Adventure I. Silver Blaze (10)

We had the corner of a Pullman car to ourselves that evening as we whirled back to London, and I fancy that the journey was a short one to Colonel Ross as well as to myself, as we listened to our companion's narrative of the events which had occurred at the Dartmoor training-stables upon the Monday night, and the means by which he had unravelled them.

"I confess," said he, "that any theories which I had formed from the newspaper reports were entirely erroneous. And yet there were indications there, had they not been overlaid by other details which concealed their true import. I went to Devonshire with the conviction that Fitzroy Simpson was the true culprit, although, of course, I saw that the evidence against him was by no means complete. It was while I was in the carriage, just as we reached the trainer's house, that the immense significance of the curried mutton occurred to me. You may remember that I was distrait, and remained sitting after you had all alighted. I was marvelling in my own mind how I could possibly have overlooked so obvious a clue."

"I confess," said the Colonel, "that even now I cannot see how it helps us."

"It was the first link in my chain of reasoning. Powdered opium is by no means tasteless. The flavor is not disagreeable, but it is perceptible. Were it mixed with any ordinary dish the eater would undoubtedly detect it, and would probably eat no more. A curry was exactly the medium which would disguise this taste. By no possible supposition could this stranger, Fitzroy Simpson, have caused curry to be served in the trainer's family that night, and it is surely too monstrous a coincidence to suppose that he happened to come along with powdered opium upon the very night when a dish happened to be served which would disguise the flavor. That is unthinkable. Therefore Simpson becomes eliminated from the case, and our attention centers upon Straker and his wife, the only two people who could have chosen curried mutton for supper that night. The opium was added after the dish was set aside for the stable-boy, for the others had the same for supper with no ill effects. Which of them, then, had access to that dish without the maid seeing them?

"Before deciding that question I had grasped the significance of the silence of the dog, for one true inference invariably suggests others. The Simpson incident had shown me that a dog was kept in the stables, and yet, though some one had been in and had fetched out a horse, he had not barked enough to arouse the two lads in the loft. Obviously the midnight visitor was some one whom the dog knew well.

"I was already convinced, or almost convinced, that John Straker went down to the stables in the dead of the night and took out Silver Blaze. For what purpose? For a dishonest one, obviously, or why should he drug his own stable-boy? And yet I was at a loss to know why. There have been cases before now where trainers have made sure of great sums of money by laying against their own horses, through agents, and then preventing them from winning by fraud. Sometimes it is a pulling jockey. Sometimes it is some surer and subtler means. What was it here? I hoped that the contents of his pockets might help me to form a conclusion.

"And they did so. You cannot have forgotten the singular knife which was found in the dead man's hand, a knife which certainly no sane man would choose for a weapon. It was, as Dr. Watson told us, a form of knife which is used for the most delicate operations known in surgery. And it was to be used for a delicate operation that night. You must know, with your wide experience of turf matters, Colonel Ross, that it is possible to make a slight nick upon the tendons of a horse's ham, and to do it subcutaneously, so as to leave absolutely no trace. A horse so treated would develop a slight lameness, which would be put down to a strain in exercise or a touch of rheumatism, but never to foul play."

"Villain! Scoundrel!" cried the Colonel.

"We have here the explanation of why John Straker wished to take the horse out on to the moor. So spirited a creature would have certainly roused the soundest of sleepers when it felt the prick of the knife. It was absolutely necessary to do it in the open air."

"I have been blind!" cried the Colonel. "Of course that was why he needed the candle, and struck the match."

"Undoubtedly. But in examining his belongings I was fortunate enough to discover not only the method of the crime, but even its motives. As a man of the world, Colonel, you know that men do not carry other people's bills about in their pockets. We have most of us quite enough to do to settle our own. I at once concluded that Straker was leading a double life, and keeping a second establishment. The nature of the bill showed that there was a lady in the case, and one who had expensive tastes. Liberal as you are with your servants, one can hardly expect that they can buy twenty-guinea walking dresses for their ladies. I questioned Mrs. Straker as to the dress without her knowing it, and having satisfied myself that it had never reached her, I made a note of the milliner's address, and felt that by calling there with Straker's photograph I could easily dispose of the mythical Derbyshire.

