Red Rackham's Treasure
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Red Rackham's Treasure (originally Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero.
Red Rackham's Treasure is the twelfth in the series. It is a continuation of The Secret of the Unicorn, and is one of very few Tintin books to directly carry on the story of the preceding title.
The storyline
In Secret, Tintin and Captain Haddock discover a map that they believe must lead to pirate treasure. Tintin and the captain hire a boat under Haddock's friend, to search for said treasure. As the crew prepare for the search, their plans are discovered and publicized enough for Tintin and Haddock to have to deal with numerous strangers insisting on a share of the treasure. Another petitioner is Cuthbert Calculus, an eccentric and largely deaf inventor who offers the use of a special shark shaped submarine to help search for the sunken ship without being bothered by the numerous sharks in the area. The treasure hunters turn him down and later cast off for the trip. Before clearing port, their police friends, Thomson and Thompson intercept them with orders to join the crew to protect the treasure hunters from the possible threat of an enemy in their previous adventure. In addition, Tintin and Haddock discovered that Calculus had stowed away on board along with the complete parts assembly of his sub and they grudgingly decide keep him on board for the voyage.
The voyage ends at an unknown island, where they think the treasure is buried. Calculus' sub proves useful for the search for the ship itself while the actual examination of the wreck itself is done with a hardhat diving suit. While facing complications like shark attacks, they discovered a strongbox of old documents, the figurehead of the ship and, to Captain Haddock's delight, a large supply of vintage Jamaican Rum, they never actually find the treasure itself while on their trip.
They go home disappointed, but discover upon further examination of the documents that Haddock was heir to the large estate of Marlinspike. With the help of Calculus who was flush with a profitable sale of his sub design, Haddock purchases the estate. In the cellars of the main house, they discover the treasure hidden in a globe of a statue of Saint John who is often called The Eagle which is the signature bird of the saint and was holding a cross above the treasure, just as the map said.
Template:Tintin booksfr:Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge id:Harta Karun Rackham Merah sv:Rackham den Rödes skatt