Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 21 Four Signatures Revealed (10)
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand in the chain for the whiskey and water that Holmes had poured out for him.Hearing so many unheard-of past events from him, not to mention the bloody murder plots, just from the indifferent expression he naturally revealed when he told the story, it is very easy to feel his fierce and cruel nature.I therefore think that whatever punishment he may receive in the future, I will have no sympathy.Jones and Holmes, too, sat listening gravely, with their hands on their knees.Obviously, they felt the same way I did.Small seemed to read our minds, and in the subsequent narration, the voice and movement showed the intention of defending himself.

He said: "It is true that this kind of thing should not be done, but under the circumstances at that time, who would rather die than treasure? From the moment he entered the gate of the castle, one of us must die .If he is allowed to escape alive, none of the four of us will be able to survive once things are revealed."

Holmes interrupted him, saying: "Go on to that."

"I, Apodlak Khan and Durst Akbol carried the body inside together. Although he was short, he was heavy. Mohmet Singh was guarding the gate. After a tortuous journey Through a passage, we came at last to an empty hall, the walls of which had long since been crumbled, and the large pit on the ground became his natural grave. We had already found this place far from the gate of the castle. We put his body Put it in, and buried it with broken bricks. After everything was tidied up, I went to see the treasure.

"The iron box in front of you was placed where Achimet once lay. A key was tied to the carved handle of the box with a silk thread. After opening the box, a dream came true in an instant, and the box was full of golden light. I could barely keep my eyes open because of the jewels I had heard in my boyhood at Boshur. After a good deal of eye-dancing, we made an inventory of all the jewels. The boxes contained There are 210 pieces of sapphire, 61 pieces of agate, 170 pieces of ruby, 97 pieces of emerald, 40 yuan of ruby, and 140 three fine diamonds. Among them is a diamond called 'Big Mokel', which is said to be the second largest diamond in the world. In addition there were innumerable onyxes, beryls, turquoises, opals, and other gemstones unknown to me at the time, but later known to me. In addition, there were three hundred fine pearls. Twelve of them were strung into a Pearl necklace. After taking the box back from Sakuranuma Villa, I checked it carefully, and found that the necklace was missing.

"After the list was opened, we put the treasure back into the box and showed it to Mohmet Singh. In the end, we swore once again: strictly keep the secret, and unite as one. We decided to hide the box first, and wait for the situation Divide evenly after stabilization.

"These jewels are too precious. If they are divided equally immediately and each of them is carried with them, it will be very easy to be discovered and arouse suspicion. In addition, we couldn't find a more suitable place to hide it. So we carried the box to the room where the corpse was buried , found the most complete wall, first unloaded a few bricks, hid the treasure chest in, and sealed the bricks. We all remembered the place where the treasure was hidden. The next day, I drew a picture for everyone map, and all four of them signed it to represent our promise: from now on, every move of anyone represents the common interests of the four, and no one can monopolize it. Sir, I dare to swear that I have Never did anything harmful to the common interests of the four of us.

"As for the outcome of the riots in India, I don't think it needs to be said. Derry was taken by Wilson, Sir Cowling took Lucknow, and the riots ended. New troops were sent to India, and Nanor Sahib fled in a plane. , Colonel Craithead led a rapid marching column to Accra, completely wiped out the rebels, and slowly restored peace in India. We all eagerly look forward to the day when the treasures will be divided equally, and then go our separate ways. But Unexpectedly, we were arrested and imprisoned, and all our dreams were shattered.

"What happened is: Although Achimet who came to hide the treasure was a close friend of the earth king, the earth king did not fully trust him, and at the same time sent a more personal servant to follow Achimet along the way. That night, he After seeing Archimeter enter the gate of the castle, he thought he had hidden the jewels, and tried to sneak into the castle the next day, but he never found Archimeter. He thought it was strange, So I reported to the guard squad leader, and the squad leader reported to the commander. The commander ordered a comprehensive search in the fort, and later, Achimet's body was found. As for the four of us, three were guarding the gate of the fort. The other was a companion of the dead man, so he was apprehended quite logically. The King of Earth had by then been deposed and driven out of India, so the treasures were never mentioned again during the interrogation. It became our four Personal secret. But, murder pays for life, we all become murderers. Three Indians were sentenced to life imprisonment, and I was sentenced to death, which was later commuted, just like them.

"Life imprisonment means going to prison for a lifetime, but we all keep secrets together. Fate is playing tricks on people. We could have become rich immediately and enjoy the glory and wealth, but now we can only watch the secret of the treasure. I endured the bullying of the prison guards with one mouthful of food and one mouthful of water. The reality and inner torment almost drove me crazy. Fortunately, I am stubborn by nature, so I reluctantly endured it and waited for the opportunity.

