“Fantastic!” Professor Marcus Moriarty cried, his eyes alight. “There can be no doubt, young man — those markings show the royal coat of arms of Castile!”
It was Friday afternoon, and the Three Investigators were sitting in the study of Professor Moriarty in Hollywood. Jupiter had called Alfred Hitchcock that morning, and the famous motion-picture director had named his friend Marcus Moriarty as the number-one expert on Spanish and Mexican history in Los Angeles. Mr. Hitchcock had agreed to call the professor and arrange an appointment. The moment school ended that day, the Investigators persuaded Hans to drive them to the professor’s house.
“This sword cover undoubtedly belonged to the King of Spain in the early sixteenth century,” the professor went on. “Where did you find it?”
Jupiter told him about the statue. “Is the cover old enough to have been the cover for the Cortés Sword of the Alvaros?”
“The Cortés Sword?” The professor’s eyebrows rose. “Why, yes, the cover is from the same period as the sword. But of course, the Cortés Sword was lost with Don Sebastián Alvaro back in 1846. Unless… don’t tell me you’ve found the sword, too!”
“No, sir,” Bob said.
“Not yet, anyway!” Pete beamed.
“Professor,” Jupiter said, “where can we find out exactly what did happen to Don Sebastián Alvaro back in 1846? And where are reports of other events in those days?”
“The Rocky Beach Historical Society has all the Alvaro family papers, I believe,” the professor said. “It also has copies of certain United States Army documents from the Mexican War years — those relating to this area. And, of course, the Historical Society would be the place to go for the most complete archives of local history from the earliest days.”
The boys thanked him and got ready to leave.
“You’ll find 1846 an interesting year to study,” remarked the professor. “The Mexican War was a rather strange episode in Californian — and American — history.”
“How’s that?” asked Bob.
“The United States Government declared war on Mexico in May 1846 in what many people believe was merely an effort to take over Mexican territory, including California. Many Californians had become unhappy under Mexican rule—mostly Yankees who had settled here, but even some of the old Spanish rancheros. When US naval ships seized the key California ports at the start of the war, there was virtually no resistance. Soldiers were then stationed along the coast — many of them were volunteers from one of John C. Frémont’s American exploratory expeditions. Frémont happened to be in California at the time, and his group was acting like invaders even before war was declared.”
“Yes, we learned about Major Frémont in school,” said Bob.
“Well, as I said, there’d been no resistance at the ports, and everything seemed quiet. Of course, many of the rancheros weren’t happy with the situation, but they gave no organized opposition. Then the Yankee commander that Frémont left in charge of Los Angeles proceeded to act with great misjudgement, arresting the local rancheros and humiliating them needlessly. The populace was soon up in arms. I suspect that Don Sebastián Alvaro was a victim of that commander’s unfortunate policies. If Don Sebastián had lived, I’m sure he would have joined the fighting that broke out. The Alvaro family were Mexican loyalists; I believe Don Sebastián’s son fought with the Mexican Army against the American invasion force in Mexico itself.
“In any event, the fighting in California lasted only a matter of months. California was soon securely held by the Americans, and Mexico formally ceded it to the United States at the end of the war, in 1848.”
“Gosh,” Pete said, “that must have been an exciting time here. Just think — a real war in our own backyard!”
Professor Moriarty gave Pete a severe look. “War may be exciting, perhaps, but it is never pleasant to live through. Be grateful you live in quieter times.”
Pete looked abashed, and the professor softened his tone. “I suspect you boys find plenty of excitement anyway. Do I gather correctly that you have reason to think the Cortés Sword may still be in Rocky Beach, and that you are searching for it?”
“Well, it’s just a wild hunch, sir,” Jupiter said.
“I see,” the professor said. His eyes glinted. “Since the sword hasn’t been seen for so long, I’ve always thought that it was probably only a legend. Certainly an exaggerated tale, in any event. Still, I’d be most interested in anything you find, eh?”
“We’ll be glad to let you know, sir,” Jupiter said, and thanked the professor again for his help.
Outside, a slow rain had started. Hans had gone on some business for Uncle Titus and hadn’t yet returned, so the boys had to wait. They stood under a tree, where they could keep dry.
“Professor Moriarty was pretty excited about that sword,” Pete said. “I guess a lot of people would be.”
“Yes,” Jupiter said, frowning. “I think, fellows, that we had better not mention the Cortés Sword if we can help it. I’m afraid we’d start all kinds of people looking everywhere. Professor Moriarty’s identification of the sword cover just about guarantees that it belongs to the Cortés Sword, so the chances of finding the sword in the Rocky Beach area are quite real.”
“Are we going to the Historical Society now?” Bob asked.
“That, I think, is our next step, yes,” Jupiter replied.
“What are we looking for, Jupe?” Pete asked.
“I don’t know exactly,” the stout leader admitted, “but if my hunch is right, we need something to show that events in 1846 didn’t happen the way people think they did.”
The rain grew heavier just as Hans arrived, and all three boys crowded into the truck’s cab beside the big Bavarian. When they reached Rocky Beach, Hans dropped them at the Historical Society and drove off on another errand. The boys hurried inside through the rain.
The quiet rooms, lined with books, files, and displays, were deserted except for the assistant historian. He knew the boys and their reputation well, and greeted them with a teasing smile.
“Well, what are you young Sherlocks investigating now?” he asked. “Has someone lost a pet cat, or are you on to something bigger?”
“Only as big as the Cor — ” Pete began boastfully.
Jupiter stepped on Pete’s foot, making him yelp in pain.
“Sorry,” Jupiter said blandly, and smiled at the historian. “We’re not on a case — just helping Bob with a research project on the Alvaro family for school.”
“Well, we have an Alvaro file,” the historian said.
“Might you have the US Army reports about Don Sebastián Alvaro, too?” Jupiter added casually.
The historian got both files. Each was a large cardboard box filled with papers. The boys looked at them in dismay.
“This army file is just the records of 1846,” the historian said, grinning. “They loved to write reports in those days.”
The boys carried the heavy files to a quiet corner.
“I’ll search the Alvaro file,” Jupiter decided, “and you two can go through the army records. They’re in English.”
For the next two hours the boys pored over the papers in the files, searching for any references to Don Sebastián Alvaro or the Cortés Sword. The historian was busy cataloguing a mound of new material, and he left the boys alone. No one else came into the quiet, book-lined rooms. The only sound was an occasional groan from Pete as he finished yet another dull report.
At the end of the two hours, the Investigators had gone through both files completely and were ready to display their findings. Bob and Pete had three documents, modern copies of original US Army papers from 1846, and Jupiter had a single yellowing letter.
