943. Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of SILVER BLAZE 🐎 (Learn English with a Short Story) | Luke's ENGLISH Podcast - Learn British English with Luke Thompson

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You're listening to Luke's English Podcast. For more information, visit teacherluke .co .uk Hmm.

Interesting. Interesting.

So it seems you'd like to listen to another Sherlock Holmes story on Luke's English podcast. Well, you're in luck because today that is exactly what we're going to do.

Hello, welcome back to Luke's English podcast. And yeah, it's time for another story on the podcast because today I just would like to do another Sherlock Holmes story.

That's just what I would like to do today.

And I hope that that's what you would like to listen to as well.

Today, Today we're going to do a story called The Adventure of Silver Blaze, which is a Sherlock Holmes story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in 1892.

So it's quite an old story, but I've adapted the text in this story.

I've adapted it so it's all modern, up -to -date English, the kind of English that you can expect to be able to hear or use today.

So don't worry, it's not old -fashioned English.

it's a fairly old story a classic old story but with modern up -to -date english okay so the adventure of silver blaze the silver blaze in this story is actually a horse it's a race horse so this is the story of the disappearance of a famous race horse and also there's a murder involved a possible murder involved in the story as well so a race horse and horse racing horse Horse racing is actually a pretty big part of British culture and life and Irish culture as well.

There are regular horse races where horses are ridden by jockeys.

Those are the people who ride horses.

Horses being ridden by jockeys are ridden around a track and lots of people watch horse racing either at the racing ground or on television.

And also there's a lot of gambling involving people bet money and try to win money by choosing the horse they think is going to win and actually there's a lot of money involved often large sums of money are are won and lost in these horse races but it's a big tradition in the UK and horses are bred and trained at stables okay and often these stables are owned by families who have been breeding and training horses for generations so this is a very traditional part of our culture it's a long tradition the horses themselves are amazing they are beautiful specimens very athletic and incredible and very

fast and some of the horses that are bred and that are raced become major champions winning lots of different cups and trophies and races and things like that.

So horse racing is the context for this particular story.

And what we're going to do is we'll start the story in just a moment.

We're going to read through the story.

And what I'd like you to do is to become a kind of detective yourself.

In fact, you're going to be a sort of text detective for this story, meaning that you've got to pay close attention, listen carefully, and obviously try to follow the story, try to keep up up with the details.

Also, notice and pick up bits of vocabulary as we go.

And I'll be explaining various words and phrases, which I think might be useful or important for you to help you understand the story.

Try to notice the specific details of the case.

Speculate about what is going on.

Who is the suspect?

What is the motive, their reason for committing the crime in this story?

and I will explain as we go.

So I'll read a section of the story and then I'll pause and I'll explain what has happened to make sure that you are following and keeping up and that you, you know, pick up some bits of English from this.

And this episode, this is going to take as long as it needs to take in order for me to be able to finish the story and cover all the details that I need to cover, okay?

It is a short story.

The number of words is about 9 ,000 words, so that's typical for a short story.

But yes, short story, long episode.

It might be a long episode because obviously I'm going to need to take time to cover all the details and explain things properly because, you know, I'm doing this to help you learn English.

So there is a PDF for this episode and you'll find the link in the description.

On the PDF you can see the full story text that I'm reading from plus any other notes and things that I'm adding to the document as we go.

It would be a good idea for you to perhaps read this text after listening to the episode or you could try and read along with me at the same time if you want but it's definitely a good idea to read the story as well as just listen to it.

Okay I'm setting myself a 30 minute minute timer for a water break.

Then we just have some coffee as well before we begin, just, you know, to give me the energy I need to be able to do this.

Okay, and we are ready to begin.

So this is Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of Silver Blaze by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

And here we go. I'm afraid, Watson, that I'm going to have to leave, said Holmes, as we sat down together for breakfast one morning.

Leave? Where to? I asked.

To Dartmoor, to King's Pyland.

I wasn't surprised.

In fact, I'd been wondering why he hadn't already been involved in this extraordinary case which everyone in England was talking about.

For a whole day, Holmes had been pacing around the room with his chin on his chest and his brows furrowed, constantly packing and repacking his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, completely ignoring any questions or remarks I made.

Every new edition of the newspapers that arrived from our newsagent was barely glanced at before being tossed into a corner.

But although he was silent, I knew exactly what he was thinking about.

There was only one problem on everyone's mind at the time that could have captured his analytical powers, the mysterious disappearance of the favorite for the Wessex Cup and the tragic murder of its trainer.

So when he suddenly announced that he was going to the scene of the drama, it was exactly what I had expected and, truth be told, hoped for.

Let me just back up and recap what's happened there.

So Watson and Holmes, of course, this is is the famous duo.

Holmes, the detective, Watson, his friend, who is a doctor, who often accompanies him on his adventures and writes accounts of his cases, which we then read.

Okay, so Watson is the narrator.

Holmes says, I'm going to have to leave to Kings Pylond in Dartmoor.

So Kings Pylond is is the name of a stable where horses are bred and trained and so the stable is in Dartmoor which is a place in the southwest of England and it's a very atmospheric place it's a kind of area of land a moor a kind of raised area of land a kind of wilderness area quite a large area where there isn't very much there aren't many buildings it's mainly just open fields maybe a few trees hills hills uh some bits of rock and stuff it's actually the location of one of arthur conan doyle's other stories uh the hound of the baskervilles so it's this wilderness area uh quite a mysterious

place this is where the horse stables are at king's pyland and uh watson is not surprised to learn that holmes is going to go there because he's been following the story there's a a famous story story in the newspapers about the disappearance of this famous racehorse and the murder of the horse's trainer.

So Watson is not surprised that Holmes is going to go there because he's been wondering when Holmes would actually start talking about this.

For the entire day, Holmes has been walking up and down.

He's been pacing, pacing around the room, walking kind of quickly around round the room with his brows furrowed with this kind of serious expression on his face constantly packing and repacking his pipe so he's smoking a lot which is what he does when he's in deep thought and every time the news a new edition of the newspaper arrived he kind of read it quickly and then threw it into the corner so what's on Holmes's mind is the disappearance of the favourite for the Wessex Cup and the tragic murder of its trainer.

So let's continue. I'd be very happy to come with you if I wouldn't be in the way, I said.

My dear Watson, I'd be most grateful for your company, and I think you'll find it's time well spent, because there are aspects of this case that promise to make it absolutely unique.

I believe we just have enough time to to catch the train from Paddington, and I'll explain more about it on the journey.

Could you do me a favour and bring your excellent field glasses with you?

Field glasses, these are binoculars, you know, things that you use to look over a long distance, you know, like bird watchers use binoculars.

Could you bring your excellent field glasses with you, says Holmes.

And so it was that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first -class carriage speeding along to Exeter.

Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed by his ear -flap travelling cap, was rapidly leafing through a bundle of fresh newspapers he'd bought at Paddington.

We'd already left Reading far behind before he finally shoved the last paper under the seat and offered me his cigar case.

We're making good time, he said, glancing out of the window and checking his watch. We're travelling at 53 and a half miles an hour.

I haven't been watching the quarter -mile posts, I said.

Nor have I, but the telegraph poles along this line are 60 yards apart, and it's an easy calculation.

I presume you've been following the case of John Straker's murder and Silver Blaze's disappearance.

I've read what the Telegraph and The Chronicle have reported.

It's one of those cases where a reasoner's skill is better used to sort through the details than to hunt for new evidence.

The tragedy has been so unusual, so complete, and so personally significant for so many people that we're drowning in speculation, guesswork, and theories.

The real challenge is to separate the solid, undeniable facts from all the embellishments of the theorists and journalists.

Once we've got those facts straight, our job is to see what conclusions we can draw and identify the key points that the whole mystery depends on.

On Tuesday evening I received telegrams from both Colonel Ross, the owner of the horse, and from Inspector Gregory, who's in charge of the case, asking for my help.

Tuesday evening, I exclaimed, and it's already Thursday morning.

Why didn't you go down there yesterday?

Because I made a mistake, my dear Watson, which I'm afraid happens more often than you might think, especially if you only know me through your memoirs.

I simply couldn't believe that the most famous horse in England could stay hidden for long, especially in such a sparsely populated place as Northern Dartmoor.

All day yesterday, I was waiting to hear that the horse had been found along with the person who killed John Straker.

But when another morning came and all that had happened was the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson, I realised it was time for me to get involved.

Yet, in some ways, I don't think yesterday was a waste.

You formed a theory then?

At the very least, I've got a firm grasp of the key facts.

Let me lay them out for you.

There's There's nothing like explaining a case to someone else to make it clearer, and I can hardly expect your help if I don't show you the starting point we're working from." Okay, let me just back up here and summarise what's going on.

Off they go to Paddington train station to catch a train down to Exeter, which is the nearest city to Dartmoor.

That's where they're going.

and on the train, Holmes is looking through some more newspapers and when he's finished looking through them all, he offers Watson a cigar and so they sit there puffing on cigars and starting to talk about the case.

Holmes comments on the fact that the train is going a certain speed and he's worked this out by looking at the telegraph poles.

poles. These are wooden poles that connect telegraph lines, telephone lines.

So he's worked out that, you know, because they're 60 yards apart, he can tell what speed they're going at.

Anyway, they start talking about the case.

Holmes is saying that the best way to deal with the situation is for him to look at the details which are already available rather than going out hunting for new evidence at this stage.

And what's important is that we can separate the actual facts facts of the case from the embellishments of journalists and other people who are retelling the story.

Because it's an important case for so many people, because obviously so much money is involved, because this horse is the favourite for this big race.

I can't remember the name of the race now, the something cup.

Because the horse is the favourite, lots of people have been betting money on it.

There's a lot of money involved in this.

And so a a lot of people are interested in this and as a result a lot of people are talking about it but what Holmes wants to do is get to the actual facts of the case rather than being influenced by other people's interpretations of what's going on he says we're drowning in speculation if you're drowning normally that means that you're under the water and you can't breathe right so you're drowning in water normally in this case they are drowning in speculation guesswork and theories So there are so many theories and there is so much speculation about this that they, you know, they're drowning

in it, you know, but yeah, they need to separate the actual solid facts from all of these theories and things.

And once they've got the facts straight, they can identify the key points that the whole mystery depends on.

So Holmes has been contacted by the owner of the horse, the owner of the stables, that's Colonel Ross.

And also he's been contacted by Inspector Gregory, that's the police inspector who's in charge of the case, asking for his help.

they sent him a telegram which was the old form of communication in those days of you know like kind of a basic sort of telegraph message holmes has actually waited several days before going down to exeter going to dartmoor because he thought that the horse couldn't be hidden for that long that it would be impossible really to hide such a famous horse in such a sparsely populated place, meaning in a place where there are relatively few hiding places for the horse, he thought that the horse would basically turn up.

But since that hasn't happened, he realised that it's actually time for him to head down straight away.

A man called Fitzroy Simpson has been arrested.

So he seems to be the prime suspect.

And so it seems that even though Holmes did not go down yesterday he has got some kind of theory going on uh let's find out what's what that is or let's let's find out the details now of the case because that's what Holmes is going to do he's going to explain it to Watson uh so here we go I leaned back against the cushions puffing on my cigar while Holmes leaned forward using his long thin forefinger to tick off the the points on the palm of his left hand as he gave me a rundown of the events that had led us to take this trip silver blaze he said comes from the somami bloodline and has as brilliant

a track record as his famous ancestor he's now five years old and has one by one brought home every racing prize to his lucky owner colonel ross up until the disaster he was the favorite for the wessex cup Cup, with the odds 3 -1 in his favour.

He's always been hugely popular with racing fans, and he's never let them down, so even at those odds people had bet huge amounts of money on him.

