How to be a Pirate's Dragon (Hiccup) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Tale. I was careful the next time I opened the coffin to dismantle the booby trap first, but there was no sign of any Treasure inside, nor indeed the body of Grimbeard the Ghastly.... What there was ..."
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    The entire Tribe of Hairy Hooligans leaned forward eagerly, mouths open, eyes wide....
    "... was this map*, and this riddle."
    Alvin reached into his breast pocket and held up the map and the riddle for everybody to see.
    "Oh," said Stoick, very disappointed. "No Grimbeard? No treasure? No Stormblade? Just two little pieces of paper?"
    "Ah, but Stoick," said Alvin craftily, "these two little pieces of paper will LEAD us to Grimbeard's treasure."
    "US?" said Old Wrinkly. "Something is puzzling me. You have the riddle, you have the map, why didn't you just go and find the treasure yourself? Why did you come here to us?"
    "But that would be dishonest!" said Alvin virtuously. "We all know the Saga of 'The Lost Treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly'... This treasure belongs to you, his descendants. Besides, there's the little matter of the riddle. The riddle makes it clear that this treasure cannot be found by just anybody."
    Alvin cleared his throat.
    * See page viii for the Treasure Map of Grimbeard the Ghastly.
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    "So you see," said Alvin, "it seems only the Heir to Grimbeard the Ghastly can find the treasure.... And only his beast can sniff it out. I assume by 'Beast' he means dragon."
    Dragons were excellent sniffers and finders of Treasure. A good dragon could sniff out gold and precious metals even when they were buried some way below ground.
    [Insert: Dare you brave the watery grave?
    The Death's Head prick of fire and sleep?
    If you dare you are my Heir
    For my Heir's Beast shall sniff it there
    And he shall tell me underground
    Am I lost or am I found?.]
    "And I couldn't possibly find this treasure myself," said Alvin, "because I don't have a way with dragons. They just DON'T LIKE ME, I don't know what it is. Anyway, I wonder if any of you have any idea of where the riddle is talking about? You, for instance,
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    Stoick, with your quick and lively brain?"
    Stoick struggled to look intelligent. "Hmmmm, it's a hard one...."
    Hiccup looked at the map.
    "Don't you think the Death's Head might be talking about the Isle of the Skullions, Father?" suggested Hiccup. "A Death's Head is a skull, after all...."
    "Of course!" boomed Stoick. "The Isle of the Skullions! That'll be where it is!"
    The Isle of the Skullions was a small island off the west coast of Berk that formed the shape of a skull and crossbones. It was this shape that Grimbeard had adopted for his flag and, most famously, his helmet.
    "So this island here is the Isle of the Skullions, is it?" purred Alvin gleefully, pointing at the map. "And that's where we'll find our treasure?"
    To Alvin's surprise the Hooligans started laughing.
    "Oh, there's no question of finding the treasure if it's on the Isle of the Skullions," said Stoick cheerfully. "Nobody has ever returned from the Isle of the Skullions ALIVE. Hiccup, you're the expert on dragons, you explain to Alvin about Skullions...."
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    ~VIKING DRAGONS AND THEIR EGGS~
    The SKULLION
    The Skullion is a dragon standing about ten feet tall. It has lost the power of flight, eyesight and hearing but its sense of smell is phenomenal and it will eat anything it comes across. This animal is untrainable and very, very dangerous.
    STATISTICS
    COLORS: Black and purple.
    ARMED WITH: Terrifying teeth, claws etc ......9
    RADAR: Yes, also strong sense of smell .... 7
    POISON: None.....................0
    HUNTING ABILITY:
    You don't want to be the prey.............9
    SPEED: Very, very fast..........9
    FEAR AND FIGHT FACTOR:
    Nasty -- unprecedented savagery*......8 or 9.
    [Image: dinosaur.]
    [Insert: (but you do have a chance cause they can't see or hear)]
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    "The Skullion," said Hiccup, always delighted to be asked a natural-history question, "is a very rare, very savage species of flightless dragon. Despite being blind and