Sherlock Holmes and The Sword of Osman Read Online Free
Author: Tim Symonds
Tags: Crime, Mystery, sherlock holmes, british crime, sherlock holmes novels, sherlock holmes fiction
a silver and chrome magnifying glass from a pocket. He examined the sword in minute detail. Without explanation, Holmes transferred his scrutiny from the sword to the Sultanâs features. Eventually he stepped back and replaced the glass in a pocket.
It was my turn. The sword appeared to be about four feet long and some four inches in width at the cross-guard. It bore a resemblance to the traditional Indian talwars with steel hilts and gold koftgari decoration I was accustomed to in the Indian subcontinent. On the Ottoman sword a gold cartouche was picked out in the centre of the blade at the start of a series of thin grooves. The hilt was of a black stone, the cross-bar decorated in relief in gold and black niello with a large emerald at the centre. A golden dragon-head formed the grip.
Grey resumed.
âThis sword of state is called the Sword of Osman - after the founder of the Ottoman Dynasty. Itâs worn only at the investiture of a new sultan. In this painting the artist decided to depict the former sultan with the sword in his hand as a symbol of power, though in fact between inaugurations it never leaves Yildiz Palace where itâs guarded behind heavy locked doors twenty-four hours a day.â
âWhy should this weapon be of any interest to His Britannic Majestyâs Government?â Holmes asked.
âRumours are doing the rounds of a plot to steal it,â the Foreign Secretary replied. âHis Majestyâs Government believes the matter must be taken very seriously.â
I frowned. The fate of an ancient sword hardly merited Holmesâs journey from Sussex to London, or even from my medical practice just a mile or so away.
âWhy would any such theft matter to England?â I pursued.
âDr. Watson, I can assure you I wouldnât easily enter on a subterfuge to get Mr. Holmes to meet me here today if it were not of the utmost importance. He who holds the sword of state holds the key to power over the entire Turkish Empire. Its loss could mean the fall of the Sultan. If Abd-ul-Hamid falls, the ghost universe which is the present Ottoman Empire could totter and collapse like a house of cards.â
I fell silent, waiting for Holmes to respond. I judged the matter of little consequence, at most a quarrel among faraway peoples about whom we knew scarcely anything - and what we did know we didnât like.
For a moment Holmes appeared too absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer. Then to my dismay my comrade replied in the affirmative.
âWell, Sir Edward, we shall gladly accept the commission - on the grounds of all expenses being reimbursed by your Government. I believe my friend Dr. Watson would enjoy a week or two in Constantinople.â
Englandâs Foreign Secretary gave a sigh of relief.
âYouâll be fully reimbursed and more,â he replied. âIncidentally, Mr. Holmes, it was your brother Mycroft who brought this matter to the attention of the Government. As you know, he sits at the nerve-centre of the Empire.â
The elder by seven years, Mycroft Holmes held an important if ill-defined position in His Majestyâs Government. He dwelt in the self-contained world of Whitehall, his office almost equidistant from the War Department, the Foreign Office, Treasury and the Admiralty. His reach as puppet-master was immense.
The Foreign Secretary turned to look at me. âDr. Watson, you donât look convinced of the gravity of this mission. If there is a conspiracy and if it succeeds and the Sultanate collapses, the consequences could be cataclysmic. A mad quarrel would break out over the spoils. Among the powers of Europe Germany is best placed to rummage among the debris for advantage. She would gain direct access to the Euphrates. She would seize control of the Shatt El Arab. Even the heartlands of Islam would become hers. Englandâs overland routes to India, vital to our control of the sub-Continent, would be
It was my turn. The sword appeared to be about four feet long and some four inches in width at the cross-guard. It bore a resemblance to the traditional Indian talwars with steel hilts and gold koftgari decoration I was accustomed to in the Indian subcontinent. On the Ottoman sword a gold cartouche was picked out in the centre of the blade at the start of a series of thin grooves. The hilt was of a black stone, the cross-bar decorated in relief in gold and black niello with a large emerald at the centre. A golden dragon-head formed the grip.
Grey resumed.
âThis sword of state is called the Sword of Osman - after the founder of the Ottoman Dynasty. Itâs worn only at the investiture of a new sultan. In this painting the artist decided to depict the former sultan with the sword in his hand as a symbol of power, though in fact between inaugurations it never leaves Yildiz Palace where itâs guarded behind heavy locked doors twenty-four hours a day.â
âWhy should this weapon be of any interest to His Britannic Majestyâs Government?â Holmes asked.
âRumours are doing the rounds of a plot to steal it,â the Foreign Secretary replied. âHis Majestyâs Government believes the matter must be taken very seriously.â
I frowned. The fate of an ancient sword hardly merited Holmesâs journey from Sussex to London, or even from my medical practice just a mile or so away.
âWhy would any such theft matter to England?â I pursued.
âDr. Watson, I can assure you I wouldnât easily enter on a subterfuge to get Mr. Holmes to meet me here today if it were not of the utmost importance. He who holds the sword of state holds the key to power over the entire Turkish Empire. Its loss could mean the fall of the Sultan. If Abd-ul-Hamid falls, the ghost universe which is the present Ottoman Empire could totter and collapse like a house of cards.â
I fell silent, waiting for Holmes to respond. I judged the matter of little consequence, at most a quarrel among faraway peoples about whom we knew scarcely anything - and what we did know we didnât like.
For a moment Holmes appeared too absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer. Then to my dismay my comrade replied in the affirmative.
âWell, Sir Edward, we shall gladly accept the commission - on the grounds of all expenses being reimbursed by your Government. I believe my friend Dr. Watson would enjoy a week or two in Constantinople.â
Englandâs Foreign Secretary gave a sigh of relief.
âYouâll be fully reimbursed and more,â he replied. âIncidentally, Mr. Holmes, it was your brother Mycroft who brought this matter to the attention of the Government. As you know, he sits at the nerve-centre of the Empire.â
The elder by seven years, Mycroft Holmes held an important if ill-defined position in His Majestyâs Government. He dwelt in the self-contained world of Whitehall, his office almost equidistant from the War Department, the Foreign Office, Treasury and the Admiralty. His reach as puppet-master was immense.
The Foreign Secretary turned to look at me. âDr. Watson, you donât look convinced of the gravity of this mission. If there is a conspiracy and if it succeeds and the Sultanate collapses, the consequences could be cataclysmic. A mad quarrel would break out over the spoils. Among the powers of Europe Germany is best placed to rummage among the debris for advantage. She would gain direct access to the Euphrates. She would seize control of the Shatt El Arab. Even the heartlands of Islam would become hers. Englandâs overland routes to India, vital to our control of the sub-Continent, would be
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