巴斯克维尔猎犬

1 The Case Begins

The September sun was shining brightly into the win dows of 221B Baker Street and London was enjoying a beautiful late summer I had finished my breakfast and was reading the newspaper As usual Holmes had got up late and was still eating We were expecting a visitor at half past ten and I wondered whether Holmes would finish his breakfast be fore our visitor arrived

Holmes was in no hurry He was reading once again a letter he had received three days ago It was from Dr James Mortimer who asked for an appointment with Holmes

Well Watson Holmes said to me I'm afraid that a doc tor from Devonshire won't bring us anything of real interest His letter doesn't tell us anything about his business though he says it's very important I hope we can help him

At exactly half past ten there was a knock on our front door

Good said Holmes Dr Mortimer is clearly a man who will not waste our time

We stood up as our visitor was brought into the room

Good morning gentlemen he said I'm Dr James Mor timer from Grimpen in Devonshire and I think you must be Mr Sherlock Holmes He shook hands with Holmes who said

How do you do Dr Mortimer May I introduce my good friend Dr John Watson who helps me with my cases I hope you will allow him to listen to our conversation

Of course said Mortimer as he turned to me and shook hands I need your help very badly Mr Holmes If it will be useful for Dr Watson to hear what I have to say please let him stay and listen

Mortimer did not look like a country doctor He was very tall and thin He had a long thin nose His grey eyes were bright and he wore gold glasses His coat and trousers were old and worn His face was young but his shoulders were bent like an old man's and his head was pushed forward He took some pa pers from his pocket and said

Mr Holmes I need your help and advice Something very strange and frightening has been happening

Sit down Dr Mortimer said Holmes and tell us your problem I'll help you if I can

2 The Baskerville Papers

These papers were given to me by Sir Charles Baskerville said Dr Mortimer He asked me to take good care of them You may remember that Sir Charles died suddenly three months ago His death caused much excite ment in Devonshire the county where Baskerville Hall is Sir Charles was a sensible man but he believed the story which is told in these papers

Dr Mortimer went on The story is about the Baskerville family I have come to see you because I need your help I think that something terrible is going to happen in the next twenty four hours But you can't help me unless you know the story in these papers May I read them to you

Please continue Dr Mortimer said Holmes and sat back in his chair with his eyes shut

Mortimer began to read in his high rather strange voice

I William Baskerville write this for my sons in the year 1742 My father told me about the Hound of the Baskervilles He told me when it was first seen and I be- lieve his story was true I want you my sons to read this story carefully I want you to know that God punishes those who do evil But never forget that He will forgive those who are sorry for any evil they have done

Over a hundred years ago in 1640 the head of the Baskerville family was Sir Hugo Baskerville He was a wild and evil man He was cruel and enjoyed hurting peo ple Sir Hugo fell in love with the daughter of a farmer who was a neighbour of his The young woman was afraid of the evil Hugo and avoided him One day Hugo heard that her father and brothers were away He knew that she would be alone So he rode to the farm with five or six of his evil friends They made the girl go back to Baskerville Hall with them and locked her in a room upstairs Then they sat down in the great dining hall to drink As usual they drank bottle after bottle and soon they began to sing and laugh and shout evil words

The girl upstairs who was already very frightened felt desperate when she heard the terrible things they were shouting So she did a very brave thing She opened the window climbed out of the room and down the ivy on the wall Then she started to run across the moor towards her home

A little while later Hugo left his friends and went up- stairs to the room to take her some food and drink When he found an open window and an empty room he behaved like a man who was mad He ran down the stairs He screamed that he would give himself to the Devil if he caught the girl before she reached home Some of Hugo's drunken friends told him to let the hounds chase her and so he ran from the house and unlocked the dogs Then he jumped onto his black horse and rode off over the moor with the hounds running and crying around him

Hugo's friends fetched their horses and followed him There were thirteen of them After a mile or two they passed an old farmer and asked him if he had seen Sir Hugo and the hounds The man looked half mad with fear and spoke with difficulty He said that he had seen the girl and the hounds running close behind her Sir Hugo had been riding just behind the hounds But I have seen more than that the old man said Behind Sir Hugo I saw a huge and terrible hound running silently May God keep me safe from that hound of hell

The thirteen men laughed at the old man and rode on But their laughter soon stopped when they saw Sir Hugo's horse running wildly towards them without a rider

The thirteen men moved closer together as they rode on They were suddenly afraid Over the moor they went until at last they caught up with the hounds

Everyone in the county knew that the Baskerville hounds were brave and strong But now they were stand- ing at the head of a deep valley in the moor with their ears and tails down They were very frightened Hugo's friends stopped Most of them would not go on but three were brave enough to go down into the valley

The valley had a wide flat floor In the middle of the flat ground stood two great stones They had stood there for thousands of years The moon was shining brightly on the great stones and between them on the flat ground lay the girl She had fallen there dead of fear and exhaus- tion Sir Hugo's body was lying near her But it was not the sight of Sir Hugo or the girl that filled the men with fear It was the sight of the huge animal that was standing over Sir Hugo Its teeth were at his throat It was a great black creature that looked like a hound But it was larger than any hound they had ever seen

As they watched it tore out Hugo Baskerville's throat Then it turned towards them Its eyes were burning brightly Its body shone with a strange light Blood ran from its mouth The men screamed and kicked their horses They rode back up the valley as fast as they could go Later that night one died from the horror he had seen The other two were mad for the rest of their lives

That was the first time the Hound appeared my sons It has been seen many times since then and many of the Baskervilles have died in strange and terrible ways Be- cause of this I warn you not to cross the moors at night The Devil finds it easy to do his work when the world is dark

3 How Sir Charles Died

When Dr Mortimer had finished reading this strange story he looked across at Sherlock Holmes Holmes looked bored

Did you find the story interesting asked Dr Mortimer

It may interest a collector of stories to frighten children said Holmes

Dr Mortimer took a newspaper from another pocket

Now Mr Holmes let me read you something which was written only three months ago It is from the Devonshire County Newspaper and it is about the death of Sir Charles Baskerville

Holmes looked more interested Dr Mortimer began to read

The sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville has caused great sadness in the county Although he had lived at Baskerville Hall for only two years everyone liked him Sir Charles had lived abroad and made his money there He came back to spend his fortune on repairing Baskerville Hall and its farms and villages as the buildings and lands were in very poor condition He was a friendly and generous man who gave freely to the poor

The official report of his death does not explain every thing that happened However it does show that there was no question of murder Sir Charles died from natural causes and the strange stories people are telling about his death are not true His friend and doctor Dr James Mor timer said that Sir Charles heart had been weak for some time

The facts are simple Every night before going to bed Sir Charles went for a walk in the gardens of Baskerville Hall His favourite walk was down a path between two hedges of yew trees the famous Yew Alley of Baskerville Hall On the night of 4th June he went out for his walk to think and to smoke his usual cigar

Sir Charles was going to London on the next day and Barrymore his butler was packing his suitcases By mid- night Barrymore was worried that Sir Charles had not re turned so he went to look for him He found the door of the Hall open The day had been rainy and wet so Barry more saw the prints left by Sir Charles shoes as he had walked down the Alley Half way down the Alley is a gate which leads to the moor There were signs that Sir Charles had stood there for some time Barrymore fol lowed the footprints to the far end of the Alley And there he found Sir Charles body

Barrymore reported something interesting about the footprints He said that they changed between the moor gate and the end of the Alley As far as the moor gate there was a whole footprint for each of Sir Charles steps After he passed the gate only toe prints could be seen Barrymore thought that Sir Charles had walked on his toes

A man called Murphy who buys and sells horses was not far away at the time of Sir Charles death He had been drinking a lot of beer but he says he heard cries He is not sure where they came from

Dr Mortimer was called to look at Sir Charles body There were no signs that Sir Charles had been murdered but Dr Mortimer did not recognize his friend's face The whole shape of it was changed However this often hap pens with deaths which are caused by weak hearts When Dr Mortimer looked at the body he found that this was in fact what had happened Sir Charles weak heart had failed and this had caused his death

Everyone hopes that the new head of the Baskerville family will move quickly into the Hall Sir Charles good work must go on

The new head of the Baskerville family will be Sir Hen- ry Baskerville if he is still alive and if the lawyers can find him He is the son of Sir Charles Baskerville's younger brother who died some years ago The young man has been living in the USA The Baskerville lawyers are trying to contact him to tell him about his good fortune

Dr Mortimer put the newspaper back into his pocket

Those are the official facts about the death of Sir Charles They are the facts that everyone knows Mr Holmes he said

Thank you for informing me about this interesting case Holmes said I read about it at the time but I heard none of the details The newspaper gives the facts that everybody knows Now I want you to tell me all the other facts that you know What do you know about the strange stories

I haven't told anyone these other facts said Dr Mortimer I am a man of science as you know I have always believed that there are sensible explanations for everything I didn't want to say anything that could stop Sir Henry from coming to live at the Hall But I will tell you tile details that were not in the report

In the months before his death Dr Mortimer went on Sir Charles was a very worried man He was near to breaking down He believed the story of the Hound of the Baskervilles He refused to go out at night He often asked me whether I had seen any strange animal or heard the cry of a hound on the moor at night He always got very excited when he asked this question

I remember driving up to the Hall one evening about three weeks before he died He was standing at the door I went up to him and saw him staring at something behind me There was a look of horror on his face I turned quickly and saw something moving between the trees It looked like a small black cow He was so frightened that I went to look for the animal It had disappeared but Sir Charles was very worried I stayed with him all the evening It was then he gave me the old papers I have read to you What I saw that evening may be im- portant when you consider what happened on the night of his death

