“ThenIshallcalluponyouinaday，orintwodays，with
newsastotheboxandthepapers。Ishalltakeyouradvicein
everyparticular。”Heshookhandswithusandtookhisleave。
Outsidethewindstillscreamedandtherainsplashedandpattered
againstthewindows。Thisstrange，wildstoryseemedtohavecome
tousfromamidthemadelements——blowninuponuslikeasheetof
sea-weedinagale——andnowtohavebeenreabsorbedbythemonce
more。
SherlockHolmessatforsometimeinsilence，withhishead
sunkforwardandhiseyesbentupontheredglowofthefire。
Thenhelithispipe，andleaningbackinhischairhewatchedthe
bluesmoke-ringsastheychasedeachotheruptotheceiling。
“Ithink，Watson，“heremarkedatlast，“thatofallourcases
wehavehadnonemorefantasticthanthis。”“Save，perhaps，theSignofFour。”
“Well，yes。Save，perhaps，that。AndyetthisJohnOpenshaw
seemstometobewalkingamidevengreaterperilsthandidthe
Sholtos。”
“Buthaveyou，“Iasked，“formedanydefiniteconceptionasto
whattheseperilsare？““Therecanbenoquestionastotheirnature，“heanswered。
“Thenwhatarethey？WhoisthisK。K。K。，andwhydoeshe
pursuethisunhappyfamily？“
SherlockHolmesclosedhiseyesandplacedhiselbowsuponthe
armsofhischair，withhisfinger-tipstogether。“Theideal
reasoner，“heremarked，“would，whenhehadoncebeenshowna
singlefactinallitsbearings，deducefromitnotonlyallthe
chainofeventswhichleduptoitbutalsoalltheresultswhich
wouldfollowfromit。AsCuviercouldcorrectlydescribeawhole
animalbythecontemplationofasinglebone，sotheobserverwho
hasthoroughlyunderstoodonelinkinaseriesofincidentsshould
beabletoaccuratelystatealltheotherones，bothbeforeand
after。Wehavenotyetgraspedtheresultswhichthereasonalone
canattainto。Problemsmaybesolvedinthestudywhichhave
baffledallthosewhohavesoughtasolutionbytheaidoftheir
senses。Tocarrytheart，however，toitshighestpitch，itis
necessarythatthereasonershouldbeabletoutilizeallthe
factswhichhavecometohisknowledge；andthisinitself
implies，asyouwillreadilysee，apossessionofallknowledge，
which，eveninthesedaysoffreeeducationandencyclopaedias，is
asomewhatrareaccomplishment。Itisnotsoimpossible，however，
thatamanshouldpossessallknowledgewhichislikelytobe
usefultohiminhiswork，andthisIhaveendeavouredinmycase
todo。IfIrememberrightly，youononeoccasion，intheearly
daysofourfriendship，definedmylimitsinaveryprecise
fashion。”
“Yes，“Ianswered，laughing。“Itwasasingulardocument。
Philosophy，astronomy，andpoliticsweremarkedatzero，I
remember。Botanyvariable，geologyprofoundasregardsthe
mud-stainsfromanyregionwithinfiftymilesoftown，chemistry
eccentric，anatomyunsystematic，sensationalliteratureandcrime
recordsunique，violin-player，boxer，swordsman，lawyer，and
self-poisonerbycocaineandtobacco。Those，Ithink，werethe
mainpointsofmyanalysis。”
Holmesgrinnedatthelastitem。“Well，“hesaid，“Isaynow，
asIsaidthen，thatamanshouldkeephislittlebrain-attic
stockedwithallthefurniturethatheislikelytouse，andthe
resthecanputawayinthelumber-roomofhislibrary，wherehe
cangetitifhewantsit。Now，forsuchacaseastheonewhich
hasbeensubmittedtousto-night，weneedcertainlytomusterall
ourresources。KindlyhandmedowntheletterKoftheAmerican
Encyclopaediawhichstandsupontheshelfbesideyou。Thankyou。
Nowletusconsiderthesituationandseewhatmaybededucedfrom
it。Inthefirstplace，wemaystartwithastrongpresumption
thatColonelOpenshawhadsomeverystrongreasonforleaving
America。Menathistimeoflifedonotchangealltheirhabits
andexchangewillinglythecharmingclimateofFloridaforthe
lonelylifeofanEnglishprovincialtown。Hisextremeloveof
solitudeinEnglandsuggeststheideathathewasinfearof
someoneorsomething，sowemayassumeasaworkinghypothesis
thatitwasfearofsomeoneorsomethingwhichdrovehimfrom
America。Astowhatitwashefeared，wecanonlydeducethatby
consideringtheformidableletterswhichwerereceivedbyhimself
andhissuccessors。Didyouremarkthepostmarksofthose
letters？“
“ThefirstwasfromPondicherry，thesecondfromDundee，and
thethirdfromLondon。”“FromEastLondon。Whatdoyoudeducefromthat？“
“Theyareallseaports。Thatthewriterwasonboardofa
ship。”
“Excellent。Wehavealreadyaclue。Therecanbenodoubt
thattheprobability——thestrongprobability——isthatthewriter
wasonboardofaship。Andnowletusconsideranotherpoint。
InthecaseofPondicherry，sevenweekselapsedbetweenthethreat
anditsfulfillment，inDundeeitwasonlysomethreeorfour
days。Doesthatsuggestanything？““Agreaterdistancetotravel。”“Buttheletterhadalsoagreaterdistancetocome。”“ThenIdonotseethepoint。”
“Thereisatleastapresumptionthatthevesselinwhichthe
manormenareisasailing-ship。Itlooksasiftheyalwayssent
theirsingularwarningortokenbeforethemwhenstartingupon
theirmission。Youseehowquicklythedeedfollowedthesign
whenitcamefromDundee。IftheyhadcomefromPondicherryina
steamertheywouldhavearrivedalmostassoonastheirletter。
But，asamatteroffact，sevenweekselapsed。Ithinkthatthose
sevenweeksrepresentedthedifferencebetweenthemail-boatwhich
broughttheletterandthesailingvesselwhichbroughtthe
writer。”“Itispossible。”
“Morethanthat。Itisprobable。Andnowyouseethedeadly
urgencyofthisnewcase，andwhyIurgedyoungOpenshawto
caution。Theblowhasalwaysfallenattheendofthetimewhich
itwouldtakethesenderstotravelthedistance。Butthisone
comesfromLondon，andthereforewecannotcountupondelay。”
