THE SUNDAY OREGONIAy, PORTLAND, JULY 30, 1911. ,
tc-The Adventure
2.
JLACK
n m u n . m m 9 n j i v -' v. m .
I HAVE nvr known mr friend to b
la bettar (am. both mental and
physical, than la th year " ln
increasing fam bad brought with It
la lramns practice, and I should b
guilty of an Indiscretion If I wr vn
io hist at th identity of som of the
3Iuatiioua cllanta who crossed our
Iambi thru hold In Baker Street
Holmes, hswtrrr. Ilk all great artists,
lived for hi art's sake, and. un In
th can of th Duk of Molderness. I
hav iflMoBi known him claim any
larg reward for his inestimable ser
vice. So unworldly was ho or so
capricious that ha frequently refused
his help to the powerful and wealthy
where the problem made no appeal to"
his sympathies, while he would derote
weeks of most Intense application to
the affairs of some humble client whose
case presented those strange dramatic
qualities which appealed to his Imagin
ation and challenged his Ingenuity.
la this memorable year '. a curious
and Incongruous succession of cases
had engaged his attention, ranging
from his famous Investigation of the
sudden death of Cardinal Toeca an In
qulry which was carried out by him at
the express drsir of Ills Holiness the
rope down to his arrest of Wilson,
the notorious canary-trainer, which re
moved a plac-ue-epot from the East
Knd of London. . Close on the heels of
these two famous rases came the trag
edy of Woodman's Lee. and the very
obscure circumstances which sur
rounded the death of Captain Peter
Carey. No record of the doings of Mr.
Sherlock Holmes would be complete
which did not Include some account of
this very unusual affair.
Imrln the ttrst week of July, my
friend had been absent so often and
so long from our lodgings that I
knew he had something on hand. The
fact that several rough-looking men
called durlnr that time and Inquired
for Captain Basil made me understand
that Holmes was working somewhere
under one of t ie numerous disguises
and names with which he concealed
hts own formidable Identity. He had
at least Ave small refuges In d liferent
parts of London. In which he was
able to change hts personality. ' He
Slid nothing of Ms business to
roe and It as not my habit to
force a confidence. The first positive
slcn which he gave me of the direction
which hts Investigation was taking
was aa extraordinary one. He had
gone out before breakfast, and I had
sat down to mine when he strode Into
the room. Mi hat upon hts head and a
huge barhed-headed spear tucked like
aa umbrella under his arm.
"Good grarlous. Holmes!" I cried.
"Ton don't mean to say that yon have
beea walking about London with that
tftlngT
"I drove to the butcher's and back."
The butcher's r"
"And I return with an excellent ap
petite. There ran be no question, my
dear Watson, of the value of exercise
before breakfast. But I ant prepared
to bet that you wtll not guesa the
form that my exercise has taken.
"t wtll not attempt tt."
He chuckled as he poured out ahe
coffee.
"If you could have looked Into Allar-t
dyke's bark shop, you would have seen
a dead pig swung from a hook la the
celling and a gestletnan la hts shirt
sleeves furiously stabbing at It with
this weapon. It was that snergetlc
person and I have satisfied myself that
br no exertion of my strength rsn I
transfix the pig wlto a single blow,
perhaps yo-a would care to try?"
"Not for the world. But why were
yon doing this?"
"'Because it seemed to m to have
an Indirect bearing upon the mystery
ft Woodman's Lee. ,AX Hopkins. I got
your wire last rlxs. and I have beea
expecting you. Come and join us."
Our visitor was aa exceedingly alert
(ran. I1 years of sge, dressed la a
diet tweed suit but retaining the erect
bearing ef one who was accustomed
to efftrlal uniform. T recognised him
St once as Stanley Hopkins, a young
police Inspector for whose future
Holmes had high hopes, whits be la
turn professed the admiration and re-
pect of a pupil for the scientific meth
ods of the famous amateur. Hopkins
brow was clouded and he sat down
wtrh an air of deep dejection.
"No. triank you. sir. I breakfasted
before I cam round. I spent the night
la town, for I came up yesterday to
report."
"And what had yoo lo report?
"Failure, sir; absolufs failure."
