The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-13
THE HOUND OF
THE BASKERVILLES
ANOTHER ADVENTURE OF
SHERLOCK HOLMES
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.
I1-CoNTINUEp.


"In doing So" said DR.. Mortimer,
who had begun to show signs of some
strong emotion, Il am telling that
which / have not confided to anyone.
Ny motive for Withholding it from the
coroner's inquiry is that a man of sci
ence shrinks from placing himself in
she public position of seeming TO in
dorse a popular superstition. 1 had
the further motive that Baskerville
Hall, as the paper says, would GER
tainly remain untenanted If
anything were done to increase
its already rather grim repu-
tation. For both these reasons
thought that was justified in
telling rather less than knew, since
but with you there is no reason why
/ should not be perfectly frank
THE moor is very sparsely inhabit-
ed, and those who live near each other
are thrown very much together For
this reason 1 saw a good deal of Sir
Charles Baskerville. With the exception
of Mr.. FARMLAND, of Latter Hall, and
Mr. Stapleton, the naturalist, there are
no other men of education within many
miles. Sir Charles was a retiring man,
but the chance of his illness brought us
together, and a community of interests
in science kept us so. He had brought
back much scientific information from
South Africa, and many a charming
evening we have spent together dis
cussing the comparative anatomy of
the Bushman and the Hottentot.
within the last few months 1t be-
,erI1y lat - AZ
Charles's nervous system was strained
to the breaking point. He had taken
this legend which 1 have read you ex-
ceedingly to heart-so much SO that,
although he would walk in his own
grounds, nothing would induce him to
go out upon the moor at night. Incred-
fble as it may appear to you. Mr..
Holmes. he was honestly convinced
that a dreadful fate overhung his fam
lily, and certainly the records which he
was able to give of his ancestors were
not encoura ging. The idea of some
CHASTITY presence constantly haunted
him, and on more than one occasion he
has asked me whether / had on my
medical journeys at night ever seen
any strange creature or heard the bay
ing of a hound. The latter question he
put to me several times, and always
with voice which vibrated with ex-
element.
81 can well remember driving up to
his house in the evening, some three
weeks before the fatal event He
Glanced to be at his hall door. 1 had
descended from my gig and was stand
ing in front of him, when l saw his
eyes fix themselves over my shoulder.
and stare past me with an expression
of the most dreadful horror. l whisked
round and had just time to catch a
glimpse of something which / took to
be a large black calf passing at the
head of the drive. So excited and
alarmed was he that l was compelled
to go down to the spot where the ami
NAL had been and look around for it.
1t was gone, however. and the incident
appeared to make the worst impression
upon his mind. stayed with him ali
the evening, and 1t was on that occa-
sion, to explain the emotion which he
had shown, that he confided to my
keeping that narrative which read to
you when first I came, ! mention this
small episode because it assumes some
Importance in view of the tragedy
which followed. but ! was convinced
at the tive that the matter was en-
tirely trivial and that his excitement
had no justification.
ut was at my advice that Sir
Charles was about to so to London. His
heart was, | knew, affected, and the
constant anxiety in which he lived.
however. chimerical the cause of
1t might be. was evidently
having a serious effect Upon his health.
] thought that a few months among
the distractions of town would send
him back a new man. Mr.. Stapleton,
a mutual friend who was much con-
cerned at his state of health, was of
the nniniOr1 A he loo a
came this terrible catastrophe.
"On the night of Sir Charles death
Barrymore the butler, who made the
discovery, sent Perkins the groom on
horseback to me. and as I was sitting
up late | was able to reach Baskerville
Hall within an hour of the event. |
checked and corroborated all the facts
which were mentioned at the inquest.
] followed the footsteps down the Yew
Alley, l saw the spot at the moor
gate where he seemed to have waited
] remarked the change in the shape
of the prints after that point noted
that there were no other footsteps save
those of Barrymore on the soft gravel.
and finally l carefully examined the
body, which had not been touched I'M
Ill my arrival. Sir Charles lay on his
face, his arms out, his fingers dug into
the ground, and his features convulsed
extent that l could hardly have sworn
to his identity. There was certainly no
physical injury of any kind But one
false statement was made by Barry
more al the inquest. He said that there
were no traces upon the ground round
the body. He did not observe any. But
did-some little distance off, but fresh
and clear"
"Foot2rints?"
Footprints
A mans or a woman's?"
DR. Mortimer looked strangely at us
Tor for an instant, and his voice sank
almost to a whisper as he answered.
Mr.. Holmes, they We're the foot
prints Of a gigantic hound!"
III.
THE PROBLEM.
confess that at these words shud.
der passed through me. There was