‘Mr Holmes, while I am the first to admit that your unconventional and at times, outlandish methods have occasionally proved to be of benefit to the Yard, I fear that this latest suggestion of yours is pretty wide of the mark. For heaven’s sake, man, the cargo of tea was still on board the ship when we discovered her! Besides which, all of the docks, downstream of Canary Wharf are manned throughout the night. That form of activity would not have gone unnoticed,’ Lestrade concluded.
‘I am not speaking of the cargo of tea, nor am I referring to those docks that are further downstream. I am now aware of the fact that at this time of year the flow turns at approximately six o’clock post meridian and therefore, the Matilda Briggs could not possibly have drifted into Canary Wharf had she been cut adrift downstream. She would surely have floated in the opposite direction.’
‘That is all very well, but you have not, as yet, explained the nature of the evidence that you so miraculously discovered on board the ship, much less its significance.’ Lestrade interrupted impatiently.
‘Yes, come along, Holmes, besides which I am burning with curiosity to learn why you attach so much importance to the ship’s manifest,’ I encouraged.
With a deep sigh of resignation Holmes seemed to accept and recognize that the time for reticence and secrecy was now over. This was confirmed to me when Holmes took down his cherry-wood pipe and began to fill it slowly and deliberately from the Persian slipper.
‘Inspector Lestrade, may I humbly suggest that you dispatch two of your more stalwart constables to the offices of the Red Cannon shipping line, in Pepys Street, without a moment’s delay, there to ensure that Mr Declan McCrory remains securely within its walls until the time of our arrival. In the meantime I shall attempt to explain to you, as clearly and as succinctly as I can, my reasons for requesting you to do so.’
Such was the awe in which Lestrade held him and the respect that he accorded to Holmes’s judgement that he did not hesitate for even the briefest instant; he dashed from the room to implement Holmes’s instructions at once. By the time Lestrade made his breathless return to our room and threw himself back down into his chair, both he and I could sense that Holmes was now ready to lay bare the mystery of the Matilda Briggs.
‘To begin with, I must offer to you both a thousand apologies for having maintained my silence for so long, upon this most singular affair. However, as I am sure that you both must have realized by now, I am not wont to divulge my thoughts or opinions upon a matter until I am absolutely certain of their factual grounding.
‘You might remember that when I eventually emerged from the Matilda Briggs I had extracted three pieces of evidence from below her deserted decks. Each one of these was suggestive in itself; however, when viewed collectively they became conclusive. Furthermore, each one caused me to broaden the field of my enquiries to the extent that I dispatched wires to the port authorities both at Port Said and Banda Aceh, in northern Sumatra.
‘It will come as no surprise to you when I tell you that the first link in my chain proved to be the apparently indecipherable markings that had been etched into the ship’s decking. These were no random scratchings, but rather a cleverly disguised message in the ancient Vedic language of Sanskrit. The inscriber presumably used such an obscure script because he assumed that there would be nobody aboard who could translate it, but that any educated reasoner who might come afterwards would understand its meaning. In that he was undoubtedly correct.
‘However, before I divulge to you the significance of my translation, it might mean more to you once I have explained the nature of my other discoveries. Watson, I am certain that you are about to ask me about the dust that I so painstakingly brushed into a small envelope that you obligingly held open for me. Those particles were more than mere dust, however, for they were nothing less than small grains of black peppercorns, which were to be found in more copious amounts on the lower deck.’
Holmes suddenly became aware that Lestrade and I were exchanging glances of surprised puzzlement.
‘Ah, so you think my discoveries to be of nothing more than trivial significance, but you should know that black peppercorn is the principle export of Sumatra, and that not a grain comes to these shores from India! I then had to ask myself why the Matilda Briggs would deviate from her designated route and run the risk of becoming caught up in the violence that is engulfing Aceh, merely to take on board a cargo of black pepper. Of course, at this stage my conclusions were nothing more than mere speculation, hence my wire to Banda Aceh.
