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The Problem of Thor Bridge

we shall go to Winchester, because I want to see Miss Dunbar.”

Mr. Neil Gibson was not at home, but we saw in the house Mr. Bates1, the manager of the estate.

“Mr. Gibson has his enemies,” said he. “He sleeps with a revolver near his bed. He is a hard man, Mr. Holmes, and there are times when all of us are afraid of him. I am sure that the poor lady who is dead now, often suffered from him.”

III

“Well, Watson,” said Sherlock Holmes when we were going to the station, “we see that Mr. Bates does not like Mr. Gibson. But there is no evidence at all that Mr. Gibson left the house since his re- turn from town at five o’clock. Miss Dunbar, as I understand it, admits that she wrote a note to Mrs. Gibson. It seems that everything is against her, except one thing.”

“And what is that, Holmes?”

“The revolver which was found in her wardrobe.”

“Dear me, Holmes!” I cried, “it seemed to me that the revolver was evidence against her.”

“Not so, Watson. It is impossible to believe that she killed Mrs. Gibson and then went home and put the revolver into her own wardrobe — the first place where the police would look for it. It was

1 Bates [beIts] — Бейтс

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somebody else who put the revolver into her wardrobe. But who?”

“Somebody who wanted to incriminate1 her. Perhaps, that person was himself the murderer?”

At Winchester prison we were allowed to see Miss Dunbar. She was really a beautiful woman. When she understood that my famous friend had come to help her, there was hope in her eyes.

“My dear young lady,” said Holmes, “please tell me all the truth.”

“I shall tell you the truth.”

“Tell us, then, of your relations with Mr. Gibson’s wife.”

“She hated me, Mr. Holmes.”

“Now, Miss Dunbar,” said Holmes, “please tell us exactly what happened that evening.”

“In the morning I received a note from Mrs. Gibson, which said that she wanted to see me at Thor Bridge in the evening. She asked me to leave an answer on the bench in the garden. I was surprised, but I did as she asked.”

“Well, what happened then?”

“I went to Thor Bridge as I had promised. When I arrived she was waiting for me. She was like a mad woman. I shall not say what she said — they were terrible words. I did not even answer — I could not. I put my hands to my ears and ran away.”

“Where did you go?”

“I returned to my room.”

1 to incriminate — бросить тень подозрения

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“Now we come to the important point. The revolver that was found in your room. Had you ever seen it before?”

“Never.”

“When was it found?” “Next morning.” “Among your clothes?”

“Yes, on the floor of my wardrobe under my dresses.”

“What do you think, how long had it been there?”

“It had not been there the morning before.” “Then somebody came into your room and put

the revolver there in order to incriminate you.” “I think so.”

“And when?”

“Only when I was in the classroom with the children.”

“Miss Dunbar, there is a fresh chip on the parapet of the bridge, just opposite the body. Do you know how it came there?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Holmes.”

“Curious, Miss Dunbar, very curious. Why did it appear there at the very time and the very place of the tragedy?”

Holmes thought. Suddenly he jumped up from his chair.

“Come, Watson, come!” he cried. “What is it, Mr. Holmes?”

“Never mind, my dear lady. You will get the news by tomorrow.”

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IV

We went back to Thor Place.

“Watson,” said Holmes when we were in the train, “have you your revolver on you?”

I took out my revolver and gave it to him. I did not understand what he was thinking.

“Do you know, Watson,” said he, “I think your revolver will help us to solve the mystery.”

“My dear Holmes, you are joking.” “No, Watson, I am very serious.”

The train stopped at the station, we got off, and soon we were at the house of our friend, the po- lice-sergeant.

“Well, Mr. Holmes, what is it?”

“It all depends on Dr. Watson’s revolver,” said my friend. “Here it is. Now, sergeant, can you give me a string? Thank you. Now we shall go to the place of the murder.”

As we walked, he tied one end of the string to the revolver. When we came to Thor Bridge, he found a big stone and tied it to the other end of the string. Then he hung the stone over the parapet of the bridge and, still holding the revolver in his hand1, went to the place where the body was found. He raised the revolver to his head and then let it go2. The stone immediately pulled the string, the revolver struck against the parapet and disappeared in the water.

1still holding the revolver in his hand — все еще держа пистолет в руке

2let it go — отпустил его

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Holmes ran up to the parapet. “See, Watson,” he cried, “your revolver has solved the mystery.” And he pointed to a second chip of the same size and form as the first. He turned to the sergeant.

“Your people will easily find my friend’s revolver. Near it they will also find the revolver, string and stone, with which this strange woman tried to throw suspicion1 on an innocent person.”

Late that evening, as we sat together and smoked in the village inn, Holmes gave me his explanation.

“You see, this woman had decided to kill herself and at the same time punish Miss Dunbar. She very cleverly got a note from Miss Dunbar, which was in her hand, when the body was found. She took two of her husband’s revolvers and hid one in Miss Dunbar’s wardrobe. With the other she went to Thor Bridge. After speaking2 to Miss

Dunbar, she killed herself, and thus fulfilled her terrible plan.”

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1.Why was Sherlock Holmes waiting for Neil Gibson?

2.Who was suspected of murder? Why?

3.What two people thought Neil Gibson himself had murdered his wife? What did they say about the man?

4.Sherlock Holmes told Watson that all the evidence was against Miss Dunbar except one thing. What did he mean? Why?

5.Explain how Watson’s revolver helped Sherlock Holmes to solve the problem.

1to throw suspicion — бросить подозрение

2After speaking — Поговорив

Thomas Mayne Reid

Thomas Mayne Reid1 (1818–1883) was born in Ireland into the family of a clergyman. He spent part of his life in America, where he was a newspaper reporter. During 1846– 1848 he took part in the war between the USA and Mexico2. He saw the horrors of the slave trade in America and described them in some of his books. The writer was a great master of adventure stories. The Headless Horseman3 is one of his famous adventure books.

THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN

Part I

I

On the great prairie of Texas4 the hot sun is shining in the blue sky. Under the golden light, appears a group of waggons. There are ten of them. In the waggons there are provisions, clothes, furniture; coloured women and children are sitting in them; the men are walking by the waggons or behind them. In front there is a carriage. This caravan belongs to a rich planter who has bought some land in the west and is now travelling to his

Рид1 Thomas Mayne Reid ['tDmAs'meIn'ri:d] — Томас Майн

2 Mexico ['meksIkAu] — Мексика

3 The Headless Horseman ['hedlIs'hD:smAn] — «Всадник без головы»

4 Texas ['teksAs] — Техас

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new estate which is called Casa del Corvo1, or the House of the Curve2. The planter himself — Woodley Poindexter3 — is riding at the head of the cara- van. He is a tall thin man of fifty, with a proud face.

Two horsemen are riding together with him — one on the right, the other on the left — a youth of about twenty, the planter’s son Henry4, and a young man six or seven years older — his nephew Cassius Calhoun5. The youth has an open cheerful face. He is dressed in a blue shirt and blue trousers. His cousin wears a military uniform. He is an officer in the army. His face is proud and sin- ister.

In the carriage there are two passengers: Louise6, the daughter of Woodley Poindexter, and her maid.

The caravan moves on slowly. There is no road. There are only the tracks of some waggons that have passed before. The planter hopes to reach the end of his journey before night.

Suddenly the caravan stops. Far as the eye can reach — the country is of one colour — black. There has been a fire in the prairie and all the grass is burnt.

(The travellers began to cross the burnt place and lost their way. They stopped because they did

1Casa del Corvo ['kC:sA del'kD:vAu] — Каса дель Корво

2Curve [kA:v] — излучина (реки)

3Woodley Poindexter ['wudlI'pDIn,dekstA] — Вудли Пойндекстер

4Henry ['henrI] — Генри

5Cassius Calhoun ['kBsIAs kBl'hAun] — Кассий Кальхоун

6Louise [lu'i:z] — Луиза

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not know in what direction to move. As they were standing there and thinking what to do, they saw a man on horseback who was riding towards them.)

The stranger soon came up to the planter. “I see you have lost your way,” he said.

“Yes, sir,” answered the planter. “My name is Woodley Poindexter. I have bought some land on the Leona1 river, near Fort Inge2. We hoped to reach the place before night. Can we do so?”

“Of course, if you do what I tell you.”

The stranger was sitting on a good horse. He was a young man not more than twenty-five, with a pleasant face. He was dressed in Mexican3 style. He had a large sombrero on his head and a serape4 on his shoulders.

“I am sorry, Mr. Poindexter, I cannot go with you because I am in a hurry. You follow the track of my lasso.”

With these words the young man threw one end of his long lasso on the ground, said good-bye and rode forward. The track of his lasso was easily seen on the black ground, and the caravan moved slowly on.

“Look, Father, what is that?” said Henry suddenly. They looked back and saw great black columns behind them. They were moving towards

1Leona [lI'AunA] — р. Леона

2Fort Inge ['fD:t'IndZ] — Форт Индж

3Mexican ['meksIkAn] — мексиканский

4serape [se'rC:pI] — серапе (широкий мексиканский плащ)

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the waggons. The sky was now dark. Suddenly they saw the stranger in front of them. He had come back. “Drive faster, faster!” he cried as he rode up. But the horses were tired.

“What is it?” asked the planter, “is there a danger?”

“Yes, there is,” said the young man. “It is the Norther1, a great storm.”

“I have never heard that the Northeris dangerous,” interrupted Calhoun, who did not like the young man.

“You will soon see that it is, sir. Mr. Poindexter, I tell you that you are in danger. Quick, sir: order your men to muffle the horses’ heads — or the dust will get in their eyes, the animals will be blinded and go mad2. All the men must get inside the waggons.”

He rode up to the carriage. “Madam,” he said to the planter’s daughter, “you must close all the curtains. You, gentlemen,” he said to Henry and Calhoun, “and you, sir,” to Poindexter, “must get inside. Lose no time. In a few seconds the storm will be here.”

The men got inside the carriage. The young man tied his horse’s eyes. Then he took off his scarf and tied his sombrero to his head.

No pen can describe what followed. One of the black columns approached the caravan and broke.

1the Norther ['nD:GA] — «северянин» (сильный север- ный ветер, дующий на юге США зимой и осенью)

2go mad — взбесятся

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A shower of black dust came down. In another moment the Northerwas around them. Nothing more was seen, nothing more was heard, except the noise of the wind. The travellers remained in the carriage more than an hour.

At last they were allowed to come out.

“Sir,” said the planter, “we must thank you for — for —”

“Our lives, Father!” cried Henry. “I hope, sir, you will tell us your name.”

“Maurice Gerald1,” said the stranger, “but at the Fort they know me better as Maurice the mustanger2. Now I must say good-bye, but you will find your way by the track of my lasso.”

II

On the bank of a little river, in a picturesque place some distance from Fort Inge there was a little hut with a roof of grass and a door of horseskin. Near the hut was a “corral” for wild horses — mustangs.

The furniture of the hut consisted of a bed, two stools and a table. Such was the home of the mustanger.

A man, not the mustanger himself, was sitting on one of the stools. He was talking to a big dog which was lying on a piece of horse-skin.

1Maurice Gerald ['mDrIs'dZerAld] — Морис Джералд

2mustanger ['mEstBNA] — мустангер (укротитель му- стангов, диких лошадей)

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