The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-13

| raised the sleepers from their beds
X struck cold to orr hearts, ard
stood gazing at Holmes and he at me
until the last echoes of it had die
away into the silence FROM which i
rose.
What can it mean 2" | gasped
ut means that it is all over,
Holmes answered. And perhaps, af
ter all, it is for the best. Take you
pistol, and We will enter DR. Roylott'
room.''
With a grave face he lit the lamp
and led the way down the corridor
Twice he struck at the chamber door
without any reply from within. Thel
he turned the handle and entered,
at his heels, with the cooked pistol il
my hand.
1t was a singular sight which me-
our eyes. On the table stood a dark
lantern with the shutter half open
throwing a brillian beam of light upon
the iron safe, the door of which was
ajar. Beside this table, on the wooden
chair, sat DIR. Grimesby Roylott, CT d
IN long gray dressing-gOwn, his bare
ankles protrudng beneath, and hi;
feet thrust into red heelless Turkish
slippers. Across his lap lay the short
stock with the long lash which we had
noticed during the day His chin was
cooked upward and his eyes were fixed
in a dreadful, rigid stare at the corner
of the ceiling. Round his brow he
had a peculiar yellow band, with
brownish speckles which seemed to
be bound tightly round his head. AS
motion.
we entered ne made neither sound nor
1.-The band! the speckled band!"
whispered Holmes.
l took a step forward. In an ms
tant his strange head-gear began to
move, and there reared itself from
among his hair the squat diamond
shaped head and puffed neck of a
loathsome serpent.
at is a swamp adder" cried Holmes
the deadlest snake in India. He has
died within ten seconds of being bit
ten. Violence does, in truth recoil
into the pit which he digs for another.
Let us thrust this creature back into
it's den. and we can then remove Miss
Stoner to some place of shelter and
let the count police know what has
happened.
AS he spoke he drew the dog-whip
swiftly from the dead mans lap, and
throwing the moose round the reptile s
neck, he drew it from it's horrid perch,
and carrying it at arms length. threw
it into the iron safe, which he closed
upon it.
Such are the true facts of the death
of DR.. Grimesby Roylott, Of Stoke
Moran. 1t is not necessary that l
should prolong narrative which has
already run too great a length, by
telling how he broke the sad news to
the terrified girl, how we conveyed
her by the morning train to the care
of her good aunt at Harrow, of how
the slow process of official inquiry
GA 70 q. cin he mr.
met his fate while indiscretly playing
with a dangerous pet. The little that
l had yet to learn of the case was told
me by Sherlock Holmes as We travel
ed back the next day.
II had" said he, come to an en-
tirely erroneous conclusion which
shows, my dear Watson, how danger
Gus it always is to reason from insu-
fficient data. The presnce of the gyp-
sizes, and the use of the word, band
which was used by the poor girl, no
doubt to explain the appearance which
she had caught a hurried glimpse of
by the light of her match, were SUI
fticient to put me upon an entirely
wrong scent. / can only claim the
merit that l instantly reconsidered
my position when, however, it be-
came clear to me that whatever dan
ger threatened an occupant of the
window or the door. My attention
was speedily drawn as 1 have already
embarked to you, to this VentilatOr,
and to the bell-rope which hung
down to the bed. The discovery
that this was a dummy, and that the
oed was clamped to the floor, instantly
gave rise to the suspicion that the
rope was there as bridge for some
thing passing through the hole, and
inn fa hn hnA hn Of
snake instantly occurred to me, and
when 1 coupled it with my knowledge
that the doctor was furnished with q
supply of creatures from India. | felt
that l was probably on the right track
The idea of using form of poison
which could not possibly be discover
ed by any chemical test was just such
a one as would occur to a clever and
ruthless man who had had an East
ern training. The rapidity with
which such a poison would take effect
would also, from his point of view,
De an advantage. 1t would be
sharp-eyed coroner, indeed, who could
distinguish the two little dark pune
lures which would show where the
poison fangs had done their work.
Then l thought of the whistle. or
course he must recall the snake be-
lore the morning light revealed it to
lie NlCllIIl I1C Hdu lIIllSu IL, pI u
)ably by the use of the milk which
we saw, to return to him when sum-
moned. He would put it through this
ventilator at the hour that he thought
best, with the certainty that it would
crawl down the rope and land on the
oed. 1t might or might not bite the
occupant, perhaps she might escape
very night for a week, but sooner or
later she must fall a victim
Il had come to these conclusions
before ever | entered his room. An in
'pection of his chair showed me that
he had been in the habit of standing
IN it, which of course would be me-
essary in order that he should reach
he ventilator. The sight of the safe,
he saucer of milk, and the loop or
Nhip-cord we're enough to finally dis
Del any doubts which may have re-
NAMED The metallic clang heard by
Mss Stoner was obviously caused by
Ter step father hastily closing the
Ioor of his safe upon its terrible oc-
:upant. Having once made up my
mind, you know the steps which l
took in order to put the matter to
The proof I heard the creature hiss,
IS I have no doubt that you did also,
md I instantly lit the light and attack
ed it,
ssyU;+b tho racI,It of DRIVING n