“GoodGod！“Icried。“Whatcanitmean，thisrelentless
persecution？“
“ThepaperswhichOpenshawcarriedareobviouslyofvital
importancetothepersonorpersonsinthesailing-ship。Ithink
thatitisquiteclearthattheremustbemorethanoneofthem。
Asinglemancouldnothavecarriedouttwodeathsinsuchaway
astodeceiveacoroner”sjury。Theremusthavebeenseveralin
it，andtheymusthavebeenmenofresourceanddetermination。
Theirpaperstheymeantohave，betheholderofthemwhoitmay。
InthiswayyouseeK。K。K。ceasestobetheinitialsofan
individualandbecomesthebadgeofasociety。”“Butofwhatsociety？“
“Haveyounever”saidSherlockHolmes，bendingforwardand
sinkinghisvoice”haveyouneverheardoftheKuKluxKlan？““Ineverhave。”
Holmesturnedovertheleavesofthebookuponhisknee。
“Hereitis，“saidhepresently：
“KuKluxKlan。Anamederivedfromthefanciful
resemblancetothesoundproducedbycockingarifle。This
terriblesecretsocietywasformedbysomeex-Confederate
soldiersintheSouthernstatesaftertheCivilWar，andit
rapidlyformedlocalbranchesindifferentpartsofthe
country，notablyinTennessee，Louisiana，theCarolinas，
Georgia，andFlorida。Itspowerwasusedforpolitical
purposes，principallyfortheterrorizingofthenegrovoters
andthemurderinganddrivingfromthecountryofthosewho
wereopposedtoitsviews。Itsoutrageswereusuallypreceded
byawarningsenttothemarkedmaninsomefantasticbut
generallyrecognizedshape——asprigofoak-leavesinsome
parts，melonseedsororangepipsinothers。Onreceiving
thisthevictimmighteitheropenlyabjurehisformerways，or
mightflyfromthecountry。Ifhebravedthematterout，
deathwouldunfailinglycomeuponhim，andusuallyinsome
strangeandunforeseenmanner。Soperfectwasthe
organizationofthesociety，andsosystematicitsmethods，
thatthereishardlyacaseuponrecordwhereanyman
succeededinbravingitwithimpunity，orinwhichanyofits
outragesweretracedhometotheperpetrators。Forsomeyears
theorganizationflourishedinspiteoftheeffortsofthe
UnitedStatesgovernmentandofthebetterclassesofthe
communityintheSouth。Eventually，intheyear1869，the
movementrathersuddenlycollapsed，althoughtherehavebeen
sporadicoutbreaksofthesamesortsincethatdate。
“Youwillobserve，“saidHolmes，layingdownthevolume，“that
thesuddenbreakingupofthesocietywascoincidentwiththe
disappearanceofOpenshawfromAmericawiththeirpapers。Itmay
wellhavebeencauseandeffect。Itisnowonderthatheandhis
familyhavesomeofthemoreimplacablespiritsupontheirtrack。
Youcanunderstandthatthisregisteranddiarymayimplicatesome
ofthefirstmenintheSouth，andthattheremaybemanywhowill
notsleepeasyatnightuntilitisrecovered。”“Thenthepagewehaveseen”
“Issuchaswemightexpect。Itran，ifIrememberright，
`sentthepipstoA，B，andC”——thatis，sentthesociety”s
warningtothem。ThentherearesuccessiveentriesthatAandB
cleared，orleftthecountry，andfinallythatCwasvisited，
with，Ifear，asinisterresultforC。Well，Ithink，Doctor，
thatwemayletsomelightintothisdarkplace，andIbelieve
thattheonlychanceyoungOpenshawhasinthemeantimeistodo
whatIhavetoldhim。Thereisnothingmoretobesaidortobe
doneto-night，sohandmeovermyviolinandletustrytoforget
forhalfanhourthemiserableweatherandthestillmore
miserablewaysofourfellowmen。”
Ithadclearedinthemorning，andthesunwasshiningwitha
subduedbrightnessthroughthedimveilwhichhangsoverthegreat
city。SherlockHolmeswasalreadyatbreakfastwhenIcamedown。
“Youwillexcusemefornotwaitingforyou，“saidhe；“I
have，Iforesee，averybusydaybeforemeinlookingintothis
caseofyoungOpenshaw”s。”“Whatstepswillyoutake？“Iasked。
“Itwillverymuchdependupontheresultsofmyfirst
inquiries。ImayhavetogodowntoHorsham，afterall。”“Youwillnotgotherefirst？“
“No，IshallcommencewiththeCity。Justringthebelland
themaidwillbringupyourcoffee。”
AsIwaited，Iliftedtheunopenednewspaperfromthetable
andglancedmyeyeoverit。Itresteduponaheadingwhichsenta
chilltomyheart。“Holmes，“Icried，“youaretoolate。”
“Ah！“saidhe，layingdownhiscup，“Ifearedasmuch。How
wasitdone？“Hespokecalmly，butIcouldseethathewasdeeply
moved。
“MyeyecaughtthenameofOpenshaw，andtheheading`Tragedy
NearWaterlooBridge。”Hereistheaccount：
“BetweennineandtenlastnightPolice-ConstableCook，of
theHDivision，ondutynearWaterlooBridge，heardacryfor
helpandasplashinthewater。Thenight，however，was
extremelydarkandstormy，sothat，inspiteofthehelpof
severalpassers-by，itwasquiteimpossibletoeffecta
rescue。Thealarm，however，wasgiven，and，bytheaidofthe
water-police，thebodywaseventuallyrecovered。Itprovedto
bethatofayounggentlemanwhosename，asitappearsfroman
envelopewhichwasfoundinhispocket，wasJohnOpenshaw，and
whoseresidenceisnearHorsham。Itisconjecturedthathe
mayhavebeenhurryingdowntocatchthelasttrainfrom
WaterlooStation，andthatinhishasteandtheextreme
darknesshemissedhispathandwalkedovertheedgeofoneof
thesmalllanding-placesforriversteamboats。Thebody
exhibitednotracesofviolence，andtherecanbenodoubt
thatthedeceasedhadbeenthevictimofanunfortunate
accident，whichshouldhavetheeffectofcallingthe
attentionoftheauthoritiestotheconditionoftheriverside
landing-stages。”
Wesatinsilenceforsomeminutes，Holmesmoredepressedand
shakenthanIhadeverseenhim。
“Thathurtsmypride，Watson，“hesaidatlast。“Itisa
pettyfeeling，nodoubt，butithurtsmypride。Itbecomesa
personalmatterwithmenow，and，ifGodsendsmehealth，Ishall