When Barrymore the butler found Sir Charles body he sent someone to fetch me I checked all the facts I have just read them to you and they are all true

But Barrymore said one thing that was not true He said that there were no other prints on the ground around the body He did not notice any But I did They were not close to the body but they were fresh and clear

Footprints asked Holmes

Yes Footprints said Mortimer

A man's or a woman's asked Holmes

Dr Mortimer looked at us strangely for a moment His voice became a whisper as he answered

Mr Holmes they were the footprints of a huge hound

4 The Problem

Ifelt a moment of fear as Mortimer spoke these words Holmes sat forward in his excitement and his eyes showed he was very interested indeed

Why did nobody else see these footprints he asked

The footprints were about twenty metres from the body and nobody thought of looking so far away Mortimer replied

Are there many sheep dogs on the moor asked Holmes

Yes but this was no sheep dog The footprints were very large indeed enormous Mortimer answered

But it had not gone near the body

No

What kind of night was it Holmes asked

It was wet and cold though it wasn't actually raining

Describe the Alley to me

The Alley is a path between two long yew hedges The hedges are small trees that were planted very close together They are about four metres high The distance between the two yew hedges is about seven metres Down the middle is a path of small stones The path is about three metres wide with grass on each side of it

I understand there is a gate through the hedge in one place said Holmes

Yes there is a small gate which leads to the moor

Is there any other opening through the hedge

No

So you can enter or leave the Yew Alley only from the Hall or through the moor gate asked Holmes

There is a way out through a summer house at the far end

Had Sir Charles reached the summer house

No He lay about fifty metres from it said Mortimer

Now Dr Mortimer this is important You say that the footprints you saw were on the path and not on the grass

No footprints could show on the grass said Mortimer

Were they on the same side of the path as the moor gate

Yes They were

I find that very interesting indeed Another question was the moor gate closed

Yes It was closed and locked

How high is it asked Holmes

It is just over a metre high

Then anyone could climb over it

Yes

What prints did you see by the moor gate

Sir Charles seems to have stood there for five or ten min utes said Mortimer I know that because his cigar had burned down and the ash had dropped twice off the end of it

Excellent said Holmes This man is a very good detective Watson

Sir Charles had left his footprints all over that little bit of the path where he was standing I couldn't see any other prints

Sherlock Holmes hit his knee with his hand angrily

I like to look closely at these things myself he said Oh Dr Mortimer why didn't you call me immediately

Mr Holmes the best detective in the world can't help with some things said Mortimer

You mean things that are outside the laws of nature su- pernatural things asked Holmes

I didn't say so exactly replied Mortimer But since Sir Charles died I have heard about a number of things that seem to be supernatural Several people have seen an animal on the moor that looks like an enormous hound They all agree that it was a huge creature which shone with a strange light like a ghost I have questioned these people carefully They are all sensible people They all tell the same story Although they have only seen the creature far away it is exactly like the hell- hound of the Baskerville story The people are very frightened and only the bravest man will cross the moor at night

And you a man of science believe that the creature is supernatural something from another world asked Holmes

I don't know what to believe said Dr Mortimer

But you must agree that the footprints were made by a liv- ing creature not a ghost

When the hound first appeared two hundred and fifty years ago it was real enough to tear out Sir Hugo's throat but it was a supernatural hell-hound said Dr Mortimer

If you think that Sir Charles' death was caused by some thing supernatural my detective work can't help you said Holmes rather coldly

Perhaps said Mortimer But you can help me by advis- ing me what to do for Sir Henry Baskerville He arrives in Lon don by train in exactly Dr Mortimer looked at his watch one hour and a quarter

Sir Henry is now head of the Baskerville family asked Holmes

Yes said Dr Mortimer He is the last of the Baskervilles The family lawyers contacted him in the USA He has come to England immediately by ship He landed this morning Now Mr Holmes what do you advise me to do with him

Why should he not go to the family home asked Holmes

Because so many Baskervilles who go there die horrible deaths But Sir Charles good work must go on If it doesn t all the people on the Baskerville lands will be much poorer If the Baskerville family leaves the Hall that is what will happen I don't know what to do That is why I came to you for advice

Holmes though for a little while Then he said You think it is too dangerous for any Baskerville to live at the Hall because of this supernatural hell hound Well I think you should go and meet Sir Henry Baskerville Say nothing to him about this I shall give you my advice in twenty four hours At ten o clock tomorrow morning Dr Mortimer I would like you to bring Sir Henry Baskerville here

Dr Mortimer got up from his chair As he was leaving the room Holmes said One more question Dr Mortimer You said that before Sir Charles death several people saw this strange creature on the moor

Three people did said Mortimer

Did anyone see it after the death

I haven't heard of anyone

Thank you Dr Mortimer Good morning

After Mortimer had left us Holmes sat down in his chair He looked pleased He always looked pleased when a case interest ed him

I knew that he needed to be alone to think about all that he had heard I went out for the day and came back to find the room full of thick smoke from Holmes pipe

What do you think of this case I asked him

It is hard to say Take for example the change in the foot prints Did Sir Charles walk on his toes down the Alley Only a stupid person is likely to believe that The truth is he was run ning running for his life He ran until his heart stopped and he fell dead

What was he running from I asked

That is the difficult question said Holmes I think he was mad with fear before he began to run He didn't know what he was doing That explains why he ran away from the house instead of towards it He was running away from help The next question who was he waiting for that night And why was he waiting in the Yew Alley and not in the house

You think he was waiting for someone

Sir Charles was old and unwell We can understand why he took a walk each evening But why did he stand in the cold on wet ground for five or ten minutes Dr Mortimer cleverly noted the cigar ash so we know how long Sir Charles stood there We know that he kept away from the moor so it's un likely that he waited at the moor gate every evening I am be ginning to understand some things Watson But I'll think no more about it until we meet Dr Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville in the morning Please give me my violin

And Holmes began to play his violin He had done all the thinking he could Now he needed more details of the case to help him

5 Sir Henry Baskerville

Dr Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville arrived at exact-ly ten o clock the following morning Sir Henry was a small healthy well built man His face showed that he had a strong character He wore a country suit of thick red brown material and his skin showed that he spent most of his time in the open air

I am glad this meeting was already arranged Sir Henry said after we had shaken hands with our visitors I need your help Mr Holmes A strange thing happened to me this morning Look at this letter

He put a piece of paper on the table On it were the words Do not go on to the moor If you do your life will be in dan-ger The words had been cut out of a newspaper

Can you tell me Mr Holmes what this means and who is so interested in me Sir Henry asked

This is very interesting said Holmes Look how badly it has been done I think the writer was in a hurry Why Per haps because he did not want somebody to see him I think the address was written in a hotel The pen and the ink have both given the writer trouble The pen has run dry three times in writing a short address There was probably very little ink in the bottle A private pen and bottle of ink are never allowed to get into that condition Hullo what's this

He was holding the letter only a few centimetres from his eyes

Well I ashed

Nothing he said and threw the letter down Now Sir Henry have you anything else to tell us

No said Sir Henry Except that I have lost one of my shoes I put a pair outside my door last night I wanted the ho- tel to clean them but when I went to get them this morning one had gone I only bought them yesterday and I have never worn them But I wanted a good shine on them

One shoe seems a useless thing to steal said Holmes I am sure the shoe will be found in the hotel and returned to you But now we must tell you some things about the Baskerville family

Dr Mortimer took out the old Baskerville papers and read them to Sir Henry Holmes then told him about the death of Sir Charles

So this letter is from someone who is trying to warn me or frighten me away said Sir Henry

Yes said Holmes And we have to decide if it is sensible for you to go to Baskerville Hall There seems to be danger there for you

There is no man or devil who will stop me from going to the home of my family said Sir Henry angrily I want some time to think about what you have told me Will you and Dr Watson join me for lunch at my hotel in two hours time By then I'll be able to tell you what I think

Dr Mortimer and Sir Henry said goodbye and decided to walk back to their hotel

As soon as our visitors had gone Holmes changed from the talker to the man of action

Quick Watson Your coat and hat We must follow them We got ready quickly and went into the street Our friends were not far ahead of us and we followed We stayed about a hundred metres behind them

Suddenly Holmes gave a cry I saw a taxi driving along very slowly on the other side of the road from our friends

That's our man Watson Come along We'll have a good look at him

I saw a man with a large black beard looking out of the taxi window He had been following and watching our friends But when he saw us running towards him he shouted something to the driver and the taxi drove off quickly down the road Holmes looked round for another taxi but could not see one He began to run after the first taxi but it was soon out of sight

Well I got the number of the taxi said Holmes So I can find the driver He may be able to tell us something about his passenger Would you recognize the man if you saw him again

Only his beard I said

He wanted us to recognize the beard said Holmes I think it was a false one

6 More Mystery

Later we went on to Sir Henry's hotel He was pleased to see us but rather angry because another of his shoes had disappeared This time it was one shose of an old pair I could see that holmes found this both interesting and strange He thought about it for a few moments but said nothing ex- cept that he did not understand why a second shoe had been stolen

At lunch Sir henry told Holmes that he had decided to go to Baskerville Hall

I think you have decided to do the right thing said Holmes I know somebody is following you If someone tries to harm you in London it will be hard to stop him or catch him afterwards In the country we have a better chance

