The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 26 Four Signatures (10)
Holmes said to me softly, "If he raises his hand, we will shoot." Now there was only a gap between the two boats, and the two boats could be seen more clearly.The white man was yelling with his legs crossed, and the little black man was facing our lights with an angry face, gnashing his teeth and screaming.

Fortunately we can see them clearly.The little black man took out a short round stick that looked like a wooden ruler from under the blanket and held it to his lips.We pulled the trigger immediately, and two rounds were fired simultaneously.The black man turned around and threw his hands up, falling into Hanoi, and in an instant I saw his vicious eyes disappear in the white swirl.At this moment, the wooden-legged man rushed to the rudder, and pulled the tiller with all his strength, and the ship suddenly rushed towards the south bank. We avoided its stern by a distance of several feet, but we did not collide with it.We then changed direction and caught up.At that time, the "Dawn" had already approached the south bank, and there was a desolate wilderness on the bank. The moonlight shone on the open swamp, and patches of stagnant water and piles of rotting plants gathered on the ground.The steamer ran aground on the shore, her bow soaring into the sky, her stern submerged in the water.The bandit jumped onto the bank, but his wooden leg sank entirely into the mud.He struggled hard, but couldn't move.He jumped wildly with his left foot, but the wooden leg sank deeper and deeper into the mud.By the time we got the boat to shore, he was pinned there and couldn't move an inch.We threw a rope from the boat over his shoulders and pulled him aboard like a fish.The Smiths, father and son, were sitting on the boat with sad faces. After hearing our order, they left the "Dawn" helplessly and walked over to the boat.A refined Indian iron box was placed on the deck of the ship. It was easy to know that it was the treasure box that caused Sholto's disaster.The case was keyless and very heavy, and we carried it carefully into our cabin.We towed the "Dawn" behind, and slowly sailed back upstream.We kept shining our searchlights on the river, but the black man was long gone, presumably dead at the bottom of the Thames.

"Look here," said Holmes, pointing to the hatch. "Our guns are almost late." Just behind where we had stood, there was a poisonous stinger, which came at about the time we fired.Holmes still smiled at the stinger with his usual shrug and smile, but I still think of the circumstances that were at stake that night with horror.

Eleven Treasures of Agra

Our prisoner sat in the cabin, facing the iron box he had worked so hard to acquire for many years.His skin was tanned by the sun, and his eyes betrayed the boldness of his nature.His face was wrinkled, and it was obvious that he had done hard work outdoors for many years.His mustache protruding from the jaw shows a stubborn character.His curly black hair was mostly gray, and he should be in his fifties.In normal times, his appearance is not ugly.But in rage, his bushy eyebrows and vicious jaw made a hideous face.He sat there with his handcuffed hands on his knees and bowed his head in silence, constantly looking with his piercing eyes at the iron box that made him commit crimes.To me, there seemed to be more grief than anger in his expression.Once he looked up at me with what seemed to be some humor in his eyes.

Holmes lit a cigar and said: "Jonozhan Small, I am very sorry to see the way things have come to this."

He replied bluntly: "Sir, I don't want to either. I don't think I can escape this life. But I swear to you, I really didn't want to kill Mr. Scholto. The goddam stinger killed him. Sir, I didn't know. Mr. Sholto's death gave me a hard time. I whipped the kid with a rope, but the man is dead, so what? There is a way!"

Holmes said: "You smoke a cigar first. You see that you are completely soaked. Drink some wine from my bottle to warm up first. Let me ask you, when you climbed up the rope, how did you know that the little man How can the impotent black boy deal with Mr. Sholto?"

"Sir, you say this as if you saw it with your own eyes. I thought there was no one in the house. I know the living habits of the people there very well. It was the time when Mr. Sholto usually went downstairs for dinner. I don't want to hide anything, I think the truth is my best defense now. If the old major was in the house, I would have strangled him without mercy. I killed him and smoked this cigar. What a difference. Now it hurts that I'm in jail because of little Sholto, because I had nothing to do with him."

"You are now in the custody of Mr. Ethelney Jones, Scotland Yard. He is going to take you to my house, and I will give you a statement. You must tell me the truth, and if you are honest, Perhaps I can help you. I think I can prove that the poison of the stinger is so quick that Mr. Sholto was poisoned and died before you crawled into the house."

