The Sign of the Four Part 6 (1/2)
Chapter X
The End of the Islander
Our ly hen he chose, and that night he did choose He appeared to be in a state of nervous exaltation I have never known him so brilliant He spoke on a quick succession of subjects,--on miracle-plays, on medieval pottery, on Stradivarius violins, on the Buddhis each as though he had ht humordays Athelney Jones proved to be a sociable soul in his hours of relaxation, and faced his dinner with the air of a bon vivant Forthe end of our task, and I caught so dinner to the cause which had brought us together
When the cloth was cleared, Hollasses with port ”One bumper,” said he, ”to the success of our little expedition And now it is high time ere off Have you a pistol, Watson?”
”I have my old service-revolver in my desk”
”You had best take it, then It is well to be prepared I see that the cab is at the door I ordered it for half-past six”
It was a little past seven before we reached the West us Hol to reen lamp at the side”
”Then take it off”
The se was made, we stepped on board, and the ropes were cast off Jones, Holmes, and I sat in the stern There was one ines, and two burly police-inspectors forward
”Where to?” asked Jones
”To the Tower Tell them to stop opposite Jacobson's Yard”
Our craft was evidently a very fast one We shot past the long lines of loaded barges as though they were stationary Holmes smiled with satisfaction as we overhauled a river steaht to be able to catch anything on the river,” he said
”Well, hardly that But there are not many launches to beat us”
”We shall have to catch the Aurora, and she has a na a clipper I will tell you how the land lies, Watson You recollect how annoyed I was at being balked by so saveinto a chereatest statese of work is the best rest So it is When I had succeeded in dissolving the hydrocarbon which I was at work at, I caht the whole ain My boys had been up the river and down the river without result The launch was not at any landing-stage or wharf, nor had it returned Yet it could hardly have been scuttled to hide their traces,--though that always remained as a possible hypothesis if all else failed I knew this , but I did not think hi in the nature of delicate finesse That is usually a product of higher education I then reflected that since he had certainly been in London some time--as we had evidence that he e--he could hardly leave at a moment's notice, but would need soe his affairs That was the balance of probability, at any rate”
”It seems to me to be a little weak,” said I ”It is ed his affairs before ever he set out upon his expedition”
”No, I hardly think so This lair of his would be too valuable a retreat in case of need for hiive it up until he was sure that he could do without it But a second consideration struck me Jonathan Small must have felt that the peculiar appearance of his coive rise to gossip, and possibly be associated with this Norwood tragedy He was quite sharp enough to see that They had started from their head-quarters under cover of darkness, and he would wish to get back before it was broad light Now, it was past three o'clock, according to Mrs Sht, and people would be about in an hour or so Therefore, I argued, they did not go very far They paid Sue, reserved his launch for the final escape, and hurried to their lodgings with the treasure-box In a couple of nights, when they had time to see what view the papers took, and whether there was any suspicion, they would make their way under cover of darkness to some shi+p at Gravesend or in the Dohere no doubt they had already arranged for passages to America or the Colonies”
”But the launch? They could not have taken that to their lodgings”
”Quite so I argued that the launch reat way off, in spite of its invisibility I then put myself in the place of Small, and looked at it as a man of his capacity would He would probably consider that to send back the launch or to keep it at a wharf would et on his track How, then, could he conceal the launch and yet have her at hand anted? I wondered what I should do myself if I were in his shoes I could only think of one way of doing it I ht land the launch over to some boat-builder or repairer, with directions to e in her She would then be removed to his shed or yard, and so be effectually concealed, while at the same time I could have her at a few hours' notice”
”That sees which are extremely liable to be overlooked However, I determined to act on the idea I started at once in this har and inquired at all the yards down the river I drew blank at fifteen, but at the sixteenth--Jacobson's--I learned that the Aurora had been handed over to theed man, with soht amiss with her rudder,' said the foreman 'There she lies, with the red streaks' At thatowner? He was rather the worse for liquor I should not, of course, have known him, but he bellowed out his naht o'clock,' said he,--'eight o'clock sharp, ' They had evidently paid his about to the men I followed him some distance, but he subsided into an ale-house: so I went back to the yard, and, happening to pick up one of my boys on the way, I stationed hie and wave his handkerchief to us when they start We shall be lying off in the strea if we do not take men, treasure, and all”
”You have planned it all very neatly, whether they are the right men or not,” said Jones; ”but if the affair were in my hands I should have had a body of police in Jacobson's Yard, and arrested them when they came down”
”Which would have been never This man Small is a pretty shrewd fellow He would send a scout on ahead, and if anythingfor another week”
”But you ht have stuck to Mordecai S-place,” said I
”In that case I should have wasted ainst Sood pay, why should he ask questions? They send hiht over every possible course, and this is the best”
While this conversation had been proceeding, we had been shooting the long series of bridges which span the Thailding the cross upon the suht before we reached the Tower
”That is Jacobson's Yard,” said Hol on the Surrey side ”Cruise gently up and down here under cover of this string of lighters” He took a pair of night-glasses froazed some time at the shore ”I see n of a handkerchief”
”Suppose we go down-streaerly We were all eager by this tiue idea of as going forward
”We have no right to take anything for granted,” Holo down-stream, but we cannot be certain From this point we can see the entrance of the yard, and they can hardly see us It will be a clear night and plenty of light We must stay where we are See how the folk swar fro rascals, but I suppose every one has some little immortal spark concealed about him You would not think it, to look at thema is man!”
