Bear Adventures Pirates of the Caribbean (Part 2)

Days turned into weeks; the Four were having a great time visiting islands, swimming and snorkelling off the coral reefs and exploring the shipwrecks littering the islands. Eventually they sailed into Simpson Bay lagoon in St. Maartens.

"Well, well," said Jerra-Mary as they dropped anchor, "look who's over there - it's Dreamsong. I wonder if Kate and Dee Dee are aboard." The Four waved and sure enough the two girls waved back. Kate and Dee Dee were two mischievous girls that the Four had met off-and-on through their travels. The last time was a few months earlier in Antigua when Dee Dee had dug a hole on the beach and covered it with Keswick's towel while he had gone to buy an ice cream. A big surprise for Keswick when he came to lie down on it again! But they all had a good laugh about it; both Kate and Dee Dee were lots of fun and so full of life!
Kate and Dee Dee
Exploring wrecks...

When the boat was settled in Jerra-Mary radioed across and over came Kate and Dee Dee. There was a great reunion and soon they were each relating their own tales. The Four talked excitedly about their search for treasure and of their meeting with Jim. Surprisingly, both Kate and Dee Dee had heard the tale of Black Jim - and told the Four of an island where they were likely to find his resting place. "That's a good lead," said Keswick, "maybe we'll go there and continue our quest." Sadly they found out that Dreamsong was leaving the next day - but were heading in the same direction, so hopefully they would meet up again soon. They spent the day together and, despite Dee Dee's little jokes, they again had a good time.

"I wonder if Black Jim ever lived there?" asked Keswick.

It wasn't for another week that the Four set out on their adventures again; provisioning and some needed repairs kept them in harbour for a little while. Soon they were on their way - past Guadeloupe and Martinique they sailed and soon arrived at the island indicated by the girls. Keswick was quick to get out the detailed charts and spotted a place called the Indian River. "That looks dismal - I wonder if Black Jim ever lived there?" Out came the trusty dinghy and the Four set off up the river.
"It is dark and dismal."

"It is dark and dismal," whispered Little Bear as they went past the muddy river bank thronged with twisted and gnarled roots. In nervous silence they quietly continued upstream - until S'Bastion cried "Look!" The other three turned and gazed at an old shack perched on the bank. "Let's explore," said Keswick bravely. "We'll look after the boat," said Little Bear and S'Bastion timidly.

Jerra-Mary and Keswick quietly entered the cabin, and peered into the gloom. "There's no one here; it hasn't been used for years," said Keswick, kicking over some old cans. "But what's this written low on the wall… "Beware the Black Pearl" read Jerra-Mary. And both looked in fear at the spidery signature of Black Jim beneath the warning. "I'm getting out of here!" said Keswick as they both turned and ran back to the dinghy. Little Bear, noticing the fear in their eyes quickly started the engine and headed back down the river. Keswick related what they had seen and now they knew that perhaps there was some truth in the tale Jim the anoline lizard had told them.

"Let's explore," said Keswick bravely.

...a huge black shape appeared out of the gloom.

"What's happening?" squeaked S'Bastion as the sun disappeared behind some looming clouds. "I'll be pleased to get back to Poco Andante and bed," said Little Bear. The little boat left the river estuary and headed out towards the anchorage when a huge black shape appeared out of the gloom.

"Look out - it's a galleon," said Jerra-Mary. "The Black Pearl, I'd hazard a guess," quaked Keswick. "Let's get out of here!"

"Look out - it's a galleon!" said Jerra-Mary.

The Four wisely turned tail and put as much distance between them and the ghostly galleon as possible.

"We'll not stay around here long," said Keswick. "Let's go to the next port - and hopefully have a quiet night!"

The Four up anchored and soon arrived off the next port. "There's something strange about this island," said Little Bear. "It looks as if we've gone back a few hundred years. No lights, no shops, no burger bars - where are we?"

"I think we've had enough excitement for one day - let's get to bed and explore tomorrow," said Jerra-Mary.

The Four awoke to a bright sunny day and set off to explore the dockside. They wandered around bemused - examining all the items on the dock. "These look so old," said Keswick. "Where are we? And when are we?"

"Where are we? And when are we?"

"Well, this barrel says "Port Royal" - that answers one question!" said Little Bear.

"Oh, I know - if in doubt, ask a native," said S'Bastion in exasperation. "There's someone over there," pointing to an old green iguana, so the Four walked across.

"Hi," said Jerra-Mary, "can you please help us?" "Welcome to our island," said the iguana in a friendly manner. "How can I help?"

