I mentioned that
the treasure map I found in the Mabinogion
was not that of Cocos island
a favourite of wide
world tales magazines ,
children's annuals and
action comics from the 1920s to 1950s "The Plunder Of Peru"
"Dead Men Tell No Tales "
the story was popular at the time
and inspired a
search that involved both
the land speed record Ace
Malcolm Campbell and the US
navy with no results
The Plunder of Peru
In 1821 to save
the treasures of the
Cathedral of lima from Bolivar's liberating
army the Spanish colonial authorities and catholic
church moved the centuries
of conquisidor collected plunder of Peru from Lima
to the port
of Callao where they secretly
loaded it on the Brig Mary Deir of Bristol
to be hidden at sea until the
forces of Bolivar were
defeated.
Cut of sight of land
the Mary Deir's Captain Thompson and his
crew murdered the Spanish soldiers
guarding the treasure and
sailed away locating an old pirate haunt
Cocos island known to them where not long before the
cut throat Benito Bonito
buried his golden sack
of the Spanish main
Thompson and his crew by this time
described as "celebrating" landed on the
barren Cocos island transfered the
treasure in a process that filled ten boat loads and then sailed away where
later that month the Mary Deir was captured by a
Peruvian naval ship on his trail all but
Thompson and his mate hanged from
the yardarm
Thompson
promised to lead
the Peruvians ( it is unsure whether
they are Spanish colonial or liberator forces ) to the treasure as only he and the mate knew the exact location
Both of
them escaped over the side in Panama Bay
In 1841 A Canadian molasses clipper
the Gauntlet is anchored
in Panama harbour looking out
from the deck the carpenter John Keating
sees a gang of toughs
attacking an old man, who hearing Keating's shout flees up the Gauntlets gangplank where he
is hidden by Keating in a
empty barrel but the old man expired
shortly afterwards but not
before revealing his identity as that
of Captain Thompson and passes
on the treasure map to Keating.
Keating by 1850 has become partners
with a Captain Bogue they finally sail to Cocos
find the treasure Bogue and Keating carry it all away in their one
rowing boat but in a repeat of the accidental sole survivor story above Bogue is drowned just like the Mate at Panama
Keating returns a
rich man to St Johns
Newfoundland but later buries most of
the Peru Plunder and Bonito treasures unnoticed back on Cocos
A rip roaring shanty
yarn the tale of
Cocos island is now like a book out of print repeated in the many Engliah Anglican establishment run
boys own magazines pages
seemingly delighting in the stealing
of the treasures of the
Catholic Church by an English sea
captain
There was little
treasure in Lima at the time,
Benito Bonito is based on Benito de
Soto
looks like the
map I
found in the Mabinogion was Cocos
after all
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