o? Ask Dad or Mother
or Aunt Amy to lend him some money? More embarrassing questions....
Well, he would have to rob his bank. But wait--why hadn't he
remembered? Just before they had moved, Uncle Charles had given him a
ten-dollar bill as a farewell present. He had been saving it for a
model airplane, but the excitement of the last few days had driven it
completely out of his mind. Of course the Phoenix's Plan was more
important than any model plane could be.

So he kept the gold pieces tied up in his handkerchief and took his
ten dollars to a hardware store, where he bought what the Phoenix
wanted--a coil of rope, an electric door bell, a pushbutton, and one
hundred feet of insulated wire. Then he brought the package home, hid
it behind the woodpile in the garage, and sat down to think.
Wire--bell--pushbutton. What could the Phoenix possibly want with
them? And what was the rope for? And the hatchet? The more he puzzled
over it the more confused he became, and finally he just gave up.
There was only one thing he was sure about: whatever the Plan was,
they would have to carry it out as soon as possible. Two days had
passed since the Scientist had shown up. The new gun he had ordered
might arrive at any time now. Perhaps even today, when they had been
digging up the pirate treasure, the Scientist had got his new rifle
and had started to hunt through the mountains.

The thought gave David a creepy feeling on the back of his neck. They
certainly would have to hurry.

* * * * *

Early next morning David climbed up to the ledge, bringing with him
the coil of rope and the hatchet. As an afterthought he had added a
paper bag full of cookies.

"Here's the stuff, Phoenix," he called out as he stepped onto the
ledge. "Where are you?"

There was a crash from the thicket as though someone had jumped up in
it suddenly, and the Phoenix stumbled out, rubbing its eyes.

"Ah, splendid, my boy! Yes. I was just--ah--Thinking."

"Phoenix," said David, "I'm not going to ask you again what your Plan
is, because I know you'll tell me when it's time. But whatever it is,
we'd better do it right now. The Scientist may show up any minute."

"Precisely, my boy. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done
today. One of my favorite proverbs. We shall begin immediately--" Here
the Phoenix caught sight of the bag in David's hand and added hastily:
"But, of course, we must not forget that first things come fi