Holmes went on to tell them about what we had seen that morning Then he asked Dr Mortimer if anyone with a large black beard lived in or near Baskerville Hall

Yes said Dr Mortimer Barrymore Sir Charles butler has a black heard

We must check whether Barrymore is in London or at Baskerville Hall said Holmes I shall send a telegram to Bar rymore at the Hall which will say Is everything ready for Sir Henry Then I'll send another telegram to the local post of fice This one will say please put telegram to Mr Barrymore into his own hand If he is away please return telegram to Sir Henry Baskerville I'll give your address at this hotel We shall know before evening whether Barrymore is in Devonshire or not

Barrymore and his wife have a very fine home and nothing to do while the family is not living in the Hall said Sir Henry

That's true said Holmes Did the Barrymores receive anything from Sir Chades will And did they know that they would get some money when he died

Yes said Dr Mortimer They each received 500 and Sir Charles told everyone what he had written in his will

That's very interesting said Holmes

I hope you don't suspect everyone who got something from the will said Dr Mortimer I received 1000

Indeed said Holmes And who else received money

A lot of people received a little money He gave a lot of money to a number of hospitals The rest all went to Sir Henry who received 740000

I had no idea it was so much said Holmes in surprise

The Baskerville lands are worth about one million pounds Dr Mortimer said

Dear me said Holmes A man could kill for that much One more question If something happened to our young friend here who would get Baskerville Hall and all its lands

Well as you know Sir Charles had two brothers Sir Henry is the only son of Sir Charles younger brother The youngest brother of the three Roger was a criminal The police wanted him so he had to leave England They say he looked exactly like the family picture of old Sir Hugo who first saw the Hound He was the same kind of man too He went to South America where he died of a fever So if Sir Henry died Baskerville Hall would go to James Desmond who is a cousin of the Baskervilles James Desmond is an old man who lives in the north of England His life is very simple and he would not want to be rich

Thank you Dr Mortimer said Holmes Now Sir Henry I agree that you should go to Baskerville Hall as quickly as pos sible But you must not go alone I myself cannot leave London at the present time I am working on another case I am trying to save one of the most important men in England from a diffi cult situation I hope my friend Watson will go with you If there is danger you could not have a better man by your side

Sir Henry and I were both very happy with this idea So we arranged to travel to Devonshire on the following Saturday

Just as we were leaving Sir Henry's room he gave a cry and got down on his knees by the table

Here's my brown shoe that was lost he said reaching un der the table

That's very strange said Dr Mortimer We both

searched the room before lunch and it wasn't under the table then

None of the people who worked at the hotel could explain how the shoe had got back into the room

So we had another mystery On the way back to Baker Street in the taxi Holmes sat thinking deeply All through the afternoon and the evening he went on thinking silently and smoking pipe after pipe

Just before dinner a telegram arrived It was from Sir Henry and said Have just heard that Barrymore is at the Hall

So we don't have the answer to the mystery of the man with the beard said Holmes But perhaps we shall soon have an answer to another question

At that moment the door bell rang It was the driver of the bearded man's taxi

I got a message that you wanted to see me said the driver I hope there's nothing wrong

No no my good man said Holmes In fact I'll give you some money if you can answer my questions clearly Tell me all about the man in your taxi this morning He was watching this house at ten o clock and then told you to follow the two gentlemen who came out of it

The taxi driver was surprised at how much Holmes seemed to know He answered The man told me that he was a detec tive and that I should say nothing about him to anyone

This is a serious business said Holmes and you will be in trouble if you try to hide anything What can you tell me

The man told me his name said the driver

Holmes looked like a man who has just won an important game That was not very clever of him he said What was his name

His name said the taxi driver was Sherlock Holmes

I have never seen my friend look more surprised Then he laughed loudly Tell me where be got into your taxi and everything that happened

We already knew most of what the taxi driver told us But we learned that after we had lost sight of the taxi it had gone to Waterloo Station where the man had caught his train The taxi driver said that the man was well-dressed and had a black beard and pale face He was about forty and not very tall The driver did not know the colour of the man's eyes

Holmes gave the man a pound and sent him away Then he said

We have a very clever enemy Watson He is winning the game at the moment We have no answers at all to the strange things that have happened in London I hope you are more suc- cessful at Baskerville Hall but I am not happy about sending you there There is too much danger in this case

7 Baskerville Hall

Holmes came to Waterloo Station to say goodbye to us Our friends told him that they were sure nobody had followed them since our last meeting Sir Henry's other shoe had not reappeared Holmes repeated his warning that Sir Hen ry should not go on the moor at night and should not go any- where alone Then Holmes checked with me that I had my gun an army revolver

The journey was fast and enjoyable We were met at New town Station and driven to Baskerville Hall The countryside we drove through was beautiful but behind it we could see the long dark frightening hills of the moor

As we turned a corner we were surprised to see a soldier on horseback He was carrying a gun

Dr Mortimer asked our driver why the soldier was there

A dangerous criminal has escaped from the prison sir he told us He's been free for three days now and people are frightened His name is Selden He's the man who did that murder in London

I remembered the case well It had been a very cruel murder I thought of this killer out on the empty wild moor and I felt more and more uncomfortable about my surroundings The beautiful green fields with their thick hedges were behind us and we were now on the cold open moor Everything was grey hard and wild Huge rough stones stood on the hard ground The tops of the hills stood sharply like cruel teeth against the sky A cold wind was blowing and night was falling I saw Sir Henry pull his coat closer round him

At last we reached the gates of Baskerville Hall From the gates a long dark road led up to the house with the black shapes of old trees on each side of it At the end of this road we could see the great house standing with a pale light round it like a ghost

I can understand why my uncle felt that trouble was com ing to him here It's not a welcoming place said Sir Henry and his voice shook as he spoke

As we got closer we could see that the Hall was a heavy dark building with a large main entrance Most of the building was old and was covered in dark green ivy but some of it had been built more recently and was of grim black stone A dull light shone through the heavy windows Black smoke was com ing from one of the high chimneys of the main building

Welcome Sir Henry Welcome to Baskerville Hall

Barrymore the butler and his wife were waiting on the steps at the main entrance They came down and took our suit cases into the house Dr Mortimer left us to go home and we went into the hall where a fire was burning It was a fine room large and high

It's exactly as I imagined an old family home Sir Henry said

Barrymore showed us to our rooms He was a tall handsome man with a full black beard After we had washed and changed our clothes he brought us to dinner The dining-room was not very welcoming It needed more lights to make it brighter On the walls were the pictures of the Baskervilles of the past They looked down on us silently and did nothing to make us feel happier

After dinner we went to our rooms Before I got into bed I looked out of my window A strong wind sang sadly as it bent the trees in front of the Hall A half moon shone through the dark flying clouds onto the wild and empty moor

I could not sleep Then suddenly in the middle of the night I heard very clearly the sound of a woman crying It was the crying of a person who was hurt by some deep sadness The sound was not far away and was certainly in the house

8 The Stapletons of Pen House

The next morning was sunny and we were much more cheerful

I told Sir Henry about the crying I had heard He rang the bell to call Barrymore and asked him if he could explain the crying Barrymore's face went white when he heard Sir Henry's question

There are only two women in the house Sir Henry he an- swered One is the maid who sleeps on the other side of the house The other is my wife and she was certainly not crying

But he was telling a lie I saw Mrs Barrymore after breakfast The sun was full on her face and it was clear she had been crying

Why had Barrymore lied What deep sadness had made his wife cry There was a mystery surrounding this black- bearded handsome man Was it possible that Barrymore was in fact the man who had been watching Sir Henry in London I decided I must check with the local post office that the tele gram had really been put into Barrymore's own hands

While Sir Henry worked at some papers I walked to the post office It was in the nearest village which was called Grimpen I spoke to the boy who had taken the telegram to the Hall

Did you give it to Mr Barrymore himself I asked

Well the boy said he was working upon the roof so I couldn't give it to him I gave it to Mrs Barrymore and she promised to give it to him at once

Did you see Mr Barrymore I asked him

No said the boy but why did his wife say he was upon the roof if he wasn't

It was hopeless to ask any more questions It was clear that Holmes' cleverness with the telegram had not given us the proof we needed

I was walking away from the post office when I heard some- one running after me A voice called me by name and I turned I expected to see Dr Mortimer as I knew nobody else in the village To my surprise it was a stranger He was a small thin man between thirty and forty years old with fair hair and no beard He was carrying a butterfly net and a box for putting butterflies in

I hope you will excuse me for introducing myself Dr Wat son he said as he came up to me My name is Stapleton I was in Dr Mortimer's house and we saw you He told me who you are May I walk along with you This path back to the Hall goes near my home Pen House Please come in and meet my sister and spend an hour with us

I accepted Stapleton's invitation and we walked together

I know that you are a close friend of Sherlock Holmes said Stapleton Has Mr Holmes any ideas about Sir Charles death

I'm afraid I can't answer that question I said

Will Mr Holmes visit us himself he asked

He can't leave London at the moment I answered I was rather surprised that he was asking me these questions

We walked on Stapleton told me that he and his sister had lived in Devonshire for only two years They had moved there soon after Sir Charles had begun to live in Baskerville Hall He also talked about the moor and how it interested him He told me to look across the moor to a place which was a bright green colour

That is the Great Grimpen Marsh he said If animals or men go into the marsh they will sink into it and die But I can find my way to the very centre of it Look there is another of those poor horses

Something brown was fighting to get out of the bright green of the marsh Then a terrible cry came across the moor The horse's head and neck disappeared under the green