"From that time on all was plain. Straker had led out the horse to a hollow where his light would be invisible. Simpson in his flight had dropped his cravat, and Straker had picked it up--with some idea, perhaps, that he might use it in securing the horse's leg. Once in the hollow, he had got behind the horse and had struck a light; but the creature frightened at the sudden glare, and with the strange instinct of animals feeling that some mischief was intended, had lashed out, and the steel shoe had struck Straker full on the forehead. He had already, in spite of the rain, taken off his overcoat in order to do his delicate task, and so, as he fell, his knife gashed his thigh. Do I make it clear?"

"Wonderful!" cried the Colonel. "Wonderful! You might have been there!"

"My final shot was, I confess a very long one. It struck me that so astute a man as Straker would not undertake this delicate tendon-nicking without a little practice. What could he practice on? My eyes fell upon the sheep, and I asked a question which, rather to my surprise, showed that my surmise was correct.

"When I returned to London I called upon the milliner, who had recognized Straker as an excellent customer of the name of Derbyshire, who had a very dashing wife, with a strong partiality for expensive dresses. I have no doubt that this woman had plunged him over head and ears in debt, and so led him into this miserable plot."

"You have explained all but one thing," cried the Colonel. "Where was the horse?"

"Ah, it bolted, and was cared for by one of your neighbors. We must have an amnesty in that direction, I think. This is Clapham Junction, if I am not mistaken, and we shall be in Victoria in less than ten minutes. If you care to smoke a cigar in our rooms, Colonel, I shall be happy to give you any other details which might interest you."

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Adventure I. Silver Blaze (10) (с подсказками)

We had the corner of a Pullman ['pulmqn] car (спальный вагон) to ourselves that evening as we whirled [wE:ld] (мчались) back to London ['lAndqn], and I fancy ['fxnsI] (полагаю) that the journey was a short one to Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) Ross as well as to myself, as we listened to our companion's narrative ['nxrqtIv] (повествование) of the events which had occurred at the Dartmoor training-stables ['steIb(q)lz] (конюшни) upon the Monday ['mAndI] (понедельник) night, and the means by which he had unravelled [An'rxv(q)ld] (разгадал) them.

"I confess [kqn'fes] (признаюсь)," said he, "that any theories which I had formed from the newspaper reports were entirely erroneous [I'rquniqs] (ошибочные). And yet there were indications ["IndI'keISqnz] (указания) there, had they not been overlaid ["quvq'leId] (затемнены : overlay - перекрывать) by other details which concealed [kqn'sJld] (скрывали) their true import ['ImpLt] (важность). I went to Devonshire with the conviction [kqn'vIkS(q)n] (убеждение) that Fitzroy Simpson was the true culprit ['kAlprIt] (виновный), although, of course, I saw that the evidence against him was by no means complete. It was while I was in the carriage ['kxrIG] (экипаж), just as we reached the trainer's ['treInqz] house, that the immense [I'mqns] (огромное) significance of the curried mutton ['kArid 'mAtn] (баранина, приправленная кэрри) occurred to me. You may remember that I was distrait [dIs'treI] (рассеянный), and remained sitting after you had all alighted [q'laItId] (had ~ - сошли). I was marvelling ['mRvqlIN] (изумлялся) in my own mind how I could possibly have overlooked ["quvq'lukt] (не заметил) so obvious a clue [klH] (подсказка)."

"I confess [kqn'fes] (признаюсь)," said the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник), "that even now I cannot see how it helps us."

