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Speaker 1: The adventure of Black Peter. I have never known my

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friend to be in better form, both mental and physical,

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than in the year ninety five. His increasing fame had

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brought with it an immense practice, and I should be

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guilty of an indiscretion if I were even to hint

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at the identity of some of the illustrious clients who

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crossed our humble threshold in Baker Street. Holmes, However, like

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all great artists, lived for his art's sake, and save

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in the case of the Duke of Holderness, I have

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seldom known him claim any large reward for his inestimable services.

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So unworldly was he, or so capricious, that he frequently

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refused his help to the powerful and wealthy, where the

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problem made no appeal to his sympathies, while he would

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devote weeks of most intense application to the affairs of

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some humble client whose case presented those strange and dramatic

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qualities which appealed to his imagination and challenged his ingenuity.

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In this memorable year ninety five, a curious and incongruous

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succession of cases had engaged his attention, ranging from his

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famous investigation of the sudden death of Cardinal Tosca, an

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inquiry which was carried out by him at the express

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desire of his Holiness the Pope, down to his arrest

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of Wilson, the notorious Canary Trainer, which removed a plague

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spot from the east end of London. Close on the

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heels of these two famous cases came the tragedy of

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Woodman's Lee and the very obscure circumstances which surrounded the

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death of Captain Peter Carey. No record of the doings

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of mister Sherlock Holmes would be complete which did not

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include some account of this very unusual affair. During the

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first week of July. My friend had been absent so

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often and so long from our lodgings that I knew

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he had something on hand. The fact that several rough

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looking men called during that time and inquired for Captain

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Basil made me understand that Holmes was working somewhere under

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one of the numerous disguises and names with which he

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concealed his own formidable identity. He had at least five

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small refuges in different parts of London in which he

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was able to change his personality. He said nothing of

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his business to me, and it was not my habit

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to force a confidence. The first positive sign which he

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gave me of the direction which his investigation was taking

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was an extraordinary one. He had gone out before breakfast,

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and I had sat down to mine when he strode

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into the room, his hat upon his head and a

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huge barbed headed spear tucked like an umbrella under his arm. Good,

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gracious Homes, I cried, You don't mean to say that

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you've been walking about London with that thing. I drove

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to the butchers and back the butchers, and I return

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with an excellent appetite. There can be no question, my

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dear Watson, of the value of exercise before breakfast. But

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I am prepared to bet that you will not guess

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the form that my exercise has taken. I will not

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attempt it. He chuckled as he poured out the coffee.

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If you could have looked into Aladys's back shop, you

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would have seen a dead pig swung from a hook

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in the ceiling, and a gentleman in his shirt sleeves

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furiously stabbing at it with this weapon. I was that

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energetic person, and I have satisfied myself that by no

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exertion of my strength can I transfix the pig with

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a single blow? Perhaps you would care to try? Not

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for worlds, But why were you doing this? Because it's

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seemed to me to have an indirect bearing upon the

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mystery of Woodman's lee. Ah, Hopkins, I got your wire

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last night, and I have been expecting you come and

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join us. Our visitor was an exceedingly alert man, thirty

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years of age, dressed in a quiet tweed suit, but

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retaining the erect bearing of one who was accustomed to

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official uniform. I recognized him at once as Stanley Hopkins,

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a young police inspector for whose future homes had high hopes,

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while he in turn professed the admiration and respect of

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a pupil for the scientific methods of the famous amateur.

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Hopkins's brow was clouded, and he sat down with an

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air of deep dejection. Now, thank you, sir. I breakfasted

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before I came round. I spent the night in town,

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for I came up yesterday to report. And what have

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you to report? Failure, sir, absolute failure. You have made

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no progress none, Dear me, I must have a look

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at the matter. I wish to Heavens that you would,

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mister Holmes, it's my first big chance, and I'm at

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my wits end. For goodness sake, come down and lend

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me your hand. Well, well, it just happens that I

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have already read all the available evidence, including the report

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of the inquest, with some care. And by the way,

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what do you make of that tobacco pouch found on

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the scene of the crime. Is there no clue there?

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Hopkins looked surprised. It was the man's own pouch, Sir,

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His initials were inside it, and it was of seal skin,

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and he was an old sealer. But he had no pipe, No, sir,

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we could find no pipe. Indeed, he smoked very little,

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and yet he might have kept some tobacco for his friends.

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No doubt mention it, because if I had been handling

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the case, I should have been inclined to make that

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the starting point of my investigation. However, my friend Dr

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Watson knows nothing of this matter, and I should be

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none the worse for hearing the sequence of events. Once more,

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just give us some short sketches of the essentials. Stanley

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Hopkins drew a slip of paper from his pocket. I'll

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have a few dates here which will give you the

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career of the Dead Man Captain Peter Carey. He was

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born in forty five fifty years of age. He was

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the most daring and successful seal and whale fisher. In

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eighteen eighty three he commanded the steam sealer see Unicorn

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of Dundee. He had then had several successful voyages in succession,

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and in the following year eighteen eighty four, he retired.

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After that he traveled for some years, and finally he

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bought a small place called Woodman's Lee near four Forest

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Row in Sussex. There he has lived for six years,

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and there he died just a week ago today. There

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were some most singular points about the man. In ordinary life.

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He was a strict puritan, a silent, gloomy fellow. His

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household consisted of his wife, his daughter aged twenty, and

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two female servants. These last were continually changing, for it

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was never a very cheery situation, and sometimes it became

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past all bearing. The man was an intermittent drunkard, and

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when he had to fit on him he was a

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perfect fiend. He has been known to drive his wife

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and daughter out of doors in the middle of the

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night and flogged them through the park until the whole

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village outside the gates was aroused by their screams. He

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was summoned once for a savage assault upon the old vicar,

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who had called upon him to remonstrate with him upon

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his conduct. In short, mister Olmes, he would go far

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before you found a more dangerous man than Peter Carey.

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And I've heard that he bore the same character when

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he commanded his ship. He was known in his trade

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as Black Peter, and the name was given him not

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only on account of his swarthy features and the color

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of his huge beard, but for the humors which were

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the terror of all around him. I need not say

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that he was loathed and avoided by every one of

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his neighbors, and that I have not heard one single

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word of sorrow about his terrible end. You must have

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read in the account of the inquest about the man's cabin,

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mister Olmes, but perhaps your friend here has not heard

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of it. He had built himself a wooden outhouse, he

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always called it the cabin, a few hundred yards from

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his house, and it was here that he slept every night.

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It was a little, single roomed hut sixteen feet by ten.