It's clear, then, that there were plenty of people with a very strong interest in making sure Silver Blaze wasn't at the starting line next Tuesday.

Of course, this This fact was well understood at King's Pyland, where the Colonel's training stables are.

Every possible precaution was taken to protect the favourite.

The trainer, John Straker, was a retired jockey who'd ridden for Colonel Ross before he got too heavy to make weight.

He had worked for the Colonel for five years as a jockey, and then seven as a trainer, and he'd always proved himself to be dedicated and honest. He had three stable boys under him, because the training yard was quite small.

One of these boys stayed up each night to guard the stables, while the others slept in the loft. All three had excellent reputations.

John Straker, who was married, lived in a small house about 200 yards from the stables.

He had no children, just one maid, and was comfortably well off.

The surrounding countryside is very remote, but about half a mile to the north, there's a little cluster of houses built by a Tavistock contractor for invalids and others who want to enjoy the fresh Dartmoor air.

Tavistock itself is two miles to the west, and across the moor, also about two miles away, is the larger training establishment of Mapleton, owned by Lord Backwater and managed by Silas Brown.

In every other direction, the moor is an empty wilderness inhabited only by a few wandering gypsies.

That was the situation on Monday night when the disaster took place.

That evening, the horses had been exercised and watered as usual and the stables were locked up at nine o 'clock.

Two of the boys went up to the trainer's house to have supper in the kitchen, while the third, Ned Hunter, stayed on guard. yard. A few minutes after nine, the maid, Edith Baxter, carried his supper down to the stables.

It was a dish of curried mutton.

She didn't take any drink for him, since there was a water tap in the stables, and the rule was that the boy on duty should drink nothing else.

Edith carried a lantern with her, because it was very dark and the path ran across the open moor.

Edith Baxter was within 30 yards of the stables when a man appeared out of the darkness and called for her to stop.

As he stepped into the yellow circle of the lantern light she saw that he looked like a gentleman dressed in a grey tweed suit with a cloth cap.

He wore gaiters and carried a heavy stick with a knob on the end.

But what really struck her was how pale his face was and how how nervous he seemed.

She thought he must have been a bit over thirty.

Can you tell me where I am?

he asked. I was almost about to sleep on the moor when I saw your lantern.

You're very close to the king's pile and training stables, she said.

Oh really? What luck!

he said. I understand there's a stable boy who sleeps there alone every night.

That must be his supper you're carrying.

Now I'm sure you wouldn't mind earning enough for a new dress, would you?

He took a small folded piece of white paper out of his waistcoat pocket.

Make sure the boy gets this tonight and you'll have the prettiest dress money can buy.

She was frightened by how intense he was and ran past him to the window she usually used to pass the meals through.

It was already open and Hunter was sitting at the small table inside.

She had just started to tell him what had happened when the stranger came up again.

Good evening, he said, looking through the window.

I wanted to have a word with you.

The girl later swore that as he spoke she saw the corner of that small packet sticking out of his closed hand.

What business have you here?

the boy asked. It's business that could put some money in your pocket, the stranger said.

he'd said you've got two horses in the wessex cup silver blaze and bayard give me the inside story and you won't regret it is it true that at the weights bayard could beat silver blaze by a hundred yards in five furlongs and that the stables actually betting on him so you're one of those damn touts the boy shouted i'll show you how we deal with them at king's pylons He jumped up and ran across the stable to let loose the dog.

The girl fled back to the house, but as she ran, she looked back and saw the stranger leaning through the window.

A minute later, though, when Hunter ran out with the hound, the man was gone.

Even though he searched all around the buildings, he couldn't find any trace of him.

Right, okay, let's stop there.

a lot of details a lot of important details in the case i hope that you're managing to keep up with this i understand it's probably going to be difficult to keep up with every detail but you know do your best and hopefully these moments when i summarize will help you to understand what's going on so let me give you a summary of the case so far quite a lot of important details at this point so the the victim or victims there's silver blaze of course the horse the The five -year -old prize -winning racehorse, it's disappeared.

Its owner is Colonel Ross.

Yes, the horse disappeared on Monday night just before the Wessex Cup.

So the Wessex Cup is due to happen in a few days, I understand.

This is a big horse race.

And Silverblaze was the favourite to win the race with odds of three to one in horse racing or in gambling.

gambling um there are odds uh these uh tell you first of all what the chances are of that horse winning but also how much money you could win if you bet on the horse and three to one basically means that uh if you put one pound on the horse you'll win three pounds so the the odds are actually quite low uh which means that there's a very good chance that this horse will win the race which is why the odds are low meaning that the amount of money that you will win if you put if you bet on it is actually quite low because obviously another horse that probably won't win if you bet money on that let's

say another horse that's got a 20 to 1 which has got odds of 20 to 1 for example you could win a lot of money by betting on it but But the chances are it's not going to win, which is why the odds in that case are quite big.

But odds of three to one.

Odds of three to one suggests, yes, this horse is probably going to win.

And if you bet, let's say, 10 pounds, you would win 30 pounds.

So that's what three to one means.

John Straker was the trainer of Silver Blaze and other horses at the stable.

He was murdered the same night as the horse's disappearance.

And there is more information to come about that.

Possible motives, then, for making Silver Blaze disappear.

Silver Blaze was a heavy favourite with large amounts of money riding on his success.

So there's a clear incentive for saboteurs to remove him from the race to influence betting outcomes.

comes. Saboteurs are people who do sabotage.

Sabotage is basically doing something that will stop something happening.

In this case, maybe kidnapping a horse to stop people winning money on it in a race.

Other kinds of sabotage might be, I don't know, let's say there are rival Rival podcasters.

Rival podcasters who want to stop Luke's English podcast because they want, you know, because they're fed up with people listening to it and they want people to listen to their podcast instead.

dead and so they might sabotage luke's english podcast how would they do that i don't know maybe they'd cut the cables of my microphone without me realizing or they would like switch off my internet connection somehow or or maybe even they'd kidnap me and stick me in the back of a van put a bag over my head and i don't know um put some put some duct tape over my mouth so i can't speak that would be an example of sabotage and the people who do that would be saboteurs so in this case there's a clear incentive for saboteurs to sabotage silver blaze removing him from the race because it would influence

betting outcomes right um yeah and also there's potential for bribery or foul play there's a phrase that's that i explained recently in my episodes about expressions from Shakespeare foul play is one of those phrases that we got from the work of Shakespeare foul play is basically sort of criminal behavior of some kind right in this case some sort of yeah criminal behavior to benefit rival horses also racing to benefit benefit people who are betting on the race in some way.

Bribery involves giving someone money to influence what they do.

Typically, bribery involves giving money to the police or giving money to the authorities.

For example, if you've been stopped by the police for speeding in your car and the police officer says, can I see your driver's license, please?

And you go, certainly, Certainly, certainly, officer.

There you go. There's my driver's license.

And you also give them a 50 pound note like that.

There's my let me just get let me just get it for you.

And you give them the license.

And there's a 50 pound note there as well.

And you say, I'm sure everything's going to be fine, isn't it, officer?

There you are. and the officer goes um yes you're yes this seems to be fine everything seems to be in order there you go carry on sorry for bothering you or or the police officer says um excuse me do you know that bribery is a summary offense or bribery is a crime bribing a police officer is a very serious offense oh i didn't know it was just oh was there a 50 pound note there oh i'm sorry officer no no no there's my license so obviously bribery is a is a serious crime uh bribing a police officer or in this case bribing um the stable worker to give information about the horse that could help someone

bet and win the bet right so okay bribery uh and the murder maybe straker was murdered during the act of sabotage in some way but we will see um what about the people involved There's John Straker, the trainer.

He was a former jockey.

As I said before, jockeys are the people who ride the horses.

OK, we call them jockeys in races.

Now he's a trainer for the stable owner, Colonel Ross.

Straker was employed for 12 years by Ross, five years as a jockey and then seven years as a trainer.

so he's been with ross for quite a long time he's apparently a respected person he's married he's childless doesn't have any children he lives only 200 yards from the stables a yard is is similar to a meter it's slightly less than a meter in length so that's what it's in a sort of imperial measurement form of measurement um so he lives not far from the stables really just a just like um walking distance from the stables he has one maid that's a a woman or a girl who works for him the stable boys these are three boys which are employed to work at the stables only three of them every night one of the boys guards

the stables obviously there to protect them because these horses are very important and valuable the other two sleep in the loft they They sleep on the top floor of the building.

All of the boys have good reputations.

None of them are suspicious.

The boy that was on duty the night of this particular incident was Ned Hunter.

This happens. The location is at King's Pylon Training Stables.

There's a small yard with four horses, including Silver Blaze.

it's in dartmoor in this remote place it's remote means it's uh not it's far from other things so there's a lot of wilderness around it's in the middle of the the the moor so not many other buildings around it's remote it's cut off from other places there are a few other places near nearby in in the north half a mile to the north which is what's that what's half a mile it's it's just under a kilometer away in the north there are a few houses for invalids invalids i have to say it's a slightly old -fashioned word but it just means um people who are disabled or people with health conditions but maybe

sick people or something there so there's a few houses for or people who are sick, or people with different health conditions who can enjoy the fresh air of Dartmoor.

So there's a place for some sort of sick or disabled people in the north.

Two miles to the west of the stables is the town of Tavistock.

Two miles across the moor, there is another stables.

this one is Mapleton stables a rival of Kings Pyland owned by Lord Backwater and managed by Silas Brown so this is a rival stables and then in terms of the rest of the moor it's basically empty open moorland grass fields with a few gypsies these are traveling people who who um stay on the land camping in their tents or in their caravans okay in terms of the timeline of the event so far that's my that's my alarm for water there in terms of a timeline for events nine o 'clock p .m the horses were exercised and watered uh the stables were then locked two boys went to Straker's house for supper that's

basically like a late dinner ned hunter the third boy stayed to guard the stables edith baxter that's the maid she brought supper to hunter she brought him his dinner his supper it was curried mutton which is basically like sheep curried sheep a sheep meat is known as mutton lamb is young sheep mutton is is adult sheep meat okay and no drink as per the rules the rules are that the boys on duty are not allowed to drink anything but water for understandable reasons we don't want them drinking beer or something and getting drunk because they've got to look after the stables there's water available

at the stables and that's what they drink so curried a dish of curried mutton and water available at the stables edith also carried a lantern a light across the dark moor she had to walk across the moor to go from the house to the stables okay 200 you remember 200 yards so the incident so within 30 yards of the stable so just as she was approaching the stable a man emerged from the darkness came out of the darkness and stopped edith the maid The description of him is that he had a gentlemanly appearance, so he was kind of well -dressed, fairly smartly dressed in a suit, a tweed suit.

Tweed is normally the kind of material that a gentleman might wear if he's in the countryside, kind of like a brown rough wool or cotton suit.

a cloth cap and gaiters gaiters are sort of things that cover the the the lower part of your leg they're like waterproof covers that go from the shoes up until the knees so he's dressed in a way that that would be suitable for walking in in the countryside and he carried a knobbed stick this is a walking stick with a knob on the top like that's like a large wooden wooden top.

Okay. A large round wooden top, uh, a stick with a knob on it, which you could imagine could be used as a weapon.

You know, um, he had a pale face, which I suppose is considered to be suspicious.

You know, if someone looks pale, he doesn't think what's wrong with them and a nervous manner.

So he was kind of like intense and a bit seemed a bit nervous.

