Chapter 13 A PLEASANT MORNING - AND A SHOCK!
'Where shall we go for our walk?' said George, as they wandered through the village. 'Oh look -there's a tiny little shop with Tom the Tobacconist written over the door. Let's get the tobacco whilewe remember.'
So in went Julian, and rapped on the counter. A very small man appeared like a hob-goblin out of adark corner.
'I want some tobacco for Jeremiah Boogle, please,' said Julian. 'I think you know the kind he wants.'
'I do that!' said Tom, scrabbling about on a shelf. 'The amount that old Jeremiah has smoked sinceI've been here would keep a bonfire going for years. There you are, young sir!'
'He tells a fine story,' said Julian, putting down the money for the tobacco.
Tom laughed. 'He's been going on about Bart and Nosey and all them old folk, I suppose,' he 49said. 'He's a queer one, is old Jeremiah. Never forgets a thing, even if it happened eighty or moreyears ago! Never forgives, neither. There's two folk in this village that he spits at when he passes bythem. Naughty old man, he is.'
'What have they done to earn his spite?' asked Dick, in surprise.
'Well, they be some kin¹ of his old enemy, One-Ear Bill,' said Tom. 'I reckon he told you about him allright, didn't he?'
'Yes, he did,' said Julian. 'But all that business about the wrecking³ happened years and years ago!
Surely Jeremiah doesn't visit his anger on any descendants of the wicked One-Ear Bill!'
'Oh, but he do!' said Tom. 'You see, these two fellows he spits at have the job of showing peopleround the caves here - especially the Wreckers' Cave - and I reckon old Jeremiah still broods aboutOne-Ear's hidden treasure, and is scared in case these two chaps ever find it. Find it! It's nigh onseventy years since all that happened. Why, that light-house yonder was built over sixty years ago -after that wrecking business went on. No one will come across any treasure now!'
'But surely they might,' said George. 'It depends where it was hidden. If it was in some dry, watertightplace, it should still be all right. After all, gold and silver don't decay, do they?
Wherever it was hidden, it must still be there!'
'That's what all you visitors say!' said Tom. 'And that's what Ebenezer and Jacob say - they're the twochaps who show people round the caves. But they only say that to make a bit of a thrill for thevisitors, you know. Same as old Jeremiah does. Takes them in properly! Well - you believe what youlike, youngsters - but you won't find any treasure! I reckon the sea took that years ago! Good-day toyou! I'll give Jeremiah the baccy when he calls in.'
'Well,' said Dick, as soon as they were outside the shop, 'this is all very interesting! I think probablyold Tom's right. The reason why the treasure was never found is because it was probably hiddenwhere the sea managed to get at it - in some water-hole, or somewhere like that.'

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