Ghost of a Chance (11 page)

• Gold is a ‘precious metal’, that is, a rare metal highly sought after. Other precious metals include silver, platinum and palladium.
  
• An ‘ingot’ is melted metal moulded into the shape of a bar or a block.
  
• The largest gold nugget ever found was ‘The Welcome Stranger’, which weighed about 2500 ounces (about 72 kilograms). It was found at Moliagul, Victoria, in 1869.
  
• Gemstones are highly attractive and valuable minerals or rocks, but they aren’t necessarily rare. An example of a precious gemstone that is commonly available is a diamond. Other gemstones include ruby, amethyst and jasper.
  

• The world’s largest island is Greenland. Australia and Antarctica are considered continents, not islands, because they have unique flora and fauna.
  
• The world’s smallest island is Bishop Rock, United Kingdom.
  
• La Palma, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, is a stratovolcano (a volcano composed of lava flows and pyroclastic material). It is said to be the world’s steepest island.
  
• Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the book
  Treasure Island
  in 1883. The story evolved from an imaginary map drawn by Stevenson and his stepson while on holiday.
  

Hide or bury some treasure in an unlikely spot. The treasure could be a coin, an unusual stone or $1,000,000 in a treasure chest—it depends on what you have.

Remember where it was that you hid the treasure.

Draw a map of the area. Put in some landmarks, but not too many or your hiding place will be too easily found. For instance, if you are in your backyard, mark a tree, the dog kennel, or the trampoline.

Put an X where the treasure is.

Find a starting place for your map. The back gate? The back door? It doesn’t matter where.

Pace out a course using either your long stride or a short stride (heel toe walking) to measure with.

Write your instructions. Use commands like ‘six paces from back gate towards clothes line’ or ‘six steps north from back gate’ if your hunter has a compass.

Make your course interesting. One instruction might mean going over the trampoline.

Once you have your map and instructions, make them look old. Screw them up, rip the edges, dip them in black tea. Don’t make the paper too fragile or it will disintegrate before being read!

You might want to have a whole series of maps that lead to more clues before the actual treasure is found. For example, the first map leads to the second map hidden in a bottle in the grass. The
second map leads to the third map under the guinea pig house.

Why not weave a whole story around your map, just like Robert Louis Stevenson? Write it down or film it or audio-record it, sounding like a troubled pirate. Arrrrr!

The authors would like to say thanks to the team at HarperCollins, who are very easy to get along with—especially Lisa Berryman, Patrick Mangan and Liz Kemp. Special thanks to the staff at the Point Lonsdale lighthouse for their enthusiasm and support; thanks to Camille Jeffreys for the wonderful sketches she drew of Intrepid Point that helped paint the picture. Pam would like to thank Michael for not giving up the
ghost.
Michael would like to thank Pam, for, without her
spirit,
this project had only a ghost of a chance of being done!

M
ICHAEL
P
ANCKRIDGE
is the author of the bestselling Toby Jones cricketing adventure series. He lives in Geelong, Victoria. His main interests include a wide variety of sports, music, reading and keeping fit. He has worked as a teacher for just over twenty years and currently teaches part-time at Geelong College.

Visit Michael’s website at www.michaelpanckridge.com.au

P
AM
H
ARVEY
lives in Bendigo with her husband, two children, two dogs, two goldfish, two ducks, fifteen chooks and a ghost horse. Pam works as a lecturer in medical education, a physiotherapist and other bits and pieces. She’s enthusiastic about a lot of things—including books, chocolate and getting up in the morning—and wears a bracelet made out of spoons. Pam has been writing since 1993.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

Toby Jones and the Magic Cricket Almanack (with Brett Lee)

Toby Jones and the Secret of the Missing Scorecard (with Brett Lee)

Toby Jones and the Mystery of the Time-Travel Tour (with Brett Lee)

Toby Jones and the Timeless Cricket Match (with Brett Lee)

Shielding the Truth (League of Legends, Book 1) (with Laurie Daley)

Live Action (League of Legends, Book 2) (with Laurie Daley)

Faster than Lightning In the Deep End