One evening in winter, my companion Holmes and I were sitting around the fireplace. Holmes said: "Dear Watson, I have a few documents at hand that I think are worth your reading. These documents all involve the murder of the murderer.

The Strange Case of the Loria Scott's Barque. Old Mr. Trevor, the Sheriff, was frightened to death by reading these documents."

Holmes took out a small dark round paper tube from the drawer, untied the rope, and then handed me a piece of azure paper, which was a short note with scrawled handwriting. The content on it was:

ThesupplyofgameforLondonisgoingsteadilyup.HeadkeeperHudson,Webelieve,hasbeennowtoldtoreceiveallordersforfly-paperand-for-preservationofyourhen-pheasantslife.

(Literally it can be translated as: The supply of game in London is steadily increasing. We are convinced that now the Chief Custodian Hudson has followed the instructions to accept all flypaper orders and save the life of your pheasant.)

After reading this incomprehensible note, I raised my head and found that Holmes was observing my reaction, and even pursed his lips in laughter.

"You seem a little dazed, don't you?" he said.

"I really don't understand how such a short note can scare people to death. In my opinion, this content is just talking in sleep."

"Yes. But the actual situation is that after reading this short note, the strong old man fell down and died like a target hit by a pistol."

"This does arouse my curiosity." I said, "But why did you just say that I have a special reason to study this case?"

"This is the first case I have taken on!"

I have been trying to find a way to ask my friend Holmes, hoping that he can tell me what prompted him to initially decide to turn to criminal detective activities, but he has never been interested in telling me. At this time, he was leaning on the armchair.

He sat down, put the documents on his knees, lit the pipe, smoked for a while, and looked at the documents repeatedly.

"Have you never heard me talk about Victor Trevor?" he asked. Victor Trevor was the only friend I made during my two years in college. I was originally very poor at socializing, Watson, and always liked to be alone.

I stayed in my room with a sad face, practicing my thinking method, so I rarely interacted with my peers. In sports, except for fencing and boxing, I didn’t like other sports, and my learning method at that time

It was also completely different from other people. Therefore, there was no need for us to interact. The only person I met was Trevor. This was because his dog bit my ankle one morning when I went to the chapel.

Such an unexpected event made us get to know each other from then on.

Although the initial relationship was relatively dull, it was still unforgettable. I lay in bed for 10 days and Trevor often came to visit me. At first, he only chatted for a few minutes and then left, but our chat time soon extended until

Before the end of that semester, we had become good friends. He was energetic and full-blooded, which was in obvious contrast to me in many aspects, but we also had many similarities. When I discovered that he also liked to be alone like me,

Our relationship became even closer. Later he invited me to the village of Dunnishorpe in Norfolk, where his father lived. I gladly accepted the invitation and spent a month's holiday there.

Old Trevor was not only a landowner, but also a peace officer. He was rich and powerful. Dunnishorpe Village is a small village north of Longmire, located on the outskirts of Broad City. Trevor's residence

It is an old-fashioned oak beam and brick house with a large area. There is a road in front of the door, with lush lime trees on both sides, and there are many swamps around it. It is an ideal place for hunting ducks and a treasure land for fishing.

There is a small library, which is very exquisite. It is said that it was bought together with the house from the original owner. In addition, there is a cook with good cooking skills. So if you are still not satisfied with a month's vacation here,

, then he must be too picky.

In addition, old Trevor's wife has passed away, and my good friend is his only son. I heard that he once had a daughter, but she died of diphtheria on the way to Birmingham. I am very interested in old Trevor.

Although he does not have much knowledge, he has strong physical and mental strength. From the appearance, he has a strong body and a thick body. He knows very little book knowledge, but he has traveled far and wide to see the world, and he is familiar with what he sees and hears.

, can still be remembered freshly. He has a head of disheveled gray hair, a brown face that looks weathered, and a pair of blue eyes that are so sharp that they are almost ferocious. However, in the countryside, he is known for his charity and kindness. He was in the court

It was also widely said that he was being lenient when handling the case.

Not long after I arrived at his house, one evening, as we were sitting and drinking wine together after dinner, little Trevor suddenly mentioned my habits of observation and reasoning. I had summarized it as a method at that time, although it was still a method.

I didn't realize the impact it would have on me throughout my life. This old man obviously thought his son was too exaggerated and thought my skills were just some minor tricks.

'Well, Mr. Holmes,' he said with an amused smile, 'I am an excellent subject. Let's see if you can infer anything from me!'

'Perhaps I can't deduce much,' I replied, 'I presume you have been worried about being attacked over the past year.'

Hearing this, the smile hanging on the corner of the old man's mouth suddenly disappeared, and he stared at me with his eyes in surprise.

'Ah, that's true.' He said, 'You know, Victor.' The old man turned to his son and said, 'The group of people who came to the swamp to poach, they swore to kill them since they were driven away by us.

We, and Mr. Edward Hawley, were actually attacked. I have been on guard since then, but how did you learn about it?'

