\"Yes,sir——abouteight。\"
\"Couldyousayexactlyeight?\"
\"Well,no,Icouldn’tbethatexact。\"
\"Um。Ifapersonhadbeenpassingalongtherejustaboutthattime,hewouldhavebeenalmostsuretoencounterthatassassin,doyouthink?\"
\"Yes,Ishouldthinkso。\"
\"Thankyou,thatisall。Forthepresent。Isay,allforthepresent。\"
\"Dernhim。he’slayingforArchy,\"saidFerguson。
\"It’sso,\"saidHamSandwich。\"Idon’tlikethelookofit。\"
Stillmansaid,glancingattheguest,\"Iwasalongtheremyselfathalf—
pasteight——no,aboutnine。\"
\"In—deed?Thisisinteresting——thisisveryinteresting。Perhapsyouencounteredtheassassin?\"
\"No,Iencounterednoone。\"
\"Ah。Then——ifyouwillexcusetheremark——Idonotquiteseetherelevancyoftheinformation。\"
\"Ithasnone。Atpresent。Isayithasnone——atpresent。\"
Hepaused。Presentlyheresumed:\"Ididnotencountertheassassin,butIamonhistrack,Iamsure,forIbelieveheisinthisroom。Iwillaskyoualltopassonebyoneinfrontofme——here,wherethereisagoodlight——sothatIcanseeyourfeet。\"
Abuzzofexcitementswepttheplace,andthemarchbegan,theguestlookingonwithanironattemptatgravitywhichwasnotanunqualifiedsuccess。Stillmanstooped,shadedhiseyeswithhishand,andgazeddownintentlyateachpairoffeetasitpassed。Fiftymentrampedmonotonouslyby——withnoresult。Sixty。Seventy。Thethingwasbeginningtolookabsurd。Theguestremarked,withsuaveirony:
\"Assassinsappeartobescarcethisevening。\"
Thehousesawthehumorifit,andrefresheditselfwithacordiallaugh。
Tenortwelvemorecandidatestrampedby——no,dancedby,withairyandridiculouscaperswhichconvulsedthespectators——thensuddenlyStillmanputouthishandandsaid:
\"Thisistheassassin!\"
\"FetlockJones,bythegreatSanhedrim!\"roaredthecrowd;andatonceletflyapyrotechnicexplosionanddazzleandconfusionofstirringremarksinspiredbythesituation。
Attheheightoftheturmoilthegueststretchedouthishand,commandingpeace。Theauthorityofagreatnameandagreatpersonalitylaiditsmysteriouscompulsionuponthehouse,anditobeyed。Outofthepantingcalmwhichsucceeded,theguestspoke,saying,withdignityandfeeling:
\"Thisisserious。Itstrikesataninnocentlife。Innocentbeyondsuspicion!Innocentbeyondperadventure!Hearmeproveit;observehowsimpleafactcanbrushoutofexistencethiswitlesslie。Listen。Myfriends,thatladwasneveroutofmysightyesterdayeveningatanytime!\"
Itmadeadeepimpression。MenturnedtheireyesuponStillmanwithgraveinquiryinthem。Hisfacebrightened,andhesaid:
\"Iknewtherewasanotherone!\"Hesteppedbrisklytothetableandglancedattheguest’sfeet,thenupathisface,andsaid:\"Youwerewithhim!Youwerenotfiftystepsfromhimwhenhelitthecandlethatbyandbyfiredthepowder!\"(Sensation。)\"Andwhatismore,youfurnishedthematchesyourself!\"
Plainlytheguestseemedhit;itlookedsotothepublic。Heopenedhismouthtospeak;thewordsdidnotcomefreely。
\"This——er——thisisinsanity——this——\"
Stillmanpressedhisevidentadvantagehome。Heheldupacharredmatch。
\"Hereisoneofthem。Ifounditinthebarrel——andthere’sanotheronethere。\"
Theguestfoundhisvoiceatonce。
\"Yes——andputthemthereyourself!\"
Itwasrecognizedagoodshot。Stillmanretorted。
\"Itiswax——abreedunknowntothiscamp。Iamreadytobesearchedforthebox。Areyou?\"
Theguestwasstaggeredthistime——thedullesteyecouldseeit。Hefumbledwithhishands;onceortwicehislipsmoved,butthewordsdidnotcome。Thehousewaitedandwatched,intensesuspense,thestillnessaddingeffecttothesituation。PresentlyStillmansaid,gently:
\"Wearewaitingforyourdecision。\"
