Swallows, Amazons, and “the D’s” (Dick and Dorothea) are determined to find gold in the hills above their lake before Captain Flint returns from South America. The young mining company begin camping up in the fells and searching old caves for gold, while a severe drought has the locals worried about potential fires. The children have three homing pigeons that are trained to take messages from their camp back to Mrs. Blackett, letting her know the progress of the fledgling mining company. The Swallows are dismayed to discover that a rival miner, dubbed “Squashy Hat”, is creeping about the fells, spying on their expedition and generally being a nuisance. It becomes a race to find the gold and stake their claim before Squashy Hat can ruin all their plans! But in the end, it will be the pigeons that make all the difference.
Once again, I adore every character in this book! The plot keeps me interested no matter how many times I read it.
I especially love Dick in this sixth volume. The others really rely on him to be the knowledgeable one of the group, but in this story they especially respect his book smarts, and they even call him “Professor”. He takes that responsibility seriously, and feels that he mustn’t let them down.
Then I love seeing the way Dorothea is so proud of her brother, and is gratified to see the others accepting and admiring him.
John and Nancy are such a great team, leading their crews through any sticky situation. And as always, the wonderful Susan is the one who holds the entire group together.

Wonderful book! I love every moment!