Read Online Crown of the Cowibbean by Mike Litwin - Free Book Online Page B

suppose,” Marco sighed. “It was the spider crab’s job to guard the crown. Now he gets to do that forever.” He closed the clamshell’s lid. “Come, little ones. If we set sail now, we can be back in Bermooda by sundown.”
    Chuck and Dakota shared a puzzled look. “Really? All that way by sundown?”
    â€œ Certamente !” Marco smiled. “We’ll just go in a straight line. ”

12
    SOME TREASURE HUNT
    â€œSo…you fought a whole army of shellfish by yourself?”
    The four weary travelers were back home on Bermooda. It had been a whole week since they returned from their voyage. Marco was in his regular spot at the Leaky Tiki. As promised, Chuck had returned Dakota’s bandana to its rightful place on the tiki’s head.
    â€œNot just a crew,” Marco said, waving his wings in the air. “A brigade! An army! A legion of savage shellfish, armed to the gills and led by their pirate king—an enormous, ferocious catfish as tall as the ceiling!”
    Chuck and Dakota listened from a nearby table. They didn’t join the crowd. After all, they’d already had front-row seats to this story. The plucky chicken’s audience continued to grill him with questions.
    â€œSo where is this Coral Crown? Do you have it?” asked a tall reddish cow at the front of the crowd.
    â€œHaven’t you been listening?” Marco demanded. “It disappeared with the mammoth spider crab, of course!”
    â€œOh, of course,” chuckled a plump cow in a straw hat. “The one as big as your ship.”
    â€œEven bigger than my ship!” Marco said.
    â€œUh-huh. So is this before or after you met the…” the plump cow paused and snickered, “…queen of the fish cows?”
    â€œSea cows,” Marco corrected him. “And it was after, at Spidercrab Rock!”
    â€œOh, that’s right. The invisible island,” another cow said with a guffaw.
    â€œOkay, what about that magic flute you were talking about?” came a voice from the back of the crowd. “Come on, Marco…play us a magic tune!” The whole circle of cows burst into laughter.
    â€œYou don’t believe me?” Marco clucked angrily, ruffling his feathers. “It is all true! Tell them, Ribeye!”
    The surly Ribeye said nothing, but simply addressed the room with his one good eye and nodded his head in agreement with Marco. No one wanted to argue with Ribeye, but no one really seemed to believe Marco, either. They all went back to their tables, mumbling and rolling their eyes.
    â€œWait! Come back!” Marco pleaded. “ Amici Miei ! My friends! I’m just getting to the good part!” But it was no use. Story time was over.
    With his feathers ruffled, Marco stormed out of the Tiki and back to the Swashclucker . Chuck and Dakota followed not too far behind. They found Marco sulking in his cabin, holding the old spyglass.
    â€œIt’s okay, Marco,” Chuck put a hoof on Marco’s shoulder. “We know you’re telling the truth this time.”
    Marco picked his head up. “What do you mean, ‘this time’?”
    â€œMarco, we looked all over the ship,” Dakota said. “We never found any treasures or anything. But it’s nice to know at least one of your stories is true.”
    â€œOne?” Marco laughed. “Try hundreds!” He fluttered across the cabin to the sword collection on his wall and pulled on the handle of the last sword. As he did, the boards on the floor began to move downward, creating a set of steps that led into a hidden room underneath the cabin.
    â€œA secret room?” Chuck gasped.
    â€œOf course!” Marco said. “Did you really think Marco Pollo would keep his riches where anyone can find them?”
    Chuck and Dakota clomped down the steps into a small gallery filled to the brim with treasures. There were ancient artifacts and mystical