Thisseemedtoestablishthatthecrimehadbeendoneinamomentoffury，andthatthemurdererhadseizedthefirstweaponwhichcameinhisway。Thefactthatthecrimewascommittedattwointhemorning，andyetPeterCareywasfullydressed，suggestedthathehadanappointmentwiththemurderer，whichisborneoutbythefactthatabottleofrumandtwodirtyglassesstooduponthetable。\"
\"Yes，\"saidHolmes；\"Ithinkthatbothinferencesarepermissible。
Wasthereanyotherspiritbutrumintheroom？\"
\"Yes；therewasatantaluscontainingbrandyandwhiskyonthesea—chest。Itisofnoimportancetous，however，sincethedecanterswerefull，andithadthereforenotbeenused。\"
\"Forallthatitspresencehassomesignificance，\"saidHolmes。
\"However，letushearsomemoreabouttheobjectswhichdoseemtoyoutobearuponthecase。\"
\"Therewasthistobacco—pouchuponthetable。\"
\"Whatpartofthetable？\"
\"Itlayinthemiddle。Itwasofcoarseseal—skin——
thestraight—hairedskin，withaleatherthongtobindit。
Insidewas`P。C。’ontheflap。Therewashalfanounceofstrongship’stobaccoinit。\"
\"Excellent！Whatmore？\"
StanleyHopkinsdrewfromhispocketadrab—coverednote—book。
Theoutsidewasroughandworn，theleavesdiscoloured。
Onthefirstpagewerewrittentheinitials\"J。H。N。\"andthedate\"1883。\"Holmeslaiditonthetableandexamineditinhisminuteway，whileHopkinsandIgazedovereachshoulder。
Onthesecondpageweretheprintedletters\"C。P。R。，\"andthencameseveralsheetsofnumbers。AnotherheadingwasArgentine，anotherCostaRica，andanotherSanPaulo，eachwithpagesofsignsandfiguresafterit。
\"Whatdoyoumakeofthese？\"askedHolmes。
\"TheyappeartobelistsofStockExchangesecurities。
Ithoughtthat`J。H。N。’weretheinitialsofabroker，andthat`C。P。R。’mayhavebeenhisclient。\"
\"TryCanadianPacificRailway，\"saidHolmes。
StanleyHopkinssworebetweenhisteethandstruckhisthighwithhisclenchedhand。
\"WhatafoolIhavebeen！\"hecried。\"Ofcourse，itisasyousay。Then`J。H。N。’aretheonlyinitialswehavetosolve。
IhavealreadyexaminedtheoldStockExchangelists，andIcanfindnoonein1883eitherintheHouseoramongtheoutsidebrokerswhoseinitialscorrespondwiththese。YetIfeelthattheclueisthemostimportantonethatIhold。Youwilladmit，Mr。Holmes，thatthereisapossibilitythattheseinitialsarethoseofthesecondpersonwhowaspresent——inotherwords，ofthemurderer。Iwouldalsourgethattheintroductionintothecaseofadocumentrelatingtolargemassesofvaluablesecuritiesgivesusforthefirsttimesomeindicationofamotiveforthecrime。\"
SherlockHolmes’sfaceshowedthathewasthoroughlytakenabackbythisnewdevelopment。
\"Imustadmitbothyourpoints，\"saidhe。\"Iconfessthatthisnote—book，whichdidnotappearattheinquest，modifiesanyviewswhichImayhaveformed。IhadcometoatheoryofthecrimeinwhichIcanfindnoplaceforthis。Haveyouendeavouredtotraceanyofthesecuritiesherementioned？\"
\"Inquiriesarenowbeingmadeattheoffices，butIfearthatthecompleteregisterofthestockholdersoftheseSouthAmericanconcernsisinSouthAmerica，andthatsomeweeksmustelapsebeforewecantracetheshares。\"
Holmeshadbeenexaminingthecoverofthenote—bookwithhismagnifyinglens。
