The Sign of the Four Part 4 (1/2)
”That was like following the brook to the parent lake He makes one curious but profound rereatness lies in his perception of his own sues, you see, a power of comparison and of appreciation which is in itself a proof of nobility There is ht in Richter You have not a pistol, have you?”
”I have my stick”
”It is just possible that we et to their lair Jonathan I shall leave to you, but if the other turns nasty I shall shoot hi loaded two of the chaht-hand pocket of his jacket
We had during this tiuidance of Toby down the half-rural villa-lined roads which lead to thecontinuous streets, where laborers and dock down shutters and brushi+ng door-steps At the square-topped corner public houses business was just beginning, and rough-lookingtheir sleeves across their beards after their ly at us as we passed, but our iniht nor to the left, but trotted onwards with his nose to the ground and an occasional eager whine which spoke of a hot scent
We had traversed Streathaton Lane, having borne away through the side-streets to the east of the Oval Theroad, with the idea probably of escaping observation They had never kept to the main road if a parallel side-street would serve their turn At the foot of Kennington Lane they had edged away to the left through Bond Street and Miles Street Where the latter street turns into Knight's Place, Toby ceased to advance, but began to run backwards and forwards with one ear cocked and the other drooping, the very picture of canine indecision Then he waddled round in circles, looking up to us from time to time, as if to ask for sympathy in his embarrassrowled Holo off in a balloon”
”Perhaps they stood here for soain,” said my companion, in a tone of relief
He was indeed off, for after sniffing round again he suddenly y and determination such as he had not yet shown The scent appeared to be much hotter than before, for he had not even to put his nose on the ground, but tugged at his leash and tried to break into a run I cold see by the glea the end of our journey
Our course now ran down Nine Ele ti, frantic with exciteate into the enclosure, where the sawyers were already at work On the dog raced through sawdust and shavings, down an alley, round a passage, between tood-piles, and finally, with a triue barrel which still stood upon the hand-trolley on which it had been brought With lolling tongue and blinking eyes, Toby stood upon the cask, looking fron of appreciation The staves of the barrel and the wheels of the trolley were smeared with a dark liquid, and the whole air was heavy with the smell of creasote
Sherlock Holmes and I looked blankly at each other, and then burst sihter
Chapter VIII
The Baker Street Irregulars
”What now?” I asked ”Toby has lost his character for infallibility”
”He acted according to his lights,” said Hol him out of the timber-yard ”If you consider how reat wonder that our trail should have been crossed It isof wood Poor Toby is not to blaain, I suppose”
”Yes And, fortunately, we have no distance to go Evidently what puzzled the dog at the corner of Knight's Place was that there were two different trails running in opposite directions We took the wrong one It only remains to follow the other”
There was no difficulty about this On leading Toby to the place where he had committed his fault, he cast about in a wide circle and finally dashed off in a fresh direction
”Weus to the place where the creasote-barrel caht of that But you notice that he keeps on the pavement, whereas the barrel passed down the roadway No, we are on the true scent now”
It tended doards the river-side, running through Belmont Place and Prince's Street At the end of Broad Street it ran right down to the water's edge, where there was a se of this, and there stood whining, looking out on the dark current beyond
”We are out of luck,” said Holmes ”They have taken to a boat here” Several s about in the water and on the edge of the wharf We took Toby round to each in turn, but, though he sniffed earnestly, he e was a sh the second”Mordecai Se letters, and, underneath, ”Boats to hire by the hour or day” A second inscription above the door informed us that a steareat pile of coke upon the jetty Sherlock Holmes looked slowly round, and his face assumed an ominous expression
”This looks bad,” said he ”These fellows are sharper than I expected They seem to have covered their tracks There has, I fear, been preconcertedthe door of the house, when it opened, and a little, curly-headed lad of six ca out, followed by a stoutish, red-faced woe in her hand
”You come back and be washed, Jack,” she shouted ”Co imp; for if your father comes home and finds you like that, he'll let us hear of it”
”Dear little chap!” said Hol rascal! Now, Jack, is there anything you would like?”
The youth pondered for ayou would like better?”
”I'd like two shi+llin' better,” the prodigy answered, after soht
”Here you are, then! Catch!--A fine child, Mrs Smith!”
”Lor' bless you, sir, he is that, and forward He gets a'e, 'specially when my man is away days at a time”
”Away, is he?” said Holmes, in a disappointed voice ”I am sorry for that, for I wanted to speak to Mr Smith”
”He's been away since yesterday htened about him But if it was about a boat, sir, maybe I could serve as well”
”I wanted to hire his steam launch”
”Why, bless you, sir, it is in the steaone That's what puzzles me; for I know there ain't more coals in her than would take her to about Woolwich and back If he'd been away in the barge I'd ha' thought nothin'; for many a time a job has taken him as far as Gravesend, and then if there was ood is a steaht soht, sir, but it weren't his way Many a tie for a few odd bags Besides, I don't like that wooden-legged ly face and outlandish talk What did he want always knockin' about here for?”
”A wooden-legged man?” said Holmes, with bland surprise
”Yes, sir, a brown, monkey-faced chap that's called more'n once for ht, and, what's more, my man kneas coht, sir, I don't feel easy in my mind about it”
”But,his shoulders, ”You are frightening yourself about nothing How could you possibly tell that it was the wooden-legged ht? I don't quite understand how you can be so sure”
”His voice, sir I knew his voice, which is kind o' thick and foggy He tapped at the winder,--about three it would be 'Show a leg, uard' My old man woke up Jim,--that's my eldest,--and away they went, without soclackin' on the stones”
”And was this wooden-legged man alone?”
”Couldn't say, I am sure, sir I didn't hear no one else”
”I am sorry, Mrs Sood reports of the--Let me see, what is her nareen launch with a yellow line, very broad in the bea as any on the river She's been fresh painted, black with two red streaks”
”Thanks I hope that you will hear soon fro down the river; and if I should see anything of the Aurora I shall let him know that you are uneasy A black funnel, you say?”
”No, sir Black with a white band”
”Ah, of course It was the sides which were black Good-, Mrs Smith--There is a boatman here with a wherry, Watson We shall take it and cross the river