Adventure I. Silver Blaze (9)

Four days later Holmes and I were again in the train, bound for Winchester to see the race for the Wessex Cup. Colonel Ross met us by appointment outside the station, and we drove in his drag to the course beyond the town. His face was grave, and his manner was cold in the extreme.

"I have seen nothing of my horse," said he.

"I suppose that you would know him when you saw him?" asked Holmes.

The Colonel was very angry. "I have been on the turf for twenty years, and never was asked such a question as that before," said he. "A child would know Silver Blaze, with his white forehead and his mottled off-foreleg."

"How is the betting?"

"Well, that is the curious part of it. You could have got fifteen to one yesterday, but the price has become shorter and shorter, until you can hardly get three to one now."

"Hum!" said Holmes. "Somebody knows something, that is clear."

As the drag drew up in the enclosure near the grand stand I glanced at the card to see the entries.

Wessex Plate [it ran] 50 sovs each h ft with 1000 sovs added for four and five year olds. Second, L300. Third, L200. New course (one mile and five furlongs). Mr. Heath Newton's The Negro. Red cap. Cinnamon jacket. Colonel Wardlaw's Pugilist. Pink cap. Blue and black jacket. Lord Backwater's Desborough. Yellow cap and sleeves. Colonel Ross's Silver Blaze. Black cap. Red jacket. Duke of Balmoral's Iris. Yellow and black stripes. Lord Singleford's Rasper. Purple cap. Black sleeves.

"We scratched our other one, and put all hopes on your word," said the Colonel. "Why, what is that? Silver Blaze favorite?"

"Five to four against Silver Blaze!" roared the ring. "Five to four against Silver Blaze! Five to fifteen against Desborough! Five to four on the field!"

"There are the numbers up," I cried. "They are all six there."

"All six there? Then my horse is running," cried the Colonel in great agitation. "But I don't see him. My colors have not passed."

"Only five have passed. This must be he."

As I spoke a powerful bay horse swept out from the weighting enclosure and cantered past us, bearing on it back the well-known black and red of the Colonel.

"That's not my horse," cried the owner. "That beast has not a white hair upon its body. What is this that you have done, Mr. Holmes?"

"Well, well, let us see how he gets on," said my friend, imperturbably. For a few minutes he gazed through my field-glass. "Capital! An excellent start!" he cried suddenly. "There they are, coming round the curve!"

From our drag we had a superb view as they came up the straight. The six horses were so close together that a carpet could have covered them, but half way up the yellow of the Mapleton stable showed to the front. Before they reached us, however, Desborough's bolt was shot, and the Colonel's horse, coming away with a rush, passed the post a good six lengths before its rival, the Duke of Balmoral's Iris making a bad third.

"It's my race, anyhow," gasped the Colonel, passing his hand over his eyes. "I confess that I can make neither head nor tail of it. Don't you think that you have kept up your mystery long enough, Mr. Holmes?"

"Certainly, Colonel, you shall know everything. Let us all go round and have a look at the horse together. Here he is," he continued, as we made our way into the weighing enclosure, where only owners and their friends find admittance. "You have only to wash his face and his leg in spirits of wine, and you will find that he is the same old Silver Blaze as ever."

"You take my breath away!"

"I found him in the hands of a fakir, and took the liberty of running him just as he was sent over."

"My dear sir, you have done wonders. The horse looks very fit and well. It never went better in its life. I owe you a thousand apologies for having doubted your ability. You have done me a great service by recovering my horse. You would do me a greater still if you could lay your hands on the murderer of John Straker."

"I have done so," said Holmes quietly.

The Colonel and I stared at him in amazement. "You have got him! Where is he, then?"

"He is here."

"Here! Where?"

"In my company at the present moment."

The Colonel flushed angrily. "I quite recognize that I am under obligations to you, Mr. Holmes," said he, "but I must regard what you have just said as either a very bad joke or an insult."