'You have a very beautiful cane,' I replied. 'I see from the words engraved on the cane that you bought it just one year ago. But you spent a lot of time chiseling the head of the cane.

The hole was filled with molten lead, turning it into a substantial weapon. I suppose that if you were not concerned about any danger, you would not need to take this precaution.'

‘What else?’ he asked with a smile.

'When you were young, you often participated in boxing.'

'That's right. How did you know? Is my nose a little crooked?'

'Of course not,' I said, 'it's your ears that reveal the information. Your ears are particularly flat and wide, which is the characteristic of a boxer.'

'What else?'

'The calluses on your hands reveal that you have done a lot of mining work.'

'I did make my fortune in the gold mines.'

'You have been to New Zealand.'

'That's quite right.'

'You've been to Japan.'

'Exactly right.'

'There was a person with whom you had an unusually close relationship, whose initials were J.A., but who you later tried your best to completely erase from your mind.'

At this time, old Mr. Trevor stood up slowly, staring at me with a pair of big round blue eyes showing a strange and almost crazy look, and then he fell forward and hit his face on the table.

On the hard nut shell, he immediately passed out.

Watson, you can definitely guess how shocked his son and I were at that time. However, he was not unconscious for long. When we were about to untie his collar and pour the cold water in the finger-washing cup towards his face,

While pouring the water, he suddenly took a breath and sat up.

'Oh, children,' he said, forcing a smile on his face, 'I hope you are not frightened. I look strong on the outside, but my heart is weak and I faint easily. I don't know how you deduced this, Mr. Holmes.

, but I feel that whether they are real detectives or fictitious detectives, they are just a bunch of kids here. Sir, you can definitely make this your lifelong career. You might as well remember me as a full-fledged detective.

What the old man who knows the world said.'

Watson, you know this. At that time, I only did inference as a hobby. The first thing that prompted me to think of making this hobby a lifelong career was the old man's advice and his great appreciation of my ability.

But at that time, my host's sudden illness made me feel very uneasy and I couldn't think about other things.

'I hope nothing I said hurt you in any way,' I said.

'Oh, you did touch my sore spot. But I really want to know, how did you know, and how much do you know?' He said in a half-joking tone, but the horror in his eyes still did not completely fade away.

.

'It's not difficult.' I said, 'We were in the boat that day, and you rolled up your sleeves to catch fish. I saw the word J.A. tattooed on your arm. The shape of the word was still clear, but the strokes were erased.

It was not clear after erasing, and there were still ink stains around the words, indicating that you tried hard to erase the handwriting later. Therefore, it can be inferred that you were originally familiar with these two abbreviations, but later you hoped to forget them.'

"Your eyesight is really amazing!" He breathed a sigh of relief and said: "You are absolutely right about this, but we don't need to talk about it. Among all ghosts, the most vicious ones are the ghosts of our old acquaintances. We

Let's go to the billiard room and smoke a cigarette in peace!'

Since that day, although old Trevor's attitude toward me was still very cordial, there was always a hint of doubt mixed with the cordiality. Even his son felt this. 'My dad was shocked by you.'

Trevor said, 'He can no longer understand what things you know and what things you don't know.' According to my observation, although old Trevor avoids showing his doubts, his inner doubts are very clear.

Intense, it was vaguely revealed in every gesture. I finally understood that his uneasiness was caused by me, so I decided to say goodbye to them. However, the day before I was about to leave, something that seemed not big happened.

, which later proved to be very important.

At that time, Trevor and his son and I were sitting on chairs on the lawn in the garden, basking in the sun and enjoying the scenery of Broad. A maid came over and reported that there was a man outside the door asking to see old Mr. Trevor.

'What's his name?' asked old Trevor.

'He didn't say.'

'So, what does he want to do?'

'He said you two knew each other and he just wanted to have a chat with you.'

'Okay, you invite him here.' Soon a thin, haggard and wretched looking guy walked in. This man was dragging his feet, wearing an open jacket, and there was an obvious tar stain on the cuffs.

Wearing a red plaid shirt, cotton trousers underneath, and a pair of very worn boots. His thin brown face revealed a cunning look. He was always smiling, revealing a row of jagged

Uneven yellow teeth. His hands were covered with wrinkles and were half clenched into fists. It could be seen that it was a common posture among sailors. When he walked across the lawn listlessly towards us, I heard clearly

When old Trevor made a sound like a hiccup in his throat, he jumped out of his chair and hurried into the house. Within a few seconds, he ran back again. When he passed me,

I smelled an unusually strong smell of brandy.

'Hi, friend!' he said, 'what do you want from me?'

The sailor stood there, staring at old Trevor in confusion, still grinning.

'Don't you remember me?' asked the sailor.

'Oh, ah, you must be Hudson.' Old Trevor said in surprise.

'Yes, I am Hudson, sir.' The sailor said, 'Hi, it has been more than 30 years since we last met. Now, you are enjoying life in your home, but I am still struggling.

In distress.'

