Dr Watson＇s First Report
Baskerville Hall
Dartmoor
13 October 1889
My Dear Holmes,
I wrote and told you about Baskerville Hall and the people who live here. Now I have more facts to tell you. First, I will draw a map of the area. It will help you to understand my story.
Baskerville Hall is about two miles south-west of Grimpen Village. I walk to the village to post letters.
There are trees all round the Hall and a long avenue1 leads to a small summer-house in the garden. Sir Charles Baskerville died near the summer-house. I have marked the gate on the map. It is where Sir Charles stood and smoked a cigar. The gate opens onto the moor.
I have told you about the neighbours. Dr Mortimer lives nearby, about half-way between the villages of Grimpen and Coombe Tracey.
I have met the Stapletons. Their house is about three miles from the Hall. It is on the other side of High Tor.
There is one man I have not met. But Dr Mortimer has told me about him. His name is Mr Frankland and he lives at Lafter Hall. He has a large telescope and is interested in astronomy2. He uses his telescope to look at the stars.
In the past few days, he has not looked at the stars. He has looked at the moor. He is watching the moor because the police have not caught the murderer, Selden. Mr Frankland watches the moor looking for strangers. But I do not think that Selden is hiding on the moor. There is no food and the weather is now very cold.
Sir Henry is worried about the Stapletons. He thinks that the murderer may break into their house. He has visited Miss Stapleton several times and they have become good friends. But Mr Stapleton is a strange man. He does not like Sir Henry visiting his sister.
Now, here is some news about Barrymore, the servant at Baskerville Hall. He looks like the man we saw in the carriage in London. You remember the man who followed Sir Henry and Dr Mortimer to Baker Street. I told Sir Henry what I thought and he called Barrymore and asked him,
“Have you been to London recently ?”
Barrymore says he has never been to London in his life! Also, Sir Henry's question made him angry. He said he wanted to leave Baskerville Hall.
Sir Henry said he was sorry. He gave Barrymore some clothes and Barrymore was pleased. Barrymore and his wife thanked Sir Henry very much for the clothes.
Then, last night, I saw something very strange. In the middle of the night I heard footsteps and I looked out of my bedroom door. I saw Barrymore with a candle. I saw him walk to the end of the corridor. He stopped at the large window which looks out over the moor. He held the candle to the window and moved it backwards and forwards.
I went to the window of my own room and looked out across the moor. I saw a light moving backwards and forwards. It was somewhere near High Tor and it was clearly a signal3. But a signal for what?
Dr Watson＇s Second Report
Baskerville Hall
Dartmoor
15 October 1889
My Dear Holmes,
I am now able to answer the question at the end of my last letter. I know why Barrymore signalled with a candle.
First, let me tell you about Sir Henry and Miss Stapleton. I told you that they are very friendly. I have found out that Sir Henry is in love with her. The truth is he wants to marry her.
Yesterday morning he said to me, “I am going to see Miss Stapleton. I want to go alone.”
“But Mr Holmes told me to stay with you,” I said. “You must not go across the moor on your own.”
“I shall go alone,” said Sir Henry, and he went out.
I did not know what to do. I waited for ten minutes, then I decided to follow him. I did not see everything, but this is what happened.
Sir Henry met Miss Stapleton on the moor. He asked her to marry him—he told me this afterwards. They walked towards Merripit House to see Mr Stapleton. They met him outside the house. Sir Henry told Stapleton the news.
I reached High Tor before Sir Henry met Stapleton, so I saw what happened next. I saw Sir Henry talking to Stapleton. Suddenly Stapleton became wild and angry. He shouted at Sir Henry. Then he took his sister's hand and pulled her towards Merripit House.
Sir Henry turned away and walked back towards the Hall. He saw me by High Tor. He was not angry that I had followed him.
“Watson,” he said, “that man is mad. I told him that I want to marry his sister. He shouted at me. He told me never to see her again. I think he is mad.”
I said nothing and we walked back to the Hall. That afternoon, Stapleton came to the Hall. He wanted to speak to Sir Henry. He kept saying, “I am sorry. I was very rude.” Then he invited Sir Henry to dinner at Merripit House on Friday night.