Um, his estimated age was early 30s and he asked for directions he pretend it seemed to be pretending to be lost and then the maid confirmed that he was near King's Pylons so she confirmed his proximity to King's Pylons and then he attempted to bribe Edith it seems yeah he attempted to bribe her to give hunter a folded piece of white paper so he was basically saying give this paper to the stable boy and if you do that you'll have the prettiest dress money can buy so he's trying to bribe her saying that if you do this i'll give you money that you can spend on a really nice dress so he's trying

to bribe her to do it she was alarmed you know like huh who's this man and refused and said no and she ran to the stable um then the stranger appeared at the stable window this is the window that she normally uses to pass the food into the into the stable he appeared at the window and tried to bribe hunter the stable boy he asked about silver blaze and another horse called bayard um and suggested inside knowledge about betting on bayard and performance comparison harrison so he started talking about oh is it true that bayard is faster than than silver blaze and that actually the stable is betting

on bayard is this true so he's trying to get inside information and he implied that large sums of money could be made so he suggested that if the stable boy gives him this inside information that that he will give him lots of money so it's sort of suspicious behavior trying to get information about the horse hunter reacted angrily identifying him as a tout a tout is a person who will trade information about a horse race right they will give tips they'll give advice to people betting on horses in and in exchange they want money OK, so they'll say, I've got it.

I've got some information about Silver Blaze in this race.

I've got some inside information.

I'll let you know. But you've got to give me a share of the winnings.

That's a tout, a kind of dodgy, suspicious person who's involved in unfair behavior, sharing inside information in order to help people bet.

And they want to get money in return.

turn and uh you know the the respectable people who run the horse races don't like touts because it's kind of like borderline criminal behavior and it also messes with the the whole betting system that's going on um so uh hunters identified him as a tout and told him to go away he tried to to unleash the dog, the hound, right, to chase him away.

Edith ran away. She fled.

She ran away. And as she looked back, she saw the man leaning through the window as she ran.

So what was he doing leaning through the window?

Then moments later, Hunter, the stable boy, came out with the dog.

He emerged with the dog, but the stranger had vanished.

He'd gone and no trace of him was found after searching the premises nothing at all okay so this is a bit odd isn't it the same night that the horse disappeared this character turned up being suspicious trying to bribe people at the stables and apparently looking for inside information about the horse race and he also leaned through the window um at one point what was he doing okay let's continue actually wait wait before we do that let me drink some water from a non -plastic receptacle cheers okay fully hydrated let's continue uh one moment i said when the stable boy ran out with the dog did he

leave the door unlocked behind him excellent watson excellent my friend murmured That point struck me as being so important that I sent a special telegram to Dartmoor yesterday to clear it up The boy locked the door before he left and I should add that the window was too small for a man to get through Hunter waited until the other stable boys returned and then he sent a message to the trainer to tell him what had happened Straker was alarmed by the news although it doesn't seem like he fully understood how serious it was Still, it left him clearly uneasy and at one in the morning, Mrs Straker

woke up to find him getting dressed.

When she asked him why, he said he couldn't sleep because he was worried about the horses and that he was going to walk down to the stables to check that everything was all right.

She begged him to stay home because she could hear the rain pattering against the window.

But despite her pleas, he put on his large raincoat and left the house.

us. Mrs Straker woke up at seven in the morning to find that her husband hadn't come back.

She quickly dressed, called the maid and hurried to the stables.

The door was open and inside Hunter was slumped on a chair in a deep stupor.

The favourite stall was empty and there was no sign of the trainer.

The two lads who slept in the hayloft above the harness room were were woken up straight away.

They hadn't heard anything during the night, as they're both heavy sleepers.

Hunter was clearly under the effects of some powerful drug, and as no sense could be got out of him, they let him sleep it off, while the two lads and the two women ran out to search for the missing trainer and horse.

At first, they still hoped that the trainer might have taken the horse out early to exercise him.

But when they climbed the hill near the house, from which they could see the whole of the surrounding moors, they couldn't see any trace of the missing favourite.

Instead, they saw something that warned them they were dealing with a tragedy.

About a quarter of a mile from the stables, John Straker's overcoat was hanging from a gorse bush.

Just beyond, there was a hollow in the moor, and at the bottom of it they found the dead body of the unfortunate trainer.

His head had been crushed by a brutal blow from a heavy weapon, and he had a long clean cut on his thigh, obviously made by something very sharp.

It was clear, however, that Straker had put up a fierce fight.

In his right hand he was clutching a small knife, its blade covered in blood right up to the handle.

In his left hand he was gripping a red and black silk scarf which the maid recognised as the same one worn the night before by the stranger who'd come to the stables.

When Hunter recovered from his stupor he too was certain that the scarf belonged to the stranger.

He was also absolutely convinced that the same man while standing at the window had drugged his curried mutton and put the stables night watch out of action.

As for the missing horse, there was plenty of evidence in the muddy ground of the hollow that it had been there at the time of the struggle.

But since that morning, the horse has vanished, and despite a large reward being offered and the gypsies of Dartmoor being on the lookout, no one has seen him.

Finally, tests have shown that the remains of Hunter's supper contained a noticeable amount of pounded opium, while the same dish eaten at the house that night had no such effect on anyone else.

Those, Watson, are the main facts of the case, stripped of all speculation and stated as plainly as possible.

Now, let me sum up what the police have done.

OK, I need to stop there in order to just kind of back up and explain what we've had had up to this point so watson asks homes if uh when the stable boy went out with the dog if he locked the door behind him and uh homes said yes excellent point he did in fact lock the door and also the window uh was too small for a man to get through so the door was locked and no one could get through the window so um apparently this suspicious man probably didn't go into the into the the building right um hunter the staple boy waited until the other staple boys returned and then he sent a message to the trainer

right so then so after this suspicious character had had been seen um the two the two other staple staple boys were told about this straker the trainer was told he seemed very alarmed um although he didn't seem to understand how serious it really was but he seemed to be uneasy anxious about this his wife mrs straker to woke up at one o 'clock in the morning seeing um her husband getting dressed she asked him what he was doing he said he was worried about the horses and that he was going to go down to the stables to check on them um she wanted him to stay at home because she could hear that it was raining

outside uh she said please please please don't um don't go out but despite this he still put on his large raincoat and left the house then at seven o 'clock in the morning uh the next day she woke up to see that that her husband had not come back, so he wasn't in the house, she quickly got dressed, called the maid, hurried to the stables.

In the stables, they saw that the door was open.

Hunter, the stable boy, was slumped on a chair in a deep stupor.

So he was like slumped over, meaning not sitting up straight, but kind of as if, you know, if you fall asleep in a chair, you might be slumped over.

Or if you've been drugged and you're completely unconscious, you might be slumped over.

So not sitting up straight, but kind of leaning over, maybe over the side of the chair or leaning forwards over his knees or something.

Clearly, he'd been drugged in some way and was completely unconscious.

unconscious the stall where um silver blaze was kept was empty the horse was gone and the trainer um straker was also gone the two lads who slept above in the in the room above hadn't noticed anything because they normally sleep very uh heavily so they hadn't noticed anything so they They have no evidence to give.

Hunter obviously had been drugged.

The two other lads and the two women, so that's the maid and the wife, go out to look for the horse and look for the trainer.

They thought that maybe he'd gone out with the horse to practice, to exercise.

But when they climbed a hill to get high ground where they could see all around the moor, around the stables they couldn't see the horse anywhere but they could see a couple of other things that were a bit concerning about a quarter of a mile away they saw John Straker's coat hanging from a bush so hanging from a kind of low tree they could see his coat hanging there and just beyond that there was a hollow in the moor so that's like a dip in the ground a low area of the ground.

At the bottom of that dip, they found Straker's dead body.

His head had been crushed by a brutal blow from a heavy weapon.

He had a bad head injury.

It had been crushed, meaning it had been broken by a heavy weapon of some kind.

Could that be the stick with the um with the knob you know that big wooden knob on the end of that man's stick could it be that that sort of seems to be the logical conclusion there so his head had been badly crushed by a heavy weapon he also had a long clean cut on his thigh as if his thigh that's the upper part of his leg had been cut by a knife so um but uh straker clearly had had put up a fight so it seems that he'd been involved in some kind of fight.

In his right hand he had a small knife the blade was covered in blood completely covered in blood, this small knife and in his other hand he had a red and black silk scarf which everyone, the boy and the maid confirmed belonged to the stranger who had turned up earlier that night.

So Straker, the dead trainer, had this in his hand.

Okay. Yeah, it turns out that the stable boy, Hunter, his food had been drugged with opium, which is why he passed out.

So somebody put opium in his food.

And Hunter believes that it was the man, this suspicious man who turned up.

he believes that when he leaned in the window he must have drugged his food.

The other food, the same food that was eaten in the house that evening had no opium in it and no one else experienced the same symptoms. So those are all the main facts and now Holmes is going to summarize what the police have done.

Okay so here we go.

Inspector Gregory who's in charge of the case is an extremely capable officer.

If only he had a bit more imagination, he could go far in his career.

As soon as he arrived, he quickly arrested the man who was the obvious suspect.

It wasn't hard to find him, as he lived in one of those little houses I mentioned.

His name, it turns out, is Fitzroy Simpson.

He's a man of good birth and education who squandered his fortune gambling on horse racing and now makes a living as a low -key bookmaker in London's sporting clubs.

An examination of his betting book showed that he had placed bets totalling £5 ,000 against the favourite, Silver Blaze.

When he was arrested, he volunteered that he'd come down to Dartmoor to try to get some information about the King's Pile and Horses and also about Desborough, the second favourite, which is trained by Silas Brown at the Mapleton Stables.

He didn't try to deny what he'd done the night before but he claimed he had no evil intentions he just wanted to get some first -hand information.

When he was shown his scarf he went very pale and couldn't explain how it ended up in the murdered man's hand.

His wet clothes showed that he'd been out in the storm that night and And his stick, a Penang lawyer weighted with lead, was exactly the sort of weapon that could have caused the trainer's terrible injuries.

On the other hand, he didn't have any wounds on him, while the state of Straker's knife suggested that at least one of his attackers would have been marked by it.

That's everything, Watson.

All the facts in a nutshell.

If you have any thoughts or ideas, I'd be grateful to hear them.

So just again, a little bit of detail here.

Obviously just interrupting just to make sure everyone's keeping up.

So the police basically have arrested this suspicious character.

His name is Fitzroy Simpson, apparently a man of good birth and education.

So he comes from a good, reputable family, well educated, but he squandered his fortune, meaning he lost all of his money that he probably inherited from his family.

He lost all his money gambling on horse racing.

And these days he makes his money as a low key bookmaker in London sporting clubs.

A bookmaker is someone who deals in bets in gambling.

So if you if you want to bet on a horse, you could go to a bookmaker and they will arrange the bet for you.

He's a low -key bookmaker, so not a very respectable bookmaker, kind of like a low -level bookmaker in London sporting clubs.

Examining his betting book showed that he'd bet £5 ,000 against Silver Blaze.

And when he was arrested, he was happy to admit that he went to Dartmoor only to get information about the horses.

horses, he wanted to get information about Silver Blaze, but also he wanted to get information about a horse from the other stable, which was across the Moor, run by Silas Brown, Mapleton Stables.

He also wanted to get information there.

He didn't deny what he'd done the night before, visiting the stables, trying to bribe people, trying to get information.

He was willing willing to admit that but he said he had no evil intentions he just wanted information when he was shown the scarf which um straker the dead trainer had in his hand he went very pale so the color went out of his face and he couldn't explain how this ended up in the murdered man's hand he was like i don't know how that how he got that um his clothes were wet which showed that He'd been in the storm, he'd been out in the storm the previous night.

And his stick, a Penang lawyer, I suppose that's a certain type of walking stick.

The wooden knob on the top was weighted with lead.

So it was a very, lead is that heavy metal. So the top of the stick was very heavy.

And he's exactly the sort of weapon that could have caused the head injury.

and but he didn't have any injuries on his body at all and the fact that straker's knife was covered in blood suggests that one of his attackers must have been cut by the knife but simpson has got no marks on his body at all so there you go those are the facts in a nutshell hello listeners meet lisa hey there lisa runs an online boutique specializing in and sustainable fashion.