'Oh, you should know that I have not forgotten the past days.' Old Trevor said loudly, and at the same time he walked towards the sailor, whispered a few words, and then said loudly: "Please go to the kitchen first.

Come on, have something to eat or drink, and I promise to help you arrange a place."

'Thank you, sir!' the sailor said, brushing his forehead. 'I just got off a tramp cargo ship with a speed of 8 knots. I worked on that ship for two years and was short of manpower, so I was very

I need a rest. I thought about it, and I have no choice but to go find Mr. Beddoes or come to disturb you.'

'Ah!' cried old Trevor, 'do you know where Mr. Beddoes is?'

'Thank God, sir, I know exactly where my old friend is.' The man said with a ferocious smile, followed the maid, and hurried towards the kitchen. Old Trevor told us very vaguely that he once

I went on a mining trip with this man in the same boat. After saying that, he walked inside alone and left us on the lawn. An hour later, when we walked into the house, we saw old Trevor lying haphazardly on the sofa in the dining room.

I was very drunk. In my heart, the whole incident left a very bad impression. So when I said goodbye to Dunnishorpe Village the next day, I had no regrets at all. Because I felt

Living in his house must be the direct cause of my friend's difficulties.

All of this happened in the first month of the long vacation. I returned to my London apartment and did some organic chemistry experiments in the remaining weeks. However, one day in late autumn, near the end of the vacation, I received an email.

My friend's telegram asked me to rush back to the village of Dunnishorpe, saying that he was in great need of my advice and help. Naturally, I left other things behind and hurried north immediately.

He was waiting for me at the station, sitting on a two-wheeled single-carriage. I could see at a glance that my friend had been tortured in the past two months and had become very thin. He could no longer see his former self.

A talkative and cheerful character.

'My father is dying,' he said in his first words.

'How could it be?' I cried in surprise, 'What happened?'

'He suffered a stroke because his nerves were severely irritated. He has been in extreme danger today. I don't think he is still alive at this time.'

Watson, you can easily imagine how horrified I was when I heard this unexpected news.

"What caused it?" I asked.

'Oh, this is the key point. Please get in the car first, and we will talk in detail on the road. You should still remember the guy who came to my house the night before you left, right?'

'Of course I have an impression.'

'Do you know who we invited into the house that day?'

'have no idea.'

'Oh, Holmes, he is a devil!' he cried with emotion.

I stared at him in surprise.

'Yes, he is indeed a devil. Ever since he came to my house, the peace has been completely destroyed. We have never enjoyed a minute of peace. Since that night, my father has never raised his head. Now his life

I'm in danger, and my heart is completely broken, all because of that hateful Hedson.'

'So, what power does he have?'

'Oh, that's what I need to try to find out. How could a kind and generous man like my father fall into the clutches of that villain? However, my friend, Holmes, I'm really glad that you are willing to come.

Happy. I have full confidence in your judgment and ability to deal with problems. I know that you will help me come up with the best solution.'

Our carriage was galloping on the clean and flat road in the countryside. In front of us was a sliver of the setting sun in Broad, looming in the red glow of the setting sun. From behind a small forest on the left, we could see the high chimney and flagpole on the roof of the sheriff.

You can see it.

'My father asked this guy to be a gardener.' My friend said. Later, the man was very dissatisfied and promoted him to be a housekeeper. The whole family seemed to be completely controlled by him. He wandered around all day long and did whatever he wanted. The maids told

My father, he was an alcoholic and a bad talker, and he just tried to raise the wages of his maids to make up for the trouble they got into. This bastard used to paddle my father's boat and go out hunting with my father's best shotgun.

And when he does this, he always looks sideways, with a mocking, sarcastic, and arrogant look on his face. If he were my age, I would have knocked him to the ground no less than 20 times. Oh,

Holmes, do you know that during this period, I had no choice but to restrain myself. However, I now feel that if I did not restrain myself, the situation might be much better.

Alas, our situation was getting worse day by day, and this bastard Hedson became more and more arrogant. One day, he was very rude to my father in front of me, so I grabbed his shoulders and pushed him out of the door.

.He slipped away without making a sound, but his blue face and vicious eyes clearly showed an intimidating look. After that, I don’t know what happened to my poor father with this villain.

After some negotiation, my father came to me the next day and told me to apologize to Hedson. As you can easily imagine, I naturally refused and asked my father why he allowed such a bastard to be so rude in our home.

My father said: 'Ah, my dear son, you are absolutely right, but you don't know my situation! But you will definitely know, Victor, no matter what happens, I will find a way to let you know.

But now, son, you don't want to make your poor father sad, do you?'

My father was extremely excited and locked himself in his study all day. I looked out of the window and saw that he was busy writing.

Something happened that day that finally relieved me, because Hedson told us that he was ready to leave. After we had lunch, we were sitting in the dining room, and Hedson walked in half drunk, with a hoarse voice.

told him his plan.

He said: 'I've had enough in Norfolk, and I'm going to see Mr. Beddoes in Hampshire. I'm sure Beddoes will be as happy to see me as you are.'

