The Sign of the Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (classic children's novels txt) 📗

cards down anyhow. Night after night the soldiers got up poorer men, and the poorer they got the more keen they were to play. Major Sholto was the hardest hit. He used to pay in notes and gold at first, but soon it came to notes of hand and for big sums. He sometimes would win for a few deals, just to give him heart, and then the luck would set in against him worse than ever. All day he would wander about as black as thunder, and he took to drinking a deal more than was good for him.

“One night he lost even more heavily than usual. I was sitting in my hut when he and Captain Morstan came stumbling along on the way to their quarters. They were bosom friends, those two, and never far apart. The major was raving about his losses.

“ ‘It’s all up, Morstan,’ he was saying, as they passed my hut. ‘I shall have to send in my papers. I am a ruined man.’

“ ‘Nonsense, old chap!’ said the other, slapping him upon the shoulder. ‘I’ve had a nasty facer myself, but⁠—’ That was all I could hear, but it was enough to set me thinking.

“A couple of days later Major Sholto was strolling on the beach: so I took the chance of speaking to him.

“ ‘I wish to have your advice, major,’ said I.

“ ‘Well, Small, what is it?’ he asked, taking his cheroot from his lips.

“ ‘I wanted to ask you, sir,’ said I, ‘who is the proper person to whom hidden treasure should be handed over. I know where half a million worth lies, and, as I cannot use it myself, I thought perhaps the best thing that I could do would be to hand it over to the proper authorities, and then perhaps they would get my sentence shortened for me.’

“ ‘Half a million, Small?’ he gasped, looking hard at me to see if I was in earnest.

“ ‘Quite that, sir⁠—in jewels and pearls. It lies there ready for anyone. And the queer thing about it is that the real owner is outlawed and cannot hold property, so that it belongs to the first comer.’

“ ‘To government, Small,’ he stammered⁠—‘to government.’ But he said it in a halting fashion, and I knew in my heart that I had got him.

“ ‘You think, then, sir, that I should give the information to the Governor-General?’ said I, quietly.

“ ‘Well, well, you must not do anything rash, or that you might repent. Let me hear all about it, Small. Give me the facts.’

“I told him the whole story, with small changes so that he could not identify the places. When I had finished he stood stock still and full of thought. I could see by the twitch of his lip that there was a struggle going on within him.

“ ‘This is a very important matter, Small,’ he said, at last. ‘You must not say a word to anyone about it, and I shall see you again soon.’

“Two nights later he and his friend Captain Morstan came to my hut in the dead of the night with a lantern.

“ ‘I want you just to let Captain Morstan hear that story from your own lips, Small,’ said he.

“I repeated it as I had told it before.

“ ‘It rings true, eh?’ said he. ‘It’s good enough to act upon?’

“Captain Morstan nodded.

“ ‘Look here, Small,’ said the major. ‘We have been talking it over, my friend here and I, and we have come to the conclusion that this secret of yours is hardly a government matter, after all, but is a private concern of your own, which of course you have the power of disposing of as you think best. Now, the question is, what price would you ask for it? We might be inclined to take it up, and at least look into it, if we could agree as to terms.’ He tried to speak in a cool, careless way, but his eyes were shining with excitement and greed.

“ ‘Why, as to that, gentlemen,’ I answered, trying also to be cool, but feeling as excited as he did, ‘there is only one bargain which a man in my position can make. I shall want you to help me to my freedom, and to help my three companions to theirs. We shall then take you into partnership, and give you a fifth share to divide between you.’

“ ‘Hum!’ said he. ‘A fifth share! That is not very tempting.’

“ ‘It would come to fifty thousand apiece,’ said I.

“ ‘But how can we gain your freedom? You know very well that you ask an impossibility.’

“ ‘Nothing of the sort,’ I answered. ‘I have thought it all out to the last detail. The only bar to our escape is that we can get no boat fit for the voyage, and no provisions to last us for so long a time. There are plenty of little yachts and yawls at Calcutta or Madras which would serve our turn well. Do you bring one over. We shall engage to get aboard her by night, and if you will drop us on any part of the Indian coast you will have done your part of the bargain.’

“ ‘If there were only one,’ he said.

“ ‘None or all,’ I answered. ‘We have sworn it. The four of us must always act together.’

“ ‘You see, Morstan,’ said he, ‘Small is a man of his word. He does not flinch from his friend. I think we may very well trust him.’

“ ‘It’s a dirty business,’ the other answered. ‘Yet, as you say, the money would save our commissions handsomely.’

“ ‘Well, Small,’ said the major, ‘we must, I suppose, try and meet you. We must first, of course, test the truth of your story. Tell me where the box is hid, and I shall get leave of absence and go back to India in the monthly relief-boat to inquire into the affair.’

“ ‘Not so fast,’ said I, growing colder as he got hot. ‘I must have the consent of my three comrades. I tell you that it is four or none with