setmyhanduponthisgang。Thatheshouldcometomeforhelp，
andthatIshouldsendhimawaytohisdeath——！“Hesprangfrom
hischairandpacedabouttheroominuncontrollableagitation，
withaflushuponhissallowcheeksandanervousclaspingand
unclaspingofhislongthinhands。
“Theymustbecunningdevils，“heexclaimedatlast。“How
couldtheyhavedecoyedhimdownthere？TheEmbankmentisnoton
thedirectlinetothestation。Thebridge，nodoubt，wastoo
crowded，evenonsuchanight，fortheirpurpose。Well，Watson，
weshallseewhowillwininthelongrun。Iamgoingoutnow！““Tothepolice？“
“No；Ishallbemyownpolice。WhenIhavespunthewebthey
maytaketheflies，butnotbefore。”
AlldayIwasengagedinmyprofessionalwork，anditwaslate
intheeveningbeforeIreturnedtoBakerStreet。SherlockHolmes
hadnotcomebackyet。Itwasnearlyteno”clockbeforehe
entered，lookingpaleandworn。Hewalkeduptothesideboard，
andtearingapiecefromtheloafhedevoureditvoraciously，
washingitdownwithalongdraughtofwater。“Youarehungry，“Iremarked。
“Starving。Ithadescapedmymemory。Ihavehadnothing
sincebreakfast。”“Nothing？““Notabite。Ihadnotimetothinkofit。”“Andhowhaveyousucceeded？““Well。”“Youhaveaclue？“
“Ihavetheminthehollowofmyhand。YoungOpenshawshall
notlongremainunavenged。Why，Watson，letusputtheirown
devilishtrade-markuponthem。Itiswellthoughtof！““Whatdoyoumean？“
Hetookanorangefromthecupboard，andtearingittopieces
hesqueezedoutthepipsuponthetable。Ofthesehetookfive
andthrustthemintoanenvelope。Ontheinsideoftheflaphe
wrote“S。H。forJ。O。”Thenhesealeditandaddresseditto
“CaptainJamesCalhoun，BarkLoneStar，Savannah，Georgia。”
“Thatwillawaithimwhenheentersport，“saidhe，chuckling。
“Itmaygivehimasleeplessnight。Hewillfinditassurea
precursorofhisfateasOpenshawdidbeforehim。”“AndwhoisthisCaptainCalhoun？“
“Theleaderofthegang。Ishallhavetheothers，buthe
first。”“Howdidyoutraceit，then？“
Hetookalargesheetofpaperfromhispocket，allcovered
withdatesandnames。
“Ihavespentthewholeday，“saidhe，“overLloyd”sregisters
andfilesoftheoldpapers，followingthefuturecareerofevery
vesselwhichtouchedatPondicherryinJanuaryandFebruaryin”83。Therewerethirty-sixshipsoffairtonnagewhichwere
reportedthereduringthosemonths。Ofthese，one，theLoneStar，
instantlyattractedmyattention，since，althoughitwasreported
ashavingclearedfromLondon，thenameisthatwhichisgivento
oneofthestatesoftheUnion。”“Texas，Ithink。”
“Iwasnotandamnotsurewhich；butIknewthattheship
musthaveanAmericanorigin。”“Whatthen？“
“IsearchedtheDundeerecords，andwhenIfoundthatthebark
LoneStarwasthereinJanuary，”85，mysuspicionbecamea
certainty。Itheninquiredastothevesselswhichlayatpresent
intheportofLondon。”“Yes？“
“TheLoneStarhadarrivedherelastweek。Iwentdowntothe
AlbertDockandfoundthatshehadbeentakendowntheriverby
theearlytidethismorning，homewardboundtoSavannah。Iwired
toGravesendandlearnedthatshehadpassedsometimeago，andas
thewindiseasterlyIhavenodoubtthatsheisnowpastthe
GoodwinsandnotveryfarfromtheIsleofWight。”“Whatwillyoudo，then？“
“Oh，Ihavemyhanduponhim。Heandthetwomates，are，asI
learn，theonlynative-bornAmericansintheship。Theothersare
FinnsandGermans。Iknow，also，thattheywereallthreeaway
fromtheshiplastnight。Ihaditfromthestevedorewhohas
beenloadingtheircargo。Bythetimethattheirsailing-ship
reachesSavannahthemail-boatwillhavecarriedthisletter，and
thecablewillhaveinformedthepoliceofSavannahthatthese
threegentlemenarebadlywantedhereuponachargeofmurder。”
Thereiseveraflaw，however，inthebestlaidofhuman
plans，andthemurderersofJohnOpenshawwerenevertoreceive
theorangepipswhichwouldshowthemthatanother，ascunningand
asresoluteasthemselves，wasupontheirtrack。Verylongand
verysevereweretheequinoctialgalesthatyear。Wewaitedlong
fornewsoftheLoneStarofSavannah，butnoneeverreachedus。
WedidatlasthearthatsomewherefaroutintheAtlantica
shatteredstern-postoftheboatwasseenswinginginthetrough
ofawave，withtheletters“L。S。”carveduponit，andthatis
allwhichweshalleverknowofthefateoftheLoneStar……
1893
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THE“GLORIASCOTT“
bySirArthurConanDoyle
“Ihavesomepapershere，“saidmyfriendSherlockHolmesaswe
satonewinter”snightoneithersideofthefire，“whichIreally
think，Watson，thatitwouldbeworthyourwhiletoglanceover。These
arethedocumentsintheextraordinarycaseoftheGloriaScott，and
thisisthemessagewhichstruckJusticeofthePeaceTrevordeadwith
horrorwhenhereadit。”
Hehadpickedfromadraweralittletarnishedcylinder，and，
undoingthetape，hehandedmeashortnotescrawleduponahalf-sheet
ofslate-graypaper。
ThesupplyofgameforLondonisgoingsteadilyup[itran]。
Head-keeperHudson，webelieve，hasbeennowtoldtoreceiveall
ordersforfly-paperandforpreservationofyourhen-pheasant”slife。
AsIglancedupfromreadingthisenigmaticalmessage，Isaw
Holmeschucklingattheexpressionuponmyface。
“Youlookalittlebewildered，“saidhe。
“Icannotseehowsuchamessageasthiscouldinspirehorror。It
seemstometoberathergrotesquethanotherwise。”
“Verylikely。Yetthefactremainsthatthereader，whowasa
fine，robustoldman，wasknockedcleandownbyitasifithadbeen
thebuttendofapistol。”
“Youarousemycuriosity，“saidI。“Butwhydidyousayjustnow
thattherewereveryparticularreasonswhyIshouldstudythiscase？“
“BecauseitwasthefirstinwhichIwaseverengaged。”
