The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot
Encyclopedia
The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot by Robert Arthur, Jr. is the second in the Three Investigators
series.
, to find his missing parrot. The boys soon discover that the man's parrot was one of a group of seven, trained by their former owner to each repeat a specific message. The focus of the investigation shifts from finding the single lost parrot to discovering the secret behind these cryptic messages.
The boys aren't the only ones who want to hear the dead man's secret. Others, including an infamous French art thief, Huganay, have also concluded that the messages are the key to locating a particularly valuable hidden item.
The coded message is as follows, by parrots, in order:
The messages each stand for something.
Little Bo Peep's message talks about calling on Sherlock Holmes, and where would you call on him except for Baker Street? So the parrots give an address on Baker Street. Next is Billy, whose stutter actually is the number of the address, to-to-to-be, or rather, 222-B. So the address is a 222-B Baker Street in California. Next is Blackbeard, who states that dead men guard the treasure. Where else but a graveyard could dead men be? So the final address is a graveyard in California at 222-B Baker Street. Once you get to the entrance, follow Robin Hood's instructions for his arrow and go exactly 100 paces west. After this, see if you are at the Severn family's grave, and if it leads to the graves of thirteen unknown men. Past the graves, follow Captain Kidd's instructions to the letter and search under the huge stones for a box with no locks. Pete picks up a piece of pipe with the edges sealed as a weapon from the pile of stones. Later, he thinks of Scarface's message and how they never solved it or used it, and believes that the lead pipe he picked up at the graveyard is the pipe talked about in the "lead pipe cinch" joke. His hunch is correct, and the picture is inside the pipe.
Three Investigators
The Three Investigators is an American juvenile detective book series first published as "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" but also expanded in Germany. It was created by Robert Arthur, Jr., who believed using a famous figure such as movie director Hitchcock would attract attention....
series.
Plot summary
In only their second outing, the Three Investigators are hired by a friend of their patron, Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, to find his missing parrot. The boys soon discover that the man's parrot was one of a group of seven, trained by their former owner to each repeat a specific message. The focus of the investigation shifts from finding the single lost parrot to discovering the secret behind these cryptic messages.
The boys aren't the only ones who want to hear the dead man's secret. Others, including an infamous French art thief, Huganay, have also concluded that the messages are the key to locating a particularly valuable hidden item.
The coded message is as follows, by parrots, in order:
- Little Bo PeepLittle Bo Peep"Little Bo Peep" or "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6487.-Lyrics:As with most products of oral tradition, there are many variations to the rhyme...
: Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn't know where to find it. Call on Sherlock Holmes. - Shakespeare (Billy): To-to-to-be or not to-to-to-be. That is the question.
- BlackbeardBlackbeardEdward Teach , better known as Blackbeard, was a notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies....
: I'm Blackbeard the pirate and I've buried my treasure where dead men guard it ever. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle o' rum! - Robin HoodRobin HoodRobin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
: I shot an arrow as a test, a hundred paces shot it west. - Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
: You know my methods, Watson. Three Severns (sic) lead to thirteen. - Captain Kidd: Look under the stones beyond the bones for the box that has no locks.
- ScarfaceAl CaponeAlphonse Gabriel "Al" Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate. The Chicago Outfit, which subsequently became known as the "Capones", was dedicated to smuggling and bootlegging liquor, and other illegal activities such as prostitution, in Chicago from the early...
: I never give a sucker an even break, and that's a lead pipe cinch. Ha-ha-ha!
The messages each stand for something.
Little Bo Peep's message talks about calling on Sherlock Holmes, and where would you call on him except for Baker Street? So the parrots give an address on Baker Street. Next is Billy, whose stutter actually is the number of the address, to-to-to-be, or rather, 222-B. So the address is a 222-B Baker Street in California. Next is Blackbeard, who states that dead men guard the treasure. Where else but a graveyard could dead men be? So the final address is a graveyard in California at 222-B Baker Street. Once you get to the entrance, follow Robin Hood's instructions for his arrow and go exactly 100 paces west. After this, see if you are at the Severn family's grave, and if it leads to the graves of thirteen unknown men. Past the graves, follow Captain Kidd's instructions to the letter and search under the huge stones for a box with no locks. Pete picks up a piece of pipe with the edges sealed as a weapon from the pile of stones. Later, he thinks of Scarface's message and how they never solved it or used it, and believes that the lead pipe he picked up at the graveyard is the pipe talked about in the "lead pipe cinch" joke. His hunch is correct, and the picture is inside the pipe.