登陆注册
19484600000064

第64章

THE SECRET OF THE VESSEL'S HOLD

"Idiot that I am," cried Cleggett, "not to have covered that hole!" His chagrin was touching to behold.

"There, there, Cleggett," said Wilton Barnstable kindly, "do not reproach yourself too bitterly.""But to let him escape when I had him--" Cleggett finished the sentence with a groan.

But Wilton Barnstable was thinking.

"Please have some lights brought down here if you will, Captain," he said to Abernethy, "and ask Mr.Bard and Mr.Ward to come."In a few minutes the interior of the hold was illuminated with lanterns; it was as bright as day.But the detectives did not proceed at once to a minute examination of the hold as Cleggett had supposed they would.

Instead, they stood in the waist of the vessel and thought.Visibly they thought.Wilton Barnstable thought.

Barton Ward thought.Watson Bard thought.They thought in silence.Cleggett could almost feel these three master brains pulsating in unison, working in rhythmic accord, there in the silence; the sense of this intense cerebral effort became almost oppressive....

Finally Wilton Barnstable began to stroke his mustache, and a pleased smile stole over his plump and benign visage.Barton Ward also began to stroke his mustache and smile.But it was twenty seconds more before Watson Bard's corrugated brow relaxed and his eyes twinkled with the idea that had come so much more readily to the other two.

"Cleggett," said Wilton Barnstable, "you have heard of the deductive method as applied to the work of the detective?""I have," said Cleggett."I have read Poe's detective tales and Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.""Ah! Sherlock Holmes!" The three detectives looked at each other with glances in which were mingled both bitterness and amusement; the look seemed to dispose of Sherlock Holmes.Once again Cleggett had a fleeting thought that Wilton Barnstable might possibly be a vain man.

"Sherlock Holmes," said Barnstable, "never existed.His marvelous feats are not possible in real life, Cleggett.But the deductive method which he pretended to use--mind you, I say PRETENDED, Cleggett!--is, nevertheless, sound."And then the three detectives gave Cleggett an example of the phenomenal cleverness.

"Mr.Ward," said Wilton Barnstable, "Logan Black entered this hold." "He did," said Barton Ward.

"He is not here now," said Wilton Barnstable."He is not," said Watson Bard.

"Therefore he has escaped," said Wilton Barnstable."But how?" said Barton Ward.

"Only a ghost or an insect could leave this hold otherwise than by the hatchway, to all appearances," said Wilton Barnstable.

"Logan Black is not a ghost," said Barton Ward firmly.

"Logan Black is not an insect," said Watson Bard with conviction."Then," said Barnstable, "that eliminates the supernatural and the--the--"

"The entomological?" suggested Cleggett.

The three detectives stared at him fixedly for a moment, as if surprisedat the interruption.But if they were miffed they were too dignified to do more than hint it.Barnstable continued:

"There is no such thing as magic." "There is not," said Ward.

"The fourth dimension does not exist," said Bard.

"Therefore Logan Black's exit," said Barnstable, "was in accordance with well-known physical laws.We are forced to the conclusion that he made his escape through a secret passageway.""A tunnel," said Barton Ward.

"With a concealed door opening into the hold," said Watson Bard.

"A ship with a secret tunnel!" cried Cleggett."Who ever heard of the like? Why, the thing is--"But he broke off.He had been leaning against the starboard side of the hold.Even as he spoke he felt the wall behind him moving.He turned.A door was opening.It was built into the side of the Jasper B.and the joints were cleverly concealed.He had inadvertently found, with his elbow, the nailhead which was in reality the push button that released the spring.The black entrance of a subterranean passage yawned before him.

He stared in astonishment.The three detectives were pointing at the tunnel with plump forefingers and bland, triumphant smiles.

"Nothing is impossible, my dear Cleggett," said Barnstable."The tunnel HAD to be there!""It explains everything," said Cleggett."But a tunnel into MY ship!" And, in truth, for a moment he felt disappointed in the Jasper B.

A tunnel is all very well leading from the basement of a house, or extending backward from a cave; but Cleggett felt that it was scarcely a dignified sort of arrangement, nautically speaking, for a ship to have leading from its hold.

It seemed, somehow, to stamp the Jasper B.indelibly as a thing of the land rather than as the gallant creature of piping winds and following seas.Could the Jasper B., a bone in her teeth and her tackle humming, ever again sail through Cleggett's dreams? For a moment, if the worst must be known, he was almost disgusted with the Jasper B., considered as a ship.For a moment he was willing to believe that Cap'n Abernethy was nothing but a Long Island truck farmer, and NOT of a seafaring family atall.For a moment he felt himself to be a copyreader again on the New York Enterprise.

