Richard almost fell back into the water hole in his excitement…the hunt was on!

Uncle Bob was fit and went to work with a will. They soon had a sizeable hole and then the spade made a metallic clang. Within seconds a mud covered wooden box, the size of a small travellers case with metal strapping and clasp was brought to the surface and the catch forced open with a screwdriver. Inside was a folded piece of parchment bearing a family crest and written in what Bob explained was Latin and beneath that was a clay tobacco pipe. It was in good condition and very ornamental. The bowl of the pipe was deep and dark grey coloured, crafted at the front in the shape of an oriental man’s face with a long flowing beard and wearing a turban. The eyes were black and staring out of big white irises. The white stem was curved and slender with the tip of the mouthpiece made of yellow horn. One side of the bowl was embossed with the moon and stars and the other side featured an Arabic symbol.

Uncle bob, a life-long smoker himself, and a schoolteacher, described it as a ‘Jacob’ pipe, possibly European, about mid seventeen century and probably brought back to England by a seafaring man. He said the pipe had no real monetary value and Richard could have it as a keepsake or for blowing bubbles. In the meantime Bob would go and see an archaeologist friend of his to try and decipher the parchment. Richard was disgusted with the bubbles idea ‘that was a girl thing!’ and decided he would give the pipe to Emily, his younger sister. They found nothing else that day but a fortnight later Uncle Bob called on the Parsons, all of a fluster and asked to see the pipe. He had found out the meaning of the Latin message, it related to the antiquity of the pipe. To Richard’s parents he explained he had located the ancient family of Crosby-Smythe, by the crest on the parchment. The clay pipe had been the centre-piece of a family heirloom, an existing clay pipe collection and since it had been stolen over two centuries ago the family believed they were cursed, so much so that a ‘two hundred gold-sovereign reward’ was still on offer to the lucky finder (a substantial sum in today’s money.) As the curse went, all male heirs would die by the age of forty, and this had proved fatally true. Emily was instantly dispatched to retrieve the delicate artefact, being chased by ‘Waffles’ the pet spaniel. This item was eventually discovered deep in the garden sandpit, thankfully still intact. The full reward was paid and suitably shared out, the clay pipe was returned to pride of place in the collection and the cursed family looked forward to a blissful life of longevity and peaceful procreation.

End.