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Let's continue. I listened with great interest to Holmes' clear and methodical account.

Although I already knew most of the facts, I hadn't really understood their true significance or how they all connected.

Isn't it possible, I suggested, that the cut on Straker's thigh could have been caused by his own knife in a fit of convulsive movements after the blow to his head.

It's not just possible, it's actually likely, said Holmes.

In that case, one of the strongest arguments against the accused disappears.

And yet, I said, even now I can't see what theory the police are working with.

I'm afraid that any theory we come up with is going to have some serious problems, Holmes replied.

glide. The police, as I understand it, believe that this Fitzroy Simpson drugged the boy and somehow got hold of a duplicate key to open the stable door and take the horse out, planning to kidnap him altogether.

The bridle is missing, so Simpson must have put it on the horse.

Then, having left the door open behind him, he was leading the horse away across the moor when he he either met or was caught up by the trainer.

Naturally, a fight broke out.

Simpson then killed Straker by beating his head in with his heavy stick without receiving any injury himself from the small knife Straker used in self -defence.

After that, the thief either led the horse away to some secret hiding place or else it bolted during the struggle and has been wandering the moors ever since.

That's how the police see it.

And unlikely as it is, they think it's still more likely than any other explanation.

However, I'll soon be able to test that theory when I'm actually at the scene.

And until then, I don't see how we can take it much further.

OK, so this is the police's theory.

OK, this is the police's theory that Simpson drugged Hunter with the opium and And then somehow managed to get a duplicate key, that's another key, a copy of the key, to open the stable, to go in, to put the bridle on the horse.

That's the kind of leather straps that go around the horse's head that allow you to then lead it, you know, so that the bridle is the straps that you can hold when you're leading the horse along, the bridle.

He put the bridle on the horse.

This is the theory.

And then Simpson took the horse out in order to then presumably hide it somewhere.

Then the theory goes that he somehow met Straker, who maybe ran out to intercept him.

And they had a fight.

and during the fight simpson whacked straker on the head with the stick killing him um and that is that um watson suggests that maybe the cut on straker's leg could have been caused by his own knife that maybe when he was moving convulsively because you know if someone gets hit on the head they might their arms and legs might move in an uncontrolled way you know convulsions that maybe when this was happening maybe he cut his own leg and Holmes agrees that this is likely meaning this is probably what happened okay all right so this is the kind of official version this is the official theory okay

Holmes says that he'll be able to test the theory when he's actually at the scene of the crime but until then he doesn't know how we can take it much further.

All right, so let's move on.

It was evening by the time we reached the small town of Tavistock, which sits like the boss of a shield in the middle of the vast circle of Dartmoor.

So it's right in the centre.

Two gentlemen were waiting for us at the station.

One was a tall fair man with a mane of hair and beard like a lion and striking pale blue eyes that seemed to see right through you.

The other was a small, neat, energetic man in a frock coat and gaiters with tidy little side whiskers and a monocle.

This was Colonel Ross, the well -known sportsman.

The tall man was Inspector Gregory, who was quickly making a name for himself in the detective service.

I'm very glad you've come down, Mr Holmes, said the Colonel.

The Inspector here has done everything possible, but I want to make sure that we leave no stone unturned in finding out what happened to poor Straker and in getting my horse back.

Have there been any new developments?

Holmes asked. I'm sorry to say we've made very little.

This is the inspector, right?

I'm sorry to say we've made very little progress, said the inspector.

We have an open carriage waiting outside and since I'm sure you'll want to see the place before it gets dark, perhaps we can discuss us things as we drive.

A few minutes later we were all seated in a comfortable Landau, rattling through the narrow streets of the old Devonshire town.

Inspector Gregory was deep in the case and kept up a steady stream of observations, while Holmes occasionally interrupted with a question or comment.

Colonel Ross sat back with his arms folded, his hat pulled down over his eyes, and I listened intently to the two detectives' discussion.

Gregory was outlining his theory, which was almost exactly the same as what Holmes had described to me on the train so these two people Inspector Gregory right tall um fair meaning light -colored hair um and um with sort of piercing blue eyes apparently he's the inspector making a name for himself meaning getting a reputation for being a good inspector and then Colonel Ross in a long coat the owner of the stable who's very keen to find out what's happened and now they're in a cab sort of a taxi going through the streets of this town Tavistock in Devonshire south -west England in the middle of Dartmoor So this is Inspector Gregory

speaking speaking, we've built quite a strong case around Fitzroy Simpson, Gregory said.

I really think he's our man, but I do realise that all the evidence is circumstantial and a new development could change everything.

What about Straker's knife?

Holmes asked. We've pretty much concluded that he cut himself as he fell.

My friend Watson suggested that to me on the way down, Holmes said.

if that's true it weakens the case against Simpson doesn't it?

Definitely Simpson had no knife nor does he have any wound but even so the evidence against him is very strong.

He had a huge interest in getting rid of the favourite.

He suspected of poisoning the stable boy.

He was certainly out in the storm that night and he was armed with a heavy stick.

His cravat was found in the dead man's hand.

I really think that's enough to take before a jury.

Holmes shook his head.

A skilled lawyer would tear all of that to pieces, he said.

Why would he lead the horse out of the stable?

If he wanted to injure it, why not do it right there?

Has anyone found a duplicate key on him?

What chemist sold him the powdered opium?

And above all, where could he, a stranger to the area, hide a horse like that?

What does he say about the paper he wanted the maid to give to the stable boy?

He claims it was a £10 note.

One was indeed found in his wallet.

But your other questions aren't as difficult as they might seem.

He's not a total stranger here.

He stayed in Tavistock twice in the summer.

The opium was probably brought down from London.

The key, once it had been used, could have been thrown away.

And as for the horse, it might be at the bottom of one of the old pits or disused mines out on the moor.

What does he say about the cravat?

He admits that it's his and says he lost it, but there's been a new development in the case that might explain why he was leading the horse out of the stable.

Holmes sat up straight, fully alert.

We found evidence that a group of gypsies camped on Monday night within a mile of the spot where the murder happened.

They moved on the next day.

Now, if there was some arrangement between Simpson and these gypsies, it's possible that he was leading the horse to them when he was confronted by the trainer.

Maybe they've got the horse now.

Hmm, it's definitely a possibility.

The moor is being searched for these gypsies.

I've also checked every stable and outbuilding in Tavistock and within 10 miles of here.

There's another training stable nearby, isn't there?

Holmes asked. asked.

Yes, and that's something we certainly can't ignore.

Their horse, Desborough, was second favourite for the race, so they had a clear interest in seeing the favourite disappear.

Silas Brown, the trainer there, was known to have bet heavily on the race, and he wasn't exactly a friend to poor Straker.

We've searched their stables though and found nothing to connect them to this affair.

And nothing linking Simpson to the Mapleton stables either?

Nothing at all. homes leaned back in the carriage and the conversation stopped a few minutes later our driver pulled up in front of a neat little red brick house with overhanging eaves a long gray tiled out building stood across a paddock behind it in every other direction the gentle curves of the moor stretched away to the horizon bronze colored from the dying ferns broken only by the spires of tavistock and a cluster of houses in the west that marked the mapleton stables We all climbed out of the carriage except Holmes.

He continued to lean back, eyes fixed on the sky, completely lost in thought.

I had to touch his arm to get his attention.

He started violently and stepped down from the carriage.

Sorry, he said to Colonel Ross, who looked at him in surprise.

I was daydreaming. There was a spark in his eyes and a suppressed excitement in his manner that convinced me, knowing him as well as I did, that he was on the verge of discovering something, though I had no idea what it might be.

Right, let's just stop there.

How are you doing, listeners?

Are you managing to keep up with all of this?

As I keep saying, I'm sure there are times when you perhaps don't understand the details, but, you know, hopefully you're able to just keep going and sort of piece it together.

That's the idea, right?

Just sort of work out out what's going on do you have any kind of theory as to what's happened so it's you know obviously the police are pretty convinced that it's this this Simpson guy who's done this and so um yeah they've got this case around Simpson although a lot of the evidence is circumstantial meaning that they don't have clear evidence to to to to prosecute him a lot of it It just seems to be kind of coincidental without clear motives or things like that.

The police believe that Straker cut himself with the knife when he fell.

But this doesn't help their case against Simpson, because if if Straker cut himself with the knife, then, you know, that's not evidence towards Simpson doing something.

Gregory, the police officer, mentions the evidence against Simpson, including the fact that he's suspected of poisoning the boy, that he was definitely out in the storm that night, that he had a heavy stick, that his scarf, his cravat, was found in the dead man's hand.

and the police officer thinks this is enough to take him before a jury.

This is enough to bring him to court and prosecute him in front of a jury.

He thinks that would be enough information to probably result in a guilty verdict, but Holmes is not convinced.

He thinks a good lawyer, a skilled lawyer, would tear all of that to pieces.

He would rip that to pieces, meaning a good lawyer would be able to take that case and break it completely, break it up into little pieces, rip it up, that essentially find ways to argue that that evidence is meaningless and that it's not enough to prosecute him, right?

A good lawyer would convince the jury that the person's not really guilty.

and the questions why would he lead the horse out of the stable if he wanted to injure it he could have done it there no one has found a duplicate key although the police officer thinks that maybe he could have thrown the key away where did he get the opium there's like quite a lot of doubt involved the money that he was the paper that Simpson was trying to give seems to have been a £10 note okay OK, maybe they don't know about what he could have done with the horse, but then there's new information.

Right. There's new information.

And the new information is that the gypsies apparently camped quite close to the stables on that night.

And this suggests to Gregory.

Is his name Gregory, the police officer?

I think so. This suggests to Gregory that maybe Simpson had an agreement with the gypsies.

these these traveling people who you know move around and camp in different places maybe he had agreement an agreement with them that he would bring the horse to them and that they would deal with it you know so that's maybe what what happened that's possible um the the more is being searched for the gypsies so the police are looking for the gypsies they've also checked every stable and outbuilding so they've checked all the other places in Tavistock the town and within 10 miles of the stables so the whole area has been searched Holmes asks about the other training stables I can't remember the name

of the stables now but it's run by Silas Brown the other rival horse is called Desbra I'm going to have to take a break for water again in a minute it um so they've searched that place as well um and have found nothing but it's certainly suspicious because you know they're that's a rival stables so they definitely would have an interest in maybe um sabotaging um silver blaze right but there's nothing at all linking simpson to the mapleton stables that's the name of the stables no link between simpson and the the mapleton stables and so holmes suddenly uh when the cab arrives at the destination but holmes

seems to be lost in thought he's looking up at the sky appears to be daydreaming while the others get out of the the taxi cab holmes is still there thinking about the case and watson has to touch his arm and and holmes kind of jumps like that like that violently wakes up from his daydream and he apologises to the stable owner, who's this important gentleman.

But Watson notices something about Holmes, that he's got this kind of glint in his eye, and Holmes seems to be excited by something.

Apparently, he's realised something that perhaps is going to change the case completely.

Let's continue. you.

Would you prefer to go straight to the scene of the crime, Mr Holmes?

Inspector Gregory asked.

I think I'd rather stay here a little while and ask a few questions about the details.

Straker was brought back here, I presume.

Yes, he's lying upstairs.

The inquest is tomorrow.

He'd been in your service for several years, Colonel Ross?

He was always an excellent servant, the Colonel replied.

I assume you made an inventory of what what was in his pockets at the time of his death, Inspector.

I've got the items themselves in the sitting room if you'd like to see them.

I would like that very much. We all followed the Inspector into the front room and sat around the table while he unlocked a square tin box and laid out a small collection of objects.