It's gone Stapleton said The marsh has caught and killed it That often happens It is an evil place the Great Grimpen Marsh

But you say you can go safely in and out of it I asked him

Yes there are a few paths and I have found them The low hills you can see are like islands surrounded by the marsh That is where I can find the unusual plants and butterflies And that's why I found my way through the marsh

I shall try my luck one day I said

He looked at me in surprise Please don't try he said You would never return alive and it would be my fault

Listen I said What is that

A long low cry very deep and very sad came over the moor It filled the whole air Then it died away

What is it I asked with a cold fear in my heart

Stapleton had a strange look on his face The people say it's the Hound of the Baskervilles which is calling for some thing to hunt and kill I've heard it once or twice before but never so loud

You are a man of science I said You don't believe that do you Isn't there a natural explanation for the sound

A marsh makes strange noises sometimes It is the water and the wet ground moving

But that was the voice of a living creature I said

Well perhaps it was There are some very unusual birds on the moors It was most probably the cry of one of those

At that moment a small butterfly flew across the path in front of us Excuse me Dr Watson shouted Stapleton and ran off to try to catch the butterfly He ran quickly and fol lowed the butterfly on to the marsh but he knew exactly where he could go and was not in any danger

As I watched him I heard the sound of steps behind me I turned and saw a woman near me on the path I was sure she was Miss Stapleton She was very beautiful She was dark and tall with a lovely face Before I could say anything she said

Go back Go straight back to London immediately I can not tell you why but please do what I ask you and never come near the moor again But my brother is coming Not a word to him

Stapleton had caught the butterfly and was walking bath to us

Hello my dear he said to his sister but it seemed to me that his voice was not completely friendly I see that you two have already introduced yourselves

Yes she said I was telling Sir Henry that it was rather late in the year for him to see the true beauty of the moor

I am sorry I said You have made a mistake I'm not Sir Henry I am a friend who is visiting him and my name is Dr Watson

Miss Stapleton was clearly angry with herself I'm sorry she said Please forget what I said But do come with us to our house

The house was lonely and rather grim I wondered why the two of them had come to live so far away from anyone else Stapleton seemed to know what I was thinking and said You may think this a lonely strange place to live but the moors are very interesting and we enjoy it here I owned a school in the north of England but I had to close it I miss the boys and girls but thefe is plenty to do here and we have good neighbours I hope Sir Henry will become one of tnem May I visit the Hall this afternoon to meet him do you think

I'm sure he will be very pleased to meet you I said I must go back to the Hall now and I shall tell him immediately

I said goodbye to the Stapletons and continued on the path back to the Hall I had been walking for only a few minutes when I was surprised to see Miss Stapleton sitting on a rock ahead of me She was breathing quickly and I realized she had run by a quicker way to get ahead of me

Dr Watson she said I want to say sorry for the mistake I made I thought you were Sir Henry Please forget what I said I did not mean you were in danger Now I must go or my brother will miss me

I cannot forget your words Miss Stapleton I said If Sir Henry is in danger I must tell him

You know the story of the Hound she asked me

Yes but I do not believe it I replied

But I think it's true she said Please persuade Sir Henry to leave this place So many of his family have died here mys- teriously He must not put his life in danger by staying here

Sir Henry won't leave this place without a real reason I said

I can't give you a real reason I don't know anything for certain

One more question Miss Stapleton I said The story of the Hound is well known Why didn't you want your brother to hear what you said

My brother wants the head of the Baskerville family to live in the Hall she said He wants Sir Henry to continue the good work that Sir Charles began He doesn't want Sir Henry to go and live in another place So he doesn't want me to talk about the Hound I must go now or my brother will guess I have been speaking to you Goodbye

She turned and went back towards her house and I walked on to Baskerville Hall

9 The Escaped Prisoner

Mr Stapleton came to the Hall and met Sir Henry that same afternoon The next morning he took us to the place where the evil Sir Hugo died Then we had lunch at the House Sir Henry clearly thought Miss Stapleton was very beautiful His eyes followed her everywhere He liked her very much and I was sure that she felt the same about him He spoke about her again and again as we walked home After the first meeting we met the Stapletons almost every day

After a short time it was clear that Sir Henry had fallen deeply in love with the beautiful Miss Stapleton At first I thought that Stapleton would be very pleased if his sister mar ried Sir Henry However I soon realized that he did not want their friendship to grow into love He did everything he could to make sure that they were never alone On one or two occa sions they did manage to meet alone but Stapleton followed them and was not pleased to see them together

I soon met another neighbour of Sir Henry s His name was Mr Frankland and he lived about four miles to the south of the Hall He was an old man with a red face and white hair He had two hobbies The first was arguing He argued with everybody The second hobby was studying the stars For this he had a very big telescope For several days he had been watching the moor through the telescope He wanted to find Selden the escaped murderer Nobody had seen the prisoner for a fortnight and we all thought that he had probably left the moor

A few nights later I was woken by a noise at about two in the morning I heard someone walking softly outside my door I got up opened the door and looked out I saw Barrymore moving carefully and quietly away from me I followed him as quietly as I could He went into one of the empty bedrooms and left the door open I went quietly up to the door and looked in side

Barrymore was standing at the window He was holding a light in his hand and looking out onto the moor He stood without moving for a few minutes and then he put out the light

I went quickly back to my room A few minutes later I heard Barrymore go softly by

The next morning I told Sir Henry what I had seen

We must follow him and find out what he is doing said Sir Henry He won't hear us if we move carefully

That night we sat in Sir Henry's room and waited At about three o clock in the morning we heard the sound of footsteps outside the bedroom We looked out and saw Barrymore We followed him as quietly as we could He went into the same room as before We reached the door and looked in There was Barrymore with the light in his hand looking out across the moor exactly as I had seen him on the night before

Sir Henry walked into the room and said What are you do- ing here Barrymore

Barrymore turned round quickly surprise and horror on his face

Nothing Sir he said The shadows on the wall from his light were jumping up and down as his hand shook It was the window sir I go round at night to see that they are closed and this one wasn't shut

Come now Barrymore said Sir Henry No lies What were you doing with that light You were holding it up to the window

I suddenly had an idea I think he was sending a message I said Let's see if there's an answer from someone on the moor

I held the light up to the window and looked out into the darkness Suddenly a light answered from the moor

There it is I cried I waved my light backwards and for wards across the window The light on the moor answered by moving in the same way

Now Barrymore who is your friend on the moor What's going on

That's my business said Barrymore I won't tell you

Are you making some criminal plan against me Sir Henry said

No it's nothing against you sir said a voice behind us It was Mrs Barrymore She had followed us and was standing at the door He's doing it for me My unhappy brother is cold and hungry on the moor We cannot let him die Our light is to tell him that food is ready for him His light shows us where to take it

Then your brother is began Sir Henry

The escaped prisoner sir Selden the murderer He is my younger brother He has done evil things but to me he is still the little boy I loved and cared for I had to help him Every thing my husband has done has been for me Please don't take his job from him It's not his fault

Sir Henry turned to Barrymore and said

I cannot blame you for helping your wife Go to bed and we'll talk about this in the morning

The Barrymores left us

The murderer is waiting out there by that light said Sir Henry He's a danger to everyone I'm going to catch him If you want to come with me Watson fetch your revolver and let s go

We left the Hall immediately

We must surprise him and catch him said Sir Henry He's a dangerous man Now Watson what would Holmes say about this Do you remember what the old papers said They said the Devil does his work when the world is dark

Just as he spoke there came a strange cry from across the moor It was the same cry I had heard when I was with Staple ton on the edge of the Great Grimpen Marsh

What is that noise asked Sir Henry He stopped and put his hand on my arm to hold me back

I've heard it before I said Stapleton says it's the cry of a bird

Watson said Sir Henry his voice shaking it is the cry of a hound What do the local people say it is

They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles I replied

Can there possibly be some truth in the story said Sir Henry Am I really in danger from such an evil thing I think I am as brave as most men but that sound froze my blood But we have come out to catch that prisoner and the Devil himself will not make me turn back

It was difficult to cross the moor in the dark but at last we reached the light It was standing on a rock Suddenly an evil face more like an animal than a man looked at us from behind the rock The escaped prisoner saw us and screamed as he turned to run

Sir Henry and I were both good runners and very healthy men but we soon realized that we had no chance of catching Selden He knew the way and was running for his life Soon we had lost him in the dark so we stopped and sat down breathing heavily to rest

At that moment a very strange thing happened The moon was low upon our right and in its light we could see the top of a hill On that hill with the moon behind him stood a tall thin man He was standing perfectly still He was watching us

It was not Selden who had been running away from that hill This man was much taller With a cry of surprise I turned to Sir Henry As I turned the man disappeared

I wanted to go across to the hill and search for him but we were tired and I remembered that Sir Henry might be in dan ger So we went back to Baskerville Hall

Who was the tall man I had seen standing against the moon Was he an enemy or a friend who was watching over us

I wished more and more that Holmes could leave London and come to Baskerville Hall I wrote to him every few days and gave him the details of everything that happened and everyone I met

10 The Letter

The following day was dull and foggy The Hall was sur rounded by heavy low clouds which opened now and then to show the grim cold moor and its wet grey rocks The weather made us miserable It was difficult to be cheerful when we felt danger all around us I thougth of Sir Charles death and the awful sound of the hound which I had now heard twice Holmes did not believe that there was a supernatural hound But facts are facts and I had heard a hound Was there a huge hound living on the moor If so where could it hide Where did it get its food Why was it never seen by day It was almost as difficult to accept a natural explanation as a su pernatural explanation