"Sir, it's like this. He died first. When I climbed into the window and saw his crooked head grinning, I was terrified. If Tongge didn't run fast, I would have killed him at that time." That's why he later told me how he dropped the stick and the bag of stingers in his panic. I think these things must have given you some clues to help you track us down. As for you I can’t think of anyone who connects the clues and catches me. This is my own fault, and I can’t blame you.” He smiled bitterly again, “But this is really a strange thing. You see, you have the right to I, who enjoyed the 50 pounds, actually spent the first half of my life building breakwaters in the Andaman Islands, and I am afraid that the rest of my life will have to dig ditches in the Dutt Moor. Since the first day I met the businessman Achmet and A After having a relationship with the treasure of Guerra, I was unlucky. No one who got involved with this treasure was unlucky. The merchant died because of the treasure, and Major Sholto brought him fear and guilt because of the treasure, and I was I'm going to do hard labor for life."

At this moment, Ethelney Jones put her head in from the cabin and said: "You are really like a family reunited. Please give me some wine, Holmes. We should all congratulate each other. It is a pity that the other one was not seen." There is no other way for us to capture it alive. Holmes, it is fortunate that you act quickly, or you will surely fall into his hands."

Holmes said: "The result is finally satisfactory. But I didn't expect that the ship 'Dawn' could have such a speed."

Jones said: "According to Smith, the Dawn was one of the fastest steamboats on the Thames. If there had been a man to help him steer it, we would never have caught up with it. He also swore that he was right. Didn't know anything about the tragedy at Upper Norwood."

Our prisoner cried, "He really doesn't know. I hired him because I heard he was a fast boat. We didn't tell him anything, but paid a good price. If he can send us He'll get another big fee for boarding the Emerald at Gravesand, bound for Brazil."

Jones said: "If he has no crime, we will deal with it lightly. Although we catch people very quickly, we are also cautious in sentencing." At this time, the arrogant Jones has gradually revealed his majestic attitude towards the prisoner.From Holmes's slight smile, I could see that Jones' words had caught his attention.

Jones continued: "We are approaching Vauxhall Bridge. Here, Dr. Watson, you can disembark with the treasure chest. I think you are well aware of how much I am responsible for this. Evidently, This kind of practice is extremely illegal. But since I have said it before, I can't break my promise to you. But because the treasure is very valuable, it is my duty to send a sheriff to accompany you. Are you going to go by car?"

"I'm going to go by car."

"It's a pity there's no key here, otherwise we could have pre-counted it. I'm afraid you'll have to break open the box. Where's the key, Small?"

Small said curtly, "Under the river."

"Humph! You have given us this unnecessary trouble. We have spent a lot of manpower and material resources for you. But doctor, I don't have to tell you anymore, please be careful. When you come back, take the box to Baker Come to the street, we will wait for you there before we go to the police station."

I disembarked at Vauxhall, with a heavy chest of treasure, and accompanied by a mild-mannered and frank sheriff, and in a quarter of an hour we reached the house of Mrs Sissel Forrester.The maid who opened the door was surprised by my evening visitor, and said that Mrs Forrester was not at home and would not be back until late at night, while Miss Morstan was now in the drawing room.I asked the sheriff to wait in the car, and walked straight into the living room with the treasure chest.

She was sitting in front of the window, wearing a white translucent dress with red belts around her neck and waist.She leaned on a wicker chair under the soft light that shone through the canopy.A white arm rests on the back of the chair, and the light shines on her beautiful and solemn face and golden fluffy hair. Her posture and expression indicate that she seems to have infinite melancholy accumulated in her heart.She stood up when she heard my footsteps, her face flushed with surprise and joy.

She said: "I heard the sound of a car outside the door. I thought it was Mrs. Forrester who came back early, but I didn't expect it to be you. What news did you bring me?"

I put the box on the table. Although I was depressed, I still pretended to be happy and said, "What I bring is better than news. What I bring is more precious than any news. I bring you wealth."

She glanced at the iron box and asked coldly, "Is that a treasure?"

"Yes, there is the great treasure of Agra in the chest. One half is yours, the other half belongs to Mr. Thaddeus Sholto. You should each have about £25. Come to think of it, the annual interest is Ten thousand pounds, which is rare among English women. Isn't that something to celebrate?"

I probably went too far in expressing my joy, and she already felt that my sincerity was not enough.She raised her eyes slightly, looked at me and said, "If I can get the treasure, it's all because of your assistance."

I replied: "No! No! It is entirely due to the assistance of my friend Sherlock Holmes that you are here today. Even with his analytical talents, it took a lot of energy to solve this case, and in the end It almost failed. People like me, even if we try our best, can’t find a clue.”

She said, "Dr. Watson, please sit down and tell me what happened."

I set out briefly what has happened since my last meeting with her--Holmes's new method of searching, the discovery of the Dawn, the visit of Ethelney Jones, the adventure of the night and the pursuit on the Thames-- narrated.She listened carefully.She turned pale and seemed about to faint as she spoke of our narrow escape from the stinger.