Therewassilenceagainduringseveralmoments;thentheguestanswered,inalowvoice:
\"Irefusetobesearched。\"
Therewasnonoisydemonstration,butallaboutthehouseonevoiceafteranothermuttered:
\"Thatsettlesit!He’sArchy’smeat。\"
Whattodonow?Nobodyseemedtoknow。Itwasanembarrassingsituationforthemoment——merely,ofcourse,becausemattershadtakensuchasuddenandunexpectedturnthattheseunpractisedmindswerenotpreparedforit,andhadcometoastandstill,likeastoppedclock,undertheshock。Butafteralittlethemachinerybegantoworkagain,tentatively,andbytwosandthreesthemenputtheirheadstogetherandprivatelybuzzedoverthisandthatandtheotherproposition。Oneofthesepropositionsmetwithmuchfavor;itwas,toconferupontheassassinavoteofthanksforremovingFlintBuckner,andlethimgo。
Butthecoolerheadsopposedit,pointingoutthataddledbrainsintheEasternstateswouldpronounceitascandal,andmakenoendoffoolishnoiseaboutit。Finallythecoolheadsgottheupperhand,andobtainedgeneralconsenttoapropositionoftheirown;theirleaderthencalledthehousetoorderandstatedit——tothiseffect:thatFetlockJonesbejailedandputupontrial。
Themotionwascarried。Apparentlytherewasnothingfurthertodonow,andthepeoplewereglad,for,privately,theywereimpatienttogetoutandrushtothesceneofthetragedy,andseewhetherthatbarrelandtheotherthingswerereallythereornot。
Butno——thebreak—upgotacheck。Thesurpriseswerenotoveryet。ForawhileFetlockJoneshadbeensilentlysobbing,unnoticedintheabsorbingexcitementswhichhadbeenfollowingoneanothersopersistentlyforsometime;butwhenhisarrestandtrialweredecreed,hebrokeoutdespairingly,andsaid:
\"No!it’snouse。Idon’twantanyjail,Idon’twantanytrial;I’vehadallthehardluckIwant,andallthemiseries。Hangmenow,andletmeout!Itwouldallcomeout,anyway——therecouldn’tanythingsaveme。
Hehastolditall,justasifhe’dbeenwithmeandseenit——Idon’tknowhowhefoundout;andyou’llfindthebarrelandthings,andthenI
wouldn’thaveanychanceanymore。Ikilledhim;andyou’dhavedoneittoo,ifhe’dtreatedyoulikeadog,andyouonlyaboy,andweakandpoor,andnotafriendtohelpyou。\"
\"Andservedhimdamnedwellright!\"brokeinHamSandwich。\"Lookyhere,boys——\"
Fromtheconstable:\"Order!Order,gentlemen!\"
Avoice:\"Didyouruncleknowwhatyouwasupto?\"
\"No,hedidn’t。\"
\"Didhegiveyouthematches,sureenough?\"
\"Yes,hedid;buthedidn’tknowwhatIwantedthemfor。\"
\"Whenyouwasoutonsuchabusinessasthat,howdidyouventuretoriskhavinghimalong——andhimadetective?How’sthat?\"
Theboyhesitated,fumbledwithhisbuttonsinanembarrassedway,thensaid,shyly:
\"Iknowaboutdetectives,onaccountofhavingtheminthefamily;andifyoudon’twantthemtofindoutaboutathing,it’sbesttohavethemaroundwhenyoudoit。\"
Thecycloneoflaughterwhichgreetedthisnativedischargeofwisdomdidnotmodifythepoorlittlewaif’sembarrassmentinanylargedegree。
IV
FromalettertoMrs。Stillman,datedmerely\"Tuesday。\"
FetlockJoneswasputunderlockandkeyinanunoccupiedlogcabin,andlefttheretoawaithistrial。ConstableHarrisprovidedhimwithacoupleofdays’rations,instructedhimtokeepagoodguardoverhimself,andpromisedtolookinonhimassoonasfurthersuppliesshouldbedue。
NextmorningascoreofuswentwithHillyer,outoffriendship,andhelpedhimburyhislaterelative,theunlamentedBuckner,andIactedasfirstassistantpall—bearer,Hillyeractingaschief。Justaswehadfinishedourlaborsaraggedandmelancholystranger,carryinganoldhand—bag,limpedbywithhisheaddown,andIcaughtthescentIhadchasedaroundtheglobe!ItwastheodorofParadisetomyperishinghope!
