“. . . Eldorado Exploring Expedition, and I believe they were sworn to secrecy.” (68)

With this alliteration, Conrad is making a direct allusion to the Knights Templar of the crusades – a band of men sent into the Holy Land with a stated goal that was a cover for their real aims. Even today, hundreds of years later, their role in history still remains up for debate, the subject of many expository historical documentaries. This allusion would admittedly be a stretch to make, if Fleet Street had not been mentioned on page 43. Fleet Street was once the home of the Knights Templar. This allusion and connection is logical, given that in many ways the Company parallels the Knights Templar and their grand complex is like the Templar Temple – both shrouded in secrecy only a few are privy to, with the rest of the world under the impression that something very different, and much more noble, was taking place.

Sources:

"Fleet Street." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 24 Aug. 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Street.

The Knights Templar A History and Mythos of the Knights Templar www.templarhistory.com. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://www.templarhistory.com/.

Picture Credits:

Valentine, James. Fleet Street. Digital image. Fleet Street Image. Wikipedia, 1890. Web. 24 Aug. 2009. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Fleet_Street._By_James_Valentine_c.1890.jpg.