There was a box of matches, a short stub of tallow candle, a briar root pipe stamped ADP, a seal -skin tobacco pouch with half an ounce of long -cut Cavendish tobacco, a silver watch with a gold chain, five gold sovereigns, an aluminium pencil case, a few papers and an ivory -handled knife with a very thin, flexible blade marked Weissencoe, London.

London. This is an unusual knife, Holmes said, picking it up and studying it carefully.

I assume, since there are bloodstains on it, that it was the one found in the dead man's hand.

That's right, said the inspector.

Watson, this knife is surely in your field, Holmes asked.

Watson is a doctor.

It's what we call a cataract knife, I replied.

replied i thought so said holmes it's a very delicate blade meant for very precise work a strange thing for a man to carry with him on a rough trip especially since it doesn't fold up to fit in a pocket the tip was covered by a cork disc which we found beside his body said the inspector his wife tells us the knife had been lying on his dressing table and he must have grabbed it as he left the room.

It was a poor weapon, but perhaps the best he could find at the moment.

Very possible, Holmes agreed.

What about these papers?

Three of them are receipts from hay dealers.

One is a letter of instructions from Colonel Ross.

The last one is a bill from Madame Lezurier, a milliner on Bond Street, for £37 .50 made out to William Derbyshire.

Mrs Straker says Derbyshire was a friend of her husband's and that sometimes his letters were sent here.

Madame Le Jury's customer had rather expensive tastes, Holmes said, glancing over the bill.

22 guineas is a steep price for a single outfit.

However, there doesn't seem to be anything else of interest here.

Let's go down to the scene of the crime.

OK, we need to just stop there and have a look at that evidence okay Holmes wants to see Straker's possessions so they go upstairs which is where the body of Straker is is lying and Holmes wants to see what was in his pockets and the items are these things so there was a box of matches right for lighting fire a short stub of tallow candle so the a small candle right if you don't know what a candle is um on a birthday cake right you put candles on a birthday cake and light them but also normally you have bigger candles which would be used for lighting up a you know you put them on a table at dinner

time or maybe carry them with you if you need to you need to light something so a short stub of candle so a stub like the bottom part of a candle a briar root pipe so this this is a pipe made from a certain type of wood a pipe you know that you smoke tobacco through um a seal skin tobacco pouch so a little container for for tobacco Made of seal skin with half an ounce of tobacco in it.

A silver watch with a gold chain.

Five gold sovereigns.

So these are gold coins.

An aluminium pencil case.

Right. A few papers and an ivory handled knife with a very thin, flexible blade marked Weiss and Company London.

London. So the knife is interesting.

This is the knife that was in his hand when he was discovered dead, the bloodstained knife.

And it's a very particular kind of knife.

Watson has a look at it and confirms that it's a cataract knife, a very thin kind of flexible blade, delicate blade, not a very strong blade designed for very precise work, probably for operating on someone's eye, which is a strange thing for a man to carry with him on a rough trip especially since it doesn't fold up to fit in a pocket if you were going out you know to go out into the you know into the countryside you would carry a pen knife you carry a different type of knife not this very specific sort of surgical knife the tip of the knife was covered by a cork disc said the inspector Vector.

Straker's wife confirms that the knife had been on Straker's bedside table next to his dressing table, like a table in his bedroom, and he probably grabbed it when he left the room.

Not a very good weapon, maybe the best he could find in the moment, but Holmes seems suspicious of this knife what does this make you think of what what's what would be suspicious about him having this particular knife it's certainly interesting um and then also the papers are receipts from hay dealers that uh people dealing um like kind of grass dry grass that horses eat so it's a sort of normal thing that you'd expect a horse trainer to have receipts from from um from buying some hay um and also one paper is a letter with instructions from colonel ross another normal thing and then the last

one is a bill from madame lazurier a milliner what's a milliner is that a hat maker yeah okay a milliner is is someone who makes hats so there's a bill for a uh hat maker on bond street uh a lady's hat maybe for 37 pounds and 15 shillings made out to william darbyshire so for some reason straker has got this bill uh for an expensive hat um and the bill belongs to his friend is it a bill or a receipt it's a bill an invoice sort of thing for an expensive hat from Straker's friend um it's a bit odd that that this William Derbyshire apparently is buying an expensive hat um and the receipts sometimes

Straker has sometimes his friend sends letters to to Straker for some reason but that's a bit odd um Holmes remarks that but the hat is very expensive, very expensive price for a single item of clothing.

Okay, I wonder what that means.

But who is this William Derbyshire and why does he send letters to Straker?

Why would Straker have this bill for an expensive hat in his pocket belonging to someone else?

I don't know. Let's now investigate the scene of the crime and continue the story.

Here we go. As we stepped out of the sitting room, a woman who'd been waiting in the hallway took a step forward and placed her hand on the inspector's sleeve.

Her face was thin and haunted, showing clear signs of recent horror.

Have you found them?

she gasped. No, Mrs Straker, but Mr Holmes here has come from London to help us and we'll do everything we can.

I believe I met you in Plymouth at a garden party not so long ago.

No, no, this is Holmes speaking.

I believe I met you in Plymouth at a garden party not long ago, Mrs Straker.

Holmes asked gently.

No, sir, you must be mistaken.

Really? I could have sworn it was you.

You wore a dove -coloured silk dress with ostrich feather trimming.

I've never had a dress like that, sir, she said firmly.

Ah, well, that settles it then, Holmes said.

and with a polite apology he followed the inspector outside.

A short walk across the moor took us to the hollow where the body had been found.

At the edge was the gorse bush where the coat had been hanging.

"'There was no wind that night, I understand,' said Holmes.

"'None at all, but it rained heavily,' replied the inspector.

"'In that case the overcoat wasn't blown onto the bush.

It was placed there.

air. Yes, it was draped across the bush.

You're fascinating me, Inspector.

I see the ground has been well trampled here.

No doubt lots of people have been over it since Monday night.

We've laid a piece of matting at the edge here and everyone has stood on that.

Excellent. In this bag I have one of the boots Straker was wearing, one of Fitzroy Simpson's shoes and a cast horseshoe of silver blaze.

My dear Inspector, you're outdoing yourself, Holmes said with genuine admiration.

He took the bag and moving into the hollow he pushed the matting more towards the centre.

Then he stretched out on his stomach, propping his chin on his hands as he carefully studied the churned up mud in front of him.

Hello, he said suddenly, what's this?

it was a half burned wax vesta so coated in mud that it looked like a tiny chip of wood I can't think how I missed it said the inspector looking annoyed it was invisible buried in the mud I only spotted it because I was looking for it Holmes said what you expected to find it I thought it wasn't unlikely Holmes replied he took the boots from the bag and compared the impressions of each of them to the marks in the ground.

Then he climbed up to the edge of the hollow and crawled among the ferns and bushes.

I'm afraid there are no more tracks, said the inspector.

I've checked the ground very carefully for a hundred yards in each direction.

Indeed, said Holmes standing up.

I wouldn't dare to repeat it after what you say, but I'd like to take a little walk across the moor before it gets dark so I can get my bearings for tomorrow.

And I think I'll put this horseshoe in my pocket for luck right okay we've got to stop there again more details it's quite a detailed case this one fairly complex stuff so after looking at uh Straker's belongings they come back downstairs and they meet Straker's wife and there's this interesting exchange between her and Holmes because Holmes says to her oh I've we've met before we met at a garden party do you remember and she she denies it quite clearly she says no no no that's not possible and he says yes you were wearing you know you were wearing this dress with you know you were wearing these

clothes i remember she said no no no it's definitely not me and homes goes oh well i suppose that's that then but that's odd isn't it why what's going on there why would she deny being in this place and deny meeting homes before it's a bit mysterious serious um she she her face was thin and haunted showing clear signs of recent horror so obviously she was feeling very upset and uh disturbed by what had happened by the death of her husband i suppose yeah um something a bit suspicious about her reaction to to what holmes said to her though um then they go out across the moor to look at this hollow

this this low area of ground this this dip in the ground where the body was found.

At the edge was the gorse bush where the coat had been hanging and Holmes and the inspector confirmed that the coat was put there on purpose.

The wind didn't take it and throw it into the bush but it was put there so Straker must have taken it off, I suppose, and put it there himself.

That seems to be what is being suggested.

arrested um uh then uh Holmes wants to investigate the ground um he asked and the inspector is quite impressive or at least Holmes is impressed by the inspector because um he's taken steps to protect the ground and investigate it quite carefully so he hasn't let people walk all over it they've been using a mat on the floor and standing on that so as not to destroy the evidence on the ground of footprints.

And a few other things as well.

He kind of brought one of Straker's boots and one of Simpson's boots so they could compare the soles of the boots with the impressions on the ground, the footprints, and also a horseshoe, one of Silver Blaze's horseshoes, so they could compare the impressions of the horse's shoes on the ground with a real horseshoe and make comparisons and Holmes is impressed.

Holmes goes on the ground and looks very closely at the floor and he finds something.

He finds, what is it?

In the mud, in the brown earth on the ground, he finds a half -burned wax vesta what is a vesta so apparently a vesta is a kind of a like a match a wooden uh i guess like a large match so remember a match is a wooden thing that you use to start a fire they come in boxes they can you write matches so a vesta is a kind of a a large max match and so her homes found this uh this wax vesta i suppose it's like a match with wax on it or something he found this in the ground um and uh homes expected to find it for some reason this little chip of wood in the ground he somehow expected to find it um okay

so that's that that, right?

So he's investigated the ground.

And Watson keeps the horseshoe in his pocket for good luck.

He wants to investigate more the next day.

OK, listeners, how are you doing?

This is turning into quite a long episode because it's quite a detailed case, quite a long story, a long short story.

But that's OK, isn't it?

I hope that you're curious.

What do you think is going on?

I mean, you've got suspicious people all around.

The wife is a bit suspicious.

Why was she kind of like being a bit shady?

and obviously Simpson is suspicious although it seems that maybe he was just interested in getting information about the horses or was he involved in the crime what about the gypsies all sorts of weird things going on what about this thing that Holmes found in the ground this little piece of wood that apparently was used as a match is that related to the candle that that um straker had in his pocket there's also that invoice for the hat which belongs to a friend of his but it's very expensive as money involved there which is always a bit suspicious in these sorts of cases what's going on i'm going

to have another drink of water and then we're going to continue let's continue then it's um it's turning into quite a long episode this one but like i said earlier it's just going to take as long as it needs to take for me to tell you the story but also do my regular summaries and i think the summaries are actually important because i know that probably for some of you listening you could probably just happily listen to the whole story without any interruptions but i know that for a lot of people listening uh the the summaries and explanations are actually important and useful um right so anyway

let's carry on with the next part heart and here we go colonel ross who'd shown signs of impatience at my friend's calm methodical approach glanced at his watch inspector would you come back with me there are a few things i'd like to ask your advice about especially whether we should withdraw our horse's name from the cup certainly not said holmes firmly i'd let the name stand the colonel gave a polite bow now.

I'm very glad to have your opinion, sir, he said.

We'll be at poor Straker's house when you've finished your walk, and then we can drive together into Tavistock.

He left with the inspector while Holmes and I walked across the moor.

The sun was sinking behind the mapleton stables, and the long slope in front of us was tinged with gold, deepening into rich, muddy browns, where the dying ferns and brambles caught the evening light.

But Holmes didn't even notice the beauty of the scene.

He was lost in deep thought.

It's like this, Watson, he said at last. We can put aside for now the question of who killed John Straker.

Let's focus on what became of the horse.

Now, suppose he broke free during or after the struggle.

Where would he go? Horses are social animals.

Left to himself, his instinct would be to return to King's Pyland or go over to Mapleton?

Why would he just wander off into the wild moor?

Someone would surely have seen him by now.

