure and save his home from being sold. He gave himself a reality check, though. The chances of finding a treasure were still very small.

His battered old bike stood where he had left it against a sign post. It was not locked. Harry figured chaining it to the post would be a waste of time. Who would want it? Harry had abandoned the old bike to the junk heap in the back yard when he had got his new mountain bike. When his father had to take the new bike in for repairs Harry had no choice but to pull the old machine out from under piles of debris. All that was left of the old bike was two wheels – the front badly warped due to several broken spokes – two smooth, bald tires – the rear had a bulge on one side that threatened to explode any minute – and a frame held together with bailing wire and duct tape. The brakes were shot – he shoved his heel against the back tire to stop – and the faster he rode the harder the wobble of the warped front wheel shook the whole bike and rattled his teeth. But it was better than walking and with tender loving care he should be able to coax it to take him home. He pulled his rickety steed off the sidewalk and swung his leg over the saddle.

Before he pulled onto the street, he checked both ways for traffic. Down the block a flurry of activity caught his eye. A girl struggled; she seemed to be fighting to escape two men who were dragging her towards a white van. At first glance Harry thought that she might be a rebellious teenager making a scene. He hesitated to get involved but the situation was becoming quite violent. He thought that it would be a good idea to just ride by and check out the commotion.

Then he recognized the girl; he knew her from school, Abagaelle Roberts. She fought fiercely against her attackers. It was obvious to Harry that even the gutsy Abagaelle could not fight off those big guys for long. He had to act fast. A quick look around for help and he knew he was on his own. There was not one adult to be seen. But still he hesitated – torn between helping Abagaelle himself or going for help. What could he do? The two of them together could not take on those two big guys.

At that moment Abagaelle looked at him and screamed, Help, Harry, help!

That was all the invitation he needed. All doubt and indecision vanished. He pedalled hard towards her. The dilapidated old bike threatening to tear itself apart as it shuddered under the strain. Harry had no plan of attack. He was about to call out that he was coming, but decided that it would not be a good idea to warn the men. They were big guys and as he drew nearer he saw that their faces were hidden by black ski masks. That settled it. No longer did he doubt that these were bad guys. A momentary fear seized his mind; just one second of indecision swept over him. Then he gave himself a mental shake and drove himself forward. There was no time to waste or to come up with another plan. He had to help Abagaelle. He pedalled harder forcing the old bike to pick up speed.

One of the guys was behind Abagaelle with his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her towards the van. The other ducked and dodged her flailing hands and feet as he tried to help his partner. Harry took aim at the man on the receiving end of Abagaelle’s kicking and scratching. If he could take him out first maybe he and Abagaelle could fight off the other one. Luck was with him – the guy had his head turned and did not see him coming. By standing on the pedals and pulling hard on the handlebar he forced the old bike to unthinkable speed. The shaking of the wheels morphed into a thrumming vibration as he powered the old bike forward.

Harry ran Cruiser onto the sidewalk and smashed hard into the guys ribs with the handlebar; the force of the impact knocked the unwary attacker spinning to the sidewalk. The impact twisted the grips from Harry’s hands and forced the front wheel to the left – the forks bent under. The wheel crumpled flipping the bicycle forward and sending Harry head over heels. Harry sailed over the guy he hit and, just before he slammed into the sidewalk himself, caught the look of unbelief on the guys face. It was over in seconds. Harry tumbled and skidded full tilt along the sidewalk. At one point his legs were in the air and he could see the sky between his feet. Then he felt the skin of his nose and cheek being sanded away by the sidewalk as he slid on his face. A stab of pain shot through him as his shoulder hit hard and he tumbled, rolling onto his side. He slid along on his right arm and elbow and then skidded to a stop on his back. Cruiser cartwheeled past him and slammed into a post putting an end to its long career.

Harry’s first thought was that this was going to hurt. He waited for the pain, or death, or both. He wasn’t sure which would be worse. A second later the pain hit his brain, pouring in from all parts of his body at the same time. There was no air left in his lungs to scream. While he lay there dazed, staring towards the sky, trying to suck in a breath of air, afraid to move because every bone in his body was broken for sure, he knew he had to get up or he would be at the mercy of those men.

Even though he was sure he was going to die, Harry’s second thought was for Abagaelle. He managed to turn his head just in time to see her kick the guy several times in the shins with her heals. Then he heard an audible crack as she smashed the guy’s nose with the back of her head. His nose spurted blood like an erupting geyser through the holes in his mask and over the back of Abagaelle’s white blouse. Wailing in surprise and pain the thug fell back against the van. He released Abagaelle as his hands flew to his mutilated nose.

Look what you have done to my blouse, she screamed.

She swung around and chopped his throat hard with the edge of her hand. He fell to his knees gurgling and gasping for air; his nose dripping blood through the mask.

Now free of her attackers, she ran to Harry and let out a squeal as she caught sight of his many injuries. Harry, are you all right, oh dear, there’s blood on my blouse; it’s ruined; oh never mind that, are you ok? Oh my my my. Goodness, look at your face, your mouth is bleeding.

Knowing that the men could attack again at any moment, Harry painfully sat up.

Oh! And look at your back, your back is all red and the back of your shirt is shredded, she cried. Oh dear, your arms are a mess, and your legs, oh my, your poor knees, your mother’s going to kill me. Oh your shoulder is bleeding. She dabbed at the blood with the tail of her blouse.

If Harry hadn’t been worried about his injuries before, he was now. He stuck his tongue out of the side of his mouth to try and see how bad it was bitten.

Abagaelle leaned her head to one side and gave Harry a motherly look. Oh, it’s just your poor tongue that’s bleeding – I mean, you’ve bitten your tongue. But there are only two tiny holes near the tip, she said. It’ll be alright.

She turned back to the brutes that had attacked her, ready to defend Harry. The guy Harry ran down with his bike held his injured ribs with one hand as he painfully clambered to his feet. He limped badly. His face mirrored his pain in his side as he dragged himself into the van. The guy who’s nose Abagaelle had surely broken was recovering from her chop to the throat. He was standing and breathing. His shirt front was covered in blood from his dripping nose. He managed to pull himself into the driver’s seat. Head back, he pinched his nose, to try and stop the bleeding.

Go! his partner yelled.

Abagaelle shook her fist at the escaping thugs, Come back here. If I ever get my hands on you ….

The rest of her threat was drowned out by the roar of the engine and squeal of the spinning tires. The hoodlums tore off up the street heading out of town.

After he had checked out his battered body for seriously broken parts Harry decided that, as far as he could tell, none of his bones were broken. Painfully, he clambered to his hands and knees then forced his