Ihadoftenendeavouredtoelicitfrommycompanionwhathadfirst
turnedhismindinthedirectionofcriminalresearch，buthadnever
caughthimbeforeinacommunicativehumour。Nowhesatforwardinhis
armchairandspreadoutthedocumentsuponhisknees。Thenhelit
hispipeandsatforsometimesmokingandturningthemover。
“YouneverheardmetalkofVictorTrevor？“heasked。“Hewasthe
onlyfriendImadeduringthetwoyearsIwasatcollege。Iwas
neveraverysociablefellow，Watson，alwaysratherfondofmoping
inmyroomsandworkingoutmyownlittlemethodsofthought，so
thatInevermixedmuchwiththemenofmyyear。Barfencingand
boxingIhadfewathletictastes，andthenmylineofstudywas
quitedistinctfromthatoftheotherfellows，sothatwehadno
pointsofcontactatall。TrevorwastheonlymanIknew，andthat
onlythroughtheaccidentofhisbullterrierfreezingontomy
ankleonemorningasIwentdowntochapel。
“Itwasaprosaicwayofformingafriendship，butitwaseffective。
Iwaslaidbytheheelsfortendays，andTrevorusedtocomeinto
inquireafterme。Atfirstitwasonlyaminute”schat，butsoonhis
visitslengthened，andbeforetheendofthetermwewereclose
friends。Hewasahearty，full-bloodedfellow，fullofspiritsand
energy，theveryoppositetomeinmostrespects，butwehadsome
subjectsincommon，anditwasabondofunionwhenIfoundthathe
wasasfriendlessasI。Finallyheinvitedmedowntohisfather”s
placeatDonnithorpe，inNorfolk，andIacceptedhishospitalityfora
monthofthelongvacation。
“OldTrevorwasevidentlyamanofsomewealthandconsideration，
aJ。P。，andalandedproprietor。Donnithorpeisalittlehamlet
justtothenorthofLangmere，inthecountryoftheBroads。Thehouse
wasanold-fashioned，widespread，oakbeamedbrickbuilding，witha
finelime-linedavenueleadinguptoit。Therewasexcellentwild-duck
shootinginthefens，remarkablygoodfishing，asmallbutselect
library，takenover，asIunderstood，fromaformeroccupant，anda
tolerablecook，sothathewouldbeafastidiousmanwhocouldnotput
inapleasantmonththere。
“Trevorseniorwasawidower，andmyfriendhisonlyson。
“Therehadbeenadaughter，Iheard，butshehaddiedof
diphtheriawhileonavisittoBirmingham。Thefatherinterestedme
extremely。Hewasamanoflittleculture，butwithaconsiderable
amountofrudestrength，bothphysicallyandmentally。Heknew
hardlyanybooks，buthehadtravelledfar，hadseenmuchofthe
world，andhadrememberedallthathehadlearned。Inpersonhewas
athick-set，burlymanwithashockofgrizzledhair，abrown，
weather-beatenface，andblueeyeswhichwerekeentothevergeof
fierceness。Yethehadareputationforkindnessandcharityonthe
countryside，andwasnotedfortheleniencyofhissentencesfrom
thebench。
“Oneevening，shortlyaftermyarrival，weweresittingoveraglass
ofportafterdinner，whenyoungTrevorbegantotalkaboutthose
habitsofobservationandinferencewhichIhadalreadyformedinto
asystem，althoughIhadnotyetappreciatedthepartwhichthey
weretoplayinmylife。Theoldmanevidentlythoughtthathisson
wasexaggeratinginhisdescriptionofoneortwotrivialfeats
whichIhadperformed。
“”Come，now，Mr。Holmes”saidhe，laughinggood-humouredly。”I”man
excellentsubject，ifyoucandeduceanythingfromme。”
“”Ifearthereisnotverymuch”Ianswered。”Imightsuggest
thatyouhavegoneaboutinfearofsomepersonalattackwithinthe
lasttwelvemonth。”
“Thelaughfadedfromhislips，andhestaredatmeingreat
surprise。
“”Well，that”strueenough”saidhe。”Youknow，Victor”turningto
hisson，”whenwebrokeupthatpoachinggangtheysworetoknife
us，andSirEdwardHollyhasactuallybeenattacked。I”vealways
beenonmyguardsincethen，thoughIhavenoideahowyouknowit。”
“”Youhaveaveryhandsomestick”Ianswered。”BytheinscriptionI
observedthatyouhadnothaditmorethanayear。Butyouhave
takensomepainstoboretheheadofitandpourmeltedleadinto
theholesoastomakeitaformidableweapon。Iarguedthatyouwould
nottakesuchprecautionsunlessyouhadsomedangertofear。”
“”Anythingelse？”heasked，smiling。
“”Youhaveboxedagooddealinyouryouth。”
“”Rightagain。Howdidyouknowit？Ismynoseknockedalittle
outofthestraight？”
“”No”saidI。”Itisyourears。Theyhavethepeculiarflattening
andthickeningwhichmarkstheboxingman。”
“”Anythingelse？”
“”Youhavedoneagooddealofdiggingbyyourcallosities。”
“”Madeallmymoneyatthegoldfields。”
“”YouhavebeeninNewZealand。”
“”Rightagain。”
“”YouhavevisitedJapan。”
“”Quitetrue。”
“”Andyouhavebeenmostintimatelyassociatedwithsomeonewhose
initialswereJ。A。，andwhomyouafterwardswereeagertoentirely
forget。”
“Mr。Trevorstoodslowlyup，fixedhislargeblueeyesuponme
withastrangewildstare，andthenpitchedforward，withhisface
amongthenutshellswhichstrewedthecloth，inadeadfaint。
“Youcanimagine，Watson，howshockedbothhissonandIwere。His
attackdidnotlastlong，however，forwhenweundidhiscollarand
sprinkledthewaterfromoneofthefinger-glassesoverhisface，he
gaveagasportwoandsatup。
“”Ah，boys”saidhe，forcingasmile，”IhopeIhaven”t
frightenedyou。StrongasIlook，thereisaweakplaceinmyheart，
anditdoesnottakemuchtoknockmeover。Idon”tknowhowyou
managethis，Mr。Holmes，butitseemstomethatallthedetectivesof
factandoffancywouldbechildreninyourhands。That”syourlineof
life，sir，andyoumaytakethewordofamanwhohasseensomething
oftheworld。”
“Andthatrecommendation，withtheexaggeratedestimateofmy
abilitywithwhichheprefacedit，was，ifyouwillbelieveme，
Watson，theveryfirstthingwhichevermademefeelthataprofession
mightbemadeoutofwhathaduptothattimebeenthemeresthobby。
