by Penny Warner
“Awesome,” Quinn said as he took a sheet of paper from a parent. “I’ll bet we get all of them.”
Cody looked at her sheet. This was going to be fun! The first phrase was easy—she’d heard it a million times—but the puzzle got harder as she went on down the list.
1. Ahoy there!
2. Avast ye!
3. Hornswoggle
4. Jolly Roger
5. Parley
6. Shiver me timbers!
7. Freebooter
8. Landlubber
9. Cackle Fruit
10. Davy Jones’s Locker
The Code Busters translated the ten phrases, then checked their answers with one another by tapping out Morse code so no one could understand them.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Luke recognized “hornswoggle” from a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Yosemite Sam often accused Bugs of hornswoggling him. Quinn and Luke both knew what a Jolly Roger was, but M.E. knew the literal translation, since she’d studied French as well as Spanish. “Jolly” was actually jolie, meaning “pretty,” and “roger” was rouge for “red.”
Next was “parley,” and Cody knew this one from watching Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, who used the word a lot. M.E. said “parley” was actually parlez in French.
“Shiver me timbers” was obvious—the exclamation point gave it away. They guessed at “freebooter” and “landlubber,” thinking they had something to do with pirates.
“ ‘Cackle fruit’ is probably some kind of food,” M.E. said, then made a guess and tapped it out in Morse code. The others agreed, even though it wasn’t actually a fruit.
“ ‘Davy Jones’s Locker’ was in a SpongeBob cartoon,” Luke said. “Mr. Krabs ends up at the bottom of the sea in Davy Jones’s Locker filled with smelly gym socks.” He tapped out the meaning and the others compared their answers.
Just as they finished translating the pirate slang, Ms. Stad called everyone to attention.
“All right, students. If you’ve finished the puzzle, keep it handy. In a few minutes you’ll find out the answers. But for now I want you to follow me. We’re going into the basilica. Does anyone know what a basilica is?”
A girl named Mia from Cody’s class raised her hand. “A church?”
“Correct! It’s a church, so please be respectful. That means quiet. I’ll lead you through it to the museum, where you’ll meet a docent who knows all about the Carmel Mission and Pirate Hippolyte de Bouchard.”
Cody heard murmurs at the mention of the pirate’s name. The students gathered up their trash and tossed it in nearby cans, then lined up behind their teachers. Ms. Stad led the first group down the flower-lined courtyard, past the fountain, and through the wooden doors. Cold air and tall ceilings were the first things Cody noticed about the basilica. A student in the front of the line said, “Brrr!” and the word echoed throughout the cavernous chapel.
Someone began to play the organ, and the basilica filled with the song “Ave Maria.” Cody thought it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. As she passed by the pews, headed toward the front, she noticed there were only three people in the church. An elderly woman sat in one of the dark wood pews at the back, her bent head veiled, her hands clasped in prayer. Cody wondered what the lady thought about all these kids trooping through. On the other side stood a man and a woman who seemed out of place in their baggy clothes; they had sour looks on their faces. The man was dressed in a plaid shirt and old jeans and had a long gray beard. Is that a toothpick in his mouth? Cody wondered. The woman wore a large faded T-shirt and jeans, and had a long braid of salt-and-pepper hair down to her waist. Cody wasn’t sure, but she thought they were the same two she’d seen when she’d gotten off the bus. As Cody walked by, she felt their eyes on her, and it creeped her out. She moved along quickly.
As she reached the altar, she noticed the soft light from the stained-glass windows made the chapel appear to glow, giving the intricate Spanish artwork an iridescent look. She wondered who had carved the figures and created the paintings. Missionaries? Indians? Professional artists? She looked down and saw a large rectangular slab in the stone floor, with a portrait at the far end. In memory of Father Junipero Serra? she wondered.
The students were led past a tiny room with discolored adobe walls, a stone floor, and a lone shuttered window. Inside sat a hard wooden bed, a wooden desk, a chair, and little else. Cody wondered if this was where one of the missionaries lived. How difficult it must have been for them, without all the comforts she and her friends had today.
