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Books at bedtime. The sign of the four. Chapter 10. The End of the Islander

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Our meal was a merry one. Holmes could talk exceedingly well when he chose, and that night

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he did choose. He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation. I have never known

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him so brilliant. He spoke on a quick succession of subjects on miracle plays, on medieval pottery,

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on strativarius violins, on the Buddhism of Cilan, and on the warships of the future,

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handling each as though he had made a special study of it. His bright humour marked the reaction

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from his black depression of the preceding days. A felony Jones proved to be a sociable soul

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in his hours of relaxation, and faced his dinner with the air or a bon vivant.

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For myself, I felt elated at the thought that we were nearing the end of our task,

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and I caught something of Holmes' gayity. None of us alluded during dinner to the cause which had

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brought us together. When the cloth was cleared, Holmes glanced at his watch and filled up three

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glasses with port. One bumper said he, to the success of our little expedition, and now it is

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high time we were off. Have you a pistol, Watson? I have my old service revolver in my desk.

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You had best take it then. It is well to be prepared. I see that the cab is at the door. I ordered it

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for half past six. It was a little past seven before we reached the Westminster Wharf and found our

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launch awaiting us. Holmes hid it critically. Is there anything to mark this as a police boat?

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Yes, that green lamp at the side. Then take it off. The small change was made. We stepped on board

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and the ropes were cast off. Jones, Holmes and I sat in the stern.

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There was one man at the rudder, one to ten the engines, and two burly police inspectors forward.

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Where two asked Jones, to the tower, tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's yard.

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Our craft was evidently a very fast one. We shot past the long lines of loaded

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barges as though they were stationary. Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we overhauled a river

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steamer and left her behind us. We ought to be able to catch anything on the river, he said.

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Well, hardly that, but there are not many launches to beat us.

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We shall have to catch the aurora and she has a name for being a clipper. I will tell you how

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the land lies Watson. You recollect how annoyed I was at being bought by so small a thing.

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Yes? Well, I gave my mind a thorough rest by plunging into a chemical analysis.

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One of the great statesmen had said that a change of work is the best rest. So it is.

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When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at, I came back to our problem,

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the shaltos, and thought that the whole matter was out again. My boys had been up the river

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and down the river without result. The launch was not at any landing stage or wolf,

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nor had it returned. So it could hardly have been scuttle to hide their traces, though

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that always remained a possible hypothesis if all else failed.

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I knew this man small had a certain degree of low-cunning, but I did not think incapable of anything

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in the nature of delicate finesse. That is usually a product of higher education. I then reflected

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that since he had certainly been in London sometime, as we had evidence that he maintained a

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continual watch on pondicry lodge. He could hardly leave at a moment's notice, but would need

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some little time, if it were only a day to arrange his affairs. That was the balance of probability

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at any rate. It seems to me a little weak said I. It is more probable that he had arranged his affairs

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before ever he set upon this expedition. No, I hardly think so. This layer of his would be too

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valuable a retreat in case of need for him to give up until he was sure that he could do without it.

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But a second consideration struck me. Jonathan Small have felt that the peculiar

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appearance of his companion, however much he may have topcoded him, would give rise to gossip,

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and possibly be associated with the Norwood tragedy. He was quite sharp enough to see that.

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They had started from their headquarters under cover of darkness, and he would wish to get back

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before it was broad light. Now, it was past three o'clock according to Mrs Smith when they got the boat.

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It would be quite bright, and people would be about in an hour or so.

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Therefore, I argued, they did not go very far. They paid Smith well to hold his tongue,

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reserved his launch for the final escape, and hurried to their lodgings with the treasure box.

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In a couple of nights, when they had time to see that view of the paper took,

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and whether there was any suspicion, they would make their way under cover of darkness to some ship

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at Graves' End or in the Downs, where no doubt they had arranged for passages to America or the colonies.

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But the launch, they could not have taken that to their lodgings. Quite so, I argued that the launch

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must be no great way off in spite of its invisibility. I then put myself in the place of small,

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and looked at it as a man of his capacity would. He would probably consider that send back the launch

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or to keep it at the wall would make pursuit easy if the police did happen to get on his track.

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How then could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand when wanted?

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I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his shoes.

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I could only think of one way of doing it. I might hand the launch over to some boat builder or repairer

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with directions to make a trifling change in her. She would then be removed to a shed or yard

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and be so affectionately concealed when at the same time I could have her in a few hours notice.