"Via have made no progress?"
"None."
Tear me! I must have a look at
the matter."
"I wish to heavens that you would.
Kr. Holmes. It s my first big chance,
and t s ti at my wit's end. Kor good-,
ne sake, come down and lend me a
hand."
-Welt. well. It lust happens that I
have already read all the available t
evidence, In-tu-ilng the report of the
Inquest, with some care. Mr the way.
what do you make of that tobacco
pouch found on the scene of the crime?
Is there no clue there?"
Hopkins looked surprised.
-It wss the man's own pouch, sir.
Ills tnltt-i's were Inside it. And It was ;
of sealskin and he was an old sealer."
"But he had no pipe."
"No. sir. we could find no pip. In
deed, he smoked very little, and yet he
might have kept some tobacco for his
frl d.."
No doubt. I only mention It because
If I had beea handling the case I
should have been Inclined to make
that the starting point of my Inveetl
gatloa. However, my frleod Dr. Wat
son knows nothing of this matter, and
I should be cone the worse for bearing
the sequence of event once more. Just
give us some shorr sketohea of the -sent'als."
Stanley Hnpklns drew a slip of pa
per from hts pocket
"1 have a few dates here which will
give you the career of the dead man.
Captata Petr Carey. He was born la
i 3 years of age. He was a most
daring and successful sesl and whale
fisher. In tl he commanded the stesm
sealer Sea I'ntcorn of Dundee, lie hsd
thea had several successful voyagss In
succession and In the following year.
1M4. h retired. After that he trav.
eled for some years snd finally he
bought a small piece called Woodman's
Lee. near Forest Row. la ftusasx. There
be has lived for six years, and there
he Oled Just a week ago today.
There were some singular points
about the man. la ordinary life he
wee a strict Puritan a silent, gloomy
f:!ow. His household consisted of his
wife, his daughter, aged SO. and two
female servants. These last were con
tinually changing, for It was never a
very cheery situation, and sometimes
It became past all bearing. The man
wss sa Intermittent drunkard and
when he hsd the fit on him he was a
perfect fiend. He hss been known to
drive Ms wife and daughter out of
doors la the middle of the night and
tog them iirouga da Berk ualU U
whole village outside the gates was
aroused by their screams.
He was summoned once for a savage
assault upon the old vicar, who had
called upon him to remonstrate with
Mm upon his conduct. In short, sir.
Holmes, you would go far before you
found a more dangerous man than Peter
Carey, and I have heard that he bore
the Same character when he commanded
his ship. He was known In the trsde
as Black Pet, and the name was given
him. not only on account of his swarthy
features and the color of hts hug beard,
but for the humors which were the ter
ror ef all around htm. I nerd not ssy
T-jnjr nr-r. rjsne CUV
that ha was loathed and avoided by
every one ef his neighbors, and that I
have not heard one single word "of sor
row about his terrible end.
"Tou must have read In the account
of the inquest about the man's cabin.
Mr. Holmes, but perhaps your friend
here has not heard of It- He had built
himself a wooden outhouse be always
called It the 'cabin' a few hundred
yards from his house, and It was here
thst be slept every night. It was a
little, single-roomed hut. 1 feet by 10.
He kept the key In hie pocket, made his
own bed. cleaned It himself, and allowed
no other foot to cross the threshold.
There are small windows on each side,
which weer covered by curtains and
nsver opened. One of these wlndowe
wss turned towards the high road, ana
when the light burned In It at night the
folk used to point It out to each other
and wonder what Black Peter was do-
Ins In there. That's the window. Mr.
Holmes, which gave us one of the few
bits of positive etldence that came out
at the inquest.
"Tea remember that a stonemason
named Slater, walking from Forest Row
about 1 o'clock In the morning two
days before tb murder stopped as he
passed the grounds and looked at the
square of light still shining among tne
trees. He swears that the shadow of a
man's head turned sldewsys was clearly
visible on the blind, and that this
shadow was certainly not that of Peter
Carey, whom he knew well. It was that
of a bearded man. but the beard as
short and bristled forwards In a wsy
very different from that of the captain.
