A farm in Ireland may seem a strange place for an 11-year old American boy to spend his summer vacation, but David's mother is intent upon a reunion between grandmother and grandson. The Irish legends and fairy tales pervading the countryside soon affected David to the extent that he almost believed old McManus had charmed Denny's warts away, but their power came into question when David realized the trick played by Tidy John in supposedly casting a spell over the cow. But the real test lay in Colonel McClintock's ability to override superstitution by digging beneath stones which legend held should not be touched lest three good men die. David helps him and everyone is in for quite a scare when old McManus suddenly becomes ill. A wonder drug relieves that situation and David and his more practical companions go on to discover a treasure of prehistoric artifacts for which they are rewarded. Readers will be held by their own doubts and superstitions perhaps wedged deeper through a well constructed Irish setting. The resolution is most reassuring.