The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey

At the harbor, the children meet a young man named Joe “Cannonball” Shooter, who has been sent to escort them to the Shortcut. They are all to be the guests of Captain Noland. Cannonball is surprised that there are no adults accompanying them, but he does not ask too many questions. He asks them why they are all going to Portugal. Kate is surprised to learn their destination and wonders why they do not just fly there. Reynie suspects that there might be a clue on the boat. Cannonball proudly explains that the Shortcut is the fastest cargo ship in the world; it can cross the Atlantic Ocean in two days. Cannonball introduces them to Captain Noland, an old friend of Mr. Benedict’s. Noland is distracted; many company executives have insisted on joining the voyage at the last minute, and Noland had to make special arrangements for these unexpected passengers, whom he clearly resents.

Cannonball shows the children to their cabin, is a tiny, cramped room with four bunk beds. The chief executive is using the ship to transport a stash of diamonds and has insisted that the ship reduce its crew and hire more security for the jewels. Cannonball warns the children to keep out of sight of the executives. He gives them a brief tour but cannot take them to the bridge because he wants to avoid upsetting the executives. To Kate’s surprise, Madge has followed the ship and is perched on the bridge. Cannonball shows them the security hold and explains that it can be locked from the inside with the whole crew inside as a safety precaution. The children return to their cabin to eat dinner and learn that they are confined to their quarters because the executives are unhappy about their presence.

Constance is still upset about Mr. Benedict’s disappearance. She recalls asking him why her adoption was taking such a long time to finalize. Mr. Benedict told her that it was because she did not legally exist, which made the paperwork more difficult. He assured her that it would all work out, and in the meantime, he still considered her part of his family. He also noted that Constance has an uncanny ability to accurately predict events. On the ship, Reynie assures Constance that everything is going to be okay. Constance realizes that Reynie is speaking with “a conviction he d[oes]n’t actually feel” (120), but she tries to hold onto the hope that he is offering her.

The children are restless and unhappy in their cabin. Constance wakes up from a nap and tells the others that someone is coming. They are all shocked when Captain Noland knocks at the door; Constance appears to have predicted the future. Noland gives the children strong coffee. (They all have to hide their disgust.) He then tells them that he met Mr. Benedict when they were both in the Navy. The children tell Noland the truth about what happened to Mr. Benedict and explain their mission to try and find him. Noland reveals that he has their next clue from Mr. Benedict in his cabin and promises to help them as much as he can. Their discussion is interrupted by Cannonball, who announces that there is an emergency. The owner of the diamonds, Mr. Pressius, has gotten the diamonds mixed up with plastic decoy diamonds, and it is now impossible to tell them apart without a magnifying glass. Mr. Pressius is insisting that Cannonball sort through the diamonds himself, which will take hours. Noland cannot spare any of the crew for that long.

Reynie suggests putting all the diamonds into a tub of water. The fakes will float, while the real ones will sink. Noland and Cannonball are delighted by this solution and thank Reynie profusely for saving their jobs. They leave. Sticky asks Constance how she knew that someone was at the door. Constance admits that she can recognize patterns that most people cannot. For example, she can predict the weather. Sticky defines this ability as “[h]ighly developed, unconscious pattern recognition” (136), while Kate asks if Constance is simply psychic. Constance ends the conversation by saying that she feels seasick. The sea has become rough outside, and soon, Reynie and Sticky also start to feel ill, although Kate feels fine.

Reynie, Sticky, and Constance spend the night being sick, but they eventually manage to sleep. Reynie wakes the following evening to find that Noland came by during the day and gave Kate the next clue. Reynie is not happy to learn that Noland has already read the clue, which tells the children to go to the “Castle of Sticky’s namesake” (142). Sticky reveals that there is a castle in Lisbon called the Castelo de São Jorge, or St. George’s Castle. The castle is on the highest hill in Lisbon.

Noland believes that Mr. Benedict’s clues will become straightforward once they see the castle, even though nobody knows what to look for. Noland tells the children that Mr. Benedict saved his life many times when they were in the Navy together. As Noland tells his story, Reynie becomes suspicious of him, especially when Noland talks about people being untrustworthy. Reynie tries to brush off his suspicions. Noland tells the children about Mr. Benedict’s experience of narcolepsy and his terrible nightmares and sleep paralysis.

Captain Noland tells the children that a little over a year ago, Mr. Benedict learned that a science museum in the Netherlands had discovered some papers belonging to Mr. Benedict’s parents, whom Mr. Benedict never knew. He learned that they, like him and his brother, had narcolepsy and that they were working on finding a cure. Now, Noland asks Reynie to help him carry his coffee back to his cabin. On their way, Noland tells Reynie to memorize the route so that he can find his way without help tomorrow. Noland gives Reynie “something hard and shiny” to thank him for his plan to sort the mixed-up diamonds (156). He tells Reynie to keep the gift a secret. Reynie does not look too closely at the gift; he does not want “his worst suspicions confirmed” (157).

The children have two days left to save Mr. Benedict. In the morning, they learn that Captain Noland is no longer coming to the castle with them because Mr. Pressius wants him to get the Shortcut ready to sail again immediately. Cannonball is meant to accompany them instead, but he gets called away as well. The castle is bustling with tourists when the children arrive, and they are still unsure where to search. Abruptly, Constance tells them all to hide because Jackson, an old enemy and lackey of Mr. Curtain, is here. It looks like Jackson is patrolling the area, waiting for someone. If Jackson is here, the children know that his partner, Jillson, is probably not far away. The children realize that they must hurry to work out the clue. Reynie realizes that the first letters of each line of the clue spell out the word “cannon.”