So he says, but he bad been two hours
In the public-house, and It Is some dis
tance from the road to the window. Be.
sides, this refers to the Mondsy. and
the crime was done upon the Wednes
day. "On the Tuesday. Peter Carey was In
one of hts blackest moods, flushed with
drink and as savage as a dangerous
wild beast. He roamed about the house,
and the women ran for It when they
heard him coming. Late In the evening,
he went down to his own hut. About
3 o'clock the following morning, his
daughter, who slept with her window
open, heard a most fearful- yell from
that direction, but It wss no unusual
thing for him to bawl and shout when
he was In drink, so no notice was taken.
On rising at 7. one of the maids noticed
that the door of the hut was open, but
so great was the terror which the man
caused that It was midday before any
one would venture down to see what
bad become of him. Peeping Into the
open door, they saw a sight which sent
them flying, with white faces. Into the
village. Within aa hour. I was on the
spot and had taken over the case.
"Well. I have fairly steady nerves, as
you knew. Mr. Holmes, but I give you
my word, that I got a shake when I put
my head Into that little house. It was
droning like a harmonium with the
files and bluebottles, and tb floor and
walls were -like a slaughter-house.- He
had called It a cabin, and a cabin It
was. sure enough, for you would have
thought that you were In a ship. There
was a bunk at one end. a sea-chest,
map and charts, a picture of the Sea
Unicorn, a Una of logbooks on a shelf,
all exactly as one would expect to find
It In a captain's room. And there in
the middle of It. was the man himself
his face twisted like a lost soul In tor
menu and his great brlndl beard stuck
upwards In hts agony. Right through
his broad breast a steel harpoon had
bean driven. He was pinned like a
beetle on a card. Of course, ha was
quite dead, and bad been so from the
Instant that he had altered that last
yell of agony.
"I know your methods, sir. and I
applied them. Before 1 permitted any
thing to be moved. I examined most
carefully the ground outelde. and also
the floor of the room. There were no
footmarks."
"Meaning that you saw none?"
"I assure you. sir. that there were
Done."
"My good Hopktns. I have Investi
gated many crimes, but I have never
yet seen one which was committed by
a flying creature. As long as the crim
inal remains upon two legs so long
rnuat. ther h soma Indentation, soms ,
abrasion, some trifling displacement
which can be detected by the scientific
searcher. It Is incredible that this
blood-bespattered room contained no
trace which could have aided us. I un
derstand, however, from the Isquest
that there were some objects which
you failed to overlook?"
The young Inspector winced at my
companion's Ironical comments.
"I was a fool not to call you In at the
time. Mr. Holmes. However, that's past
praying for now. Yes. there wore sev
eral objects In the room which called
for special attention. One was the
harpoon with which the deed was com-
, n
i r
GJSOtSYO rOST2XSJZt .
mltted. It had been snatched down
from a rack on the wall. Two othors
remained there, and there was a vacant
place for the third. On the stock was
engraved "Ss. Sea" Unicorn. Dundee.
Tills seemed to establish -that the. crime
had been done) In a moment of fury, and
that the murderer had seised the first
weapon which came In his way. The
fact that the crime was committed st 3
In the morning, and yet Potcr Carey
was fully dressed, suggested that he
had an appointment with the murqerer,
which Is borne out by the fact that a
bottle of rum and two dirty glasses
stood itMi the tabic."
-Yes.'" said Holmes: "I think thst
both Inferences are permissible. Wss
there any other spirit but rum In the
room?"
"Yes. there was a tantalus contain
ing bmndy end whisky on tne sea
chest. It Is of no Importance to us
however, since the decanters were full
and It had therefore not been used.
"For all thst. Its presence has some
significance." said Holmes. "However,
tot ii hear soma more about the ob
jects which do sem to you to bear
upon the case.
"There was this tobacco-pouch upon
the table."
"What nart of the table?"
"It lay In the middle. It was of
coarse sealskin the stralght-hslred
skin, with a leather thong to bind lt
Inside was "P. C." on the flap. There
was half an ounoe of strong ship's to
bacco In It." .
"Excellent! What more?"
