‘I think I had better ring for some more coffee. I’m afraid I have much more to tell,’ said Sir Simon. Holmes eased himself in his chair to make himself more comfortable.
‘I have listened to many strange accounts in my life but I am sure Dr Watson will agree that this looks like being the strangest yet.’
I agreed and took the opportunity to also stretch out my legs. The coffee was brought in almost at once and after Sir Simon did the honours, continued with his account.
‘I turned to Rodger and saw he was smiling. He said, “Let us retire and have a drink by the fire and let these good chaps rest after their day’s labour.” He waved his hand to them and they in turn, grinned and bowed to us again.
‘Over drinks Rodger explained that the Chinese were constructing a full-sized ocean-going wooden junk, and that it would take about six months to build. He wanted me to visit Halam Hall and observe the progress, month by month.
‘When I laughed and asked why he was building a Chinese junk, in a building where there was no hope of ever getting it out, he only smiled and replied, “Well, if you will come down once a month and observe its construction, eventually on completion, all will be revealed.” I ask you, Mr Holmes, what man could resist such an invitation?
‘Each month I journeyed to Halam Hall and enjoyed an excellent meal, good wine and a complete rest from the London scene. I looked forward to those weekends. Rodger was wonderful company. He had such a huge store of anecdotes about his years abroad, and his general knowledge of most subjects, like your own, Mr Holmes, is phenomenal; he was a great raconteur and also a good listener.
‘Each time I visited, I was shown the progress the Chinamen were making with the construction of the junk. I was surprised and amazed at the amount of timber being used. The progress was quite remarkable.
‘On my second visit, for instance, the ribs of the vessel had been completed and the shape and size it would eventually be, was very evident. On my third visit planking was being fastened to the ribs, and on each occasion, the Chinamen ceased work, lined up at the side of the vessel, bowed to me and grinned.’
Holmes interrupted. ‘You examined the work then, at close hand?’
‘Oh, yes, the carcase of the vessel was constructed of the most substantial timbers. The keel itself of oak must have weighed many tons.
‘As the months passed by, I would take a look at the progress they were making from the steps; the Chinamen sawing and planing away. I would wave to the grinning Chinamen upon leaving, looking forward to Rodger’s excellent dinner and his company.’
‘One other question,’ said Holmes. ‘Did Rodger Hardy ever give a reason why he had gone to China in the first instance?’
Sir Simon placed his hands together, fingertip to fingertip, as Holmes is prone to do. ‘Strange you should ask that, because I, too, was curious. It appeared that he had met at a social gathering Aurel Stein, the Jewish intellectual who had become the Registrar of the Punjab University and Principal of the Oriental College in Lahore.
‘Aurel Stein was infatuated with the East and began his archaeological work in the Middle East and then on to Kashmir. But it was his enthusiasm for the wilderness of Central China and the lost cities of the Silk Road that fired the imagination of Rodger Hardy. Aurel Stein talked of the Lop Desert and Mongolia; of the prospects a white man could expect from trading in China. But it was the rumour which Aurel Stein had heard from many sources, that great scientific strides were being made by a number of Chinese scientists in the field of electricity, which excited Rodger.
‘The rumour was to do with the passage of electricity without using wire or cable, that was the attraction for him. He told me it became an obsession to find these scientists, to discover if it were true. He knew that such a discovery would make him a fortune here in Europe and America.
‘Bribery and political manoeuvring made it possible for him to travel about in China and search for this small group of scientists, which he of course eventually found and joined. Together they developed what he called the “Transposer”.’
Holmes repeated the word, ‘The “Transposer”, what is that?’
Sir Simon replied, ‘I will explain later as I reveal the case. I am sorry, gentlemen, the story is a long one, but please bear with me a while longer.’
Holmes said, ‘I find your account fascinating, as I am sure Dr Watson does. Pray proceed.’
Sir Simon leaned forward, his hands placed flat upon his knees. ‘It was on my last visit in April when I was to experience the shock of my life, and to have revealed to me the reason why I had been chosen to witness, month by month, the most extraordinary construction of this vessel in the underground ballroom.
‘I had been chosen, I realise now, as a reliable witness to observe an invention which could alter the whole balance of power in the world. I can assure you, Great Britain and her Empire could be at great peril from it.’
He paused and his voice became almost conspiratorial. ‘I shall never forget that weekend, Mr Holmes. When I visited the ballroom, the vessel was completed; painted with even the masts and sails lain along its deck ready for stepping. The Chinamen, though, were nowhere to be seen. However, surrounding the vessel were ten feet tall wooden posts, at a distance apart of five or six feet. Fastened to the posts starting at the base, and at every foot in height, were strands of copper wire. The whole vessel was caged in with these strands of copper wire, stretching all the way around it.
‘There was a buzzing sound too, and Rodger warned me not to touch the wires or put my hand between them as the vessel was being electrically energised.
‘I walked around the vessel in an almost bewildered state. What was it all about, I asked myself? To say I was perplexed would be putting it mildly. Was Rodger mad? Was I mad? I continued to walk around it in silence; my mind puzzled by the whole situation.