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Yes, that seems simple enough. It is just these very few simple things, which were extremely

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liable to be overlooked. However, I determined to act on the idea. I started at once in the harmless

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Seaman's rig and inquired at all the yards down the river. I drew a blanket 15, but at the 16th

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J. Kipsons, I learned that the aurora had been handed over to them two days ago by a wooden-legged man

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with some trivial directions as to her rudder. Their ain't no remiss with her rudder, said the foreman,

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there she lies, with the red streaks. At that moment, who should come down but Mordek

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I. Smith, the missing owner? He was rather the worse for Lecker. I should not, of course, have known him,

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but he bellowed out his name and the name of his launch. I want her to be right at eight o'clock

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city, eight o'clock sharp-mind, fri of two gentlemen who won't be kept waiting. They had evidently paid

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him well, but he was very flush of money, chuckling shillings about to the men. I followed him for some

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distance, but he subsided into an ale house, so I went back to the yard, and happening to pick up one

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of the boys on the way. I stationed him as the centri over the launch. He is to stand at water's edge

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and wave his hand ke'chiek to us when they start. We shall be lying off in the stream,

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and it will be a strange thing if we do not take men treasure in all.

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You have planned it all very neatly, whether they are the right men or not, said Jones,

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but if the affair were in my hands, I should have a body of police in Jake's Plinyard

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and arrest them when they come down. Which would never have been. This man's small is a pretty

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shrewd fellow. He would send a scout ahead, and if anything made him suspicious, he would lie snug

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for another week. But you might have struck to Mordekai Smith and so been led to the hiding place,

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said I. In that case, I should have wasted my day. I think that it is a hundred to one against Smith

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knowing where they live. As long as he is liquor and good pay, why should he ask questions?

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They send in messages what to do. No, I thought over every possible course, and this is the best.

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While the conversation had been proceeding, we'd been shooting the long series of bridges

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which span the Thames. As we passed the city, the last rays of the sun were gliding across the

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summit of St Paul's. It was twilight before we reached the tower. This is Jake's Plinyard,

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said Thames, pointing to a bristle of masks and rigging on the sary side.

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Crews gently up and down here under cover of the string of lighters.

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He took a pair of night glasses from his pocket and gazed sometime at the shore.

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I see my century at his post he marked, but no sign of a hang-achief.

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Suppose we go downstream a short way, and line-white for them said chones eagerly.

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We were all eager by this time, even the policemen and stokers who had a very vague idea of what was

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going on. We have no right, take anything for granted Holmes answered. It is certainly 10 to 1

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that they go downstream, but we cannot be certain. From this point we can see the entrance of the

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yard, and they can hardly see us. It will be a clear night and plenty of light. We must stay where we

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are. See how the folks warm over yonder in the gaslight. They are coming from work in the yard.

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Dirty lifting rascals, but I suppose every one of them has some little immortal spark concealed

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about them. You would not think of it to look at them. There is no prior probability about it.

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A strange enigma is man. Someone calls him a soul concealed in an animal I suggested.

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Wingwood reese is good upon the subjects at Holmes. He remarks that while the individual man is an

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insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example,

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never foretell what any man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will

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be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant. So says the statistician, but do I

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see handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over yonder. Yes, it is your boy I cried. I can see

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him plainly. And there is the aurora exclaiming times and going like the devil, full speed ahead

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engineer, make after that launch with the yellow light. By heaven, I shall never forgive myself as

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she proves to have the heels on us. She had slipped unseen through the yard entrance and passed

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behind two or three small craft so that she had fairly got her speed up before we saw her.

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Now she was flying down the stream near into the shore, going at its tremendous rate.

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Jones looked gravely at her and shook his head. She is very fast, he said, "I doubt if we shall ever

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capture." We must capture cried Holmes beneath his teeth. He put on stokers, make a deal all she can.

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If we burn the boat, we must have them. We were fairly after her now. The furnace is

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wrought and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked like a great metallic heart. Her sharp, steep

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prow cut through the river water and sent two rolling waves to the right and to the left of us.

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With every frob of the engines, we sprang and quivered like a living thing. One great yellow

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lantern in our bows through a long flickering funnel of light in front of us. Right ahead, a dark

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blur upon the water showed where the aurora lay and the swirl of white foam behind us spoke of the

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pace which she was going. We flashed past bargees, steamers, merchant vessels in and out,

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behind this one and around the other. Voices hailed out as the darkness, but still the aurora

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funded on and still we followed close upon her track. Pilate on men, pilot on cried Holmes,

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looking down into the engine room, while a fierce glow from below beat upon his eager,

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aqualine face. Get every pound of steam you can. I think we gain a little said Jones with his eyes

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on the aurora. I am sure of it said I. We shall be upon her within a very few minutes.

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A that moment, however, as our evil fate would have it, a tug with three barges in a row

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blended in between us. It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision.

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And before we could round them and recover our way, the aurora had gained a good 200 yards.