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He kept the key in his pocket, made his own bed,

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cleaned it himself, and allowed no other foot to cross

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the threshold. There are small windows on each side, which

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were covered by curtains and never opened. One of these

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windows was turned towards the high road, and when the

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light burned in it at night, the folk used to

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point it out to each other and wonder what Black

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Peter was doing in there. That's the window, mister Holmes,

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which gave us one of the few bits of positive

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evidence that came out at the inquest. You remember that

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a stonemason named Slater, walking from Forest Row about one

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o'clock in the morning two days before the murder, stopped

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as he passed the grounds and looked at the square

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of light still shining among the trees. He swears that

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the shadow of a man's head turned sideways was clearly

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visible on the blind, and that this shadow was certainly

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not that of Peter Carey, whom he knew well. It

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was that of a bearded man, but the beard was

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short and bristled forward in a way very different from

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that of the captain, so he says, But he had

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been two hours in the public house, and it is

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some distance from the road to the window. Besides This

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refers to the Monday, and the crime was done upon

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the Wednesday. On the Tuesday, Peter Carey was in one

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of his blackest moods, flushed with drink and as savage

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as a dangerous wild beast. He roamed about the house,

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and the women ran for it when they heard him

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come in late in the evening. He went down to

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his own hut. About two o'clock the following morning, his daughter,

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who slept with her window open, heard a most fearful

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yell from that direction. But it was no unusual thing

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for him to ball and shout when he was in drink,

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so no notice was taken. On rising at seven, one

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of the maids noticed that the door of the hut

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was open. But so great was the terror which the

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man caused, that it was before anyone would venture down

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to see what had become of him. Peeping into the

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open door, they saw a sight which sent them flying

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with white faces into the village. Within an hour, I

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was on the spot and had taken over the case. Well,

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I'm fairly steady nerves, as you know, mister Holmes, but

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I'll give you my word that I got a shake

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when I put my head into that little house. It

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was droning like a harmonium, with flies and blue bottles,

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and the floor and the walls were like a slaughterhouse.

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He had called it a cabin, and a cabin it

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was sure enough, for you'd have thought that you were

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in a ship. There was a bunk at one end,

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a sea chest, maps and charts, a picture of the

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sea unicorn, a line of log books on a shelf,

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all exactly as one would expect to find it in

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a captain's room. And there in the middle of it

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was the man himself, his face twisted like a lost

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soul in torment, and his great brindled beard stuck upward

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in his agony. Right through his broad breast, a steel

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harpoon had been driven, and it had sunk deep into

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the wood of the wall behind him. He was pinned

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like a beetle on a card. Of course, he was

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quite dead, and had been so from the instant that

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he had uttered that last yell of agony. I know

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your methods, sir, and I applied them. Before I permitted

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anything to be moved. I examined most carefully the ground

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outside and also the floor of the room. There were

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no footmarks, meaning you saw none. I assure you, sir,

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that there were none. My good Hopkins, I have investigated

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many crimes, but I have never yet seen one which

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was committed by a flying creature. As long as the

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criminal remains upon two legs, so long must there be

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some indian, some abrasion, some trifling displacement which can be

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detected by the scientific searcher. It is incredible that this

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blood bespattered room contained no trace which could have aided us.

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I understand, however, from the inquest, that there were some

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objects which you failed to overlook. The young inspector winced

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at my companion's ironical comments, I was a fool not

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to call you in at the time, mister Holmes. However,

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that's past praying for now. Yes, there were several objects

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in the room which called for special attention. One was

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the harpoon with which the deed was committed. It had

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been snatched down from a rack on the wall. Two

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others remained there, and there was a vacant place for

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the third. On the stock was engraved s S. Seacorn Dundee.

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This seemed to establish that the crime had been done

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in a moment of fury, and that the murder had

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seized the first weapon which came his way. The fact

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that the crime was committed at two in the morning,

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and yet Peter Carey was fully dressed, suggested that he

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had an appointment with the murderer, which is borne out

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by the fact that a bottle of rum and two

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dirty glasses stood upon the table. Yes, said Holmes, I

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think that both inferences are permissible. Was there any other

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spirit but rum in the room? Yes? And there was

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a tantalus containing brandy and whiskey on the sea chest.

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It is of now importance to us, however, since the

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decanters were full, and it had therefore not been used

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for all that its presence has some significance, said Holmes. However,

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let us hear some more about the objects which do

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seem to you to bear upon the case. There was

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this tobacco pouch upon the table. What part of the

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table it lay in the middle. It was, of course

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seal skin, the straight haired skin, with a leather thong

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to bind it. Inside was p c on the flap.

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00:15:11,559 --> 00:15:15,559
There was half an ounce of strong ship's tobacco in it. Excellent.

240
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:21,519
What more, Stanley Hopkins drew from his pocket drab covered notebook.

241
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:26,679
The outside was rough and worn, the leaves discolored. On

242
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,360
the first page were written the initials j h N

243
00:15:31,039 --> 00:15:35,759
and the date eighteen eighty three. Holmes laid it on

244
00:15:35,799 --> 00:15:39,559
the table and examined it in his minute way, while

245
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:43,879
Hopkins and I gazed over each shoulder. On the second

246
00:15:43,919 --> 00:15:48,279
page were the printed letters C P R, and then

247
00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:54,559
came several sheets of numbers. Another heading was Argentine, another

248
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,840
Costa Rica, and another San Paolo, each with pages of

249
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,039
s and figures after it. What do you make of these,

250
00:16:04,679 --> 00:16:09,399
asked Holmes. They appear to be lists of stock exchange securities.

251
00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,960
I thought that JHN were the initials of a broker,

252
00:16:13,399 --> 00:16:18,200
and that CPR may have been his client. Try Canadian

253
00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:23,360
Pacific Railway, said Holmes. Stanley Hopkins swore between his teeth

254
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,759
and struck his thigh with his clenched hand. What a

255
00:16:27,759 --> 00:16:31,799
fool I have been, he cried. Of course, it is

256
00:16:31,879 --> 00:16:37,000
as you say, then, JH N are the only initials

257
00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:40,159
we have to solve. I have already examined the old

258
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:43,200
stock exchange lists, and I can find no one in

259
00:16:43,279 --> 00:16:45,879
eighteen eighty three, either in the house or among the

260
00:16:45,919 --> 00:16:50,919
outside brokers whose initials correspond with these, Yeah, I feel

261
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,519
that the clue is the most important one that I hold.

262
00:16:54,279 --> 00:16:57,360
You will admit, mister Holmes, that there is a possibility

263
00:16:57,399 --> 00:17:00,840
that these initials are those of the second person was present,

264
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,799
in other words, of the murderer. I would also urge

265
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,200
that the introduction into the case of a document relating

266
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,160
to large masses of valuable securities gives us, from the

267
00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,039
first time some indication of a motive for the crime.

268
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:21,039
Sherlock Holmes's face showed that he was thoroughly taken aback

269
00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:25,599
by this new development. I must admit both your points,

270
00:17:26,039 --> 00:17:29,960
said he. I confess that this notebook, which did not

271
00:17:30,039 --> 00:17:33,599
appear at the inquest, modifies any views which I may

272
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,640
have formed. I had come to a theory of the

273
00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,480
crime in which I even find no place for this.

274
00:17:40,559 --> 00:17:44,119
Have you endeavored to trace any of the securities here mentioned?