"I hope you didn't leave me with bad feelings, Hedson." My father said with trembling respect, which made the blood in my body boil immediately.

‘Your son hasn’t apologized to me yet!’ He glanced at me with a sullen face and said.

My father turned to me and said: 'Victor, you have to admit that you lacked courtesy towards this respected friend.'

I replied: 'On the contrary, I thought we, father and son, were extremely tolerant of him.'

Hodson roared angrily: 'Aha, you thought that was it, didn't you? That's awesome, man. Let's just go and see!'

He walked listlessly out of the house, and left our house half an hour later, leaving my father in a pitiful state of fear. I heard him walking up and down the house all night, and just as he was regaining his confidence

, disaster finally struck suddenly.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked anxiously.

The thing is very strange. My father received a letter last night, and the postmark on the letter was Fordingham. After reading it, my father hit his head with his hand, as if he had lost his soul, and began to circle around the room. I

Later, I helped him to the sofa. I saw that my father's mouth and eyelids were all tilted to one side. I found out that he had suffered a stroke, so I quickly called Dr. Fordham over. Together, we helped my father to the bed, but he was paralyzed.

His condition is getting worse and worse, and there is no sign of regaining consciousness. Perhaps, we will never see him alive again.

'Trevor, you are basically scaring me!' I said loudly, 'So, what is it in that letter that can lead to such terrible results?'

'I can't see anything, that's the hard part, and this letter is just ridiculous. Oh, my God, what I feared is happening!'

When we said this, we had reached the corner of the tree-lined path and saw that the curtains of the house were all lowered under the dim light. We walked to the door and a gentleman in black came out. At this time, Trevor revealed

His face was full of grief.

‘Doctor, when did my father leave?’ Trevor asked.

'About the time you left.'

'Did he ever wake up?'

'I woke up for a while before dying.'

'Leave anything for me?'

'He just said that the papers were all in the back drawer of the Japanese cabinet.'

My friend Trevor and the doctor walked to the deceased's house, but I stayed in the study, thinking about the whole incident in my mind. I felt that I had never been so depressed. Once, old Trevor was a boxer

Home, traveler, and gold miner, how could he allow himself to be dominated by this sloppy sailor? Also, why did he faint when he heard about the letters on his arm, and received the letter from Fordingha?

I was actually frightened to death by a letter sent by Tom? At this time, I remembered that Fordingham was in Hampshire, where Mr. Beddoes lived, and the sailor was going to blackmail him, so this letter was probably

It was from Hodson. The letter said that he had revealed all the secrets of old Trevor's previous crimes. Otherwise, this letter was from Beddoes. The letter warned old Trevor that there was an old man from the past.

Colleagues, I will report this matter immediately. This seems obvious. But how can this letter be as trivial and absurd as his son said? Then he must have read it wrong. If this is the case, then there must be something in it.

The unique password, the literal meaning is different from the actual meaning, I must see this letter. If there is really a secret in the letter, I am confident that I will decipher it. I did not light up the lamp, sat in the study and thought about this question over and over again, about an hour later,

A maid with a tear-stained face brought in a lamp, and little Trevor came in shortly after. His face was very pale, but very calm, and he held in his hand the pages which were now spread out on my knees.

He sat opposite me, moved the lamp to the edge of the table, and pointed to the short note scrawled on the azure paper: Here, the note you are looking at now: The supply of game in London is steadily increasing. We are convinced that,

The order form for the flypaper is now in the custodian's custody. Hedson will accept it in full and keep your pheasant alive.

I was probably as confused as you were when I first read this letter. Then I read it again very carefully. As expected, some secret meanings were hidden in these inexplicable phrases.

.For example, phrases such as 'fly paper' and 'female pheasant' are probably code words agreed in advance. Such code words can be agreed at will, and it is difficult to infer their meaning anyway. However, I do not believe that this can only be the case.

The appearance of the word "Hudson" seemed to indicate that the content of the letter was consistent with my guess, and that the note was sent by Beddoes, not the sailor. I read the words backwards, but that'

Phrases such as "life, pheasant" were very disappointing. So I tried to read another word, but neither "theoffor" nor "supplygameLondon" made any sense.

But after a few minutes, I seemed to have finally found the mouth of this boring jar. I found that every time I skipped two words and read them, I would read the meaning. These meanings could completely make old Trevor completely despair.

The sentence was short and concise, a warning message. I immediately read it to my friend:

'Thegameisup,Hudsonhastoldall,Flyforyourlife!'

(Translated as: The game is all over, Hedson has reported them all, you must run for your life!)

My friend Victor Trevor covered his face with trembling hands. 'I think it must be so,' he said, 'it is more terrible than death, because it means shame. General Custodian, the Pheasant.

What do these two words mean?'

'These words in the letter have no meaning at all, but it will be useful to us if we don't have a better way to find the sender. You see what he originally wrote was: hegameis... He prepared it in advance

After the words were written, two more words were added between each two words. As for the added words, of course they were the first words that came to mind. It is certain that this person is keen on hunting or raising poultry.

