and
outnumbered, the
Saber-Toothed
Squad hightailed
it away, slipping
out through a
hole
in the
tunnel.
Retreat!
Growwwl!
I’m not
finished!
Cavemice to the rescue!
Chaaarge!
“Hooray, Clarissa!”
“Hooray, Geronimo!”
“HOORAY, TRAP!”
“Hooray, Benjamin!”
“You were lucky Benjamin heard
you!” Hercule squeaked to the Jurassic
Cheddarsnouts and Megalithic Mice as he
untied them. “If we hadn’t
arrived
when we
did, you would have been mouse meatballs!”
When we all got back aboveground, we
were carried in
TRIUMPH
through
the streets of Old Mouse City. Everyone
cheered and clapped their paws.
For all the cheddar in the Stone Age! What
a prehistoric moment!
Thank you!
Hooray!
You rock!
Hee,
hee, hee!
JUSTICE IS SERVED!
The only thing left to do was to finish the
TREASURE HUNT
and find the
hidden treasure! Easier squeaked than
done . . .
“Our clues led us here, to this part of the
subwaysaurus
tunnel,” said Squeaks
McStone.
“Yes,” Bobby Bouldermouse agreed,
pointing
to a dot on the ground nearby.
“Ours do, too!”
The two teams began to
dig
as fast as
their paws could go.
Scratch,
scratch,
scratch!
After some digging, they found a big
bag filled with
seashells
!
What a Paleozoic prize! Since
both teams had
won
, they
divided the treasure equally.
When we got out of the
subwaysaurus tunnel, Clarissa
made Hercule, Trap, Benjamin, and me all
take baths.
Rats!
The bath wasn’t just to
make us look more presentable — Clarissa
mainly wanted to get rid of our Jurassic
stench
!
After we bathed, we headed to
Gossip Radio for the official end to
the
TREASURE HUNT
. As Sally
announced the winners, she made sure
to point out, “Geronimo, your team was
dead last!
Hee, hee, hee!
”
Squeaks McStone spoke up. “Maybe,
but Geronimo and his team saved Old
Mouse City from
Tiger Khan
and
the Saber-Toothed Squad!”
“Exactly,” Bobby Bouldermouse agreed.
“To
thank
him and his team, I think we
should have a
party
in their honor!”
A cheer went up in the crowd.
“But before we do that,” Hercule said,
“there’s something you all need to know.
The
TREASURE HUNT
was actually
an enormouse scam! Sally gave our team
riddles
that were harder than giant
boulders. While we were distracted, she
tried to
steal
an important interview that’s
supposed to be published in The Stone
Gazette!”
Sally’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung
open.
“Fess up, Sally!” Hercule said, looking
her
straight
in the eyes. “
You
stole
Tell the truth!
Geronimo’s interview
with Samuel
Songsnout!”
Sally scowled.
“
Whaaat?
No, I didn’t!
That article
is mine, and
I’ll prove
it!
LOOK!
” Sally held the tablets she’d
taken from my cave, with “
Songsnout
Interview
” chiseled on the cover. “I have it
right here. I’m the one who
squeaked
out
an interview with the secretive
Songsnout — not that
rotten-smelling
reporter rodent!”
“Fine!” said Hercule. “Then prove it. Why
don’t you read us a few lines of the interview,
just to give us a sneak preview?”
Look at
this!
Songsnout
Interview
Sally took off the cover of the
tablet
and began to read. “Here it is: ‘Greasella
Stonyfur’s Recipes: Special Dishes for the
Discerning Rat.’ Wait,
what
?”
Sally stopped squeaking and turned as
red
as the lava from the Cheddar Volcano!
“Go ahead, Sally. Why don’t you continue
reading
?” asked Hercule.
Sally shot her henchmice a dirty look.
They tried to make themselves
look very
small
.
“Uh, well . . . the
lighting isn’t very good
here . . .” she mumbled.
As Sally tried to find
an excuse, I scurried
back to my cave and
grabbed the
real
interview.
“
Cavemice of Old Mouse City, look
at this!
” I called, returning to the crowd.
“Sally is lying — this is the real interview!
The one I’m holding in my own two paws!”
Sally finally exploded,
screeching
at her
henchmice, “You couldn’t even steal the
right tablets?
YOU’RE FIRED!
