The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 29 Four Signatures (13)
"Finally at the second meeting, Mohamit Singh, Abdul Khan and Durst Akbor were all present, and after further consultations, we decided on the matter. It turned out that we Give each of the two officers a copy of the map of the treasure hidden in the fort of Agra, and mark the wall on which the treasure is hidden, so that Major Sholto can go to India to investigate. If Major Sholto finds the treasure The treasure chest, he can’t move it first, he must first send a small speedboat, prepare enough food, and go to Rotland Island to pick up our escape. At that time, Major Sholto should go back to marketing immediately, and then Captain Morstan will ask for leave. Agra met us, shared the treasure, and Captain Morstan, on behalf of Major Sholto, took their share. All these conditions were made by us together and made the most solemn oath-everything imaginable. And an oath that can be spoken—a pledge to keep it together and never break it. I sat by the lamp all night and drew two treasure maps, signing each with four names: Mohamit Singh , Aibdler Khan, Durst Akbur and my own name.

"Gentlemen, I'm afraid you're tired of hearing my stories? I know Mr. Jones must be anxious to send me to the jail so he can be at ease. I'll keep it as brief as possible. The wretch Shure Sholto went to India and never came back. Not long after, Captain Morstan showed me a list of passengers on a cruise ship bound for England from India, and Sholto's name was on it. It is said that his uncle He left him a large estate after his death, so he retired from the army. But he was so despicable that he deceived all four of us, and all five of us. Soon, Morstan went to Agra, as we expected, the treasure has been taken away. This villain actually broke his oath and stole all the treasure. From that day on, I only live for revenge. My heart is full of resentment, and I can't control it The law or the guillotine. All I want is to escape, to go after Sholto and kill him. That's my only wish. Compared to killing Sholto, the Agra treasure has become a secondary concern.

"I have made many aspirations in my life, and I can achieve them all. But in the years of waiting for this opportunity, I have suffered a lot. I told you that I learned some medical knowledge. One day , Dr. Summerton was bedridden with a high fever. A young man from the Andaman Islands found a quiet place to die because of his serious illness, but was brought back by the prisoners who went to work in the woods. Although he knew that the man was like a poisonous snake But I nursed him for two months, and he gradually recovered and was able to walk again. He developed feelings for me, and he rarely went back to the woods, but stayed in my hut all day long. I I also learned some of his dialect from him, so he respected and loved me even more.

"His name was Tong Ge, and he was a skilled boatman and had a big canoe. Since I found out that he was loyal to me and willing to do anything for me, I finally found a chance to escape. I put I told him the plan, and I told him to row the boat to an unguarded pier one night and pick me up, and to have some bottles of fresh water, and lots of yams, coconuts, and sweet potatoes.

"This little boy is absolutely loyal and reliable, and there is no more loyal companion than him. He did row the boat under the dock that night. It just so happens that an Afghan who has always liked to insult me, and I have been deliberately trying to get revenge on him The clan jailer is on duty at the pier. I think about revenge all the time, and now this is my chance, as if God sent him there on purpose, and gave me a chance to 'pay back' before I left. He stood on the coast on, with the gun slung over his shoulder, with his back turned to me. I looked for a rock to smash his head in, but could not find one. At last I conceived a plan, and a weapon came to my mind. I sat down in the dark , took off the wooden leg and took it in my hand, then jumped three times, and jumped in front of his eyes. His gun was on his shoulder, and I hit him with all my strength with the wooden leg, and his front skull was hit you see the crack in my wooden leg, where I hit him. Because one foot lost its center of gravity, we both fell down at the same time. I got up, but he was motionless. I got into the boat and was away from the shore an hour later. Tong Ge brought all his property on board, including his weapons and his idol. He also had a bamboo spear and some mats made of Andaman coconut leaves. I made the spear into a mast and the mat into a sail. We floated resignedly to the sea for ten days. By No. 11, there was a boat from Singapore to Jeddah, a merchant ship full of pilgrims rescued us. The people on board were very strange, but we soon became acquainted with them. They have a very good quality, they can make us stay in peace, Never question our origins.

"If I told you all about my sailing experience with my little companion, I'm afraid I won't be able to tell you until tomorrow morning. We wandered all over the world, but we couldn't return to London, but I never forgot to take revenge. At night I kept on I dreamed of Sholto, and I killed him more than a hundred times in my dreams. Finally, we returned to England three or four years ago. After returning, I found Sholto's address easily. So I tried to find out Did he steal those treasures, and are they still in his hands. I made friends with the man who helped me--I will never name anyone, so as not to implicate others. I soon learned The treasure is still in his hands, and I tried my best to get revenge, but he is very cunning, and besides his two sons and an Indian servant, there are always two boxers protecting him.

