‘Well, I never,’ he said when we examined the scene. ‘Who’d do such a damn silly thing? That’s a few bushels lost.’
We could see that the stalks had been blown down. They were completely compacted in the middle of the circle. Toward the edge it was less so. We appeared to be standing in the middle of a saucer of disturbed wheat. Holmes paid particular attention to three depressions in the soil. Each was about a foot in diameter. After pacing between them he said, ‘Each is the same distance from the other two. Together they form a triangle. Another thing to note are the marks made by the hoofs of two horses. Two riders must have entered the field and approached whatever made this saucer-like depression. For some strange reason one of the riders has galloped round in small circles. First clockwise and then anti-clockwise.’
As we stood there, thinking about what we were seeing, I ventured to suggest, ‘Could this be some ancient pagan ritual?’
‘Pagan ritual my foot,’ replied the farmer, ‘it’s some fools a be larking about. I’ll give ’em pagan ritual if I catch ’em at it. It’s all very well young couples a cavorting in the crops, cos they don’t make much damage. But this is something different.’
On our way back from the field we met another farmer and when he heard of our find he said, ‘That’s odd. One o’ my lads says the long bottom field ’as been trampled on.’
We went over to the field. Within a rough circle the crop had been flattened and there were three deep depressions in a triangular formation. There were also clear signs that a number of people and horses had been moving about. Holmes went down on his knees, oblivious of the effect on his trousers. He sniffed the ground. After dinner that evening he retired to his room saying that he had to forego our company because he needed to think deeply about the events of the day and set down his preliminary conclusions.
Part Three
An appeal
The chief constable requested that we should stay for a few more days because he hoped we would solve the mystery of the unidentified body and, at the same time, determine the cause of the strange effects on the crops.
The next morning at breakfast Holmes was opening a letter.
‘Watson, this is from my brother Mycroft. Something of great interest, no doubt. He only writes when absolutely necessary. I did not tell him I would be down here. Little escapes him, you know. He also tells me that he has sent a copy to Charles.’
From experience I knew that Mycroft was a man of few words, both spoken and written. His urbane nature belied the veritable dynamo of his brain. As I have mentioned, his position and role in government were never discussed. He answered to no one particular department. He was, in effect, the grey eminence of Whitehall, always ready to advise and to seek out information for others to use. From the expression on my friend’s face, I assumed the matter to which the letter referred was both important and of a singular nature.
Impatient to know what the letter contained, I interrupted Holmes’ thoughts as he read the correspondence for the second time. ‘I know I sound like Buckingham disturbing Richard Crookback. Nevertheless, please, what does your brother want?’
‘He says that information has been received which suggests that an unusual machine is being developed in great secrecy. Apparently, it could prove a threat to our country’s security if it fell into the hands of an enemy. It seems he wants me to find this machine. That is, of course, if it actually exists and is not just a pipe dream. Jules Verne has much to answer for by putting ideas into inventors’ minds.’
‘This is all very well, Holmes, because it raises the question of where does one start to look. More importantly, what are we to look for?’
‘Obvious questions. However, Mycroft does provide a clue, or he believes it is a clue. He has intelligence of unusual happenings at a castle in Dorset.’
‘Surely not the castle that we went to look at? This is all too much of a coincidence.’
‘A singular coincidence indeed, Watson. Mycroft writes that the informant could not say what sort of machine, and may have been motivated by jealousy, greed or anger and therefore is not to be relied upon. However, when his information was put alongside that gathered from our agents in a certain foreign country, then it became certain that it was absolutely necessary to look into the matter further. Now this is very interesting, Watson. Apparently about six months ago an agent of the government was sent to investigate the castle because it seemed certain that a strange machine might be found within its walls. Only one message was received and that conveyed little. Regrettably, soon after his body was found washed ashore in this part of the county. It is assumed that someone from the castle had murdered him. He goes on to say that relationships with the foreign country involved are at a delicate position and therefore no mention of the affair must be made public. Furthermore, obtaining a warrant to search the castle might result in the device being deliberately destroyed before it could be examined. If it is as lethal as is reported then the British government is anxious to get hold of it. All this means that any attempts to seek the device and its custodians by a direct approach will fail. Mycroft wants me to use my deductive powers without entering the castle. As I said, my cousin has been sent a copy of this letter.’
‘As you would say, this may prove to be a singular case.’
‘Indeed so. This is not the first time I have had to determine what was afoot inside a building or guarded enclosure without being able to see inside. It is then that I have to rely on clues from the surroundings. As Donne wrote, “No man is an island”, and neither is that castle. It impinges on its surroundings and in turn they affect the castle. Therefore we must make the customary inquiries among the local people; in particular the tradesmen, the postman and the railway goods yard office. In the meantime we will keep the castle at a safe distance.
‘Yes, I agree. Discretion being the better—’ I was interrupted.
‘Good morning. I see you’ve read Mycroft’s letter,’ said Holmes’ cousin as he strode into the breakfast room waving the letter in his hand. ‘I’ve had to deal in my time with a murder or two, a big bank robbery and the disappearance of a large herd, yet never have I been involved directly with Whitehall. This may also explain the unidentified body that was washed ashore. Now, Sherlock, what can I do to help? I cannot supply detectives because we have none.’