275
00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,039
Inquiries are now being made at the offices, but I

276
00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,480
fear that the complete register of the stockholders of these

277
00:17:52,559 --> 00:17:57,440
South American concerns is in South America, and that some

278
00:17:57,519 --> 00:18:01,960
weeks must elapse before we can trace the share. Holmes

279
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,200
had been examining the cover of the note book with

280
00:18:04,279 --> 00:18:11,480
his magnifying lends surely there is some discoloration here, said he, yes, sir,

281
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,319
it is a blood stain. I told you that I

282
00:18:14,519 --> 00:18:18,160
picked the book off the floor. Was the blood stain

283
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:23,519
above or below on the side next the boards, which proves,

284
00:18:23,559 --> 00:18:26,319
of course that the book was dropped after the crime

285
00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:32,240
was committed. Exactly, mister Holmes, my appreciated that point, and

286
00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:34,759
I conjectured that it was dropped by the murderer in

287
00:18:34,799 --> 00:18:39,440
his hurried flight. It lay near the door. I suppose

288
00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,920
that none of these securities have been found among the

289
00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,400
property of the dead man. Now, sir, have you any

290
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:51,200
reason to suspect robbery? No, sir, nothing seemed to have

291
00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:56,559
been touched. Dear me, it is certainly a very interesting case.

292
00:18:57,519 --> 00:19:01,240
Then there was a knife, was there not? A sheath? Knife?

293
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,759
Still in its sheath? It lay at the feet of

294
00:19:04,839 --> 00:19:08,880
the dead man. Missus carey As identified it as being

295
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:15,359
her husband's property. Holmes was lost in thought for some time, well,

296
00:19:15,799 --> 00:19:18,680
said he At last, I suppose I shall have to

297
00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:22,079
come out and have a look at it. Stanley Hopkins

298
00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:25,839
gave a cry of joy, Thank you, sir. That will

299
00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,279
indeed be a way off my mind. Holmes shook his

300
00:19:29,319 --> 00:19:32,680
finger at the inspector. It would have been an easier

301
00:19:32,799 --> 00:19:36,359
task a week ago, said he. But even now my

302
00:19:36,519 --> 00:19:40,960
visit may not be entirely fruitless. Watson, if you can

303
00:19:41,039 --> 00:19:44,359
spare the time, I should be very glad of your company.

304
00:19:45,039 --> 00:19:47,640
If you will call a four wheeler Hopkins, we shall

305
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:50,039
be ready to start for Forest Row in a quarter

306
00:19:50,079 --> 00:19:54,680
of an hour. Alighting at the small wayside station, we

307
00:19:54,759 --> 00:19:57,839
drove for some miles through the remains of widespread woods

308
00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,759
which were once part of that great forest which for

309
00:20:00,839 --> 00:20:05,079
so long held the Saxon invaders at bay, the impenetrable

310
00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:10,599
Wheeld for sixty years the bulwark of Britain. Vast sections

311
00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:13,039
of it have been cleared. For this is at the

312
00:20:13,079 --> 00:20:16,079
seat of the first iron works of the country, and

313
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,480
the trees have been felled to smelt the ore. Now

314
00:20:19,519 --> 00:20:22,000
the richer fields of the north have absorbed the trade,

315
00:20:22,559 --> 00:20:25,920
and nothing save those ravaged groves and great scars in

316
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,480
the earth show the work of the past. Here, in

317
00:20:29,519 --> 00:20:32,519
a clearing, upon the green slope of a hill stood

318
00:20:32,519 --> 00:20:36,279
a long, low stone house, approached by a curving drive.

319
00:20:36,599 --> 00:20:40,839
Running through the fields. Nearer the road, and surrounded on

320
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,319
three sides by bushes, was a small outhouse, one window

321
00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:48,720
and the door facing in our direction. It was the

322
00:20:48,759 --> 00:20:54,200
scene of the murder. Stanley Hopkins led us first to

323
00:20:54,279 --> 00:20:57,240
the house, where he introduced us to a haggard, gray

324
00:20:57,279 --> 00:21:01,599
haired woman, the widow of the murdered man, whose gaunt

325
00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,960
and deep lined face, with the furtive look of terror

326
00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,039
in the depths of her red rimmed eyes, told of

327
00:21:08,079 --> 00:21:11,480
the years of hardship and ill usage which she had endured.

328
00:21:12,519 --> 00:21:16,400
With her was her daughter, a pale, fair haired girl,

329
00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:20,200
whose eyes blazed defiantly at us as she told us

330
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,000
that she was glad that her father was dead, and

331
00:21:23,039 --> 00:21:25,559
that she blessed the hand which had struck him down.

332
00:21:26,839 --> 00:21:30,000
It was a terrible household that Black Peter Carey had

333
00:21:30,039 --> 00:21:32,759
made for himself, and it was with a sense of

334
00:21:32,839 --> 00:21:36,160
relief that we found ourselves in the sunlight again, and

335
00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,640
making our way along a path which had been worn

336
00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,279
across the fields by the feet of the dead man.

337
00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:47,640
The outhouse was the simplest of dwellings, wooden walled, shingle roofed,

338
00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:50,839
one window beside the door and one on the farther side.

339
00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,960
Stanley Hopkins drew the key from his pocket and had

340
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,720
stooped to the lock when he paused, with a look

341
00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:02,240
of attention and surprise upon his face. Some one has

342
00:22:02,279 --> 00:22:06,160
been tampering with it, he said. There could be no

343
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,240
doubt of the fact. The woodwork was cut, and the

344
00:22:09,279 --> 00:22:12,400
scratches showed white through the paint, as if they'd been

345
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:17,839
that instant done. Holmes had been examining the window. Some

346
00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,480
one has tried to force this also, whoever it was,

347
00:22:21,559 --> 00:22:24,519
has failed to make his way in. He must have

348
00:22:24,559 --> 00:22:29,519
been a very poor burglar. This is a most extraordinary thing,

349
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,039
said the inspector. I could swear that these marks were

350
00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:38,039
not here yesterday evening. Some curious person from the village, perhaps,

351
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,599
I suggested, Very unlikely a few of them would dare

352
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,119
to set foot in the grounds, far less try to

353
00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,000
force their way into the cabin. What do you think

354
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,920
of it, mister Holmes, I think that fortune is very

355
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:55,319
kind to us. You mean that the person will come again.

356
00:22:56,599 --> 00:23:00,039
It is very probable he came expecting to find the

357
00:23:00,079 --> 00:23:02,839
door open. He tried to get in with the blade

358
00:23:02,839 --> 00:23:06,079
of a very small pen knife. He could not manage it.

359
00:23:06,839 --> 00:23:10,359
What would he do come again next night with a

360
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:15,480
more useful tool. So I should say it will be

361
00:23:15,599 --> 00:23:19,359
our fault if we are not there to receive him. Meanwhile,

362
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,559
let me see the inside of the cabin. The traces

363
00:23:23,599 --> 00:23:26,920
of the tragedy had been removed, but the furniture within

364
00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:29,559
the little room still stirred as it had been on

365
00:23:29,599 --> 00:23:33,200
the night of the crime. For two hours, with most

366
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:39,359
intense concentration, Holmes examined every object in turn, but his

367
00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,559
face showed that his quest was not a successful one.

368
00:23:43,519 --> 00:23:48,319
Only once he paused in his patient investigation. Have you

369
00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:52,920
taken anything off this shelf, Hopkins? Now I've moved nothing.