Stanley Hopkins drew from his pock
et a drab-covered notebook. The out
side was rough and worn, the leaves
discolored. On the first page was writ
ten tha Initials "J- If. N." and the date
"1SSJ." Holmes laid It on the table and
examined It In his minute way. white
HoDktns and I gaxed over each shoul
der. On the second pnge were the
printed lett-rs "C. P. H-." and then
rsme several sheets of numbers. An
other heading was "Argentine." anoth
er "Costa Rica." and another "San
rtulo." each with pages of sir-ns and
figures after It
"What do you make of thee?" asked
Holmes.
They appear to be lists of Stock
Exchange securities. I thought that
J. H. X." were the Initials of a broker,
and that "C. P. R." may have been his
client"
"Try Canadian Taclflo Railway," said
Holmes.
Stanley Hopkins swore betwoen his
teeth, and struck his thigh with his
clenched band.
"What a fool I have been!" he crlod.
"Of course. It 1 ss you say. Then "J.
1L NV are the only Initials we have to
solve. I hsve already examined the
old Stock Exchange lists, and I can
find no one In 1883. either In the hour
or among the outside brokers, whose
Initials correspond with these. Yet I
feel that the clew Is the most Important
one that I hold. You will admit. Mr.
Holmes, that there ts a possibility that
these Initials are those of the socond
person who was present In other
words of th murderer. I would also
urge that the Introduction Into the ease
of a document relating to lance masses
of valuable securities gives us fur the
first time some indication of a motive
lor the crime."
Sherlock Holmes' face showed that
he was thoroughly taken aback by this
new development
-1 must admit both your points." said
he. "I confess that this note-book,
which did not appear at the Inquest,
modifies any views which I may hsve
formed. I hsd come to a theory of the
crime In which I can find no place for
ki. itave vou endeavored to trace
any of the securltlee here mentioned?"
-Inquiries are now being made at the
offices, but I fear that the complete
register of the stockholders of these
South American concerns Is In South
America, and that some weeks must
elapse before we can trace the shares.
Holmes naa oeeu .....
cover of the note-book with his mag
nifying lens.
"jurtly there is some uiscoiorauua
here." said b. ....
air, IV l Dioooiiajo. ioia i
you that I picked the book off the
floor."
"Was the bloodstain above or be
low?"
"On tne side next the boards."
"Which proves, of course, that the
book was dropped artr tne crime was
committed."
"Exactly. Mr. Holmes. I appreciated
that point, and I conjectured that It
was dropped by the murderer In his
hurried flight. It lay near the door."
"I suppose that none of these securi
ties have been found among the prop
erty of the dead man?"
"No. sir.",
"Have you any reason to suspect rob
bery?" M
"No, sir. Nothing- seemed to nave
boen touched."
"Dear me. it Is certainly a very In
teresting case. Then there was a
knife, was there not?"
"A sheath-knife, still In Its sheath.
It lay at the feet of the dead man. Mrs.
Carey has Identified It as being her
husband's property."
Holmes was lost In thought for some
time.
"Well." said he. at last. "I suppose I
shall have to come Out and have a look
at it."
Stanley Hopkins gave a cry of Joy.
"Thank you, sir. That will, indeed,
be a' weight off my mind." '
Holmes shook his finger at the In
spector. "It would have been an easier task a
week ago." said he. "But even now my
visit may not be entirely fruitless. Wat
son, if you can spare the time. I should
be very glad of your company. If you
will call a four-wheeler. Hopkins, we
slvall be ready to start tor Forest Row
In a quarter of an hour."
Alighting at the small wayside sta
tion, we drove for some miles through
the remains of wide-spread woods,
which were once part of that great
forest which for so long held the Saxon
Invaders at bay the Impenetrable
"weald." for 60 years the bulwark of
Britain. Vast sections of It have been
cleared, for this Is the seat of the
first Iron works of the country, and
the trees have been felled to smelt the
ore. Now the richer fields of the north
have absorbed the trade, and nothing
save these ravaged groves and great
scars in the earth show the work of
the past Here, In a clearing upon the
green slope of a hill, stood a long, low,
stone house, approached by a curving
drive running through the fields. Near
er the road, and surrounded on three
sides by bushes, wss a small outhouse,
one window and the door facing in our
direction. It was. the scene of the
murder.
