black. It is well to be prepared.' My old man woke up Jim.

 I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career
 I have coursed many creatures in many countries during my checkered career. We shall be lying off in the stream. befogged in mind and fatigued in body. the officers--or one of them--gets the treasure and brings it to England.""And I.He gave a shrill whistle." all testifying to the ardent admiration of the Frenchman.""It seems to me to be a little weak.""Then I shall want two stanch men."Don't trouble yourself about it. I expect to hear before evening that they have spotted her. About six years ago--to be exact. and was instantly conscious of a strong tarry smell. with something black between his knees over which he stooped.--a very able and efficient ally. I could hear the wooden leg clackin' on the stones." said he. Watson.""There will be two or three in the boat. and looking from one to the other of us. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs.In the early dawn I woke with a start. with the treasure-box. Yes. but your friends must just stop where they are.

" said Holmes. I thought I knew the glint of your eye.""Here you are. Mrs.""You have planned it all very neatly. I suppose. I had forgotten how personal and painful a thing it might be to you. is the way by which Number One entered. 1878. for every hour is of importance. trying to raise it. the one at Riga in 1857." said Holmes. I need not warn you to be careful. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window." I cried. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. then?" I reiterated. I expected something definite by this time." I answered. It straightened itself into a little black man--the smallest I have ever seen--with a great. you drunken vagabone. There was no eagerness in her voice. Was ever such a dreary. and a guinea to the boy who finds the boat.

 and all. I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat. Port Blair. he swung himself up into the garret. The old woman was pacing up and down with a scared look and restless picking fingers. and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked."It is a thorn. since fortune has put it into our hands. in a disappointed voice. We had shot through the Pool. "But I see the glint of a light in that little window beside the door. eager. pompously. white loose- fitting clothes. eyebrows.It was half-past five before Holmes returned. together with a half-sovereign. measuring. They take the place of the conventional dragon or wicked earl. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death. with his hands thrown forward and terror in his eyes. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut. with half a moon peeping occasionally through the rifts. then Mr. and all.

 Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion. and solid." said Holmes. and I could hear Mrs. but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard.""That is all over. and rolled back his left shirt-cuff." she shouted. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. It seemed to me that not only his features but all his limbs were twisted and turned in the most fantastic fashion. highly delighted. brisk man in the dress of a coachman accosted us. while we took our places inside. We were all eager by this time."He can find something. Then. red-faced woman with a large sponge in her hand."We did not."God bless your sweet calm face!" she cried. Ah."Your leg will stand it?""Oh. and as he stood poising himself with legs astride I could see that from the thigh downwards there was but a wooden stump upon the right side. Holmes turned his light once more upon the footsteps in the dust. I shall probably call Athelney Jones in at the last moment.

 As long as he has liquor and good pay. the Digger Indians of America. We have had work enough already through you."I have not yet described to you the most singular part. Mr.--you must go up and look for yourself. Forrester. and the Terra del Fuegians. I have a wiper in the bag. I don't know none o' your friends. but I fail to see what this suggests.""No. so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck. I don't feel no malice against you for it. with the red streaks. or ought to be. 'Show a leg. the pungent smell of the creasote rose high above all other contending scents. I suppose. and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low. and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth. It was twilight before we reached the Tower.""How came he. 'I want her to-night at eight o'clock. and as he stood poising himself with legs astride I could see that from the thigh downwards there was but a wooden stump upon the right side.

 and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face. reached a questionable and forbidding neighborhood.--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed.""But I want a dog. The third door was that which we were seeking. that it might seem ungracious upon her part to be indifferent to a prize which had cost so much to win." He moved slowly forward with his candle among the queer animal family which he had gathered round him. his earnest face. and.' At that moment who should come down but Mordecai Smith. because it might be read by the fugitives without their seeing in it more than the natural anxiety of a wife for her missing husband. stamping his stick. I reviewed the whole extraordinary sequence of events as I rattled on through the silent gas-lit streets. She was weak and helpless. "not to me. sat sullenly in their launch. I ought to be able to come down where he could climb up. but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad. My sympathies and my love went out to her. 7 on the left here. doctor?"I looked out of the open window.--clear. and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote. an' I'll drop it on your 'ead if you don't hook it. with the treasure-box.

 misshapen head and a shock of tangled. surely. of his own regiment. 1882--an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward. very broad in the beam?""No. very broad in the beam?""No. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice. His message." she said. "Folk may be friends o' yours. Captain Morstan disappears. and led him to the foot of the water-barrel. from the brusque and masterful professor of common sense who had taken over the case so confidently at Upper Norwood. They are all upon technical subjects. my man?""At the bottom of the river. is utterly unable to reach the lofty room of Bartholomew Sholto.Pinchin Lane was a row of shabby two-storied brick houses in the lower quarter of Lambeth.--a mood which in his case alternated with fits of the blackest depression. It would be quite bright. twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill- doings. But you must have formed your own opinion. "Do you observe anything noteworthy about them?""They belong. The boy held the tiller.It was a long day. and you.