\"Surelythereissomediscolourationhere，\"saidhe。
\"Yes，sir，itisablood—stain。ItoldyouthatIpickedthebookoffthefloor。\"
\"Wastheblood—stainaboveorbelow？\"
\"Onthesidenexttheboards。\"
\"Whichproves，ofcourse，thatthebookwasdroppedafterthecrimewascommitted。\"
\"Exactly，Mr。Holmes。Iappreciatedthatpoint，andIconjecturedthatitwasdroppedbythemurdererinhishurriedflight。Itlaynearthedoor。\"
\"Isupposethatnoneofthesesecuritieshavebeenfoundamongthepropertyofthedeadman？\"
\"No，sir。\"
\"Haveyouanyreasontosuspectrobbery？\"
\"No，sir。Nothingseemedtohavebeentouched。\"
\"Dearme，itiscertainlyaveryinterestingcase。
Thentherewasaknife，wastherenot？\"
\"Asheath—knife，stillinitssheath。Itlayatthefeetofthedeadman。Mrs。Careyhasidentifieditasbeingherhusband’sproperty。\"
Holmeswaslostinthoughtforsometime。
\"Well，\"saidhe，atlast，\"IsupposeIshallhavetocomeoutandhavealookatit。\"
StanleyHopkinsgaveacryofjoy。
\"Thankyou，sir。Thatwillindeedbeaweightoffmymind。\"
Holmesshookhisfingerattheinspector。
\"Itwouldhavebeenaneasiertaskaweekago，\"saidhe。
\"Butevennowmyvisitmaynotbeentirelyfruitless。Watson，ifyoucansparethetimeIshouldbeverygladofyourcompany。
Ifyouwillcallafour—wheeler，Hopkins，weshallbereadytostartforForestRowinaquarterofanhour。\"
Alightingatthesmallwaysidestation，wedroveforsomemilesthroughtheremainsofwidespreadwoods，whichwereoncepartofthatgreatforestwhichforsolongheldtheSaxoninvadersatbay——theimpenetrable\"weald，\"forsixtyyearsthebulwarkofBritain。Vastsectionsofithavebeencleared，forthisistheseatofthefirstiron—worksofthecountry，andthetreeshavebeenfelledtosmelttheore。NowthericherfieldsoftheNorthhaveabsorbedthetrade，andnothingsavetheseravagedgrovesandgreatscarsintheearthshowtheworkofthepast。
Hereinaclearinguponthegreenslopeofahillstoodalong，lowstonehouse，approachedbyacurvingdriverunningthroughthefields。Nearertheroad，andsurroundedonthreesidesbybushes，wasasmallouthouse，onewindowandthedoorfacinginourdirection。Itwasthesceneofthemurder！
StanleyHopkinsledusfirsttothehouse，whereheintroducedustoahaggard，grey—hairedwoman，thewidowofthemurderedman，whosegauntanddeep—linedface，withthefurtivelookofterrorinthedepthsofherred—rimmedeyes，toldoftheyearsofhardshipandill—usagewhichshehadendured。Withherwasherdaughter，apale，fair—hairedgirl，whoseeyesblazeddefiantlyatusasshetoldusthatshewasgladthatherfatherwasdead，andthatsheblessedthehandwhichhadstruckhimdown。ItwasaterriblehouseholdthatBlackPeterCareyhadmadeforhimself，anditwaswithasenseofreliefthatwefoundourselvesinthesunlightagainandmakingourwayalongapathwhichhadbeenwornacrossthefieldsbythefeetofthedeadman。
Theouthousewasthesimplestofdwellings，wooden—walled，shingle—roofed，onewindowbesidethedoorandoneonthefartherside。StanleyHopkinsdrewthekeyfromhispocket，andhadstoopedtothelock，whenhepausedwithalookofattentionandsurpriseuponhisface。
\"Someonehasbeentamperingwithit，\"hesaid。