Stanley Hopkins led us first to the
house, where he introduced us to a
haggard. gray-balred woman, the
widow of the murdered man, whose
gaunt and deep-lined face, with the
furtive look of terror In the depths of
her red-rimmed eyes, told of the years
of hardship and Ill-usage whJch she had
endured. With her was her daughter, a
pale, fair-hatred girl, whose eyes
biased defiantly at us as she told us
thst she was glad that her father was
dead, and that she blessed the hand
which hsd struck him down. It was a
terrible household that Black Peter
Carey had made for himself, and It was
with a sense of relief that we found
ourselves In the sunlight again, and
making our way along a patch which
had been worn across the fields by the
feet of the dead man.
The outhouse was the simplest of
dwellings. wooden-walled. shingle
roofed, one window beside the door
snd one on the farther side. Stanley
Hopkins drew the key from his pocket
and had stooped to the lock, when he
paused with a look of attention and
surprise upon his face.
"Someone has been tampering with
it." he sstd.
There could be no doubt of the fact
The woodwork was cut.- and the
scratches showed white through the
paint, as If they had been that Instant
done. Holmes had been examining the
window.
'Someone has tried to force this
also. Whoever it was haa failed to
make his way In. He must have been
a very poor burglar."
"This Is a most extraordinary thing."
said the Inspector, "I could swear that
these marks were not here yesterday
evening."
"Some curious person from the vil
lage, perhaps." I suggested.
"Very unlikely. Few of them would
dare to set foot 'n tbe grounds, far less
try to force their wsy Into the cabin.
What do you think of It. Mr. Holmes?"
"I think that fortune Is very kind to
us."
"You mean that the person will come
again?"
"It Is very probable. He came ex
pecting to find tbe door open. He tried
to get In with the blade of a very small
penknife. He could not manage It
What would he do?"
"Come again next night with a more
useful tool."
"So I should say. It will be our fault
If we are not there to receive him.
Meanwhile, let me see the Inside of the
cahln."
The traces of the tragedy had been
removed, but the furniture within the
little room still stood as It had been
on the night of the crime. For two
hours, with most Intense concentration.
Holmes examined every object In turn,
but his face showed that his quest
was not a successful one. Once only
he paused In Ms patient Investigation.
"Have yau taken anything off this
shelf, Hopkins?"
"No. I have moved nothing."
"Something has been taken. There
ts less dust In this corner of the shelf
than elsewhere. It may have been a
book lying on Its side. It may have
been a box. Well, well. I can do noth
ing more. Let us walk In these beau
tiful woods, Watson, and give a few
hours to the birds and the flowers. We
zxs, jcm Kg a- 3JfrA VTfZuena
shall meet you here later, Hopktns,
and see If we can come to closer quar
ters with the gentleman who has paid
this visit In the night."
It was past 11 o'clock when we
formed our little ambuscade. Hopkins
was for leaving the door of the hut
open, but Holmes was of the opinion
that this would rouse the suspicions of
the stranger. The lock was a perfectly
simple one. and only a strong blade
was needed to push it back. Holmes
also suggested that we should wait, not
Inside the hut but outside It among
the bushes which grew round the far
ther window. In this way we should
be able to watch our man if he struck
a light, and see what his object was
In this stealthy nocturnal visit.
It was a long and melancholy vigil,
and yet brought with It something of
the thrill which the hunter feels when
he lies beside the water pool, and waits
for the coming of the thirsty beast of
prey. What savage creature was It
which might steal upon us out of the
darkness? Was It a fierce tiger of
crime, which could only be taken fight
ing hard with flashing fang and claw,
or would It prove to be some skulking
Jackal, dangerous only to the weak and
unguarded?
In absolute silence we crouched
amongst the bushes, waiting for what
ever might come. At first the steps of
a few belated villagers, or the sound
of voices from the village, lightened
our vigil, but one by one these Inter
ruptions died away, and' an absolute
stillness fell -upon us, save for the
chimes of the distant church, which told
us of the progress of the night and for
the rustle and whisper of a fine rain
falling amid the foliage which roofed
us tn.