"One day, I heard that he was about to die of illness. I thought it would be too cheap for him. I immediately ran to his garden and looked into the house from the window. He was lying on the bed, and his two sons were standing The sides of the bed. At that time I wanted to risk rushing in to fight the three of them, but at that moment his head was hanging down, and I knew he was dead, and it was useless to go in. That night, I sneaked in I searched his house, tried to find out from his papers the location of his treasure, but found nothing. In a fit of rage, I left the same four signatures as on the picture and pinned them to his chest. so that, if they see my three accomplices later, they may tell them that I have marked for vengeance. It would have been too cheap for him who had robbed and deceived him not to leave a trace before burying him.

"From then on, I made a living by putting Tongge on public display as a cannibal Heishengfan in the market or other similar places. He can eat raw meat and dance the war dance of Shengfan, so we can always earn money after working every day. A hat full of copper coins. I have often heard news of the Sakuranuma Villa. For several years, there was no special news except that they were still looking for treasures there. Until finally, the news we have longed for came, The treasure has been found in the roof of Bartholomew Sholto's chemical laboratory. I went there immediately to check the situation, but I felt that my wooden leg was a problem, preventing me from climbing into the window from the outside. Later I heard that there is a secret door on the roof, and I found out the time of Mr. Sholto’s dinner every day, so I thought of using Tongge to help me. I took a long rope with Tongge to Yingzhang Villa. Throwing a rope around Tonge's waist, he climbed stairs as well as a cat, and soon he entered the house through the roof. But the unfortunate Bartholomew Sholto was still in the house, so he was killed ... Tong Ge killed him, thinking he did a smart thing. When I climbed in by climbing the rope, he was pacing up and down the room proudly like a peacock, until I was so angry that he used the rope When I hit him and cursed him as a little vampire, he was surprised. After I got the treasure box, I left a note with four signatures on the table, indicating that the treasure was finally returned to its original owner. I First put the treasure box down with a rope, and then slipped down along the rope. Tongge retracted the rope, closed the window, and climbed down along the same path.

"I think that's all I have to say. I heard from a boatman that the Dawn was a clipper, and it occurred to me that she would be a convenient means of escape for us. I hired old Smith He made it clear that if we can be safely sent to the big ship, he will be given a large reward. Of course, he may see the strangeness, but he does not know our secret. All of the above are true I don't say this, gentlemen, to please you - and you don't treat me favorably - and I think that no concealment is my best defense. To let the world know what happened to Major Sholto deceived us. And as for the murder of his son, I am innocent."

"Your story is very interesting," said Holmes. "This curious case has indeed its proper conclusion. The second half of what you say, except that I do not know that you brought the rope, is in accordance with my conjectures. But there is another question, I thought Tong Ge lost all his poisonous stingers, why did he finally release another one on the boat?"

"It is true, sir, that he has lost all his stingers, but he has one left in the blowpipe."

"Oh, yes, I did not expect that!" cried Holmes.

The prisoner asked courteously, "Anything else to ask?"

My partner replied, "I don't think there's anything else, thank you."

Ethelney Jones said: "Holmes, we must follow you. We all know that you are an expert in crime. But I have my duty, and today I have given you and your friends the green light. Now only the I can rest assured that our storyteller is locked in prison. The carriage is still waiting outside, and there are two sheriffs downstairs. I am sincerely grateful to you two for your assistance. You are called to testify. Good night."

Jonozan Small also said: "Good evening, gentlemen."

The cautious Jones said when he left the house: "Smao, you go ahead. No matter how you deal with that gentleman in the Andaman Islands, I must be very careful, and I will never give you a chance to use wood. kick me."

After the two of them left, Holmes and I sat in silence for a while, smoking a cigarette, and I said: "This is the end of our little drama, but I am afraid that from now on I will have the opportunity to learn from you your working methods." Less. Miss Morstan and I are engaged."

He snorted bitterly and said, "I expected it a long time ago, so please forgive me for not being able to congratulate you."

I was a little unhappy and asked, "Is there anything about the person I have chosen that dissatisfies you?"

"Not at all, I think she is the most respectable and lovely woman I have ever seen, and would be useful to our kind of work. She must have talent in this area, from her collection alone The map of the location of the Agra treasure and the actions of her father's documents can be concluded. But love is an emotional thing, which contradicts what I think is the most important calm thinking. I will never get married , so as not to cloud my judgment."

I smiled and said, "I believe that my judgment will stand the test this time. It seems that you are tired."

"Yes, I've already felt it, and I probably won't be able to recover in a week."

"Strange," I asked, "how come people who I consider to be lazy sometimes display extreme energy?"

He replied: "Yes, I am a very lazy person by nature, but at the same time I am an active person. I often think of Goethe's words-'God only made you a human form, and it turned out to be a decent person. It shows, rogue temperament.'

