xpeditionofto-nightwillsolvethemall.Ah,hereisafour-wheeler,andMissMorstanisinside.Areyouallready?Thenwehadbettergodown,foritisalittlepastthehour.”
Ipickedupmyhatandmyheavieststick,butIobservedthatHolmestookhisrevolverfromhisdrawerandslippeditintohispocket.Itwasclearthathethoughtthatournight’sworkmightbeaseriousone.
MissMorstanwasmuffledinadarkcloak,andhersensitivefacewascomposed,butpale.Shemusthavebeenmorethanwomanifshedidnotfeelsomeuneasinessatthestrangeenterpriseuponwhichwewereembarking,yetherself-controlwasperfect,andshereadilyansweredthefewadditionalquestionswhichSherlockHolmesputtoher.
“MajorSholtowasaveryparticularfriendofpapa’s,”shesaid.“Hisletterswerefullofallusionstothemajor.HeandpapawereincommandofthetroopsattheAndamanIslands,sotheywerethrownagreatdealtogether.Bytheway,acuriouspaperwasfoundinpapa’sdeskwhichnoonecouldunderstand.Idon’tsupposethatitisoftheslightestimportance,butIthoughtyoumightcaretoseeit,soIbroughtitwithme.Itishere.”
Holmesunfoldedthepapercarefullyandsmootheditoutuponhisknee.Hethenverymethodicallyexamineditalloverwithhisdoublelens.
“ItispaperofnativeIndianmanufacture,”heremarked.“Ithasatsometimebeenpinnedtoaboard.Thediagramuponitappearstobeaplanofpartofalargebuildingwithnumeroushalls,corridors,andpassages.Atonepointisasmallcrossdoneinredink,andaboveitis‘3.37fromleft,’infadedpencil-writing.Intheleft-handcornerisacurioushieroglyphiclikefourcrossesinalinewiththeirarmstouching.Besideitiswritten,inveryroughandcoarsecharacters,‘Thesignofthefour,—JonathanSmall,MahometSingh,AbdullahKhan,DostAkbar.’No,IconfessthatIdonotseehowthisbearsuponthematter.Yetitis