The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-07
Ill
The Problem.

der passed through me. There was a
thrill in the doctors voice which
showed that he was himself deeply
moved by what he told us. Holmes
leaned forward in his excitement and
his eyes had the hard. dry glitter which
shot from them when he was keenly
interested.
You saw this?'
'As clearly as / see you"
"And you said nothing?"
What was the use?"
How was il that no one else say it?'
1.-The marks were some twenty yards
from the body. and no one gave them
thought. l don't suppose / should
have done so had not known this le-
gend."
There are many sheep dogs on the
moore"
NO doubt, but this was no sheep
dog
You say it was larger"
Enormous"
But It had not approached the
body?"
No"
What sort Of night was it?"
Damp and raw
But not actually raining"
No"
What is the alley like?"
There are two lines of old yew
hedge, twelve feet high and impene-
trable The walk in the center is about
eight feet across"
rs there anything between the
hedges and the walk2''
Yes; there is strip of grass about
six feet broad on either side"
Il understand that the yew hedge is
penetrated at one point by a gate?"
Yes, the wicket gate which leads on
to the moor
''Is there any other opening?"
None"
so that to reach the Yew alley on
either has to come down it from the
house, or else to enter il by the moor
CATER"
There is an exit through a summer
house at the far end"
Had Sir Charles reached this?"
NO; he lay about fifty yards from
IT,"
Now, tell me, DR.. Mortimer-and
this is important-the marks which you
saw were on the path and not on the
grass?"
mo marks could show on the grass. !"
Were they on the same side of the
path as the moor gate?"
Yes; they were on the edge of the
path on the same side as the moor
gate"
You interest me exceedingly. An
other point. Was the wicket gate
cIosed?"
CLOSED and padlocked"
How high was it,"
about four feet high"
"Then any one could have got over
it?"
Yes"
And what marks did you see by the
wicket gate?"
None in particular"
Good heaven! Did no one exam
.ne?"
Yes; examined myself"
And found nothing?"
1T was all very confused. Sir Charles
had evidently stood there for five or
ten minutes"
How do you know that?"
Because the ash had twice dropped
from his cigar"
Excellent. This is a colleague.
Watson, after our own heart. But the
marks?"
He had left his own marks all over
that small patch of gravel l could
discern no Others"
Sherlock Holmes struck his hand
against his knee with an impatient
gesture.
IF / had only been there" he cried
''It is evidently a case of extraordinary
interest, and one which presented inn
mense opportunities to the scientific
expert. That gravel page upon which
I might have read so much has been
long ere this smudged by the rain and
defaced by the clogs of curious peas
ants Oh, DIR. Mortimer, DIR. Mortimer
TO think that you should not have
called me in! You have indeed much
TO answer for"
II could not call you in, Mr.. Holmes
without disclosing these facts 10 the
world, and l have already given my
| reasons for not wishing TO do so. Be.
sides. besides"
why do you hesitate?"
There is a realm in which the most
acute and most experienced of detec-
tives is helpless"
you mean that the thing is super
natural?"
II did not positively say So
"No, but you evidently think it."
"Since the tragedy, Mr.. Holmes
there have come 10 my ears several in
cidents which are hard to reconcile
with the settled order Of nature"
For example?'
Il find that before the terrible event
occurred several people had seen q
creature upon the moor which CORE
spends with this Baskerville demon
and which could not possibly be any
animal known to science. They al
agreed that II was a huge creature
| luminous. CHASTITY and spectral. / have
cFoss-eXamined these men. one of then
a hard-headed eountryman, one far
rier and one a moorland farmer, who
4 all tell the same story of this dreadful
/ apparition. exactly corresponding 4
/ the hell-houad Of the legend. / assure
/ you that there is a reign of terror II
! the district and that it is a hardy mai
/ who viii cross the moor at night"
And you. a trained man of science
believe It to be supernatural"
| Il do not know what 10 believe"
| Holmes shrugged his shoulders.
Il have hitherto confined my investi
cations 10 this world" said he. In
modest way / have cOmbated evil. bu
Ito take on the Father of Evil himsel
/ would perhaps. be too ambitious
task Yet you must admit that tn
fOotmark is material"
The original hound was materia
enough TO tug mans throat out, az
yet he was diabolical as WELL