InamomentIwasathissideandhadlaidagentlehanduponhisshoulder。Heslumpedtothegroundasifastrokeoflightninghadwitheredhiminhistracks;andastheboyscamerunninghestruggledtohiskneesandputuphispleadinghandstome,andoutofhischatteringjawshebeggedmetopersecutehimnomore,andsaid:
\"Youhavehuntedmearoundtheworld,SherlockHolmes,yetGodismywitnessIhaveneverdoneanymanharm!\"
Aglanceathiswildeyesshowedusthathewasinsane。Thatwasmywork,mother!ThetidingsofyourdeathcansomedayrepeatthemiseryI
feltinthatmoment,butnothingelsecaneverdoit。Theboysliftedhimup,andgatheredabouthim,andwerefullofpityofhim,andsaidthegentlestandtouchingestthingstohim,andsaidcheerupanddon’tbetroubled,hewasamongfriendsnow,andtheywouldtakecareofhim,andprotecthim,andhanganymanthatlaidahandonhim。Theyarejustlikesomanymothers,theroughmining—campboysare,whenyouwakeupthesouthsideoftheirhearts;yes,andjustlikesomanyrecklessandunreasoningchildrenwhenyouwakeuptheoppositeofthatmuscle。Theydideverythingtheycouldthinkoftocomforthim,butnothingsucceededuntilWells—FargoFerguson,whoisacleverstrategist,said:
\"Ifit’sonlySherlockHolmesthat’stroublingyou,youneedn’tworryanymore。\"
\"Why?\"askedtheforlornlunatic,eagerly。
\"Becausehe’sdeadagain。\"
\"Dead!Dead!Oh,don’ttriflewithapoorwrecklikeme。Ishedead?
Onhonor,now——ishetellingmetrue,boys?\"
\"Trueasyou’restandingthere!\"saidHamSandwich,andtheyallbackedupthestatementinabody。
\"TheyhunghiminSanBernardinolastweek,\"addedFerguson,clinchingthematter,\"whilsthewassearchingaroundafteryou。Mistookhimforanotherman。They’resorry,buttheycan’thelpitnow。\"
\"They’rea—buildinghimamonument,\"saidHamSandwich,withtheairofapersonwhohadcontributedtoit,andknew。
\"JamesWalker\"drewadeepsigh——evidentlyasighofrelief——andsaidnothing;buthiseyeslostsomethingoftheirwildness,hiscountenanceclearedvisibly,anditsdrawnlookrelaxedalittle。Weallwenttoourcabin,andtheboyscookedhimthebestdinnerthecampcouldfurnishthematerialsfor,andwhiletheywereaboutitHillyerandIoutfittedhimfromhattoshoe—leatherwithnewclothesofours,andmadeacomelyandpresentableoldgentlemanofhim。\"Old\"istherightword,andapity,too:oldbythedroopofhim,andthefrostuponhishair,andthemarkswhichsorrowanddistresshaveleftuponhisface;thoughheisonlyinhisprimeinthematterofyears。Whileheate,wesmokedandchatted;
andwhenhewasfinishinghefoundhisvoiceatlast,andofhisownaccordbrokeoutwithhispersonalhistory。Icannotfurnishhisexactwords,butIwillcomeasnearitasIcan。
THE\"WRONGMAN’S\"STORY
Ithappenedlikethis:IwasinDenver。Ihadbeentheremanyyears;
sometimesIrememberhowmany,sometimesIdon’t——butitisn’tanymatter。AllofasuddenIgotanoticetoleave,orIwouldbeexposedforahorriblecrimecommittedlongbefore——yearsandyearsbefore——intheEast。
Iknewaboutthatcrime,butIwasnotthecriminal;itwasacousinofmineofthesamename。WhatshouldIbetterdo?Myheadwasalldisorderedbyfear,andIdidn’tknow。Iwasallowedverylittletime——