And why would the gypsies steal him?

They always clear out when there's trouble.

They don't want to be chased by the police.

They couldn't sell a horse like this, and they'd be taking a huge risk for no gain.

That's clear, right?

Yes, but where is he then?

I asked. I've already said he must have gone to either Kings Pylond or Mapleton.

We know he isn't at Kings Pylond, so he's at Mapleton.

Let's take that as our starting point and see where it leads us.

This part of the moor, as the inspector said, is hard and dry, but it slopes down towards Mapleton and you can see from here that there's a long hollow over there.

It must have been very wet on Monday night.

If our idea is right, the horse must have crossed that hollow and that's where we'll find his tracks.

We'd been walking briskly as we talked and a few minutes later we reached the hollow.

At Holmes's suggestion, I went down the bank to the right while he took the left. I hadn't gone 50 paces when I heard him shout and saw him waving.

The track of a horse was clear in the soft earth in front of him, and the horseshoe he had in his pocket fit perfectly.

See the value of imagination?

said Holmes. That's exactly what Gregory is missing.

We imagined what might have happened, acted on the idea, and here's the proof.

Let's keep going. We crossed the marshy bottom, and over about a quarter of a mile of dry, hard turf.

Then the ground sloped again, and we found the tracks once more.

We lost them for half a mile, but picked them up again, very close to Mapleton.

Holmes saw them first, and he pointed at them with a look of triumph.

There was a man's footprint alongside the horses.

The horse was alone before, I exclaimed.

Exactly, it was alone at first, but look, what's this?

The double track suddenly turned sharply and headed in the direction of King's Pyland.

Holmes gave a low whistle, and we both followed the trail.

His eyes were fixed on the tracks, but I happened to glance to one side, and to my surprise, I saw the same tracks coming back in the opposite direction.

One for you, Watson, said Holmes, when I pointed it out.

You've saved us a long walk that would have just brought us back here anyway.

Let's follow the track back.

back we didn't have far to go the trail ended at the paved asphalt path that led up to the gates of the mapleton stables as we got closer a groom came out to meet us no loitering round here he said firmly i just wanted to ask a question said homes with his thumb and finger in his waistcoat pocket okay we're going to stop there because this thing about the um the uh the tracks the horse's tracks is worth clarifying so uh still at the scene of the crime out on the moor colonel ross and the inspector go back uh to the stables or whatever back to the house and leave watson and homes out on the moor still

there what holmes has got the horseshoe and holmes says that he thinks they don't need to worry about who it was who who killed uh straker they don't need to worry about that at this point which seems to suggest that maybe Holmes has worked out who it was but anyway he says let's not worry about who actually killed uh straker let's think about where the horse is so they turn their attention to the location of the horse and And Holmes' idea is basically horses are social animals.

If it was let loose on the moor, its instinct would be to go back to where it knows.

It would go back to the King's Pyland stables, which apparently it hasn't done.

Or it would go to the other one, right?

What's this now? Mapleton, that's it.

Or it would go to the Mapleton stables where other horses are.

And so they assume it's going to be one of those two places.

It wouldn't just wander out into the moor on its own because there's no reason for a horse to do that.

It would want to go where other horses are.

Holmes thinks that the gypsies probably didn't do it.

They probably didn't take the horse because gypsies generally like to get out of the way if the police are involved.

They want to avoid the police, if possible.

And it would be very difficult for them to sell a horse like this.

and that he thinks it would be far too risky for gypsies to steal a horse like that, that the risks would be much greater than the gains that they could get from it.

So he thinks that the gypsies are nothing to do with it, right?

So he thinks it's either at Kingspilot or it's at Mapleton and they decide it must be at Mapleton.

And looking at the ground, they can see that some parts of the ground are quite dry and the grass is a little you know the the ground is hard and so it would be difficult to notice markings in the ground tracks left by the horseshoes of the horse but having a look they can see there are areas where the ground goes down a bit these hollows where the ground goes down and the the ground is likely to be soft there and so homes thinks that's probably where where we'll find tracks of the horses' feet.

And they go there, and sure enough, they do find some tracks that point in the direction of the Mapleton stables, and they follow them.

And there's a moment, it seems, where the horses' tracks are met by some footprints as well.

And I'm a bit confused as to what happens at that moment because they notice the tracks seem to go back in the direction of King's Pylons, the tracks seem to go back towards king's pylon but then watson cleverly notices the tracks eventually come back right so the tracks go towards mapleton and then they seem to go off towards king's pylon but then later on you can see that they actually come back to to to towards mapleton again so anyway they follow the tracks and and get to mapleton uh stables and um they are met by someone who comes out a groom comes out that's someone who works at the stables

probably someone who looks after horses and he comes out and he says no loitering around here loitering means hanging around right if you're loitering if you can imagine people standing around outside your stables what are they doing they're just standing there?

What are they? Are they waiting for someone?

What are they doing?

They're loitering. Loitering means sort of standing around, not moving on.

No loitering around here, he said firmly.

I just wanted to ask a question, said Holmes, with his thumb and finger in his waistcoat pocket, suggesting he's maybe going to bring out some money.

He's trying to bribe this man or pretending to bribe this man or something.

And Holmes says, would it be too early if I came to to see your master Mr Silas Brown at five o 'clock tomorrow morning.

And the man says well bless you sir if anyone's around at that hour it'll be him.

He's always the first one up but here he is now sir you can ask him yourself.

No sir no it'd be more than my job's worth to be seen taking your money in front of him later if you like.

So he says no to the to the money that Holmes is offering him it's more than my job's worth meaning i could lose my job if if silas brown sees me taking money from you right now anyway here comes silas brown as holmes put the half crown that's that's a coin as holmes put the half crown back in his pocket an older man with a fierce look on his face an angry looking man strode out from the gates strode out walked with big strides swindleheads.

Swinging a hunting crop in his hand.

That's a thing that's used by jockeys to hit the side of the horse.

Kind of a stick with a leather bit on the end.

What's this, Dawson?

He snapped. No gossiping.

Get on with your work.

And you there, what the devil do you want?

I'd just like ten minutes of your time, my good sir, sir, said Holmes in his most charming voice.

I don't have time to talk to every idler who comes by.

We don't want strangers hanging about.

Be off or you'll find a dog at your heels.

Holmes leaned forward and whispered something in the trainer's ear.

The man started violently and flushed red up to his temples so his face goes completely red.

said. It's a lie, he shouted.

An absolute lie. Very well.

Shall we argue about it out here in public or discuss it privately in your parlour?

Oh, come in if you must, he growled.

Holmes smiled. I won't keep you more than a few minutes, Watson, he said.

Now, Mr Brown, I'm completely at your disposal all right so what's going on what's happened there so silas brown comes out he's angry we you know we don't want people hanging around out here now go away or i'll send the dog on your heels i mean i'll make the dog chase you um and then holmes leans over and whispers something in his ear and silas brown is shocked and says it's a lie it's a lie and then holmes says would you like to discuss this out here or shall we discuss it privately and so um it's a brown agrees that they should discuss it privately i don't know what he whispered can you guess

what it is anyway very shocked and angry and but he agrees to discuss this thing with holmes holmes says to watson i'll be back in a few minutes right so let's continue it was 20 minutes later and the reds of sunset had all faded into grey when Holmes and the trainer reappeared.

I'd never seen such a change in a man as I saw then in Silas Brown.

His face was ashen, meaning kind of grey colour.

Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead and his hands shook so much that the hunting crop trembled like a branch in the wind.

His blustering, overbearing manner was was gone.

And he followed Holmes like a whipped dog.

Your instructions will be carried out.

Everything will be done, he said in a low voice.

There must be no mistake, said Holmes, glancing at him with a warning in his eyes.

The other man flinched.

No, there won't be.

It'll be done exactly as you say.

Do you want me to change the horse's appearance first or not?

not. Holmes paused for a moment and then burst out laughing.

No, don't bother, he said.

I'll write to you about it, and no tricks, understand?

Oh, you can trust me.

You can trust me. Yes, I think I can.

You'll hear from me tomorrow.

Holmes turned on his heel, ignored the trembling hand that Brown held out to him, and we set off for King's Pylanne.

I've rarely met a man who's such a perfect mixture of bully, coward and sneak as Silas Brown, Holmes remarked as we walked along.

So he has the horse, I asked.

He tried to bluff his way out of it, but I described to him exactly what he'd done that morning and he was convinced I must have been watching him.

You noticed the particularly square toes of those prints.

His boots matched them perfectly and of course no stable -boy would have dared to do such a thing without orders.

I described to him how, as usual, he was the first one up, and spotted a strange horse wandering across the moor, how he must have been astonished to see the white forehead that gave Silver Blaze his name, and realised that chance had delivered into his hands the only horse that could beat the one he'd put his money on.

Then I explained how his first instinct was to take it back to King's Pyland, but the devil on his shoulder told him how he could hide the horse at Mapleton until after the race.

I described everything to him, and in the end he gave in and thought only of saving his own skin.

But haven't the police already searched his stables?

How, an old horse -swindler like him has plenty of tricks, said Holmes.

"'But aren't you worried about leaving the horse in his care now, "'since he has every reason to want to harm it?' I asked.

"'My dear fellow, he'll guard it like it was the apple of his eye.

"'He knows his only chance of getting out of this "'is to hand the horse over safe and sound.' "'Colonel Ross didn't strike me as a man likely to show much mercy in any case.

"'Well, it doesn't really depend on Colonel Ross.

"'I use my own methods and tell as much or as little as I like.

that's the advantage of being unofficial i don't know if you noticed watson but the colonel's been a bit high -handed with me i think i might have a little fun at his expense don't mention anything to him about the horse of course not unless you give me permission and in any case it's all just a minor point compared to the question of who killed john straker and you're going to focus on that?

On the contrary, said Holmes.

We're both heading back to London on the night train.

I was completely shocked.

We'd only been in Devonshire a few hours and it seemed incredible that he'd abandoned an investigation he'd started with such skill.

I couldn't get another word out of him until we were back at the trainer's house where Colonel Ross and the inspector were waiting for us in the parlor.

OK, right. So what's going on here?

I think you understand, right, that basically what happened is that Holmes went.

What was his name? Silas Brown came out all angry.

Look, go away. And then Holmes obviously said to him, what do you think he whispered to him?

Well, I think he probably whispered, I know you've got the horse.

You know, I know. I know where you you live um i know you've got the horse uh i know you've got i know you've got silver blaze something like that um probably that and then the guy was it's a lie it's a lie and then they talked about it and probably holmes said i know you've got the horse in fact here's exactly what you did you got up early in the morning as normal and you looked out on the you went out on the moor and oh and you saw the horse and you couldn't believe your eyes it was silver blaze and you you thought, this is my chance to take the horse that is the rival against my horse.

I've been given this opportunity.

So you took the horse, didn't you?

And first, you were going to return it to King's Pylon.

But the devil on your shoulder told you that you should hide it because it could be very it could be you could make a lot of money from this situation.

And so, yeah, that's what Silas Brown did.

He took the horse and hid it.

He hid it in a the way because he's clever um he managed to find a hiding place for it that the police couldn't couldn't find i don't know where that would be but he did it and uh and so um holmes has told him to do something something about changing the horse's appearance so holmes has got a plan he has told uh he's told silas brown to do something that might involve changing the appearance of the horse.

And then Holmes says to Watson that he thinks that Colonel Ross, the owner of King's Pylon, has been high -handed with him.

I mean, he's not necessarily been treating him very fairly.

I hadn't quite noticed that.

But Holmes decides he's going to sort of of maybe play a little trick on Colonel Ross, right?

Just to pay him back for perhaps not treating him with the respect that he deserves.

And then he says, we're going to go back to London now.

And Watson can't believe it.

