The Patient's Eyes: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes
Page 20
I worried over Greenwell’s notebook for some minutes and got nowhere at all before my mind went back to Miss Grace. From his seat by the window Bell, who was still recharging his mental batteries by examining earlier ciphers, could see well enough that I was becoming agitated but also that I was unable to sleep. A more orthodox physician would have insisted I stay quiet. But after a time he clearly made up his mind that would not work.
‘Doyle,’ he said reasonably, ‘We know she is safe tonight. It is even possible this notebook is irrelevant. In any event we are not going to solve it by beating our brains in so laborious a way. If you wish to know more about such things then I will show you. It will be a distraction and I think you will find it diverting. Either that or I insist you take a sleeping draft.’
I refused the latter option, but I accepted his point. I was willing to be taught.
He pulled his chair over to the bed and thrust a paper at me. ‘In any case, when we discussed the Culligworth cipher you said you would like to see this. So here it is.’
‘What is it?’ I asked.
‘A genuine treasure map.’
He lit another candle and I turned the paper over at once, glad of anything that would get my mind away from our predicament for I could see 1 was doing myself no good. This is what I read.
THE TREASURE (Joseph Bell’s 1881 copy1)
115 73 24 807 37 52 49 17 31 62 647 22 7 15 140 47 29 107
79 84 56 239 10 26 811 5 196 308 85 52 160 136 59 211 36 9
46 316 554 122 106 95 53 58 2 42 7 35 122 53 31 82 77 250
196 56 96 118 71 140 287 28 353 37 1005 65 147 807 24 3 8
12 47 43 59 807 45 316 101 41 78 154 1005 122 138 191 16
77 49 102 57 72 34 73 85 35 371 59 196 81 92 191 106 273
60 394 620 270 220 106 388 287 63 3 6 191 122 43 234 400
106 290 314 47 48 81 96 26 115 92 158 191 110 77 85 197 46
10 113 140 353 48 120 106 2 607 61 420 811 29 125 14 20 37
105 28 248 16 159 7 35 19 301 125 110 486 287 98 117 511
62 51 220 37 113 140 807 138 540 8 44 287 388 117 18 79
344 34 20 59 511 548 107 603 220 7 66 154 41 20 50 6 575
122 154 248 110 61 52 33 30 5 38 8 14 84 57 540 217 115 71
29 84 63 43 131 29 138 47 73 239 540 52 53 79 118 51 44 63
196 12 239 112 3 49 79 353 105 56 371 557 211 505 125 360
133 143 101 15 284 540 252 14 205 140 344 26 811 138 115
48 73 34 205 316 607 63 220 7 52 150 44 52 16 40 37 158
807 37 121 12 95 10 15 35 12 131 62 115 102 807 49 53 135
138 30 31 62 67 41 85 63 10 106 807 138 8 113 20 32 33 37
353 287 140 47 85 50 37 49 47 64 6 7 71 33 4 43 47 63 1 27
600 208 230 15 191 246 85 94 511 2 270 20 39 7 33 44 22 40
7 10 3 811 106 44 486 230 353 211 200 31 10 38 140 297 61
603 320 302 666 287 2 44 33 32 511 548 10 6 250 557 246 53
37 52 83 47 320 38 33 807 7 44 30 31 250 10 15 35 106 160
113 31 102 406 230 540 320 29 66 33 101 807 138 301 316
353 320 220 37 52 28 540 320 33 8 48 107 50 811 7 2 113 73
16 125 11 110 67 102 807 33 59 81 158 38 43 581 138 19 85
400 38 43 77 14 27 8 47 138 63 140 44 35 22 177 106 250
314 217 2 10 7 1005 4 20 25 44 48 7 26 46 110 230 807 191
34 112 147 44 110 121 125 96 41 51 50 140 56 47 152 540 63
807 28 42 250 138 582 98 643 32 107 140 112 26 85 138 540
53 20 125 371 38 36 10 52 118 136 102 420 150 112 71 14 20
7 24 18 12 807 37 67 110 62 33 21 95 220 511 102 811 30 83
84 305 620 15 2 10 8 220 106 353 105 106 60 275 72 8 50
205 185 112 125 540 65 106 807 138 96 110 16 73 33 807 150
409 400 50 154 285 96 106 316 270 205 101 811 400 8 44 37
52 40 241 34 205 38 16 46 47 85 24 44 15 64 73 138 807 85
78 110 33 420 505 53 37 38 22 31 10 110 106 101 140 15 38
3 5 44 7 98 287 135 150 96 33 84 125 807 191 96 511 118 40
370 643 466 106 41 107 603 220 275 30 150 105 49 53 287
250 208 134 7 53 12 47 85 63 138 110 21 112 140 485 486
505 14 73 84 575 1005 150 200 16 42 5 4 25 42 8 16 811 125
160 32 205 603 807 81 96 405 41 600 136 14 20 28 26 353
302 246 8 131 160 140 84 440 42 16 811 40 67 101 102 194
138 205 51 63 241 540 122 8 10 63 140 47 48 140 288
‘So this is the treasure cipher you mentioned?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ answered Bell. ‘Faced with the puzzle of the notebook, I thought it might help me to look at my own earlier work in solving such things. This is the first of two ciphers I was sent, one provides a background, the other more details.’
