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The coordinates above are NOT the actual location of the cache. To figure out the real coordinates, consider the following tale:
Long ago, a boy and his mother lived in a tiny little cottage on the edge of the Dishman Hills. They were terribly poor, but they managed to get by on the few coins the woman earned by taking in laundry. Occasionally the boy would go hunting in the nearby hills to get meat for the pot, but he had to be very careful not to be caught by the fearsome Dragon that prowled the hills.
One fateful day. the boy's mother fell ill, and when the doctor came, he told the boy that his mother would not live unless she was treated with expensive medicine the boy could not afford. As his mother lay in bed getting sicker and sicker, the boy came to a desperate decision. He would go into the hills and find the Dragon's treasure so he could pay the doctor for the medicine his mother needed. The boy did not know where to begin looking, but he hoped one of the creatures that lived in the hills would be able to help him.
Early the next morning, the boy went to see the Buffalo. "Buffalo, will you help me find the Dragon's treasure?" the boy asked. "I dare not," sighed the Buffalo, "for if I did the Dragon would surely kill me. All I can do is give you this riddle:
Thirty white horses on a red hill,
First they champ,
Then they stamp,
Then they stand still."
"What is the answer?" asked the boy. "You'll have to figure that out yourself," replied the Buffalo.
Disappointed, the boy went to see the Eagle. "Eagle, will you help me find the Dragon's treasure?" the boy asked. "I dare not," sighed the Eagle, "for if I did the Dragon would surely kill me. All I can do is give you this riddle:
Who makes it, has no need of it.
Who buys it, has no use for it.
Who uses it can neither see nor feel it."
"What is the answer?" asked the boy. "You'll have to figure that out yourself," replied the Eagle.
Disheartened, the boy went to see the Micaman. "Micaman, will you help me find the Dragon's treasure?" the boy asked. "I dare not," sighed the Micaman, "for if I did the Dragon would surely kill me. All I can do is give you this riddle:
Tear one off and scratch my head,
What once was red is black instead."
"What is the answer?" asked the boy. "You'll have to figure that out yourself," replied the Micaman.
Discouraged, the boy went to see the Interpreter. "Interpreter, will you help me find the Dragon's treasure?" the boy asked. "I dare not," sighed the Interpreter, "for if I did the Dragon would surely kill me. All I can do is give you this riddle:
My tines are long.
My tines are short.
My tines end ere
My first report."
"What is the answer?" asked the boy. "You'll have to figure that out yourself," replied the Interpreter.
Dismayed, the boy went to see Mother Tree. "Mother Tree, will you help me find the Dragon's treasure?" the boy asked. "I dare not," sighed Mother Tree, "for if I did the Dragon would surely kill me. All I can do is give you this riddle:
What is not enough for one,
Just right for two,
Too much for three?"
"What is the answer?" asked the boy. "You'll have to figure that out yourself," replied Mother Tree.
Frustrated, the boy slumped against a large rock and thought about the creatures he had visited and the riddles they had given him. Just then, dust began to swirl around the boy, and the beat of powerful wings announced the arrival of the Dragon. It landed heavily in front of the boy and fixed him with a menacing glare. "You are looking for my treasure," accused the Dragon.
"My mother is sick, and I need gold to pay the doctor," stammered the boy.
"That is not my concern," rumbled the dragon. "I should kill you right now for even thinking about taking my treasure, but that would be too easy."
"What do you have in mind?" asked the boy.
"A game of riddles," suggested the Dragon. "Three each. If you win, you may go free, but if I win, I will kill you." The boy, seeing no escape, reluctantly agreed.
The Dragon took the first turn. To the boy's relief, it asked the same riddle the Buffalo had asked him. The boy gave the Dragon the answer he had figured out earlier in the day, and it was correct.
On his first turn, the boy asked the Dragon the riddle he had learned from the Interpreter, which he thought was particularly clever. Unfortunately, the Dragon barely paused to think before giving the correct answer, "Lightning."
For the Dragon's second turn, it asked the same riddle the Eagle had asked the boy. The boy had figured out the answer to this one earlier, too, and the Dragon confirmed it was correct.
On his second turn, the boy asked the Dragon the riddle he had learned from Mother Tree. This one had taken him much of the afternoon to solve, but once again the Dragon easily came up with the correct answer, "Secret."
For the Dragon's third turn, it asked the same riddle the Micaman had asked the boy. This one been harder for the boy to figure out, but he told the Dragon the answer he had come up with earlier, and once again the boy was correct.
The boy wracked his brain for a final riddle that would save him from the Dragon, but none came to mind. His thoughts wandered to his ailing mother. She loved riddles, and if she were here in his place, she would have no trouble thinking of one the Dragon could not solve. The boy had once spent a week trying to figure out a particularly challenging one. How did it go? Ah, yes, that was it!
The boy looked at the Dragon and saw that it was growing impatient. A smile grew on the boy's face as an idea came to him. "I have answered all three of your riddles," began the boy. "The best that you can do is even the score, which would put us right back where we started."
"What do you propose?" asked the Dragon warily.
"A new game, with new stakes" offered the boy. "I'll ask my final riddle. If you can answer it, my life is yours, but if you cannot answer it, you will let me go free with as much treasure as I can carry."
The Dragon was surprised by the boy's sudden boldness. He stared intently at the boy as if seeing him for the first time, then slowly nodded his huge head. "Agreed."
The boy closed his eyes and recited his final riddle:
"What is greater than God,
More evil than the devil,
The poor have it,
The rich need it,
And if you eat it, you'll die?"
The Dragon was very displeased. It heaved itself around the area, snapping off small trees and flattening bushes, deep in thought, muttering to itself. This continued for some time, but ultimately the Dragon turned back to the boy and admitted, "I have no answer."
After the boy gave the solution to the Dragon, the Dragon fulfilled its end of the bargain and gave the boy all the treasure he could carry. The boy paid the doctor for the medicine to cure his mother, but beyond that, he kept only enough treasure for his mother and himself to live comfortably the rest of their days. The rest he left hidden somewhere in the Dishman Hills so that others might share in the Dragon's wealth. If you would have your share of the treasure, count the letters in the answers to the riddles and complete the coordinates below:
N 47° 39.0AB W 117° 17.CD2
where
A = Number of letters in the answer to the Buffalo's riddle
B = Number of letters in the answer to the final riddle
C = Number of letters in the answer to the Eagle's riddle
D = Number of letters in the answer to the Micaman's riddle
Good luck!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur Ohssnyb'f evqqyr vf sebz Puncgre I bs Gur Uboovg ol W.E.E. Gbyxvra.
Gur Rntyr'f evqqyr vf sebz Puncgre 19 bs Qernz Cnex ol Yneel Avira naq Fgrira Onearf.
Gur Zvpnzna'f evqqyr vf sebz gur zbivr Ongzna Sberire.
Gur Vagrecergre'f evqqyr vf sebz n pbzchgre tnzr pnyyrq Orlbaq Mbex.
Zbgure Gerr'f evqqyr vf sebz n pbzchgre tnzr pnyyrq Zvtug & Zntvp VV.
Gur svany evqqyr vf sebz n oebnqpnfg ol Cnhy Uneirl.