"It was the first link in my chain of reasoning ['rJzqnIN] (рассуждения). Powdered opium [ 'paudqd 'qupjqm] (порошкообразый опий) is by no means tasteless ['teIstlqs] (безвкусный). The flavor ['fleIvq] (вкус) is not disagreeable [dIsq'grIqbl] (неприятный), but it is perceptible [pq'septqb(q)l] (заметный). Were it mixed [mIkst] (смешан) with any ordinary dish [dIS] (блюдо) the eater ['i:tq] (едок) would undoubtedly [An'dautIdli] (несомненно) detect [dI'tekt] (would ~ - заметил бы) it, and would probably eat no more. A curry ['kAri] (кэрри) was exactly the medium ['mJdiqm] (средство) which would disguise [dIs'gaIz] (would ~ - скрыло бы) this taste [teIst] (вкус). By no possible supposition ["sApq'zISqn] (предположение) could this stranger ['streInGq(r)] (посторонний человек), Fitzroy Simpson, have caused curry ['kAri] to be served in the trainer's family that night, and it is surely too monstrous ['mPnstrqs] (чудовищное) a coincidence [kqu'InsId(q)ns] (совпадение) to suppose that he happened to come along with powdered opium ['pauded 'qupjqm] (порошкообразый опий) upon the very night when a dish [dIS] (блюдо) happened to be served which would disguise [dIs'gaIz] (бы скрыло) the flavor ['fleIvq] (вкус). That is unthinkable [An'TINkqb(q)l] (невообразимо). Therefore Simpson becomes eliminated [I'lImIneItId] (исключен) from the case, and our attention centers upon Straker and his wife, the only two people who could have chosen ['CqVzqn] (могли выбрать : choose - выбирать) curried mutton ['kArid 'mAtn] (баранина, приправленная кэрри) for supper ['sApq] (ужин) that night. The opium ['qupjqm] (опий) was added after the dish [dIS] (блюдо) was set aside [q'saId] (отложено) for the stable-boy, for the others had the same for supper ['sApq] (ужин) with no ill effects. Which of them, then, had access to that dish [dIS] (блюдо) without the maid [meId] (служанка) seeing them?

"Before deciding that question I had grasped [grRspt] (осознал) the significance of the silence of the dog, for one true inference ['Inf(q)rqns] (умозаключение) invariably [In've(q)rIqbli] (неизменно) suggests others. The Simpson incident had shown [Squn] (показал : show - показывать) me that a dog was kept in the stables ['steIb(q)lz] (конюшни), and yet, though some one had been in and had fetched [feCt] out (вывел) a horse, he had not barked [bQ:kt] (не лаял) enough to arouse [q'rauz] (поднять, разбудить) the two lads [lxdz] (парни) in the loft [lPft] (сеновал). Obviously the midnight ['mIdnaIt] (полуночный) visitor was some one whom the dog knew well.

"I was already convinced [kqn'vInst] (убежден), or almost convinced [kqn'vInst], that John Straker went down to the stables ['steIb(q)lz] (конюшни) in the dead of the night and took out Silver Blaze ['sIlvq bleIz] (Серебристое пламя). For what purpose? For a dishonest [dIs'PnIst] (непорядочная, позорная) one, obviously, or why should he drug his own stable-boy? And yet I was at a loss to know why. There have been cases before now where trainers ['treInqz] have made sure of great sums of money by laying against their own horses, through agents, and then preventing them from winning ['wInIN] (побеждать) by fraud [frLd] (обманом). Sometimes it is a pulling jockey ['GPkI]. Sometimes it is some surer ['Suqrq] (более надежный) and subtler ['sAtlq] (хитрый) means. What was it here? I hoped that the contents of his pockets might help me to form a conclusion.

"And they did so. You cannot have forgotten the singular ['sINgjulq] (необычный) knife [naIf] (нож) which was found in the dead man's hand, a knife [naIf] (нож) which certainly no sane [seIn] (в здравом уме) man would choose for a weapon. It was, as Dr. Watson told us, a form of knife [naIf] (нож) which is used for the most delicate ['delIkIt] (тонкие) operations known in surgery ['sE:GqrI] (хирургия). And it was to be used for a delicate ['delIkIt] (тонкая) operation that night. You must know, with your wide experience of turf [tE:f] (скачки) matters, Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник) Ross, that it is possible to make a slight [slaIt] (легкий) nick [nIk] (надрез) upon the tendons ['tendqnz] (сухожилия) of a horse's ham [hxm] (бедро), and to do it subcutaneously ["sAbkjH'teIniqs] (подкожно), so as to leave absolutely no trace [treIs] (след). A horse so treated would develop a slight [slaIt] (легкая) lameness ['leImnIs] (хромота), which would be put down to a strain [streIn] (перенапряжение) in exercise or a touch of rheumatism ['rHmqtIz(q)m] (ревматизм), but never to foul [faul] (грязная) play."

"Villain ['vIlqn] (злодей)! Scoundrel ['skaundrql] (подлец)!" cried the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник).