That morning Sir Henry and Barrymore argued about Selden the escaped prisoner Barrymore said that it was wrong to try to catch Selden

But the man is dangerous said Sir Henry He'll do any- thing Nobody is safe until he is in prison again We must tell the police

I promise he won't break into any house said Barrymore and he won't cause any trouble In a few days he will catch a boat for South America Please don't tell the police about him If you tell the police my wife and I will be in serious trouble

What do you say Watson asked Sir Henry turning to me

I don't think he will break into houses or cause trouble If he did the police would know where to look for him and would catch him He's not a stupid man

I hope you're right said Sir Henry I'm sure we're breaking the law But I don't want to get Barrymore and his wife into trouble so I shall not tell the police I shall leave Selden in peace

Barrymore could not find the words to thank Sir Henry enough Then he said You have been so kind to us that I want to do something for you in return I have never told any- one else I know something more about poor Sir Charles death

Sir Henry and I jumped up at once

Do you know how he died Sir Henry asked

No sir I don't know that but I know why he was waiting at the gate He was going to meet a woman

Sir Charles was meeting a woman Who was the woman

I don't know her name Barrymore said but it begins with L L

How do you know this Barrymore I asked

Well Sir Charles got a letter on the morning of the day he died It was from Newtown and the address was in a woman's writing I forgot all about it but some time after Sir Charles died my wife was cleaning the fireplace in his study She found a letter Most of it was burned but the bottom of one page was not burned On it was written Please please burn this letter and be at the gate by ten o clock L L The paper fell into pieces as my wife went to move it We don't know who L L is but if you could find out you might learn more about Sir Charles death We haven't told anyone else We felt it would not be good for poor kind Sir Charles But we thought we ought to tell you Sir Henry

The Barrymores left us and Sir Henry turned to me If we can find L L the mystery may be at an end he said What do you think we should do Watson

I must write to Holmes at once I said and I went straight to my room and wrote a letter to Holmes which gave him all the details of Barrymore's story

On the following day heavy rain fell without stopping I put on my coat and went for a long walk on the moor I thought of Selden out on the cold moor in this weather And I thought of the other man the mysterious watcher

As I walked Dr Mortimer drove past me He stopped and said he would take me back to the Hall

I expect you know almost everybody living near here I said Do you know a woman whose names begin with the let ters L L

Dr Mortimer thought for a minute and then he said Yes Mrs Laura Lyons She lives in Newtown

Who is she I asked

She's Mr Frankland's daughter

What old Frankland who has the large telescope

Yes said Dr Mortimer Laura married a painter called Lyons who came to paint pictures of the moor But he was cruel to her and after a while he left her Her father will not speak to her because she married against his wishes So her husband and her father have made her life very unhappy

How does she live I asked

Several people who knew her sad story have helped her Stapleton and Sir Charles gave her some money I gave a little myself She used the money to start a typewriting business

Dr Mortimer wanted to know why I was asking about Mrs Lyons However I preferred to keep the reason secret and we talked about other things for the rest of the journey

Only one other thing of interest happened that day In the evening after dinner I had a few words with Barrymore alone I asked him whether Selden had left the country

I don't know sir Barrymore replied I hope he has gone But I've not heard anything of him since I last left food and some clothes for him and that was three days ago

Did you see him then

No sir but the food and clothes were gone when I next went that way Barrymore told me

Then Selden was certainly there I asked

I think so sir unless the other man took everything

I sat very still and looked hard at Barrymore You know there is another man then Have you seen him

No sir but Selden told me about him a week or more ago He is hiding from someone too but he is not an escaped prisoner I don't like it sir Something evil is going to happen I'm sure Sir Henry would be much safer in London

Did Selden tell you anything more about the other man I asked

He looked like a gentleman He was living in one of the old stone huts on the moor A boy works for him and brings him all the food and things he needs That's all Selden told me

I thanked him and he left me I went to the window and looked out at the rain and the clouds.It was a wild night I knew the huts Barrymore had spoken about There were many of them on the moor They had been built many hundreds of years ago by the people who lived on the moor They would not keep a man warm and dry in bad weather Selden could not choose to live anywhere else but why did the other man live in such conditions

I sat and thought what I should do next I decided I must try to find the man who had been watching us Was he the en- emy who had been following us since the very beginning in London If he was and I could catch him perhaps our diffi- culties would be at an end

I also decided to hunt the man on my own Sir Henry was still shaken by the terrible cry we had heard on the moor I did not want to add to his troubles or to lead him into more danger

11 Laura Lyons

told Sir Henry about Laura Lyons and that I wanted to speak to her as soon as possible Then I went to her house in Newtown

A maid took me into the sitting room where a very pretty lady with dark hair was working at a typewriter I told her who I was and that I had met her father

I have no contact with my father she said He gave me no help when I was in trouble Sir Charles Baskerville and some other kind people helped me when I was poor and hungry

It is about Sir Charles that I have come to see you I said I want to know if you ever wrote to him and asked him to meet you

She looked very angry and her face went white

What a question she said What right have you to ask me about my private life But the answer is no

Surely you are not remembering clearly I said I think you wrote to him on the day that he died And your letter said Please please burn this letter and be at the gate by ten o'clock

For a moment I thought she was going to faint Then she said in a low oice I asked Sir Charles to tell nobdy

You must not think that Sir Charles spoke to anyone about you I said He put the letter on the fire but not all of it was burnt Now did you write that letter to him

Yes she said Why should I be ashamed of writing to him I wanted him to help me I learned that he was going to London early on the following day so I asked him to meet me before he went I could not go to the Hall earlier that day

But why did you ask him to meet you in the garden instead of in the house I asked

Do you think it would be sensible for a woman to go at that time of night into the house of an unmarried man she asked

Well what happened when you got there I asked

I didn't go she replied

Mrs Lyons

I tell you I did not go Something happened that stopped me from going I can't tell you what it was

Mrs Lyons I said If you did not see Sir Charles you must tell me why If you do not it will look very bad for you if I have to go to the police with this new piece of information about the letter

Mrs Lyons thought for a moment and then she said I see that I must tell you Perhaps you know that I married a man who was very cruel to me I hate him and I wanted to get a di-vorce But a divorce is expensive and I had no money I thought that if Sir Charles heard my sad story he would help me to get a divorce

Then why didn't you go to see Sir Charles I asked her

Because I got help from someone else she said

Why didn't you write to Sir Charles and tell him

I was going to but I saw in the newspaper the next morn- ing that he had died

I asked Mrs Lyons a number of other questions but she did not change her story whatever I asked her I was sure that she was telling the truth I could check two important parts of the story If they were right there could be no doubt that she was telling the truth I could check that she had begun to get her divorce at about the time of Sir Charles' death I could also check that she had not been to Baskerville Hall on the night of Sir Charles' death

But I was not sure that she had told me the whole truth Why had she nearly fainted when I had told her about the let- ter That was not completely explained by the story she had told me

I had discovered all I could for the moment I left her and went to search for more information in a different place

12 The Man on the Moor

I drove out of Newtown and went to begin my search for the mysterious man on the moor There were hundreds of the old stone huts on the moor Barrymore did not know in which of them the mysterious man was living.I had seen the man on the night when Sir Henry and I had chased Selden so I decided to start my search near that place

The path I took ran past Mr Frankland's house and I saw him standing at his gate He called to me and invited me to go in and have a drink with him He had been arguing with the police and was angry with them He began to tell me about it

But they will be sorry he said I could tell them where to look for the escaped prisoner but I am not going to help them You see I have been searching the moors with my telescope and although I have not actually seen the prisoner I have seen the person who is taking him food

I thought of Barrymore and Mrs Barrymore's worried faces But Mr Frankland's next words showed me that I did not need to worry

You will be surprised to hear that a young boy takes food to the prisoner The boy goes by at about the same time each day and he is always carrying a bag Who else can he be going to see except the prisoner Come and look through my tele- scope and you will see that I am right It is about this time each day that the boy goes by

We went up onto the roof and we did not have to wait long There was someone moving on a hill in front of the house I looked through the telescope and saw a small boy with a bag over his shoulder.He looked around to make sure that noboay was following him and then he disappeared over the hill

Remember that I don't want the police to know my secret Dr Watson Frankland reminded me I'm too angry with them at the moment to help them

I agreed not to tell the police and said goodbye.I walked along the road while Frankland was watching me but as soon as I was round the corner I went towards the hill where we had seen the boy

The sun was already going down when I reached the top of the hill.I could not see the boy and there was nothing else in that lonely place Beneath me on the other side of the hill was a circle of old stone huts In the middle of the circle was one hut that had a better roof than the others so it would keep out the wind and the rain This must be the place where the mysteri- ous man was hiding I would soon know his secret

As I walked towards the hut I saw that someone had cer-tainly been using it A path had been worn up to the door I took my revolver out of my pocket and checked that it was ready to fire I walked quickly and quietly up to the hut and looked inside The place was empty

But this was certainly where the man lived.As I looked round the hut I knew that the mysterious man must have a very strong character No other person could live in conditions as bad as these There were some blankets on a flat stone where the man slept There had been a fire in one corner There were some cooking pots and a large bowl half full of wa- ter In the middle of the hut was another large flat stone which was used as a table and on it was the bag the boy had been carrying Under the bag I saw a piece of paper with writing on it Quickly I picked up the paper and read what was written on it It said Dr Watson has gone to Newtown

