e. that's how he died. you can call

it murder. anyhow, i'd as soon die with a rope round my

neck as with black peter's knife in my heart."

"how came you there?" asked holmes.

"i'll tell it you from the beginning. just sit me up a

little so as i can speak easy. it was in '83 that it

happened -- august of that year. peter carey was master of

the _sea unicorn_, and i was spare harpooner. we were

coming out of the ice-pack on our way home, with head winds

and a week's southerly gale, when we picked up a little

craft that had been blown north. there was one man on her

-- a landsman. the crew had thought she would founder,

and had made for the norwegian coast in the dinghy.

i guess they were all drowned. well, we took him on board,

this man, and he and the skipper had some long talks in the

cabin. all the baggage we took off with him was one tin box.

so far as i know, the man's name was never mentioned,

and on the second night he disappeared as if he had never been.

it was given out that he had either thrown himself

overboard or fallen overboard in the heavy weather that we

were having. only one man knew what had happened to him,

and that was me, for with my own eyes i saw the skipper tip

up his heels and put him over the rail in the middle watch

of a dark night, two days before we sighted the shetland lights.

"well, i kept my knowledge to myself and waited to see what

would come of it. when we got back to scotland it was

easily hushed up, and nobody asked any questions.

a stranger died by an accident, and it was nobody's business

to inquire. shortly after peter carey gave up the sea,

and it was long years before i could find where he was.

i guessed that he had done the deed for the sake of what

was in that tin box, and that he could afford now to pay me

well for keeping my mouth shut.

"i found out where he was through a sailor man that had met

him in london, and down i went to squeeze him. the first

night he was reasonable enough, and was ready to give me

what would make me free of the sea for life. we were to

fix it all two nights later. when i came i found him three

parts drunk and in a vile temper. we sat down and we drank

and we yarned about old times, but the more he drank the

less i liked the look on his face. i spotted that harpoon

upon the wall, and i thought i might need it before i was

through. then at last he broke out at me, spitting and

cursing, with murder in his eyes and a great clasp-knife in

his hand. he had not time to get it from the sheath before

i had the harpoon through him. heavens! what a yell he

gave; and his face gets between me and my sleep! i stood

there, with his blood splashing round me, and i waited for

a bit; but all was quiet, so i took heart once more. i

looked round, and there was the tin box on a shelf. i had

as much right to it as peter carey, anyhow, so i took it

with me and left the hut. like a fool i left my

baccy-pouch upon the table.

"now i'll tell you the queerest part of the whole story.

i had hardly got outside the hut when i heard someone coming,

and i hid among the bushes. a man came slinking along,

went into the hut, gave a cry as if he had seen a ghost,

and legged it as hard as he could run until he was out of

sight. who he was or what he wanted is more than i can tell.

for my part, i walked ten miles, got a train at tunbridge wells,

and so reached london, and no one the wiser.

"well, when i came to examine the box i found there was no

money in it, and nothing but papers that i would not dare

to sell. i had lost my hold on black peter, and was

stranded in london without a shilling. there was only my

trade left. i saw these advertisements about harpooners

and high wages, so i went to the shipping agents, and they

sent me here. that's all i know, and i say again that if

i killed black peter the law should give me thanks, for

i saved them the price of a hempen rope."

"a very clear statement," said holmes, rising and lighting

his pipe. "i think, hopkins, that you should lose no time

in conveying your prisoner to a place of safety. this room

is not well adapted for a cell, and mr. patrick cairns

occupies too large a proportion of our carpet."

"mr. holmes," said hopkins, "i do not know how to express

my gratitude. even now i do not understand how you

attained this result."

"simply by having the good fortune to get the right clue

from the beginning. it is very possible that if i had

known about this note-book it might have led away my

thoughts, as it did yours. but all i heard pointed in the

one direction. the amazing strength, the skill in the use

of the harpoon, the rum and water, the seal-skin

tobacco-pouch, with the coarse tobacco -- all these pointed

to a seaman, and one who had been a whaler. i was

convinced that the initials 'p.c.' upon the pouch were a