Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 18 Research on Scarlet Characters 18
He turned the corner and saw head-on where the campfire was lit.There was still a heap of ashes flickering there, but it was seen that the fire had not been tended since he was gone.There was a dead silence all around, and the fear he had just now had become a reality.He hurried forward.There was nothing alive around the dead fire: the horse, the old man, and the girl were all gone.It could not have been more obvious: in his absence a catastrophe had struck here so suddenly that they had not escaped and left no trace.

Hou Po was stunned by the sudden blow and was at a loss for a moment. He felt dizzy and dizzy, and almost fell to the ground, and had to support his body with the rifle.However, Hou Po had a strong will after all, and soon calmed down.He picked up a half-charred stick from the fire and blew it aflame.By the light of the fire, he carefully inspected his surroundings.There are horseshoe marks all over the ground, which means that a group of people on horseback caught up with them. Judging from the direction of those hoof marks, they went back to Salt Lake City.Hou Po was sure that Lucy and the others must have been taken back.However, when he looked around again, his heart was in his throat with fright, and all his hair stood on end.Not far from their resting place, he found a new pile of red earth, like a newly dug grave.When Hou Po approached it and took a closer look, it was indeed a new tomb. He found a wooden stick stuck in the mound of soil, and a piece of paper was stuck in the crack of the wooden stick. There were several words written on the paper:

John Ferrier

Lived in Salt Lake City Died August [-], [-]

Only a few hours after he left, the old man died tragically, and these words are his epitaph.He looked around again to see if there was another grave, but found nothing.It seems that Lucy has been captured by the Mormons, met her fate, married the elder's son, and became a concubine to be played by others.When Hou Po thought of Lucy's tragic fate, and he could not save her, he really wanted to die and be with this venerable old man who was buried in the ground.

However, his strong desire for revenge finally dispelled the excessive sadness caused by despair.He has nothing to worry about, and if he has nothing, at least he can spend the rest of his life on revenge.With the indomitable patience and perseverance of Jefferson Hope, he also possessed the indomitable vengeance.These may have been subtly acquired from the Indians when he lived with them.Standing by the miserable fire, he felt that the only way to alleviate his pain was to take full and hearty revenge, to kill his enemy with his own hands.He is determined to use his firm will and strong energy to achieve this goal.Pale and hideous, he walked back along the tracks to the place where he had thrown away the meat.He rekindled the dying fire, and over it cooked enough meat to last him for several days.Then, he bundled the roasted meat into a package, followed the footsteps of those avenging angels, over mountains and mountains, and chased them back regardless of his physical fatigue.

He walked hard for five days along the mountain path that he used to ride on horseback, until he was exhausted and his feet hurt unbearably.At night, he lay among the rocks and slept for several hours indiscriminately, but before it was clear, he was already on his way.On the sixth day, he finally dragged his tired body to the Valley of the Eagles--this is where their unfortunate escape began.He looked out over the Mormon homeland from Eagle Valley.At this time, he was tired and haggard, leaning on his rifle, and slamming his bony fists fiercely at the peaceful land and the noisy city under his feet.As he looked towards the city, he saw flags and some festival signs hanging on the main streets.Just as he was guessing the reason, he suddenly heard the sound of a horse's hooves, and then saw a man riding towards him.As the visitor approached, Hope recognized him as a Mormon named Cobb.Hope, who had helped him several times before, greeted him as he approached, and wished to inquire from him of Lucy's fate.

He said, "I'm Jefferson Hope. Do you remember me?"

The Mormon looked at him with undisguised surprise on his face.Indeed, it was difficult for people to recognize this pale, fierce-eyed, ragged, unkempt tramp as the handsome young hunter of the past.But Cobb's astonishment turned to horror when he recognized that it was indeed Hope.

He cried out in horror: "You are crazy, and you dare to run back. If someone sees me talking to you, I will die too, do you know? Because you helped Ferrier and his daughter escape, you have been wanted .”

Hou Po said very earnestly: "I am not afraid of them, and I am not afraid of the so-called wanted ones. Cooper, since you already know, I beg you to answer a few questions for me. We have always been friends. For God's sake, please Don't reject me."

The Mormon said very disturbedly, "If you have any questions, ask them quickly. Here the stones have ears, and the trees have eyes."

"How is Lucy Ferrier?"

"She married little Draper yesterday. Now, stand still, I see you so out of your mind."

"Leave me alone," Hou Po said feebly.His lips were all white, and he sat on the rock he leaned against just now in despair, "So she's married?"

"Married yesterday, and that's why the flags were hung in the street. Little Draper and little Ster Jackson got into an argument about marrying her. They both went after them, and Ster Jason didn't." He killed Lucy's father, so he thought he had more reasons to marry her. However, when the Four Saints Council decided, because Draper was relatively powerful, the prophet married Lucy to the little Draper. But I don't think he'll keep her for long, because when I saw Lucy yesterday, she was pale and lifeless, not a human being, but a ghost. Why, are you going?"

"Yes, I'm going," said Jefferson Hope, and rose.His face was carved of stone, hard and stern, and his eyes burned with vengeance.

"Where are you going?"

"You don't care," he replied, and then he slung his weapon on his shoulders and strode into the valley, into the place where the beasts haunted deep in the mountains.

