The Lost Gold Page 3

  Rosalind sighed. “We’ll have to hurry now. Someone might come to find out what the noise was.”

  “I’ll be quick.” Isabella flushed deeply and opened the first drawer, but it only had pens and pencils inside it. Amina looked in the second drawer, but that was full of blank paper. Then Isabella pulled open the last drawer and instantly recognized the scroll, which was rolled up and fastened with an elastic band.

  “I got it!” She grinned. Gently, she pulled off the band and unrolled the paper, which was yellow with age and crinkled at the edges.

  “I can’t wait to see the secret code!” said Rosalind.

  The scroll was covered with writing and had a small picture in the middle. Isabella’s heart sank. The paper was so old that the words were hard to read. What if she couldn’t even make out what the letters were?

  Just then, Lottie waved her hand for them to be quiet. There was a noise in the corridor.

  “Where have those princesses gone?” said Queen Neva, her footsteps coming closer. “Have you seen them, Josefina?”

  “No, I haven’t, Your Majesty,” came Josefina’s reply.

  “That’s very strange, because the guards say they haven’t gone outside and yet I can’t find them in any of the rooms,” Queen Neva went on. “I was just about to ask them if they wanted to learn the history of our royal crowns and tiaras. I wonder if there’s anywhere I haven’t looked.”

  The girls held their breaths as the queen’s footsteps came even closer. Isabella stared at the door anxiously. What would her mom say if she caught them all in here, searching the king’s desk and wearing strange green ninja outfits?

  Then, just as she expected her mom to burst in, a faint chattering noise started.

  “What’s that?” Queen Neva’s voice was right outside the door. “Petro, what’s that shiny thing that you’re holding? Have you been in my room and taken something from my jewelry box? Come back at once!” Her footsteps sped up, but grew fainter.

  Lottie opened the door a tiny crack. “Petro saved us! The queen followed him upstairs.”

  Isabella carefully rolled up the Silken Scroll and put the elastic band back on. “Let’s go quickly, before my mom comes back!”

  They tiptoed down the hallway and out the front door, then ran across the garden toward the rain forest.

  The princesses ran through the front gate, only slowing down once they reached the trees. A brown shape came bounding across the palace garden to join them.

  Isabella called to the little monkey. “Petro! You were such a star, you kept us from being caught!”

  “What is he holding?” asked Lottie.

  Petro swung over the palace gate and jumped down to the ground. Something blue and sparkly gleamed in his hand.

  “Come here, Petro.” Isabella knelt and beckoned him closer. He bounced over to her and she took a butterfly hair clip from his grasp. It was the one with the sapphire wings that he had been playing with the day before.

  “Oh, dear! You shouldn’t have taken this,” Isabella told him. “It’s not yours.”

  “Who does it belong to?” asked Rosalind.

  “It’s from my mom’s jewelry box, and it’s very special.” Isabella held the butterfly-shaped hair clip out to show them. The sapphire jewels on its wings shone a beautiful deep blue. “We’ll have to return it, but let’s find the treasure first; there’s no time to lose.” She handed the hair clip to Lottie, who put it away safely in the backpack on her shoulder.

  The princesses ran into the rain forest. Isabella led the way along the paths she knew so well. Lottie, Amina, and Rosalind followed her, staring in amazement at the brightly colored parrots and the toucans with their golden beaks.

  “Wow!” said Lottie. “Look at that red frog; I’ve never seen one as bright as that before.”

  “And look! Aren’t they cute?” Rosalind pointed at a troop of small monkeys swinging through the trees at top speed. One was carrying a tiny baby on its back.

  “They look as if something scared them.” Isabella bit her lip. “I bet they’re running away from the treasure hunters with their axes and saws.” She unrolled the scroll. “Horrible men! We must figure out where the gold is before they do.”

  The girls crowded around the paper, which had rough edges and cracks running across it. The writing was squiggly and the ink was faded, but as they stared at it they began to make out what it said.