‘Nothing immediately, Charles, thank you. Watson and I will do some old-fashioned detective work ourselves. In other words knocking on doors and asking questions, yet at the same time not disclosing the reason.’
That day we made inquiries among the local tradesmen. At the railway station in Dorchester we learned that a great number of casks and metal containers were frequently delivered to the castle. The nature of the contents could not be determined; although there was a faint aroma of oranges. In other circumstances a covert examination of the goods would have been undertaken. However, that was not possible because of Mycroft’s insistence that we avoided, whenever possible, giving an indication that the castle and its secret were under investigation. As we seemed not to be gaining any worthwhile information, other than that concerning the casks and containers, I said, ‘How about a balloon, Holmes? You could ascend above the castle and look down upon its inner courtyards. You could also examine those depressions in the wheat and see if there are any more. You might even be able to take a photographic impression.’
‘Splendid idea, Watson. Let us waste no more time. We must go immediately to the local post office.’
Off went a telegram to Mycroft saying, ‘Urgently need flight in a balloon. Please arrange.’
Knowing Mycroft, I knew that such a terse and unusual request would hardly ruffle his demeanour and that he would immediately respond.
Within a few days a major from Her Majesty’s Balloon Factory at Aldershot rode up to the manor and announced, ‘I have orders to provide an aerial reconnaissance of a local castle and that a Mr Holmes and a Doctor Watson are to accompany me.’
At that moment I
wished I had not suggested the idea of a flight in a balloon. I have been with Holmes in many strange situations and in some tight spots. Nevertheless, always with my feet firmly on the ground. I did not sleep properly that night. By dawn I was feeling distinctly, as they say, ‘under the weather’. Over breakfast, although not over mine, the major explained the wonders of ballooning. He also explained that he had been instructed not to tether the balloon and that a free flight had to be made starting some distance upwind from the castle. Therefore, the voyage would be very much at the mercy of the wind. Holmes agreed that tethering the balloon near the castle would certainly alert the occupants that they were being observed. Our flight had to be made to appear to have no interest in the castle.
We travelled west to the border with Devon and from there we ascended in a balloon. I clung to the edge of the basket. As we rose up from the ground, my regrets at having agreed to this plan of action increased. It was a most unnatural place to be in, although I had to admit that the vertiginous effects on the senses I had experienced when climbing the mountains of Afghanistan were absent. All the same, I feared that the balloon might burst or the ropes that joined it to our basket would part, and we would be dashed to the ground. The major announced, ‘The aneroid barometer tells me that we are at one thousand feet.’ In the circumstances, I would have been happier not to have known this fact. Holmes, in contrast, was absorbed in the passing scenery.
‘We shall be close to the castle in a few minutes,’ said Holmes. ‘In this wind there will only be a few minutes to make our observations.’
Now we were passing over to one side of the castle. Unfortunately for our purpose too far to one side. Holmes pointed his binoculars and said, ‘I cannot see much of the inner bailey from this distance. Ah, yes, it appears to be covered over. I regret that you cannot cast out the anchor, Major, so that we can hover like a hawk, even for only a moment.’
‘If we were to do that I might not be able to release the anchor from whatever it may have hooked on to. Then I would have to release the gas and descend.’
‘And, of course, that would alert the castle’s owner to our presence. We must carry on, Major, as if this is a military exercise whose movements are entirely dependent on the wind direction. Watson, can you Kodak the castle, or are we too far away?’
‘There is a chance.’
I pointed the camera, in hope rather than certainty, and pressed the trigger. By now we had passed away from our target and being at the mercy of the wind we could not, as a sailing vessel could, beat into wind and fly over again. This limitation prompted me to ask, ‘Major, did you read that article in The Strand Magazine about Hiram Maxim’s intention to build a flying machine? Apparently it will be driven by steam.’
‘Too clever by half,’ he replied scornfully. ‘I cannot see how he is going to carry enough fuel for the boiler in order to sustain flight for a reasonable time. All the same, I can tell you we are also investigating a number of proposed flying machines with engines that can be steered in any direction. Not just dirigible balloons, but machines that are heavier than the atmosphere, that can proceed in any direction and be independent of the vagaries of wind and weather.’
I will not attempt to burden the reader with the remaining events of the flight, other than to report that our progress suddenly became more rapid and it started to rain. We were not able to observe the crops in the vale and to see if there were any other marks. Sufficient to record that after a stormy passage in torrential rain we had to come down in a field ten miles to the north east. Those who followed our progress on horseback only just managed to find us before night set in.
Back at the comfortable manor house at the break of dawn, I was about to retire to my room when Holmes, undeterred by the arduous flight we had survived, insisted on reviewing what we had discovered.
‘I conclude that there could be two reasons why the inner bailey is covered. Obviously there is something in there that has to be protected from the weather. And, two, whatever is inside has to be kept very secret. Which leads to the conclusion that the owner of the castle is well aware that the inner bailey can be seen from a balloon. From the look of this morning’s weather, we are in for a dark night. Dark enough, I wager, for stalking the mystery of the castle.’