That Mormon prophecy really came true.Poor Lucy, despondent and emaciated from the tragic death of her father, and forced into this hateful marriage, died within a month.Her drunken husband, who had married her chiefly for John Ferrier's fortune, did not feel much grief at her death.Instead, his wives and concubines mourned Lucy's death and, according to the Mormon custom, kept a vigil for her the day before her burial.In the early morning of the next day, when they were sitting around the coffin, the door of the house was slammed open, and a man with a ferocious face and ragged clothes broke in.The tough man paid no heed to the women cowering in terror, but approached the pale, quiet body that once contained the pure soul of Lucy Ferrier, and prayed reverently on her cold brow. kissed.Then he took her hand and removed the wedding ring from her finger.He screamed sadly: "She must not be buried with this!" Before people could react, he had already jumped downstairs and fled.It happened so strangely, so suddenly, that even the watchers themselves would have found it hard to believe that it was not a hallucination, let alone the undeniable fact that Lucy's bridal ring hadn't disappeared. up.

For several months Jefferson Hope wandered in the mountains, living the life of a savage, intent on revenge.During this period, all kinds of rumors about the strange man were popular in Salt Lake City, saying that he sometimes sneaked in the suburbs, and sometimes haunted the deep mountains and valleys.At one point, a bullet whizzed through Sturt Jason's window and hit the wall less than a foot away from him.Another time, as Draper walked down a cliff, a boulder fell from above his head.He hurriedly lay down on the ground, only to escape the disaster of being crushed to death.It doesn't take long for the two young Mormons to discover the source of the attempted murder.Therefore, they led people into the mountains many times, hoping to catch or kill their enemies, but they never succeeded.Helpless, they had to take precautionary measures.They never went out alone or at night, and guards were posted around the house.After a time they gradually relaxed their vigilance, for they neither saw nor heard from their enemy.They hope that time will dilute the determination of the enemy to revenge.

But this is not the case. Hou Po's desire for revenge has not become cold, but has grown stronger day by day.He has strong perseverance and an indomitable spirit. Apart from revenge, there is no other goal that can occupy his heart and make him fight for it.He was a very practical man, and he came to realize that even his most robust physique could not withstand overwork.The harsh environment and diet will quickly destroy one's body. If he dies like a homeless wild dog, who will avenge him?Living in the mountains for a long time will definitely not last long. Isn't this what the enemy is looking forward to?Thinking of this, he pulled himself together and went back to the Nevada Mine, where he recovered his strength and accumulated enough money so that he would not fall into poverty when he hunted down his enemies in the future.

He originally wanted to work in the Nevada mine for one year, but unexpected difficulties prevented him from getting out, so he stayed in the mine for five years.Although five years had passed, he still remembered the past as vividly as when he stood by John Ferrier's grave, and his hatred for his enemy was not diminished, and his vengeance was not cold.He disguised himself, concealed his identity, and returned to Salt Lake City.He only hopes that justice can defeat evil, and he has long disregarded life and death.When he arrived in Salt Lake City, he got some bad news.A few months ago, there was a rebellion within the Mormon Church. The young sect wanted to overthrow the rule of the elders. As a result, many people left the church, became heretics, and left Utah.Draper and Ster Jason were among them, and no one knew what happened to them.It was also heard that Draper had sold most of his property, and left a very rich man.In contrast, Site Jason is much inferior.Unfortunately, there are no clues to find them.

Faced with such difficulties, the average person might shrink back and not intend to take revenge.But Jefferson Hope never wavered in his determination to revenge.With his little savings, he went from one city to another to find his sworn enemy, almost all over the United States.When the money ran out, he found work to scrape by.Year after year, his hair gradually changed from black to gray, but he continued to wander and search, just like a keen hound that never gives up.He devoted all his energy to the cause of revenge, for which he dedicated his life.Finally, hard work pays off.By chance, he caught a glimpse of the face of his enemy in the window, and it was this glimpse that told him that the person he was looking for was in Cleveland, Ohio.He returned to his humble residence and thought of a revenge plan.But, by coincidence, Draper also recognized the street bum through the window that day, and found murderous intent hidden in his eyes.So, with Ster Jackson (who was already his private secretary) with him, he hastened to the local magistrate, saying that their lives were now threatened by the envy of their old rivals.Jefferson Hope was arrested that night, and, because he had no surety, was imprisoned for several weeks.By the time he got out of prison, the house he found was long gone, and Draper and Ster Jason had gone to Europe.

This time, Jefferson Hope's plan did not materialize.However, his vengeful spirit inspired him to continue the pursuit.Because he has no travel expenses and has to support his life, he can only work for a period of time and save some money for his future actions.Finally, having saved enough money to support him, he set out for Europe.He searched for his enemies from city to city all over Europe, and when the money ran out he did whatever work he could do, no matter how humble he was, he didn't care.But he never caught up with those two desperadoes.When he arrived in St. Petersburg, they had already gone to Paris; when he arrived in Paris, they went to Copenhagen; London.In London, Hope kept a close eye on them, and would not let them slip away.They too were cornered.As for what happened later, we might as well listen to the avenging angel's own narrative, which was recorded verbatim in Watson's diary.Thanks to his detailed records, we are able to learn those details towards the end of the story.

(End of this chapter)