Devereaux nodded. “They did engage in some classic activities.”
Diesel showed Devereaux the piece of coin. “What can you tell me about this?”
Devereaux studied it through a jeweler’s loupe. “It’s Spanish.”
“It’s a doubloon, right?” Josh said.
Devereaux shook his head. “No. It’s a fragment of an eight-reales silver coin, commonly called a ‘bust dollar.’ It’s got a bust of Charles III on it, and was considered legal tender in the U.S. until 1857.”
“Why is it cut like a pizza?” I asked.
“It’s how you made change,” Devereaux said. “Coins were often cut into pie-shaped sections, or ‘bits.’ If you had two of these pieces you’d have two bits. Do you know any of the history associated with this piece of the coin?”
“We think it was passed on by a pirate named Bellows,” Diesel said.
“Palgrave Bellows,” Devereaux said. “The Gentleman Corsair. He was a middle-aged silversmith from Rhode Island who suddenly decided to take up piracy. His captives reported that Bellows continued to wear the powdered wig of a gentleman even after years in the tropical sun. The curly white wig contrasted vividly with his swarthy skin and made Bellows a striking figure indeed. They called him the Last of the Roundsmen.”
“Roundsmen?” I asked.
“Bellows was one of the last buccaneers to sail the Pirate Round. It was a route that started in New England and went all the way across the Atlantic to the coast of Africa. Then down past the Cape of Good Hope, through the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar. The pirates were nothing if not intrepid,” Devereaux said. “They often went round to the Red Sea, which put them in an ideal spot to intercept the shipping of the Mughal Empire. You’ve heard of the Gunsway, of course. The Gunsway was a trading ship belonging to the Mughal emperor, and it contained untold riches.”
“How much be untold riches?” Josh asked.
“A lot. Some say the treasure even included the legendary Blue Diamond of Babur.”
Josh sucked in some air. “The Blue Diamond of Babur. I like the way she sounds. I wouldn’t mind having such a treasure.”
“It might come with a price,” Devereaux said. “It’s told that the diamond carries a dreadful curse to all who don’t worship the demon Mammon. Legend has it that a magical stone imbued with the power of greed, and the Blue Diamond, were kept in a Mughal temple dedicated to Mammon, the Prince of Avarice. In the center of the temple was a large idol representing Mammon, and the Blue Diamond was the heart of the idol. The diamond and the stone are said to be forever wed, and the diamond glows blue when it’s near the stone.”
“Ah,” Josh said. “?’Tis a fine fairy tale.”
Devereaux smiled. “It is indeed. And the tale gets even more interesting. During a time of war, the decision was made to move the stone and the diamond to a safer location. While they were being moved with the rest of the treasure of Mammon, pirates plundered the ship and stole the stone and diamond.”
“Would that be Palgrave Bellows and the Gunsway?” Josh asked.
“It would,” Devereaux said. “Bellows boarded the Gunsway and took her back to New England, where it was said he hid the treasure on an island off the coast of Maine. That he even made a map in special code, so no one person knew where it was.”
“Was the treasure ever found?” Josh asked.
“Never found,” Devereaux said. “Estimated to be around one hundred and ninety million dollars in today’s money.”
“That would be worth a hunt,” Josh said.
“Perhaps, but it could just be a myth,” Devereaux said. “A two-hundred-year-old rumor fueled by the ramblings of a crazy pirate and his diary.”
“Aargh,” Josh said. “Is our piece of coin valuable?”
“It’s not worth a great deal of money, if that’s what you mean,” Devereaux said. “It’s just a single bit, and it looks to me like a counterfeit. Might I keep this bit for further examination?” he asked Diesel. “I am intrigued.”
“I’m afraid not,” Diesel said. “I’m also intrigued.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“So what do ye think?” Josh asked when we got to the car. “He’s a smart one, right?”
“Right,” Diesel said, sliding behind the wheel.
“A hundred and ninety million be a worthy treasure,” Josh said. “I could stop talking like a pirate if I had such a treasure.”
“You could stop talking like a pirate without it,” I said.
“Ah, ’tis not that easy,” Josh said. “A lad doesn’t just lay aside the role of a pirate.”
I checked my watch. It was almost noon. “It’s also hard to lay aside the role of prospective cookbook author. I need to go shopping.”
“Aargh,” Josh said. “And I’ll be walking the plank if I’m late for work.”
“See if you can find out how the museum happened to be in possession of Peg Leg’s body,” Diesel said to Josh.
“Aye, Captain,” Josh said, getting out of the car. “I’ll give you a full report.”