‘I followed Rodger up the steps and stopped; looked down on the extraordinary scene and, in the entrance hall, for the first time noticed the open door of what was the old cloakroom. I glanced inside and was amazed to see a sort of switch-board with all sorts of dials and switches on it. There were thick electric cables running across the floor, and I could hear the sound of what I presume were powerful generators, also the hiss of a steam engine, used to power the generators.
‘When I caught up with Rodger he turned and said, “I know you are surprised; you want to know what is going on, but I assure you, all will be made clear shortly.”
‘I was so surprised, I opened my mouth, but no words came forth. Rodger slapped me on the back. “Come on, old friend, let us eat, drink and forget all about what you have just seen until—” He looked at his watch. “It is ten minutes past seven now. If all goes well, in two hours’ time, all will be revealed and I will answer any questions you may care to ask.”
‘With that I followed Rodger into the dining-room and after the superb game pie and wines, I soon began to forget the shock I had experienced, and even began to look forward to having the mystery of the goings-on in the ballroom revealed.
‘Little did I realise, Mr Holmes, what I was to witness would soon cause me, and the government, the most monumental worry I have ever known. The shift of world power could be in the balance and the way of life altered for everyone.’
Sir Simon rose and poured himself a drink, indicating to Holmes and me that we were welcome to the same if we so wished. Holmes and I shook our heads; we waited with bated breath for Sir Simon to continue, which he did after sitting down.
‘I well remember the aged grandfather clock in the dining-room striking the hour of nine. Rodger rose and, excusing himself, said he would be absent for a couple of minutes. It was five past the hour when he returned; he stood by the fireplace and looked down at me.
‘“Well, Simon, I told you that if all goes well in two hours’ time all would be revealed, the mystery would be no more, and you will know what it is all about. Now is the time; if you will be so good as to follow me, please.”
> ‘I followed Rodger out of the dining-room, into the hallway and down the ballroom steps. I looked and stood absolutely still. I could not believe what I was seeing. I continued to look. Rodger stood behind me and never said a word. There was not a sound to be heard; silence prevailed.
‘The electric humming from the generators had stopped, so had the hiss of the steam engine. It was as quiet as the grave. I continued to be speechless, rubbing my eyes as though it might help to explain what I was seeing, or, to put it more accurately, not seeing.’
Sir Simon’s voice dropped to almost a whisper. Holmes and I leaned forward to enable us to catch whatever he was to say.
‘Mr Holmes, the ballroom was empty! Yes, empty! The electric lights around the room lit up that huge empty space.’
He paused; the seconds ticked by, then he continued in that still muted voice. ‘The only things remaining were the wooden poles supporting the lengths of copper wire; still in place, forming a cage, but the vessel itself had vanished into thin air.
‘That huge Chinese junk, which only two hours before had taken up the whole space of the ballroom, was gone. I stood there, speechless, as though dumb. Perhaps a minute passed, it may have been more, I don’t really remember. My brain could not take it in. That huge vessel weighing thirty, perhaps forty, tons had vanished.
‘It would have taken a week at least, I imagine, to have reduced it to scrap, to enable it to have been taken piece by piece, up those steps and out through the doorway. Yet it had vanished, nothing of it remained.
‘I felt Rodger’s hand upon my shoulder. In a voice we reserve for speaking to someone in a state of shock, as I was, he said, “Come on, old chap, let’s have a drink. I’m sorry I didn’t realise it would be such a surprise, well, shock to you.”’
Sir Simon looked at Holmes and then to me. Holmes didn’t say anything. I think we were both anxious not to break the spell which the account had created on all three of us. Sir Simon at last continued.
‘It was some time before I was back to anything like normality and was able to discuss the phenomenon I had witnessed. Believe me, Mr Holmes, it was truly a phenomenon. The gist of the conversation afterwards was this.
‘Rodger described it as “transposing” matter through space by means of converting solids, by electricity, into waves, which could then be converted back again into the original solid state. This was how he put it in simple terms, to me, a non-scientific person.
‘He then went on to explain that for the past fifteen years he had been working with two Chinese scientists on the project. They had suddenly had a breakthrough five years ago, and had been able to transpose solids by the use of electricity, into a form which enabled them to be transferred for a distance of over twenty miles, then re-form as solids again.
‘The Chinese scientists, Rodger said, did not seem interested in the potential of it, only in its discovery. They were now researching into the means of extending the process over greater distances.
“I left them to their research, I must confess, with much regret,” he said. “I had a huge respect for them as friends and for their ability. They were wonderful companions and fifteen years is a long time. In Europe, they would have been prize winners, but thousands of miles away in the heart of China, they worked on their research unsung, and their achievements unknown. China is, in distance and attitudes, miles apart from us in the West.”
‘He went on to say how he realised the value, and the huge possibilities the discovery held, and so decided to leave China and take the discovery to Europe.
‘Which country should he approach, because he realised that should a war develop, the transposing discovery could be used to great advantage. Heavy guns, supplies of all kinds could be “transposed” at a few hours’ notice and placed at the front where the enemy was weakest.
‘Although the British government had treated his family badly over the development of a past invention, and had evaded the patent rights which had led to the family’s financial downfall, he still held a certain loyalty to the old country.