Atthemoment，however，Iwastoomuchconcernedatthesuddenillness
ofmyhosttothinkofanythingelse。
“”IhopethatIhavesaidnothingtopainyou？”saidI。
“”Well，youcertainlytoucheduponratheratenderpoint。MightI
askhowyouknow，andhowmuchyouknow？”Hespokenowina
half-jestingfashion，butalookofterrorstilllurkedatthebackof
hiseyes。
“”Itissimplicityitself”saidI。”Whenyoubaredyourarmtodraw
thatfishintotheboatIsawthatJ。A。hadbeentattooedinthebend
oftheelbow。Theletterswerestilllegible，butitwasperfectly
clearfromtheirblurredappearance，andfromthestainingoftheskin
roundthem，thateffortshadbeenmadetoobliteratethem。Itwas
obvious，then，thatthoseinitialshadoncebeenveryfamiliartoyou，
andthatyouhadafterwardswishedtoforgetthem。”
“”Whataneyeyouhave！”hecriedwithasighofrelief。”Itisjust
asyousay。Butwewon”ttalkofit。Ofallghoststheghostsofour
oldlovesaretheworst。Comeintothebilliard-roomandhave，aquiet
cigar。”
“Fromthatday，amidallhiscordiality，therewasalwaysatouchof
suspicioninMr。Trevor”smannertowardsme。Evenhissonremarkedit。”You”vegiventhegovernorsuchaturn”saidhe，”thathe”llneverbe
sureagainofwhatyouknowandwhatyoudon”tknow。”Hedidnot
meantoshowit，Iamsure，butitwassostronglyinhismindthatit
peepedoutateveryaction。AtlastIbecamesoconvincedthatIwas
causinghimuneasinessthatIdrewmyvisittoaclose。Onthevery
day，however，beforeIleft，anincidentoccurredwhichprovedin
thesequeltobeofimportance。
“Weweresittingoutuponthelawnongardenchairs，thethreeof
us，baskinginthesunandadmiringtheviewacrosstheBroads，whena
maidcameouttosaythattherewasamanatthedoorwhowantedto
seeMr。Trevor。
“”Whatishisname？”askedmyhost。
“”Hewouldnotgiveany。”
“”Whatdoeshewant，then？”
“”Hesaysthatyouknowhim，andthatheonlywantsamoments
conversation。”
“”Showhimroundhere。”Aninstantafterwardsthereappeareda
littlewizenedfellowwithacringingmannerandashamblingstyle
ofwalking。Heworeanopenjacket，withasplotchoftaronthe
sleeve，ared-and-blackcheckshirt，dungareetrousers，andheavy
bootsbadlyworn。Hisfacewasthinandbrownandcrafty，witha
perpetualsmileuponit，whichshowedanirregularlineofyellow
teeth，andhiscrinkledhandswerehalfclosedinawaythatis
distinctiveofsailors。AshecameslouchingacrossthelawnIheard
Mr。Trevormakeasortofhiccoughingnoiseinhisthroat，and，
jumpingoutofhischair，heranintothehouse。Hewasbackina
moment，andIsmeltastrongreekofbrandyashepassedme。
“”Well，myman”saidhe。”WhatcanIdoforyou？”
“Thesailorstoodlookingathimwithpuckeredeyes，andwiththe
samelooselippedsmileuponhisface。
“”Youdon”tknowme？”heasked。
“”Why，dearme，itissurelyHudson”saidMr。Trevorinatoneof
surprise。
“”Hudsonitis，sir”saidtheseaman。”Why，it”sthirtyyearand
moresinceIsawyoulast。Hereyouareinyourhouse，andmestill
pickingmysaltmeatoutoftheharnesscask。”
“”Tut，youwillfindthatIhavenotforgottenoldtimes”cried
Trevor，and，walkingtowardsthesailor，hesaidsomethinginalow
voice。”Gointothekitchen”hecontinuedoutloud，”andyouwillget
foodanddrink。IhavenodoubtthatIshallfindyouasituation。”
“”Thankyou，sir”saidtheseaman，touchinghisforelock。”I”mjust
offatwo-yearerinaneight-knottramp，short-handedatthat，andI
wantsarest。IthoughtI”dgetiteitherwithMr。Beddoesorwith
you。”
“”Ah！”criedMr。Trevor。”YouknowwhereMr。Beddoesis？”
“Blessyou，sir，Iknowwhereallmyoldfriendsare”saidthe
fellowwithasinistersmile，andheslouchedoffafterthemaidto
thekitchen。Mr。Trevormumbledsomethingtousabouthavingbeen
shipmatewiththemanwhenhewasgoingbacktothediggings，and
then，leavingusonthelawn，hewentindoors。Anhourlater，when
weenteredthehouse，wefoundhimstretcheddeaddrunkuponthe
dining-roomsofa。Thewholeincidentleftamostuglyimpression
uponmymind，andIwasnotsorrynextdaytoleaveDonnithorpebehind
me，forIfeltthatmypresencemustbeasourceofembarrassmentto
myfriend。
“Allthisoccurredduringthefirstmonthofthelongvacation。I
wentuptomyLondonrooms，whereIspentsevenweeksworkingouta
fewexperimentsinorganicchemistry。Oneday，however，whenthe
autumnwasfaradvancedandthevacationdrawingtoaclose，I
receivedatelegramfrommyfriendimploringmetoreturnto
Donnithorpe，andsayingthathewasingreatneedofmyadviceand
assistance。OfcourseIdroppedeverythingandsetoutfortheNorth
oncemore。
“Hemetmewiththedog-cartatthestation，andIsawataglance
thatthelasttwomonthshadbeenverytryingonesforhim。Hehad
grownthinandcareworn，andhadlosttheloud，cheerymannerfor
whichhehadbeenremarkable。
“”Thegovernorisdying”werethefirstwordshesaid。
“”Impossible！”Icried。”Whatisthematter？”
“”Apoplexy。Nervousshock。He”sbeenonthevergeallday。Idoubt
ifweshallfindhimalive。”
“Iwas，asyoumaythink，Watson，horrifiedatthisunexpectednews。
“”Whathascausedit？”Iasked。
“”Ah，thatisthepoint。jumpinandwecantalkitoverwhilewe
drive。Yourememberthatfellowwhocameupontheeveningbeforeyou
leftus？”
“”Perfectly。”
“”Doyouknowwhoitwasthatweletintothehousethatday？”
“”Ihavenoidea。”
“”Itwasthedevil，Holmes”hecried。
“”Istaredathiminastonishment。
“”Yes，itwasthedevilhimself。Wehavenothadapeacefulhour
since-notone。Thegovernorhasneverhelduphisheadfromthat
evening，andnowthelifehasbeencrushedoutofhimandhisheart
broken，allthroughthisaccursedHudson。”
“”Whatpowerhadhe，then？”
“”Ah，thatiswhatIwouldgivesomuchtoknow。Thekindly，