But only for a moment! The star of romance, clouded temporarily by fact, rose serene and bright again in the wide heaven of the unusual spirit, the barber's basin gleamed once more the helmet of Mambrino.Cleggett began to see the matter in its proper light.

"A tunnel!" he cried, brightening, and looking at it with his legs spread a little wide and his hands on his hips."A tunnel! Eh, by gad! Who could have prophesied a tunnel? Barnstable, never tell me again there is no romance in real life! I tell you, Barnstable, she's a good old ship, the Jasper B.! I don't suppose there was ever another schooner in the world with a secret passageway leading out of her hold!""She IS a remarkable vessel," agreed Wilton Barnstable gravely."But, come, we are wasting time! The other end of this passage is at Morris's, that is plain.Loge Black has only a few minutes' start of us.Therefore, to Morris's!"

同类推荐
  • 刍言

    刍言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 佛说灭十方冥经

    佛说灭十方冥经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 东轩笔录

    东轩笔录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 蝴蝶媒

    蝴蝶媒

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 八识规矩论义

    八识规矩论义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 孽妃

    孽妃

    强势的攻占,妩媚的承欢,却换来意外的咆哮:“那个男人是谁?夺了你身子的男人,是谁?”压下心底的怒与恨,浅笑吟咛,吐气如兰:“皇上在乎的,是这个吗?臣妾并未放在心上呢!”后宫初见,尉蓝惊醒于她的阴狠:“何时,你竟然视人命如草芥,连未曾面世的婴孩也不放过?”抬头浅笑,还是那抹纯真:“怎么?哥哥心疼了吗?可知同样的一条生命,也曾因为哥哥而葬生娘胎。哥,可曾心痛如斯?”
  • 异形母皇

    异形母皇

    这里是3017年的春天,末世来临,丧尸当道,人类的生存受到极大的威胁,而田皓宇作为天朝的一个普普通通的大一学子,亦被卷进了这场浩劫当中...
  • 你不理财 财就贬你

    你不理财 财就贬你

    本书从观念、策略、技巧、经验、不同理财方式等多个方面向您揭示了理财与投资的奥妙,书中不仅包含了名人理财投资事例,普通人的理财投资体会,更有专家提供的各种理财投资建议和妙招。对于有志于理财的新手来说,可以通过此书培养自己的理财观念,从书中学到有助于理财的消费观念和技巧;对于那些想要了解一些储蓄、股票、基金、保险、房产等理财方式的人们,《你不理财财就贬你》也提供了有关这些理财方式的介绍、技巧、策略、注意事项等常识。
  • 神徒风云录

    神徒风云录

    好吧,一定要简述的话,那么我想这个故事应该是一个小男孩从单纯逐渐走向成熟的过程。郑重声明:本故事纯属虚构,请勿对号入座,如有雷同,勿喷勿恼!!!
  • 鸾凤吟

    鸾凤吟

    话说,有那么几个人,机缘巧合全都死了……然后这几个死人凑到了一起,很奇妙的魂穿或身穿到了女尊的异度空间。如果可以重来一生,你会怎样?虽然所处的世界有些不同,甚至可以说成完全相反,又会怎样过?那些精彩的或者平淡的,慵懒的或者勤奋的,快乐的或者悲伤的人和事……
  • 校草爱上小乖女

    校草爱上小乖女

    一个平凡的女孩。一个帅气温柔的校草,他们之间的故事是怎样的呢。林芳是怎样使自己变漂亮的呢?如果忍不住了就赶紧打开书看看吧。
  • 掌中论

    掌中论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 穿越田园之农女三夫

    穿越田园之农女三夫

    这是一个古武世家嫡女被后妈害死穿越到落后的古代凭着超级商场系统发家致富疼夫郎的故事。最后都回到了现代,李清莫和夫郎们将会面对艰难的选择,结局走向未知、、、敬请期待。
  • 盗魂手记

    盗魂手记

    这是一个优胜劣汰的故事这是一个不断挣扎的故事
  • 大荒帝

    大荒帝

    洪荒之劫,百朝浮沉,群雄并起,征战这洪荒!天地混沌,通天教主,天域破苍穹!万古神术,元始天尊,神术灭九天!悠悠天道,太清大帝,大道动乾坤!幽冥深处,深渊领主,幽火焚星辰!大荒境中群雄纷至,谁又能脱颖而出?然大帝踏云临世,霸绝天下,吾为大荒帝!谁与争锋?!