(15 POINTS) Read the passage

A
coded stone tablet

B
flagstones

C
depression in beach

D
pirate map


The prospect of pirate treasure has fueled dreams and stories for centuries. These days, however, most people probably don't think there's much real loot left to be found. Any piles of rubies and doubloons buried by pirates or scattered by shipwrecks were probably found long ago. Is buried treasure just a thing of the past?

2Don't ask that question if you're ever visiting Oak Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. The story of its Money Pit proves that even today, people will tunnel to the earth's core for even the rumor of riches. More than 200 years ago, one curious digger began a famous quest that has led fortune seekers to this tiny island ever since.

How Did It All Begin?

3The notion that Oak Island might be home to pirate treasure had long been part of local lore. This idea got a jumpstart in 1795 when, according to accounts, a young man walking on the beach saw a low depression in the ground. This circular spot made it look like a hole had been dug and filled in again. Furthermore, it appeared that a nearby tree had once supported a pulley system, which can be used to raise or lower heavy things by rope.

4He returned to the site with two friends. As they began to dig, they hit a layer of flagstones two feet below the surface. There were layers of logs at 10, 20, and 30 feet. Whoever had buried something down there had made sure that it was going to be very hard, if not impossible, to get.
Throughout the 1800s, more groups tried to find the treasure in the Money Pit, as it had come to be known. Deeper and deeper, more odd layers were uncovered. At 40 feet, there was charcoal. There was putty at 50 feet. Coconut fiber was found at 60 feet. And then, to make the search even more mysterious and exciting, an 1862 newspaper article from the Liverpool Transcript reported that at 80 to 90 feet below the surface, a large stone inscribed with a coded message was found.

6Did it carry the secret to what was below or was it a warning of dangers to follow?

Complications Arise

7Supposedly, the geometric symbols on the stone were recorded and deciphered by a professor at Halifax University in 1866. The tablet's message is said to have read, “Forty feet below, 2 million pounds are buried.” Unfortunately, the inscribed stone cannot be found today. Because the stone seems to have completely disappeared, researchers say it was a hoax—a trick designed to keep interest in the pit alive and attract more investors. The deeper the digging went, the more expensive the project became.

8Investors did continue to fund excavation projects, but their money and efforts were not to be rewarded. As if angry with its intruders, the pit unleashed another surprise. The pit was connected to the sea by underground tunnels, which flooded the pit when anyone dug deeper into the pit. No matter what was done—digging new holes, building dams, drilling or blasting—the water kept filling the pit. This led people to believe this was an intricate trap.