Sherlock Holmes laughed. "I assure you that I have not associated you with the crime, Colonel," said he. "The real murderer is standing immediately behind you." He stepped past and laid his hand upon the glossy neck of the thoroughbred.

"The horse!" cried both the Colonel and myself.

"Yes, the horse. And it may lessen his guilt if I say that it was done in self-defence, and that John Straker was a man who was entirely unworthy of your confidence. But there goes the bell, and as I stand to win a little on this next race, I shall defer a lengthy explanation until a more fitting time."

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Adventure I. Silver Blaze (9) (с подсказками)

Four days later Holmes and I were again in the train, bound for Winchester ['wInCIstq] to see the race for the Wessex Cup. Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) Ross met us by appointment outside the station, and we drove in his drag [drxg] (экипаж) to the course beyond the town. His face was grave [greIv] (серьезное), and his manner was cold in the extreme [Ik'strJm] (в высшей степени).

"I have seen nothing of my horse," said he.

"I suppose that you would know him when you saw him?" asked Holmes.

The Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) was very angry ['xNgrI] (злой). "I have been on the turf [tE:f] (скачки) for twenty ['twentI] (двадцать) years, and never was asked such a question as that before," said he. "A child would know Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя), with his white forehead ['fLrId] (лоб) and his mottled ['mPtld] (пестрая) off-foreleg (передняя нога)."

"How is the betting ['betIN] (ставки)?"

"Well, that is the curious ['kjuqrIqs] (любопытная) part of it. You could have got fifteen ["fIf'tJn] (пятнадцать) to one yesterday, but the price has become shorter ['SLtq] (зд. ниже) and shorter, until you can hardly get three to one now."

"Hum [hAm]!" said Holmes. "Somebody knows something, that is clear."

As the drag [drxg] (экипаж) drew up in the enclosure [In'klquZq] (ограждение) near the grand [grxnd] () stand I glanced [glRnst] (взглянул) at the card to see the entries.

Wessex Plate [it ran] 50 sovs [] () each h ft with 1000 sovs [] () added for four and five year olds [quldz] (четырех и пятигодовалые). Second, L300. Third, L200. New course (one mile and five furlongs ['fE:lPNz] (восьмые части мили)). Mr. Heath Newton's The Negro ['ni:grqu] (Негр). Red cap. Cinnamon ['sInqmqn] (светло-коричневая) jacket. Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) Wardlaw's Pugilist ['pjHGIlIst] (Боксер). Pink [pINk] (розовая) cap. Blue and black jacket. Lord Backwater's Desborough. Yellow cap and sleeves [slJvz] (рукава). Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковника) Ross's Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя). Black cap. Red jacket. Duke [djHk] (герцог) of Balmoral's Iris ['aIqrIs]. Yellow and black stripes [straIps] (полоски). Lord Singleford's Rasper ['rRspq] (рашпиль). Purple [pE:pl] (фиолетовая) cap. Black sleeves [slJvz] (рукава).

"We scratched ['skrxCt] (вычеркнули) our other one, and put all hopes on your word," said the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник). "Why, what is that? Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя) favorite ['feIvqrIt]?"

"Five to four against Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя)!" roared [rLd] (ревела) the ring. "Five to four against Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя)! Five to fifteen ["fIf'tJn] (пятнадцать) against Desborough! Five to four on the field!"

"There are the numbers up," I cried. "They are all six there."

"All six there? Then my horse is running," cried the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) in great agitation ["xGI'teIS(q)n] (волнение). "But I don't see him. My colors ['kAlqz] (цвета) have not passed."

"Only five have passed. This must be he."

As I spoke a powerful bay [beI] (гнедая) horse swept [swept] out (выскочила) from the weighting ['weItIN] (для взвешивания) enclosure [In'klquZq] (огороженное место) and cantered ['kxntqd] (проскакала галопом) past us, bearing on its back the well-known black and red of the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник).

"That's not my horse," cried the owner. "That beast [bJst] (животное) has not a white hair upon its body. What is this that you have done, Mr. Holmes?"