I realized that the mysterious man had told someone to watch me and this was a message from his spy Was the man a dangerous enemy Or was he a friend who was watching us to make sure we were safe I decided I would not leave the hut until I knew

Outside the sun was low in the sky Everything looked calm and peaceful in the golden evening light But I did not feel peaceful or calm I felt frightened as I waited for the mysterious man

Then I heard footsteps coming towards the hut As they came closer I moved into the darkest corner of the hut I did not want the man to see me until I had looked closely at him The footsteps stopped and I could hear nothing at all Then the man began to move again and the footsteps came closer A shadow fell across the door of the hut

It's a lovely evening my dear Watson said a voice I knew well I really think you will enjoy it more out here

13 Too Late

For a moment or two I could neither breathe nor move

Then I felt my fear and unhappiness disappear as I knew that I was no longer alone in my responsibility for Sir Henry The dangers all around me did not seem so frightening The cool voice could belong to only one man in the world Holmes I cried Holmes

I went outside the hut and there was Holmes He was sit- ting on a stone and his grey eyes were dancing with amuse- ment He was thin and worn but bright and wide-awake His skin was brown from the wind and the sun But his chin was smooth and his shirt was white He did not look like a man who had been living in the middle of the moor

I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life I said nor so surprised

I am surprised too Holmes said as he shook me warmly by the hand How did you find me

I told him about Frankland and how I had seen the boy with the food

Holmes went into the hut and looked at the food and at the note with it I guess that you have been to see Mrs Laura Lyons he said and when I told him that he was right he went on When we put together everything that each of us has discovered I expect we shall know almost everything about this case

But how did you get here I asked him And what have you been doing I thought you had to finish your case in Lon- don

That is what I wanted you to think he said

Then you have tricked me and have no confidence in me I said I was upset and angry because he had not told me his plans

I am sorry if it seems I have tricked you my dear Watson I did not want our enemy to know I was here but I wanted to be near enough to make sure that you and Sir Henry were safe You are a kind person too kind to leave me alone out here in bad weather Our enemy would guess I was here if he saw you coming out with food or with important news You have been a very real help to me Your letters with all their valuable information have been brought to me You have done excellent work and without you I would not have all the im- portant details I needed

Holmes warm words of thanks made me feel much happier and I saw that he was right

That's better he said as he saw the shadow lift from my face Now tell me about your visit to Mrs Laura Lyons

I told Holmes everything Mrs Lyons had said

This is all very important Holmes said It answers ques- tions I have been unable to answer Did you know that Mrs Lyons and Stapleton are very close friends They often meet and they write to each other Perhaps I can use this informa- tion to turn Stapleton's wife against him

His wife I asked Who and where is she

The lady called Miss Stapleton who pretends to be his sis-ter is really his wife said Holmes

Good heavens Holmes Are you sure If she is his wife why did Stapleton allow Sir Henry to fall in love with her Sir Henry hurt nobody except himself when he fell in love with her Stapleton took care that Sir Henry did not make love to her I repeat that the lady is his wife and not his sister They came here only two years ago and before that he had owned a school in the north of England He told you that and you told me in your letter I checked on the school and found that the man who had owned it went away with his wife when the school closed They changed their name but the couple who were described to me were without doubt the Stapletons But why do they pretend to be brother and sister I asked Because Stapleton thought that she would be very much more useful to him if she appeared to be a free woman

Suddenly I saw behind Stapleton's smiling face a heart with murder in it So he is our enemy He is the man who followed us in London And the warning note to Sir Henry came form Miss Stapleton

Exactly said Holmes

But if Miss Stapleton is really his wife why is he a close friend of Mrs Laura Lyons

Your excellent work has given us the answer to that ques tion Watson When you told me that Mrs Lyons was getting a divorce I realized that she hoped to marry Stapleton He told her that he was unmarried and that he wanted to make her his wife When she learns the truth she may decide to help us We must go and see her tomorrow

One last question Holmes I said. What is Stapleton try- ing to do

Holmes dropped his voice as he answered Murder cold- blooded murder That is what Stapleton is trying to do Do not ask me for details I am about to catch him in a trap There is only one danger that he will act before I am ready Another day or perhaps two and I shall complete my case Until then you must guard Sir Henry very closely You should be with him today However what you have discovered is very valuable

As he finished speaking an awful scream a long cry of pain and horror broke the silence of the moor The sound turned my blood to ice

Oh my God I whispered What is that

Holmes had jumped to his feet Where is it Watson he whispered and I could see that he was shaken by the scream

The hopeless cry came again louder nearer and more terrible than before With it came a new sound deep and frightening The hound cried Holmes Come Watson come Great heavens If we are too late

14 Death on the Moor

Holmes started running over the moor and I followed him From somewhere in front of us came one more hopeless scream It was followed by the sound of something falling heavily We stopped and listened

I saw Holmes put his hand to his head. He has won Wat-son We re too late.I was mad not to act sooner And you Watson look what happens when you leave the man I asked you to guard But if the worst has happened we shall see that Stapleton doesn't go free

We ran through the dark towards the place where the cries had come from We reached a rocky edge from which a steep side fell away.Below us we saw the body of a man He was ly-ing with his face down on the ground He had fallen on his head which was bent under him and his neck was broken Holmes lit a match We saw with horror the blood running out onto the ground from his head

We both remembered clearly the suit the man was wearing It was a thick red-brown country suit It was the suit Sir Hen-ry had been wearing on the morning when we first met him in Baker Street We saw it for a moment and then the match went out.Our hearts turned sick and cold inside us

The devil The murderer I shall never forgive myself for leaving Sir Henry alone I whispered angrily

It's more my fault than yours said Holmes I have let this good man die because I was busy with the last details of my case It is the greatest mistake I have ever made But why did he come out onto the moor I told him it would lead to his death Now both Sir Henry and his uncle have been murdered By heavens clever as he is I shall trap Stapleton before another day is past

With heavy hearts we stood on either side of the broken body Then Holmes bent over the body and began to move it All of a sudden he began to laugh and jump up and down

Look at the face he shouted hitting me on the back It is not Sir Henry It's Selden the escaped prisoner

We turned the body over There was no doubt about it I had seen the face before on the night Sir Henry and I had chased Selden over the moor Then I suddenly remembered and everything became clear Sir Henry had told me how he gave his old clothes to Barrymore I realized that this suit had been among the clothes Barrymore had left for Selden and I told Holmes

Then the clothes have caused the death of the poor man The hound had been given something of Sir Henry's to smell so that it would pick up his scent and follow him I think that is why the shoe was taken from the hotel in London So the hound followed the scent and bunted this man But there is one thing I don't understand How did Selden know that the hound was following him We know he ran a long way He was screaming for a long time before he fell and we could hear that he was running as he screamed So the hound was a long way behind him when he began to run How could he see it in the dark How did he know it was there until it was close be- hind him

I cannot answer that I said but there is something else I don t understand Why was the hound out on the moor tonight Stapleton would not let it go out unless he thought Sir Henry was there

We may know the answer to that question very soon said Holmes Here comes Stapleton

His sharp eyes had seen a figure moving in the darkness in front of us and

s the man came closer I could see that it was indeed Stapleton

We must be very careful not to show that we suspect him Holmes warned me

Stapleton stopped when he saw us and then walked forward again Dr Watson is that you I didn't expect to see you on the moor at this time of night But dear me what's this Somebody hurt Not don't tell me that it's our friend Sir Henry

He went past me and bent over the dead man I heard him breathe in quickly

Who who is this he asked his voice shaking

It's Selden the escaped prisoner

Stapleton quickly managed to hide the look of surprise and disappointment on his face as he turned towards us He looked sharply from Holmes to me Dear me How terrible How did he die

We think he broke his neck by falling over the edge of these rocks I said

I heard a cry and that is why I came out I was worried about Sir Henry Stapleton said

Why were you worried about Sir Henry I asked

Because I had invited him to my house When he did not come I was surprised Then when I heard cries on the moor I began to worry about him I wonder his eyes went quickly from my face to Holmes did you hear anything else at all

No said Holmes Did you

No said Stapleton

What do you mean then

Oh you know the stories about the supernatural hound I wondered if it had been here tonight

We heard nothing of that kind I said

How do you think this poor man fell to his death Staple- ton asked

I think cold and hunger and his fear that the police would catch him drove him mad He ran round the moor in his mad- ness and fell over this edge I said

Do you agree Mr Sherlock Holmes asked Stapleton

You're quick to guess who I am said Holmes

We're been expecting you ever since Dr Watson arrived

I have no doubt my friend is right about the way Selden died said Holmes It s a sad death but it will not prevent me from returning to London tomorrow

Before you return will you be able to explain the mysteries that we've experienced here

I am not always as successful as I hope I need facts not stories of the supernatural This hasn t been a good case for me

Stapleton looked hard at him but Holmes had spoken very seriously and his words sounded true

We covered the body Then Stapleton turned to go home and Holmes and I walked towards Baskerville Hall

He's a very clever man and a dangerous enemy who will be difficult to trap said Holmes Look how he controlled his disappointment when he found that the dead man was not Sir Henry

I'm sorry that he has seen you I said

So am I but there was nothing we could do about it Now he knows I am here he may be more careful or he may act more quickly than he planned

