Dragon Gold by Kate Forsyth

For my boys – KF
    For Jordie. May your wishes come true – MV

    First published 2005 in Pan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
1 Market Street, Sydney
    Text copyright © Kate Forsyth 2005
Illustrations copyright © Mitch Vane 2005
    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
    National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
    Forsyth, Kate, 1966–.
Dragon gold.
    For children aged 6-11 years.
ISBN 0 330 42193 X.
    I. Vane, Mitch. II. Title.
    A823.3
    Typeset in 12/15 Janson Text by Liz Seymour, Seymour Designs Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group
    Papers used by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd are natural, recyclable products made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

    This electronic edition published 2013 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney
    Text copyright © Kate Forsyth 2005
Illustrations copyright © Mitch Vane 2005
The moral rights of the creators have been asserted.
    All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.
    This ebook may not include illustrations and/or photographs that may have been in the print edition.
    EPUB format: 9781743346266
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CHAPTER ONE
    There once was a boy called Ben who really badly wanted a dog of his own. Every night he wished for one on the first star, and every month he wished for one on the new moon. He asked his mum for roast chicken every week so he could break the wishbone with his little brother, Tim. He even wished on fallen eyelashes. But his wish never came true.
    One night he asked his mum if he was ever going to get the dog he wanted so badly. His mum sighed. ‘I wish we could have a dog too,’ she said. ‘But we don’t have a very big garden. It wouldn’t really be fair to keep a dog here. One day we’ll have a great big house with a great big garden and you can have a dog, and a cubbyhouse, and lots of trees to climb. Wouldn’t that be great?’
    â€˜We’ll have to stop spending so much money then,’ said Ben’s dad.
    But somehow there were always lots of things to spend money on. Some were necessary, like ice-cream and new books and going to the movies, but some, like gas bills and haircuts and brussel sprouts, seemed most unnecessary. It became clear to Ben that he was going to have to find some other way of getting money.
    â€˜I need to find some pirate treasure,’ Ben said to his friend James one afternoon. ‘You want to help?’
    â€˜Me too?’ asked Tim.
    â€˜Pirates don’t exist anymore,’ James said. He was a boy who liked to stick to the facts.
    â€˜But they might have buried their treasure somewhere, years ago, and never gone to dig it up,’ Ben said.
    James thought about this. ‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘But how are we supposed to find it?’
    â€˜The pirates would have made a treasure map,’ Ben said, getting excited. ‘That would show us where to go.’
    â€˜But how are we meant to find the map?’ James asked.
    â€˜I don’t know,’ Ben admitted. There was a long silence.