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Inside was not gold. It was a leather-bound folio. The true secret of the Unicorn .
“During Sir Francis’s time,” Calculus said, tapping a page, “the crown allowed private shipyards to use a code. ‘U’ stood for ‘Unicorn-class’—a fast frigate with a shallow draught. And the number…” He pushed his spectacles up. “The number was not the hull number. It was the chart number .” The Adventures Of Tintin Secret Of The Unicorn Serial Number
Calculus adjusted his hearing aid, which promptly whistled. “UN? That’s not a standard prefix for any navy, Tintin. But… wait.” He shuffled to a shelf and pulled out a crumbling registry: Royal Shipwrights’ Ledgers, 1670-1695 . Inside was not gold
Haddock looked at Tintin, his eyes wet. “All that trouble. All that danger. For… justice.” “During Sir Francis’s time,” Calculus said, tapping a
The next morning, he visited Professor Calculus. The half-deaf genius was calibrating a new ultrasonic depth-finder. “Calculus, does ‘UN-7’ mean anything in naval history?”
Tintin carefully removed the stern section. Inside the cavity where the rudder chain ran, he found not parchment, but a tiny brass cylinder, sealed with wax. He cracked it open.