Farther down the hallway they peered into another room, this one completely different from the one they’d just viewed. This room was twice the size and was filled with bookcases, chairs, a desk, artwork, and a fireplace. A simple candle chandelier hung from the wood-slatted ceiling. A colorful throw rug covered most of the tile floor. But Cody was most impressed by the number of books the shelves held. This had to be the mission’s library. A quick look at the sign confirmed her guess.
Finally, they reached the main museum building. The room offered a glimpse into the past, with displays of rusty tools, tattered clothing, yellowed documents, broken beaded jewelry, and chipped cooking utensils. Cody found the jewelry especially interesting and wondered if the necklaces and bracelets were valuable. They had to be, securely enclosed in their cases.
“Ahoy, mates!” came an accented voice from across the room. Cody turned to see an older man with a red beard and sailor’s cap standing in an alcove at the back of the museum. She sidled up closer until she could see his freckled face clearly. He wore an antique-looking sailor’s uniform to match his cap, reminding her of the pirates she’d read about in Treasure Island.
“He looks like Popeye,” Matt the Brat said.
“I heard that!” the old sailor man said. “I don’t likes me spinach!”
The students laughed at the funny interpretation of the cartoon character.
“Greetings, students from Berkeley Cooperative Middle School,” he continued in his odd accent. Cody guessed he was either British or Australian, with a heavy dose of pirate on the side.
“Me name is Chad Bour—you can call me Chad. I’m an Aussie sailor from the land down under. This here uniform—we call it a naval rig, not a sailor suit—is a real imitation of an authentic replica of the ones made in the 1800s, and worn by all able rates and leading hands.”
Cody enjoyed his funny way of talking. She studied the outfit, which resembled the modern sailor’s dress uniform—all white with a blue collar, three stripes on the lapels, and, of course, bell-bottom pant legs.
Chad caught Cody staring at the hems of his pants. A pair of cowboy boots were sticking out from underneath.
“Like my bell-bottoms, do ye, lassie? We wear our hems wide so we can roll them up when we have to scrub the decks.”
Cody wanted to ask about the boots, but figured she couldn’t get a word in edgewise with this fast-talking character.
“And this here is a lanyard.” Chad held up an intricately tied cord that was looped around his neck. A key dangled from the end of it. “Lanyards were used to hold things, like matches to fire the cannons and knives for defense. I keep a key to the museum in mine so I won’t lose it. Later on, you’ll learn how to tie your own lanyards.”
Cody grinned at the old sailor. He was off to a good start. He was fun to listen to.
Finally, Chad Bour began talking about the Carmel Mission Museum. The docent seemed to know a lot about the old adobe settlement, the five-foot-thick adobe brick walls, the artifacts on display, and the Ohlone and Esselen Indians who worked the mission. But it wasn’t until he said the missionaries ate bear meat that she really tuned back in from her daydreaming about pirates.
“When Father Junipero Serra died in 1784, guess where they buried him.”
Cody remembered seeing a small cemetery with graves lined with large seashells and raised her hand. “The cemetery?”
“You’d
think so,” Chad said, “but Father Serra was special. You know the basilica that you all passed through? He’s buried right beneath the chapel floor.”
A few of the students gasped. Cody wondered why they buried the famous missionary there instead of in the cemetery, but she didn’t have a chance to ask as Chad continued his story.
“The mission was in ruins after the pirate, Hippolyte de Bouchard, raided the place.” He paused, glancing around at the wide-eyed group, then said, “Do ya want to hear the story of California’s only known pirate?”
There was a chorus of “yeahs” from the crowd.
Chad Bour grinned, revealing crooked, yellowing teeth.
“Well, there was this Argentine pirate named Hippolyte de Bouchard who heard the California missions were filled with hidden gold, silver, and jewels. See this cross?” The docent picked up an ornate silver cross the size of a TV remote from the case and showed it to the kids. “They thought the missions were loaded with precious metals like this.”