370
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,519
Something has been taken. There is less dust in this

371
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,799
corner of the shelf than elsewhere. It may have been

372
00:24:00,839 --> 00:24:03,880
a book lying on its side, It may have been

373
00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:09,039
a box. Well, well, I can do nothing more. Let

374
00:24:09,119 --> 00:24:12,119
us walk in these beautiful woods, Watson, and give a

375
00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:15,640
few hours to the birds and the flowers. We shall

376
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,400
meet you here later, Hopkins, and see if we can

377
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,319
come closer quarters with the gentleman who has paid this

378
00:24:21,519 --> 00:24:26,759
visit in the night. It was past eleven o'clock when

379
00:24:26,759 --> 00:24:30,640
we formed our little ambuscade. Hopkins was for leaving the

380
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,319
door of the hut open, but Holmes was of the

381
00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:36,359
opinion that this would rouse the suspicions of the stranger.

382
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,160
The lock was a perfectly simple one, and only a

383
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,960
strong blade was needed to push it back. Holmes also

384
00:24:44,039 --> 00:24:47,359
suggested that we should wait not inside the hut, but

385
00:24:47,519 --> 00:24:50,960
outside it, among the bushes which grew round the farther window.

386
00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:54,319
In this way we shall be able to watch our

387
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,799
man if he struck a light, and see what his

388
00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:02,000
object was. In this stealthy, nocturnal visit, it was a

389
00:25:02,039 --> 00:25:05,440
long and melancholy vigil, and yet brought with it something

390
00:25:05,480 --> 00:25:08,000
of the thrill which the hunter feels when he lies

391
00:25:08,039 --> 00:25:10,960
beside the water pool and waits for the coming of

392
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,200
the thirsty beast of prey. What savage creature was it

393
00:25:15,519 --> 00:25:18,920
which might steal upon us out of the darkness. Was

394
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,799
it a fierce tiger of crime, which could only be

395
00:25:21,839 --> 00:25:26,000
taken fighting hard with flashing fang and claw. Or would

396
00:25:26,039 --> 00:25:30,200
it prove to be some skulking jackal, dangerous only to

397
00:25:30,279 --> 00:25:35,799
the weak and unguarded. In absolute silence, we crouched amongst

398
00:25:35,799 --> 00:25:40,640
the bushes, waiting for whatever might come. At first, the

399
00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,519
steps of a few belated villagers or the sound of

400
00:25:43,599 --> 00:25:47,359
voices from the village lightened our vigil. But one by

401
00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:51,440
one these interruptions died away, and an absolute stillness fell

402
00:25:51,519 --> 00:25:54,480
upon us. Say for the chimes of the distant church,

403
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:57,799
which told us of the progress of the night, and

404
00:25:57,920 --> 00:25:59,880
for the rustle and the whisper of a fine rain

405
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:04,680
falling amid the foliage, which roofed us in Halfasto had chimed.

406
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,960
And it was the darkest hour which precedes the dawn

407
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,119
when we all started as a low but sharp click

408
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,319
came from the direction of the gate. Some one had

409
00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:21,839
entered the drive again. There was a long silence, and

410
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:24,720
I had begun to fear that it was a false alarm,

411
00:26:25,119 --> 00:26:27,920
when a stealthy step was heard upon the other side

412
00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,759
of the hut, and a moment later a metallic scraping

413
00:26:31,839 --> 00:26:35,519
and clinking. The man was trying to force the lock.

414
00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:40,640
This time his skill was greater, or his tool was better,

415
00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,680
for there was a sudden snap and the creak of

416
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:47,920
the hinges. Then a match was struck, and next instant

417
00:26:48,039 --> 00:26:50,759
the steady light from a candle filled the interior of

418
00:26:50,799 --> 00:26:54,359
the hut through the gauze curtain. Our eyes were all

419
00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:58,960
riveted upon the scene. Within. The nocturnal visitor was a

420
00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,759
young man, rail and thin, with a black mustache which

421
00:27:02,799 --> 00:27:06,559
intensified the deadly pallor of his face. He could not

422
00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,519
have been much above twenty years of age. I have

423
00:27:09,599 --> 00:27:11,640
never seen any human being who appeared to be in

424
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,519
such a pitiable fright, for his teeth were visibly chattering,

425
00:27:15,759 --> 00:27:19,039
and he was shaking in of every limb. He was

426
00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:23,039
dressed like a gentleman in Norfolk jacket and knickerbockers, with

427
00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,599
a cloth cap upon his head. We watched him staring

428
00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:30,519
round with frightened eyes. Then he laid the candle end

429
00:27:30,599 --> 00:27:33,960
upon the table and disappeared from our view into one

430
00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,160
of the corners. He returned with a large book, one

431
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,799
of the log books, which formed a line upon the shelves.

432
00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,279
Leaning on the table, he rapidly turned over the leaves

433
00:27:44,319 --> 00:27:47,119
of this volume until he came to the entry which

434
00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:51,799
he sought. Then, with an angry gesture of his clenched hand,

435
00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:55,279
he closed the book, replaced it in the corner, and

436
00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:58,960
put out the light. He had hardly turned to leave

437
00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,279
the hut when Hopkins's hand was on the fellow's collar,

438
00:28:02,519 --> 00:28:05,039
and I heard his loud gasp of terror as he

439
00:28:05,119 --> 00:28:09,519
understood that he was taken. The candle was re lit,

440
00:28:09,559 --> 00:28:13,279
and there was our wretched captive shivering and cowering in

441
00:28:13,319 --> 00:28:16,799
the grasp of the detective. He sank down upon the

442
00:28:16,839 --> 00:28:20,000
sea chest and looked helplessly from one of us to

443
00:28:20,079 --> 00:28:25,240
the other. Now, my fine fellow, said Stanley Hopkins. Who

444
00:28:25,279 --> 00:28:29,519
are you? And what do you want here? The man

445
00:28:29,559 --> 00:28:32,160
pulled himself together and faced us with an effort at

446
00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:37,880
self composure. You are detectives, I suppose, said he You

447
00:28:38,039 --> 00:28:41,720
imagine I am connected with the death of Captain Peter Carey.

448
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,279
I assure you that I am innocent. We'll see about that,

449
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,799
said Hopkins. First of all, what is your name? It

450
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:56,400
is John Hopley Nelligan. I saw Holmes and Hopkins exchange

451
00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:01,039
a quick glance. What are you doing here? Can I

452
00:29:01,119 --> 00:29:06,519
speak confidentially? Now? Certainly not? Why should I tell you?

453
00:29:07,519 --> 00:29:10,039
If you have no answer, it may go badly with

454
00:29:10,079 --> 00:29:14,920
you at the trial. The young man winced, Well, I

455
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,759
will tell you, he said, Why should I not? And

456
00:29:18,839 --> 00:29:21,359
yet I hate to think of this old scandal gaining

457
00:29:21,359 --> 00:29:24,200
a new lease of life. Did you ever hear of

458
00:29:24,279 --> 00:29:28,400
Dawson and Nelligan? I could see from Hopkins's face that

459
00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:33,200
he never had. But Holmes was keenly interested. You mean

460
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:37,839
the West Country bankers, said he theyy failed for a million,

461
00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:44,519
ruined half the county families of Cornwall, and Nelligan disappeared exactly.

