The Boxcar Children Mysteries: Books One through Twelve (17 page)

By the time it was dark, the Alden Museum was very well started.

“I think the birds are the best thing in the museum,” said Benny. But Benny did not know what they were to find the next day.

T
he next morning the rain had stopped, and it was a beautiful day. First, the four children went swimming. Then, after breakfast they started out with the big kettle to explore again.

“Let’s go down to the very end of the island today,” said Henry.

“I’ll make a picture of the island as we go along,” said Violet, taking the blue book.

They walked along slowly until they could see the very end of the island.

“Look, oh, look!” cried Jessie. “What a big pile of shells!”

“It’s taller than Benny,” cried Henry, as he and the others ran to the shell-pile.

“They’re all broke,” said Benny, picking up some shells.

“Broken, Benny,” said Henry.

“Well, broken, then,” said Benny. “Old broken clam shells. No pretty ones for our museum.”

“Yes, but look!” said Jessie. “They are all clam shells, just as if somebody had sat here for years and years getting out clams.”

“Maybe they did,” said Violet.

“Who did?” asked Benny.

“I don’t know, Benny,” replied Henry. “I know I never saw anything like it before, not even in a picture.” He took a stick and dug in the pile.

Violet made a little picture in her book of the shell-pile. Then the children started to explore the other side of the island. They found that this side of the island was very rocky. Jessie, Henry, and Violet were looking up at the high rocks when Benny said suddenly, “Look, a little cave! Let’s go in.”

“He’s right,” said Henry, looking in.

“Come on, like this,” said Benny, going in on his hands and knees.

The other children went after Benny, laughing. “Oh, it’s just like a little room,” cried Jessie. “And I
can see another one.”

“Nice in here,” said Henry, looking around him. “Let’s go on.”

They all crawled after Henry and came to another little room. They could still see the ocean, as they looked back.

The children sat down, and Henry began to dig with the stick, just for fun. Suddenly he dug out a small stone.

“Oops!” cried Henry. “What is this?” He picked up the stone and rubbed off the wet sand. Then he jumped up.

“It’s an Indian arrowhead!” he cried. “What do you know!”

“Let me see it,” said Jessie. “It certainly is an arrowhead. See the little place at the end where they tied it to a stick?”

“They put feathers on the other end,” said Henry.

“It’s for our museum,” cried Benny.

“So it is!” cried Henry. “You think of everything, Benny. Let’s dig and see if we can find another. If Indians lived here, they had more than one arrow.”

The children began to dig. When Watch saw what they were doing, he began to dig, too.

“If we find a lot of Indian things,” cried Henry, “maybe some real museum will buy them.”

“That is a good idea. Let’s come here early some morning and dig,” said Jessie. “Besides, it’s lots of fun.”

Suddenly Watch stopped digging and began to bark.

“What’s the matter, old boy? What are you trying to tell us?” asked Henry. He went over and put his hand in the hole Watch had dug and took out a big smooth stone.

“I think this is an old ax-head!” he cried, turning it over and over.

The other children came to look, and Benny took it in his hand. Watch barked again, sharply. Then he threw back his head and gave one long howl.

“Something is wrong,” cried Henry. “Watch never howls.”

“Oh, look, Henry!” cried Jessie in a frightened voice.

They all looked at the door and water was coming in almost at their feet.

“Let’s get out of here!” shouted Henry, starting for the door. “Come just as fast as you can!”

They crawled as fast as they could, but the water was quite deep. Watch began to swim.

“Joe doesn’t know where we are!” cried Benny. “Or he would save us. I’m scared.”

“Don’t talk, Benny. Keep going.”

Soon they were in the first room.

“A wave is coming!” Henry shouted. “When it comes, get out fast!”

The wave came up and broke over them. Jessie caught Benny’s arm and pulled him out. The four frightened children crawled through the water, and scrambled along the rocky edge before another wave came in. They rested there a short time and then crawled to the shell-pile.

“Be careful!” said Henry. “Don’t fall.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” cried Jessie, as they came to the dry sand.

“I’m all tired,” said Benny crossly. “And I’m scared of that old cave.”

“Well,” said Henry, “I am the one who ought to have watched the tide. That cave is perfectly safe when the tide is out. Just think! How lucky we are to be out!”

“W-w-we-did-get-out,” said Violet. “Th-th-thank-good-old-Watch-for-that.” She was still so frightened that she shook all over.

“Right,” said Henry. “Let’s rest a little while. Then we’ll go back the way we came.”

When the family came walking slowly back to their barn, Joe saw that something was wrong. He waved to them from the hut.