‘In a nutshell, Mr Holmes, he offered the discovery to the British government for the sum of one million pounds; yes, one million pounds. I had been selected, chosen if you like to put it, to witness the discovery because I was a member of the Cabinet and he considered me a one hundred per cent, cast-iron person to be believed. After all, who would have listened to him, had he tried to sell his discovery without proof? But by setting up the elaborate demonstration in the ballroom, the validity of the discovery was proven beyond a shadow of doubt.’
Sir Simon leaned backwards as though the effort of going through the account had left him drained. He looked at his desk for some time as though forgetting we were present.
Holmes coughed, and said, ‘So, Sir Simon, about the transposition.’
Sir Simon appeared to shake himself literally, and took up the story again.
‘Next morning we had breakfast and the stable boy brought the dogcart to the door and Rodger and I set off at a brisk pace. I remember that wonderful sunny March morning; it was difficult for me to realise I was taking part in a discovery which could change the world.
‘I had lain awake many hours during the night, pondering over the potential, both in war and peace, and the effect it would have on all nations.
‘Rodger chatted away about the countryside and the things we were observing; the early growth of the leaves on the hawthorn hedges, a hovering hawk and the fine foals on the stud farm nearby. It all seemed so unreal when I thought about events over the last twelve hours.
‘We turned down a narrow lane and shortly arrived by the side of the River Thames. We stopped and looked; and there floating on the water not fifty yards away was the Chinese junk. I wonder, gentlemen, if you have any conception of the effect that sight had upon me? I just sat there and stared and continued to stare. I felt it was just not possible, yet I could not disbelieve what my eyes were seeing.
‘On her deck were in line the ten Chinamen. As I got down from the dogcart and approached the junk, they bowed and grinned; just as they had always done. The water slapped against her sides, that solid huge junk held against the tide with ropes fore and aft.
‘A plank of wood against the hull acted as a gangway. I was taken around to inspect her and was impressed at the amount of work which must have gone into her building during those six months.
‘Returning from inspecting the interior of the vessel to the deck, I observed a photographer on the bank taking pictures of the vessel. Rodger had hired him for the sole purpose of providing a photographic record to substantiate my future verbal account of events to the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers.
‘The visit had lasted perhaps half an hour. We said our farewells and descended the gangplank. Amid more bowing and grinning from the Chinamen, in what seemed no time at all, the Chinamen cast off, raised the rattan sails and were soon sailing down to the sea and out of sight. That was the last I ever saw of the junk or the ten Chinamen.’
We seemed to have been listening to Sir Simon for ages and I think he was a little hoarse by now. Holmes sat upright, his hands clasped together.
‘Well, Sir Simon, I am sure it is a most extraordinary experience you have had, and I know Dr Watson will agree with me when I say that you have given us a very good picture of the situation now facing Her Majesty’s Government.
‘Correct me if I am wrong, but the problem is not that Her Majesty’s Government is particularly worried about the one million pounds being asked, considerable though it is, but that the discovery could be sold to any other powerful nation and cause a shift in power which might be disadvantageous to Britain and the Empire.’
‘That is correct,’ replied Sir Simon.
Holmes continued. ‘I am correct also in assuming that having taken advice from the most learned in the land, no definite conclusion has been reached as to whether this discovery is genuine, or to put it bluntly, a huge confidence trick to extract one million pounds from Her
Majesty’s Government.’ Sir Simon nodded. Holmes continued.
‘I assume a time limit to take up the offer has been given, after which time he will take the discovery abroad and offer it to a foreign power?’ Again Sir Simon nodded agreement.
Holmes put his fingertips together. ‘I gather that there is some difficulty about exchanging the million pounds for the plans, otherwise Her Majesty’s Government would have risked being the butt of a confidence trick, obtained the plans and built the apparatus to prove its authenticity?’
‘Yes,’ replied Sir Simon. ‘Rodger will not hand over the plans. He insists that he places several duplicates of the plans with certain reliable establishments — banks, solicitors and the like — on the understanding that, in the event of war, they are sent at once to the person addressed to on the envelope. This will be the Prime Minister of the day.
‘Out of the many duplicate sets of plans, one envelope is bound to be dispatched within days of the outbreak of hostilities, even if some are overlooked and arrive late or not at all. The holders of the envelopes do not of course realise the value of the contents.’
Holmes asked, ‘What is the reason Rodger gives for this elaborate exchange system?’
Sir Simon replied, ‘Rodger is against the discovery being used for commercial gain. He says the railways, canals and road transport carriers would suffer. Thousands of people would be thrown out of work. Women and children would starve. But by using this method he avoids the commercial use of the discovery, whilst making it available in time of crisis such as war, when it would prove invaluable.’
Holmes nodded and remarked, ‘This, however, is contrary to the purpose of leaving his colleagues in China; it was to exploit the invention.’
‘I agree, but during the long sea voyage he had time to think about it and decided that it would be of little merit or purpose to become the richest man in the world, if he also became the most hated.’
Sherlock Holmes and the Chinese Junk Affair and Other Stories Page 2