Sherlock Holmes and the Chinese Junk Affair and Other Stories Read Online Free Page A

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,