The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
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gave a thought to_the mere difficulty of developing their import .

" in_the present case - indeed in all cases of secret writing - the first question regards the language of_the cipher; for_the principles of solution, so_far, especially, as_the more simple ciphers are concerned, depend upon, and_are varied by, the genius of_the particular idiom . in general, there_is no alternative but experiment ( directed by probabilities) of every tongue known to him who attempts the solution, until the true one be attained . but, with_the cipher now before_us, all difficulty was removed by_the signature . the pun upon_the word 'Kidd' is appreciable in no other language than_the English . but for_this consideration i_should_have begun my attempts with_the Spanish and French, as_the tongues in_which a secret of_this kind would most naturally have_been written by a pirate of_the Spanish main . as it_was, I assumed the cryptograph to_be English .

" you observe there_are no divisions between_the words . had there been divisions, the task would_have_been comparatively easy . in_such case i_should_have commenced with a collation and analysis of_the shorter words, and, had a word of a single letter occurred, as is most likely, (a or I, for example,) i_should_have considered the solution as assured . but, there being no division, my first step was to ascertain the predominant letters, as_well as_the least frequent .Counting all, I constructed a table, thus:

of_the character 8 there_are 33 .

; " 26 .

4 " 19 .

) " 16 .

* " 13 .

5 " 12 .

6 " 11 .

1 " 8 .

0 " 6 .

9 2 " 5 .

: 3 " 4 .

? " 3 .

" 2 .

- ." 1 .

" now, in English, the letter which most frequently occurs is e .Afterwards, succession runs thus: ao i d h n r s t u y c f g l m w b k p q x z .E predominates so remarkably that an individual sentence of any length is rarely seen, in_which_it_is not the prevailing character .

" here, then, we leave, in_the very beginning, the groundwork for something more than amere guess . the general use which_may_be made of_the table is obvious - but, in_this particular cipher, we_shall only very partially require its aid . as our predominant character is 8, we_will commence by assuming it as_the e of_the natural alphabet . to_verify the supposition, let_us observe if_the 8 be seen often in couples - for e is doubled with great frequency in English - in_such words, for example, as ' meet,' ' . fleet,' ' speed,' ' seen,' been,' ' agree,' &c . in_the present instance we see it doubled no less_than five times, although the cryptograph is brief .

" let_us assume 8, then, as e . now, of all words in_the language, ' the' is most usual; let_us_see, therefore, whether there_are not repetitions of any three characters, in_the same order of collocation, the last of_them being 8 . if_we discover repetitions of_such letters, so arranged, they_will most probably represent the word ' the .' upon inspection, we_find no less_than seven such arrangements, the characters being ;48 . we_may, therefore, assume that ; represents _t_, 4 represents h_, and 8 represents e - the last being now well confirmed . thus a great step has_been taken .

" but, having established a single word, we_are enabled to establish a vastly important point; that_is_to_say, several commencements and terminations of other words . let_us refer, for example, to_the last instance but one, in_which_the combination ;48 occurs - not far from_the end of_the cipher . we_know that_the ; immediately ensuing is_the commencement of a word, and, of_the six characters succeeding this ' the,' we_are cognizant of no less_than five . let_us set these characters down, thus, by_the letters we_know them to represent, leaving a space for_the unknown -

t eeth .

" here we_are enabled, at once, to discard the 'th,' as forming no portion of_the word commencing with_the first t; since, by experiment of_the entire alphabet for a letter adapted to_the vacancy, we perceive that no word can_be formed of_which this th can_be a part . we_are thus narrowed into

t ee,

and, going through_the alphabet, if necessary, as before, we arrive at_the word ' tree,' as_the sole possible reading . we thus gain another letter, r_, represented by (, with_the words ' the tree' in juxtaposition .

" looking beyond these words, for a short distance, we again see the combination ;48, and employ it by way of termination to what immediately precedes . we_have thus this arrangement:

the tree ;4( ? 34 the,

or, substituting the natural letters, where known, it reads thus:

the tree thr ? 3h the .

" now, if, in place of_the unknown characters, we leave blank spaces, or substitute dots, we read thus:

the tree thr .. .h the,

when_the word '_through_' makes itself evident at once . but this discovery gives us three new letters, o_, u and g_, represented by ? and 3 .

" looking now, narrowly, through_the cipher for combinations of known characters, we_find, not very far from_the beginning, this arrangement,

83(88, or egree,

which, plainly, is_the conclusion of_the word ' degree,' and gives us another letter, d_, represented by .

"Four letters beyond the word ' degree,' we perceive the combination

;46(;88 .

