And Friday is definitely unlucky!”

It was decided. The boys gave up treasure hunting for the day. Instead they played Robin Hood until long after the sun had set.

On Saturday, Tom and Huck pushed open the creaky door of the haunted house.

Inside was a dirt floor with weeds growing everywhere. The fireplace was crumbling. And cobwebs hung from the ceiling like curtains!

The boys climbed a rickety staircase to look upstairs. They peeked in a closet in the corner. But nothing was in it. As they turned to go back downstairs, Tom heard a noise.

“Shh!” he said.

“What is it?” asked Huck nervously.

“Shh! There! Hear it?”

The boys lay on the floor and peered through a knothole. Two men were entering the house!

One man was dirty and mean-looking. He had a deep scar across his face. The other man had a bushy white beard and long white hair. Tom had seen him lurking around town.

“That job’s not dangerous!” the man with the beard was saying.

The voice made the boys gasp and shake. The voice was Injun Joe’s!

“Coming here during the day is dangerous. Wait for me up the river. I’ve got a job to do in town. Then we’re off to Texas!”

Tom knew what Joe’s job was—to get revenge!

“Let’s bury our loot here,” said Joe. “Six hundred and fifty in silver is a lot to carry.”

Tom and Huck looked at each other. What luck! Here was their treasure!

Joe took out his knife and started to dig a hole in the floor. Pretty soon his knife struck something hard.

“There’s a box already buried here,” he said. “Give me a hand. Let’s see what’s inside.”

Joe reached into the box and pulled out a handful of gold coins!

“We’re rich!” said Joe’s friend. “Let’s put it back in the ground for now. I saw a pick and shovel outside the house.”

Suddenly Joe got a funny look on his face.

“Where did those tools come from?” he asked. “I think someone’s here. And I’m sure he’s upstairs.”

The boys were sick with terror! Their nightmare was about to come true. Injun Joe was climbing the staircase! He had a knife in his hand. Soon he would find them and then …

Crash! The staircase broke under Joe’s weight. He fell to the ground in a heap of rotten wood.

“Who cares if someone’s been here?” said the other man. “I bet he left when he saw us. Let’s hide our loot somewhere else.”

“We’ll take it to my den,” agreed Joe, brushing himself off.