“Is that real silver?” M.E. asked. Cody’s friend loved to wear jewelry.
“This one was actually made of iron years ago by the blacksmith in the mission foundry, but he coated it with silver to make it shiny,” Chad answered. “Anyway, Bouchard thought he’d gather a bunch of sea rats, load up his ship, and set sail for the Pacific Coast. While all the other pirates were pillaging the ocean off the East Coast, he had the West Coast seas all to himself.”
Cody heard oohs and aahs from the students. They were eating this up—and so was she.
“When he attacked the Sonoma Mission and found nothing of real value,” Chad continued, “he sailed on over to Monterey Bay. He was sure the missionaries there kept their treasures hidden. He’d heard talk of a secret vault located in the basilica that was said to hold rare jewels and priceless artifacts. But after pillaging, looting, and burning what he could, he and his two hundred men left the area empty-handed.” Chad paused, grinned, and asked, “So do you think there really was a treasure?”
“Yeah,” said Matt the Brat without raising his hand. “But the pirates probably fought each other and couldn’t find it. I’ll bet I could find it.”
Cody shook her head at Matt the Brat’s bragging. He could hardly find his homework, let alone a hidden treasure. The missionaries had nothing to fear from him.
Chad nodded. “The missionaries did have a treasure, but they’d been forewarned about the pirates’ planned invasion and hid everything.”
“Where?” asked Luke.
“That’s the question,” Chad answered. “Unfortunately, the Carmel missionaries took the secret location to their graves. And no one has ever found the lost treasure, although many have tried.”
“A lost treasure! Awesome!” Matt shouted without raising his hand. For that he got a sharp look from Ms. Stad.
A girl named Maddie raised her hand.
“Aye?” Chad said, calling on her.
“Do you think the treasure is still here somewhere?”
“To tell you the truth, missy, I do,” Chad said. “Years ago there was a treasure hunter—supposedly a descendant of Bouchard—first name, Franco. Rumor has it that he came close to finding it.”
The students’ eyes widened.
“But he mysteriously disappeared while searching for the buried loot. That was more than forty years ago. All they found was a knapsack with a journal containing cryptic notes and an old map of the mission and surrounding area. Oh, and a single piece of eight.”
“Is that a gold doubloon?” another student asked.
“No, mate, the piece of eight is a Spanish dollar. It’s made of silver, not gold.”
Chad continued talking about the Spanish currency, even showing them a real silver coin from a black velvet pouch he had in his pocket, but Cody’s mind was wandering. What had the old sailor said a few minutes earlier about a treasure hunter coming close to finding the treasure? What if the treasure wasn’t buried, but hidden in some other way? Chad had just said that some of the mission’s treasures, like the cross that was dipped in silver, weren’t really all that valuable. If you can coat things in silver, maybe you can coat some treasures so they don’t look so valuable.
Quinn turned to Cody and whispered in Pig Latin so no one could understand him: “Ee-way eed-nay oo-tay ee-say at-they ap-may!”
Code Buster’s Solution found on this page.
Chad continued with his presentation, distracting Cody from the treasure hunter’s map and coded notebook. Luke took notes on Chad’s explanation of nautical navigation, jotting down phrases like, “batten down the hatches,” which meant prepare the ship for a storm, and “beat to quarters,” which meant get ready for battle. Cody could just picture Luke on a pirate ship, climbing up to the crow’s nest to look for other ships, or sword fighting on the plank like Peter Pan.
Quinn was fascinated by the sextant, a small instrument that looked like a complicated protractor with a spyglass attached. Chad told the students that sailors and pirates used sextants to plot the ship’s course at sea by measuring the angle between two objects, like a star in the sky and the distant horizon. Cody had a feeling Quinn would get one the next time he went to the military surplus store. Then all he’d need was a ship.
