The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 28 Four Signatures (12)
"It was the beginning of the rainy season, and the rain hadn't stopped. Thick brown clouds were floating in the sky, and the night was hazy, and it was impossible to see each other clearly at a distance of a stone's throw away. There was a moat in front of our door, the moat The stagnant water in some places has almost dried up, and it is easy to walk over. We stood there, waiting quietly for the man who came to die.

"Suddenly, on the other side of the trench, a shadowed light disappeared in front of the embankment, and soon reappeared, and walked slowly towards us.

"I cried: 'They are coming!'

"Abdler said softly: 'Please question him as usual, but don't frighten him, and then hand him over to us to bring him in the gate, and you will guard outside, we have our own way. Get the lamp ready so that no wrong person.'

"The light flickered and moved forward, stopping and walking, until I saw two black figures on the other side of the ditch. I waited for them to go down the ditch, wade through the stagnant water, and climb up to the bank, then lowered my voice and asked: 'Who's here?'

"The visitor replied: 'It's a friend.' I shone a light on them. The Indian in front of me was very tall, with a black beard that grew past his waist. I had never seen him except on the stage. Such a tall man. The other man was a short, fat fellow with a rhubarb turban and a bag wrapped in a scarf. He seemed to be shaking with fear, and his hands were twitching like a malaria attack He looked around like a mouse out of a hole, his two small eyes sparkled. I thought it would be cruel to kill this man. But when I thought of the treasure, my heart turned to stone. He saw I'm Caucasian and can't help but run to me with joy.

"He gasped and said: 'Sir, please protect me, please protect this fleeing merchant Achmet. I have taken refuge in the Agra Fort from Raj Tano. I have been robbed, whipped and insulted, Because I was a friend of your army in the past. Thank you so much now that I and my stuff are finally safe.'

"I asked: 'What's in the bag?'

"He replied: 'It's an iron box with one or two ancestral things in it. It's worthless if others take it, but I don't want to throw it away. I'm not a poor beggar. If your chief allows me to live here, I will definitely be happy. You--young sir and your officer are somewhat rewarded.'

"I don't dare to talk to him anymore. The more I look at his poor chubby face, the more I can't bear to kill him cruelly. It's better to just kill him.

"I said, 'Take him to headquarters.' Two Indian soldiers led him, one on the other, into the dark doorway, followed by the tall man. There was never such a man who was so surrounded and so doomed. .I left alone outside the door with a lamp.

"I could hear their footsteps walking on the silent corridor. Suddenly, the sound stopped, and then there was the sound of fighting and scuffling. After a while, someone ran towards me with shortness of breath. I was shocked. I held up the lamp Looking inside the door, it turned out to be the little fat man running forward with blood all over his face, and the tall man was chasing after him like a tiger with a knife in his hand. I have never seen such a businessman run so fast The chaser is about to lose it. I know that if he can get past me and run out of the door, he will probably be saved. I was already moved with compassion and wanted to save his life, but when I thought of the treasure, I I hardened my heart again. When he got nearer, I swung my open flintlock between his legs, and he tripped and rolled twice like a shot rabbit. Before he could When he got up, the Indian soldier chased after him and stabbed him twice in the side. He didn't struggle or grunt and lay still on the ground. I think maybe he was already dead when he tripped. fell to his death. Gentlemen, you see, whether it is in my favor or not, I have confessed the truth."

Here he stopped, stretched out his handcuffed hand, and took the whiskey and water that Holmes had poured out for him.I think not only his cruel behavior, but also from his indifferent expression when telling this story, we can also imagine the extreme cruelty and viciousness of this person.Whatever punishment he may receive in the future, I have no sympathy for him.Sherlock Holmes and Jones sat with their hands on their knees, listening, and with a look of disgust on their faces.Small may have noticed it, so when he continued to speak, there was a hint of resistance in his voice and movements.

He said: "Of course, the whole truth is really bad. But I would like to know how many people in my situation would rather be killed than those treasures. Also, as soon as he entered the fort, he formed A situation where one of the two of us must die. If he runs out of the fort, the whole thing will be exposed, and I'll be court-martialed and shot--because, at a time like that, the sentence isn't lenient of."

Holmes interrupted him and said: "Go on to your business."

"Abdla Khan, Durst Akbol and I carried the body in. Although he was short, he was heavy enough. Mohamit Singh stayed outside Gatekeeper. We carried him to the place we had prepared, which was quite a distance from the gate of the fort. Through a crooked passage we entered an empty hall, the brick walls of which were all dilapidated, and a hollow in the ground, Just to make a natural tomb. We put the body of the merchant Archimeter in it, covered it with broken bricks, and when we were done we all went back to inspect the treasure.

