'Dilly-Dally called over to the other Dodos.
Soon they were all digging with their strong feet and large beaks.
Scratch and scrape. Scrape and scratch.
Suddenly they felt something hard beneath their feet.
With their little wings they swept away the earth.
They put a rope around what looked like a box.
Pull and tug! Tug and pull'
This beautifully illustrated book is based on the following historical facts:
The island of Mauritius could have been better known as 'Treasure Island', for many pirates found its remote
shores perfect for recuperating and for replenishing their food and water supplies.
They also needed a hiding place for their stolen goods, such as coins, jewellery and valuable cargo, which were not
always safe on board ship.
This led to a number of pirate havens being established in various places around the coast of Mauritius, many of which have been left untouched since the pirates left.
On one such visit in 1720 a pirate called Captain Edward England (also known as Jasper Seager) was marooned on Mauritius.
Probably by that time the Dodos were extinct, but their lifetime has been prolonged for the sake of the story.
Captain England (Jasper Crinklepants in the story) was said to have brought bad luck to the ships under his command, partly because he
was too lenient to prisoners. When the disloyal crew landed in Mauritius they decided to punish him by marooning him and
three other pirates there.
While on Mauritius they built a small boat from wood washed up on the beach, and by 1721 they had sailed to Madagascar.
The Captain lived in relative poverty on the charity of other pirates, and it is thought that he eventually died there.
Stories of pirates abound and bounty hunters have tried to find hidden treasures over the years.
Unfortunately, not many success stories have come to light, probably due to the fact that treasure hunters generally do not
want to share their fortune with others!
There may, or may not be unfound treasures left in Mauritius,
but there is plenty of evidence of pirate activity to be seen along the coastline.
They often left a variety of signs or markers in the form of carved rocks to show where they had anchored on previous visits.
One sign was that of a giant tortoise carved from a piece of rock.
The action of this story takes place in the south western part of Mauritius, near Le Morne Brabant Mountain, which was
pronounced a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.
Pirates often made landfall in this area, and the illustrations in the book give glimpses of the massive rock, which towers
to a height of 240 metres above the nearby sea.
Le Morne is more than a distinctive landmark. Its natural ramparts stand as a memorial to man's fight for freedom,
as this mountain was a refuge for many runaway slaves kept by the Dutch, French and British as they each in turn settled on the island.
A special feature of the book is the 'Background reading' section for parents, teachers and older children.
Copies of this book can be obtained from most hotels and good bookshops.
Other future titles for The Dodo Stories series include, 'The Dodos and the Magic Tree', 'A Dodo in the Museum' and
'The Dodos and the shipwrecked sailors'.