The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-12

small fn6tholds presented themselves,
ana there was some indication Of Il
ledge. The cliff Is SO high that 10
climb ii all was an obvious imposS-
bility, and ii was equally impossible
to make my way along the wet path
without leaving some tracks. | might,
it is true, have reversed MY boots, as
| have done on similar occasions, but
the sight of three sets Of tracks in
one direction would have certainly sug~
gestcd deception. On tho whole,
then, it was best that / should risk
the climb. 1t was not q pleasant busi-
ness, Watson. The fail roared beneath
me- I am not a. fanciful person, but
| give you nay word that | seemed to
hear Moriarty'S voice screaming at me
out Of the abyss. mistake would
have been fatal More than once. as
tufts of gras came out in my hand or
my foot slipped in the wet notches of
the rock. I thought that | was gone.
But ] struggled upward, and at last
reached a ledge several feet deep and
covered with soft green moss, where
l could lie unseen in tho most perfect
comfort. There | vas stretched when
YOU, my dear Watson. and all your
following were investigating in the
most sympath etic and inefficient man.
ner the circumstances Of my death.
AT last. whom you had all formed
YOUR inevitable aud totally erroneous
conclusions, youe departed for Inc
hotel. and ] was left alone. l had
Imagined that ] haG reached the emo
of my adventures, but very uneX-
pected occurrence showed me that
there we're surprises still in store for
me. A huge rock, falling from above.
doomed past me, struck the path. and
bounded over into the Chasm. For an
instant ! thought that il was an acct
dent. but a moment later, looking up,
| saw Il mans head against the dark
ening sky, and another stone struck
the very ledge upon which / was
stretched. within foot Of my head
or course. the meaning Of this was ob-
yioas Moriarty had not been alone
A confederatc--and even that Que
glance had told me how dangerous
man that confederate was--had kept
guard while the professor had attack
ed me. From ~ distance. unseen by
me. he had been q witness Of his
friends death and OF my escape, tie
had waited. and then making his way
round 10 the top Of the cliff, he had
cndeaYored to succeed where his COM
rade had failed
Il did not take lonG TO think about
it, Watson. Again ! saw that grim
face look over the cliff. and ] knew
that it WAS the precursor of another
stone. j scrambled down on to The
path. ] don't think l could have done
il iii cold blood. IT was n hundred
times more difficult than getting up
But | had no time 10 think of the dam
ger, for smother stone sang past me
as / hung by hands from the edge OF
the ledge. halfway down ] slipped
but. by The blessing Of God, ! landed,
torn and bleeding upon the path. J
took TO my heels did ten miles over
the mountains in the darkness, and
a week later, ! found myself in Flor
euce. with the certainty that no one
in the world knew what had become
Of me.
II had only one coniidant-ny
brother Mycroft. ! owe you many
apologies, my dear Watson, but it was
all important that it should be thought
l was dead. aud it is quite certain that
you would not have written so con-
vincins an account of my unhappy
end had YOU not yourself thought that
it was true. Several times during the
last three years. ] have taken up my
pen TO write TO you, but always /
feared lost your affoctionatc regard for
ne should tempt YOU to some indlS-
erection which would betray my secret
For that reason | turned away from
you this evening when you upset my
books. FOR / was In danger AT the tlflie
and any show of surprise and emotion
upon your part might have drawn at
tcntion to my identity and led TO the
most denlorablc and irreparabe re-
suits. As to Mycroft, I had TO contlde
in hin? in order to obtain the money
which ] needed. The course of events
in London die not run 50 we'll as
had hoped, for the trial Of the Moriarty
gang left two of his most dangerous
members. my own most vlndictiye
enemies at liberty. / travelled for two
years in Tibet. therefore, and amused
myself by visiting Lhassa. and spend
ing some days with the head Llama.
You may have read of the remarkable
explorations of a Norwegian named
Sigerson. but | am sure that 1T never
occurred to you that YOU were receiY-
ing news OF your friend. | then pass
ed through Persia, looked in a Mecca.
and paid a short but interesting wish
TO tho khaiifa at khartoum. the re-
suits of which / have communicated
10 the Foreign Office. Returning TO
France. I spent some months III a re-
search into the coal tar derivatives.
which / conducted ~ laboratory at
Montpelier, in. the south Of France.