onlyoneday,Ithinkitwas。IwouldberuinedifIwaspublished,andthepeoplewouldlynchme,andnotbelievewhatIsaid。Itisalwaysthewaywithlynchings:whentheyfindoutitisamistaketheyaresorry,butitistoolate——thesameasitwaswithMr。Holmes,yousee。SoI
saidIwouldselloutandgetmoneytoliveon,andrunawayuntilitblewoverandIcouldcomebackwithmyproofs。ThenIescapedinthenightandwentalongwayoffinthemountainssomewhere,andliveddisguisedandhadafalsename。
Igotmoreandmoretroubledandworried,andmytroublesmademeseespiritsandhearvoices,andIcouldnotthinkstraightandclearonanysubject,butgotconfusedandinvolvedandhadtogiveitup,becausemyheadhurtso。Itgottobeworseandworse;morespiritsandmorevoices。Theywereaboutmeallthetime;atfirstonlyinthenight,theninthedaytoo。Theywerealwayswhisperingaroundmybedandplottingagainstme,anditbrokemysleepandkeptmefaggedout,becauseIgotnogoodrest。
Andthencametheworst。Onenightthewhisperssaid,\"We’llnevermanage,becausewecan’tseehim,andsocan’tpointhimouttothepeople。\"
Theysighed;thenonesaid:\"WemustbringSherlockHolmes。Hecanbehereintwelvedays。\"
Theyallagreed,andwhisperedandjibberedwithjoy。Butmyheartbroke;forIhadreadaboutthatman,andknewwhatitwouldbetohavehimuponmytrack,withhissuperhumanpenetrationandtirelessenergies。
Thespiritswentawaytofetchhim,andIgotupatonceinthemiddleofthenightandfledaway,carryingnothingbutthehand—bagthathadmymoneyinit——thirtythousanddollars;two—thirdsofitareinthebagthereyet。Itwasfortydaysbeforethatmancaughtuponmytrack。
Ijustescaped。Fromhabithehadwrittenhisrealnameonatavernregister,buthadscratcheditoutandwritten\"DaggetBarclay\"intheplaceofit。Butfeargivesyouawatchfuleyeandkeen,andIreadthetruenamethroughthescratches,andfledlikeadeer。
Hehashuntedmealloverthisworldforthreeyearsandahalf——thePacificstates,Australasia,India——everywhereyoucanthinkof;thenbacktoMexicoanduptoCaliforniaagain,givingmehardlyanyrest;butthatnameontheregistersalwayssavedme,andwhatisleftofmeisaliveyet。AndIamsotired!Acrueltimehehasgivenme,yetIgiveyoumyhonorIhaveneverharmedhimnoranyman。
Thatwastheendofthestory,anditstirredthoseboystoblood—heat,hesureofit。Asforme——eachwordburntaholeinmewhereitstruck。
Wevotedthattheoldmanshouldbunkwithus,andbemyguestandHillyer’s。Ishallkeepmyowncounsel,naturally;butassoonasheiswellrestedandnourished,IshalltakehimtoDenverandrehabilitatehisfortunes。
Theboysgavetheoldfellowthebone—smashinggood—fellowshiphandshakeofthemines,andthenscatteredawaytospreadthenews。
AtdawnnextmorningWells—FargoFergusonandHamSandwichcalledussoftlyout,andsaid,privately:
\"Thatnewsaboutthewaythatoldstrangerhasbeentreatedhasspreadallaround,andthecampsareup。Theyarepilinginfromeverywhere,andaregoingtolynchtheP’fessor。ConstableHarrisisinadeadfunk,andhastelephonedthesheriff。Comealong!\"
Westartedonarun。Theotherswereprivilegedtofeelastheychose,butinmyheart’sprivacyIhopedthesheriffwouldarriveintime;forI
hadsmalldesirethatSherlockHolmesshouldhangformydeeds,asyoucaneasilybelieve。Ihadheardagooddealaboutthesheriff,butforreassurance’ssakeIasked:
\"Canhestopamob?\"
\"Canhestopamob!CanJackFairfaxstopamob!Well,Ishouldsmile!