Therecouldbenodoubtofthefact。Thewoodworkwascutandthescratchesshowedwhitethroughthepaint，asiftheyhadbeenthatinstantdone。Holmeshadbeenexaminingthewindow。
\"Someonehastriedtoforcethisalso。Whoeveritwashasfailedtomakehiswayin。Hemusthavebeenaverypoorburglar。\"
\"Thisisamostextraordinarything，\"saidtheinspector；
\"Icouldswearthatthesemarkswerenothereyesterdayevening。\"
\"Somecuriouspersonfromthevillage，perhaps，\"Isuggested。
\"Veryunlikely。Fewofthemwoulddaretosetfootinthegrounds，farlesstrytoforcetheirwayintothecabin。
Whatdoyouthinkofit，Mr。Holmes？\"
\"Ithinkthatfortuneisverykindtous。\"
\"Youmeanthatthepersonwillcomeagain？\"
\"Itisveryprobable。Hecameexpectingtofindthedooropen。
Hetriedtogetinwiththebladeofaverysmallpenknife。
Hecouldnotmanageit。Whatwouldhedo？\"
\"Comeagainnextnightwithamoreusefultool。\"
\"SoIshouldsay。Itwillbeourfaultifwearenottheretoreceivehim。Meanwhile，letmeseetheinsideofthecabin。\"
Thetracesofthetragedyhadbeenremoved，butthefurniturewithinthelittleroomstillstoodasithadbeenonthenightofthecrime。Fortwohours，withmostintenseconcentration，Holmesexaminedeveryobjectinturn，buthisfaceshowedthathisquestwasnotasuccessfulone。Onceonlyhepausedinhispatientinvestigation。
\"Haveyoutakenanythingoffthisshelf，Hopkins？\"
\"No；Ihavemovednothing。\"
\"Somethinghasbeentaken。Thereislessdustinthiscorneroftheshelfthanelsewhere。Itmayhavebeenabooklyingonitsside。Itmayhavebeenabox。Well，well，Icandonothingmore。Letuswalkinthesebeautifulwoods，Watson，andgiveafewhourstothebirdsandtheflowers。Weshallmeetyouherelater，Hopkins，andseeifwecancometocloserquarterswiththegentlemanwhohaspaidthisvisitinthenight。\"
Itwaspasteleveno’clockwhenweformedourlittleambuscade。
Hopkinswasforleavingthedoorofthehutopen，butHolmeswasoftheopinionthatthiswouldrousethesuspicionsofthestranger。Thelockwasaperfectlysimpleone，andonlyastrongbladewasneededtopushitback。Holmesalsosuggestedthatweshouldwait，notinsidethehut，butoutsideitamongthebusheswhichgrewroundthefartherwindow。Inthiswayweshouldbeabletowatchourmanifhestruckalight，andseewhathisobjectwasinthisstealthynocturnalvisit。
Itwasalongandmelancholyvigil，andyetbroughtwithitsomethingofthethrillwhichthehunterfeelswhenheliesbesidethewaterpoolandwaitsforthecomingofthethirstybeastofprey。Whatsavagecreaturewasitwhichmightstealuponusoutofthedarkness？Wasitafiercetigerofcrime，whichcouldonlybetakenfightinghardwithflashingfangandclaw，orwoulditprovetobesomeskulkingjackal，dangerousonlytotheweakandunguarded？
Inabsolutesilencewecrouchedamongstthebushes，waitingforwhatevermightcome。Atfirstthestepsofafewbelatedvillagers，orthesoundofvoicesfromthevillage，lightenedourvigil；butonebyonetheseinterruptionsdiedawayandanabsolutestillnessfelluponus，saveforthechimesofthedistantchurch，whichtoldusoftheprogressofthenight，andfortherustleandwhisperofafinerainfallingamidthefoliagewhichroofedusin。