"Well, well, let us see how he gets on," said my friend, imperturbably ["Impq'tE:bqbli] (невозмутимо). For a few minutes he gazed [geIzd] (глядел) through my field-glass ['fJld-"glRs] (полевой бинокль). "Capital! An excellent start!" he cried suddenly. "There they are, coming round the curve [kE:v] (поворот)!"

From our drag [drxg] (экипаж) we had a superb [sjH'pE:b] (великолепный) view as they came up the straight. The six horses were so close together that a carpet ['kQ:pIt] (ковер) could have covered them, but half way up the yellow of the Mapleton stable ['steIbl] (конюшня) showed [Squd] (показался) to the front. Before they reached us, however, Desborough's bolt [bqult] was shot (помчался изо всех сил), and the Colonel's ['kE:nlz] (полковника) horse, coming away with a rush [rAS] (стремительно), passed the post a good six lengths before its rival ['raIvql] (соперник), the Duke [djHk] (Герцог) of Balmoral's Iris ['aIqrIs] making a bad third.

"It's my race, anyhow ['enihau] (так или иначе)," gasped [gRspt] (произнес, задыхаясь) the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник), passing his hand over his eyes. "I confess [kqn'fes] (признаю) that I can make neither head nor tail [teIl] of (не понимаю) it. Don't you think that you have kept up your mystery ['mIst(q)rI] (тайна) long enough, Mr. Holmes?"

"Certainly, Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник), you shall know everything. Let us all go round and have a look at the horse together. Here he is," he continued, as we made our way into the weighing enclosure ['weIIN In'klquZq] (помещение для взвешивания), where only owners and their friends find admittance [qd'mItqns] (вход, доступ). "You have only to wash his face and his leg in spirits of wine, and you will find that he is the same old Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя) as ever."

"You take my breath away (вы меня поражаете)!"

"I found him in the hands of a fakir, and took the liberty ['lIbqtI] (вольность) of running him just as he was sent over."

"My dear [dIq] (дорогой) sir, you have done wonders. The horse looks very fit and well. It never went better in its life. I owe [qu] (должен) you a thousand ['Tauz(q)nd] (тысяча) apologies [q'pPlqGiz] (извинения) for having doubted ['dautId] (за то что сомневался в) your ability. You have done me a great service by recovering my horse. You would do me a greater ['greItq] (еще большую) still if you could lay your hands on the murderer ['mE:d(q)rq] (убийца) of John Straker."

"I have done so," said Holmes quietly ['kwaIqtli] (спокойно).

The Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) and I stared at him in amazement [q'meIzmqnt] (изумление). "You have got him! Where is he, then?"

"He is here."

"Here! Where?"

"In my company at the present moment."

The Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) flushed ['flASt] (покраснел) angrily ['xNgrIli] (от злости). "I quite recognize that I am under obligations ["PblI'geIS(q)nz] (обязанности) to you, Mr. Holmes," said he, "but I must regard what you have just said as either a very bad joke [dZquk] (шутка) or an insult ['InsAlt] (оскорбление)."

Sherlock Holmes laughed. "I assure [q'Suq] (уверяю) you that I have not associated you with the crime, Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник)," said he. "The real murderer ['mE:d(q)rq] (убийца) is standing immediately behind you." He stepped past and laid his hand upon the glossy ['glPsI] (лощеная) neck of the thoroughbred ['TArqbred] (породистое животное).

"The horse!" cried both the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) and myself.

"Yes, the horse. And it may lessen ['lesn] (уменьшить) his guilt ['gIlt] (вина) if I say that it was done in self-defence ["self-dI'fens] (самозащита), and that John Straker was a man who was entirely unworthy [An'wE:Di] (недостоин) of your confidence. But there goes the bell [bel] (колокольчик), and as I stand to win a little on this next race, I shall defer [dI'fE:] (отложу) a lengthy ['leNTi] (пространное) explanation until a more fitting time."

To be concluded...

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