Now I will tell you the story of Barrymore. I told Sir Henry that I had seen Barrymore signal with a candle. Sir Henry said, “We will wait for him tonight. If he signals again, we will catch him.”
Sir Henry and I did not go to bed. We sat waiting in Sir Henry's study until two o'clock in the morning. Then we heard footsteps outside the study. We listened. The footsteps went upstairs.
Sir Henry and I waited for two more minutes. Then we opened the door quietly, and went upstairs. We saw Barrymore by the large window at the end of the corridor4. He had a candle in his hand and he was waving the candle in front of the window.
“What are you doing, Barrymore?” Sir Henry shouted.
Barrymore almost dropped the candle. He looked frightened. “Nothing, Sir Henry,” he said. “I'm checking the window, that's all.”
“You are signalling to someone on the moor,” said Sir Henry. “Who is outside? Tell me!”
“No one, sir,” said Barrymore.
“Tell me,” said Sir Henry, “or you shall leave this house tomorrow. Tell me now! ”
“Sir Henry,” said another voice, “please don't be angry with my husband. It is my fault.”
We turned and saw Mrs Barrymore. She was standing at the top of the stairs, holding her hands tightly together. “My brother is outside, sir,” she said. “My brother is Selden, the man who escaped from prison.”
“Selden — the murderer?” I said. “And why do you signal to him at night?”
“My husband takes him food and clothes,” said Mrs Barrymore. “We signal to tell him my husband is coming.”
“I understand,” said Sir Henry. “He is your brother; you must try to help him. Go to your room. We will talk about this in the morning.”
The Barrymores left the room.
Sir Henry turned and spoke to me. “I am sorry for them, but Selden is a murderer. I must try to catch him.”
“Look!” I said. “Look out of the window. There is a light on the moor.”
Sir Henry looked. A small light was shining on the moor. It was near High Tor.
“That's him!” said Sir Henry. “Come, Dr Watson, we will go to that light. Bring your revolver5.”
We put on our coats quickly and went out onto the moor. The moon was bright and so we could see the path across the moor. Also, we could see the signal light. It was about a mile away.
“There!” said Sir Henry. “Selden is there. Hurry!”
I followed Sir Henry along the path across the moor. I was worried. I did not want Sir Henry to go far on the moor at night.
At that moment, we heard a strange sound. It was a deep howling sound. It came from some distance away.
“What's that?” asked Sir Henry. There was fear in his voice.
I was afraid too. “It sounds like a dog,” I said. “It sounds like a very large dog. Shall we run back?”
“No,” said Sir Henry. “We are nearly there. Look!”
In front of us, we saw the signal light clearly. It came from a lamp which stood on a rock. Beside the rock was a man, but the man did not see us. He was looking in the other direction.
Again we heard that deep howling sound—the sound of a huge dog. The sound was much nearer now. We heard the sound again. It was coming nearer all the time! The man by the rock heard the sound as well. He picked up the lantern and jumped on the rock. He looked one way, then the other. Suddenly he jumped off the rock and started to run.
He ran towards High Tor. He was running away from us. But he was not running away because he saw us. He was running away from something else which we could not see.
“Quick, Dr Watson, follow him!” shouted Sir Henry. “Get your revolver ready.”
We ran along the narrow path. Near us, we heard the deep howling sound. It was very near and very loud. Then we heard a scream. We stopped.
“Be careful, Dr Watson,” said Sir Henry. “Let us go forward slowly.”
The night was silent. We walked forward slowly. There was something, or someone, lying near the bottom of the Tor. We went over to it. I held my revolver in front of me.
We found the body of a man at the foot of the Tor.
The man had fallen from the rocky hill. He was dead. His neck was broken.
We were sure that the man was Selden. He was dressed in Sir Henry's old clothes—the clothes that Sir Henry had given to Barrymore.
I have one last strange thing to tell you, Holmes. I looked up at the Tor from which Selden had fallen. Up above, at the top of the Tor, stood a tall, thin man. I saw him only for a moment. Then he disappeared into the night. But I know I have seen him before. I will search for this strange man who walks on the moor at night.
—to be continued
1． avenue n．林荫道
2． astronomy n．天文学
3． signal n．／v． (发)信号
4． corridor n．走廊
5． revolver n．左轮手枪