That night, after supper, we walked along the lane that led to the north of the castle and waited. As Holmes had predicted it was a dense black night. A thin drizzle reduced visibility even further. As we stood there it reminded me of many other nights I had had to keep vigil in the cold and the wet as we waited for the appearance of a criminal.
‘I can just make out a light from the castle,’ whispered Holmes, although why he had to whisper I could not understand. After all, we were not a couple of poachers in fear of a gamekeeper. I could just make out the light. When we moved a mile to one side we could see two lights. We came to realize that when we stood to the north of the castle we could see one bright light. When we moved round to the east we could see two lights and when to the west three lights. If we were to move sideways from, say, the east, the two lights would dim and be replaced by a single light when we were north of the castle. As we continued to move, then that light would gradually dim and be replaced by an emerging set of three lights until they were at the fullest intensity. We discussed the lights with Wellbos, and we mentioned that there was, at the same time, a steady light on top of the castle that could be seen in all directions. He said they were obviously similar to the leading lights positioned to guide seamen when approaching a harbour.
Part Four
Intelligence
The postman arrived at the manor punctually at nine o’clock, as he did every day. Among the letters was another from Mycroft. After studying its contents, the letter was handed to me. I was surprised at the information it contained. Apparently, correspondence from the castle had been intercepted which indicated that the secret machine was a flying vessel. I read the copy that had been made of a letter to a General X (as I mentioned earlier, the names of the country and its personages must remain a secret).
Your Excellency,
I have the honour to report that Professor Bactrac’s flying machine has been completed and that during the past two months a number of voyages have been made. The machine performs well in the vertical plane. Unfortunately, I regret to have to report that we have yet to achieve satisfactory forward motion and the ability to steer at will.
The power for rotating the lifting sails is derived from a Hero type of engine whose effluxes are arranged as the arms of the Indian religious symbol, the swastika.
The downward flow of air from the revolving sails (sic) causes the body of the machine to turn slowly in the other direction of rotation. Because we have to minimize the weight it is not practicable to increase the area of the stabilizing fin and its movable portion that acts as a rudder. You will recall from an earlier report that we had tried installing the Hero engine in the body of the machine and driving the lifting sails by chains. Unfortunately when we tried that method the sails remained still and the body of the machine spun round.
We are convinced that once we have achieved sustainable movement for a number of hours the machine can progress to Z. There, in your splendid scientific establishment, the present shortcomings will be overcome. Then, Your Excellency, our country will have an aerial weapon against which there is no defence.
I remain, Excellency, your most obedient and most humble servant.
‘Undoubtedly, then, we have been pursuing the flying machine mentioned in the letter. What is our next move, Holmes?’
‘In my opinion too early to say. I had understood that such a machine has to achieve forward motion on the ground before it can rise like a bird and—’
I had to interject at that point, saying, ‘What about Jules Verne and the aerial vessel he describes, that is lifted by rotating paddle blades on the top of masts? And this letter mentions lifting sails.’
‘Of course, Watson, you have pointed to a possible a
nswer. Yes, the machine in the bailey would have to rise vertically from within the confines of the walls. The swathes of flattened crops are where it has alighted. Furthermore, why has it chosen or, possibly, been compelled, to seek the ground on so many occasions after only a short flight?’
‘Now I recall what the major said about Maxim’s machine. You remember he referred to the need to carry sufficient fuel in order to sustain flight for a reasonable distance.’
‘Indeed, the fuel is possibly an important clue. Now, let us look at this copy of the map that was enclosed with the original letter. The line marked could indicate an intended voyage from the castle to a point near Dover. You will also note the column of numerals. They appear not to convey any meaning. Mycroft’s covering letter admits that the experts in codes and ciphers he has consulted are baffled. What do you make of it?’
I examined the numbers yet could not discern any pattern. I handed it back to Holmes, who was leaning on the mantelpiece. He happened to be holding the map close to the mirror as he re-read the letter.
After a few moments he said, ‘Very simple, Watson. As I look into the mirror I find, staring me in the face, the numbers on the map. They are of course reversed. When read in that order they provide the longitude of each of the points marked on the map. Have you a pencil and paper? I’ll call out the numbers.’
I thought, So much for the so-called black art of cryptography.
We used the numbers to provide positions on a map. It became clear that they were intended to be places where the machine could have its fuel replenished.
‘This is interesting,’ said Holmes, as we marked in the last position. ‘It is alongside Dover Castle. Could it be that he, or they, are attempting to traverse the Channel in the machine? We must act immediately. Borrow the trap and hasten to the post office. A telegram must go without delay to Mycroft. It should read: “Machine may attempt to alight into open space either to the north of Lyndhurst or outside Hurstmonceux Castle. Last chance to apprehend will be in meadow to the east of Dover Castle. Suggest welcoming parties attend for the next few days”.’
Sherlock Holmes at the Breakfast Table Page 14