462
00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:49,799
Nelligan was my father. At last, we were getting something positive,

463
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,799
and yet it seemed a long gap between an absconding

464
00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:56,119
banker and Captain Peter Carey. Pinned against the wall with

465
00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,720
one of his own harpoons. We all listened intently to

466
00:29:59,759 --> 00:30:03,400
the young man's words. It was my father who was

467
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:07,400
really concerned Dawson had retired. I was only ten years

468
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,920
of age at the time, but I was old enough

469
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,640
to feel the shame and horror of it all. It

470
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,160
has always been said that my father stole all the

471
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,519
securities and fled. It is not true. It was his

472
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:21,920
belief that if he were given time in which to

473
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:25,400
realize them, all would be well and every creditor paid

474
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:28,839
in full. He started in his little yacht for Norway

475
00:30:29,039 --> 00:30:32,279
just before the warrant was issued for his arrest. I

476
00:30:32,279 --> 00:30:35,559
can remember that last night, when he bade farewell to

477
00:30:35,599 --> 00:30:38,559
my mother, he left us a list of the securities

478
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:41,519
he was taking, and he swore that he would come

479
00:30:41,559 --> 00:30:44,240
back with his honor cleared, and that none who had

480
00:30:44,279 --> 00:30:48,559
trusted him would suffer well. No word was ever heard

481
00:30:48,559 --> 00:30:52,079
from him again. Both the yacht and he vanished utterly.

482
00:30:53,039 --> 00:30:55,839
We believed, my mother and I, that he and it,

483
00:30:56,119 --> 00:30:58,880
with the securities that he had taken with him, were

484
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:02,440
at the bottom of the sea. We had a faithful friend, however,

485
00:31:02,839 --> 00:31:05,559
who is a business man, and it was he who

486
00:31:05,599 --> 00:31:09,119
discovered some time ago that some of the securities which

487
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,400
my father had with him had reappeared on the London market.

488
00:31:13,279 --> 00:31:16,960
You can imagine our amazement. I spent months in trying

489
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,319
to trace them, and at last, after many doubtings and difficulties,

490
00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:25,960
I discovered that the original seller had been Captain Peter Carey,

491
00:31:26,279 --> 00:31:30,319
the owner of this hut. Naturally, I made some inquiries

492
00:31:30,319 --> 00:31:32,839
about the man. I found that he had been in

493
00:31:32,839 --> 00:31:35,200
command of a whaler which was due to return from

494
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,240
the Arctic seas at the very time when my father

495
00:31:38,359 --> 00:31:42,000
was crossing to Norway. The autumn of that year was

496
00:31:42,039 --> 00:31:45,319
a stormy one, and there was a long succession of

497
00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,759
southerly gales. My father's yacht may well have been blown

498
00:31:48,799 --> 00:31:52,359
to the north and there met by Captain Peter Carey's ship.

499
00:31:53,359 --> 00:31:56,200
If that were so, what had become of my father?

500
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,440
In any case, if I could prove from Peter Carry's

501
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:04,119
evidence how these securities came on the market. It would

502
00:32:04,119 --> 00:32:06,319
be a proof that my father had not sold them

503
00:32:06,759 --> 00:32:09,160
and that he had no view to personal profit when

504
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:13,039
he took them. I came down to Sussex with the

505
00:32:13,079 --> 00:32:16,319
intention of seeing the captain, but it was at this

506
00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,519
moment that his terrible death occurred. I read at the

507
00:32:20,559 --> 00:32:24,000
inquest a description of his cabin in which it stated

508
00:32:24,039 --> 00:32:26,559
that the old log books of his vessel were preserved

509
00:32:26,559 --> 00:32:30,000
in it. It struck me that if I could see

510
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,839
what occurred in the month of August eighteen eighty three

511
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,960
on board the Sea Unicorn, I might settle the mystery

512
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,480
of my father's fate. I tried last night to get

513
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:43,400
at these log books, but was unable to open the door.

514
00:32:44,279 --> 00:32:47,599
To night, I tried again and succeeded, But I find

515
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,000
that the pages which deal with that month have been

516
00:32:50,079 --> 00:32:54,359
torn from the book. It was that moment I found

517
00:32:54,400 --> 00:33:00,680
myself a prisoner in your hands? Is that all? Asked Hopkins. Yes,

518
00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:05,240
that is all. His eyes shifted as he said, you

519
00:33:05,319 --> 00:33:10,319
have nothing else to tell us, he hesitated, No, there

520
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:16,240
is nothing. You have not been here before last night. No, then,

521
00:33:16,279 --> 00:33:19,880
how do you account for that, cried Hopkins as he

522
00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,279
held up the damning note book with the initials of

523
00:33:22,319 --> 00:33:25,319
our prisoner on the first leaf and the blood stain

524
00:33:25,559 --> 00:33:30,440
on the cover. The wretched man collapsed. He sank his

525
00:33:30,599 --> 00:33:34,759
face in his hands and trembled all over. Where did

526
00:33:34,799 --> 00:33:39,519
you get it, he groaned? I didn't know. I thought

527
00:33:39,519 --> 00:33:45,000
I'd lost it at the hotel. That's enough, said Hopkins sternly.

528
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:47,599
Whatever else you have to say, you must say it

529
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,240
in court. You will walk down with me now to

530
00:33:50,319 --> 00:33:54,079
the police station. Well, mister Holmes, I am very much

531
00:33:54,119 --> 00:33:56,079
obliged to you and to your friend for coming down

532
00:33:56,119 --> 00:33:58,960
to help me. As it turns out, your presence was

533
00:33:59,039 --> 00:34:01,799
unnecessary and I would have brought the case to this

534
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,640
successful issue without you. But none the less, I am

535
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:10,079
grateful romes have been reserved for you at the Bramoti Hotel,

536
00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:14,840
so we can all walk down to the village together. Well, Watson,

537
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,519
what do you think of it? Asked Holmes as we

538
00:34:17,559 --> 00:34:20,880
traveled back next morning. I can see that you are

539
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:26,400
not satisfied. Oh, yes, my dear Watson, I am perfectly satisfied.

540
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:31,199
At the same time, Stanley Hopkins's methods do not commend

541
00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:35,599
themselves to me. I am disappointed in Stanley Hopkins. I

542
00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:39,280
had hoped for better things from him. One should always

543
00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:43,000
look for a possible alternative and provide against it. It

544
00:34:43,199 --> 00:34:47,360
is the first rule of criminal investigation. What then, is

545
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:51,760
the alternative? The line of investigation which I have myself

546
00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:55,559
been pursuing. It may give us nothing, I cannot tell,

547
00:34:56,320 --> 00:34:58,239
but at least I shall follow it to the end.

548
00:34:59,599 --> 00:35:02,599
Several letters were waiting for homes at Baker Street. He

549
00:35:02,679 --> 00:35:05,840
snatched one of them, opened it and burst out into

550
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:13,280
a triumphant chuckle of laughter. Ha, excellent, Watson, the alternative develops.