"The iron box is still in the place where Achmet was knocked down, which is the box on the table now. The key is tied to the engraved handle on the lid of the box with a silk rope. We opened the box, The jewels in the box shone brightly with the light, just as I had read and imagined in the stories I had read and imagined when I was a child in Boshul. The jewels dazzled the eyes. After I feasted my eyes , I made a list of jewels. There are 140 three top-quality diamonds, including one called 'Grand Mogel' - said to be the second largest diamond in the world, and 97 top-quality diamonds Emeralds, 170 rubies (some of which were small), 40 rubies, 210 sapphires, 61 agates, many beryls, onyxes, opals, turquoise, and other gemstones I didn't recognize then, but Later, I gradually recognized it. In addition, there are more than 300 round pearls, twelve of which are inlaid on a gold collar. After I took the treasure box back from the Yingzhang Villa, I checked it. Everything is there, only the collar is missing.

"After we had ordered it, we put the treasure back into the box, and showed it to Mohamit Singh outside the fort. We solemnly swore to unite and keep the secret. We decided to hide the treasure box, After the overall situation is settled, we will divide it equally. Because it would be inappropriate to divide the treasures at that time. The value of the jewels is too high. If it is found on us, it will arouse suspicion from others. Besides, there is no hidden place in our residence to use So we moved the box to the room where the body was buried, and took a few bricks from the most complete wall, put the box in, put the bricks back, and covered it up. We took care to note I found the place where the treasure was hidden, and the next day I drew four pictures, each of whom took one, and wrote the signatures of four people on them as our oath mark: from now on, our every move will represent the four people. Benefits should not be swallowed alone. I can swear to God, I have never violated this oath.

"Well, there is no need for me to tell you gentlemen what the outcome of the mutiny in India will be. After Wilson took Derry and Sir Cowling took Lucknow, the rebels fell apart. New troops came. Noor Sahib fled across the border, Colonel Grethead led a rapid column to Agra to clear the rebels, and the country seemed to be gradually returning to peace. The four of us looked forward to seeing each other soon. We can divide the treasure equally and fly away. But in a blink of an eye, our hopes were dashed, because we were all arrested for killing Achmet.

"It happened like this: the earth king gave him the treasure because he trusted Archiemet. But the Easterners were too suspicious, so the earth king sent a more trusted servant to follow behind to secretly investigate Archimeter. Matt’s actions, and ordered the servant to keep a close eye on Achimet. He followed behind secretly that night, seeing Achimet walk into the gate of the castle. He thought that Achimet had already entered the castle. Settling well, he managed to enter the fort the next day, but he could not find Archimeter. He thought the matter was too strange, so he talked with the squad leader of the guard, and the squad leader complained to the commander. Reported, therefore a close search was made in the whole castle, and the bodies were found. We were arrested for murder when we thought we were safe--three were the guards at the time, and one was with the The victim came with him. The treasure was not mentioned at the interrogation, because the earth king had been deposed and expelled from India, and no one had any direct relationship with the treasure. But the murder case was confirmed, and the four of us were found to be the same As the murderer. Three Indians were sentenced to life imprisonment, and I was sentenced to death, which was commuted later, just like them.

"Our situation is very strange. The four of us have been sentenced. I am afraid that there is no possibility of regaining freedom in this life. But at the same time, the four of us keep a secret together. As long as we can use the treasure, we can immediately become rich and enjoy life. What is unbearable for people is: Knowing that there are great treasures waiting for us to take from outside, but to eat some brown rice and drink cold water will be insulted at will by the jailer. I am really going crazy in anxiety. Fortunately, I am stubborn by nature , so I can bear it patiently and wait for the opportunity.

"Finally, it seemed the time had come. I was transferred from Agra to Madras and from there to Blair Island in the Andaman Islands. There were very few Caucasian prisoners on the island, and I was behaving badly from the start. Well done, and special treatment was soon obtained. In the City of Good Hope at the foot of Herriot, I was given a little hut to live in by myself, and lived at ease. The island is a region of dreadful fevers, Not far from us there is a tribe of cannibals who sting us at every opportunity. There they are busy all day digging, digging ditches, planting yams, and many other chores, and at night we can I have some leisure. I have also learned to dispense formulas for surgeons, and I have learned a lot about surgical techniques. I am always looking for opportunities to escape, but this is hundreds of miles from any continent, and the wind on the nearby sea It was very small and there was not even a wind. So it was very difficult to escape.

"Surgeon Summerton is a lively and playful young man. Every night, young officers from the garrison often come to his house to play cards and gamble. The surgical operating room where I dispense medicine is separated from his living room by a small window. I sometimes feel depressed in the operating room. I often turn off the lights in the operating room and stand by the window to listen to their conversations and watch them gamble. Major Sholto with the territorial troops, Captain Morstan, Lieutenant Bromley Braun, and the doctor himself were often present, and two or three prison officers. These officials were Veteran players of cards are very skilled in gambling. They play together very happily.