And he can't believe why after going to investigate this case and sort of getting good information that they're going to go back to London, he doesn't understand stand it anyway they go back to the trainer's house and that's where colonel ross and the inspector are waiting for them okay let's continue my friend and i are returning to london on the night express said holmes we've enjoyed a delightful breath of your beautiful dartmoor air the inspector's eyes widened huh and the colonel's lip curled into a sneer so the colonel is not not impressed in fact he he apparently doesn't like Holmes very much

so you've given up on arresting the murderer of poor Straker he said Holmes shrugged well there are certainly serious obstacles he said calmly but I do have every confidence that your horse will be running on Tuesday and I suggest you have your jockey ready by the way could I see a photograph of Mr John John Straker.

The inspector pulled one from an envelope and handed it over.

My dear Gregory, you think of everything.

If you don't mind waiting here a moment, I'd like to ask the maid a question.

Hmm, I must say I'm rather disappointed in our London expert, said Colonel Ross bluntly after Holmes had left the room.

I don't see that we're any further along than before he arrived.

At least you have his promise that your horse will run, I said.

Yes, I have his promise, the Colonel said with a shrug.

I'd much rather have the horse itself.

I was about to say something to defend Holmes when he returned to the room.

Gentlemen, he said, I'm quite ready for Tavistock.

As we stepped into the carriage, one of the stable boys held the door open for us.

a sudden thought seemed to occur to Holmes, and he leaned forward to touch the lad on the sleeve.

You've got some sheep in the paddock, haven't you?

he asked. Yes, sir.

Have you noticed anything odd about them recently?

Well, sir, nothing much, but three of them have gone lame, the lad said.

I could see that Holmes was extremely pleased by this answer.

He chuckled and rubbed his hands together a long shot watson a very long shot he said giving my arm a pinch gregory i'd recommend you pay attention to this strange epidemic among the sheep let's go coachman all right i like these moments where uh holmes starts to get excited um okay what's going on so they So Holmes tells Ross and Gregory that they're leaving.

Gregory's surprised.

Ross is unhappy. Watson still reassures Ross that the horse is going to run, but Ross just wants the horse back.

Then Holmes asks to see a photo of Straker.

he also asks to speak to the maid again which he does privately apparently and then he says they're ready to to go back to tavistock where they'll get the train but before that he asks one of the stable boys about the sheep and they have some sheep he says have you noticed anything strange about the sheep and the boy says well three of them have gone lame if an animal is lame it means it can't walk properly it's got problems with its with its walking maybe as a a result of an injury or or a or an illness or something so the uh the boy confirms that three of the sheep are lame meaning that they're

having trouble walking or moving and what and homes is sort of delighted at this information he says to gregory you might want to investigate this epidemic among the sheep um right and then they get into the um they get into the the cab towards tavistock Right, let's continue.

Colonel Ross still wore an expression that showed he had little faith in Holmes' abilities, but I could see by the inspector's face that his interest had been piqued.

Hmm. Sheep? You think that's important, he asked.

Extremely so. Is there any particular point you want to draw my attention to?

Yes. The curious incident of the dog in the night time.

well the dog did nothing in the nighttime that's what's so curious about it said Holmes I should just stop there for a moment just to point out that this thing about the curious incident of the dog in the nighttime which is actually a famous line from Sherlock Holmes so the inspector says is there anything else that you want to tell me that you want to point out and Holmes says, yes, the curious incident of the dog in the night time.

And the inspector says, well, the dog did nothing in the night time.

And Holmes says, yes, that is what was so curious about it.

So this is an important detail.

Why would it be interesting that the dog at the stables didn't make a noise?

Now, obviously, the boy took the dog out, tried to get the dog out earlier to make the man go away but then later on that night because these events happened in the middle of the night right later on that night the dog didn't make a noise that is significant why not the dog that would be guarding the stables why would the dog not make a noise hmm that's actually um there's actually a quite a well -known book which is called the curious incident of the dog in the the Night Time.

And it's a novel by an author called Mark Haddon.

It's a kind of an interesting detective story, and it's written from the point of view of a child.

And it's a good book to read if you're learning English.

I do recommend it. It's often recommended for learners of English because of the way it's written.

It's written in fairly plain English that's pretty easy to understand.

And it's an international bestseller, very well -known book, very popular book, not too long, definitely readable.

So there's a recommendation for you, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Anyway, what about the dog?

Why didn't the dog make any noise then?

That's going to be significant.

Right, let's continue then.

Four days later, Holmes and I were back on the train, this time heading to Winchester to watch the race for the Wessex Cup.

Colonel Ross met us by arrangement outside the station, and we drove drove in his drag to the course on the edge of town.

His face was serious and his manner cold and distant.

I've seen nothing of my horse, he said.

I suppose you'd recognise him straight away if you did see him?

Holmes asked. The Colonel looked angry.

I've been in racing for 20 years and never been asked a question like that.

Any child could recognise Silver Blaze with his white forehead and that mottled patch on his off foreleg.

How's the betting? Holmes asked.

Well, that's the strange thing.

Yesterday you could have got 15 to 1, but the odds have been getting shorter and shorter.

Now you can hardly get 3 to 1.

Hmm, said Holmes. It's clear someone knows something.

As the drag drew up in the enclosure by the grandstand, I glanced at the race card. Wessex Plate, 50 sovereigns each, each, with a thousand sovereigns added, for four and five -year -olds.

Second prize, £300.

Third prize, £200. New course, one mile and five furlongs.

Mr Heath's Newton's The Negro, red cap, cinnamon jacket.

Colonel Wardlaw's Pugilist, pink cap, blue and black jacket.

Lord Backwater's desborough yellow cap and sleeves colonel ross's silver blaze black cap red jacket you're what duke of balmoral's isis yellow and black stripes lord single foot's rasper purple cap black sleeves right what's going on here listeners um watson is looking at the race card which is where all the information about the races um is written wessex plate 50 sovereigns each i'm not sure sure what that refers to with 1000 sovereigns added for four and five year olds i guess this i suppose maybe this is something to do with the the the price that you pay if you want to race your horse i'm

not sure or the money that you make maybe you you i'm not sure that's the prize money maybe sovereigns refers to amounts of money second prize 300 pounds third prize 200 new course so they're describing the the track that the horses will be running around one mile and five furlongs this is the distance and then it lists all the different horses mr heath newton's the negro that's one of the horses owned by mr heath newton colon colon colonel wardlaw's horse called pugilist lord backwaters horse called desborough that's the one from uh the mapleton stable uh and also that it describes the clothing

that the jockeys wear red cap cinnamon jacket pink cap blue and black jacket and so on colonel ross's silver blaze so it is listed uh still listed in the race but i guess colonel ross still doesn't know where the horse is black cap red jacket duke of balmoral's iris so duke of barramole Duke of Balmoral is the owner.

Iris is the horse. And Lord Singletford's Raspa.

Okay. So the colonel says, we scratched our other horse and put all our hopes on your word, said the colonel, meaning that the other horse that they were going to run, they took it out of the race and put all of their hopes, put everything on Holmes's word. word, his word was, Silverblaze will run in the race, you mark my word. So based on what Holmes had said, they decided to put all of their hope on Silverblaze and have that the only horse of theirs that they ran in the race.

This is what the Colonel said, but look at this, Silverblaze is the favourite.

Five to four against Silverblaze, roared the bookmakers.

Five to four against Silver Blaze.

Five to 15 against Desborough.

Five to four on the field.

The numbers are up, I said.

All six are there. All six?

Then my horse is running, the Colonel cried, clearly agitated.

But I don't see him.

My colours haven't passed yet.

Only five have passed.

This last one must be yours, I said.

Just then, a powerful bay horse, brown -coloured horse, cantered out from the weighing enclosure, wearing the colonel's well -known black cap and red jacket.

That's not my horse, the colonel exclaimed.

That animal doesn't have a single white hair on it.

Mr Holmes, what have you done?

Well, well, let's see how he does, said Holmes calmly.

For a few minutes he watched through my field glasses, those binoculars from earlier.

Excellent! A brilliant start, he said suddenly.

Look, they're coming round the curve.

From our carriage, we had an excellent view as the horses came down the straight.

The six of them were packed so tightly together that you could have thrown a blanket over the lot.

But halfway down the stretch, the yellow colours of the Mapleton stable showed in front.

Before they reached us, though, Desborough's effort had run out, and the Colonel's horse, coming on strongly past the finished line, a good six lengths ahead of its rival, with the Duke of Balmoral's iris a poor third. It's my race at any rate, gasped the Colonel, wiping his eyes, but I can't make head or tail of it.

Mr. Holmes, don't you think you've kept your mystery up long enough?

Of course, Colonel.

You shall know everything, Holmes said.

Let's all go over and have a look at the horse together.

here it is he added as we walked over to the weighing enclosure where only owners and their friends were allowed all you have to do is wash his face and leg with spirits of wine and you'll see that he's the same old silver blaze you amaze me okay so all right so basically colonel ross thought colonel ross put the horse in the race anyway because homes had told him that he should but as far as colonel ross was concerned they still hadn't found the horse and so he was very angry and upset but then home says oh no look here it is and they go and see the horse coming out of the weighing enclosure

at the area where the horses are weighed before they race and ross says that's not my horse um and because silver blaze has got a white patch of hair on its its face uh and Ross Ross if you remember Ross earlier on says um no one's ever told me that I can't identify a horse in my whole career so he's very arrogant about this but just covering up the white um on on its face and and some white on its leg uh with paint apparently completely fooled Ross the horse ran in the race and of course Silver Blaze won the race even though the other horse from the Mapleton stables was winning but it got tired

and then Silver Blaze won by something like six lengths so that's six horse lengths of distance and uh Iris came in third and of course Ross is delighted but he doesn't understand and um he says you know you'll Holmes says just wash his face and leg and you'll see it's the same old Silver Blaze and uh Ross says you amaze me and And then it looks like this is where, this finally is where we're going to get the solution to the mystery.

I expect that Holmes is now going to explain everything.

Here we go. What do you think then?

So we've worked out what happened to the horse.

But what happened to Straker, the guy who was killed?

What happened to Straker?

Let's see. So Holmes says this.

I found him in the hands of a horse faker.

I found him, the horse, in the hands of a horse faker and I took the liberty of racing him just as he was sent over.

A horse faker is, I suppose, someone who fakes horses, makes one horse look like another horse, I suppose.

I took the liberty of racing him just as he was sent over.

My dear sir, you've done wonders.

The horse looks fit and well.

He's never run better in his life.

I owe you you a thousand apologies for doubting your abilities.

You've done me a great service by recovering my horse.

You'd do me a greater one still if you could catch the murderer of John Straker.

I already have, Holmes said quietly.

The Colonel and I both stared at him in astonishment.

You have? Where is he then?

He's right here. Here?

Where? In my company at this very moment.

The colonel flushed angrily.

I fully admit that I owe you a debt, Mr. Holmes, he'd said stiffly.

But I must take what you just said as either a very poor joke or an insult.

Holmes laughed. I assure you, Colonel, I'm not associating you with the crime, he said.

The real murderer is standing right behind you.

He stepped past the colonel and laid his hand on the glossy neck of the thoroughbred.

"'The horse! The horse!

The horse!' we both cried in unison.

"'Yes, the horse, and it may lessen his guilt if I say that it was done in self -defence, and that John Straker was a man completely unworthy of your trust. But there's the bell, and as I stand to win a little on the next race, I'll save the full explanation for later.'" OK, so Holmes has revealed that it was the horse that killed Straker.

It was the horse that did it.

How and why is John Straker, Holmes said that John Straker was a man completely unworthy of your trust. So Colonel Ross shouldn't have trusted John Straker.

But yes, John Straker was killed by the horse.

