George called.“No, it’s a piece of brass. I think I’ve found an old plate!”“A brass plate!” Bess exclaimed in wonder.Meanwhile Nancy had pried the object out of the mud and saw that it was not a plate but a small carved chest.“It looks valuable!” she gasped, holding up the article for Bess and George to see. “And it’s very heavy.”“Nancy, you certainly were born lucky,” George remarked. “You lose a golf ball and find a treasure chest!”“This feels heavy enough to contain gold,” Nancy declared, turning the curious object over in her two hands.She estimated that the little chest was not more than six inches in length. It appeared to be approximately four inches wide and slightly less in depth.“Open it quickly,” Bess urged when Nancy rejoined them.“The chest seems to be locked.”“Maybe the lid’s stuck,” George added. “Let me try.” She had no better success.“It’s locked, all right,” Bess declared. “We could try to smash the lid with a rock.”“Brass isn’t easy to crack,”