  “Look! Here are the symbols for north, south, east, and west,” said Amina.

  “And the picture in the middle shows us where the river is.” Isabella pointed at a curved line running across the small picture. “The palace isn’t on here, but I guess that’s because this scroll was written before the palace was even built.”

  “Where’s the hidden treasure, though?” said Rosalind.

  Isabella squinted at the letters. They were long and curly, which made them hard to read, and splotches and cracks covered parts of some of the letters. “‘I live in the … forest.’” She read the first line haltingly. “Ooh, how funny! They made the dot on top of the letter I into a monkey’s face!”

  “There’s a monkey’s face on every line — look!” Lottie pointed to the little monkey faces. “It looks like they’re above certain letters.”

  “What do the other lines say?” demanded Rosalind.

  “Just a minute, some of the words are hard to see because the paper is so old.”

  Isabella took a deep breath and read:

  “It’s a riddle,” said Lottie. “I think it’s describing an animal.”

  “I think so, too,” agreed Amina. “An animal that’s small and funny.”

  Petro leapt onto Isabella’s shoulder, chattering loudly. Isabella laughed. “Petro knows what the animal is!”

  “Of course!” said Lottie. “Small and funny — it’s a monkey!”

  “But how does that help us find the gold?” said Rosalind. “Does it mean that the monkeys know where the treasure is?”

  “No, they can’t! It was hidden too long ago,” said Isabella, frowning.

  The princesses all looked puzzled. “Let’s keep walking and look for clues,” said Lottie at last. “Maybe the picture will help us.”

  As they walked, the sounds of banging and sawing grew louder, and they could hear the treasure hunters shouting to one another. The ground sloped down to a wide river with trees all the way along the banks.

  There was more noise from the treasure hunters up ahead. Isabella put a finger to her lips and beckoned to the others. They hid behind a tree with a wide trunk and peered out. They could see the treasure hunters standing next to two fallen trees not far from the riverbank.

  “There’s no sign of the gold here,” said one man. “Are you sure we’re looking in the right place?”

  “I have no idea!” replied Mr. Madelo. “It must be around here somewhere.”

  “But you told the king you’d cracked the code on the scroll,” said another man.

  “Of course I’ve cracked it!” said Mr. Madelo. “It’s just a crummy old piece of paper with a silly riddle that means monkey. That doesn’t help us at all. We just have to keep cutting down trees until we find something.” He aimed a kick at one of the fallen trees.

  “What a waste of two beautiful trees,” whispered Lottie.

  “And how terrible for all the creatures that lived in them,” said Amina.

  Isabella’s eyes flashed. “I’m sure there is a real clue somewhere on the Silken Scroll, and we’re going to find it! We won’t let them destroy this amazing forest!”

  Isabella stared at the Silken Scroll again. “The riddle does mean monkey,” she muttered. “But maybe the little faces mean something, too.”

  “You mean the monkey faces?” said Amina. “Do you think they’re above certain letters for a reason?”

  “I think we should keep walking and look for clues in the forest,” said Rosalind. “I’m glad the treasure hunters haven’t chopped down those trees. See all the monkeys living there?”

  Rosalind pointed at a group of trees on the other side of the river. They were full of monkeys jumping from branch to branch and chattering to one another. Petro watched them closely, as if he was ready to leap away and join them.

  “That’s actually a little island in the middle of the river,” Isabella told her. “Lots of monkeys like living there. I guess they feel safe.” Her eyes suddenly widened as she stared at the scroll in her hand. “Hold on! The monkey face on the first line is above the letter I. Then on line two it’s by an S, then an L, then A, N, D.”

  “So it’s I-S-L-A-N-D,” said Lottie thoughtfully. “The answer to the riddle is monkey.”

  “It’s Monkey Island!” they burst out together. Then they had to duck down to hide as the treasure hunters turned in their direction.

  “What was that noise?” asked one man.