Meanwhile, M.E. studied the map abbreviations that Chad had shown them. It was different from Ms. Stadelhofer’s map and indicated how the sailors marked the waters. She’d already learned most of them, and was comparing his symbols with the ones on Ms. Stad’s map. Cody was fascinated by how many different symbols and codes there were. The American Indians had their markers—tied grass. The trailblazers had theirs—arranged rocks. And the sailors even had symbols for the open seas … and for buried treasures. Cody found the orienteering symbols the most interesting. It seemed like everything on a map could be marked with a symbol—bridges, fences, towers, benches, ponds, pits, trees, bushes.
If they actually got a chance to see the treasure hunter’s map, Cody hoped the Code Busters would be able to interpret some of the markings. Wouldn’t it be awesome if the map actually led to a treasure? Yeah, right …
“Lunchtime!” Ms. Stad announced, after the students had had a chance to explore the museum. It was noon and Cody was hungry, in spite of the snack she’d had earlier. “Let’s meet in the courtyard in five minutes,” Ms. Stad said.
Quinn caught Cody’s eye and began finger spelling.
Code Buster’s Key and Solution found on this page, this page.
Cody nodded, then pulled M.E. and Luke aside and finger-spelled the same message to them. While the other students slowly filed out of the museum, the four Code Busters lingered, pretending to be interested in some of the artifacts near the door. When the coast was clear, Quinn whispered, “I want to know more about that treasure hunter’s map and notebook. Let’s talk to Chad and see if he’ll let us look at them.”
Quinn approached Chad at the back of the museum as the old man gathered up the artifacts he’d shown to the students during his presentation.
“Excuse me,” Quinn said.
Chad Bour looked up and gave a toothy grin to Quinn. “Aye, mate? Got a question for the old sea dog?”
M.E. giggled at Chad’s unique way of talking. Cody wondered if the “old sea dog” ever really sailed the ocean. Maybe he was just an actor, playing a part to entertain the students who visited the mission.
Quinn nodded. “You know that treasure hunter you were talking about?”
“Bouchard!” Chad boomed, as if making an important announcement. “Rumored to be a descendant of the pirate himself.”
“Yeah, him,” Quinn said. “Do you think we could see his map? And maybe his notebook?”
Chad squinted at the four of them for a long moment, and Cody wondered if there really was a map and notebook. Maybe it was all part of the act.
“Well, er, that’s really part of my, er, the museum’s private collection …”
Luke spoke up. “We’re part of a club called the Code Busters, and we
like to solve puzzles and crack codes. We just wanted to look at his stuff and see if we could figure out …” Luke paused.
“Figure out where the treasure be?” Chad said, finishing his sentence.
Luke nodded and smiled. “Yeah. We promise we’ll be careful.”
“Well, I like your enthusiasm. And I’m a code lover myself. I suppose that would be all right. But you’d have to be mighty careful. His things are very old and very valuable. Got it, mates?”
“Cool!” said Quinn. The other Code Busters grinned excitedly. They were going to see something that the other students didn’t get to see—a real treasure map. And a coded notebook.
“Wait here,” the old man said. He headed for a door at the back of the museum with a sign that read STAFF ONLY.
“What about lunch?” M.E. whispered.
“Why are you whispering?” Quinn asked, frowning.
“I don’t know,” M.E. replied. “But Stad will miss us if we don’t show up soon.”
“She’s right,” Cody said. “Maybe one of us should go tell her we’re checking something in the museum and we’ll be right there.”
“I’ll do it,” Luke volunteered, and headed out the door. As he left, Cody thought she spotted the baggy-clothed couple she’d seen twice earlier. This time they seemed to be watching the door.
Chad returned holding a stained, weathered knapsack and gently set it on one of the glass display cases.
“Whoa,” Quinn said, admiring the leather bag. The initial B was carved into the leather.
“Aye.” Chad nodded. “Like I said, it’s very old. And very valuable.” He pulled apart the top of the bag that was held together with leather strings, reached in, and withdrew a rolled-up piece of paper, worn at the edges. Next, he pulled out a tattered notebook, bound in leather and tied closed with strings.