Chapter 16 BILL MAKES A FEW ENQUIRIES
　　THEY had a wonderful day on the island. Tim hired a car and away they went to explore. They hadlunch in a big town set in the centre of the island, a proper town with shops and buses and cinemas.
　　After lunch Bill disappeared. "I've heard of an old chap who's a real expert at old documents," he toldthe children. "One of the greatest experts there are. It's a bit of luck. I'll go and see him. You've gotthe four bits of the map with you, haven't you, Jack¹?"Jack nodded. The children had decided² that it would be safer to bring them than leave them behind.
　　He gave them to Bill in an envelope. "I do hope the expert will say it's genuine," he said earnestly. "Isay — shall we tell Tim?"
　　"You'd be quite safe to," said Bill. "Tim is all right! Whether he'll believe you or not is anothermatter!"
　　So, whilst Bill was gone, the children told Tim their secret. He was inclined to grin at first, and laughit all off as a tale. But they were so serious that he saw that they, at least, believed in it all. He tried tobe serious too.
　　"Well, it's marvellous," he said. "I believed in all these treasure tales when I was a kid too. Jolly niceof Bill to take it seriously and go off to have your map explained."The children saw that he didn't really take their tale seriously, and they dropped the subject, polite butdisappointed. A little doubt crept in Lucy-Ann's mind. Was it all a tale? No — surely Mr. Eppywouldn't have behaved so queerly if there had been nothing in it.
　　Bill was a long time gone. The children were tired of waiting, and Tim was just suggesting theyshould take a run in the car to a queer-shaped hill in the distance, when he came back.
　　"Sorry to have been so long," he said. "I found the old boy — looks as if he's come out of thefifteenth century, he's so old and dusty — and so slow I could have screamed. But he knew his stuffall right."
　　"What did he say?" asked Jack, crimson³ with anticipation⁴.
　　"It's genuine. No doubt of that at all," said Bill, and everyone breathed loudly in relief. "He doesn'tknow if it's a copy of any older map, or a fresh one made by a Greek sailor a hundred or so years ago— probably a mixture, he says. The island is Thamis. It is shown clearly on the map, and even if thename had not been there it could have been recognised by its shape — it's

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