551
00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:17,599
Have you telegraph forms? Just write a couple of messages

552
00:35:17,639 --> 00:35:22,960
for me, Sumner Shipping Agent, Ratcliffe Highway. Send three men

553
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:27,280
on to arrive ten tomorrow morning, Basil. That's my name

554
00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:30,840
in those parts, and the other is Inspector Stanley Hopkins,

555
00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:35,000
forty six Lord Street, Brixton, Come breakfast tomorrow at nine

556
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:42,039
point thirty. Important why if unable to come? Sherlock Holmes. There, Watson,

557
00:35:42,519 --> 00:35:45,880
this infernal case has haunted me for ten days. I

558
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:50,760
hereby banish it completely from my presence tomorrow. I trust

559
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:54,159
that we shall hear the last of it forever. Sharp

560
00:35:54,159 --> 00:35:57,679
at the hour named Inspector Stanley Hopkins appeared and we

561
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:01,079
sat down together to the excellent breakfast which missus Hudson

562
00:36:01,119 --> 00:36:05,039
had prepared. The young detective was in high spirits at

563
00:36:05,039 --> 00:36:10,000
his success. You really think that your solution must be correct,

564
00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,960
asked Holmes. I could not imagine a more complete case.

565
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:19,760
It did not seem to me conclusive. You astonish me,

566
00:36:19,840 --> 00:36:24,320
mister Holmes. What more could one ask for? Does your

567
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:30,880
explanation cover every point? Undoubtedly? I find that young Nelligan

568
00:36:31,199 --> 00:36:33,679
arrived at the Bramilty Hotel on the very day of

569
00:36:33,719 --> 00:36:36,880
the crime. He came on the pretense of playing golf.

570
00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:39,920
His room was on the ground floor, and he could

571
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:42,840
get out when he liked. That very night he went

572
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:46,280
down to the woman's lee, saw Peter Carey at the hut,

573
00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,960
quarreled with him, and killed him with a harpoon. Then,

574
00:36:50,639 --> 00:36:53,639
horrified by what he'd done, he fled out of the hut,

575
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,119
dropping the notebook which he had brought with him in

576
00:36:56,239 --> 00:37:01,400
order to question Peter Carey about those different secures. You

577
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:03,920
may have observed that some of them were marked with ticks,

578
00:37:03,960 --> 00:37:08,119
and the others the great majority were not. Those which

579
00:37:08,119 --> 00:37:11,039
had ticked have been traced on the London market, but

580
00:37:11,119 --> 00:37:14,719
the others presumably were still in the possession of Cary,

581
00:37:15,320 --> 00:37:18,719
and young Nelligan, according to his own account, was anxious

582
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:20,760
to recover them in order to do the right thing

583
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:25,000
by his father's creditors. After his flight, he did not

584
00:37:25,159 --> 00:37:28,199
dare to approach the hut again for some time, but

585
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:30,719
at last he forced himself to do so in order

586
00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:34,679
to obtain the information which he needed. Surely that is

587
00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:39,800
all simple and obvious, Holmes smiled and shook his head.

588
00:37:40,719 --> 00:37:44,119
It seems to me to have only one drawback, Hopkins,

589
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:49,599
and that is that it is intrinsically impossible. Have you

590
00:37:49,639 --> 00:37:54,840
tried to drive a harpoon through a body? No? Tut, tut,

591
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:59,079
my dear sir. He must really pay attention to these details.

592
00:38:00,159 --> 00:38:02,440
My friend Watson could tell you that I spent a

593
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:06,280
whole morning in that exercise. It is no easy matter

594
00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:11,039
and requires a strong and practiced arm. But this blow

595
00:38:11,159 --> 00:38:13,880
was delivered with such violence that the head of the

596
00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,920
weapon sank deep into the wall. Do you imagine that

597
00:38:18,039 --> 00:38:21,679
this anemic youth was capable of so frightful an assault?

598
00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,400
Is he the man who hobnobbed in rum and water

599
00:38:25,519 --> 00:38:28,360
with Black Peter in the dead of the night. Was

600
00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:31,000
it his profile that was seen on the blind two

601
00:38:31,119 --> 00:38:36,000
nights before? No, No, Hopkins, it is another and more

602
00:38:36,079 --> 00:38:41,079
formidable person for whom we must seek. The detective's face

603
00:38:41,119 --> 00:38:44,920
had grown longer and longer during Holmes's speech. His hopes

604
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:48,400
and his ambitions were all crumbling about him, but he

605
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,639
would not abandon his position without a struggle. You can't

606
00:38:52,639 --> 00:38:56,280
deny that Nelligan was present that night, mister Holmes. The

607
00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,719
book will prove that. I fancy that I have evidence

608
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:02,960
enough to satisfy a jewelry, even if you are able

609
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:06,239
to pick a hole in it. Besides, mister Holmes, I

610
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:09,039
have laid my hand upon my man as to this

611
00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:14,480
terrible person of yours. Where is he? I rather fancy

612
00:39:14,559 --> 00:39:19,119
that he is on the stair, said Holmes serenely. I think, Watson,

613
00:39:19,159 --> 00:39:21,239
that you would do well to put that revolver where

614
00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,760
you can reach it. He rose and laid a written

615
00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:29,079
paper upon a side table. Now we are ready, said he.

616
00:39:30,679 --> 00:39:34,639
There had been some talking in gruff voices outside, and

617
00:39:34,719 --> 00:39:37,320
now missus Hudson opened the door to say that there

618
00:39:37,320 --> 00:39:42,039
were three men inquiring for Captain Basil. Show them in

619
00:39:42,079 --> 00:39:45,840
one by one, said Holmes. The first who entered was

620
00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:49,119
a little ribston pippin of a man with ruddy cheeks

621
00:39:49,159 --> 00:39:52,800
and fluffy white side whiskers. Holmes had drawn a letter

622
00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:59,679
from his pocket. What name, he asked, James Lancaster. I

623
00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:04,159
am sorry, Lancaster, but the berth is full. Here is

624
00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,320
half a sovereign for your trouble. Just step into this

625
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:11,119
room and wait there for a few minutes. The second

626
00:40:11,159 --> 00:40:14,360
man was a long, dried up creature with lank hair

627
00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:19,119
and sallow cheeks. His name was Hugh Pattins. He also

628
00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:22,840
received his dismissal, his half sovereign, and the order to wait.

629
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,119
The third applicant was a man of remarkable appearance. A

630
00:40:28,159 --> 00:40:31,480
fierce bulldog face was framed in a tangle of hair

631
00:40:31,559 --> 00:40:35,519
and beard, and two bold, dark eyes gleamed behind the

632
00:40:35,559 --> 00:40:40,320
cover of thick tufted overhung eyebrows. He saluted and stood

633
00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:45,119
sailor fashion, turning his cap round in his hands. Your name,

634
00:40:45,599 --> 00:40:53,800
asked Holmes, Patrick Cairns, harpooner, Yes, sir, twenty six voyages dundee.

635
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:58,159
I suppose, yes, sir, and ready to start with an

636
00:40:58,159 --> 00:41:04,000
exploring ship. Yes, sir, what wages eight pounds a month?

