The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 13 Research on Scarlet Characters (12)
Hope patted the handle of the revolver exposed under the skirt of his coat, and said with a sneer, "Even if we are outnumbered, at least two or three must be killed."

All the lights in the house had already been extinguished.Ferrier looked out of the darkened window, at the land that had been his, and that he was about to give up forever.For this sacrifice, he has always brooded.But when he thought of his daughter's honor and happiness, he felt that he would not hesitate to lose his fortune.The rustling woods and the endless peaceful fields now seem so peaceful and make people feel happy.But no one would expect that this is the place where those murderous demon kings haunt.The young hunter's pale face and tense expression showed that when he climbed close to this house, he had already seen clearly the dangerous situation here.

Ferrier carried the purse, Jefferson Hope the meager rations and water, and Lucy a little bag containing some of her valuables.Slowly, slowly, very carefully they opened the window.When a dark cloud obscured the night, they went out one by one through the window and into the little garden.They held their breath, stooped, and stomped across the garden into the shadow of the garden hedge.They followed the fence until they came to a gap that opened into a wheat field.They had just come to this gap when Hope suddenly seized the father and daughter, and dragged them into the shadows.They lay there quietly, trembling with fright.

Hope had been trained on the prairie for a long time, and his ears were as sharp as a lynx.As soon as they lay down, they heard the scream of an owl a few steps away from them.Soon, there was another echo from a place not far away.I saw an indistinct figure appearing at the gap they made with their own hands, and he also uttered this miserable signal, and immediately, another person came out of the darkness in response.

"Tomorrow in the middle of the night, we will attack when the owl crows three times." The first person said so, and it seemed that he was the leader.

The other replied, "Okay, shall I pass it on to Brother Drebber?"

"Tell him and let him pass it on to the others. Nine to seven!"

"Seven to five!" continued another.So, the two parted ways.The last two sentences they said were obviously a question-and-answer signal.As soon as they had gone far, and the sound of their footsteps died away, Jefferson Hope sprang to his feet, and helping his companion through the gap, led them across the field as swiftly as he could.At this time, Lucy seemed to be exhausted, so he half-supported and half-dragged her and ran away.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" he urged again and again, out of breath, "We've already crossed the cordon. It's all about speed now, run!"

As soon as they got onto the road, they moved forward quickly.On the way, they encountered someone once, so they immediately dodged into the wheat field to avoid being seen through.As they approached the edge of the town, Hope turned again into a rough path leading into the mountains.In the darkness, I saw two towering and dark mountains appearing in front of my eyes.The narrow channel in which they traveled was the Valley of the Eagles, and here the horses waited for them.With unerring skill, Hope picked his way among the heaps of stones.He followed a dry creek to a place of calm sheltered by rocks.Faithful mules and horses were tied there.Lucy mounted a mule.Old Ferrier took his purse and mounted a horse.Jefferson Hope, on the other, led them along the steep pass.

For anyone unfamiliar with the naked face of nature, this rugged mountain road must make them afraid to go forward.On the side of the mountain road is a cliff with steep mountains and rocks, and the darkness is very dangerous.The stone beams on the cliff are like the ribs on the devil's fossil body.On the other side, there are rocks criss-crossing, with no way to go.In the middle, there is only this winding path.The trail is so narrow in places that only one person can pass through it.The mountain road is rugged and difficult, and only those who often ride horses can pass.In spite of all these difficulties, the spirits of these fugitives were happy, because every step they took was a step away from the tyrannical place from which they had just fled.

However, they soon found out that they still hadn't escaped the Mormons' sphere of influence.When they came to the most desolate part of the mountain road, Lucy suddenly screamed and pointed upwards.It turned out that on a rock overlooking the mountain road, which looked very dark against the night light, there was a guard standing alone.When they found him, he saw them too.Then, there was a shout in the quiet valley: "Who is walking there?"

"A passenger for Nevada," answered Jefferson Hope, gripping the saddle-side rifle.

They could see the lone sentry finger on the trigger, looking down at them, seemingly dissatisfied with their answers.

The sentinel called again: "Who approved it?"

Ferrier replied, "Approved by the Four Saints." According to his experience in Mormonism, the highest authority in the religion is the Four Saints.

"Nine to seven," the sentinel called.

"Seven to five," replied Jefferson Hope at once, recalling the password he had heard in the garden.