‘The reply that I have received confirmed that the Matilda Briggs did indeed make an unscheduled call at Aceh and took on board a cargo of black pepper and a new crew member.’
‘Carlo Maddalena!’ I exclaimed excitedly.
‘Exactly Watson, and of course my reply from Port Said has confirmed that Maddalena was already on board when the ship arrived there,’ Holmes readily confirmed.
‘This is all very well, but where is this information about the cabin boy getting us?’ Lestrade asked, with evidently increasing frustration.
‘It is getting us closer to the truth, Inspector. Despite his most youthful countenance, Maddalena was certainly no cabin boy. He was in the employ of our friend Declan McCrory and it was he who arranged for the cargo of black pepper that the crew of the Matilda Briggs undertook such enormous risks to procure. The question I now had to ask myself was, why run such a risk merely for the sake of such a relatively insignificant prize?
‘There were two pieces of evidence that gave me my answer. My translation of the Sanskrit message was the first that presented itself, although its meaning was not immediately obvious. See here, for I have made notes of the first section:
Discover the ancient Hindu name for Sumatra
‘As you know Watson, during my three-year sabbatical I spent several months in northern India and, most notably, in Tibet with the Dalai Lama. Inevitably I became acquainted with several Sanskrit phrases and a little further research now gave me my answer. The early Hindu settlers referred to Sumatra as ‘The Island of Gold’ and not without good reason. The intense fighting between the Dutch and the Sultanate has not been merely over its pepper and a port, even one as strategically positioned as Banda Aceh undoubtedly is! For some time now the Dutch have been aware of northern Sumatra’s rich gold deposits and they have not been slow in exploiting them either. Remember, if you will, Watson, that Collier’s letter frequently made mention of the presence of Dutch troops in the Toba region. I am certain that they were not merely rounding up refugees from—’
Lestrade jumped up out of chair as soon as he had heard this, in a state of great indignation.
‘Who in heaven’s name is Collier and what bearing does his letter have on the matter in hand? Withholding evidence is a serious offence, Mr Holmes, and I must ask you to hand this letter over at once!’ Lestrade demanded, holding out his scrawny hand to receive the letter.
‘All in good time, Lestrade, for it deals with another matter for which you are not yet prepared. Let me assure you, however, that any relevant information that it might contain has no bearing on the issue at hand. I can also state with certainty that if you were to act upon any anything connected with the letter’s contents and its author, its recipient’s life would surely be placed in serious jeopardy.’
‘I should like to be the judge of that,’ Lestrade answered peevishly; however when he observed the intensity in Holmes’s features as he glared down at him, he immediately changed his tune.
‘Of course, if it were to jeopardize our current investigation and put a man’s life at risk to boot, then I would gladly delay my examination until a later time.’
‘How very wise.’ Holmes smiled. He pressed his forefinger to his lips as he turned away and appeared lost, for a moment or two, in deep reflection. Lestrade exchanged a puzzled glance with me, but sadly I was unable to enlighten him. However, Holmes soon broke from his reverie and continued with his remarkable analysis of the Matilda Briggs affair.
‘The second part of my translation from the Sanskrit inscription was, in all honesty, a little more oblique.
… at the martyr of the wheel.
‘A little more oblique?!’ I exclaimed. ‘Well, Holmes, if you can make any sense of this at all, you will be deserving of the highest accolade that can be bestowed upon you.’
‘That is as maybe, but you will doubtless be glad to hear that the solution to this riddle did not tax my powers of reasoning to any great extent.’
As Holmes paused to light his pipe, I glanced surreptitiously towards him and immediately confirmed that his previous statement had not been an attempt at humour and that he was completely oblivious to his display of conceit.
‘Once I have explained to you the true meaning of the translation, you will see that the other elements, which you two have, so far, viewed as disconnected items of mere trivia, suddenly assume a far greater moment. A man of religion will soon inform you that “the martyr of the wheel” was none other than Saint Katherine and my visit to the harbour master revealed that the dock that bears her name is one of the few, on that stretch of the river, that has recently been expanded to accommodate cargo ships that are powered by steam.