637
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:07,880
Could you start at once, as soon as I get

638
00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:13,280
my kit. Have you your papers, yes, sir, He took

639
00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:16,280
a sheaf of worn and greasy forms from his pocket.

640
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:20,800
Holmes glanced over them and returned them. You are just

641
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:24,280
the man I want, said he. Here's the agreement on

642
00:41:24,360 --> 00:41:27,440
the side table. If you sign it, and the whole

643
00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:31,440
matter will be settled. The seaman lurched across the room

644
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:35,639
and took up the pen. Shall I sign here, he asked,

645
00:41:35,719 --> 00:41:39,480
stooping over the table. Holmes leaned over his shoulder and

646
00:41:39,599 --> 00:41:43,960
passed both hands over his neck. This will do, said he.

647
00:41:45,119 --> 00:41:47,159
I heard a click of steel and a bellow like

648
00:41:47,199 --> 00:41:51,519
an enraged bull. The next instant, Holmes and the seamen

649
00:41:51,599 --> 00:41:54,679
were rolling on the ground together. He was a man

650
00:41:54,719 --> 00:41:58,480
of such gigantic strength that, even with the handcuffs which

651
00:41:58,519 --> 00:42:01,920
Holmes had so deftly fasten upon his wrists, he would

652
00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:05,320
have very quickly overpowered my friend, had Hopkins, and I

653
00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,960
not rushed to his rescue. Only when I pressed the

654
00:42:09,039 --> 00:42:12,159
cold muzzle of the revolver to his temple did he

655
00:42:12,239 --> 00:42:16,760
at last understand that resistance was vain. We lashed his

656
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:21,480
ankles with cord and rose breathless from the struggle. I

657
00:42:21,599 --> 00:42:25,960
must really apologize, Hopkins, said Sherlock Holmes. I fear that

658
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:30,119
the scrambled eggs are cold. However, you will enjoy the

659
00:42:30,159 --> 00:42:32,360
rest of your breakfast all the better, will you, not,

660
00:42:33,159 --> 00:42:35,480
for the thought that you have brought your case to

661
00:42:35,559 --> 00:42:42,079
a triumphant conclusion. Stanley Hopkins was speechless with amazement. I

662
00:42:42,199 --> 00:42:45,119
don't know what to say, mister Holmes, he blurted out

663
00:42:45,119 --> 00:42:48,440
at last, with a very red face. It seems to

664
00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,679
me that I've been making a fool of myself from

665
00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:54,519
the beginning. I understand now what I should never have forgotten.

666
00:42:55,159 --> 00:42:57,239
That I am the pupil and you are the master.

667
00:42:58,159 --> 00:43:01,000
Even now I see what you have done, but I

668
00:43:01,039 --> 00:43:05,960
don't know how you did it or what it signifies. Well, well,

669
00:43:06,199 --> 00:43:10,679
said Holmes, good humoredly. We all learn by experience, and

670
00:43:10,800 --> 00:43:13,239
your lesson this time is that you should never lose

671
00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:17,119
sight of the alternative. You were so absorbed in young

672
00:43:17,199 --> 00:43:21,599
Nelligan that you could not spare a thought to Patrick Cairns,

673
00:43:22,159 --> 00:43:26,360
the true murderer of Peter Carey. The hoarse voice of

674
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:30,039
the seamen broke in on our conversation. See here, mister

675
00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:33,639
said he. I make no complaint of being man handled

676
00:43:33,639 --> 00:43:36,360
in this fashion. But I would have you call things

677
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:40,880
by their right names. You say I murdered Peter Carey.

678
00:43:41,519 --> 00:43:46,719
I say I killed Peter Carey. And there's all the difference.

679
00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:50,360
Maybe you don't believe what I say. Maybe you think

680
00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:54,920
I'm just slinging you a yarn. Not at all, said Holmes.

681
00:43:55,559 --> 00:43:59,480
Let us hear what you have to say. It's soon told,

682
00:44:00,039 --> 00:44:03,440
and by the Lord, every word of its truth. I

683
00:44:03,519 --> 00:44:06,280
knew Black Peter, and when he pulled out his knife,

684
00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:09,000
I whipped a parpoon through him sharp, for I knew

685
00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:12,360
that it was him or me. That's how he died.

686
00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:16,960
You can call it murder anyway. I'd as soon die

687
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:19,280
with a rope round my neck as with Black Peter's

688
00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:24,400
knife in my heart. How came you there, asked Holmes.

689
00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:27,719
I'll tell you from the beginning. Just sit me up

690
00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:31,119
a little so as I can speak easy. It was

691
00:44:31,159 --> 00:44:34,239
in eighty three that had happened. August of that year.

692
00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:38,199
Peter Carey was master of the Sea Unicorn, and I

693
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:41,679
was spare harpooner. We were coming out of the ice

694
00:44:41,719 --> 00:44:44,119
pack on our way home with head winds and a

695
00:44:44,159 --> 00:44:47,320
weak southerly gale. When we picked up a little craft

696
00:44:47,360 --> 00:44:50,480
that had been blown north. There was one man on her,

697
00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:54,000
a landsman. The crew had thought she would found her

698
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:57,199
and made for the Norwegian coast in the dinghy. I

699
00:44:57,320 --> 00:45:00,880
guess they were all drowned. Well, he took him on board,

700
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,639
and this man and he and the skipper had some

701
00:45:03,719 --> 00:45:06,840
long talks in the cabin. All the baggage we took

702
00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:09,519
off with him was in one tin box. So far

703
00:45:09,559 --> 00:45:12,559
as I know. The man's name was never mentioned, and

704
00:45:12,639 --> 00:45:15,920
on the second night he disappeared as if he'd never been.

705
00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,719
It was given out that he had either thrown himself

706
00:45:19,760 --> 00:45:23,159
overboard or fallen overboard in the heavy weather that we

707
00:45:23,159 --> 00:45:26,719
were having. Only one man knew what had happened to him,

708
00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:29,960
and that was me, For with my own eyes I

709
00:45:30,039 --> 00:45:32,760
saw the skipper tip up his heels and put him

710
00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:35,320
over the rail in the middle watch of a dark night,

711
00:45:35,840 --> 00:45:40,719
two days before we sighted the Shetland lights. Well, I

712
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,800
kept my knowledge to myself and waited to see what

713
00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,920
would come of it. When we got back to Scotland,

714
00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:50,599
it was easily hushed up and nobody asked any questions.

715
00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:54,840
A stranger died by accident, and it was nobody's business

716
00:45:54,880 --> 00:45:59,159
to inquire. Shortly after Peter Carey gave up the sea,

717
00:46:00,039 --> 00:46:02,480
and it was long years before I could find where

718
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:05,880
he was. I guessed that he had done the deed

719
00:46:06,079 --> 00:46:08,360
for the sake of what was in that tin box,

720
00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:11,079
and that he could afford now to pay me well

721
00:46:11,159 --> 00:46:14,880
for keeping my mouth shut. I found out where he

722
00:46:15,079 --> 00:46:18,000
was from a sailorman that had met him in London,

723
00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:22,199
and down I went to squeeze him. The first night,

724
00:46:22,719 --> 00:46:25,639
he was reasonable enough and was ready to give me

725
00:46:25,760 --> 00:46:28,199
what would make me free of the sea for life.