Do you know what's going on with Beddoes?'

'Well, after you mentioned it,' he said, 'I actually remembered that my poor father was often invited by Bedos to go hunting with him every autumn.'

'So, it must be him who sent this letter.' I said, 'We must now find out what secret is in the hands of that sailor Hedson, so that he can threaten these two people so wildly.

A powerful man.'

'Oh, I'm afraid that would be a sin and a disgrace!' said my friend worriedly, 'but I don't have to hide anything from you. This was my father's statement when he learned of Hudson's accusation.

It was written when something was going to happen. I found it in a Japanese cabinet based on the last words conveyed by the doctor. Please take it and read it to me. I really lack the strength and courage to read it.

'

Watson, these pages were given to me by my friend little Trevor. I read them to him in the study that night, and I will read them to you now. Look, there is writing on the outside of these pages.

Author: Narrative of the Voyage of the Barque Gloria Scott. It set sail from Falmouth on October 8, 1855, and sank on November 6 of the same year at 15°20′ north latitude and 25°14′ west longitude.

It is recorded internally in the form of letters.

My dearest child, since the impending disgrace has darkened my old age, I say frankly and sincerely that I have no fear of the law, nor the loss of my official position in this county, nor do I care about being trampled by villains I know. But

, when I think that you love me so much and respect me so much, but you have to suffer humiliation because of me, it makes me sad and heartbroken. But if there is a disaster hanging over my head,

One day does come, and I hope you can read this account. As for what kind of punishment I should receive, you will know directly from it. In addition, it would be fine if I am safe and sound (praying to the merciful God for permission!)

, in case this piece of paper falls into your hands without being destroyed, I beg you, for the sake of God, for the sake of your dearest mother, and for the sake of our father-son relationship, please

Burn it to the ground and forget it forever!

But if you, my dearest child, really read this letter at that time, then I know that the matter has been exposed, fell into the law, or has closed my eyes and slept (you know my heart is very weak). But no matter what happened

In any of the above situations, there is no need to hide it any longer. What follows is based on facts and comes from the bottom of my heart, and I would like to ask for forgiveness.

My dearest child, my real name is not Trevor, but James Armitage. From this you will know why I fainted from shock. I mean a few weeks ago, your college classmate said to me

The words he spoke sounded to me at the time as if the secret of my pseudonym had been revealed. As Armitage, I worked in a London bank, had violated the law, and was sentenced to exile. My dear boy, don't be too harsh on me.

Well, this is a so-called gambling debt. I had to repay it, so I temporarily misappropriated money that did not belong to me to repay it. Of course, at that time, I was sure that I could make up for it in time before others found out.

.But the most terrifying misfortune happened. The money I expected was not received. When I checked the accounts in advance, my shortcomings were exposed. This case could have been treated leniently, but the law 30 years ago was far better than it is now.

It was much harsher. So, on my 23rd birthday, I was convicted of a felony and was locked on the deck of the sailing ship "Gloria Scott" with 37 other criminals and was exiled to Australia.

It was 1855, and the Crimean War was raging. Most of the ships originally carrying criminals were used for military transportation in the Black Sea, so the government had to use smaller and inappropriate ships to repatriate prisoners. "Glory

The "A. Scott" sailing ship was originally used for the tea business in China. It is very old in style. The bow is extremely heavy and the hull is extremely wide. Its speed has long lagged behind the new fast sailing ships. This three-masted sailing ship has a heavy load.

It was 500 tons. In addition to 38 prisoners, there were 26 sailors, 18 soldiers, 1 captain, 3 mates, 1 doctor, 1 chaplain and 4 jailers. It set sail from Falmouth

, there were approximately more than 100 people on board.

Generally, the partitions of the cells on convict ships are made of thick oak, but the partitions of the cells on this ship are very thin. When we were brought to the dock, I noticed one person in particular. He is now in prison.

In the stern cell next to me. This is a young man with a handsome face, no beard, a slender nose, and a flat mouth. He walks with his head held high and a proud look. The most conspicuous thing is that

He is extremely tall. I don't think anyone's head can reach his shoulders. He is at least 2.2 meters tall. Among the depressed and melancholic faces, I saw such a face full of energy and firm and decisive expression.

, that was extraordinary. Seeing this face was like discovering a fire in a snowstorm. I was very happy when I found him next to me. Late one night, there was silence around me, and a few whispers came to my ears. I looked back.

He actually dug a hole in the cell partition, which made me even more happy.

He said: 'Hi, my friend! What is your name? What is the crime of being imprisoned here?'

I answered him and asked who he was.

He said, 'My name is Jack Prendergast, and I swear to God you will understand my good before you break up with me.'

I have an impression of his case, because before I was arrested, his case caused a sensation in the country. He was from a well-known family and was very capable, but he was infected with a tumor-like bad habit and relied on meticulous fraud.

As a result, he defrauded a huge sum of money from a wealthy London businessman.

At this time he said proudly: 'Aha! You have remembered my case.'