Why can't we give him to the police at once

Because we can't prove anything against him Sir Charles was found dead because his heart failed Again tonight we could not prove that there was a hound Selden died from a fall We have no case at present We shall see Mrs Lyons to- morrow and she may help us But whatever happens I have my own plan There will be some danger but by the end of to-morrow I hope to have won this battle

He would say nothing else

Are you coming to the Hall I asked

Yes he replied There is no reason for me to hide any longer But one last word Watson Say nothing of the hound to Sir Henry Let him think that Selden died from a fall If he knows about the hound he will find it harder to face the dan- gers of tomorrow I think you told me in your last letter that he is having dinner with the Stapletons tomorrow evening

And they have invited me too I reminded him

Then you must excuse yourself and he must go alone That can easily be arranged And now I think we are both ready for some food

15 The Trap

When we reached the Hall Sir Henry was very pleased to see Holmes But he was surprised that Holmes had no luggage and that he appeared so unexpectedly

I had the unhappy job of telling Barrymore and his wife about her brother's death Mrs Barrymore cried and was very sad indeed

During dinner Sir Henry told us that he had spent a dull day and evening on his own He had kept his promise to Holmes and so he had not accepted the Stapletons invitation to their house that evening We did not tell him how glad we were that he had stayed away from the moor

Holmes started to say something and then he stopped sud-denly His eyes were fixed on one of the pictures of the past Baskervilles on the wall

Sir Henry could you tell me which Baskerville that is he asked Sir Henry and I both looked at the picture

That is Sir Hugo the one who started all the trouble said Sir Henry He was the first to see the Hound

Holmes looked hard at the picture but said nothing more Then after Sir Henry had gone to his room Holmes made me stand in front of the picture Is it like anyone you know he asked He stood on a chair and with his hands he covered the hat and hair of the man in the picture

Good heavens I cried in surprise I was looking at a pic-ture of Stapleton s face

Yes said Holmes before I could say anything more There's not much doubt about it Stapleton is a Baskerville He looks like Sir Hugo and he has the same evil character Now I understand why he wants to kill Sir Henry I am sure we shall find that he will inherit the Baskerville lands And so we have one more answer By tomorrow night Stapleton will be canght like one of his butterflies and we shall add him to the Baker Street collection

We soon went to bed I was up early in the morning but Holmes was up earlier He had already sent one message to the police about Selden and another to his boy to stop him taking food to the hut

When Sir Henry joined us Holmes told him that we had to leave for London immediately after breakfast Sir Henry was very unhappy about this but Holmes asked him to help us by doing everything Holmes ordered him to do Sir Henry agreed to help in this way and to go by himself to the Stapletons that evening He also agreed to tell the Stapletons that Holmes and I had gone to London but that we would return to Devonshire soon

One more order said Holmes I want you to drive to the Stapletons house and then send the driver away Let the Sta-pletons know that you re going to walk home across the moor

Across the moor said Sir Henry very surprised But you have told me again and again not to do that

This time it will be completely safe I know that you are brave enough to do it and it must be done

Then I will do it

But you must keep to the path between the Stapletons house and the Grimpen road which is your natural way home Do not leave the path

I was very surprised by all this Holmes had told Stapleton that he would return to London but he had not said that I was going too And I was very worried that neither of us would be with Sir Henry when he walked across the moor that night But we had to obey Holmes' orders

Holmes and I left Baskerville Hall immediately after break- fast and went to the station at Newtown A small boy was waiting on the platform

Any orders sir he asked Holmes

You will take the train to London my boy When you get there you will send a telegram to Sir Henry in my name It will ask him to send to me at Baker Street the pocket book I left at the Hall

I began to understand some of Holmes plan When Sir Hen- ry received the telegram sent by Holmes boy he would think that we had arrived in London He would tell Stapleton who would then also believe that we were far away from Baskerville Hall In fact we would be very close in case Sir Henry needed us

We left the station and went to see Mrs Laura Lyons I in- troduced Holmes to her After they had shaken hands he said Dr Watson has told me everything Mrs Lyons We see Sir Charles death as a case of murder Both Stapleton and his wife are suspects

Mrs Lyons jumped from her chair His wife she cried He has no wife He is not a married man

I have come here ready to prove that he is married and the woman calls herself his sister is really his wife said Holmes He took some photographs and papers from his pocket and showed them to Mrs Lyons She looked at the photographs and read the papers When she put them down I could see that she had accepted the truth

I thought this man loved me she said but he has lied to me Ask me what you like Mr Holmes and I will tell you the truth I never thought any harm would come to Sir Charles He was a dear old gentleman who was very kind to me I would do nothing to hurt him

I believe you Mrs Lyons said Holmes Now let me tell you what I think happened You can tell me If I'm right or if I'm wrong First of all I think Stapleton told you to write the letter to Sir Charles and to ask him for help He also told you to ask Sir Charles to meet you at the moor gate Then after you had sent the letter Stapleton persuaded you not to meet Sir Charles after all

Stapleton told me that he could not allow any other man to give me the money for my divorce Mrs Lyons said He said he was poor but he would give all his money to bring us to- gether Then after I heard about Sir Charles death Stapleton told me to say nothing about my letter and the meeting He said I would be a suspect He frightened me into staying silent

Yes said Holmes But you wondered about him

She said nothing for a moment and looked down Yes she said But since he has lied to me about marrying me I will no longer keep his secrets

You are lucky that you have escaped him Holmes said You know too much But I hope you are safe now Good morning Mrs Lyons and thank you You will hear from us soon

So one by one our questions are answered said Holmes as we left Newtown When it is over this will be one of the most famous cases of our time And now it has nearly ended We must hope that it ends safely and successfully

16 The Hound of the Baskervilles

That evening Holmes and I drove across the moor until we could see the lights of the Stapletons house in front of us Then we got out and began to walk very quietly along the path towards the house When we were very close Holmes told me to stop He took his revolver from his pocket and I did the same

We shall hide behind these rocks he whispered Watson you know the house so I want you to go forward and look through the windows I want to know where the Staple tons and Sir Henry are and what they are doing Take great care because they must not know that somebody is watching them

Very carefully and quietly I moved towards the house I looked first into the dining-room window Statleton and Sir Henry were sitting and smoking their cigars but there was no sign of Miss Stapleton I moved round to the other windows but I could not see her in any of the rooms

I went back to the dining-room window and as I looked in again Stapleton left the room and came out of the house He went to a hut beside the house and unlocked the door I heard a strange sound coming from the hut but I could not think what was making the noise Then Stapleton locked the door and went back into the house and into the dining-room

I went back to Holmes and told him what I had seen He wanted to know where Miss Stapleton was and I had to tell him twice that there was no sign of her in the house

The moon was shining on the Great Grimpen Marsh and a fog was rising from it Holmes watched the fog and began to look worried The fog was creeping up from the marsh towards the house We were hidden near the path which was on the far side of the house from the marsh

The fog is moving towards us Watson and that is very serious said Holmes It is the one thing that could make my plans go wrong

As we watched the fog which had crept as far as the house began to flow round it Angrily Holmes hit the rock in front of us with his open hand

If Sir Henry doesn't come out in the next quarter of an hour the path will be covered by the fog In half an hour we shall not be able to see our hands in front of our faces We must move back to higher ground above the fog

We moved away from the house and out of the fog which was creeping slowly along the ground and hiding the path from our view

We must not go too far said Holmes If we do Sir Henry may be caught before he reaches us

Holmes went down on one knee and put his ear to the ground Thank heaven I think I hear him coming

Then we heard quick footsteps on the path After a few moments Sir Henry appeared out of the fog and walked on in the clear moonlight He came quickly along the path passed close to where we were hidden and began to walk up the hill behind us As he walked he looked over his shoulder again and again like a man who is worried that something is following him

Listen said Holmes sharply Look out It's coming

I heard him make his revolver ready to fire and I did the same

There was a sound of quick light footsteps from inside the curtain of fog The thick cloud had crept to within fifty metres of where we were hidden We tried to see into it and wondered what horrible thing would appear I looked at Holmes His eyes were fixed on the place where the path disappeared into the fog He was pale but his eyes were bright He looked like a man who was going to win the most important game of his life Then suddenly his eyes nearly jumped out of his head and his mouth opened in frightened surprise I looked away from him to see what his eyes were fixed on When I saw the awful shape that was coming towards us out of the fog my blood turned cold The revolver nearly fell from my hands and my whole body froze with fear

I saw a hound an enormous black hound It was bigger than any dog I had ever seen But it was something else that filled us with terror No human eye had ever seen a hound like this one Fire came from its open mouth Its eyes were burning Flames covered its head and body It was a more horrible sight than anyone could imagine a hell-hound sent by the devil It was not a creature of the natural world

The huge black burning hound ran quickly and silently after Sir Henry Far away along the path we saw him turn and look back at the hound His face was white in the moonlight and his hands were lifted in horror He watched helplessly as the terrible creature got closer to him We were so frozen bythe ghostly and unnatural sight that we let the hound go past us and we could not move Our friend was near to death and we were helpless with fear

17 The Search for the Murderer

Then our fear for Sir Henry became greater than our ter- ror Holmes and I fired our revolvers together The creature gave a loud cry of pain and we knew we had hit it But it did not stop and ran on after Sir Henry

When we heard the cry of pain our fears disappeared This was no supernatural hound Our bullets could hurt it and we could kill it We ran after it as fast as we could I have never seen anyone run as quickly as Holmes ran that night and I could not keep up with him In front of us on the path we heard scream after scream from Sir Henry and the deep voice of the hound I saw the creature jump at Sir Henry and throw him to the ground Its teeth went for his throat But the next moment Holmes had emptied his revolver into the hound's body It gave a last deep cry its teeth closed on the empty air and it fell to the ground I put my revolver to its head but I did not need to fire The hound was dead