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She was still, however, well in view and the murky uncertain twilight was setting into the clear

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starlit night. Up boilers were strained to their utmost and the frail shell vibrated and creeped

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with a fierce energy which was driving us along. We had shot through the pool,

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passed the west india docks down the long-depth ford reach, and upon again after rounding the

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aisle of docks, the dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the daintier

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aurora. Jones turned our search light upon her so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck.

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One man sat by the stern, with something black been of tweth his knees over which he stooped.

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Beneath him lay a dark mass which looked like a new foundland dog. The boy held the tiller while

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against the red glare of the furnace I could see Old Smith stripped to the waist and shoveling

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coals for dear life. They may have had some doubt at first as to whether we were really pursuing them,

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but now as we followed every winding and turning which they took there could be no longer

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any question about it. At Greenwich we were about 300 paces behind them. At Blackbump we could not have

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been more than 250. I have caused many creatures in many countries during my checkered career,

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but never did sport give me such a wild thrill as this mad, flying man hunt down the Thames.

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Steadily we drew upon them yard by yard. In the silence of the night we could hear the panting

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and clanking of their machinery. The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck and his arms

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were moving as though they were busy. While every now and then he would look up and measure with

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a glance the distance which still separated us. Nearer we came and nearer. Jones yelled to them to stop.

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We were not more than four boats lengths behind them, both boats flying at tremendous pace.

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It was a clear reach of the river, with barking level upon one side and the melancholy plumb

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stood marches upon the other. At our hail the man at the stern sprang up from the deck and shook his

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two clench-fisted us, cursing the wild in a high cracked voice. He was a good-sized, powerful man

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and he stood poising himself with legs astride. I could see that from their thigh downwards,

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there was but a wooden stamp upon the right side. At the sound of his strident,

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angry cries, there was a movement in the huddle bundled upon the deck. It straightened itself into

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a little black man, the smallest I have ever seen. With a great mishapen head and a shock of tangled

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this sheveled hair. Holmes had already drawn his revolver and I whipped out mine at the sight of

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this savage distorted creature. He was wrapped in some sort of dark ulster of blanket, which left

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only his face exposed, but that face was enough to give a man a sleepless night. Never have I seen

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creatures so deeply marked with all bestiality and cruelty. His small eyes glowed and burned

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with a somber light, and his thick lips were writhed back from his teeth, which grinned and chatted at us

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with half animal fury. Fire, if he raises his hands, hit Holmes quietly. We were within a boat's length

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by this time and almost within touch of our quarry. I can see the two of them now as they stood,

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the might ran with his legs far apart, shrieking out curses and unhaloed dwarf with its hideous

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base and his strong yellow teeth gnashing us in the light of our lantern.

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It was well that we had so clear a view of him. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his

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covering a short round piece of wood like a school ruler and he clapped it to his lips.

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Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw up his arms and with a kind of choking

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cough, fell sideways into the stream. I caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes

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amid the white swirl of the waters. At the same moment the wooden legged man threw himself

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upon the rudder and put it hard down so that his boat made straight in for the sudden bank.

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While we shot past her stern, only clearing her by a few feet, we were round after her in an instant,

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but she was already near at the bank. It was a wild and desolate place where the moon glimmered

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upon the wide expanse of marshland, with pools of stagnant water and beds of decaying vegetation.

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The launch, with a dull fad run upon the mud bank with her bow in the air and her stern flush with

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the water. The fugitive sprang out, but his stump instantly sang into the whole length into the

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sodden soil. In vain he struggled and riled, not one step could he possibly take either forwards

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or backwards. He yelled, in impotent rage and kicked frantically into the mud with his other foot,

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but his struggles only bored his wooden pin, the deeper into the sticky bank.

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When we brought our launch alongside, he was so firmly anchored that it was only by throwing

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the end of a rope over his shoulders that we were able to haul him out and drag him,

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like some evil fish, over our side. The two Smiths, father and sons sat silently in their launch,

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but came aboard me clean enough when commanded. The aurora herself, we hauled off and made fast

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to our stern. A solid iron chest of Indian workmanship stood upon the deck. This,

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there could be no question, was the same that had contained the ill-amended treasure of the

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shoulders. There was no key, but it was of considerable weight, so he transferred it carefully to our

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own little cabin. As we steamed slowly up the stream again, we flashed our search light in every

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direction, but there was no sign of the islander. Somewhere in the dark ooze at the bottom of the

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Thames lay the bones of the strange visitor to our shores. So here, said Holmes, pointing to the

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wooden hatchway. We are hardly quick enough with our hidden stalls. There, sure enough,

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just behind where he had been standing struck one of the murderous darts which we knew so well.

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It must have waged between us, the instant we fired. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his

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shoulders in easy fashion, but I confess that it turned me sick to think of the horrible death

190
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which had passed so close to us that night.

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