Ex—desperado——nineteenscalpsonhisstring。Canhe!Oh,Isay!\"
Aswetoreupthegulch,distantcriesandshoutsandyellsrosefaintlyonthestillair,andgrewsteadilyinstrengthasweracedalong。Roarafterroarburstout,strongerandstronger,nearerandnearer;andatlast,whenweclosedupuponthemultitudemassedintheopenareainfrontofthetavern,thecrashofsoundwasdeafening。SomebrutalroughsfromDaly’sgorgehadHolmesintheirgrip,andhewasthecalmestmanthere;acontemptuoussmileplayedabouthislips,andifanyfearofdeathwasinhisBritishheart,hisironpersonalitywasmasterofitandnosignofitwasallowedtoappear。
\"Cometoavote,men!\"ThisfromoneoftheDalygang,ShadbellyHiggins。
\"Quick!isithang,orshoot?\"
\"Neither!\"shoutedoneofhiscomrades。\"He’llbealiveagaininaweek;
burning’stheonlypermanencyforhim。\"
Thegangsfromalltheoutlyingcampsburstoutinathundercrashofapproval,andwentstrugglingandsurgingtowardtheprisoner,andclosedaroundhim,shouting,\"Fire!fire’stheticket!\"Theydraggedhimtothehorse—post,backedhimagainstit,chainedhimtoit,andpiledwoodandpineconesaroundhimwaist—deep。Stillthestrongfacedidnotblench,andstillthescornfulsmileplayedaboutthethinlips。
\"Amatch!fetchamatch!\"
Shadbellystruckit,shadeditwithhishand,stooped,andhelditunderapinecone。Adeepsilencefelluponthemob。Theconecaught,atinyflameflickeredaboutitamomentortwo。Iseemedtocatchthesoundofdistanthoofs——itgrewmoredistinct——stillmoreandmoredistinct,moreandmoredefinite,buttheabsorbedcrowddidnotappeartonoticeit。
Thematchwentout。Themanstruckanother,stooped,andagaintheflamerose;thistimeittookholdandbegantospread——hereandtherementurnedawaytheirfaces。Theexecutionerstoodwiththecharredmatchinhisfingers,watchinghiswork。Thehoof—beatsturnedaprojectingcrag,andnowtheycamethunderingdownuponus。Almostthenextmomenttherewasashout:
\"Thesheriff!\"
Andstraightwayhecametearingintothemidst,stoodhishorsealmostonhishindfeet,andsaid:
\"Fallback,yougutter—snipes!\"
Hewasobeyed。Byallbuttheirleader。Hestoodhisground,andhishandwenttohisrevolver。Thesheriffcoveredhimpromptly,andsaid:
\"Dropyourhand,youparlordesperado。Kickthefireaway。Nowunchainthestranger。\"
Theparlordesperadoobeyed。Thenthesheriffmadeaspeech;sittinghishorseatmartialease,andnotwarminghiswordswithanytouchoffire,butdeliveringtheminameasuredanddeliberateway,andinatonewhichharmonizedwiththeircharacterandmadethemimpressivelydisrespectful。
\"You’reanicelot——nowain’tyou?Justabouteligibletotravelwiththisbilkhere——ShadbellyHiggins——thisloud—mouthedsneakthatshootspeopleinthebackandcallshimselfadesperado。Ifthere’sanythingI
