The Secret of the Unicorn

The Secret of the Unicorn (La Secret de la Licorne) is one of a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as hero.

The Secret of the Unicorn is the eleventh in the series.

Warning: Plot details follow.

The Storyline

There is an amazing epidemic of wallet-snatchings around a town in Belgium. Thompson and Tompson look for the thief at the Old Street market where they hope to find Tintin. Tintin buys a boat model for the captain, but as he does, two men try to haggle it off him. Surprised, he muses in his chair at home that they were very interested in it. When the captain comes home, he sees the ship and exclaims something. He shows an old picture of his relative, the captain of a navy vessel, to Tintin. In its background is the very same ship, called "The Unicorn", but when they get back to have another look, the ship is gone! The captain discovers some old items of his great ancestor: a cutlass, a hat, and a book full of a tale of how he destroyed some pirates. Eagerly Tintin and the captain read it out aloud, the captain sometimes getting a bit too excited. They eventually come to the conclusion that the pirate Red Rackham had stolen some diamonds from a Spanish navy vessel, and when the evil villain was killed by Francis Haddock, his treasure was collected. They knew it was meant for his sons or later relatives. Haddock knows the treasure should be his, but he vows that Tintin should receive a portion. They look for the treasure, only to discover that they must identify its position with a map, which they complete at the end of the book. The sequel, Red Rackham's Treasure, continues the story.