"On this day, the time finally came. I was transferred from Accra City Prison to Matras and finally to Pryor Island in the Andaman Islands. There are not many white prisoners here. Besides, I was doing well, so I was released soon. We were allocated a small hut of our own in the city of Good Hope on Mount Harriet. At that time there was a terrible fever on the island, and there was a tribe of raw people who even ate people, and they often cast poisonous stings on us. We I did coolies there day after day, opened up wasteland, dug ditches, planted yams, and many other miscellaneous tasks. I could only rest for a while at night. Later, I learned some superficial knowledge of helping surgeons to dispense medicine. Of course, with At the same time, I am always looking for opportunities to escape. However, this isolated island is very far away from any mainland, and the sea seems to be so quiet that there is not even a little sea breeze. It is too difficult to escape.

"At that time, there was a young surgeon named Somerton on the island who was doing nothing all day long. At night, the young garrison officers would go to his house to gamble. The operating room where I dispensed medicine had a small window connected to his living room. Sometimes I am really bored, so I turn off the lights, watch them play cards through the window, and listen to their conversations. In fact, I also like to play cards, so watching other people play is also very enjoyable. Among the people who come here often lead a group of natives Major Sholto of the army, Lieutenants Promli Braun and Captain Morstan, and two or three other prison officials. These people played cards very well, and there was always a lively scene on weekdays.

"After a while, I found out that the officers seemed to lose every time, while the wardens often won. I think the reason for the high skills of the wardens is that they have been in Andaman for a long time and have nothing else to do. Playing every day, so the skills are high. The more the officers lose, the more they want to win, so the stakes will be higher, but most of them end up losing their money quickly. Among them, Major Sholto lost the most. He lost everything first. money, and then lost the promissory note. Occasionally he would win a little, and then bet a bigger bet, and lost even more, so he was unhappy all day long, and often drank to relieve his sorrow.

"He lost a lot one night, and after it was over Captain Morstan walked slowly up to camp with him. The Major complained about his misfortunes as he walked. They were together every day, and they were very good. I was out in the shade. , heard their words.

"As we approached my door, the major said: 'What's the matter, Morstan? I think I'll have to resign.'

"The captain reassured him and said, 'Don't worry, man. I've had far worse times than this. But...' That's all I've heard, but it's enough for me to think.

"Two days later, I saw Major Sholto walking by the sea, and I went up to him and said, 'I want to ask you something, Major.'

"He took down his cigar and said, 'What's the matter, Small? "

"I said: 'I know where a lot of jewels are hidden, worth £50, who do you say I should give it to? You know my situation, I'm afraid I'm not going to have it, I want to hand it over to the authorities, Maybe they'll commute my sentence.'

"He took a deep breath, fixed his eyes on me, as if he was going to get into my heart to test whether this was true, and then he said: 'Small, £50?'

"'It's half a million pounds, sir, ready-made jewels. Its owner has escaped, and it will belong to whoever digs it up first.'

"He said tremblingly: 'It should be the government, the government.' But his tone was obviously not firm. I think the major has already played the trick.

"So I asked him again slowly: 'Then do you think I should tell the governor about this?'

"'Don't worry, be careful and regret it later, Small, tell me the story first.' Later, I told him the story in detail, but in order to avoid revealing the secret, I edited some content. Listen After finishing, the major thought for a long time, his lips quivered slightly, it could be seen that he was engaged in a fierce ideological struggle.

"At last he said: 'It's a big deal, Small, don't say a word to anyone, and in two days I'll tell you what to do.'

"Two days later Captain Morstan came with him to my house with a lamp.

"He said: 'Small, tell Captain Morstan yourself about it again.'

"I said it again.

"The major said: 'Like really, worth a shot?'

' Captain Morstan nodded in agreement.

"The major said: 'Small, I think it should be done this way. After careful consideration with the major, I feel that this treasure should belong to you and has nothing to do with the government. You can do whatever you want with your things. In addition, if some kind of agreement can be reached, We can also handle it for you, or reconfirm it. But what are your conditions?" He tried to sound indifferent as he spoke, but the excitement and greed in his eyes told me everything.

"Actually, I was also very excited in my heart, but I tried to keep calm and said: 'There is only one condition, if you can help me and my other three friends get back to freedom, we will give you one-fifth of the treasure.'

"'Only a fifth, not worth the risk.'

"'But you can calculate that the average is fifty thousand pounds a head.'

"'The main reason is that we cannot agree to your terms.'

"'It's actually very simple. I've already thought about it. All we need is a small boat that can sail and enough food. And there are too many such small speedboats or two-masted speedboats. You just need to get us some A ship that will take us to a place on the coast of India when we are on board.'

"He said: 'It's easier if it's just you!'

"'No. We swore that there would be no one of the four without one, and that life and death would be together.'

"The major said: 'You see, Morstan, Smoodo values ​​the loyalty of friends, and we must trust him.'

"Morstan said: 'It's a head-scratcher, but it's going to change our situation.'

"The major said: 'Small, before we promise you, we must ascertain whether this is true. If you tell us where the treasure is hidden, I will go to India to inspect it myself when the passing ship arrives.'

(End of this chapter)