I occasionally advocate searching through old drafts of stories and other pieces of writing which might be worthy of entering into a competition. I have recently come across previous submissions I made which were either rejected or ignored altogether – never to see the light of day. I have decided therefore to give some an airing in this blog in the hope that they may provide some interest. The following was for a competition for which submissions had to be a Sherlock Holmes story concerning the Giant Rat of Sumatra which was first mentioned in a Conan Doyle story, The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire in The Strand Magazine in 1924. Several stories were written over the years by other authors. This is my version.
The Marawa Manuscript
It was a chill afternoon of February 1916 that found both Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes confined to the welcoming warmth of the study at 221b Baker Street, where a fire blazed brightly in the grate. Dr Watson was preoccupied with a copy of his newspaper emitting the occasional ‘tut’ and a sigh of bafflement.
‘My dear Watson, what is the matter?’ said Holmes finally, having had his train of thought disturbed too many times by his friend’s utterances.
‘It’s this new confounded word puzzle which the newspaper has introduced. I must confess I am totally confused by the so-called clues provided. They do not relate to any general knowledge that I am aware of.’ So saying, the doctor tossed the paper onto the side table. Holmes gathered the pages up and examined the puzzle, occasionally chewing on the stem of his pipe.
‘These are cryptic clues, Watson. They are quite straightforward to decipher. One just has to get into the mind of the compiler. For example, this one is an anagram, made up of the letters from certain words within the clue: “Got mixed message with tsunami threat afar.” Holmes appeared intrigued and thankful for something with which to exercise his grey cells. Watson was a little put out and turned his attention to a book instead. He had, however, read no more than a page or two when Holmes suddenly stood up wielding the paper and said, ‘Watson, get our coats and gloves and ask Mrs Hudson to find us a carriage. We have no time to lose!’
Before too long, they were in the carriage. ‘The British Museum as fast as you can,’ called Holmes to the driver.
‘What on Earth is all this about, Holmes?’ said a perplexed Dr Watson.
‘Oh, why have I not studied this newspaper puzzle beore?’ said Holmes. ‘Sir Lawrence Danford always said that he would send me a message somehow.’
‘I’m sorry, Holmes, I’m not with you, old fellow.’
‘The puzzle in the paper. The answer to the anagram is “the great rat of Sumatra”. You remember the story of the Matilda Briggs?’
‘Yes, of course, and the great rat. You said the world was not prepared or something.’
‘Well, we shall have to be prepared now. The compiler of the word puzzle calls himself Coyote. This is the pseudonym of Sir Lawrence Danford. ‘
‘But how –?’
‘This man is an eminent anthropologist as was his father before him. His father was an expert in North American cultures, of which Coyote was a deity. A number of the word puzzle clues relate to this field of study , and Coyote is the middle name Sir Lawrence was given by his father.’
‘Poor chap.’
‘The puzzle was undoubtedly compiled by Sir Lawrence,’ continued Holmes, ‘ and it was he who said he would send me a warning when…’
‘What?’
‘I shall explain more when we get to the museum.’
‘What I don’t understand is why Sir Lawrence didn’t contact you directly?’
‘It was far too dangerous for him to allow it to be known that he was sending this message. He chose this method assuming that someone such as I would wish to tackle these new word puzzles. It is therefore fortunate Watson that you ..er..required my help with it. If only I had perused the newspaper first thing this morning. I just hope that matters have not advanced too far.’
As they arrived before the imposing portals of the museum entrance, Holmes said, ‘Watson, obtain a Lloyd’s List from the news stand and meet me inside.’
Watson arrived at the entrance to find Holmes in conversation with Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Lestrade said, ‘We think he was killed this morning. His secretary assumed he was late to the office and it was only when she went to the archives that she found his body. It seems to be a robbery. The glass cabinets have been broken, but we can’t establish what has been taken yet. His assistants are checking.’
‘May we go down to see?’
‘ Be my guest, but how do you come to be here, Holmes? We were only called less than an hour ago.’
‘I received a message from Sir Lawrence in the newspaper.’ With that, Holmes descended the stairs to the cellar archives, leaving a bemused Inspector Lestrade frowning at the remark. Holmes turned to Watson, as they entered the double doors to the library. ‘Find the current location of the Matilda Briggs, Watson.’
Watson thumbed through the pages of Lloyd’s List. ‘Here we are. She arrives in the Port of London on tomorrow morning’s tide.’
‘That leaves us very little time indeed.’ There were three young men going through documents from the broken cabinets.
‘I’m Sherlock Holmes and this is Dr Watson. We are helping the police in this matter. Can you discover if anything has been taken.’
‘Oh, hello, I’m Edward Talbot, a research fellow from King’s College. This is dreadful. I can’t imagine who would have done such a thing, and it seems that all they have taken is one particular document. The Marawa manuscript.’
‘Is it valuable?’
‘Not especially. Marawa was, or is, a spider spirit from Melanesia. It is believed by followers that Marawa gave man his mortality.’
‘Well, that was certainly so in Sir Lawrence’s case,’ said Watson, glumly studying the body which lay sprawled in the broken glass.
‘Watson, are you able to determine the cause of death?’ said Holmes.
‘Hm, well there appear to be no obvious wounds or indications of strangulation. It’s as though the poor chap just dropped dead.’
