Read Online The Mystery of the Pirate's Treasure by Penny Warner - Free Book Online Page A

they gathered in groups outside. She was using the phonetic alphabet code to talkwith her friends, so eavesdroppers—such as Longbeard and Jolly—wouldn’t understand what she was saying.
    After receiving Cody’s message, Quinn, Luke, and M.E. glanced around to see what she was referring to.
    â€œWhisker, Hotel, Echo, Romeo, Echo?” Quinn asked.
    Cody nodded in the direction of the couple.
    â€œTango, Hotel, Echo, Mike!” M.E. said, recognizing the pair.
    â€œSierra, Uniform, Papa?” Luke asked.
    Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page , this page
.
    Cody shrugged. That’s what
she
wanted to know. Why were these two still hanging around? Something was going on. She only wished she knew what it was.
    â€œAll right, students,” called Ms. Stad. “It’s time to make your way back to camp. You’ll be following a new map. As you travel along, you’re to write down each trail marker you see. For example, if you see this marker”—she held up a sign that showed twoparallel lines—“that means ‘bridge.’ If you find a bridge along your way, draw it on the map using the symbol for bridge that’s on the bottom left corner of your map. You get points for each of the symbols you find, so use your eagle eyes.”
    â€œWhat do we win?” Matt the Brat called out.
    â€œNothing. It’s just for fun,” Ms. Stad announced.
    Matt pumped his fist into the air and yelled “Yes!” before he realized there was no prize.
    After waiting in line for their group to proceed down the path, the Code Busters began the trek back to camp. All four of them had a great time searching for items on the map. By the time they reached the end of the trail, they’d found them all.
    â€œThat was awesome!” M.E. said after they’d turned in their completed maps. The students spent the next half hour washing up and preparing for their campfire dinner of hot dogs, veggies, s’mores, and apple cider. After the meal, they gathered around the campfire for stories and songs, led by Luke and Quinn’s teacher, Mr. Pike.
    First he led them in a round of “Silver and Gold”:“Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”
    â€œNow we’re going to sing some sailor shanties,” said Mr. Pike. “Does anyone know what a shanty is?”
    â€œAn old house?” offered a student named Lillian.
    â€œIt can be, but in this case, it means ‘to sing.’ It comes from the French word
chanter
.”
    Cody wondered why so many words came from French. She remembered Ms. Stad telling the class that a lot of coded messages originated in France, like the one the French resistance used during World War II. They had code names, symbols, poetry, and even coded articles in newspapers. Using numbers to represent page numbers, lines, and words, people communicated without the enemy intercepting their messages.
    â€œSailors and pirates used to sing while working on their ships,” Mr. Pike continued, interrupting Cody’s wandering thoughts. “It helped keep the men together and lifted their spirits during long voyages at sea.”
    Matt the Brat shouted, “Yeah, SpongeBob sings shanties on his show!
    Mr. Pike nodded patiently, then continued. “A lot of shanties have double meanings that only the sailors and pirates understood. I’m going to teach you one tonight called ‘Blow the Man Down.’ Ready?
    â€œOh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down!
    â€œTo me way-aye, blow the man down .
    â€œOh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him right down!
    â€œGive me some time to blow the man down!
    â€œDo you know what this particular shanty is about?” asked the teacher.
    Luke raised his hand. “The wind blew the pirates down?”
    â€œActually,” Mr. Pike said, “it refers to all the heavy work the pirates had to do