I hastily poured some water for her, and she said, "It's all right, I'm all right. I'm really disturbed to hear that my friends are in such danger for me."

I replied: "That's all in the past, and it's nothing. I won't talk about these boring things anymore, let's see what can make us happy. Here are treasures, and I brought them here for you." Come here, I think you will be willing to open it with your own hands, so that you can see it first."

"That's great," she said, but her tone didn't reveal how excited she was.It's just because it took a lot of hard work to get this treasure, so she had to express it like this, otherwise it would appear that she was too impersonal.

She looked at the box and said, "This is a beautiful box! Was it made in India?"

"Yes, the famous Indian Benarritz metalwork."

She tried to lift the box and said, "It's really heavy. I'm afraid the box itself is worth a lot. Where's the key?"

I replied, "Thrown into the Thames by Small, we must borrow Mrs Forrester's poker." In front of the box was a heavy iron ring, on which was cast a statue of Buddha.I inserted the tongs under the iron ring and pried it upwards vigorously, and the iron ring snapped open.With trembling fingers I lifted the lid, and we both stared inside, stunned.This box is empty!
No wonder this box is so heavy. The box is surrounded by two-thirds of an inch thick iron plate, so it is very strong, and the workmanship is also very delicate. It is indeed a box for storing treasures.But there was nothing in it, it was completely empty.

Miss Morstan said calmly: "The treasure has been lost."

When I heard her words, I understood the implications.A shadow in my soul seems to be disappearing.I cannot express how heavy this treasure of Agra weighed on my heart, now at last removed.Yes, such thinking is selfish, dishonest, and wrong.But I can't think of anything else except that the financial barrier between the two of us has been removed.

I was so happy from the bottom of my heart that I couldn't help saying, "Thank God!"

She smiled and asked me incomprehensibly, "Why do you say that?"

I took her hand and she didn't flinch back.I said: "Because I dare to express it. Mei Li, I love you as earnestly as any man loves a woman. Before, these treasures, these wealth blocked my mouth. Now that the treasure is lost, I can tell you my love Love you so much. That's why I say 'Thank God'."

I took her to me, and she said softly, "Then I should say, 'Thank God, too.'"

Whoever lost the treasure, I know, but I got a treasure that night.

Twelve The Strange Tale of Jonozan Small
The sheriff was patiently waiting for me in the car, and it was late when I got back to the car.I showed him the empty case and he was very disappointed.

He said depressingly: "This way, the bonus is gone! If there is no treasure in the box, there will be no bonus. Otherwise, tonight, my partner Sam Brown and I will each get a bonus of ten pounds."

I said: "Mr. Thaddeus Sholto is a rich man, no matter whether there are treasures or not, he will reward you."

The Sheriff shook his head dejectedly. "Mr. Ethelney Jones would think it was a bad job."

The Sheriff was right in his predictions, and when I returned to Baker Street and showed the empty box to the detective, he looked very sad.The three of them--Holmes, Jones, and the prisoner--had just arrived in Baker Street.They changed their original plan and went to the police station to make a report on the way.Holmes sat lazily in his chair as usual, facing Small who sat there stubbornly.Small put the wooden leg over the good one.When I showed everyone the empty box, he leaned back in his chair and laughed out loud.

Ethelney Jones said angrily: "Small, this is a good thing for you!"

Small laughed wildly and shouted: "Yes, I have put the treasure in a place where you will never find it. The treasure belongs to me. If I can't get it, I have to find a way to make it impossible for anyone to find it. I Tell you, no one else has the right to these treasures except the three in the Andaman prison camp and myself. Now that none of the four of us can get it, I will dispose of the treasure on behalf of the three of them. This is in line with our The oath made by the four men who signed it: We are always in agreement. I know that the three of them will agree with me to do this-better to sink the treasure to the bottom of the Thames than let the treasure fall to Sholto or Morstan We did not kill Achimet to make them rich. The treasures and keys were buried with Tongge. When I saw that your boat was sure to catch up with me, I So I hid the treasure in a safe place. You won’t be able to get it for a single rupee this trip.”

Ethelney Jones snapped, "Small, you liar! If you're going to throw the treasure into the Thames, wouldn't it be easier to throw the box with it?"

Small squinted at him cunningly, and replied, "It's easy for me to throw it, and it's easy for you to catch it. If you can catch me, you can catch an iron box. Now I've got the treasure It was thrown in a five mile stretch of river and it was so hard to pick it up. I did it too. When I saw you guys coming after me, I almost went crazy. Unfortunately, there is nothing Useful, my life's fate has been good and bad, but I have never regretted it afterwards."

Jones said: "Small, this is a very serious matter. If you can help the law instead of breaking it like this, then you will get a lighter sentence when sentencing."

(End of this chapter)