The people above said: "Go over, may God bless you." After passing this pass, the road ahead becomes wider, and the horses can let go and trot forward.Looking back, they could still see the sentry, standing there alone, leaning on his gun.At this moment, they knew that they had crossed the frontier of the Mormon parish, and that freedom lay ahead.

twelve avenging angels
In one night, they walked through some intricate paths and rugged and rocky mountain paths.They deviated from the path more than once, but thanks to Hou Bo's familiarity with the conditions in the mountains, they got back on the right path.After dawn, a strange scene appeared in front of their eyes. Although the scene looked very desolate, it was extremely magnificent.Now they were in the midst of a range of snow-capped mountains, overlapping each other as far as the distant horizon.There are cliffs on both sides of the mountain road, and the larch growing on it seems to hang over their heads, as if a gust of wind will blow it down and press it on their heads.But this is not entirely an imaginary fear, because in this desolate valley, there are overgrown trees and rocks, and trees and rocks have rolled down like this before.While they were advancing, a boulder rumbled and rolled down. The rumbling sound echoed in the quiet canyon for a long time, and even the tired horses were frightened.

When the sun rises slowly from the eastern horizon, the peaks are lit up one after another, just like the scene of lighting up a banquet, until all the peaks are smeared with a reddish color and become dazzling and bright.This spectacle lifted the spirits of the three fugitives, and their motivation to move forward increased.They stopped at the mouth of a raging ravine to let the horses drink.In the meantime, they also had a quick breakfast.Lucy and her father would have liked to rest a little longer, but Jefferson Hope insisted on going quickly.He said: "At this time, they are probably chasing up along our tracks. Success or failure depends entirely on the speed of our progress. As long as we can reach Carson City safely, it does not matter if we rest for the rest of our lives."

The whole day, they rush forward in the mountain road.When dusk approached, they calculated their distance and estimated that they were more than 30 miles away from the pursuers.At night, they chose to settle down under the hanging rock where they could avoid the cold wind.In order to keep warm, the three of them huddled tightly together and slept for several hours.But before dawn they set off.They had seen no sign of pursuit, and Jefferson Hope thought they might have escaped from the grip of the dreadful organization which had persecuted them.However, he had no idea how far that demonic palm could extend, let alone that this demonic palm would approach them immediately and wipe them out.

The day after they fled, around noon, the small rations were about to be eaten up.However, the incident did not disturb the hunter.Because in the mountains, there are many birds and beasts that can be hunted to satisfy hunger.He used to live on his rifle in the old days.He chose a secluded and secluded place, and gathered some dry sticks to light a fire, and keep his companions warm.They were now on a mountain five thousand feet above sea level, and there was bone-piercing cold air everywhere.After he had tied up his mules and horses, and said good-bye to Lucy, he put on his rifle and went out to try his luck in the hope of getting something back.He looked back and saw that the old man and the young girl were gathering around the fire to keep warm, while the mule and horse stood motionless behind.After walking a few more steps, Dashi blocked them, and he couldn't see them.

He climbed over the mountains and walked more than two miles, but found nothing.However, marks on tree trunks and other signs point to the presence of numerous wild bears nearby.But he searched for two or three hours, but to no avail.Finally, when he was about to go back empty-handed, he suddenly looked up and felt elated.It turned out that on the edge of a protruding cliff three or four hundred feet above the ground, there stood a beast, which looked like a sheep, but was "armed" with a pair of huge long horns.This guy who is called "Big Horn" may be standing guard for his kind.As it happened, the beast had its back turned to Hope, so it did not notice him.He sprawled on the ground, propped his gun on a rock, took aim slowly and steadily, and fired.The beast jumped up, struggled a few times against the edge of the rock, and then tumbled to the bottom of the ravine.

The beast was too heavy for a man to carry, so Hope cut off one of the legs and some of the haunches.At this time, the sky had already darkened, and there was nothingness everywhere.Hope picked up the trophies on his back and hurried back along the way he came.But he was about to take a step when he remembered that he was in trouble.For while he had set his heart on the hunt for the Beast he had traveled so far, so far from the valleys he knew, that he could no longer find the way he had trod.He felt that the valley he was in had turned into thousands of ravines for a moment, and everything was so similar that it was almost unrecognizable.He walked more than a mile along a ravine, and came to a place where a mountain stream flowed.He was sure he had never seen this mountain stream when he came.He concluded that he had gone the wrong way, so he chose another one, which was still wrong.It was going to be dark soon, and when he finally found a trail he knew well, it was completely dark.Although he has found this familiar path, it is not easy to avoid making mistakes along this small path now.At this time, the moon has not yet risen, and there are cliffs on both sides of the path, making the road extremely difficult.At this time, Hope was carrying a heavy load, and he was overwhelmed by the pressure. Besides, he was very tired after a long day's work.Still, he staggered on, and when he thought of going one step closer to Lucy, and bringing so much food with him for the rest of their journey, his spirits lifted again.