I said, 'Yes, I remember it well.'

He said, 'Well, do you remember what was special about that case?'

I asked, 'What's different?'

He said: 'I got nearly a quarter of a million pounds, right?'

I replied: 'Others say there are so many.'

He said: 'You know, this stolen money has not been recovered.'

I replied: 'I don't know about this.'

He asked again: 'Hey, where do you think this huge sum of money is now?'

I said, 'I have no idea.'

He loudly said: 'This huge sum of money is still under my control. It's absolutely true! I have more gold pounds in my name than the hair on your head. Young man, if you have money in your hands, do you know how to do it?

If you take care of money and use it, you can do whatever you want. Hey! Don't think that a person who can do whatever he wants would be willing to wait for death in the smelly cargo hold of this dilapidated Chinese ship crawling with rats and beetles. No

, Sir, such a person will not only save himself, but also save his comrades. You can definitely do a great job! Stay close to him, and you can swear by the Bible that he will definitely rescue you.'

He spoke in this tone at that time. At first I didn't take it seriously, but after a few minutes, he started to test me again, and he swore to me very seriously that he did have an excellent secret plan to seize the ship.

. Before setting foot on the boat, 12 prisoners had made preparations in advance, with Prendergast taking the lead and using money as bait.

Prendergast said: 'I have an honest and reliable accomplice, he is a rare good man, and the money is with him. Where do you think this man is now? Well, he is the chaplain of this ship -

It's the priest, it's absolutely true! He was wearing a black coat on the ship, and his identity was very strong. The money in the box was enough to bribe anyone on the ship. All the sailors were his confidants. After the sailors signed their names, they were

Before hiring them, he bought them all with cash subsidies. The two jailers and the second mate Mailer were also bought by him. If he thought the captain was worth buying, the captain would also be bought by him.'

I asked, 'So, what exactly are we going to do?'

He said: 'What do you think? We are going to make a brighter red dress for some soldiers than any tailor can make.'

I said: 'But they are all armed.'

He said: 'Young man, can't we be armed? Each man should be equipped with two pistols. With all the sailors as our backing, if this ship cannot be captured, then we should have been sent to the boarding house long ago.

It's school. Tonight, talk to the person on your left and see if he is trustworthy.'

I did what he wanted. My neighbor on the left was a young man. His crime was counterfeiting currency and he was in the same situation as me. His original name was Evans, but now he has changed his name like me. He is a wealthy man in the south of England.

He is also a lucky man. He is very willing to participate in this secret operation, because this is the only way we can save ourselves. Therefore, before our boat crossed the bay, there were only two prisoners on the whole ship who did not participate in this secret operation.

We are worried about one of them being weak-willed, and the other is jaundiced and is worthless to us.

At the beginning, our operation to seize the ship went really smoothly. The sailors are a group of scoundrels, and they usually like to choose this kind of thing to do. The fake priest always came to our cabin to encourage us. He carried a black man on his shoulder.

The bag seemed to be full of scriptures, and he was very busy coming in and out. On the third day, each of us had an extra file, two pistols, 20 rounds of ammunition and a pound of explosives at the foot of the bed.

The two jailers were already Prendergast's followers, and the second officer also became his good assistant. In addition to the captain, two mates, two jailers, the doctor, Lieutenant Martin and his 18 soldiers on the ship

, it all belongs to our group. Even though things looked very certain, we still decided to be extra cautious and chose to carry out a surprise attack at night. However, the attack was much faster than we expected. The specific situation is as follows:

One night in the third week after our ship sailed, the doctor was visiting a prisoner. When he put his hand under the prisoner's bed, he happened to touch the outline of a pistol. If he had kept quiet at that time, it would have made our whole life miserable.

The plan failed, but he was as timid as a mouse. He screamed in fright on the spot, his face turned pale. The prisoner immediately understood what was going on and caught him in one fell swoop. He didn't have time to raise the alarm.

He was gagged and tied to the bed. The lock on the door leading to the deck was opened by the doctor when he came. We rushed out through the door and killed two sentries. A squad leader who came to see the situation was also killed by us.

Killed on the spot. There were two other soldiers guarding the door of the officer's cabin. Their muskets seemed not to be loaded with gunpowder, so they could not fire at us. They were also shot dead by us when they were preparing to attach their bayonets. When we swarmed towards the captain's cabin,

Gunshots had already sounded from inside. When I opened the door and took a look, I saw that the captain had been shot and collapsed, and his brains were bleeding onto the Atlantic chart pinned on the table. The priest was standing next to the dead body, the gun in his hand still smoking.

.The two mates have already been arrested, and everything seems to be a success.

The official cabin was adjacent to the captain's cabin. We rushed in there like a swarm, sat on the long chairs and talked freely, and were ecstatic to be free. The surroundings of the official cabin were piled with cargo boxes, and the fake pastor Wilson moved out a box.

We took out 27 bottles of brown wine. We broke the necks of the bottles and poured the wine into the wine glasses. Just as we were about to raise our glasses and drink, there was a burst of gunfire, and then the cabin was filled with smoke. It was impossible to see anything from a table away.

