The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

e to go,” said Holmes as we sat down

Where

or; to Kin

his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarks. Fresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, only to be glanced over and tossed down into a corner. Yet, silent as he was, I knew perfectly well what it was over which he was brooding. There was but one probl

go down with you if I shoul

oints about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one. We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington

rlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had

window and glancing at his watch. “Our rate at

ved the quarter-m

nd the calculation is a simple one. I presume that you have looked into this

Telegraph and the Ch

om a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact — of absolute undeniable fact — from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see

“And this is Thursday morning. W

in England could long remain concealed, especially in so sparsely inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor. From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Strak

ormed a the

to you, for nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person, and I can

orward, with his long, thin forefinger checking off the points upon the palm

o the time of the catastrophe he was the first favourite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him. He has always, however, been a prime favourite with the racing public and has never yet disappointed them, so that e

s a small one, containing only four horses in all. One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker, who is a married man lived in a small villa about two hundred yards from the stables. He has no children, keeps one maidservant, and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas which have been built by a Tavistock

while the third, Ned Hunter, remained on guard. At a few minutes after nine the maid, Edith Baxter, carried down to the stables his supper, which consisted of a dish of curried mutton. She took no liquid

by the lantern she saw that he was a person of gentlemanly bearing, dressed in a gray suit of tweeds, with a cloth cap. He wore gaiters and carried a heavy stick with a knob

I had almost made up my mind to sleep on th

e King’s Pyland traini

ch you are carrying to him. Now I am sure that you would not be too proud to earn the price of a new dress, would you?’ He took a piece of whit

ch she was accustomed to hand the meals. It was already opened, and Hunter was seated at the sm

ave a word with you.’ The girl has sworn that as he spoke she noticed

s have you here

p — Silver Blaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip and you won’t be a loser. Is it a fact that at the weigh

e to unloose the dog. The girl fled away to the house, but as she ran she looked back and saw that the stranger was leaning through the window. A min

le-boy, when he ran out with the dog

forcibly that I sent a special wire to Dartmoor yesterday to clear the matter up. The boy locked

ce. It left him, however, vaguely uneasy, and Mrs. Straker, waking at one in the morning, found that he was dressing. In reply to her inquiries, he said that he could not sleep on account of his anxiety about the horses, and that he in

tily, called the maid, and set off for the stables. The door was open; inside, huddled together upon a chair, Hunt

s no sense could be got out of him, he was left to sleep it off while the two lads and the two women ran out in search of the absentees. They still had hopes that the trainer had for some reason taken out the horse for early exercise, but

right hand he held a small knife, which was clotted with blood up to the handle, while in his left he clasped a red and black silk cravat, which was recognized by the maid as having been worn on the preceding evening by the stranger who had visited the stables. Hunter, on recovering from his stupor, was also quite positive as to the ownership of the cravat. He was equally certain that the same stranger had, while standing at the window, drugged his curried mutton, and so deprived the stables of their watchman. As to the missing ho

surmise, and stated as baldly as possible. I shall no

his betting-book shows that bets to the amount of five thousand pounds had been registered by him against the favourite. On being arrested he volunteered the statement that he had come down to Dartmoor in the hope of getting some information about the King’s Pyland horses, and also about Desborough, the second favourite, which was in charge of Silas Brown at the Mapleton stables. He did not attempt to deny that he had acted as described upon the evening before, but declared that he had no sinister designs and had simply wished to obtain first-hand information. When confronted with his cravat he turned very pale and w

tic clearness, had laid before me. Though most of the facts were familiar to me, I had no

nd upon Straker may have been caused by his own knife in

said Holmes. “In that case one of the main

I fail to understand what the

ave put this on. Then, having left the door open behind him, he was leading the horse away over the moor when he was either met or overtaken by the trainer. A row naturally ensued. Simpson beat out the trainer’s brains with his heavy stick without receiving any injury from the small knife which Straker used in self-defence, and then the thief either led the horse on to some secret hi

— the one a tall, fair man with lion-like hair and beard and curiously penetrating light blue eyes; the other a small, alert person, very neat and dapper, in a frock-coat and gaiters, with trim

spector here has done all that could possibly be suggested, but I wish to leave

ny fresh developme

ctor. “We have an open carriage outside, and as you would no doubt like to

ut a stream of remarks, while Holmes threw in an occasional question or interjection. Colonel Ross leaned back with his arms folded and his hat tilted over his eyes, w

believe myself that he is our man. At the same time I recognize that the ev

t Straker

e conclusion that he woun

stion to me as we came down. If so, i

t in the disappearance of the favourite. He lies under suspicion of having poisoned the stable-boy; he was undoubtedly out in the storm

hy could he not do it there? Has a duplicate key been found in his possession? What chemist sold him the powdered opium? Above all, where could he, a stran