"One more thing. In the case of Upper Norwood, I suspect that there is an insider in Yingzhang Villa. It cannot be anyone else. It is the Indian servant Lal Rao who was caught in Jones's big net. This is also It is indeed a personal honor for Jones."

I said, "It doesn't seem quite fair. You did the whole case all by yourself. I got my wife out of it. Jones got the credit. What's left for you, please?"

"Me? I still have the cocaine bottle," said Sherlock Holmes, reaching for the bottle.

adventure history

scandal in bohemia
一
Sherlock Holmes often referred to her as "the woman," and rarely heard him refer to her by any other name.In his eyes, she has beauty and wisdom, and other women cannot compare with her.Not that he felt anything close to love for Irene Adler.All emotions, especially love, seemed alien to his rational, rigorous and calm mind.In my opinion, he is simply the most adept reasoning and observation machine in the world.But when it comes to love problems, he can only consider himself a layman.He never spoke sweet words, and he often spoke in a sarcastic and mocking tone.And this kind of gentle discourse is appreciated by observers, because it can reveal people's motives and behavior well.But such sentiments, if they intrude on a theoretician of a rational and rigorous character, inevitably distract him and cast doubt on his intellectual achievements.A grain of sand in a delicate instrument, or a crack in the lens of his magnifying glass, would not bother him more than an emotion in his heart.However, in his vague memory, there is also a woman, and this woman is Irene Adler.

After I got married, I seldom saw Holmes.The happiness of my marriage, and the happiness of my home, had absorbed all my attention.Holmes still lived in our flat in Baker Street, his unruly character, his aversion to formalities, buried in his old books.As ever, he was obsessed with crime, using his brilliant talents and uncanny powers of observation to find clues and solve mysteries that the police believed had no hope of solving them.I have often heard news about his activities: for example, he was invited to Odessa to investigate the assassination of Trepov; to detect the tragedy of the Atkinson brothers in Trincomalee; a mission.I, like other readers, got these news from the newspapers.Apart from that, I don't know much about the rest of my old friend.

On the evening of March [-]th, [-], I happened to pass Baker Street on my way back from a medical visit (by which time I had resumed my practice).I still have a vivid memory of the door to that apartment.In my memory I have always connected it with the circumstances of my marriage proposal and the mysterious events of the "Study in Scarlet."As I passed the door of the apartment, I had a sudden urge to go in and see Holmes, and see what problem he was currently preoccupied with.The lights in his room were on, and I looked up and could see his tall, lanky black shadow reflected in the curtains.He walked quickly and eagerly up and down the room with his head bowed and his hands behind his back.I was familiar with his habits and mental state, so I knew that his posture and demeanor showed that he was at work again.He must have just woken up from sleep, and was absorbed in researching clues to new problems.I rang the doorbell and was led to the house where I had lived before.

His manner seemed less than enthusiastic, which he rarely was.Still, he was glad to see me.He didn't speak, just looked at me kindly, and pointed to an armchair for me to sit down, then gave me his cigar case, and pointed to the bottle in the corner.Finally, he stood in front of the fireplace and looked at me with his peculiar eyes.

"You are very fit for marriage," said he. "I think, Watson, that you have gained seven and a half pounds since I last saw you."

"Seven pounds," I replied.

"Really? I think more than seven pounds. I have observed, Watson, that you have resumed seeing patients, but you did not tell me before."

"Yeah, how do you know that?"

He said: "I deduced this, otherwise how could I know that you have been exposed to rain a lot recently, and there is a clumsy and careless maid at home?"

"My dear Holmes," said I, "you are very powerful. If you had lived centuries ago, you would have been burned as a witch. Indeed, I walked into the country on Thursday, and when I came home I was soaked in the rain, but I had changed, and I can't imagine how you deduced that. As for Mary Jane, the maid, she was very careless, and my wife sent her away, but I can't think about it either. How do you know."

He laughed out loud, rubbing his slender hands with blue veins.

"These things are obvious," he said. "I saw by the fire on the inside of your left shoe that there were six almost parallel scratches on the leather. It was obvious that someone had done it for you. Removing mud lumps stuck to the heels, caused by rudely scraping mud along the heels. So I deduce that you have walked in the wind and rain and the unsightly cracks in your leather boots are careless As for your return to practice, it was because you smelled of iodine when you came into my room, and you had a black spot on your right forefinger stained with silver nitrate, and some bulges in the inside of your cap, indicating that There's a stethoscope hidden in it. From that, I'd be a fool if I didn't say you're back in medicine."

Listening to him explain his reasoning effortlessly, I couldn't help laughing and said: "When you tell these reasonings, things always seem so simple. Even I can reason them myself. But before you explain, I always think I don't understand. But I still think my eyesight is as good as yours."

(End of this chapter)