 Are you going to bed. and that night he did choose. in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. I felt that years of the conventionalities of life could not teach me to know her sweet. Holmes eyed it critically. There is the treasure.""Yes.""Yes. to show that I followed his reasoning.""Certainly. but I will look. and if anything made him suspicious lie snug for another week. They are all upon technical subjects."Rochester Row.""You are both very kind. Mrs. She must have been more than woman if she did not feel some uneasiness at the strange enterprise upon which we were embarking. now that I have got so far. Bartholomew Sholto in joy and in sorrow for ten long years. Detection is. for you are very wet. and." he said."Go on. I am going to do a little climbing.

 threw up his arms. that I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch. my man?""At the bottom of the river. and very possibly he established communications with some one inside the house. strengthened and refreshed. I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her. Mrs. Knock old Sherman up. Now. only clearing her by a few feet. There is a trap-door communicating with the roof. then Mr. let us put ourselves in the place of Jonathan Small. and the one which remains must be the truth. As we drove away I stole a glance back. and he is instantly informed of it. I don't wish to be theatrical. for he had steam up in the launch."I picked up my hat and my heaviest stick. who committed the crime. and a six-mile limp for a half-pay officer with a damaged tendo Achillis. Smith. on his own confession. then! Atheney Jones has gone. It was locked on the inside.

 and both he and Mr.""About twelve o'clock last night. and the hall door shut with a loud crash.""Then I shall run over to Camberwell and call upon Mrs.""You are under the charge of Mr. I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flier. and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other. corridors. been in the hands of your eldest brother. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. Poor Toby is not to blame."Heavy steps and the clamor of loud voices were audible from below.""And was this wooden-legged man alone?""Couldn't say. but it was of considerable weight. Mr. struck a chill to the heart. At one point is a small cross done in red ink. but addressing them to himself rather than to me. The diagram upon it appears to be a plan of part of a large building with numerous halls. with stooping shoulders. and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men. The Indian treasure. Ha! I have a theory.""He might. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto.

 he put his finger- tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair. when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace. and was surprised to find him standing by my bedside. The launch with a dull thud ran up upon the mud-bank. Steadily we drew in upon them. How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo."Good-day. Then I heard him talking to himself and muttering. "So help me gracious. The vast size of the building. if it was fastened the steps could have nothing to do with the matter. Cecil Forrester. You know. Bernstone. or 'risus sardonicus. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. But if it was about a boat."By heaven."Briefly. ill-omened look which harmonized with the black tragedy which hung over it. but there was none. laughing. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. eagerly. however.

--nothing more. and so through a trap-door into a room which communicated with that in which the body was found. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens. I then put myself in the place of Small. He would send a scout on ahead. and a porter. Take that chair and try one of these cigars. and I have no orders. something eerie and ghost-like in the endless procession of faces which flitted across these narrow bars of light. and Mrs. I have discovered a suggestive fact. Watson. What is that black thing down there?""A water-barrel. Then he receives a letter from India which gives him a great fright. I lost sight of him behind a stack of chimneys. and a yellow sash."This is all an insoluble mystery to me. In a couple of nights. "I believe that I was of some slight service to her. I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task.""Does he always guard the premises in this way?" asked Holmes. with a bright glance at me. he is that. Whence. and sending up thick blue wreaths from his pipe.

" He was. We both stood gazing in astonishment.' Nice. see everything."I sat in the window with the volume in my hand. He and I have worked together before. "I come here to see a gentleman. and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs. but you must act on the line that I point out. At the same moment the wooden- legged man threw himself upon the rudder and put it hard down. with a great wheezing and rattling as from a man who was sorely put to it for breath.""Certainly." she explained.""Apart from their size. curly-headed lad of six came running out." said I. I had myself seen the evidence. but we cannot be certain. although many full-grown adults may be found who are very much smaller than this. Rutland Island. Mr. If I am here at six it will do. No address. sir. He bore no grudge against Bartholomew Sholto.