‘How on earth did you come by it?’
‘Oh, I had been in correspondence with a Virginian doctor in Lynchburg, a Dr Murdoch, about my Manual of Operations for Surgery. We discussed various aspects of diagnostics as well as treatment and in the course of our correspondence he told me how a local man called James Ward had famously spent all his time and money in an attempt to solve this cipher. Evidently it was left to him by a man called Thomas J. Beale who claimed to have found a rich vein of gold in the West and had supposedly moved this horde by wagon back to Virginia. Beale deposited the ciphers in a strongbox with instructions they should be opened after ten years.’
I stared at the numbers. ‘So is this a key cipher based on a text as you mentioned?’
‘Certainly,’ said the Doctor, ‘but it cannot be analysed in the simple way I analysed Cullingworth’s prank, for we have reason to suppose these numbers correspond to the words in a long document. If the tenth word is “Your” then “10” will be the letter “Y” but if the hundredth word is “Yesterday” then “100” will be Y” as well. Many of these numbers may well therefore refer to the same letter.’
‘Maybe it is gibberish?’
‘I grant that was always a possibility, but it is not.’
‘Then you have deciphered it?’ It was a relief to be considering an abstract problem that might yet help us find rules we could apply. Even without my throbbing head, it was obvious by now that we would get nowhere in this business through sheer brawn. In so odd and awkward a case, it seemed certain that only mental skill, ruthlessly applied, could possibly help us avenge Baynes for that awful grave on the forest floor and end the horrible climate of fear surrounding Heather Grace. And so I listened eagerly to what the Doctor had to say about solving such things. Indeed, I have rarely been a more willing pupil.
He was smiling modestly, touched by my enthusiasm. ‘There was word from my correspondent that the key to this one might be a text that would be familiar to every American. It seemed to me at once this must mean a historic text of peculiarly American importance. It was not very hard to arrive at various candidates. This will show you the amount of labour involved.’ He handed me another sheet.
Now I stared with true amazement at the Doctor’s copperplate for I could see at once the detailed work. He had taken a famous historical document and numbered every word of it, and I include the first and most relevant part here.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (Joseph Bell’s marked copy)
When(1) in(2) the(3) course(4) of(5) human(6) events(7) it(8) becomes(9) necessary (10) for(11) one(12) people(13) to(14) dissolve(15) the(16) political(17) bands(18) which(19) have(20) connected(21) them(22) with(23) another(24) and(25) to(26) assume(27) among(28) the(29) powers(30) of(31) the(32) earth(33) the(34) separate(35) and(36) equal(37) station(38) to(39) which(40) the(41) laws(42) of(43) nature(44) and(45) of(46) nature’s(47) god(48) entitle(49) them(50) a(51) decent(52) respect(53) to(54) the(55) opinions(56) of(57) mankind(58) requires(59) that(60) they(61) should(62) declare(63) the(64) causes(65) which(66) impel(67) them(68) to(69) the(70) separation(71) we(72) hold(73) these(74) truths(75) to(76) be(77) self(78) evident(79) that(80) all(81) men(82) are(83) created(84) equal(85) that(86) they(87) are(88) endowed(89) by(90) their(91) cr
eator(92) with(93) certain(94) inalienable(95) rights(96) that(97) among(98) these(99) are(100) life(101) liberty(102) and(103) the(104) pursuit(105) of(106) happiness(107) that(108) to(109) secure(110) these(111) rights(112) governments(113) are(114) instituted(115) among(116) men(117) deriving(118) their(119) just(120) powers(121) from(122) the(123) consent(124) of(125) the(126) governed(127) that(128) whenever(129) any(130) form(131) of(132) government(133) becomes(134) destructive(135) of(136) these(137) ends(138) it(139) is(140) the(141) right(142) of(143) the(144) people(145) to(146) alter(147) or(148) to(149) abolish(150) it(151) and(152) to(153) institute(154) new(155) government(156) laying(157) its(158) foundation(159) on(160) such(161) principles(162) and(163) organizing(164) its(165) powers(166) in(167) such(168) form(169) as(170) to(171) them(172) shall(173) seem(174) most(175) likely(176) to(177) effect(178) their(179) safety(180) and(181) happiness(182) prudence(183) indeed(184) will(185) dictate(186) that(187) governments(188) long(189) established(190) should(191) not(192) be(193) changed(194) for(195) light(196) and(197) transient(198) causes(199) and(200) accordingly(201) all(202) experience(203) hath(204) shown(205) that(206) mankind(207) are(208) more(209) disposed(210) to(211) suffer(212) while(213) evils(214) are(215) sufferable(216) than(217) to(218) right(219) themselves(220) by(221) abolishing(222) the(223) forms(224) to(225) which(226) they(227) are(228) accustomed(229) but(230) when(231) a(232) long(233) train(234) of(235) abuses(236) and(237) usurpations(238) pursuing(239) invariably(240) the(241) same(242) object(243) evinces(244) a(245) design(246) to(247) reduce(248) them(249) under(250) absolute(251) despotism(252) it(253) is(254) their(255) right(256) it(257) is(258) their(259) duty(260) to(261) throw(262) off(263) such(264) government(265) and(266) to(267) provide(268) new(269) guards(270) for(271) their(272) future(273) security(274) such(275) has(276) been(277) the(278) patient(279) sufferance(280) of(281) these(282) colonies(283) and(284) such(285) is(286) now(287) the(288) necessity(289) which(290) constrains(291) them(292) to(293) …
‘Yes, it was the work of many nights,’ said Bell as I stared at his labours. I could sense from his tone the excitement the topic held for him. Though he was fairly modest about it at the time, I know now that his work on the Beale cipher took many years and that he regarded it as one of his most triumphant moments of pure analytical deduction. I think that was why he wanted to present it to me that night when we were at a low ebb.
‘Perhaps I could have been better employed, Doyle,’ he continued, ‘but once I started with the Declaration of Independence I was sure I was on to something. The devil was in the details for the author must have been using a shortened form of the Declaration. This means there are serious mismatches in the higher – but not thank heaven the lower — numbers. From my researches, I calculate his version of the Declaration was around sixty-eight words shorter than the one we know. This is perfectly possible for the key text may have been in a newspaper and the story is that Beale intended to provide it, but never appeared to do so. I could even see where he had difficulties. In the whole of the Declaration, there were no words beginning with an “X”. Beale resolved this by using “1073” “extends”. You will find it as “1005”, it is indeed one of the numbers most altered by the shortened text he used.’
‘So where is your translation?’ I asked eagerly.
‘Here is the result of my labour.’ And he handed me the following with a flourish.
I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three herewith: The first deposit consisted of one thousand and fourteen pounds of gold, and three thousand eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited November 1819. The second was made December 1821, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight pounds of silver; also jewels, obtained in St Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at thirteen thousand dollars. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. The vault is roughly lined with stone, and the vessels rest on solid stone, and are covered with others. Paper number one describes the exact locality of the vault so that no difficulty will be had in finding it.
I have written that I sometimes found it hard to reconcile myself to the Doctor. But in one thing he was completely consistent, and that was his regular ability to amaze me. Here was such a time. I was, after all, lying in an ill-furnished bedroom in a humdrum villa in Southsea. And in order to further what was a desperate investigation he had produced a genuinely deciphered American code of buried treasure! If only we could apply the same technique to Greenwell’s notebook, surely we would reach a safe harbour.
‘It is extraordinary,’ I said. ‘But surely you have deciphered details of an immense fortune? What did your correspondent say? What about the other code?’
‘Yes, I admit’, he said, smiling, ‘there was quite a flurry of letters from Virginia when I sent Dr Murdoch the decipherment. And yes, there were many questions about the other cipher. But the treasure interests me a great deal less than the puzzle itself, which is a remarkable one.’
‘You have the other cipher?’
‘I do but I fear it presented greater difficulties.’ And he handed it over.