Half—pasttwohadchimed，anditwasthedarkesthourwhichprecedesthedawn，whenweallstartedasalowbutsharpclickcamefromthedirectionofthegate。Someonehadenteredthedrive。Againtherewasalongsilence，andIhadbeguntofearthatitwasafalsealarm，whenastealthystepwasheardupontheothersideofthehut，andamomentlaterametallicscrapingandclinking。Themanwastryingtoforcethelock！
Thistimehisskillwasgreaterorhistoolwasbetter，fortherewasasuddensnapandthecreakofthehinges。
Thenamatchwasstruck，andnextinstantthesteadylightfromacandlefilledtheinteriorofthehut。Throughthegauzecurtainoureyeswereallriveteduponthescenewithin。
Thenocturnalvisitorwasayoungman，frailandthin，withablackmoustachewhichintensifiedthedeadlypallorofhisface。
Hecouldnothavebeenmuchabovetwentyyearsofage。Ihaveneverseenanyhumanbeingwhoappearedtobeinsuchapitiablefright，forhisteethwerevisiblychatteringandhewasshakingineverylimb。Hewasdressedlikeagentleman，inNorfolkjacketandknickerbockers，withaclothcapuponhishead。
Wewatchedhimstaringroundwithfrightenedeyes。Thenhelaidthecandle—enduponthetableanddisappearedfromourviewintooneofthecorners。Hereturnedwithalargebook，oneofthelog—bookswhichformedalineupontheshelves。Leaningonthetableherapidlyturnedovertheleavesofthisvolumeuntilhecametotheentrywhichhesought。Then，withanangrygestureofhisclenchedhand，heclosedthebook，replaceditinthecorner，andputoutthelight。HehadhardlyturnedtoleavethehutwhenHopkins’shandwasonthefellow’scollar，andI
heardhisloudgaspofterrorasheunderstoodthathewastaken。Thecandlewasre—lit，andtherewasourwretchedcaptiveshiveringandcoweringinthegraspofthedetective。
Hesankdownuponthesea—chest，andlookedhelplesslyfromoneofustotheother。
\"Now，myfinefellow，\"saidStanleyHopkins，\"whoareyou，andwhatdoyouwanthere？\"
Themanpulledhimselftogetherandfaceduswithaneffortatself—composure。
\"Youaredetectives，Isuppose？\"saidhe。\"YouimagineIamconnectedwiththedeathofCaptainPeterCarey。IassureyouthatIaminnocent。\"
\"We’llseeaboutthat，\"saidHopkins。
\"Firstofall，whatisyourname？\"
\"ItisJohnHopleyNeligan。\"
IsawHolmesandHopkinsexchangeaquickglance。
\"Whatareyoudoinghere？\"
\"CanIspeakconfidentially？\"
\"No，certainlynot。\"
\"WhyshouldItellyou？\"
\"Ifyouhavenoansweritmaygobadlywithyouatthetrial。\"
Theyoungmanwinced。
\"Well，Iwilltellyou，\"hesaid。\"WhyshouldInot？AndyetIhatetothinkofthisoldscandalgaininganewleaseoflife。
DidyoueverhearofDawsonandNeligan？\"
IcouldseefromHopkins’sfacethatheneverhad；butHolmeswaskeenlyinterested。
\"YoumeantheWest—countrybankers，\"saidhe。\"Theyfailedforamillion，ruinedhalfthecountyfamiliesofCornwall，andNeligandisappeared。\"
\"Exactly。Neliganwasmyfather。\"
Atlastweweregettingsomethingpositive，andyetitseemedalonggapbetweenanabscondingbankerandCaptainPeterCareypinnedagainstthewallwithoneofhisownharpoons。Wealllistenedintentlytotheyoungman’swords。
\"Itwasmyfatherwhowasreallyconcerned。Dawsonhadretired。
Iwasonlytenyearsofageatthetime，butIwasoldenoughtofeeltheshameandhorrorofitall。Ithasalwaysbeensaidthatmyfatherstoleallthesecuritiesandfled。Itisnottrue。Itwashisbeliefthatifheweregiventimeinwhichtorealizethemallwouldbewellandeverycreditorpaidinfull。