”
“I’ve heard enough!” Ernest Heftymouse
thundered. “Sally, you lie more than a bed
of rocks. I’m afraid I’ll have to ban you from
the celebration. Everyone else is invited to
the Rotten Tooth Tavern at
sunset
!”
We all scurried away to our caves to get
ready for the party. When we met again
at the tavern, I sat next to the beautiful,
moustastic,
fabumouse
Clarissa.
“Hi, Geronimo!” she squeaked.
I tugged on my whiskers. “H-h-hi,
C-Clarissa
. . .”
Yuck!
I was gearing up for a romantic speech
that I’d practiced, but before I could say
anything, Hercule attacked a bowl of
fossilized fontina dip
with such gusto that it spilled all over me.
What a mess!
“Geronimo!” Clarissa cried, wiping the
cheese from her fur. “Maybe we can sit
Geronimo
Stiltonoot,
cavemouse!<
br />
together when you learn better
table
manners!” Before I could even squeak, she
got to her paws and walked away.
Sigh!
Aside from that
tiny
detail, the party
was mouserific. We’d had quite an
adventure
! We may have lost the
treasure hunt, but we saved Old Mouse City
from the Saber-Toothed Squad. And for us
cavemice, a fabumouse
feast
with friends
is always the best reward!
I’ll be on the lookout for my next adventure
in the Stone Age, or I’m not . . .
Yum!
Sigh,
Clarissa!
Chomp
Spritz!
Bon appétit!
Don’t miss any adventures
of the cavemice!
Be sure to
read all my
fabumouse
adventures!
Don’t miss
any of my
special edition
adventures!
Meet
CREEPELLA VON CACKLEFUR
I,
Geronimo Stilton
, have a lot of mouse
friends, but none as
spooky
as my friend
Creepella von Cacklefur
!
She is an
enchanting and
mysterious
mouse with a pet
bat named
Bitewing
.
YIKES!
I’m a real
’fraidy
mouse, but even I think
Creepella
and her
family are
awfully
fascinating. I can’t wait
for you to read all about
Creepella
in these
fa-mouse-ly funny
and
spectacularly spooky
tales!
Meet
Geronimo Stiltonord
He is a mouseking—the Geronimo Stilton
of the ancient far north! He lives with his
brawny and brave clan in the village of
Mouseborg. From sailing frozen waters
to facing fiery dragons, every day is an
adventure for the micekings!
MEET
GERONIMO STILTONIX
He is a spacemouse — the Geronimo
Stilton of a parallel universe! He is
captain of the spaceship MouseStar 1
.
While flying through the cosmos, he visits
distant planets and meets crazy aliens.
His adventures are out of this world!
Old Mouse City
(MOUSE ISLAND)
GOSSIP
RADIO
THE CAVE OF
MEMORIES
THE STONE
GAZETTE
TRAP'S HOUSE
THE ROTTEN
TOOTH TAVERN
LIBERTY
ROCK
UGH UGH
CABIN
DINO
RIVER
CHEDDAR
VOLCANO
SINGING ROCK
SQUARE
HEFTYMOUSE
HOUSE
HOSPITAL
FLIGHTPORT
SUBWAYSAURUS
STATION
THEA'S
HOUSE
GRANDMA
RATROCK'S
HOUSE
THE SHAMAN'S
GROTTO
GERONIMO'S
HOUSE
Dear mouse friends,
thanks for reading,
and good-bye until
the next book!
GERONIMO STILTONOOT?
He is a cavemouse — Geronimo Stilton’s
ancient ancestor! He runs the stone
newspaper in the prehistoric village of
Old Mouse City. From dealing with
dinosaurs to dodging meteorites,
his life in the Stone Age
is full of adventure!
WHO IS
THE SMELLY SEARCH
Geronimo Stiltonoot and friends have been
invited to participate in a Stone Age
treasure hunt! How fun! The one issue is
that it has been set up by Gossip Radio
host Sally Rockmousen, Geronimo’s rival.
Is it some sort of trick? The hunt is full of
difficult riddles and very stinky dinosaurs . . .
but nothing will stop Geronimo’s team!
APPEALS TO
READING LEVEL
2
ND
-4
TH
GRADERS
GRADE 4
More leveling information for this book:
SCHOLASTIC
www.scholastic.com/readinglevel
www.scholastic.com/geronimostilton
www.geronimostilton.com
The Smelly Search (Geronimo Stilton Cavemice #13) Page 5
