The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-03-19
1.-THE Adventure
of
Black Peter"
BY A. CONAN DOYLE.

thoueht 10 Fatrick Cairns. the true
murderer of Peter Carey"
The hoarse voice of the seaman
broke in on our conversation.
See here. mister" said he. II make
no complaint of being handled in this
fashion, but I would have you call
things by their right names. You say
l murdered Peter Carey l say / killed
Peter Carey and there's all the differ
enee. Maybe you don't believe what 1
say. Maybe you think I am just sling
ing you yarn
Not at all" said Holmes Let us
hear what you have to say"
IT'S soon told. and, by the Lord.
every word of it is truth I knew
Black Peter. and when he pulled out
his knife I whipped harpoon through
him sharp. for l knew that 1t was
him or me. That's how he died. You
can call it murder Anyhow I'd as
soon die with a rope round my neck
as with Black Peters knife in my
heart"
How came you there?" asked
Holmes
I'll tell 1t you from the beginning.
Just sit me up a little. so as / can
speak easy. 1t was in SO that 1t hap
pened-August Of that year. Pete
Carey was master of the Sea Unicorn.
coming out of the ice-pack on our way
home, with head winds and weeks
southerly gale when we picked up a
little craft that had been blown north.
There was one man on her--a lands
man. The crew had though she would
founder. and had made for the Norwe-
gian coast In the dingy I guess they
were all drowned. Well. we took him
on board, this man. and he ana the
III Ao1
cabin. All the baggage we took off
with him was one tin box. SO far as
I know the mans name was never
mentioned. and on the second night he
disappeared as If he had never been.
1t was given out that he had either
thrown himself overheard or fallen
overheard in the heavy weather that
we were having. Only one man knew
what had happened to him, and that
was me, for with my own eyes, saw
the skipper tie up his heels and put
him over the rail in the middle watch
of a dark night, two days before we
sighted the Shetland Lights.
well. I kept my knowledge to my
self and waited to see what would
come of it. When we got back to
Scotland 1t was easily hushed up and
nobody asked any questions A
stranger died by accident and 1t was
nobody's business to inquire Shortly
after Peter gave up the sea, and It
was long years before I could find
where he was. I guessed that he had
done the deco for the sake Of what
was In that tin box. and that he could
afford now to pay me for keeping my
mouth shut
IT found out where he was through
a sailor man flat had met him in Lon
dom and down | went to squeeze him.
The first night he was reasonable
enough, and was ready to give me
what would make me free of the sea
for life. We were to fix it alt two
nights later When I came, l found
him three parts drunk and In a vile
temper. We sat down and we drank
and we yarned about old times, but
the more he drank the less liked the
look on his face I spotted that har-
pooh upon the wall, and I thought I
might need 1t before 1t was through
Then at last he broxesout at me, spit
ting and cursing, with murder III his
eyes and great clasp-knife in his
hand. He had not time TO get II from
the sheath before / had the harpoon
through him. Heavensl what a yell
he gave, and his face gets between
ME and my sleep. l stood there, with
his blood splashing around me and I
80
I took heart once more. looked
round. and there was the tin box on
the shelf. | had as much right to It
as Peter Carey, anyhow. so / took 1t
with me and left the hut Like a fool
left my baccy-pouch upon the table,
Now I'll tell you the queerest part
OF the whole story. had hardly got
outside the hut when I heard someone
coming, and hid among the bushes
eli.
the hut, gave a cry as If he had seen
ghost, and legged it as hard as he
could run until he was out of sight
Who he was or what he wanted is
more than I can tell. For my part
| walked ten miles. got train at
Tunbridge Wells. and so reached Lon
don, and no one the wiser.
Well. when came to examine the
box | found there was no money in It,
and nothing but papers that l would
not dare to sell. had lost my hold on
Black Peter, and was stranded In Lon
don without shilling. There was
only my trade left. j saw these adver-
tisements about harpooners. and high
wages, so I went to the shipping
agents, and they sent me here. That's
all | know. and I say again that II
killed Black Peter. the law should give
me thanks. for I saved them the price
or a hempen rope"
"A very clear statement" said
Holmes, rising and lighting his pipe.
4 think, Hopkins that Won should
lose no time In conveying your pris-
oner to place OF safety. This room
is not we'll adapted for a CELL and Mr..
Patrick Cairns occupies too large a
proportion of our carpet"
Mr. Holiness" said Hopkins ~ do
not know how to express my graft
tude. Even now / do not understand
how you attained the result"
Simply by having the good fortune
to get the right clue from ,the begin
ming. 1t is very possible If had known
about this notebook 1t might have
led away my thoughts, as it did yours.
But all heard pointed in the one d.
rection The amazing strength. the
skill In the use of the harpoon, the
rum and water, the sealskin tobacco
pouch with the coarse tobacco all
these pointed to a seaman. and one
who had been a whaler. 1 was con-
vinved that the initials p. c. upon
the pouch were a coincidence and
those of Peter Carey, since he seldom
smoked and no pipe was found in his
cabin. You remember that 1 asked
whether whisky and brandy were In
the cabin. You said they were. How
many landsmen are there who would
drink rum when they could gets these
other spirits? Yes. was certain 1t
was a seaman"
And how did you find him?''
MY dear sir. the problem had be-
come very simple one. If it were a
seaman, II could only be seaman who
had been with him on the Sea Unicorn.
So far as / could learn he had sailed
in no other ship. 1 spent three days
In, ffir TO nj -
that time had ascertained the names
nf Al l..