‘Of course when one views a map of our great city and then notes the proximity of St Katherine Dock to Pepys Street, well then, a point that was certainly suggestive in itself becomes immediately conclusive!’
With an air of self-satisfaction Holmes dramatically removed his pipe from his mouth and viewed Lestrade and me with a triumphant smile.
‘Ah, I see that a tiny glimmer of light is now slowly illuminating the darker recesses of your reasoning.’
‘Perhaps, a little,’ I replied hesitantly.
‘Well then, allow me to turn up the gas just a touch further for you. Watson, I trust that you remember our old friend John Douglas, also known as “Birdy” Edwards?’1
‘Well, of course I do! He was the Pinkerton Agency man who married and then settled upon our shores after the drama of The Valley of Fear, ‘I readily confirmed.
‘You should also know that he has maintained an association with many of his former collaborators and he has kindly set them to work on my behalf. I am glad to report that the results of their endeavours have confirmed my entire diagnosis.
‘It would seem that Declan McCrory’s investments in expanding the East Indies branch of his father’s company have not, in fact, proved to be the resounding success that he would have liked us to believe. Quite the opposite, as it turns out, for his business acumen is as sadly lacking as are his subtlety and flair. His branch of the company has weakened his father’s holdings, to the extent that it was all he could do to prevent his father from closing his office down altogether!
‘The thought of the humiliation of returning to his father, to be branded as a failure and with his cap in hand, was more than his massive self-esteem could bear to contemplate. There had to be another way of making reparations to his company’s depleted funds. Should he try to increase his tea imports? Tea is a volatile cargo at the best of times, besides which that solution would require still further investments, which he could now ill afford.
‘Then his thoughts returned to the old days, back in the United States and more particularly towards a former associate of his, with whom he had maintained a regular correspondence. This man, whom Douglas’s associates have identified as one Carl ‘The Fox’ Mandel, was a one-time drinking and gambling companion of McCrory’s, who had very strong family connections with the gangs of New York’s Lower East Side. It was partly the fear of his association with such a person being made known to his father, that prompted McCrory’s request that he be allowed to set up the office in London in the first place.
‘Mandel, in the meanwhile, became embroiled in a series of gangland killings and eventually, with the police in constant pursuit of him, he fled the United States of America to seek his fortune in the Far East. In the end he settled upon Aceh in Sumatra, where he began to provide various services of a somewhat dubious nature to a band of Dutch mercenaries and soldiers of fortune that he had naturally fallen in with. I presume that by this time you can perceive the direction in which my conclusions were now moving?’ Holmes asked this question somewhat hopefully, for his discourse appeared to have taken a lot out of him and he seemed to welcome the chance to drink from his cold coffee and pause for a moment or two from his efforts.
For my part, I was glad for the chance to air my own conclusions upon the matter, whilst the poor inspector appeared to have been as bemused as he had been previously.
‘My goodness, Holmes, the manner in which you have grappled with this case is, beyond a doubt, amongst your finest achievements. Each element that you have brought together, from your analysis of the tides to your reasons for dispatching those wires, rings out with the clarity of pure logical reasoning. I hope that my own understanding of your conclusions is worthy of that which I have just heard.’ I cleared my throat nervously and lit a pipe of my own.
‘Needless to say there are still a few aspects of the case that I am not quite clear about, but it might serve us all well if I were to make a précis of the results of the vast amount of research that you have undertaken,’ I continued.
‘A few aspects, you say?!’ Lestrade wailed. ‘I have never heard such balderdash in all my life!’
As an orchestral conductor might do, Holmes gestured Lestrade to silence with a finger to his lips, while a wave of his other hand encouraged me to proceed. At once we both complied with his directions.