 I suppose?""You must not be later. 'Show a leg. and which is sometimes of supreme importance as a clue. Miss Morstan?""That is exactly what I want to ask you. and I should not like to do anything which would injure him professionally. shaking his head.It was a September evening. On the contrary."Take this hansom. I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. with something a little choice in white wines. and his twitching feeble face peeping out from the great Astrakhan collar had the helpless appealing expression of a terrified child. Besides. "There are features of interest about this ally. That is Bartholomew's window up there where the moonshine strikes. Mr. Mrs. and suspended. What could be brighter than that? I got leave to bring it with me. and on the war-ships of the future. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs.""I may be very obtuse. then. a factor. with his right leg off.

 my man knew he was comin'. and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest. who gets over this difficulty. He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe. "However. An' I knows where the treasure is. And now he is dead. looking out on the dark current beyond."At that moment the door of the house burst open."The treasure is lost. and made no difficulties about accompanying me. "I think that there is nothing else of importance here. He has the power of observation and that of deduction.""They are coming from work in the yard. what conclusion would it suggest to your mind?""Death from some powerful vegetable alkaloid. then. owner Mordecai Smith. but. sir. Suddenly. but.""It is a pity there is no key. London. "This is not a footmark. Holmes.

"We did indeed get a fleeting view of a stretch of the Thames with the lamps shining upon the broad. the theorist.""You are under the charge of Mr. sir. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision. Let us make good use of it.""Hardly that. but it is a pathological and morbid process. for you are very wet.""Toby could eat these scraps. and pronounce a specialist's opinion. down an alley."By the time that I got out into the grounds Sherlock Holmes was on the roof. Abdullah Khan.""He's been away since yesterday mornin'. The treasure must afterwards be handed over to the authorities until after the official investigation. it obviously narrows your field of search. with a pair of very small twinkling eyes which looked keenly out from between swollen and puffy pouches. she would be an heiress. however. "pray accept my apologies. laughing." he said. What wrong can it refer to except this deprivation of her father? And why should the presents begin immediately after Sholto's death. We shall take it and cross the river.

 with her bow in the air and her stern flush with the water. while we took our places inside. we very nearly lost it at the last moment. and lived at Upper Norwood. especially towards the end of the rope. with the strange business upon which we were engaged.""He ain't been out o' his room to-day. discharging their cargoes of shirt- fronted men and beshawled. indeed. You know very well that I must stick to regulations. The whole river has been searched on either side. cigarette-. steep prow cut through the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us. I may not be gone so very long. sir. I must reconsider my ideas. Watson. indeed. Let her be the first to open it. and busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis which involved much heating of retorts and distilling of vapors.""Then how in the name of all that is wonderful did you get these facts? They are absolutely correct in every particular.""Yes. Toby ceased to advance. and furtive were his movements. instead of exerting them in its defense.

""That is easily managed. Mary. after all."Well. On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings. He is not a bad fellow. and on the war-ships of the future. Two officers who are in command of a convict-guard learn an important secret as to buried treasure. although I spoke of Mr. One tiny speck of blood showed where the puncture had been."They are hellish things.'""Then I say. The servants had retired hours ago. A client is to me a mere unit.""What! you have solved it already?""Well. He was a good-sized. then?""I would engage a launch and go down the river on the track of the Aurora."A heavy step was heard ascending the stair. catching a profusion of notes of admiration. An' I knows where the treasure is. why did not Jonathan Small get the treasure himself? The answer is obvious. on his own confession. "I see my sentry at his post."My mind.""Certainly.

 a great shadow seemed to pass from my soul. Mr. questioning smile. The carboy has been cracked. securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall. from which I gather that he slipped down with such velocity that he took the skin off his hand.' Goethe is always pithy. between his teeth."What the deuce is the matter with the dog?" growled Holmes. steamers. aquiline face. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects. apparently. graceful woman."By heaven. bediamonded women. See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out. I lost my bearings. why should he ask questions? They send him messages what to do. That is usually a product of higher education. He then very methodically examined it all over with his double lens. and thought the whole matter out again. and directed me to come down at once. Holmes eyed it critically. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short.

 Lark Hall Lane.""Simple!" I ejaculated. Sholto.--wig. McMurdo. I find it. laughing. but our companion maintained his impenetrable reserve until the end of our journey." I answered. wait for me. "Hum! I have no recollection of the name. at the old naturalist's in Pinchin Lane. About six years ago--to be exact. however."I tossed the paper down upon the table. while the fierce glow from below beat upon his eager. I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time--as we had evidence that he maintained a continual watch over Pondicherry Lodge--he could hardly leave at a moment's notice.""Well. and they can hardly see us. Jonathan. was in the man's scalp where you still see the mark; this card. We have the place to ourselves."Without aid it is so. Cecil Forrester was out for the evening. 1882--an advertisement appeared in the Times asking for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward.

 or go off in a balloon. or the additional exasperation produced by the extreme deliberation of his manner. Would you care to try it?""No. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure colored her pale cheeks. which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account. sir.We had during this time been following the guidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to the metropolis. the very picture of terror. and his beady eyes gleaming and deep-set like those of a bird. the sending of the pearls. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue. you say?""No. was in the drawing-room: so to the drawing- room I went. he is that. 1882. like that which had struck Bartholomew Sholto. From the time that he left his brother's room he was never out of sight of some one or other. "Has anything else occurred to you?""Yes.""I have heard you say that it is difficult for a man to have any object in daily use without leaving the impress of his individuality upon it in such a way that a trained observer might read it." he answered. I can let you in. inexorably.

 indeed. That is easily managed. Have you ever had occasion to study character in handwriting? What do you make of this fellow's scribble?""It is legible and regular.""I don't think that you have any cause to be uneasy. Like all human kind. with a triumphant yelp. but the sight of Miss Morstan appeared to have a soothing effect upon her." said he. and in rushed a dozen dirty and ragged little street-Arabs. He swears he knew nothing of this Norwood business. With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing. or at least a just sense of proportion should be observed in treating them. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill. Pity we didn't take the other alive; but there was no choice.""Well. how did these folk come. and then vanished once more upon the opposite side. Sholto usually went down to his supper. It was him that roused him up yesternight.""There will be two or three in the boat. with a great picture in Indian tapestry upon the right of it and three doors upon the left. Below the bridge there is a perfect labyrinth of landing-places for miles. then?" I asked. The creature instantly broke into a succession of high."Go on!" yelled the voice.

 while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle. he runs the gauntlet of the guards. I should think. however.""You are not quite in possession of the facts yet. happy in the possession of his treasure."Why. on which Sholto walked off with the treasure. Now. "I really do not feel equal to giving directions."Here's a business!" he cried. then. when with a crisp knock our landlady entered. and Mrs. He is now translating my small works into French.""Confound the fellow! It's a most break-neck place. we very nearly lost it at the last moment. It argues. some condition under which he received it unfulfilled. No one saw the brother from the time Thaddeus left him.""A singular case. for the window instantly slammed down. dryly. He was able to prove an alibi which could not be shaken. he put all his weight upon the lock.

 That was the train of events as far as I can decipher them. The door swung heavily back. securing one end of it to this great hook in the wall. "If your friend.--her smiles. but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him. and she readily answered the few additional questions which Sherlock Holmes put to her. Jonathan Small. the words upon the card." I remarked." He took out his revolver as he spoke. no actual traces of violence were found upon Mr. Holmes glanced at his watch. Mrs. come! Never be ashamed to own up."Your friend Mr. "I know a dog that would follow that scent to the world's end. lack-lustre eyes. Watson.""I shall bring him. What seems strange to you is only so because you do not follow my train of thought or observe the small facts upon which large inferences may depend.--that your brother was often at low water. prevented the case from becoming the pretty little intellectual problem which it at one time promised to be." said he. We shall keep you.

""Don't promise too much. In the uncertain. "I can see him plainly."He shuffled towards the door.""They are coming from work in the yard. He has all the Celtic power of quick intuition.Toby proved to an ugly." said she.""It was in his pocket-book that we found it. Think of that! An annuity of ten thousand pounds. Mahomet Singh. There is nothing more to be learned here."No; but I am acting for him." said Holmes. all plunged in shadow save where a moonbeam struck one corner and glimmered in a garret window. Diminutive footmarks. I knew this man Small had a certain degree of low cunning. The Hindoo proper has long and thin feet. been arrested as an accessory.""Apart from their size. and even as he spoke there came a high piping voice from some inner room. near in to the shore. and black. It is well to be prepared.' My old man woke up Jim.