No. 1 The Adventure of Silver Blaze by Arthur Conan Doyle
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for he chuckled and rubbed his hands together .

"A long shot, Watson; a very long shot," said he, pinching my arm ." Gregory, let me recommend to your attention this singular epidemic among_the sheep . drive on, coachman ! "

colonel Ross still wore an expression which showed the poor opinion which he had formed of_my companion's ability, but I_saw by_the inspector's face that his attention had_been keenly aroused .

" you consider that to_be important ? " he asked .

" exceedingly so ."

" is_there any point to_which you_would wish to draw my attention ? "

" to_the curious incident of_the dog in_the night- time ."

" the dog did nothing in_the night- time ."

" that was_the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes .

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, 300 . third, 200 . 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 favourite ? "

"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 colours 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 afakir, 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 recognise 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 ."

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 aclue ."

"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 flavour 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 flavour . that_is unthinkable . therefore Simpson becomes eliminated from_the case, and_our attention centres 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 apulling 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 recognised 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 neighbours . 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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