"Well, firstly, why is this place so old?" interjected Keswick. "Oh, that!" replied the iguana. "It gets everyone! You've just come into a film set! They've stopped filming for a while but have left everything until they come back."

"Now that explains everything - the galleon, the dismal river, the old town," replied Keswick.

"Well, this barrel says "Port Royal"

"What about the treasure?" asked S'Bastion, who was a little confused by it all.

"Treasure?" exclaimed the Iguana. "Is one of you called Jerra-Mary?"

"That's me!" said Jerra-Mary with surprise.

"Well, in that case I've a message for you from Dee Dee. She was here a week ago. Now, wait - let me remember… Ah, I've got it (we iguanas have excellent memories). Dee Dee left a little poem; it goes:

"There's treasure wherever you seek,
Be it gold or pleasure complete.
The clue is crossed - you need the keys.
To bays go and under the trees,
May luck be your guide - and soon may we speak"

Jerra-Mary quickly wrote it down asking the iguana to say over a few times so she didn't make any mistakes.
"Treasure?" exclaimed the Iguana.
"Well that's a puzzle," said Little Bear. "We'll have to think about that for a while."

The Bears and the iguana chatted a little longer - their new green friend was very interested in all their adventures - before they went their separate ways. Back on board Jerra-Mary passed the riddle around.

"What does it mean?" she mused. "Well, it's about treasure. Maybe Dee Dee and Kate got this from an old pirate they met and are looking for it themselves and left us the clue so we can follow... After all, they wouldn't want to tell everyone, would they?"

"But where are we going to get the keys from?" asked Little Bear.

"Well, it is a riddle," replied Keswick. "Let's look at a map of the area and see what we can see…"

The Four studied the charts for a while but were none the wiser. Scratching their heads in puzzlement they put it aside for the moment. "Where are we going next?" asked S'Bastion.

To Bay Go Keys. That's the clue!!!
"Oh, Bequia (pronounced Bekway). The islands around here have strange names - and not just that - the spelling is nothing like the way you say it," said Jerra-Mary.

"I think you've got something there!" said Keswick. "Let's look at that chart again - and the riddle... Look! Just south of Bequia (pronounced Bekway) there are the Tobago Cays - pronounced To Bay Go Keys. That's the clue!!! The treasure must be in the Tobago Cays!"

So, after a brief stop in Bequia, the Four sailed south to the Tobago Cays. "There are some pretty islands here," said Little Bear, looking around from their anchorage.

"What are we looking for? There are so many islands - the treasure could be anywhere," said S'Bastion.

Keswick reading the riddle again said "According to the riddle, the island must have trees."

"And they must be crossed," said Jerra-Mary, who was convinced that there had to be an X marking the spot. "Let's just take the dinghy and visit as many islands as we can."

The Four jumped in the little tender and motored around the clear turquoise blue water looking for clues. It was Jerra-Mary who first spotted them. "Look! Look! Those palm trees are crossed - just like the ones on Jim's island. It must be there."

They sat down and had a discussion.
"X marks the spot!" said Jerra-Mary knowingly.
Soon the Four landed on a lovely white sandy beach. They sat down and had a discussion. Now they were here - but they had no map and were not sure what to do next. "If no one has a better idea, I'll just go for a walk," said Keswick. And off he went. The other three talked and talked - and looked long and hard at the riddle, trying to get more clues, when suddenly Keswick shouted to them. "Another X! Look here!"

Sure enough, the sun was casting a shadow where the two trees crossed and it showed a perfect X on the sandy beach.

"X marks the spot!" said Jerra-Mary knowingly.

"Let's dig," said Little Bear, who had brought along their spoons for just this purpose.

The Four started to dig and soon the hole was huge. Little Bear jumped in to dig deeper. After a little while Little Bear called up "I've found something - it's a treasure chest!"

"Let me see," said Keswick. And, sure enough, there was a grey chest at the bottom of the hole. The bears pulled and tugged and eventually got it up - and inside was full of all sorts of lovely gold and silver treasure!

"Let's dig," said Little Bear.
"I've found something - it's a treasure chest!"
"Even chocolate?" queried Keswick, who had looked a little deeper. "That's odd! Let's look further." They carefully examined the treasure and discovered that some of the coins were gold-covered chocolate. And under it all Jerra-Mary found a little note.

Dear Bears and S'Bastion,

We hope you enjoy the treasure you've found - and have had as much fun chasing it as we have leaving you clues! Until we meet again.

Love

Kate and Dee Dee

"It's another of Dee Dee's jokes!" fumed Keswick, remembering what had happened to him in Antigua.

"But it was fun treasure hunting," said S'Bastion. And they all agreed to that!
"But it was fun treasure hunting,"