"Translating the known characters, and representing the unknown by dots, as before, we read thus: th rtee . an arrangement immediately suggestive of_the word 'thirteen,' and again furnishing us with two new characters, i and n_, represented by 6 and * .

"Referring, now, to_the beginning of_the cryptograph, we_find the combination,

53 .

"Translating, as before, we obtain

good,

which assures us that_the first letter is A_, and_that the first two words are 'A good .'

" it_is now time that we arrange our key, as far as discovered, in a tabular form, to avoid confusion . it_will stand thus:

5 represents a

" d

8 " e

3 " g

4 " h

6 " i

* " n

" o

( " r

; " t

" we_have, therefore, no less_than ten of_the most important letters represented, and it_will_be unnecessary to_proceed with_the details of_the solution . I_have said enough to_convince you that ciphers of_this nature are readily soluble, and to_give_you some insight into_the rationale of_their development . but be assured that_the specimen before_us appertains to_the very simplest species of cryptograph . it now only remains to_give_you the full translation of_the characters upon_the parchment, as unriddled . here it_is:

" '_A good glass in_the bishop's hostel in_the devil's seat forty- one degrees and thirteen minutes northeast and by north main branch seventh limb east side shoot from_the left eye of_the death's- head a bee line from_the tree through_the shot fifty feet out .' "

" but," said I, " the enigma seems still in as bad a condition as ever . how is_it possible to extort ameaning from all this jargon about ' devil's seats,' ' death's heads,' and ' bishop's hotels ? ' "

"I confess," replied Legrand, " that_the matter still wears a serious aspect, when regarded with a casual glance . my first endeavor was to divide the sentence into_the natural division intended by_the cryptographist ."

" you mean, to punctuate it ? "

" something of_that kind ."

" but how was_it possible to effect this ? "

"I reflected that_it had_been a point with_the writer to run his words together without division, so as_to increase the difficulty of solution . now, a not over- acute man, in pursuing such an object would_be nearly certain to overdo the matter . when, in_the course of_his composition, he arrived at a break in_his subject which would naturally require a pause, or a point, he_would_be exceedingly apt to run his characters, at_this place, more than usually close together . if_you_will observe the MS ., in_the present instance, you_will easily detect five such cases of unusual crowding .Acting upon_this hint, I_made the division thus: 'A good glass in_the bishop's hostel in_the devil's seat - forty- one degrees and thirteen minutes - northeast and by north - main branch seventh limb east side - shoot from_the left eye of_the death's- head - a bee- line from_the tree through_the shot fifty feet out .' "

" even this division," said I, "leaves me still in_the dark ."

" it left me also in_the dark," replied Legrand, " for_a_few_days; during which I_made diligent inquiry, in_the neighborhood of Sullivan's island, for any building which went by_the name of_the ' bishop's hotel;' for, of_course, I dropped the obsolete word ' hostel .' Gaining no information on_the_subject, i_was on_the point of extending my sphere of search, and proceeding in a more systematic manner, when, one morning, it entered into my head, quite suddenly, that_this ' bishop's hostel' might_have some reference to an old family, of_the name of Bessop, which, time out of mind, had held possession of an ancient manor- house, about four miles to_the northward of_the island .I accordingly went over to_the plantation, and re- instituted my inquiries among_the older negroes of_the place . at_length one_of_the_most aged of_the women said that she had heard of_such a place as Bessop's castle, and thought that she_could guide me to_it, but that_it_was not a castle nor a tavern, but a high rock .

"I offered to_pay her well for her trouble, and, after some demur, she consented to accompany me to_the spot . we_found it without much difficulty, when, dismissing her, I proceeded to examine the place . the ' castle' consisted of an irregular assemblage of cliffs and rocks - one_of_the latter being quite remarkable for its height as_well as for its insulated and artificial appearance I clambered to its apex, and then felt much at a loss as_to what should_be next done .

" while i_was busied in reflection, my eyes fell upon a narrow ledge in_the eastern face of_the rock, perhaps a yard below the summit upon_which I stood . this ledge projected about eighteen inches, and was not more than a foot wide, while a niche in_the cliff just above it, gave it a rude resemblance to one_of_the hollow-backed chairs used by our ancestors . I_made no_doubt that here was_the ' devil's seat' alluded to in_the MS ., and now I seemed to grasp the full secret of_the riddle .

" the ' good glass,' I_knew, could_have reference to nothing but a telescope; for_the word ' glass' is rarely employed in any_other sense by seamen . now here, I at once saw, was a telescope to_be used, and a definite point of view, admitting no variation, from_which to use it . nor did I hesitate to_believe that_the phrases, "forty- one degrees and thirteen minutes,' and ' northeast and by north,' were intended as directions for_the levelling of_the glass . greatly excited by_these discoveries, I hurried home, procured a telescope, and returned to_the rock .

