ought to be able to catch
anything on the river.
There are not many launches to beat
us.
I would have a body
of police in Jacobson's Yard
and arrested them
when they came down.
This man Small
is a pretty shrewd fellow.
He would send a scout on ahead.
If anything made him suspicious
he would lie snug for another week.
But you might have stuck to Smith,
and so been led to their
hiding-place.
In that case
I should have wasted my day.
I think that Smith doesn't know
where they live.
As long as he has
liquor and good pay,
why should he ask questions?
I think you are right.
Stop!
That is Jacobson's Yard.
Suppose we go downstream a short
way and lie in wait for them.
We have no right
to take anything for granted.
It is certainly ten to one
that they go downstream,
but we cannot be certain.
From this point we can see the
entrance of the yard, and they can
hardly see us.
I can see my man.
But I don't see a handkerchief.
There is a handkerchief, Holmes,
it is your boy.
Full speed ahead!
Cast off!
Full speed!
Full speed!
- I doubt if we shall catch her.
- Heap it on, stokers!
We cannot catch them!
- I think we gain a little.
- I am sure of it.
We shall be up with her
in a very few minutes.
In the Queen's name stop it!
You need the treasure? Get it!
Fire if he raises his hand.
Got him!
Devil!
Thank God!
We were hardly quick enough
with our pistols.
Well, Jonathan Small,
I am sorry that it has come to this.
And so am I, sir.
I give you my word on the book that
I never raised hand against Mr.
Sholto.
It was that little hell-hound Tonga,
who shot one of his cursed darts into
him.
I had no part in it, sir.
You had best take a pull out
of my flask, for you are very wet.
Quite a family party.
I think we may all
congratulate each other.
How could you expect
so small and weak a man as this
black fellow to overpower Mr. Sholto
and hold him
while you were climbing the rope?
You seem to know as much about it
as if you were there, sir.
If it had been the old major I would
have swung for him with a light
heart.
I would have thought no more
of knifing him than of smoking this
cigar.
But it's cursed hard
that I should be lagged over this
young Sholto, with whom I had no
quarrel whatever.
I think I can prove
that the man was dead
before ever you reached the room.
I will prove it.
That he was, sir.
Though how you kept on it
is more than I can tell.
I don't feel no malice
against you for it.
But it does seem a queer thing.
I, who have a fair claim
to half a million of money,
should spend the first half of my life
building a breakwater in the
Andamans,
and am like to spend the other
half digging drains at Dartmoor.
It was an evil day for me when first
I clapped eyes upon the merchant
Achmet
and had to do with the Agra
treasure, which never brought
anything but a curse.
To him it brought murder,
to Major Sholto
it brought fear and guilt,
to me it has meant slavery for life.
We will be at Vauxhall Bridge
presently
and shall land you,
Dr. Watson, with the treasure-box.
I need hardly tell you that I am
taking a responsibility upon myself
in doing this,
but of course
an agreement is an agreement.
I must, however, as a matter of duty,
send an inspector with you,
since you have so valuable a
charge.
You will drive, no doubt?
Yes.
It is a pity there is no key,
that we may make an inventory first.
Where is the key, my man?
At the bottom of the river.
What happened?
What news have you brought me?
I have brought
something better than news.
I have brought you something which
is worth all the news in the world.
I have brought you a fortune.
Is that the treasure then?
Yes.
This is the great Agra treasure.
Half of it is yours
and half is Thaddeus Sholto's.
You will have
a couple of hundred thousand each.
An annuity of ten thousand pounds.
There will be few richer young
ladies in England. Is it not glorious?
If I have it, I