Half-past two had chimed, and it was
the darkest hour which precedes the
dawn, when we all started as a low but
sharp click came from the direction of
the gate. Someone had entered the
drive. Again there was a long silence,
and I had begun to fear that it was a
false alarm, when a stealthy step was
heard upon the other side of the hut.
and a moment later a metallic scraping
and clinking. The man was trying to
force the lock. This time his skill was
greater or his tool was better, for
there was a sudden snap and the creak
of the hinges. Then a match was
struck, and next Instant tha steady
light from a candle filled the Interior
of the hut Through the gauze curtain
our eyes were all riveted upon the
scene within.
The nocturnal visitor was a young
man, frail and thin, with a black mus
tache, which intensified the deadly pal
lor of his face. He could not have been
much above 20 years of age. I have
never seen any human being who
appeared to be in such a piti
able fright for his teeth were
visibly chattering, and he was
shaking In every limb. He was dressed
like a gentleman, in. Norfolk Jacket
and knickerbockers, with a cloth cap
upon his head. We watched htm star
ing round with frightened eyes. Then
he laid the candle-end upon the table
and disappeared from our view into
one of the corners. Ho returned with
a large book, one of tha logbooks which
formed a line upon the shelves. Lean
ing on the table, he rapidly turned
over the leaves of this volume until he
came to the entry which he sought.
Then, with an angry gesture of his
clenched hand, he closed the book, re
placed It In the corner and put out the
light. He had hardly turned to leave
the hut when Hopkins' hand was on
tbe fellow's collar, and I heard his
loud gasp of terror as he understood
that he was taken. The candle was
reltl, and there wa our wretched cap
tive, shivering snd cowering In the
grasp of the detective. He sank down
upon the sea chest and looked help
lessly from one of us to the other.
"Now, my fine fellow," said Stanley
Hopkins, "who are you, and what do
you want here?"
The man pulled himself together, and
faced us with an effort at self-composure.
"You are detectives. I suppose?" said
he. "You Imagine I am connected with
the death of Captain Peter Carey. I
assure you that I am innocent."
"We'll see about that" said Hopktns.
"First of all, what Is your name?"
"It is John Hopley Neligan."
I saw Holmes and Hopkins exchange
a quick glance.
, "What are you doing here?"
"Can I speak confidentially?"
"No. certainly not"
"Why should I tell your'
"If you have no answer. It may go
badly with you at the trlaL"
The young man winced.
"Well, I will tell you." he said. "Why
should I not? And yet t hate to think
of this old scandal gaining a new
lease of life. Did you ever hear of
Dawson and Neligan T'
X could ee from Hopklna' tax tba
he never had,- but Holmes was keenly
interested.
"You mean the West-country bank
ers." said he. "They failed for a mil
lion, ruined half the county families
of Cornwall, and Nellgan disappeared."
"Exactly. Neligan was my father."
At last we were getting something
positive, and yet It seemed a long gap
between an absconding banker and
Captain Peter Carey pinned against
the wall with one of his own harpoons.
We all listened Intently to the young
roan's words.
"It was my father who was re&Hy
concerned. Dawson had retired. I was
only 10 yearsof ago at the time, but
I was old enough to feel the shame
and horror of It all. It has always
been said that my father stole all the
securities and fled. It is not true. It
was hts belief that If he were given
time in which to realize them, all
would be well and eve,ry creditor paid
in full. He started in his little yacht
for Norway Juet before the warrant
was Issued for hts arrest. I can re
member that last night when he bade
farewell to my mother. He left us a
list of the securities he was taking,
and he swore that he would come back
with his honor cleared, and that none
who had trusted him would suffer.
Well, no word was ever heard from
him again. Both the yacht and he
vanished utterly. We believed, my
mother and I, that he and it with
th securitieei that he had taken with
him, were at the bottom of the sea.
