15-A GOLD DOUBLOON!!

A GOLD DOUBLOON!! And there it was. A dark shape emerged from the depths like some MYSTERIOUS SEA MONSTER. At last, we had found the ship! I was so excited I forgot to be afraid. Slowly, we followed Thea into the wreck. I was surprised to see it looked like it was in perfect condition. A row of cannons was mounted on each side of the ship. Under a layer of seaweed, I caught a glimpse of a faded inscription: The Golden Rind. A beautiful wooden figurehead hung at the ship's bow. It was a female mouse with wings. They say figureheads are supposed to protect a ship

from danger. I stared into the mouse's face. She was still smiling. I guess no one had told her she hadn't done a very good job. Just then, I noticed Thea warning me to be careful. That's when I realized the wreck wasn't lying on the bottom of the sea. It was balanced on top of a HUGE ROCK. Yikes! I hoped it wasn't planning on sinking into the abyss with us in it. WHAT A NIGHTMARE TO BE BURIED AT SEA. Just think how cold it would be. And how dark it would be. Not to mention how SOGGY your fur would get! I shivered as we carefully made our way

into the ship. First, we passed through a room with corroded pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. It must have been the ship's galley. Trap picked up a pan and pretended he was cooking something. I clutched my stomach. Just thinking about one of my cousin's crazy concoctions made me feel sick. In another room, a row of LARGE BARRELS lay upside down along the walls. At one time, they were probably filled with gunpowder. Just then, I noticed something SPARKLING on the floor. I picked it up. It was a GOLD BALLOON! I quickly hid it from my cousin. I didn't want him getting too excited underwater. He might use up all of

the oxygen in his tank or something. I sneaked another peek at the doubloon. It sure was shiny. I decided I would give it to my aunt Sweetfur as a memento of our trip. We continued swimming. Finally, we reached a small cabin. A brass plaque hung over the door. It was terribly tarnished, but I managed to clean it with my paw. It read: Admiral Don Sea Snout III