charitablegoodoldgovernor-howcouldhehavefallenintothe
clutchesofsucharuffian！ButIamsogladthatyouhavecome，
Holmes。Itrustverymuchtoyourjudgmentanddiscretion，andI
knowthatyouwilladvisemeforthebest。”
“Weweredashingalongthesmoothwhitecountryroad，withthe
longstretchoftheBroadsinfrontofusglimmeringinthered
lightofthesettingsun。FromagroveuponourleftIcouldalready
seethehighchimneysandtheflagstaffwhichmarkedthesquire”s
dwelling。
“”Myfathermadethefellowgardener”saidmycompanion，”andthen，
asthatdidnotsatisfyhim，hewaspromotedtobebutler。Thehouse
seemedtobeathismercy，andhewanderedaboutanddidwhathechose
init。Themaidscomplainedofhisdrunkenhabitsandhisvile
language。Thedadraisedtheirwagesallroundtorecompensethem
fortheannoyance。Thefellowwouldtaketheboatandmyfather”sbest
gunandtreathimselftolittleshootingtrips。Andallthiswithsuch
asneering，leering，insolentfacethatIwouldhaveknockedhim
downtwentytimesoverifhehadbeenamanofmyownage。Itellyou，
Holmes，Ihavehadtokeepatightholduponmyselfallthistime；and
nowIamaskingmyselfwhether，ifIhadletmyselfgoalittle
more，Imightnothavebeenawiserman。
“”Well，matterswentfrombadtoworsewithus，andthisanimal
Hudsonbecamemoreandmoreintrusive，untilatlast，onhismaking
someinsolentreplytomyfatherinmypresenceoneday，Itookhimby
theshouldersandturnedhimoutoftheroom。Heslunkawaywitha
lividfaceandtwovenomouseyeswhichutteredmorethreatsthanhis
tonguecoulddo。Idon”tknowwhatpassedbetweenthepoordadandhim
afterthat，butthedadcametomenextdayandaskedmewhetherI
wouldmindapologizingtoHudson。Irefused，asyoucanimagine，and
askedmyfatherhowhecouldallowsuchawretchtotakesuch
libertieswithhimselfandhishousehold。
“”“Ah，myboy，“saidhe，“itisallverywelltotalk，butyoudon”t
knowhowIamplaced。Butyoushallknow，Victor。I”llseethatyou
shallknow，comewhatmay。Youwouldn”tbelieveharmofyourpoor
oldfather，wouldyou，lad？“Hewasverymuchmovedandshuthimself
upinthestudyallday，whereIcouldseethroughthewindowthat
hewaswritingbusily。
“”Thateveningtherecamewhatseemedtometobeagrandrelease，
forHudsontoldusthathewasgoingtoleaveus。Hewalkedintothe
dining-roomaswesatafterdinnerandannouncedhisintentionin
thethickvoiceofahalf-drunkenman。
“”“I”vehadenoughofNorfolk，“saidhe。“I”llrundowntoMr。
BeddoesinHampshire。He”llbeasgladtoseemeasyouwere，I
daresay。”
“”“You”renotgoingawayinanunkindspiritHudson，Ihope，“said
myfatherwithatamenesswhichmademybloodboil。
“”“I”venothadmy”poIogy，“saidhesulkily，glancinginmy
direction。
“”“Victor，youwillacknowledgethatyouhaveusedthisworthy
fellowratherroughly，“saidthedad，turningtome。
“”“Onthecontrary，Ithinkthatwehavebothshownextraordinary
patiencetowardshim，“Ianswered。
“”“Oh，youdo，doyou？“hesnarled。“Verygood，mate。We”llsee
aboutthat！“
“”Heslouchedoutoftheroomandhalfanhourafterwardsleftthe
house，leavingmyfatherinastateofpitiablenervousness。Night
afternightIheardhimpacinghisroom，anditwasjustashewas
recoveringhisconfidencethattheblowdidatlastfall。”
“”Andhow？”Iaskedeagerly。
“”Inamostextraordinaryfashion。Aletterarrivedformyfather
yesterdayevening，bearingtheFordinghampostmark。Myfatherreadit，
clappedbothhishandstohishead，andbeganrunningroundtheroom
inlittlecircleslikeamanwhohasbeendrivenoutofhissenses。
WhenIatlastdrewhimdownontothesofa，hismouthandeyelids
wereallpuckeredononeside，andIsawthathehadastroke。Dr。
Fordhamcameoveratonce。Weputhimtobed，buttheparalysishas
spread，hehasshownnosignofreturningconsciousness，andIthink
thatweshallhardlyfindhimalive。”
“”Youhorrifyme，Trevor！”Icried。”Whatthencouldhavebeenin
thislettertocausesodreadfularesult？”
“”Nothing。Thereliestheinexplicablepartofit。Themessagewas
absurdandtrivial。Ah，myGod，itisasIfeared！”
“Ashespokewecameroundthecurveoftheavenueandsawinthe
fadinglightthateveryblindinthehousehadbeendrawndown。As
wedasheduptothedoor，myfriend”sfaceconvulsedwithgrief，a
gentlemaninblackemergedfromit。
“”Whendidithappen，doctor？”askedTrevor。
“”Almostimmediatelyafteryouleft。”
“”Didherecoverconsciousness？”
“”Foraninstantbeforetheend。”
“”Anymessageforme？”
“”OnlythatthepaperswereinthebackdraweroftheJapanese
cabinet。”
“Myfriendascendedwiththedoctortothechamberofdeath，whileI
remainedinthestudy，turningthewholematteroverandoverinmy
head，andfeelingassombreaseverIhaddoneinmylife。Whatwas
thepastofthisTrevor，pugilist，traveller，andgold-digger，andhow
hadheplacedhimselfinthepowerofthisacid-facedseaman？Why，
too，shouldhefaintatanallusiontothehalf-effacedinitials
uponhisarmanddieoffrightwhenhehadaletterfromFordingham？
ThenIrememberedthatFordinghamwasinHampshire，andthatthis
Mr。Beddoes，whomtheseamanhadgonetovisitandpresumablyto
blackmail，hadalsobeenmentionedaslivinginHampshire。Theletter，
then，mighteithercomefromHudson，theseaman，sayingthathehad
betrayedtheguiltysecretwhichappearedtoexist，oritmightcome
fromBeddoes，warninganoldconfederatethatsuchabetrayalwas
imminent。Sofaritseemedclearenough。Butthenhowcouldthis
letterbetrivialandgrotesque，asdescribedbytheson？Hemusthave
misreadit。Ifso，itmusthavebeenoneofthoseingenioussecret
codeswhichmeanonethingwhiletheyseemtomeananother。Imustsee
thisletter。Iftherewasahiddenmeaninginit，Iwasconfidentthat
Icouldpluckitforth。ForanhourIsatponderingoveritinthe