Holmes spoke to Talbot again. ‘When did the document come into the possession of the museum?’
‘Quite recently. Sir Lawrence returned from the East Indies with this and many other documents. As far as I know he had been working on a translation of the script for about a week or two. He was the only one who could decipher it.’
‘Do you have any idea what it was about?’
‘I’m afraid not.’
Holmes looked anxious. ’It seems he discovered something of great significance. Watson, look in Lloyd’s List again. I think you will find the Matilda Briggs set sail from Padang.’
Watson riffled through the pages. ‘Why, yes she did, but how did you-?’
‘Padang is a port of Sumatra. The port suffered a tsunami disaster in the 1830s. These were all the clues in that word puzzle which Sir Lawrence compiled. There may be more. We shall need to obtain another copy of that newspaper on our way to Tilbury.’
Inspector Lestrade came through the doorway. ‘Well, Holmes, have you solved it all, yet?’ he said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
‘I believe it was certainly murder, Inspector, which was committed in order to retrieve a document. I also believe that you should be looking for more than one person of Indonesian origin. Also, you should use your powers to prevent the berthing of a vessel, the M.V. Matilda Briggs, at Tilbury in the morning.’
‘I’ll arrange for some officers to guard the gangway.’
‘Inspector, if we are to avert a monumental disaster in London then that vessel must not be allowed anywhere near a dockside.’
With Lestrade left open-mouthed, Holmes and Watson set off for Tilbury. Holmes applied himself to the puzzle in the newspaper purchased on the way.
‘You will recall, Watson, that I said Sir Lawrence, under his pseudonym of Coyote, had used anthropological clues in the puzzle?’
‘You did.’
‘Well, there are others besides.’ Holmes dashed off the remaining clues in minutes much to Watson’s grudging admiration. ‘You see, we have ‘Cult’, ‘Arachnid’, ‘Infestation’. I believe these were key words from the Marawa document.’
‘I fail to see what this has to do with a giant rat. Unless, of course, the ship is full of these to be let loose.’
‘Ah, Watson, you, like others, have arrived at the wrong conclusion without knowledge of all the facts. The giant rat has been observed by naturalists in the past; it is an incredibly benign creature, unlike the common brown rat of Europe. It is, however, revered as a sacred symbol by the people of Sumatra and other islands within that region. Removal of one of these rats from its natural habitat would result in the most horrible reprisals on the people of whichever country sought to offend the cult in this way.’
‘So you think that a specimen of this giant rat may be on board the Matilda Briggs? Sir Lawrence discovered what was likely to happen from the document he was translating and paid the price for that knowledge.’
‘Well done, Watson. In sending out the coded message, he was seeking to protect ourselves from a similar fate.’
‘It’s still a mystery how he died though.’
‘I think a post mortem will reveal a very localised but lethal blow to a particular part of his torso, causing a massive heart attack.’
Watson snorted in disbelief. ‘Now really, Holmes, that is even beyond your powers of deduction. How have you come to that conclusion.’
‘The Indonesian cult I referred to practice a unique method of combat, known as silat. Practitioners can maim or kill a person merely by a single blow from their bare hand.’
‘Good Lord! Do you imagine the members of this cult are to go around England randomly killing innocent people?’
‘Extremely unlikely, but if we examine the other clues from the word puzzle, we have ‘Arachnid’ and ‘Infestation’.’
‘Something to do with spiders, isn’t it?’
‘Correct, and one of the natural habitats for spiders is wood, which I suspect is the cargo of the Matilda Briggs.’
Watson quickly thumbed through the pages of Lloyd’s List. The grim expression on his face indicated that his companion had once again deduced correctly.
Holmes continued, ‘This is why the vessel must not come alongside until the authorities have been able to conduct a thorough inspection. The Marawa document relates to the spider god with the power of giving mortality and therefore death. If a specimen of the great rat is on board, I think it highly probable that there will be poisonous spiders there also to be let loose and breed within London.’
*
The following day a launch took Holmes and Dr Watson together with Inspector Lestrade to the MV Matilda Briggs which lay at anchor in mid stream. They were greeted by an irate Professor Grayson from the Natural History museum.
‘I demand to know why we have not been allowed to berth.’
Lestrade spoke. ‘This vessel and its crew and passengers are under quarantine restrictions, pending an examination by the port health authorities. It is believed that there are poisonous spiders on board.’
‘Absolutely not,’ protested Grayson. ‘I have a new specimen of what I believe to be Myocastor coypus. That is all.’
‘I think you will find it is an order of the family Rattus’ said Holmes, ‘ and unless it is returned to its natural habitat it will most likely result in your untimely death from a devout cult of followers of this sacred beast.’
Holmes’s severe expression and the words delivered as they were with clinical incisiveness left Grayson in no doubt as to the reality of what had been said.
‘What you said about poisonous spiders. Any of that type of species can only survive at temperatures of tropical climes. This is February is it not? Any that might be on board will be long dead. Of that I have no doubt at all; trust me, I am a naturalist.’
Watson was still unable to contain his mirth as the launch returned to shore. The great rat was returned to Sumatra, and it was assumed that the Marawa manuscript also found it way there, its intrinsic value greatly underestimated. From that day forth, Holmes made it a habit to read the daily newspaper every day before breakfast and also to complete the word puzzle.
END
©Wally Smith 2014
Wally Smith 