  “Probably another silly parrot,” said Mr. Madelo. “Come on now, get back to work.”

  “The lost gold must be on Monkey Island,” whispered Isabella as soon as the men had turned away. “It must have been there all this time!”

  “But how do we get across? Is there a bridge?” asked Rosalind.

  Isabella shook her head. “Either we have to swing across like Petro or make a bridge ourselves.”

  “Let’s swing,” whispered Amina, but the others shook their heads.

  “I’d rather use a bridge,” said Lottie. “I’d be a lot less likely to fall in.”

  “One of those fallen trees would make a good bridge. It’s too bad they’re too heavy for us to carry,” said Rosalind.

  “But we might be able to lift that big branch over there.” Isabella pointed at a sturdy branch that had broken off one of the fallen trees. “Look, the men are going back to their truck. If we’re quick we could get the branch right now. Then we could cross to the island without them ever seeing us.”

  The princesses sneaked forward, glad that they were camouflaged in their green ninja clothes. The treasure hunters were standing next to their truck not far away. From the clashes and clanks, it sounded as if they were unloading more tools.

  Isabella raced to one end of the branch, while Lottie stood at the other end and Rosalind and Amina went in the middle.

  “Ready, everyone?” whispered Isabella.

  Together, they all heaved the branch up.

  “It’s heavy!” Amina gasped.

  “Quick, before they come back!” hissed Lottie.

  Isabella looked at the treasure hunters, but luckily they were still busy by the truck. Her arms began to ache as she led the way down to the riverbank. Her foot caught on a tree root and she nearly lost her balance. Holding the branch tightly, she told herself to be careful. She couldn’t ruin everything by falling over.

  “Let’s go a little farther,” muttered Lottie. “We need to be sure that those men can’t see what we’re doing.”

  They trudged along the bank until they found a place where the river was narrow and they were hidden from view by the trees.

  “But how are we going to lay the branch across so that it makes an actual bridge?” asked Amina.

  “It would be easier if one of us could swing across and catch it on the other side.” Isabella smiled at Amina. “Do you think you could do that? You are better at gymnastics than the rest of us!”

  “I’ll try!” Amina said. She climbed a tree that stretched out over the water and managed to swing across to the opposite bank. Petro followed her, chattering excitedly.

  “That was perfect!” said Lottie. “Are you ready to catch the branch?”

  Amina pushed back her long dark hair. “Yes, ready,” she said.

  Petro dangled from a tree by his tail, enjoying the whole adventure.

  Together, Isabella, Lottie, and Rosalind heaved the branch across the river. It was hard work, and Isabella began to worry that the branch might fall in and sink below the water. At last they pushed it across. Amina grabbed it on the other side and dragged it into place.

  Isabella put one foot on the thick branch and it wobbled frantically. How would she ever manage to get across? She found it hard just to keep her balance.

  “Keep going and don’t look down,” advised Lottie.

  Isabella held her breath as she tiptoed across, her arms stretched out on either side. Right in the middle, the branch trembled again and she thought she was going to fall in. But she kept going until she was safely on the opposite bank.

  “Well done!” whispered Amina, squeezing her hand.

  Isabella grinned. “Thanks.”

  Petro dropped down onto her shoulder and nuzzled her ear.

  One by one, Lottie and Rosalind crossed the river. When they were all safely on the other side, Isabella unfurled the Silken Scroll again. A group of monkeys swung down from the treetops and stared curiously at the girls. Petro leapt from Isabella’s shoulder into the branches to play with them.

  “Look!” Isabella turned the scroll over. “There are two more lines of writing on the other side.” Just then, the sounds of banging and sawing started up again. “Oh! Those men are cutting down another tree. We have to hurry!”

  “Let me try,” said Amina calmly. “I think the first line says: ‘Find the tallest tree.’”

  “Well, that should be easy! Let’s find it right now.” Isabella led the way, crashing through some bushes and making a long-snouted animal run away in fear.

