Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-18

which Holmes
upon his wrists. he would have very quickly
oyerpowered my friend had Hopkins ana
I not rushed to his rescue. only wnen
pressed the cold muzzle of the revoiver 20
hts temple did he at last understand that
resistance was vain. We dashed MS ankles
with cord and rose GREATNESS from me
struggle. Ia
Sherlock Holmes, Il fear that the scram-
bled eggs cold However, you WIN en!oy
the rest of your breakfast all the Detter,
will YOU not for the thought that you nave
brought your case to triumphth' 'oh
clusiOn. ,.,
II don't know what to say, Mr.. Holmes.
he blurted out at last, with a very red
face. 1T seems to me that nave oeen
making a fool of myself from the ne
ginning 1 understand now what l snotilo
never have forgotten, that am the pupll
and you are the master Even now see
what you have done. but don't know now
you did II or what 1t signifies.
well. WE'LL" said Holmes. good humored-
ly I'VE all learn by experience, and your
lesson this time is that you should never
lose sight of the alternative. You were
so absorbed in young Neligan that you
could not spare a thought to Patrick cairns,
the true murderer of Peter Carey
The hoarse voice of the seaman broke In
on our conversation.
See here mister" said he. 81 make no
fashion. but I would have you call things
by their right names. You say L muir
derpd Peter Carey l say I killed Peter
Carey, and there's all the difference. Maybe
you don't believe what l say. Maybe you
think am just singing you a yarn
Not at ALL said Holmes. Let US
hear what you have to say.
ITS soon told, and, by the Lord. every
word of it is truth. 1 knew Black Peter,
and when he pulled out his knife whipped
a harpoon through him sharp. for / knew
that it 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 you from the beginning. Just
sit me up a Httle as l can speak easy.
1t was in 's3 that 1t happened-August of
that year. Peter Carey was master of the
Sea Unicorn and l was spare harpooner.
We were coming out of the Ice pack on our
way home, with head winds and weeks
southerly gale, when we picked up little
craft that had been blown north. There
was one man on her-a landsman. The
crew had thought she would founder, and
had made for the Norwegian coast in the
dinghy. l guess they were all drowned
Well, we took him hoard, this man, and
he and the skipper had some long talks in
the cabin. All the baggage we took off with
him was one tin box. So far as know,
the mans name was never mentioned, and
on the second night he disappeared as IL ne
had never been. 1t 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, l saw the skipper
tip 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.
We'll, 1 kept my knowledge to myself
and waited to see what would come Of 1t.
When we got back to Scotland 1t was easily
hushed up, and nobody asked any ques-
lions. A stranger died by accident and 1t
was nobOdy's business to inquire. Shortly
after Peter Carey gave up the sea, and 1t
was long years before 1 could find where he
was. l guessed that he had done the deed
for the sake of what was In that tin box,
and that he could afford now to pay me
well for keeping my mouth shut.
Il found out where he was through a.
sailor man that had met him In London
and down l 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 1t all
two nights later When l came, 1 found
him three parts drunk and in vile tenn
per. We sat down and we drank and we
yarned about old times, but the more he
drank the less 1 liked the look his face.
l spotted that harpoon upon the wall, and
l thought l might need it before l was
through. Then at last he broke out at me,
splitting and cursing, with murder in his
eyes and a great claSp-knife in his hand.
He had not time to get i from the sheath
before had the harpoon through him.
Heavensi what a yell he gave! and his face
gets between me and my sleep. l stood
there. with his blood splashing round me,
and l waited for bit, but all was quiet,
and there was the tin box on the shelf.
had much right to 1t as Peter Carey
anyhow, l took it with me and left the
hut. Like a fool l left my baccy pouch
upon the table.
Now I'll tell you the queerest part of
the whole story. l had hardly got outside
the hut when l heard some one coming.
and l hid among the bushes. A man came
Sinking along, went into the hut, gave a
cry as If he had seen a ghost, and legged
il as hard as he could run until he was out
nf he wanted
is more than l can tell For my part,
walked ten miles, got a train at Tun-
bridge Wells, and so reached London, and
no the wiser.
''Well, when 1 came to examine the box
j found there was no money in it, and
nothing but papers that l would not dare to
sell. l had lost my hold on Black Peter,
and was stranded in London without a
shilling There was only my trade left. 1
saw these advertisements about harpoon-
erS. and high wages, so l went to the ship
ping agents, and they sent me here. That's
all 1 know, and l say again that If
killed Black Peter, the law should give me
thanks. for / saved them the price of a
hempen rope.
"a very clear statement" said Holmes,
rising and lighting his pipe. Il think, Hop
kins, that you should lose no time in con-
yeying your prisoner to a place of safety.
This room is not well adapted for a cell.
and Mr. Patrick Cairns occupies too large
a proportion of our carpet
MIR Holmes" said Hopkins Il do not
know how to express my gratitude. Even
now 1 do not understand how you attained
this result
Simply by having the good fortune to
get the right clue from the beginning. 1t
is very possible Il | had known about this
note book 1t might have led away my
thoughts as It did yours. But all l heard
pointed in the one direction. The amazing
strength, the skill in the of the har
pooh, the rum and water. the sealskin to-
bacco pouch with the coarse tobacco-all
these pointed to a seaman, and one who had
been a whaler. / was convinced that the
initials p c.. upon the pouch were COIN
cidence, and not those of Peter Carey, since
he seldom smoked. and no pipe found
in his cabin. You remember that 1 asked
whether whisky and brandy in the
cabin. You said they were. How many
landsmen are there who would drink rum
when they could get these other spirits?
Yes / was certain il was a seaman"
"And how did you find him.
MY dear sir, the problem had become a
very simple one. If 1t were seaman 1t
could only be a seaman who had been with
him on the Sea Unicorn. So far as / could