When the smoke dissipated, what we saw was a tragic scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere. Wilson and eight other people who fell on the ground were struggling to death. To this day, when I think of the blood and brown wine on the table, I still feel strange.

Disgusting. At that time, we were frightened by the scene in front of us. I think if Prendergast hadn't commanded Ruoding and led us to charge desperately, then I would have been dead like everyone else. I saw him like this

He roared like a bull and rushed out of the door. Everyone alive followed him and rushed out. We rushed outside the cabin and saw the lieutenant and his 10 soldiers standing at the stern. Above the official cabin was a rotating skylight.

Facing the table below, open a gap, and they can shoot us through the gap. The moment they reloaded the gunpowder, we took the opportunity to rush forward. Although they resisted bravely, we still had the upper hand, and the melee continued.

Within 5 minutes, they were all killed. God! This ship looked like a slaughterhouse! Prendergast lifted each soldier up like a child, dead or alive.

All of them were thrown into the sea alive. One sergeant who was seriously injured actually swam in the sea for a long time. Finally, a "good man" couldn't stand it anymore and shot him in the head. The battle was won.

Except for the remaining two jailers, two mates and a doctor, all other enemies have been eliminated.

We had a debate about how to deal with the remaining enemies. Many people were happy to have regained their freedom, and from the bottom of their hearts they did not want to kill anyone again. After all, killing soldiers with weapons is one thing, but killing innocent people

, but that’s a different matter. We, 5 prisoners and 3 sailors, a total of 8 people, agreed that there was no need to kill them, but Prendergast and his group insisted on killing them. He said to do it

Being neat and tidy was our only chance to win safety. He didn't want to leave anyone alive so that he wouldn't have to stand on the witness stand to have to talk. This difference of opinion almost caused us to be detained. After several discussions, he finally agreed that if we were willing

If he could, we could leave by ourselves in a small boat. We readily accepted this suggestion because we were already disgusted with this kind of bloody act. We knew that after this killing, more cruel things would happen. So, he sent each of us a letter.

A sailor's uniform and a compass, as well as a barrel of fresh water and a small barrel each of biscuits and corned beef. Prendergast threw us a nautical chart and told us that if anyone asked, we should say that it was a shipwreck.

The sailor on the ship sank at 15° north latitude and 25° west longitude. Then he cut the cable and let us drift down the river.

My dear child, the most thrilling part of this story is about to come. When there was a commotion on the ship, the sailors lowered the sails and sailed against the wind. However, after we left, they raised the sails again and gradually followed the northeast wind.

Sailed away and left us. Our small boat moved forward with the waves on the sea. Evans and I were the two most educated people in this group. We sat together and studied the charts to understand what we were doing.

The Cape Verde Islands are about 500 miles to the north and the African coast is about 700 miles to the east. Because the wind direction turns north, we

It was basically determined that it was best to sail to Sierra Leone, so we immediately turned the bow and sailed in this direction. At this time, looking from the back of the boat, we saw that the three-masted sailboat had only its masts exposed and its hull missing. We were looking at it, and suddenly

I saw a strong black smoke rising straight into the sky, like a black magic tree hanging in the sky. A few seconds later, there was a deafening sound. When the smoke dissipated, "Gloria Scott

The sailing ship "No. 1" has disappeared. We quickly turned the bow and sailed towards this place, but the smoke and dust on the sea still told the tragic story of the ship's death.

It took us quite a while to get there, and we were worried that we would arrive too late and not be able to save anyone at all. We only saw a broken boat and some broken masts floating on the sea, which reflected the

We found the place where the sailboat sank, but we didn't find any trace of a living person. Just when we turned the bow of the boat in frustration, we suddenly heard someone's cry for help, and then we saw a broken board not far away, lying upright.

We were holding a man. We quickly dragged him to the boat. It turned out to be a young sailor who had been burned. His name was Hedson. He was exhausted and could no longer speak. It was not until the next morning that he told us what had happened.

go through.

It turned out that after we left, Prendergast and his accomplices began to kill the remaining five imprisoned people. Two of them were shot by the jailer and then thrown into the sea by him. The third officer was also killed.

The same was true. Prendergast walked to the middle cabin and cut the poor doctor's throat with his own hands. At this time, only the brave and resourceful first mate was left. He looked at the man walking towards him with a bloody butcher knife.

Prendergast suddenly struggled to break free from the ropes that had been loosened in advance, ran to the deck, and got into the stern cabin. At the same time, 12 criminals armed with pistols rushed towards him, but saw him

Sitting next to a barrel of gunpowder, holding a box of matches in his hand. The barrel of gunpowder has been opened. There are a total of 100 barrels of gunpowder on the ship. The first mate swore that if anyone dared to touch him, he would have the entire ship buried with him.

Before he could finish speaking, there was a sudden explosion. Hedson thought that it was not the first mate who used a match to ignite the explosion, but that a prisoner shot the gunpowder barrel by mistake. But for whatever reason, Gloria S.