"I let myself down to_the ledge, and found that_it_was impossible to retain a seat upon it except in one particular position . this fact confirmed my preconceived idea .I proceeded to use the glass . of_course, the 'forty- one degrees and thirteen minutes' could allude to nothing but elevation above the visible horizon, since_the horizontal direction was clearly indicated by_the words, ' northeast and by north .' this latter direction I at once established by_means of a pocket- compass; then, pointing the glass as nearly at an angle of forty- one degrees of elevation as I_could do_it by guess, I moved it cautiously up or down, until my attention was arrested by a circular rift or opening in_the foliage of a large tree that overtopped its fellows in_the distance . in_the centre of_this rift I perceived a white spot, but could_not, at first, distinguish what it_was .Adjusting the focus of_the telescope, I again looked, and now made it out to_be a human skull .

" upon_this discovery i_was so sanguine as_to consider the enigma solved; for_the phrase ' main branch, seventh limb, east side,' could refer only to_the position of_the skull upon_the tree, while ' shoot from_the left eye of_the death's head' admitted, also, of but one interpretation, in regard to a search for buried treasure .I perceived that_the design was to drop a bullet from_the left eye of_the skull, and_that a bee- line, or, in other words, a straight line, drawn from_the nearest point of_the trunk through ' the shot,' ( or the spot where the bullet fell,) and thence extended to a distance of fifty feet, would indicate a definite point - and beneath this point i_thought it at_least possible that a deposit of value lay concealed ."

" all this," I_said, " is exceedingly clear, and, although ingenious, still simple and explicit . when_you left the bishop's hotel, what then ? "

" why, having carefully taken the bearings of_the tree, I turned homewards . the instant that I left ' the devil's seat,' however, the circular rift vanished; nor could I get a glimpse of it afterwards, turn as i_would . what seems to_me the chief ingenuity in_this whole business, is_the fact ( for repeated experiment has convinced me it_is a fact) that_the circular opening in_question is visible from no other attainable point of view than that afforded by_the narrow ledge upon_the face of_the rock .

" in_this expedition to_the ' bishop's hotel' I had_been attended by Jupiter, who had, no_doubt, observed, for some weeks past, the abstraction of_my demeanor, and took especial care not to leave me alone . but, on_the next_day, getting up very early, I contrived to_give him the slip, and went into_the hills in search of_the tree . after much toil I_found it . when I_came home at night my valet proposed to_give_me aflogging . with_the rest of_the adventure I believe you_are as_well acquainted as myself ."

"I suppose," said I, " you missed the spot, in_the first attempt at digging, through Jupiter's stupidity in letting the bug fall through_the right instead of through_the left eye of_the skull ."

" precisely . this mistake made a difference of about two inches and a half in_the ' shot' - that_is_to_say, in_the position of_the Peg nearest the tree; and had the treasure been beneath the ' shot,' the error would_have_been of little moment; but ' the shot,' together with_the nearest point of_the tree, were merely two points for_the establishment of a line of direction; of_course the error, however trivial in_the beginning, increased as_we proceeded with_the line, and by_the_time we had gone fifty feet, threw us quite off the scent . but for_my deep- seated impressions that treasure was here somewhere actually buried, we_might_have had all our labor in vain ."

" but your grandiloquence, and your conduct in swinging the beetle - how excessively odd ! i_was sure you were mad . and why did you insist upon letting fall the bug, instead of a bullet, from_the skull ? "

" why, to_be frank, I_felt somewhat annoyed by your evident suspicions touching my sanity, and so resolved to punish you quietly, in my own way, by a little bit of sober mystification . for_this reason I swung the beetle, and for_this reason I let it fall it from_the tree . an observation of yours about its great weight suggested the latter idea ."

" yes, I perceive; and now there_is only_one point which puzzles me . what_are we to_make of_the skeletons found in_the hole ? "

" that_is a question I_am no more able to answer than yourself . there seems, however, only_one plausible way of accounting for_them - and yet it_is dreadful to_believe in_such atrocity as my suggestion would imply . it_is clear that Kidd - if Kidd indeed secreted this treasure, which I_doubt not - it_is clear that he_must_have had assistance in_the labor . but this labor concluded, he_may_have thought it expedient to remove all participants in_his secret . perhaps a couple of blows with a mattock were sufficient, while his coadjutors were busy in_the pit; perhaps it required a dozen - who shall tell ? "

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