"We have here the explanation of why John Straker wished to take the horse out on to the moor [muq] (торфяник). So spirited ['spIrItId] (с таким характером) a creature ['krJtSq] (животное) would have certainly roused [rauzd] (would have ~ - разбудило бы) the soundest of sleepers ['saundIstqv 'slJpqz] (самые крепко спящие ) when it felt the prick [prIk] (укол) of the knife [naIf] (нож). It was absolutely necessary to do it in the open air."

"I have been blind [blaInd] (слеп)!" cried the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник). "Of course that was why he needed the candle ['kxndl] (свеча), and struck the match."

"Undoubtedly [An'dautIdli] (несомненно). But in examining his belongings [bI'lPNINz] (пожитки) I was fortunate ['fLtSnIt] (мне повезло) enough to discover not only the method of the crime, but even its motives ['mqutIvz]. As a man of the world, Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник), you know that men do not carry other people's bills about in their pockets. We have most of us quite enough to do to settle our own. I at once concluded that Straker was leading a double life, and keeping a second establishment. The nature of the bill showed [Squd] (показывала) that there was a lady in the case, and one who had expensive tastes [teIsts] (вкусы). Liberal as you are with your servants, one can hardly expect that they can buy twenty-guinea walking dresses for their ladies. I questioned Mrs. Straker as to the dress without her knowing it, and having satisfied myself that it had never reached her, I made a note of the milliner's ['mIlInqz] (модистки) address, and felt that by calling there with Straker's photograph I could easily dispose [dIs'pquz] (избавиться) of the mythical ['mITIkql] (мифическая) Derbyshire.

"From that time on all was plain [pleIn] (ясно, просто). Straker had led out the horse to a hollow ['hPlqu] (впадина) where his light would be invisible [In'vIzqbl] (незаметный). Simpson in his flight had dropped his cravat [krq'vxt] (галстук), and Straker had picked it up -- with some idea, perhaps, that he might use it in securing the horse's leg. Once in the hollow ['hPlqu] (впадина), he had got behind the horse and had struck a light; but the creature ['krJtSq] (животное) frightened ['fraItnd] (испугалось) at the sudden ['sAdn] (внезапная) glare [gleq] (вспышка), and with the strange instinct ['InstINkt] of animals feeling that some mischief ['mIstSIf] (зло) was intended, had lashed [lxSt] out (лягнуло), and the steel [stJl] (стальная) shoe had struck Straker full on the forehead ['fLrId] (лоб). He had already, in spite [spaIt] (несмотря) of the rain, taken off his overcoat ['quvqkqut] (пальто) in order to do his delicate ['delIkIt] (тонкая) task, and so, as he fell, his knife [naIf] (нож) gashed ['gxSt] (нанес рану) his thigh [TaI] (бедро). Do I make it clear?"

"Wonderful!" cried the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник). "Wonderful! You might have been there!"

"My final shot was, I confess [kqn'fes] (признаюсь) a very long one. It struck me that so astute [qs'tju:t] (хитрый) a man as Straker would not undertake this delicate ['delIkIt] (тонкий) tendon-nicking ['tendqn-'nIkIN] (надрез сухожилий) without a little practice. What could he practice on? My eyes fell upon the sheep [SJp] (овцы), and I asked a question which, rather to my surprise, showed [Squd] (показал) that my surmise [sq'maIz] (предположение) was correct.

"When I returned to London ['lAndqn] I called upon the milliner ['mIlInq] (модистка), who had recognized Straker as an excellent customer of the name of Derbyshire, who had a very dashing ['dxSIN] (элегантная) wife, with a strong partiality ["pRSI'xlItI] (пристрастие) for expensive dresses. I have no doubt that this woman had plunged [plAnGd] (погрузила) him over head and ears in debt, and so led him into this miserable ['mIzqrqbl] (жалкая) plot [plPt] (участь)."

"You have explained all but one thing," cried the Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник). "Where was the horse?"

"Ah, it bolted ['bqultId] (вырвалась), and was cared for by one of your neighbors ['neIbqz] (соседи). We must have an amnesty ['xmnIstI] (амнистия, прощение) in that direction, I think. This is Clapham Junction ['GANkSqn] (станция), if I am not mistaken [mIs'teIk(q)n] (не ошибаюсь), and we shall be in Victoria in less than ten minutes. If you care to smoke [smquk] (выкурить) a cigar [sI'gR] in our rooms, Colonel ['kE:nl] (полковник), I shall be happy to give you any other details which might interest you."

The End.

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