“All right?” he called.

“No!” shouted Benny. “We’re scared and almost dead! The water came in the cave almost all over us.

“What do you mean?” asked Joe. He was very excited.

“We crawled into a cave, and the tide came up and almost caught us, Joe,” said Henry. “I should have looked for the tide. If Watch hadn’t barked, we wouldn’t have seen the waves coming in.”

“I can see that you are all worn out,” said Joe. “You are too tired to get dinner. Captain Daniel has just made a big kettle of stew. Why don’t you each bring a bowl down here and eat with us?”

Jessie looked at Joe and smiled. “We will,” she said. “We’ll each get a bowl and a spoon and we’ll be right back.”

When the children sat down on the sand by the little hut, they began to feel better. The hot stew was good. Benny looked sleepy.

“Where was this cave?” asked Joe.

“On the very end of the island,” said Jessie. “We found some Indian things in it.”

“What did you find?” asked Joe quickly.

Henry took the arrowhead out of his pocket and gave it to him.

“We found something else, too, but we forgot to bring it,” he said.

“No, I brought it,” said Benny, almost asleep. “It’s in my pocket, and I can’t get it out.”

Joe put his hand in Benny’s pocket, and pulled out the stone.

“An Indian ax-head!” Joe said at once.

“I thought it was,” said Henry. “But you seem to be sure.”

“Well, I guess I am sure,” said Joe, turning it over. “Maybe there are other things in the cave.”

“I’m scared to go in that old cave again,” said Benny crossly.

“Oh, don’t say that!” cried Joe. “Just watch the tide. There must be some good Indian digging in there. If you ever want company, I could go with you.”

“Oh, would you?” said Henry. “Then we certainly would be all right. There is a big pile of shells near the cave, too.”

“What! A shell-pile?” shouted Joe. “Then I will certainly go with you. I must!”

“Why?” asked Benny. “Why must you?” But it was the last word he spoke. He was fast asleep.

Joe was saved from answering Benny. He just smiled and said, “I’ll carry him home for you. It will be the best thing for all of you to get some sleep.”

Joe picked Benny up and took him to his own bed. Jessie, Violet, and Henry followed them to the barn. In a few minutes the other three children fell asleep right in the middle of the day.

A
fter a long sleep, the children were as good as new.

“I feel just like starting out again,” said Jessie.

“So do I,” agreed Henry. “I wonder why Joe was so excited over the shell-pile. Let’s ask him.

“Why did you say you must see that pile of shells?” began Henry when they had found Joe at the hut.

“Because I’m interested in things like that,” answered Joe. “A shell-pile means that Indians must have been on this island.”

“Come right along, Joe,” said Benny. “I’ll show it to you.” He took hold of Joe’s hand and tried to pull him up. The children laughed as Joe got on his feet. In a little while the explorers arrived at the shell-pile.

“What a wonderful thing to find!” shouted Joe.

“Why?” asked Jessie.

Joe was looking at some of the broken shells. “Well,” he said, “I’m sure the Indians made this pile. Do you remember from school that they made shell money called wampum? Sometimes they used these quahog shells for the purple part. Quahogs are clams!”

“You think they sat here to make wampum?” asked Henry.

“Yes, and I think they dried clams here, too,” replied Joe, looking at some unbroken quahog shells.

“Why?” asked Jessie.

Joe laughed and said, “These are whole clam shells, so the Indians must have sat here to take the clams out of the shells. They used to dry the clams and then eat them later.”

“Jessie knew that,” said Benny. “She said they sat here for years and years.”

“But I didn’t know they were Indians,” said Jessie.

“Do you think we could find any wampum here, Joe?” asked Henry.

“No, I don’t really. They would save it because it was money, but we might find some old tools they used. The Indians used to smooth the shells on stones, and then make the holes with tools they got from white men.”

“Let’s dig,” said Benny. “You can tell us if we find a tool.”

“I’d like to dig,” said Joe. “But we ought to have something good to dig with. Let’s go back and get something from Captain Daniel.”

“I’m too tired,” said Benny. “And so is Watch.”

Henry laughed. “You sit right down with Watch and Violet,” he said, “and don’t go away from here, and don’t get into trouble. The rest of us will get the things and come right back. Remember now!”

“All right,” said Benny, sitting down.

“While you are waiting, you could do some digging with a stick,” called Joe. “Save everything you aren’t sure about.”

Violet began at once to look over the broken shells. “Why don’t you look, Benny?” she said. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you and I found something good while they are gone? Let’s try.”