HestartedinhislittleyachtforNorwayjustbeforethewarrantwasissuedforhisarrest。Icanrememberthatlastnightwhenhebadefarewelltomymother。Heleftusalistofthesecuritieshewastaking，andhesworethathewouldcomebackwithhishonourcleared，andthatnonewhohadtrustedhimwouldsuffer。Well，nowordwaseverheardfromhimagain。
Boththeyachtandhevanishedutterly。Webelieved，mymotherandI，thatheandit，withthesecuritiesthathehadtakenwithhim，wereatthebottomofthesea。Wehadafaithfulfriend，however，whoisabusinessman，anditwashewhodiscoveredsometimeagothatsomeofthesecuritieswhichmyfatherhadwithhimhavereappearedontheLondonmarket。
Youcanimagineouramazement。Ispentmonthsintryingtotracethem，andatlast，aftermanydoublingsanddifficulties，IdiscoveredthattheoriginalsellerhadbeenCaptainPeterCarey，theownerofthishut。
\"Naturally，Imadesomeinquiriesabouttheman。IfoundthathehadbeenincommandofawhalerwhichwasduetoreturnfromtheArcticseasattheverytimewhenmyfatherwascrossingtoNorway。Theautumnofthatyearwasastormyone，andtherewasalongsuccessionofsoutherlygales。Myfather’syachtmaywellhavebeenblowntothenorth，andtheremetbyCaptainPeterCarey’sship。Ifthatwereso，whathadbecomeofmyfather？Inanycase，ifIcouldprovefromPeterCarey’sevidencehowthesesecuritiescameonthemarketitwouldbeaproofthatmyfatherhadnotsoldthem，andthathehadnoviewtopersonalprofitwhenhetookthem。
\"IcamedowntoSussexwiththeintentionofseeingthecaptain，butitwasatthismomentthathisterribledeathoccurred。
Ireadattheinquestadescriptionofhiscabin，inwhichitstatedthattheoldlog—booksofhisvesselwerepreservedinit。
ItstruckmethatifIcouldseewhatoccurredinthemonthofAugust，1883，onboardtheSEAUNICORN，Imightsettlethemysteryofmyfather’sfate。Itriedlastnighttogetattheselog—books，butwasunabletoopenthedoor。To—nightItriedagain，andsucceeded；butIfindthatthepageswhichdealwiththatmonthhavebeentornfromthebook。ItwasatthatmomentIfoundmyselfaprisonerinyourhands。\"
\"Isthatall？\"askedHopkins。
\"Yes，thatisall。\"Hiseyesshiftedashesaidit。
\"Youhavenothingelsetotellus？\"
Hehesitated。
\"No；thereisnothing。\"
\"Youhavenotbeenherebeforelastnight？\"
\"No。\"
\"ThenhowdoyouaccountforTHAT？\"criedHopkins，asheheldupthedamningnote—book，withtheinitialsofourprisoneronthefirstleafandtheblood—stainonthecover。
Thewretchedmancollapsed。Hesankhisfaceinhishandsandtrembledallover。
\"Wheredidyougetit？\"hegroaned。\"Ididnotknow。
IthoughtIhadlostitatthehotel。\"
\"Thatisenough，\"saidHopkins，sternly。\"Whateverelseyouhavetosayyoumustsayincourt。Youwillwalkdownwithmenowtothepolice—station。Well，Mr。Holmes，Iamverymuchobligedtoyouandtoyourfriendforcomingdowntohelpme。
Asitturnsoutyourpresencewasunnecessary，andIwouldhavebroughtthecasetothissuccessfulissuewithoutyou；butnonethelessIamverygrateful。RoomshavebeenreservedforyouattheBrambletyeHotel，sowecanallwalkdowntothevillagetogether。\"