THE LOCALITY OF THE VAULT2
71 194 38 1701 89 76 11 83 1629 48 94 63 132 16 111 95 84
341975 14 40 64 27 81 139 213 63 90 1120 8 15 3 126 2018
40 74 758 485 604 230 436 664 582 150 251 284 308 231 124
211 486 225 401 370 11 101 305 139 189 17 33 88 208 193
145 1 94 73 416 918 263 28 500 538 356 117 136 219 27 176
130 10 460 25 485 18 436 65 84 200 283 118 320 138 36 416
280 15 71 224 961 44 16 401 39 88 61 304 12 21 24 283 134
92 63 246 486 682 7 219 184 360 780 18 64 463 474 131 160
79 73 440 95 18 64 581 34 69 128 367 460 17 81 12 103 820
62 116 97 103 862 70 60 1317 471 540 208 121 890 346 36
150 59 568 614 13 120 63 219 812 2160 1780 99 35 18 21 136
872 15 28 170 88 4 30 44 112 18 147 436 195 320 37 122 113
6 140 8 120 305 42 58 461 44 106 301 13 408 680 93 86 116
530 82 568 9 102 38 416 89 71 216 728 965 818 2 38 121 195
14 326 148 234 18 55 131 234 361 824 5 81 623 48 961 19 26
33 10 1101 365 92 88 181 275 346 201 206 86 36 219 324 829
840 64 326 19 48 122 85 216 284 919 861 326 985 233 64 68
232 431 960 50 29 81 216 321 603 14 612 81 360 36 51 62
194 78 60 200 314 676 112 4 28 18 61 136 247 819 921 1060
464 895 10 6 66 119 38 41 49 602 423 962 302 294 875 78 14
23 111 109 62 31 501 823 216 280 34 24 150 1000 162 286 19
21 17 340 19 242 31 86 234 140 607 115 33 191 67 104 86 52
88 16 80 121 67 95 122 216 548 96 11 201 77 364 218 65 667
890 236 154 211 10 98 34 119 56 216 119 71 218 1164 1496
1817 51 39 210 36 3 19 540 232 22 141 617 84 290 80 46 207
411 150 29 38 46 172 85 194 39 261 543 897 624 18 212 416
127 931 19 4 63 96 12 101 418 16 140 230 460 538 19 27 88
612 1431 90 716 275 74 83 11 426 89 72 84 1300 1706 814
221 132 40 102 34 868 975 1101 84 16 79 23 16 81 122 324
403 912 227 936 447 55 86 34 43 212 107 96 314 264 1065
323 428 601 203 124 95 216 814 2906 654 820 2 301 112 176
213 71 87 96 202 35 10 2 41 17 84 221 736 820 214 11 60 760
‘But the numbers are huge!’ I said, ‘“2906”. This surely must have defeated you.’
‘Yes,’ admitted the Doctor. ‘Actually, you have put your finger on one of its most interesting features, Doyle. “2906” is one of only two numbers above two thousand in the entire text. It must be a rare letter indeed if he had to go so far into that key text to find it. The Declaration has no “2906”, so I knew at once it was a longer document than that. I could also on those grounds
exclude many other key American political documents like “The Bill of Rights”, the Gettysburg Address from President Lincoln, even the basic American constitution, all too short. The Bible was another obvious starting point. The first book I tried was Genesis. It was a natural beginning, but I got nowhere. I tried other biblical texts. Exodus was no more successful than Genesis but Kings had its points. The Book of Samuel had great potential but in the end it was discarded. Of the Gospels, Luke proved most interesting, but I could not finally persuade myself there was hope. Pickwick Papers seemed a likely candidate, given its success around the time the thing was compiled but it was of no use at all. I believe I still have the first few lines, based on Pickwick, let me see.’
He shuffled some papers. ‘Yes, here. “TFFO H ACA”; not a promising start. And then I took the bull by the horns. I do not think I have to tell you, Doyle, of a story by Edgar Allan Poe called “The Gold-Bug”.’
‘Of course, I know most of Poe!’ I cried. ‘It is about the finding of Captain Kidd’s treasure. But your story of the Beale ciphers reminded me of his at once. Are they connected?’
‘I believe so,’ said the Doctor. ‘“The Gold-Bug” was the most popular of Poe’s tales and on its original publication in 1843 this story secured fame for its author that in later years was second only to “The Raven”. It also originated from the same part of America as the Beale story. It is my honest belief that the whole Beale thing was inspired by “The Gold-Bug”.’
‘But you say you solved the second cipher?’
‘Yes, I have gone some way towards it and I will tell you how. You were drawn to the same figure, as I was “2906”. It caught my eye as soon as I examined the cipher. Surely this must be a rare word or letter, for there is no other number nearly so high as this anywhere else. My first task on approaching “The Gold-Bug” was to try to find a word around this part in the manuscript that looks likely. And Poe’s texts have bedevilled the thing. Some miss words, it is not easy to get an agreed version, and there is also the huge problem of whether to count hyphenated words like the “gold-bug” itself as one or two. But at approximately the right place in the Poe manuscript for our “2906”, we find two very interesting possibilities: “excitable” and “anxiety”. I prefer the former.