e is not a stranger to the district. He has twice lodged at Tavistock in the summer. The opium was probably brought from London. The

e say about

st it. But a new element has been introduced into the case

icked up

murder took place. On Tuesday they were gone. Now, presuming that there was some understanding between Simpson and t

rtainly p

I have also examined every stable and outhouse

aining-stable quite

an interest in the disappearance of the favourite. Silas Brown, the trainer, is known to have had large bets upon the event, and

man Simpson with the intere

ing a

every other direction the low curves of the moor, bronze-coloured from the fading ferns, stretched away to the sky-line, broken only by the steeples of Tavistock, and by a cluster of houses away to the westward which marked the Mapleton stables. We all sprang

ming.” There was a gleam in his eyes and a suppressed excitement in his manner which convinced me, use

e to go on to the scene of the c

ittle and go into one or two questions of deta

stairs. The inqu

ur service some ye

found him an ex

ry of what he had in his pockets at

es in the sitting-room if y

ore us. There was a box of vestas, two inches of tallow candle, an A D P brier-root pipe, a pouch of sealskin with half an ounce of long-cut Cavendish, a silver watch with

minutely. “I presume, as I see blood-stains upon it, that it is the one which

call a cataract

e work. A strange thing for a man to carry with him upon a ro

fe tells us that the knife had lain upon the dressing-table, and that he had picked it up as he lef

y. How about

s a milliner’s account for thirty-seven pounds fifteen made out by Madame Lesurier, of Bond Street, to William Derbyshire.

account. “Twenty-two guineas is rather heavy for a single costume. However, there ap

age, took a step forward and laid her hand upon the inspector’s sleeve. Her f

m? Have you found

re has come from London to help us,

a garden-party some little time

you are

it. You wore a costume of dove-colour

a dress, sir,” a

tor outside. A short walk across the moor took us to the hollow in which the body ha

that night, I under

t very he

was not blown against the f

s laid acro

ground has been trampled up a good deal. No do

laid here at the side, and

elle

Straker wore, one of Fitzroy Simpson’s sh

n. Then stretching himself upon his face and leaning his chin upon his hands, he made a careful study of the trampled mud in front of him. “Hullo!

verlook it,” said the inspector

n the mud. I only saw it be

expected

t it not

ch of them with marks upon the ground. Then he clambered up to th

the inspector. “I have examined the ground very

ou say. But I should like to take a little walk over the moor before it grows dark that I may

watch. “I wish you would come back with me, Inspector,” said he. “There are several points on which I should like your ad

lmes with decision. “I sh

,” said he. “You will find us at poor Straker’s house when you h

Mapleton, and the long sloping plain in front of us was tinged with gold, deepening into rich, ruddy browns where the faded ferns and br

he have gone to? The horse is a very gregarious creature. If left to himself his instincts would have been either to return to King’s Pyland or go over to Mapleton. Why should he run wild upon the moor? He would surely have been seen by now. And why shou

is he

at it leads us to. This part of the moor, as the inspector remarked, is very hard and dry. But it falls away towards Mapleton, and you can see from here that there is a long hollow over

n the bank to the right, and he to the left, but I had not taken fifty paces before I heard him give a shout and saw him waving his hand to me. The

which Gregory lacks. We imagined what might have happened, acted u

e on the tracks. Then we lost them for half a mile, but only to pick them up once more quite close to Mapleton. It was Holmes

as alone bef

alone before. Hu

d we both followed along after it. His eyes were on the trail, but I happened to look a little

“You have saved us a long walk, which would have brought u

phalt which led up to the gates of the Mapleton st

ny loiterers abo

umb in his waistcoat pocket. “Should I be too early to see your master

But here he is, sir, to answer your questions for himself. No, sir, no, it is as mu

awn from his pocket, a fierce-looking elderly man strode o

ossiping! Go about your business! And

, my good sir,” said Holmes

ut. We want no strangers here. Be off

mething in the trainer’s ear. He start

he shouted. “A

bout it here in public or ta

in if yo

than a few minutes, Watson.” said he. “Now

about in Silas Brown in that short time. His face was ashy pale, beads of perspiration shone upon his brow, and his hands shook until the hunting-crop wa

ll be done. It shall

s, looking round at him. The other win

stake. It shall be there. Sho

laughing. “No, don’t,” said he, “I shall

trust me, you

He turned upon his heel, disregarding the trembling hand whi

sneak than Master Silas Brown I have seldom met w

the hors

a thing. I described to him how, when according to his custom he was the first down, he perceived a strange horse wandering over the moor. How he went out to it, and his astonishment at recognizing, from the white forehead which has given the favourite its name, that chance had put in his power the only horse which could beat the one upo

bles had bee

-faker like him h

he horse in his power now since he

e apple of his eye. He knows that his o

e as a man who would be likely

my own methods and tell as much or as little as I ch