doparticularlydespise,it’salynchingmob;I’veneverseenonethathadamaninit。Ithastotallyupahundredagainstonebeforeitcanpumpuppluckenoughtotackleasicktailor。It’smadeupofcowards,andsoisthecommunitythatbreedsit;andninety—ninetimesoutofahundredthesheriff’sanotherone。\"Hepaused——apparentlytoturnthatlastideaoverinhismindandtastethejuiceofit——thenhewenton:
\"Thesheriffthatletsamobtakeaprisonerawayfromhimisthelowest—
downcowardthereis。Bythestatisticstherewasahundredandeighty—
twoofthemdrawingsneakpayinAmericalastyear。Bythewayit’sgoing,prettysoonthere’llbeanewdiseaseinthedoctor—books——
sheriffcomplaint。\"Thatideapleasedhim——anyonecouldseeit。
\"Peoplewillsay,’Sheriffsickagain?’’Yes;gotthesameoldthing。’
Andnextthere’llbeanewtitle。Peoplewon’tsay,’He’srunningforsheriffofRapahoCounty,’forinstance;they’llsay,’He’srunningforCowardofRapaho。’Lord,theideaofagrown—uppersonbeingafraidofalynchmob!\"
Heturnedaneyeonthecaptive,andsaid,\"Stranger,whoareyou,andwhathaveyoubeendoing?\"
\"MynameisSherlockHolmes,andIhavenotbeendoinganything。\"
Itwaswonderful,theimpressionwhichthesoundofthatnamemadeonthesheriff,notwithstandinghemusthavecomeposted。Hespokeupwithfeeling,andsaiditwasablotonthecountythatamanwhosemarvelousexploitshadfilledtheworldwiththeirfameandtheiringenuity,andwhosehistoriesofthemhadwoneveryreader’sheartbythebrilliancyandcharmoftheirliterarysetting,shouldbevisitedundertheStarsandStripesbyanoutragelikethis。Heapologizedinthenameofthewholenation,andmadeHolmesamosthandsomebow,andtoldConstableHarristoseehimtohisquarters,andholdhimselfpersonallyresponsibleifhewasmolestedagain。Thenheturnedtothemobandsaid:
\"Huntyourholes,youscum!\"whichtheydid;thenhesaid:\"Followme,Shadbelly;I’lltakecareofyourcasemyself。No——keepyourpopgun;
wheneverIseethedaythatI’llbeafraidtohaveyoubehindmewiththatthing,it’llbetimeformetojoinlastyear’shundredandeighty—
two\";andherodeoffinawalk,Shadbellyfollowing。
Whenwewereonourwaybacktoourcabin,towardbreakfast—time,weranuponthenewsthatFetlockJoneshadescapedfromhislock—upinthenightandisgone!Nobodyissorry。Lethisuncletrackhimoutifhelikes;itisinhisline;thecampisnotinterested。
V
Tendayslater。
\"JamesWalker\"isallrightinbodynow,andhismindshowsimprovementtoo。IstartwithhimforDenverto—morrowmorning。
Nextnight。Briefnote,mailedataway—station。
Aswewerestarting,thismorning,Hillyerwhisperedtome:\"KeepthisnewsfromWalkeruntilyouthinkitsafeandnotlikelytodisturbhismindandcheckhisimprovement:theancientcrimehespokeofwasreallycommitted——andbyhiscousin,ashesaid。Weburiedtherealcriminaltheotherday——theunhappiestmanthathaslivedinacentury——FlintBuckner。HisrealnamewasJacobFuller!\"There,mother,byhelpofme,anunwittingmourner,yourhusbandandmyfatherisinhisgrave。Lethimrest。