\"Well，Watson，whatdoyouthinkofit？\"askedHolmes，aswetravelledbacknextmorning。
\"Icanseethatyouarenotsatisfied。\"
\"Oh，yes，mydearWatson，Iamperfectlysatisfied。AtthesametimeStanleyHopkins’smethodsdonotcommendthemselvestome。
IamdisappointedinStanleyHopkins。Ihadhopedforbetterthingsfromhim。Oneshouldalwayslookforapossiblealternativeandprovideagainstit。Itisthefirstruleofcriminalinvestigation。\"
\"What，then，isthealternative？\"
\"ThelineofinvestigationwhichIhavemyselfbeenpursuing。
Itmaygiveusnothing。Icannottell。ButatleastIshallfollowittotheend。\"
SeveralletterswerewaitingforHolmesatBakerStreet。
Hesnatchedoneofthemup，openedit，andburstoutintoatriumphantchuckleoflaughter。
\"Excellent，Watson。Thealternativedevelops。Haveyoutelegraphforms？Justwriteacoupleofmessagesforme：
`Sumner，ShippingAgent，RatcliffHighway。Sendthreemenon，toarrivetento—morrowmorning。——Basil。’That’smynameinthoseparts。Theotheris：`InspectorStanleyHopkins，46，LordStreet，Brixton。Comebreakfastto—morrowatnine—thirty。
Important。Wireifunabletocome。——SherlockHolmes。’
There，Watson，thisinfernalcasehashauntedmefortendays。
Iherebybanishitcompletelyfrommypresence。To—morrowItrustthatweshallhearthelastofitforever。\"
SharpatthehournamedInspectorStanleyHopkinsappeared，andwesatdowntogethertotheexcellentbreakfastwhichMrs。Hudsonhadprepared。Theyoungdetectivewasinhighspiritsathissuccess。
\"Youreallythinkthatyoursolutionmustbecorrect？\"askedHolmes。
\"Icouldnotimagineamorecompletecase。\"
\"Itdidnotseemtomeconclusive。\"
\"Youastonishme，Mr。Holmes。Whatmorecouldoneaskfor？\"
\"Doesyourexplanationcovereverypoint？\"
\"Undoubtedly。IfindthatyoungNeliganarrivedattheBrambletyeHotelontheverydayofthecrime。Hecameonthepretenceofplayinggolf。Hisroomwasontheground—floor，andhecouldgetoutwhenheliked。ThatverynighthewentdowntoWoodman’sLee，sawPeterCareyatthehut，quarrelledwithhim，andkilledhimwiththeharpoon。Then，horrifiedbywhathehaddone，hefledoutofthehut，droppingthenote—bookwhichhehadbroughtwithhiminordertoquestionPeterCareyaboutthesedifferentsecurities。Youmayhaveobservedthatsomeofthemweremarkedwithticks，andtheothers——thegreatmajority——werenot。ThosewhicharetickedhavebeentracedontheLondonmarket；buttheotherspresumablywerestillinthepossessionofCarey，andyoungNeligan，accordingtohisownaccount，wasanxioustorecovertheminordertodotherightthingbyhisfather’screditors。Afterhisflighthedidnotdaretoapproachthehutagainforsometime；butatlastheforcedhimselftodosoinordertoobtaintheinformationwhichheneeded。Surelythatisallsimpleandobvious？\"
Holmessmiledandshookhishead。
\"Itseemstometohaveonlyonedrawback，Hopkins，andthatisthatitisintrinsicallyimpossible。Haveyoutriedtodriveaharpoonthroughabody？No？Tut，tut，mydearsir，youmustreallypayattentiontothesedetails。MyfriendWatsoncouldtellyouthatIspentawholemorninginthatexercise。
Itisnoeasymatter，andrequiresastrongandpractisedarm。
