Mayflower Treasure Hunt by Ron Roy Read Free Book Online Page A

“And of course, they’d need a picture of you three ace detectives.”
    “Awesome!” Josh said. “I’m going to be in a museum!”
    A waiter approached their table. He wore black breeches, a white ruffled shirt, and clunky black shoes. “Good afternoon,” he said. “Today we’re serving from our regular menu, or you canorder our First Thanksgiving Special-four courses of foods the Pilgrims would really have eaten in 1621.”
    “That’s what I want,” Dink said.
    “Did the Pilgrims have pumpkin pie with whipped cream?” Josh asked.
    The waiter smiled. “The early settlers had pumpkins but no sugar, so they probably didn’t make pies,” he said. “But you can order your dessert from our regular menu.”
    “Thank goodness!” Josh said. “You saved me!”
    Everyone laughed.
    “They had turkeys, though, right?” Nate asked the waiter.
    “Yes, wild turkeys were plentiful,” the man said. “They also ate clams, many kinds of fish, venison, and any wild bird they could find. You folks take your time deciding, and I’ll stop back in a few minutes.”
    “Indians came to Plymouth to eat with the settlers, right?” Dink asked.
    “Yes, the Wampanoag were here,” his father said. “They became friendly with the Pilgrims.”
    “My guidebook says almost a hundred Wampanoag people showed up to eat with the Pilgrims after their first harvest,” Ruth Rose said.
    Just then the waiter came back to take their order. The three little kids ordered from the regular menu. Dink, Josh, Ruth Rose, and their parents all decided to try the First Thanksgiving Special.
    The waiter returned. He carried a tray holding small bowls and a covered soup tureen. Dink smelled something delicious. His mouth began to water.
    “Our first course is eel stew,” the man said. “May I serve you?”
    Josh’s face turned white. “Um, eels?You mean those slimy things that look like snakes?” he asked the waiter.
    The waiter nodded.
    “May I change to the regular menu?” Josh asked.

When Thanksgiving rolls around each year, I think of the
Mayflower
passengers. I imagine how brave they must have been to cross the ocean seeking a better life. I think of them—more than 100 people—cramped into tight spaces on a boat that was only 106 feet long. I wonder what they talked about, how they got along with each other, what they dreamed when they slept. There were no bathrooms, no showers, and very few games to play. What did they do all day? I wondered. Were they scared?
    And then there were the storms at sea, the seasickness, the smells, the food slowly going rotten. Not even the boat’s captain knew exactly where they were going. Weeks went by with not even a glimpse of land. Imagine living like this for more than two months!
    Last year I visited Plimoth Plantation again. I walked around the replica of the
Mayflower
passengers’ village. I poked around in their tiny homes, their school, their jail.
    And then I got an idea for a book. What if, I asked myself, there was a bad person on the
Mayflower?
What if this person stole something valuable during the crossing? Slowly, the mystery took form in my mind. I did a lot of research and wrote
Mayflower Treasure Hunt.
I hope you enjoyed the story.
    When Thanksgiving Day arrives, I hope you will spend a few minutes thinking about a small boat filled with brave, worried people crossing the wide Atlantic Ocean in search of a dream…
    Happy reading!
    Sincerely,

    P.S. Be sure to look for the answer to the hidden message on the bottom of the next page. And please keep visiting my Web site at www.ronroy.com!
    Did you find the secret message hidden in this book?
    If you
don’t
want to know the answer,
don’t
look at the bottom of this page!
    Answer:
    JOSH ATE A WHOLE PIE FOR DESSERT



If you like the,
you might want to read
GHOST HORSE
by George Edward Stanley
    Emily got out of bed. She ran to the window and pulled back the curtains. In the moonlight, she could see the beautiful white