gloom，untilatlastaweepingmaidbroughtinalamp，andcloseat
herheelscamemyfriendTrevor，palebutcomposed，withthesevery
paperswhichlieuponmykneeheldinhisgrasp。Hesatdown
oppositetome，drewthelamptotheedgeofthetable，andhanded
meashortnotescribbled，asyousee，uponasinglesheetofgray
paper。”ThesupplyofgameforLondonisgoingsteadilyup”itran。”Head-keeperHudson，webelieve，hasbeennowtoldtoreceiveall
ordersforfly-paperandforpreservationofyourhen-pheasant”s
life。”
“Idaresaymyfacelookedasbewilderedasyoursdidjustnowwhen
firstIreadthismessage。ThenIrereaditverycarefully。Itwas
evidentlyasIhadthought，andsomesecretmeaningmustlieburiedin
thisstrangecombinationofwords。Orcoulditbethattherewasa
prearrangedsignificancetosuchphrasesas”flypaper”and”hen-pheasant”？Suchameaningwouldbearbitraryandcouldnotbe
deducedinanyway。AndyetIwasloathtobelievethatthiswasthe
case，andthepresenceofthewordHudsonseemedtoshowthatthe
subjectofthemessagewasasIhadguessed，andthatitwasfrom
Beddoesratherthanthesailor。Itrieditbackward，butthe
combination”lifepheasant”shen”wasnotencouraging。ThenItried
alternatewords，butneither”theoffor”nor”supplygameLondon”
promisedtothrowanylightuponit。
“Andtheninaninstantthekeyoftheriddlewasinmyhands，andI
sawthateverythirdword，beginningwiththefirst，wouldgivea
messagewhichmightwelldriveoldTrevortodespair。
“Itwasshortandterse，thewarning，asInowreadittomy
companion：
“”Thegameisup。Hudsonhastoldall。Flyforyourlife。”
“VictorTrevorsankhisfaceintohisshakinghands。”Itmustbe
that，Isuppose”saidhe。”Thisisworsethandeath，foritmeans
disgraceaswell。Butwhatisthemeaningofthese“head-keepers“
and“hen-pheasants“？”
“Itmeansnothingtothemessage，butitmightmeanagooddealto
usifwehadnoothermeansofdiscoveringthesender。Youseethathe
hasbegunbywriting“The……game……is，“andsoon。Afterwardshe
had，tofulfiltheprearrangedcipher，tofillinanytwowordsin
eachspace。Hewouldnaturallyusethefirstwordswhichcametohis
mind，andifthereweresomanywhichreferredtosportamongthem，
youmaybetolerablysurethatheiseitheranardentshotor
interestedinbreeding。DoyouknowanythingofthisBeddoes？”
“”Why，nowthatyoumentionit”saidhe，”Irememberthatmypoor
fatherusedtohaveaninvitationfromhimtoshootoverhispreserves
everyautumn。”
“”Thenitisundoubtedlyfromhimthatthenotecomes”saidI。”Itonlyremainsforustofindoutwhatthissecretwaswhichthe
sailorHudsonseemstohaveheldovertheheadsofthesetwowealthy
andrespectedmen。”
“”Alas，Holmes，Ifearthatitisoneofsinandshame！”criedmy
friend。”ButfromyouIshallhavenosecrets。Hereisthestatement
whichwasdrawnupbymyfatherwhenheknewthatthedangerfrom
Hudsonhadbecomeimminent。IfounditintheJapanesecabinet，as
hetoldthedoctor。Takeitandreadittome，forIhaveneither
thestrengthnorthecouragetodoitmyself。”
“Thesearetheverypapers，Watson，whichhehandedtome，andI
willreadthemtoyou，asIreadthemintheoldstudythatnightto
him。Theyareendorsedoutside，asyousee，”Someparticularsofthe
voyageofthebarkGloriaScott，fromherleavingFalmouthonthe
8thOctober，1855，toherdestructioninN。Lat-15”20”，W。Long。
25”14”，onNov。6th。”Itisintheformofaletter，andrunsinthis
way。
“”Mydear，dearson，nowthatapproachingdisgracebeginsto
darkentheclosingyearsofmylife，Icanwritewithalltruthand
honestythatitisnottheterrorofthelaw，itisnotthelossofmy
positioninthecounty，norisitmyfallintheeyesofallwho
haveknownme，whichcutsmetotheheart；butitisthethought
thatyoushouldcometoblushforme-youwholovemeandwhohave
seldom，Ihope，hadreasontodootherthanrespectme。Butifthe
blowfallswhichisforeverhangingoverme，thenIshouldwishyouto
readthis，thatyoumayknowstraightfrommehowfarIhavebeento
blame。Ontheotherhand，ifallshouldgowellwhichmaykindGod
Almightygrant！，then，ifbyanychancethispapershouldbestill
undestroyedandshouldfallintoyourhands，Iconjureyou，byallyou
holdsacred，bythememoryofyourdearmother，andbythelove
whichhasbeenbetweenus，tohurlitintothefireandtonever
giveonethoughttoitagain。
“”Ifthenyoureyegoesontoreadthisline，IknowthatIshall
alreadyhavebeenexposedanddraggedfrommyhome，or，asismore
likely，foryouknowthatmyheartisweak，belyingwithmytongue
sealedforeverindeath。Ineithercasethetimeforsuppressionis
past，andeverywordwhichItellyouisthenakedtruth，andthisI
swearasIhopeformercy。
“”Myname，dearlad，isnotTrevor。IwasJamesArmitageinmy
youngerdays，andyoucanunderstandnowtheshockthatitwastomea
fewweeksagowhenyourcollegefriendaddressedmeinwordswhich
seemedtoimplythathehadsurprisedmysecret。AsArmitageitwas
thatIenteredaLondonbanking-house，andasArmitageIwasconvicted
ofbreakingmycountry”slaws，andwassentencedtotransportation。Do
notthinkveryharshlyofme，laddie。Itwasadebtofhonour，so
called，whichIhadtopay，andIusedmoneywhichwasnotmyownto
doit，inthecertaintythatIcouldreplaceitbeforetherecould
beanypossibilityofitsbeingmissed。Butthemostdreadfulillluck
pursuedme。ThemoneywhichIhadreckoneduponnevercametohand，
andaprematureexaminationofaccountsexposedmydeficit。Thecase
mighthavebeendealtlenientlywith，butthelawsweremoreharshly
administeredthirtyyearsagothannow，andonmytwentythird
birthdayIfoundmyselfchainedasafelonwiththirty-sevenother
convictsinthe”tween-decksofthebarkGloriaScott，boundfor
Australia。