726
00:46:29,039 --> 00:46:32,320
We were to fix it all. Two nights later, when

727
00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:36,039
I came, I found him three parts drunk and in

728
00:46:36,079 --> 00:46:40,199
a vile temper. We sat down and we drank, and

729
00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:43,880
we yarned about old times. But the more he drank,

730
00:46:44,239 --> 00:46:47,920
the less I liked the look on his face. I

731
00:46:48,039 --> 00:46:51,559
spotted that harpoon upon the wall, and I thought I

732
00:46:51,679 --> 00:46:55,199
might knead it before I was through. Then at last

733
00:46:55,280 --> 00:46:58,559
he broke out at me, spitting and cursing, with murder

734
00:46:58,559 --> 00:47:01,920
in his eyes and a great clasp knife in his hand.

735
00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:04,719
He had not time to get it from the sheath

736
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:08,199
before I had the harpoon through him. Heavens, what a

737
00:47:08,360 --> 00:47:11,559
yell he gave, and his face gets between me and

738
00:47:11,639 --> 00:47:16,159
my sleep. I stood there with his blood splashing round me,

739
00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:19,519
and I waited for a bit, but all was quiet,

740
00:47:19,599 --> 00:47:22,719
so I took heart once more. I looked round and

741
00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:25,840
there was the tin box on the shelf. I had

742
00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:29,800
as much right to it as Peter Carey, anyhow, so

743
00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:33,039
I took it with me and left the hut like

744
00:47:33,079 --> 00:47:35,840
a fool. I left my backy pouch upon the table.

745
00:47:37,199 --> 00:47:40,079
Now I'll tell you the queerest part of the whole story.

746
00:47:41,119 --> 00:47:43,719
I had hardly got outside the hut when I heard

747
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,280
someone coming, and I hid among the bushes. A man

748
00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:51,440
came slinking along, went into the hut, gave a cry

749
00:47:51,480 --> 00:47:53,559
as if he'd seen a ghost, and legged it as

750
00:47:53,599 --> 00:47:56,400
hard as he could run until he was out of sight.

751
00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:00,400
Who he was or what he wanted is more than

752
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:04,280
I can tell. For my part, I walked ten miles,

753
00:48:04,719 --> 00:48:07,599
got a train at Tunbridge Wells, and so reached London,

754
00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:11,800
and no one the wiser well. When I came to

755
00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:14,719
examine the box, I found there was no money in it,

756
00:48:15,199 --> 00:48:18,239
and nothing but papers that I would not dare to sell.

757
00:48:19,239 --> 00:48:21,400
I had lost my hold on Black Peter and was

758
00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:25,360
stranded in London without a shilling there was only my

759
00:48:25,480 --> 00:48:30,639
trade left. I saw these advertisements about harpooners and high wages,

760
00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:33,480
so I went to the shipping agents and they sent

761
00:48:33,559 --> 00:48:37,559
me here. That's all I know. And I say again

762
00:48:37,679 --> 00:48:40,760
that if I killed Black Peter, the law should give

763
00:48:40,800 --> 00:48:43,719
me thanks for I saved them the price of a

764
00:48:43,800 --> 00:48:49,480
hemp and rope. A very clear statement, said Holmes, rising

765
00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:53,000
and lighting his pipe. I think, Hopkins, that you should

766
00:48:53,039 --> 00:48:55,880
lose no time in conveying your prisoner to a place

767
00:48:55,880 --> 00:48:59,599
of safety. This room is not well adapted for a cell,

768
00:49:00,360 --> 00:49:03,920
and mister Patrick Keirns occupies too large a proportion of

769
00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:09,199
our carpet. Mister Holmes, said Hopkins. I do not know

770
00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:13,000
how to express my gratitude even now. I don't understand

771
00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:17,480
how you attain this result simply by having the good

772
00:49:17,519 --> 00:49:21,159
fortune to get the right clue from the beginning. It

773
00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:23,800
is very possible if I had known about this note book,

774
00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:26,400
it might have led away my thoughts, as it did yours.

775
00:49:27,280 --> 00:49:30,559
But all I heard pointed in the one direction. The

776
00:49:30,639 --> 00:49:34,039
amazing strength, the skill in the use of the harpoon,

777
00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:38,039
the rum and water, the seal skin tobacco pouch with

778
00:49:38,159 --> 00:49:42,639
the coarse tobacco. All these pointed to a seaman and

779
00:49:42,800 --> 00:49:46,360
one who had been a whaler. I was convinced that

780
00:49:46,400 --> 00:49:50,599
the initials p C upon the pouch were a coincidence

781
00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:54,719
and not those of Peter Carey, since he seldom smoked

782
00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:58,960
and no pipe was found in his cabin. You remember

783
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:01,079
that I asked whether was Ski and Brandy were in

784
00:50:01,119 --> 00:50:05,440
the cabin. You said they were. How many landsmen are

785
00:50:05,480 --> 00:50:08,159
there who would drink rum when they could get these

786
00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:12,519
other spirits? Yes? I was certain it was a seaman.

787
00:50:13,800 --> 00:50:17,800
And how did you find him? My dear sir? The

788
00:50:17,840 --> 00:50:21,039
problem had become a very simple one. If it were

789
00:50:21,079 --> 00:50:24,000
a seaman, it could only be a seaman who had

790
00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:27,159
been with him on the Sea Unicorn. So far as

791
00:50:27,159 --> 00:50:29,360
I could learn, he had sailed in no other ship.

792
00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:32,960
I spent three days in wiring to Dundee, and at

793
00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:35,760
the end of that time I had ascertained the names

794
00:50:35,800 --> 00:50:39,000
of the crew of the Sea Unicorn. In eighteen eighty three,

795
00:50:40,039 --> 00:50:44,119
when I found Patrick Keirns among the harpooners, my research

796
00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,760
was nearing its end. I argued that the man was

797
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:50,719
probably in London and that he would desire to leave

798
00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:54,320
the country for a time. I therefore spent some days

799
00:50:54,320 --> 00:50:58,559
in the East End, devised an Arctic expedition, put forth

800
00:50:58,639 --> 00:51:02,840
tempting terms for harper pooners who would serve under Captain Basil,

801
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:12,239
and behold the result. Wonderful, cried Hopkins. Wonderful. You must

802
00:51:12,239 --> 00:51:14,920
obtain the release of young Nellighan as soon as possible,

803
00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:18,480
said Holmes. I confess that I think you owe him

804
00:51:18,519 --> 00:51:22,239
some apology. The tin box must be returned to him.

805
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:25,920
But of course the securities which Peter Carey has sold

806
00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:29,960
are lost forever. There's the cab, Hopkins, and you can

807
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,920
remove your man if you want me for the trial.

808
00:51:33,320 --> 00:51:37,000
My address and that of Watson will be somewhere in Norway.

809
00:51:37,840 --> 00:51:43,400
I'll send particulars later. End of the Adventure of Black

810
00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:43,760
Peter