"One thing that soon came to my attention: every time a bet was made, the officers lost and the prison officials won. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's just that since the prison officials came to the Andaman Islands, There is nothing to do every day, just play cards to pass the time, so after a long time, the skills will become more sophisticated. The officers are not very skilled, so every bet will lose. The more they lose, the more anxious they are, and the bigger the bet, so The officers were getting more and more financially distressed every day, and Major Sholto was the worst. At first he used coins and bills, but then he lost all his money and had to play promissory notes. Sometimes he won a little bit, and then he dared to gamble. Big, and then he will lose more, so that he has a sad face all day long, drinking away his worries.

"He lost a lot more than usual one night, and I was out in the shade outside the hut when he and Captain Morstan walked slowly back to camp. They were great friends and were inseparable every day. The major was complaining about his gambling. Bad luck.

"Passing by my hut, he said to the captain: 'What's the matter, Morstan? I'm ruined, I've got to resign.'

"The captain patted him on the shoulder and said, 'It's no big deal, man, I've had worse than that, but...' That's all I could hear. But that's enough to keep me thinking .

"Two days later, while Major Sholto was walking on the seashore, I took the opportunity to go up to him and speak to him.

"I said, 'Major, I have something to ask you.'

"He took the cigar in his mouth and asked, 'What's the matter, Small?'

"I said: 'Sir, I want to ask you, if there are buried treasures, to whom should it be better? I know where a lot of treasures worth half a million pounds are buried. Since I can't use it myself, I think it's best Or turn it over to the proper authorities, who may shorten my sentence."

"He gasped, stared at me to see if I was telling the truth, and asked: 'Small, £50?'

"'Exactly, sir, half a million pounds worth of jewels, ready to be had. Curiously, the original owner has fled the crime, and whoever comes first can get it.'

"He stammered, 'It's due to the government, Small, it's due to the government.' His tone was so uncertain that I knew he was on my way.

"I asked slowly: 'Sir, do you think I should report this to the governor?'

"'Take your time, or you'll regret it. Tell me the whole truth, Small.'

"I told him the whole story, only changing some facts so as not to reveal the location of the treasure. After I finished speaking, he stood blankly thinking for a long time. From the quiver of his lips, I could see that he There is an ideological struggle going on in my heart.

"Finally he said: 'Small, this is a very important matter, don't you say a word to anyone, let me think about it, and then tell you what to do.'

"Two nights later he and his friend Captain Morstan came to my hut late at night with a lamp.

"He said: 'Small, I've sent Captain Morstan to hear the story from your own mouth again.'

"I said it again as I said before.

"Sholto said: 'Sounds like the truth, huh? Worth the job?'

"Captain Morstan nodded.

"Sholto said: 'Smao, let's do this. After my friend and I have studied your matter, we believe that this secret belongs to you personally, not to the government. This is your private matter, and you have the right to Do anything about it. Now the question is how much will it cost you? If we can come to an agreement, we may be able to do it for you, or at least investigate it on your behalf." He tried to be calm and nonchalant, but he There was excitement and greed in his eyes.

"I also pretended to be calm, but I replied with the same excitement in my heart: 'As for the price, there is only one condition in my situation: I hope you will assist me and my three friends to regain freedom, and then cooperate with you, Reward both of you with one-fifth of the treasure.'

"He said: 'Humph! One out of five, it's not worth doing!'

"I said: 'That's fifty thousand pounds each.'

"'But how are we going to restore your liberty? Your demands are unrealistic, you know.'

I replied: "There is no difficulty in this, I have considered it very carefully."The difficulty now is that we cannot get a seaworthy boat and enough dry food.At Calcutta or Madras there are plenty of runabouts and ketchs available, and if you get one, we get on board overnight, and take us anywhere along the coast of India, your duty will be fulfilled. '

"He said: 'It's easier to be alone.'

"I replied: 'It's okay if one is missing, we have sworn that the four of us will stay together forever.'

"He said: 'You see, Morstan, Small is a man of his word, he lives up to his friends, and we can trust him.'

"Mostan replied: 'What a dirty business! But as you say, this money will really solve our problems.'

"The major said: 'Small, I think we'll have to agree, but we need to see if your words are true. You can tell me where the chest is, and when the regular steamer comes, I'll ask for leave. India to investigate.'

"The more anxious he was, the calmer I became. I replied: 'Don't worry, I must first ask the consent of my three partners. I have already told you that it cannot be done if one of the four disagrees. '

"He interrupted rudely: 'What the hell! What does our agreement have to do with three niggers?!'

"I replied: 'It doesn't matter if it's black or blue, I have an appointment with them first, and it must be agreed before proceeding.'

(End of this chapter)