‘I have often observed from my case notes,’ I began, ‘how the analysis of a simple object, such as Doctor Mortimer’s cane at the outset of the adventure of The Hound of the Baskervilles, has led us to extraordinary experiences. It is equally true that an apparently outlandish premise has often resulted in a comparatively mundane conclusion, such as the supposedly remarkable disappearance of Mr James Phillimore. I would say that the case of the Matilda Briggs certainly falls within the latter category.’
I had expected an interjection from Holmes at this point; however, when I glanced towards him I could see that his eyes were squeezed tightly shut as if he was in deep concentration. Therefore I continued without any further delay.
‘I realize now why you are so unwilling to disclose your ideas before you are in full possession of the facts. My wild theorizing previously must have made me appear awfully foolish in your eyes. Plagues and pirates indeed! Nonetheless, please interrupt me if there is any aspect that I have failed to grasp.’
‘Do not chastise yourself unduly, old fellow. At that time I was as much in the dark as were you,’ Holmes replied with a smile.
‘In brief then, the ill-judged investments of Declan McCrory plunged his father’s company into dire straits. So dire, in fact, that he was forced to renew an old acquaintance from his time in New York, a ruffian whom we can now identify as one Carlo Maddalena.
‘Amidst the violence and confusion that is tearing Banda Aceh apart, it was not hard for Mandel, for that is surely his correct name, to ply his nefarious trade. He and McCrory came to an agreement whereby Mandel would procure a quantity of illegal Dutch gold, while McCrory in turn would provide the means for transporting this haul from Sumatra.’
‘This really is most excellent, Watson,’ Holmes interrupted encouragingly. I continued, buoyed by the knowledge that I was on the right track.
‘Obviously Captain Handley disguised this deviation from his intended route by conveniently losing his log. The gold was stowed in the hold, camouflaged by a cargo of black pepper and, with “Carlo”, the new cabin boy safely on board, the Matilda Briggs set sail for Port Said.
‘The subsequent events on board are harder for me to gauge. The ship obviously made its way to St Katherine Dock where the gold was unloaded and moved to Pepys Street. Once the crew was safely ashore, the ship was cut adrift, leaving its presence to be a mystery to all who found her. I presume that McCrory is now finding a buyer for his illicit
gold, in the hope that his father will never discover how close his company had come to facing total financial ruin. As for the crew, well, I am certain that it would not be too difficult for McCrory to secure for them all a lucrative new berth and on a route that would keep them safely out of harm’s way.’
By now Holmes was expressing his pleasure by gleefully clapping his hands.
‘Well done indeed, old fellow. As for you, Inspector, I am certain that your next meeting with Mr Dodd should prove to be a somewhat less trying experience than any of the others must have been. After all, it is your diligence and investigative prowess that has saved his clients a considerable fortune in insurance and, of course, you have solved the most perplexing maritime mystery in all the annals of the sea!’
‘Well I never. My diligence, my prowess? Surely Mr Holmes you must let me mention your name.’ Lestrade was clearly taken aback by Holmes’s apparent generosity.
‘You must believe me, Lestrade, when I tell you that my reward will surely be that I never again have to clap eyes on the odious Mr Alistair Dodd! Now we must make tracks towards Pepys Street with all speed, for I am certain that your constables will be in urgent need of relief from the rage of Declan McCrory.
‘Mrs Hudson, cab!’
Notes
(1) Birdy Edwards from ‘The Valley of Fear’ By Sir A.C.D.
CHAPTER NINE
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE IRREGULARS
By the time that we had gathered our coats and belongings together, Mrs Hudson had managed to hail the necessary cab and we were on our way back to the offices of the Red Cannon shipping line.
The narrow thoroughfares which wound their tortuous way towards the Monument, were almost impassable due to the heavy traffic, and the atmosphere on board became tense with impatience and frustration. I glanced up at Holmes and realized, with some surprise that he had not been similarly affected. He was staring at Lestrade and me with an air of superior amusement.
Sherlock Holmes and the Giant Rat of Sumatra Page 14