We had a faithful friend, however, who
is a business man, and it was he who
discovered some time ago that some
of the securities which my father had
with him had reappeared on the Lon
don market. You can imagine our
amazement I spent months in trying
to trace them, and at last, after many
doubtlngs and difficulties. I discovered
that the original seller had been Cap
tain Peter Carey, the owner of this
hut
"Naturally, I made some Inquiries
about the man. I found that he had
been In command of a whaler which
was due to return from the Arctic
eeas at the very time when my father
was crosing to Norway. The Autumn
of that year was a stormy one. and
there was a long succession of south
erly gales. My father's yacht may well
have been blown to the north, and
there met by Captain Peter Carey's
ship. If that were so. what had be
come of my father? In any case. If I
could prove from Peter Carey's evi
dence how these securities came on
the market it would be a proof that
my father had not sold them, and that
he had no view to personal profit when
he took them.
"I came down to Sussex with the
intention of seeing the captain, but it
was at this moment that his terrible
death occurred. I read at the Inquest
a description of his cabin, In which
it stated that the old logbooks of his
vessel were preserved in it. It struck
me that if I could see what occurred
in the month of August. 1883, on board
the Sea Unicorn, I might settle the
mystery of my father's fate. I tried
last night to get at these logbooks.
but was unable to open the door. To
night I tried again and succeeded, but
I find that the pages which deal with
that month have been torn from the
book. It was at that moment I found
myself a prisoner In your hands."
"Is that all?" asked Hopktns.
"Yes, that is all." His eyes shifted
as he said it
"You have nothing else to tell us?"
He hesitated.
"No, there Is nothing."
"You have not been here before last
night?"
"No."
"Then how do you account for that?"
cried Hopkins, as he held up the damn
ing notebook, with the initials of our
prisoner on the first leaf and the blood
stains on the cover.
The wretched man collapsed. He
sank his face in his hands and trem
bled all over.
"Where did you get it?"" he groaned.
"I did not know. I thought I had
lost It at the hotel."
"That ts enough," said Hopkins,
sternly. "Whatever else you have to
say, you must say In court You will
walk down with me now to the police
station. Well, Mr. Holmes, I am ,yery
much obliged to you arid to your friend
for coming down to help me. As it
turns out your presence was unneces
sary, and I would have brought the
case to this successful issue without
you, but, none the less, I am grateful.
Rooms have been reserved for you at
the Brambletye Hotel, so we can all
walk down to the village together."
"Well, Watson, what do you think
of It?" asked Holmes, as we traveled
back next morning.
"I can see that you are not satis
fied." "Oh, yes. my dear Watson, I am per
fectly satisfied. At the same time,
Stanley Hopkins methods do not com
mead, tbenjiselvea 1q me, I am dis
appointed In Stanley Hopkins. I had
hoped for better things from him. One
should always look for a possible al
ternative, and provide against it It
is the first rule of criminal investiga
tion." "What, then, is the alternative?"
"The line of investigation which I
have myself been pursuing. It may
give us nothing. I cannot tell. But
at least I shall follow it to the end."
Several letters were watting for
Holmes at Baker street. He snatched
one of them up, opened it, and burst
out into a triumphant chuckle sf
laughter.
'Excellent. Watson! The alternative
develops. Have you telegraph forms?
Just write a couple of messages for
me: "Sumner, Shipping Agent, Rat
cliff Highway. Send three men on.
to arrive 10 tomorrow morning.
Basil." That's my name in those
parts. The other Is: 'Inspector Stan
ley Hopkins, 46 Lord street. Brixton.
Come breakfast tomorrow morning at
9:30. Important. Wire if unable to
come. Sherlock Holmes.' There, Wat
son, this infernal case has haunted me
for ten days. I hereby banish it com
pletely from my presence. Tomorrow
I trust that we shall hear the last of
it forever."
Sharp at the hour named Inspector
Stanley Hopkins appeared, and we sat
down together to the excellent break
fast which Mrs. Hudson had prepared.
The young detective was in high spir
its at his success.
"You really think that your solu-
tion must be correct?" asked Holmes. .
"I could not imagine a more com
plete case."
"It did not seem to me conclusive."
"You astonish me. Mr. Holmes. What
more could one ask for?"
"Does your explanation cover every
point?"
"Undoubtedly. I find that young
Neligan arrived at the Brambletya '
Hotel on the very day of the crime.
