me.”
With that, he went into the corridor. Tintin did a double take as he registered what the captain had said. He couldn’t believe it! Had he narrowly escaped death only to stumble right into the cabin of the one man on Earth who could unlock the secret of the
Unicorn
?
“Hang on a second,” he called, hurrying after the captain with Snowy right at his heels. “Did you say
Haddock
?”
ON THE BRIDGE , Allan and Tom were weathering a storm. Not from the ocean, which was beginning to calm a bit, but from Sakharine, who was enraged at Tintin’s escape.
“Champagne bottles!” he roared. “You hid from champagne bottles. You let the boy escape and now Haddock is out, too? Because the boy climbed the outside of the ship? Find them! Find them both!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll kill ’em, sir,” Allan said.
“No. You can kill the boy. Not Haddock,” Sakharine said. He tapped Allan with his cane to make sure Allan got the message.
“Oh, he’s just a hopeless old drunk,” Tom said. “We shoulda killed him long since.”
Now it was Tom’s turn to take a couple of pokes from Sakharine’s cane. “You think it’s an accident that I chose Haddock’s ship, Haddock’s crew?” Sakharine demanded. Looking back at Allan, he added, “Haddock’s treacherous first mate? Nothing is an accident.”
He let the tip of his cane fall back to the floor and looked out to sea as Allan and Tom exchanged perplexed glances. Wind ruffled his hair and beard, and as Sakharine raised his arm, his hunting falcon spiraled down out of the sky and landed on his forearm. “We go back a long way, Captain Haddock and I. We have unfinished business, and this time I’m going to make him pay.”
Tintin followed Captain Haddock through the maze of the
Karaboudjan
’s lower decks. They stopped every so often to wait for running footsteps to pass as the crew searched for them. “We have to reach the door at the end of this corridor and up the stairs,” Haddock said as they peered around a corner down a long stretch of hallway with no cover. “This is going to be tricky.”
Indeed it was, Tintin thought. Despite the urgent situation, though, he couldn’t help asking questions. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to the Haddocks of Marlinspike Hall, would you?”
Haddock squinted at him. The question made him wary, Tintin could tell. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s for a story I’ve been working on,” Tintin said. “An old shipwreck that happened off the coast of Barbados. A man-of-war, triple-masted, fifty guns.”
Before Tintin could say more, Haddock grabbed him by the shirtfront and slammed him up against the wall. “What do you know of the
Unicorn
?” he hissed.
“Not a lot,” Tintin said. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
This answer appeared to calm Haddock somewhat. “The secret of that ship is known only to my family. It has been passed down from generation to generation. My granddaddy himself with his dying breath told me the tale.” Haddock’s gaze grew distant as he reminisced.
Tintin waited for a moment, then prompted him. “And?”
“Gone,” Haddock said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean, gone?”
“I was so upset when he kicked the bucket, I had no choice but to drown me sorrows,” Haddock said sadly. The whiskey on his breath told the rest of the story. “When I woke up in the morning . . . it was gone. I’d forgotten it all.”
“Everything?” Tintin said. He was stunned. At first it had seemed like an incredible stroke of fortune that he had escaped from the hold straight into the cabin of the one man who would have known the secret of the
Unicorn
. Now he was downcast, because Captain Haddock’s memory was lost to drink and Tintin was right back where he had started. In fact, he was worse off. Sakharine was probably very unhappy that Tintin had escaped.
“Every last word.” Haddock looked up and down the corridor. The coast was clear, and he took off toward the stairs
With that, he went into the corridor. Tintin did a double take as he registered what the captain had said. He couldn’t believe it! Had he narrowly escaped death only to stumble right into the cabin of the one man on Earth who could unlock the secret of the
Unicorn
?
“Hang on a second,” he called, hurrying after the captain with Snowy right at his heels. “Did you say
Haddock
?”
ON THE BRIDGE , Allan and Tom were weathering a storm. Not from the ocean, which was beginning to calm a bit, but from Sakharine, who was enraged at Tintin’s escape.
“Champagne bottles!” he roared. “You hid from champagne bottles. You let the boy escape and now Haddock is out, too? Because the boy climbed the outside of the ship? Find them! Find them both!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll kill ’em, sir,” Allan said.
“No. You can kill the boy. Not Haddock,” Sakharine said. He tapped Allan with his cane to make sure Allan got the message.
“Oh, he’s just a hopeless old drunk,” Tom said. “We shoulda killed him long since.”
Now it was Tom’s turn to take a couple of pokes from Sakharine’s cane. “You think it’s an accident that I chose Haddock’s ship, Haddock’s crew?” Sakharine demanded. Looking back at Allan, he added, “Haddock’s treacherous first mate? Nothing is an accident.”
He let the tip of his cane fall back to the floor and looked out to sea as Allan and Tom exchanged perplexed glances. Wind ruffled his hair and beard, and as Sakharine raised his arm, his hunting falcon spiraled down out of the sky and landed on his forearm. “We go back a long way, Captain Haddock and I. We have unfinished business, and this time I’m going to make him pay.”
Tintin followed Captain Haddock through the maze of the
Karaboudjan
’s lower decks. They stopped every so often to wait for running footsteps to pass as the crew searched for them. “We have to reach the door at the end of this corridor and up the stairs,” Haddock said as they peered around a corner down a long stretch of hallway with no cover. “This is going to be tricky.”
Indeed it was, Tintin thought. Despite the urgent situation, though, he couldn’t help asking questions. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to the Haddocks of Marlinspike Hall, would you?”
Haddock squinted at him. The question made him wary, Tintin could tell. “Why do you ask?”
“It’s for a story I’ve been working on,” Tintin said. “An old shipwreck that happened off the coast of Barbados. A man-of-war, triple-masted, fifty guns.”
Before Tintin could say more, Haddock grabbed him by the shirtfront and slammed him up against the wall. “What do you know of the
Unicorn
?” he hissed.
“Not a lot,” Tintin said. “That’s why I’m asking you.”
This answer appeared to calm Haddock somewhat. “The secret of that ship is known only to my family. It has been passed down from generation to generation. My granddaddy himself with his dying breath told me the tale.” Haddock’s gaze grew distant as he reminisced.
Tintin waited for a moment, then prompted him. “And?”
“Gone,” Haddock said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean, gone?”
“I was so upset when he kicked the bucket, I had no choice but to drown me sorrows,” Haddock said sadly. The whiskey on his breath told the rest of the story. “When I woke up in the morning . . . it was gone. I’d forgotten it all.”
“Everything?” Tintin said. He was stunned. At first it had seemed like an incredible stroke of fortune that he had escaped from the hold straight into the cabin of the one man who would have known the secret of the
Unicorn
. Now he was downcast, because Captain Haddock’s memory was lost to drink and Tintin was right back where he had started. In fact, he was worse off. Sakharine was probably very unhappy that Tintin had escaped.
“Every last word.” Haddock looked up and down the corridor. The coast was clear, and he took off toward the stairs
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