The schooner Cort' and some of its hijackers all met their demise.

My dear child, in a nutshell, the course of the horrific incident in which I participated was this. The next day, we were rescued by a brig, the "Hot Splash", bound for Australia. The captain of this ship, for

Our lie about the survivors of the passenger ship did not create any doubt. The transport ship "Gloria Scott" was recorded as a sea wreck by the Admiralty, but its true fate was unknown.

Nothing was leaked at all. After a smooth voyage, Hotspring ordered us to disembark in Sydney. Evans and I changed our names and went mining. Among people from all over the world, our previous identities were easily concealed.

The past has passed, and I don’t need to dwell on other things. We later became prosperous, traveled around a lot, returned to England as wealthy colonial residents, and even bought properties. For more than 20 years, we have worked diligently, lived and worked in peace and contentment, and hope to be the same as before.

I completely forgot about the incident. But later, this sailor came to the door, and I recognized him at first sight. The sailor we rescued from the wreckage of the shipwreck. It was easy to guess what I felt at that time. I didn’t know how he tracked him.

When we got here, he grasped our fearful heart and began to extort us. You should know now why I tried my best to be nice to him. Do you have some sympathy for the fear in my heart? Although he later left

I went to another deceived person, but he still threatened me.

When I wrote the following words, my hands were shaking so much that I could hardly read them. Beddoes wrote a secret letter saying that Hudson had reported everything. Oh, God, have mercy on us!

Watson, this is the story I read to my good friend little Trevor that night. The case can be said to be full of drama. After little Trevor experienced this turmoil, he moved to Trai to plant tea trees.

, I heard that he did a good job there. The sailor and Beddoes have lost any news and disappeared since they wrote the warning letter. The police station has not received any reports from anyone, but He De

Sen's threat was misunderstood by Bedos as fact. Someone found Hedson lurking nearby, and the police thought that he might have killed Bedos and then escaped. But I think the opposite is true. It is possible that Bedos was in dire straits.

Thinking that he had been reported by Hedson, he killed Hedson in revenge, and then fled abroad with all the cash. This is the case in this case, Watson, if these are helpful to you in collecting information, you can choose to use

, I am very happy.

【Legal Commentary】

The final destruction of the "Gloria Scott" was because a criminal accidentally hit the explosive barrel and exploded. Did he violate the relevant provisions of the crime of negligent explosion in China's "Criminal Law"? Regarding this issue, we believe: Negligence

The crime of explosion consists of the following elements:

First, the object of this crime is public security, that is, the lives and health of an unspecified majority of people, and the security of major public and private property.

Second, this crime objectively manifests itself as an act of causing an explosion negligently, endangering public safety, causing serious injury or death, or causing heavy losses to public or private property. In real life, negligent explosion behavior manifests itself in many forms.

They are diverse, but their common characteristics are all caused by the perpetrators not paying attention to safety in daily life. For example, throwing cigarette butts in a warehouse of flammable and explosive materials, causing explosions, etc. From the perspective of behavioral methods, negligent explosion behavior can either be

Actions can also be omissions. For the crime of negligent explosion completed by omission, the actor must bear specific obligations. To constitute the crime of negligent explosion, the actor's behavior must meet the following elements in objective terms: (1

) The actor committed an act that caused an explosion due to negligence. If the explosion was not caused by the actor's negligent behavior, but was caused by natural causes or other unforeseeable and irresistible reasons, the crime of negligent explosion will not be established. (2) Negligence.

The act of causing an explosion must endanger public safety, that is, endanger the lives and health of an unspecified number of people or the safety of major public or private property. (3) It must cause serious consequences. That is to say, it must cause serious injury or death to an unspecified number of people or cause serious damage to public or private property.

Major damage to property. If the harmful consequences have not yet occurred, or the harmful consequences have not yet reached the seriousness of causing serious injury or death or causing heavy losses to public or private property, it does not constitute the crime of negligent explosion. Therefore, if the consequences are serious, it constitutes negligent explosion.

An important sign of the crime. (4) There must be a causal relationship between the negligent act of causing an explosion and the serious consequences, that is, the serious consequences that cause serious injury, death, or heavy losses to public or private property must be caused by the perpetrator's negligent explosive behavior.

. This is the objective basis for the perpetrator’s criminal liability.

Third, the subject of this crime is a general subject, that is, anyone who has reached the legal age of criminal responsibility and has the ability to be criminally responsible can become the subject of this crime.

Fourth, this crime is manifested as negligence in the subjective aspect, which can be a fault of overconfidence. The perpetrator has foreseen that his behavior causing the explosion may cause serious consequences that endanger public safety, but believes that it can be avoided; it can also be a negligent fault.

Negligence, that is, the act should have foreseen that the explosive behavior may cause serious consequences that endanger public safety, but due to negligence and failure to foresee, such a result occurred. This feature is the subjective basis for the actor's criminal liability. Although the explosive behavior is objectively
Chapter completed!