  “What is that?” Rosalind stared wide-eyed at the dark, piglike creature.

  “It’s a tapir,” said Isabella. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.”

  “Wasn’t the scroll written a long time ago?” said Lottie, frowning. “Maybe the tall tree they were talking about has fallen down since then.”

  “Some of the trees in this rain forest are hundreds of years old,” said Isabella. “So it might still be here.”

  “How about that one!” cried Amina, pointing at a huge tree whose branches soared far above the others.

  They rushed over and gazed up at its thick trunk.

  Isabella’s heart was racing. “What does the last line of writing say?” she asked breathlessly.

  “‘Look in the heart of the tree and you will find the gold,’” Amina read slowly. “I don’t really understand that part.”

  “‘The heart of the tree,’” echoed Isabella. “I wonder where that is?” She walked all around the trunk, looking at every mark and crack in the wood.

  “Everyone get behind the tree!” hissed Lottie. “There’s a man looking across at the island.”

  They all hid behind the tree. The treasure hunter walked along the riverbank and noticed the branch they’d laid across the river as a bridge. He scratched his head.

  “I hope he doesn’t cross over,” muttered Isabella, “because if he does we’re in really big trouble!”

  The princesses watched the man for several minutes as he looked at their bridge and stared across at the island. At last he wandered back toward the other men.

  “That was close,” muttered Lottie. “I don’t think he saw us.”

  “But where are we supposed to look for the gold? Maybe we have to climb up the tree?” suggested Rosalind.

  “The scroll says the heart of the tree, and I think that really means the roots.” Isabella crouched down to look at the base of the tree. The roots jutted out of the ground and there were gaps between them. She caught a glimpse of something hidden in there.

  “I can see something!” She reached into the hollow between two roots and dragged out an old leather bag with a strap covered in red beads. A couple of beads fell off it and rolled away. The bag felt really heavy, and something jingled inside it.

  “Let’s see what’s in there,” said Rosalind excitedly.

  Isabella undid the straps and a bright glow burst from the bag. She put her hand in and took out a small golden statue. “Look at this! It’s beautiful!”

  “That’s amazing!” Amina reached in and pulled out a handful of gold coins.

  Lottie reached into the bag and took out a large golden mask in the shape of a monkey’s head. “Wow! This treasure is awesome!”

  “Let’s take everything back to the palace,” said Isabella. “Once we’ve shown this to my dad, he can tell the men to stop hunting for the treasure. Then all the trees and creatures will be safe again.”

  But as she stood up, a shout came from across the water. The treasure hunters were standing on the edge of the river and looking right at them.

  “Hey!” shouted one. “What are you girls doing with our gold?”

  “They saw us! What should we do?” said Amina.

  “We have to get across the river and back to the palace as fast as we can!” said Lottie.

  Isabella tried to lift up the old leather bag, but she couldn’t. “I can’t move this; the gold is too heavy!”

  “Let’s all lift it together.” Lottie’s green eyes were determined.

  They all grabbed the bag, but it still didn’t move.

  A yell came from across the river. “Hey! Put that gold back or you’ll be sorry!” It was Mr. Madelo, his black moustache twitching. He turned to the other men. “Find a way to get over to that island and take the gold from them!”

  The men ran along the riverbank toward the branch that the girls had used as a bridge.

  “Rosalind! Amina!” hissed Isabella. “Try to get rid of the bridge we made. See if you can push it into the water.”

  Rosalind and Amina dashed to the water’s edge.

  Startled by all the shouting, the monkeys in the treetops began calling loudly to one another.

  “What are we going to do?” Isabella asked Lottie. “Even without the branch bridge those men will find a way over here. The gold’s too heavy for us to move. Why should they get the treasure after all the bad things they’ve done?”

  “Give up the gold right now!” bellowed Mr. Madelo. “Or we will cut down every single tree on that island.”

  -->