He came on the pretense of playing
golf. His room was on the ground
lloor, and he could get out when he
liked. That very night he went down
to Woodman's Lee, saw Peter Carey at
the hut, quarreled with him, and killed
him with the harpoon. Then, horri
fied by what he had done, he fled out
of the hut dropping the note-book
which he had brought with him in
order to question Peter Carey about
these different securities. You may
have observed that some of them were
marked with ticks, and the others the
great majority were not Those which
are ticked have been traced on the
London market, but the others, pre
sumably, were still In the possession
of Carey, and young Neligan. accord
ing to his own account was anxious to
recover them In order to do the right
thing by his father's creditors. After
his flight he did not dare to approach
the hut again for some time, but at
last he forced himself to do so In order
to obtain the information which he
needed. Surely that Is all simple and
obvious?"
Holmes smiled and shook his head.
"It seems to me to have only one
drawback, Hopkins, and that is that
it is Intrinsically impossible. Have
you tried to drive a harpoon through
a body? No? Tut. tut, my dear sir,
you must really pay attention to these
details. My friend Watson could tell
you that I spent a whole morning in
that exercise. It Is no easy matter,
and requires a strong and practised
arm. But this blow was delivered with
such violence that the head of the
weapon sank into the wall. Do you
imagine that this anaemic youth was
capable of so frightful an assault? Is
he the man who hobnobbed in rum
and water with Black Peter in the
dead of the night? Was It his profile
that was seen on the blind two nights
before? No, no. Hopkins, It Is another
and more formidable person for whom
we must seek."
The detective's face had grown
longer and longer during Holmes
speech. His hopes and his ambitions
were all crumbling about htm. But he
would not abandon his position withr
out a struggle.
"You can't deny that Neligan was
present that night Mr. Holmes. The
book will prove that I fancy that I
nave evidence enough to satisfy a
Jury, even if you are able to pick a
hole in it. Besides, Mr. Holmes, I have
laid my hand upon my man. As to
this terrible person of yours, where is
be?"
"I rather fancy that he is on the
stair." said Holmes, serenely. "I think,
Watson, that you would do well to put
that revolver where you can reach It"
He rose and laid a written paper upon
a side-table. "Now we are ready," said
he.
There had been some talking In gruff
voices outside, and now Mrs. Hudson
opened the door to say that there were
three men Inquiring for Captain Basil.
"Show them In, one by one," said
Holmes.
The first who entered was a little
rtbston-pippin of a man, with ruddy
cheeks and fluffy white sidewhiskers.
Holmes had drawn a letter from his
pocket.
"What name?" he asked.
"James Lancaster."
"I am sorry, Lancaster, but the berth
Is full. Here is half a sovereign for .
your trouble. Just step Into this room,
and wait there for a few minutes."
The second man was a long, drled-up
creature, with lank hair and sallow
cheeks. His name was Hugh Pattins.
He also received his dismissal, his half
sovereign, and the order to watt
The third applicant was a man of re
markable appearance. A fierce bull
dog face was framed in a tangle of
hair and beard, and two bold, dark .
eyes gleamed behind the cover of thick,
tufted, overhung eyebrows. He saluted
and stood satlor-fashlon, turning hlsj .
cap round in his hands.
"Your name?" asked Holmes.
"Patrick Cairns." - -
"Harpooner?" .1 -
"Yes, sir. Twenty-six voyages."
"Dundee, I suppose?"
"Yes, sir."
"And ready to start with an explor
ing ship?"
"Yes. sir."
"What wages?"
"Eight pounds a month. -a
"Could you start at once?" ' i
"As soon as I get my kit." r
"Have you your papers?"
"Yes. 6lr." He took a sheaf of worn -and
greasy forms from his pocket'
Holmes glanced over them and returned
them. 1
"You are Just the man I want," said ;
he. "Here's the agreement on the side- -table.
If you sign it the whole matter
will be settled."
The seaman lurched across the reonj -and
took up the pen.
"Shall I sign here?" he asked, stoop- ;
ing over the table. 3
Holmes leaned over his shoulder and
passed both hands over his neck. ;
"This will do." said he. $
I heard a click of steel and a bellow
like an enraged bull. The next Instant
Holmes and the seaman were rolling on
the ground together. He was a man
of such gigantic strength that, even "
with the handcuffs which Holmes had
iCoacluued on Pags t.