“”Itwastheyear”55，whentheCrimeanWarwasatitsheight，and
theoldconvictshipshadbeenlargelyusedastransportsintheBlack
Sea。Thegovernmentwascompelled，therefore，tousesmallerand
lesssuitablevesselsforsendingouttheirprisoners。TheGloria
ScotthadbeenintheChinesetea-trade，butshewasanold-fashioned，
heavy-bowed，broad-beamedcraft，andthenewclippershadcutherout。
Shewasafive-hundred-tonboat；andbesidesherthirty-eight
jail-birds，shecarriedtwenty-sixofacrew，eighteensoldiers，a
captain，threemates，adoctor，achaplain，andfourwarders。Nearlya
hundredsoulswereinher，alltold，whenwesetsailfromFalmouth。
“”Thepartitionsbetweenthecellsoftheconvictsinsteadof
beingofthickoak，asisusualinconvict-ships，werequitethin
andfrail。Themannexttome，upontheaftside，wasonewhomIhad
particularlynoticedwhenwewereleddownthequay。Hewasayoung
manwithaclear，hairlessface，along，thinnose，andrather
nut-crackerjaws。Hecarriedhisheadveryjauntilyintheair，had
aswaggeringstyleofwalking，andwas，aboveallelse，remarkablefor
hisextraordinaryheight。Idon”tthinkanyofourheadswouldhave
comeuptohisshoulder，andIamsurethathecouldnothavemeasured
lessthansixandahalffeet。Itwasstrangeamongsomanysadand
wearyfacestoseeonewhichwasfullofenergyandresolution。The
sightofitwastomelikeafireinasnowstorm。Iwasglad，then，to
findthathewasmyneighbour，andgladderstillwhen，inthedead
ofthenight，Iheardawhisperclosetomyearandfoundthathe
hadmanagedtocutanopeningintheboardwhichseparatedus。
“”“Hullo，chummy！“saidhe，“what”syourname，andwhatareyou
herefor？“
“”Iansweredhim，andaskedinturnwhoIwastalkingwith。
“”“I”mJackPrendergast，“saidhe，andbyGod！you”lllearntobless
mynamebeforeyou”vedonewithme。”
“”Irememberedhearingofhiscase，foritwasonewhichhadmadean
immensesensationthroughoutthecountrysometimebeforemyown
arrest。Hewasamanofgoodfamilyandofgreatability，butof
incurablyvicioushabits，whohadbyaningenioussystemoffraud
obtainedhugesumsofmoneyfromtheleadingLondonmerchants。
“”“Ha，ha！Youremembermycase！“saidheproudly。
“”“Verywell，indeed。”
“”“Thenmaybeyouremembersomethingqueeraboutit？“
“”“Whatwasthat，then？“
“”“I”dhadnearlyaquarterofamillion，hadn”tI？“
“”“Soitwassaid。”
“”“Butnonewasrecovered，
“”“No。”
“”“Well，whered”yesupposethebalanceis？“heasked。
“”“Ihavenoidea，“saidI。
“”“Rightbetweenmyfingerandthumb，“hecried。“ByGod！I”vegot
morepoundstomynamethanyou”vehairsonyourhead。Andifyou”ve
money，myson，andknowhowtohandleitandspreadit，youcando
anything。Now，youdon”tthinkitlikelythatamanwhocoulddo
anythingisgoingtowearhisbreechesoutsittinginthestinking
holdofarat-gutted，beetle-ridden，mouldyoldcoffinofaChinChina
coaster。No，sir，suchamanwilllookafterhimselfandwilllook
afterhischums。Youmaylaytothat！Youholdontohim，andyou
maykisstheBookthathe”llhaulyouthrough。”
“”Thatwashisstyleoftalk，andatfirstIthoughtitmeant
nothing，butafterawhile，whenhehadtestedmeandswornmeinwith
allpossiblesolemnity，heletmeunderstandthattherereallywasa
plottogaincommandofthevessel。Adozenoftheprisonershad
hatcheditbeforetheycameaboard，Prendergastwastheleader，and
hismoneywasthemotivepower。
“”“I”dapartner，“saidhe，“araregoodman，astrueasastock
toabarrel。He”sgotthedibbs，hehas，andwheredoyouthinkhe
isatthismoment？Why，he”sthechaplainofthisship-thechaplain，
noless？Hecameaboardwithablackcoat，andhispapersright，and
moneyenoughinhisboxtobuythethingrightupfromkeelto
main-truck。Thecrewarehis，bodyandsoul。Hecouldbuy”ematso
muchagrosswithacashdiscount，andhediditbeforeeverthey
signedon。He”sgottwoofthewardersandMereer，thesecondmate，
andhe”dgetthecaptainhimself，ifhethoughthimworthit。”
“”“Whatarewetodo，then？“Iasked。
“”“Whatdoyouthink？“saidhe。“We”llmakethecoatsofsomeof
thesesoldiersredderthaneverthetailordid。”
“”“Buttheyarearmed，“saidI。
“”“Andsoshallwebe，myboy。There”sabraceofpistolsfor
everymotherssonofus；andifwecan”tcarrythisship，withthe
crewatourback，it”stimewewereallsenttoayoungmisses”
boarding-school。Youspeaktoyourmateupontheleftto-night，and
seeifheistobetrusted。”
“”“Ididsoandfoundmyotherneighbourtobeayoungfellowin
muchthesamepositionasmyself，whosecrimehadbeenforgery。His
namewasEvans，butheafterwardschangedit，likemyself，andheis
nowarichandprosperousmaninthesouthofEngland。Hewasready
enoughtojointheconspiracy，astheonlymeansofsaving
ourselves，andbeforewehadcrossedthebaytherewereonlytwoof
theprisonerswhowerenotinthesecret。Oneofthesewasofweak
mind，andwedidnotdaretotrusthim，andtheotherwassuffering
fromjaundiceandcouldnotbeofanyusetous。
“”Fromthebeginningtherewasreallynothingtopreventusfrom
takingpossessionoftheship。Thecrewwereasetofruffians，
speciallypickedforthejob。Theshamchaplaincameintoourcellsto
exhortus，carryingablackbag，supposedtobefulloftracts，andso
oftendidhecomethatbythethirddaywehadeachstowedawayatthe
footofourbedsafile，abraceofpistols，apoundofpowder，and
twentyslugs。TwoofthewarderswereagentsofPrendergast，andthe
secondmatewashisright-handman。Thecaptain，thetwomates，two
warders，LieutenantMartin，hiseighteensoldiers，andthedoctorwere
allthatwehadagainstus。Yet，safeasitwas，wedeterminedto
neglectnoprecaution，andtomakeourattacksuddenlybynight。It
came，however，morequicklythanweexpected，andinthisway。