”Soested
”Winwood Reade is good upon the subject,” said Holmes ”He remarks that, while the individual ate he becomes a mathematical certainty You can, for example, never foretell what any one e nues remain constant So says the statistician But do I see a handkerchief? Surely there is a white flutter over yonder”
”Yes, it is your boy,” I cried ”I can see him plainly”
”And there is the Aurora,” exclaiineer Make after that launch with the yellow light By heaven, I shall never forgive myself if she proves to have the heels of us!”
She had slipped unseen through the yard-entrance and passed behind two or three sot her speed up beforeher Now she was flying down the strea at a treravely at her and shook his head
”She is very fast,” he said ”I doubt if we shall catch her”
”We MUST catch her!” cried Holmes, between his teeth ”Heap it on, stokers! Make her do all she can! If we burn the boat we must have them!”
We were fairly after her now The furnaces roared, and the powerful engines whizzed and clanked, like a great h the river-water and sent two rolling waves to right and to left of us With every throb of the engines we sprang and quivered like a living thing One great yellow lantern in our bows threw a long, flickering funnel of light in front of us Right ahead a dark blur upon the water shohere the Aurora lay, and the swirl of white foa We flashed past barges, steamers, merchant-vessels, in and out, behind this one and round the other Voices hailed us out of the darkness, but still the Aurora thundered on, and still we followed close upon her track
”Pile it on, ine-rooer, aquiline face ”Get every pound of steaain a little,” said Jones, with his eyes on the Aurora
”I am sure of it,” said I ”We shall be up with her in a very few minutes”
At thatwith three barges in tow blundered in between us It was only by putting our helm hard down that we avoided a collision, and before we could round theood two hundred yards She was still, however, well in view, and the ht Our boilers were strained to their utmost, and the frail shell vibrated and creaked with the fierce energy which was driving us along We had shot through the Pool, past the West India Docks, down the long Deptford Reach, and up again after rounding the Isle of Dogs The dull blur in front of us resolved itself now clearly enough into the dainty Aurora Jones turned our search-light upon her, so that we could plainly see the figures upon her deck Oneblack between his knees over which he stooped Beside hi The boy held the tiller, while against the red glare of the furnace I could see old S coals for dear life They may have had so the which they took there could no longer be any question about it At Greenere about three hundred paces behind them At Blacke could not have been more than two hundred and fifty I have coursediveman-hunt down the Thames Steadily we drew in upon theht we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck, and his arh he were busy, while every now and then he would look up and lance the distance which still separated us Nearer we came and nearer Jones yelled to theths behind the at a tre Level upon one side and the melancholy Plumstead Marshes upon the other At our hail theup fro the while in a high, cracked voice He was a good-sized, powerful s astride I could see that froh doards there was but a wooden stury cries there was htened itself into a little black reat, led, dishevelled hair Holmes had already drawn his revolver, and I whipped out e, distorted creature He rapped in some sort of dark ulster or blanket, which left only his face exposed; but that face was enough to give a ht Never have I seen features so deeply lowed and burned with a soht, and his thick lips rithed back frorinned and chattered at us with a half animal fury
”Fire if he raises his hand,” said Holth by this time, and almost within touch of our quarry I can see the two of thes far apart, shrieking out curses, and the unhalloith his hideous face, and his strong yellow teeth gnashi+ng at us in the light of our lantern