When the arms of both girls had begun to ache cruelly, and Genevieve had grown restless and was demanding to "go out," Sally suggested that they give it up for the day. But just at that moment, working in a far corner, Doris had stumbled upon a clue. The rusty knife had struck a curious knobby break in the wood, which, on further scraping, developed the shape of a raised letter "T." At her exultant cry, Sally rushed over and frantically assisted in the quest. Scraping and digging for another fifteen minutes revealed at last a name, raised on the thick planking, which had evidently been the stern name-plate of the vessel. When it all stood revealed, the writing ran: _The Anne Arundel_ _England 1843._ The two stood gazing at it a moment in puzzled silence. Then Doris threw down her knife. "It's all off with the pirate theory, Sally!" she exclaimed. "Why so?" demanded her companion, mystified for the moment. "Just because," answered Doris, "if Richard Worley lived in 1718, he couldn't possibly have built a cave with the remains of a vessel dated 1843, and neither could any other pirate, for there weren't any more pirates as late as 1843. Don't you see?" Sally did see and her countenance fell. "Then what in the world _is_ the mystery?" she cried. "That we've got to find the answer to in some other way," replied Doris, "for we're as much in the dark as ever!" CHAPTER VII THE FIRST CLUE It was a discouraged pair that rowed home from Slipper Point that morning. Sally was depressed beyond words by their recent discovery, for she had counted many long months on her "pirate theory" and the ultimate unearthing of buried treasure. Doris, however, was not so much depressed as she was baffled by this curious turn of the morning's investigation. Thinking hard, she suddenly shipped her oars and turned about to face Sally with an exultant little exclamation. "Do you realize that we've made a very valuable find this morning, after all, Sally?" she cried. "Why, no, I don't. Everything's just spoiled!" retorted Sally dubiously. "If it isn't pirates, it isn't anything that's _worth_ anything, is it?" "I don't know yet how much it's worth," retorted Doris, "but I do know that we've unearthed enough to start us on a new hunt." "Well, what is it?" demanded Sally, still incredulous. "Can't you guess? The _name_ of this vessel that the lumber came from,--and the _date_. Whatever happened that cave couldn't have been made before 1843, anyhow, and that isn't so terribly long ago. There might even be persons alive here today who could remember as far back as that date, if not further. And if this _Anne Arundel_ was wrecked somewhere about here, perhaps there's some one who will remember that, and--"