Sir Henry lay unconscious where he had fallen Quickly we opened the neck of his shirt Holmes had fired just in time and the hound's teeth had not reached our friend's throat Already his eyes were beginning to open and he looked up at us

My God he whispered What was it What in heaven's name was it

It's dead whatever it was said Holmes We've killed the family ghost for ever

The creature that lay before us was as large as a small lion Its mouth and teeth were huge They shone with blue flames There were rings of blue fire round its cruel eyes too I touched the hound's burning coat When I held up my hand it too seemed to be on fire

Phosphorus I said That is why the hound appears to burn in the dark Stapleton put phosphorous paint on the hound in the hut beside the house

But Holmes was thinking more about Sir Henry than about Stapleton's cleverness

I must apologize to you Sir Henry he said I put your life in danger I expected to see a huge hound but not a crea- ture like this The fog gave us a very short time to control our fear and for moments we could not move

Never mind said Sir Henry You saved my life and I thank you Please help me stand up What are you going to do now

Sir Henry's legs were shaking so much from his terrible ex- perience that he could not stand We helped him to a rock He sat there and held his head in his hands

We must leave you here Sir Henry and try to catch Staple- ton We shall come back as quickly as possible and take you to the Hall Our case is complete but we must now catch our man

I followed Holmes along the path back to the house

We must search the house said Holmes but almost cer- tainly he won't be there He probably heard the noise of our guns so he knows his evil game is finished

The front door of the house was open We went in and looked from room to room All the rooms downstairs were empty so we went upstairs and looked in all the rooms except one which was locked

There's someone in there I said I heard someone move Help me break open this door

We threw ourselves against the door and as the lock broke we went in We held our revolvers ready to fire

In the middle of the room was a figure tied to a post We could not see whether it was a man or a woman as it was com- pletely covered with sheets Only the eyes and nose were free

We pulled off the sheets and untied the prisoner from the post It was Miss Stapleton As we untied her we could see long red bruises across her neck

That cruel devil Stapleton has beaten her Holmes said Put her into a chair Miss Stapleton had fainted from the beating and exhaustion As we put her into the chair she opened her eyes

Is he safe she asked Has he escaped

He cannot escape us Miss Stapleton Holmes said

No no I don't mean my husband I mean Sir Henry Is he safe

Yes I said and the hound is dead

Thank God she said Thank God Oh the cruel devil Look what he has done to me She showed us her arms and we saw with horror that her skin was black and blue where she had been beaten But he has hurt me more in other ways While I thought he loved me I accepted many things But he doesn't love me He has used me

Then help us now said Holmes Tell us where he has gone

There is an old house on an island in the middle of the marsh she said He kept his hound there He also had the house ready in case he needed to escape He will be there I'm sure

Nobody could find his way into the Grimpen Marsh in this fog tonight said Holmes looking out of the window

The fog lay like white wool against the glass and we knew we could not try to follow him until it cleared We decided to take Sir Henry back to Baskerville Hall We had to tell him everything about the Stapletons and he was deeply hurt when he heard the truth about the woman he loved The news that she was married and the awful fear he had experienced brought on a fever We sent for Dr Mortimer who came and sat with Sir Henry throughout the night

On the following morning Miss Stapleton took us to the path through the marsh The fog had lifted and she showed us the sticks which she and her husband had put in to mark the way We followed them through the marsh which smelled of dying plants The wet ground pulled at our feet as we walked From time to time one of us stepped from the path and sank up to his waist in the marsh One man on his own could not hope to escape the pull of the marsh without help he would sink to his death

But we did not find any sign of Stapleton We searched andsearched without success There is no doubt that he lost hisway in the fog and sank in the marsh Somewhere deep down his body lies to this day

We reached the island Miss Stapleton had described and searched the old house

This place tells us nothing that we do not already know said Holmes These bones show that he hid the hound here but he could not keep it quiet so people heard its cries Here is the bottle of phosphorous paint Stapleton used it very cleverly on the hound After what we saw and felt last night we cannot be surprised that Sir Charles died of fright And now I under- stand how Selden knew that the hound was following him in the dark It's not surprising the poor man screamed and ran as he did The old story of the supernatural hound probably gave Stapleton the idea of using phosphorus Very clever I said it in London and I say it again Watson We have never had a more dangerous enemy than the one who is lying out there and he pointed to the great marsh that was all round us

18 Looking Back

It was the end of November more than a month after ourreturn from Baskerville Hall Holmes and I were sitting on either side of a bright fire in our sitting room in Baker Street Since our return Holmes had been working hard on two other cases and he had been too busy to discuss the Baskerville case But now the other cases were finished and he had been successful in both of them I decided it was a good time to ask him the final questions about Stapleton and the hound

The picture showed us that Stapleton was indeed a Baskerville Holmes began He was the son of Roger Baskerville who was Sir Charles younger brotner Roger was a criminal who escaped from prison and ran away to South America Everyone thought he had died unmarried but that was not true He had one son also called Roger whom we knew as Stapleton Stapleton married a beautiful South Ameri- can and came to England where he started a school in the north He discovered that he would inherit the Baskerville lands and fortune if Sir Charles and Sir Henry both died That is why he moved to Devonshire when the school closed

When he met Sir Charles he heard the story of the hell- hound He also learned that Sir Charles believed these super- natural stories and that he had a weak heart

Stapleton had the idea of buying a huge hound and of using the phosphorus to make it shine like the hound in the story I have found the place where he bought the animal He took it by train to Devonshire and walked many miles over the moors with it so that it would not be seen near Baskerville Hall

He needed to get Sir Charles out of the Hall at night This would be easy to do if his wife made Sir Charles fall in love with her But although he beat her she refused to help him with his evil plan

Then Stapleton met Laura Lyons We know that he made her write a letter to bring Sir Charles to the moor gate on that sad night The hound which was shining with phosphorus chased Sir Charles down the Yew Alley Sir Charles terror was so great that his weak heart stopped and he died but the animal did not touch the dead body

The hound had run on the grass so it left no footprints ex- cept the one found by Dr Mortimer You see how clever Staple- ton was Neither he nor the hound had touched Sir Charles so there was no sign of murder The only two people who might suspect him his wife and Mrs Lyons could not be certain about what he had done Anyway neither of them would in- form the police about him

Next Stapleton learned that Sir Henry had reached Eng- land so he went to London He hoped to murder Sir Henry there He took his wife with him but he wasn't sure that she would keep his secret so he did not tell her the truth He locked her up in their hotel She knew that he had some evil plan but she was too frightened to give Sir Henry a clear warning Instead she sent him the letter made of words cut from a newspaper

Meanwhile Stapleton was wearing a false beard and fol- lowing Sir Henry He needed something to give the hound Sir Henry's scent so he paid a maid at Sir Henry's hotel to steal one of his shoes The first one was a new one and didn't have Sir Henry's scent on it It was no use for the hound so he put it back and another older shoe was stolen When the shoes were changed I knew that the hound must be a natural and not a supernatural creature

Next there was the letter made of words cut from a news- paper When I looked at it I held it close to my eyes I noticed a smell of perfume so I guessed that a woman had sent the let- ter

By the time I went to Devonshire I knew that there was a real hound and I knew we were looking for a man and a wom- an I guessed that the Stapletons were the pair I had to watch Stapleton but I had to hide myself As I have explained I could not tell you what I was doing I stayed in Newtown and used the hut on the moor only when necessary

Your letters were sent to me immediately from Baker Street and were very helpful When you told me that Stapleton had owned a school in the north of England I checked on him and where he had come from I discovered he had come from South America And then everything became clear

By the time you found me on the moor I knew everything but I could prove nothing We had to catch the man doing something criminal and so I had to put Sir Henry in danger

Dr Mortimer tells me that Sir Henry will be completely better after some rest As you know the two of them have be- come good friends and are going on a long holiday together Sir Henry will take some time to forget Miss Stapleton He loved her deeply and it hurt him badly when he learned the truth about her

She was very frightened of her cruel husband but she sus- pected that he was responsible for Sir Charles death She knew about the hound and when Selden died she guessed that the hound had killed him She knew her husband had the hound at their house on the night Sir Henry came to dinner They argued about the hound that evening and as they argued Stapleton told her about Mrs Lyons Any love she had for her husband disappeared at that moment He knew that she want- ed to help Sir Henry so he beat her and tied her up

He probably hoped that when he inherited the Baskerville lands she would love him again He certainly thought that she would keep silent if she became Lady Baskerville But I think he was wrong He had been too cruel to her She could not for- give him or love him again nor I think allow him to enjoy the results of his crime

Of course he could not frighten Sir Henry in the same way as Sir Charles Sir Henry was a young and healthy man So he kept the hound hungry He knew that the animal would either kill Sir Henry or would hurt him so badly that it would be easy to complete the murder

I had one last question for Holmes But Stapleton was living so close to Baskerville Hall and using a false name It looked very strange How would he explain that to the police if after Sir Henry's death he then inherited the Baskerville lands and fortune

I don't know how he planned to explain the false name and why he was living at Pen House said Holmes I can only say that he was a very clever man I am sure he had thought of an answer to the problem

But that's enough work for the evening Watson I have two tickets for the theatre If we get ready now we shall have time to stop at my favourite restaurant for some dinner on the way