Butthisblowwasdeliveredwithsuchviolencethattheheadoftheweaponsankdeepintothewall。Doyouimaginethatthisanaemicyouthwascapableofsofrightfulanassault？IshethemanwhohobnobbedinrumandwaterwithBlackPeterinthedeadofthenight？Wasithisprofilethatwasseenontheblindtwonightsbefore？No，no，Hopkins；itisanotherandamoreformidablepersonforwhomwemustseek。\"
Thedetective’sfacehadgrownlongerandlongerduringHolmes’sspeech。Hishopesandhisambitionswereallcrumblingabouthim。
Buthewouldnotabandonhispositionwithoutastruggle。
\"Youcan’tdenythatNeliganwaspresentthatnight，Mr。Holmes。
Thebookwillprovethat。IfancythatIhaveevidenceenoughtosatisfyajury，evenifyouareabletopickaholeinit。
Besides，Mr。Holmes，IhavelaidmyhanduponMYman。Astothisterriblepersonofyours，whereishe？\"
\"Iratherfancythatheisonthestair，\"saidHolmes，serenely。
\"Ithink，Watson，thatyouwoulddowelltoputthatrevolverwhereyoucanreachit。\"Herose，andlaidawrittenpaperuponaside—table。\"Nowweareready，\"saidhe。
Therehadbeensometalkingingruffvoicesoutside，andnowMrs。HudsonopenedthedoortosaythattherewerethreemeninquiringforCaptainBasil。
\"Showtheminonebyone，\"saidHolmes。
Thefirstwhoenteredwasalittleribston—pippinofaman，withruddycheeksandfluffywhiteside—whiskers。Holmeshaddrawnaletterfromhispocket。
\"Whatname？\"heasked。
\"JamesLancaster。\"
\"Iamsorry，Lancaster，buttheberthisfull。Hereishalfasovereignforyourtrouble。Juststepintothisroomandwaitthereforafewminutes。\"
Thesecondmanwasalong，dried—upcreature，withlankhairandsallowcheeks。HisnamewasHughPattins。Healsoreceivedhisdismissal，hishalf—sovereign，andtheordertowait。
Thethirdapplicantwasamanofremarkableappearance。
Afiercebull—dogfacewasframedinatangleofhairandbeard，andtwobolddarkeyesgleamedbehindthecoverofthick，tufted，overhungeyebrows。Hesalutedandstoodsailor—fashion，turninghiscaproundinhishands。
\"Yourname？\"askedHolmes。
\"PatrickCairns。\"
\"Harpooner？\"
\"Yes，sir。Twenty—sixvoyages。\"
\"Dundee，Isuppose？\"
\"Yes，sir。\"
\"Andreadytostartwithanexploringship？\"
\"Yes，sir。\"
\"Whatwages？\"
\"Eightpoundsamonth。\"
\"Couldyoustartatonce？\"
\"AssoonasIgetmykit。\"
\"Haveyouyourpapers？\"
\"Yes，sir。\"Hetookasheafofwornandgreasyformsfromhispocket。Holmesglancedoverthemandreturnedthem。
\"YouarejustthemanIwant，\"saidhe。\"Here’stheagreementontheside—table。Ifyousignitthewholematterwillbesettled。\"
Theseamanlurchedacrosstheroomandtookupthepen。
\"ShallIsignhere？\"heasked，stoopingoverthetable。
Holmesleanedoverhisshoulderandpassedbothhandsoverhisneck。
\"Thiswilldo，\"saidhe。
Iheardaclickofsteelandabellowlikeanenragedbull。
ThenextinstantHolmesandtheseamanwererollingonthegroundtogether。Hewasamanofsuchgiganticstrengththat，evenwiththehandcuffswhichHolmeshadsodeftlyfasteneduponhiswrists，hewouldhaveveryquicklyoverpoweredmyfriendhadHopkinsandInotrushedtohisrescue。OnlywhenIpressedthecoldmuzzleoftherevolvertohistempledidheatlastunderstandthatresistancewasvain。Welashedhisankleswithcordandrosebreathlessfromthestruggle。