He was now at the entrance of the valley where they had been left.Even in the darkness, he could make out the outlines of the boulders blocking the entrance.They must be waiting anxiously for him, he thought, for he had been gone almost five hours.Feeling happy for a while, he couldn't help putting his hands around his mouth, calling loudly through the echo of the canyon, indicating that he was back.He paused, listening expectantly for the echo.However, there was nothing but his own voice hitting the silent and desolate canyon walls and returning to form countless echoes.He called again, louder than the first, but he heard no echo from his friends who had been parted so recently.He vaguely felt a kind of inexplicable panic, so he rushed over in a hurry, and in his haste, he also threw away the precious animal meat.

He turned the corner, and at a glance he saw clearly the situation where the fire was lit just now.There was still a glowing coal fire there, but it was evident that no one had tended it since he was gone.The surroundings are also dead silent, and the original fear has now become a reality.He hurried forward, but there was nothing alive by the fire.The horse, the old man, and the maiden were all gone.It was evident that some terrible and sudden disaster had occurred after his departure, and none of them had been spared, and no trace had been left.

This unexpected blow made Hope panic-stricken and dumbfounded.All he could do was spin, and he grabbed his rifle for support so he wouldn't fall.However, he is a strong-willed person after all, and he quickly woke up from this state.He picked up a half-charred piece of wood from the fire, blew it alight, and by the light he inspected the resting place.The ground was full of marks trampled by horseshoes, which showed that a large group of horsemen had overtaken the fugitives.From the direction in which they were leaving, they turned back to Salt Lake City.Did they take both of his companions?Hope was almost sure they must have done that.However, when his eyes fell on one thing, his hair couldn't help but stand upside down - not a few steps away from their original resting place, there was a pile of low-rise red soil, which must have been there before .Yes, this is a newly built tomb.When the young hunter approached, he noticed that there was still a wooden stick stuck in the mound, and a piece of paper was stuck in the crack of the wooden stick. A few words were written on the paper, but clearly:

John Ferrier

Lived in Salt Lake City, died August [-], [-]
Not long after he left, the strong old man died, and these words became his epitaph.Jefferson Hope searched again to see if there was a second grave, but found no trace.Lucy had been carried back by these dreadful pursuers to her original destiny as concubine to the elder's son.When the young man realized that her fate was indeed like this, and there was nothing he could do, he really wanted to follow the old farmer to his final resting place.

But at last his optimism got the better of this overwhelmed sentimentality born of despair.If there is no other way, he can at least spend his life in revenge.Jefferson Hope had indomitable patience and perseverance, so his determination to revenge was so firm.His determined vengeance may have been learned from his days with the Indians.Standing by the desolate fire, he felt that nothing but complete, clean, and joyful vengeance, and the slaying of his enemy with his own hands, could relieve his grief.He made up his mind to devote all his strong will and boundless energy to revenge.His face was pale and hideous, and he walked step by step to find the way to find the place where he lost the animal meat.He stoked the dying fire and roasted the meat until it was cooked enough to last him for several days.He bundled the roasted meat into a package.At this time, although he was already very tired, he still followed the footsteps of these avenging angels, crossed the mountain, and walked back step by step.

He had walked for five days with great difficulty along the roads he had ridden before, and his feet were sore and weary.At night, he would lie between the rocks and sleep for hours.But before dawn, he got up and started on his way again.On the sixth day, he came to Eagle Valley.It was here that they began their ill-fated escape.Looking down from Eagle Valley, he could see the farm homes of the Mormons.Now, he is emaciated and emaciated.Leaning on his rifle, he fiercely waved his skinny fists at the quiet and vast city below him.As he was looking at the city, he noticed flags and other signs of festivals hanging in some of the main streets.When he was guessing the reason, he suddenly heard the sound of horseshoes running, and saw a man running towards him on horseback.As the rider approached, Hope recognized a Mormon named Cooper.Hope, who had helped him several times, greeted him as he approached, and wanted to know from him about Lucy's fate.

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

The Mormon looked at him with undisguised surprise.Indeed, this pale, ferocious, ragged, unkempt vagabond makes it difficult for people to connect him with the young and handsome hunter of that day.But when at last he was sure it was Hope, his astonishment turned to horror.

He shouted: "You are crazy, how dare you come here. If someone sees me talking to you, even my life will be lost. Because you helped Ferrier and his daughter escape, the Four Saints have issued an arrest warrant is you."

Hope said earnestly: "I am not afraid of them, and I am not afraid of their arrest. Cooper, you must have heard about this. I beg you to answer a few questions for me. We have always been friends, please look at God For your sake, don't reject me."

The Mormon asked anxiously, "What's the question? Say it quickly! These stones have ears, and these trees have eyes."

"How is Lucy Ferrier?"

(End of this chapter)