Let's find out exactly how this happened.

that evening we had a corner of a pullman car to ourselves as we sped back to London I think the journey passed quickly for Colonel Ross too as we listened to Holmes explain everything that had happened at the Dartmoor training stables on that Monday night and how he'd unravelled it all I'll admit he said that any theories I'd formed from the newspaper reports were completely wrong wrong.

But there were hints there, if you could see past the other details that hid their true meaning.

I went down to Devonshire convinced that Fitzroy Simpson was the real culprit, even though the evidence against him wasn't very strong.

It was in the carriage, just as we reached the trainer's house, that the immense significance of the curried mutton suddenly struck me.

You may remember how distracted I was and how I stayed in the carriage while you all got out.

I was kicking myself for having overlooked such an obvious clue.

I must confess. I must confess, said the Colonel, that even now I don't see how it helps us.

It was the first link in my chain of reasoning.

You see, powdered opium isn't tasteless.

It doesn't taste bad, but you can definitely notice it.

If you mixed it with any normal dish, the person eating it would probably notice and stop eating.

But curry is exactly the sort of dish that would mask the taste of the opium.

And there's no way that stranger, Fitzroy Simpson, could have arranged for curry to be served in the trainer's house that night.

It's too much of a coincidence to think that he just happened to be wandering around with a packet of opium on the one night they were having curry for for dinner.

That's unthinkable.

So Simpson is eliminated from the case and our focus shifts to Straker and his wife, the only two people who could have decided to have curried mutton for supper.

The opium was only added to the portion set aside for the stable boy because everyone else ate the same dish and was fine.

So who had access to that dish without the maid seeing them?

them. Before I could answer that question, Holmes went on, I'd already grasped the significance of the dogs' silence.

One true insight often leads to others.

The incident with Simpson had shown me there was a dog in the stables, and yet even though someone had come and taken out a horse, it hadn't barked enough to wake the two lads sleeping in the loft. That clearly meant the the midnight visitor was someone the dog knew well.

I was already convinced, or almost convinced, that John Straker had gone down to the stables in the middle of the night and taken Silver Blaze out.

For what purpose? Obviously a dishonest one.

Otherwise, why drug his own stable boy?

And yet I didn't know exactly why.

There have been cases where trainers have made sure of a a big payday by betting against their own horses through agents and then making sure the horse didn't win by using some sort of fraud.

Sometimes it's the jockey who's in on it.

Sometimes it's something else, something more subtle.

What was it here? I hoped the contents of Straker's pockets might give me a clue.

And they did. You can't have forgotten the strange knife we found in his hand.

No sane man would choose that as a weapon.

As Dr Watson told us, it's the sort of knife used for the most delicate operations in surgery.

And that's what it was meant for that night.

Colonel Ross, with your knowledge of racing, you'll know that it's possible to make a tiny cut on the tendons of a horse's leg, just under the skin, so that it leaves no visible trace.

face. A horse treated like that would develop a slight lameness, blamed on a strain or a touch of rheumatism, but no one would ever suspect sabotage.

Villain! Scoundrel!

cried the Colonel. That's why John Straker needed to take the horse out onto the moor.

Such a spirited creature would have woken up even the heaviest sleeper if he'd tried it in the stable.

It had to be done outside, in the open air.

I see it now, said the Colonel.

That's why he needed the candle and struck the match. Exactly.

And as I looked through his belongings, I was lucky enough to discover not just how he planned to do it, but why.

You know as well as I do, Colonel, that men don't carry around bills that belong to other people.

Most of us have enough trouble paying our own.

So I concluded immediately that Straker was living a double life, keeping a second household.

The nature of the bill showed that there was a woman involved, one with very expensive tastes.

Even though you're generous with your staff, no servant could afford to buy 20 guinea walking dresses for his lady.

So it was dresses, not hats.

I casually questioned Mrs Straker about the dress without her realising, and once I was sure it had never reached her, I made a note of the milliner's address.

I was certain that if I went there with Straker's photograph, I could clear up the mystery of Derbyshire once and for all.

This is this William Derbyshire.

From that moment, everything was clear.

Straker had led the horse out to a hollow where his light wouldn't be seen.

Simpson in his escape had dropped his cravat which Straker picked up maybe thinking he could use it to tie the horse's leg.

Once in the hollow Straker got behind the horse and struck a light but the sudden glare frightened the animal and with the strange animal instinct that senses mischief it lashed out.

The steel shoe struck Straker square on the the forehead.

He'd already taken off his overcoat, even though it was raining, so that he could do his careful job.

When he fell, his own knife cut into his thigh.

Do you see how this all fits together?

Incredible, the colonel exclaimed.

Incredible. You could almost have been there yourself.

My final guess was a long shot, I'll admit.

It seemed to me that Straker wouldn't have tried such a delicate operation without a little practice first. But what could he practice on?

My thoughts turned to the sheep, and when I asked about them, it turned out I was right.

When I got back to London, I went to see the milliner.

She confirmed that Straker, calling himself Derbyshire, had been one of her best customers, and that he had a very fashionable wife who loved expensive dresses.

I've no doubt she led him so deeply into debt that he came up with this miserable plan.

You've explained everything except one thing, said the colonel.

Where was the horse?

Ah, it bolted, and it was taken in by one of your neighbours.

I think we can agree to keep that part of the story quiet.

But this, if I'm not mistaken is Clapham Junction and we'll be at Victoria in 10 minutes.

If you'd care to join us for a cigar at our rooms Colonel I'd be happy to fill in any other details that might interest you.

And that is the end of that.

That's the end of the story.

So did you understand it all at the end then?

So here's the situation.

John Straker right the trainer it turns out he was leading a double life he had a another woman on the side who he was um i don't think he was married to her but he he uh he seemed to suggest to other people that the woman who made the dress uh thought that they were married but anyway he had a double life with this other woman this other woman apparently had expensive tastes she liked expensive dresses and expensive stuff and straker was spending a lot lot of money sort of I guess providing her with these things that she liked including a dress so the milliner I thought it was hats but obviously

this is a dressmaker he had a bill in his pocket for his friend William Derbyshire the friend turned out to be him it was a an alias another name he used for his other life and he he'd he had this bill for this expensive dress homes uh tested um homes tested uh this theory by asking straker's actual wife about the dress saying oh we've met before you were wearing this dress and the wife said no no no that wasn't me i thought that was suspicious but she wasn't suspicious on her part but it was suspicious that that there was another woman involved maybe.

And that confirmed to Holmes that there was another woman with expensive tastes in clothing and that, yes, Straker was leading a double life and therefore he needed money, he needed a lot of money.

And that's why he came up with this plan to basically make sure that Silver Blaze couldn't run in the race.

Presumably, Straker had bet a lot of money against silver blaze right and um in order to make sure that he he won his bet he was going to sabotage silver blaze and he chose to do it by using his very very particular kind of medical knife and he wanted to cut the tendon one of the horse's tendons on its on one of its legs A tendon is a part of the body.

It's something that attaches a muscle to a bone.

That's a tendon. Athletes or football players often will damage their tendons.

On the back of your foot, you've got your Achilles tendon, which goes from the back of your leg.

it's that sort of it's like a cord that goes from the back of your leg down over your heel right you know that the the you've got a tendon on the back of your foot so that's a tendon so he was going to injure this tendon but very carefully using this specific knife cut making a cut to the tendon under the skin where it wouldn't be uh noticeable okay and um so in the middle of the night he went out to the stables to take the horse out into the moor where no one would hear the noise of the horse so he could do it secretly right um now the dog is significant the curious incident of the dog in the night

time the curious thing was that the dog didn't make a noise um because uh the dog knew straker right he knew straker so he wouldn't bark when straker came down to the stables if it had been someone else if it had been simpson or some other person the dog would have barked when it sensed a stranger trying to get in it would have barked But because it was Straker, the dog didn't bark because the dog knew him.

And so the dog didn't bark, the boys didn't wake up.

So because of this, Holmes knew that it was someone that the dog knew and that pointed to Straker.

The other thing was the curry, which was what made Holmes realise what was going on.

So the curry was poisoned with opium, which is what made the boy fall asleep.

Now, the Simpson couldn't have known that curry.

So the thing about the opium is that if it had been put in any other food, the boy would have been able to taste it.

But curry, with its strong flavour, masked or hid the flavour of the opium.

And so obviously it was Straker.

It must have been Straker.

I don't know if his wife.

His wife obviously didn't know.

So it was Straker who must have prepared the curry.

And, you know, he premeditated it.

He planned it. He planned for them to eat curry.

That's how he hid the opium.

So that proved that Simpson was nothing to do with it.

he was there just like he said to get information about the horses it was no part of this plan to sabotage silverblaze so that was straker poisoned the curry the boy fell asleep he went out in the middle of the night to make that little cut to the tendon on the back of silverblaze's leg while he was out there he needed a candle he needed a match so he could get light the the the scarf clearly Simpson dropped the scarf when he escaped when the boy said that he would send the dog after him so he ran away dropped his scarf um Straker must have picked up the scarf and and maybe thought that he could use

it to tie the leg of the the horse and um he was there behind standing foolishly I mean you'd imagine that as a trainer he would know know better but he he was standing behind the horse when he lit the match and the light of the match burning and also the fact that the horse have this you know animals often have an instinct that something funny is going on the horse instinctively kicked its legs its powerful racehorse legs the steel shoe of the um foot of silver blaze hit uh straker in the head giving giving him the head injury, killing him, and he cut his leg with the knife as he fell down onto

the ground. The horse then bolted, ran away, found its way to the other stables, where it was taken by the other stable owner, who saw it as an opportunity to gain an advantage anyway.

So that's what happened.

Holmes found out. He probably told the stable owner to look after the horse, threatening him with revealing the truth if he didn't he also asked him to paint the white off his head and then run in the race just as a little trick to play on on Ross and in the end that's what happened Silver Blaze ran in the race and I don't know maybe maybe Holmes made some money as well if he was smart he would have bet in the in the race I don't know but in the end everything worked out uh except for poor mrs straker's wife mr straker's wife who lost her husband but there you go that's that's the solution to

the mystery and that's the end of the episode i hope you enjoyed it i hope you enjoyed uh this story this time leave your comments in the comment section what did you think of this particular story uh did you work out what was going on did you have any idea who did you think it was and were you surprised at the um moment that it was revealed that it was actually the horse who did it.

Again, a sort of natural justice there, I suppose.

I don't know if he deserved to die, Straker.

I don't think so. That's a pity.

That wasn't really necessary.

But did it serve him right?

What do you think? Leave a comment about a horse in the comments section just to prove that you're not a skeleton with headphones on and that you made it all the way up until this point.

Don't forget, you can get the PDF with with all of the text that I've read from, it's available in the episode description in the show notes.

You could get it, download it.

You could read that yourself.

It would be a very good idea to read it.

It would reinforce a lot of the stuff that we've done.

And I'm sure that there were bits of vocab in there that I didn't explain because I couldn't, you know, it would have taken far too long to explain every single detail.

I wanted to focus on the story.

But you could go into the the pdf and you know copy paste the words check them out have a look in your own time if you want to you can do that.

Thank you so much for listening I look forward to reading your comments but for now it's just time for me to wish you a very happy morning afternoon evening or night and until next time I will say good bye bye bye bye bye.

Thanks for listening to Luke's English Podcast. For more For more information, visit teacherluke .co .uk.

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[The Mystery of Silver Blaze: A Sherlock Holmes Investigation]-[943. Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of SILVER BLAZE 🐎 (Learn English with a Short Story)]

📋 Summary

The Investigation of Silver Blaze

The Initial Facts and Suspicions

Holmes's Analytical Breakthrough

The Double Life of John Straker

The Resolution

🎯Key Sentences

📝Key Phrases

📖 Transcript