chapter 2 of the hound of the baskervilles the curse of the baskervilles i have in my pocket a manuscript said dr james mortimer i observed it as you entered the room said holmes it is an old manuscript early 18th century unless it is a forgery how can you say that sir you have presented an inch or two of it to my examination all the time that you have been talking it would be a poor expert who could not give the date of a document within a decade or so you may possibly have read my little monograph upon the subject i put that at seventeen thirty the exact date is seventeen forty dr mortimer drew it from his breast pocket this family paper was committed to my care by sir charles baskerville whose sudden and tragic death three months ago created so much excitement in devonshire i may say that i was his personal friend as well as his medical attendant he was a strong-minded man sir shrewd practical and as unimaginative as i am myself yet he took this document very seriously and his mind was prepared for just such an end as did eventually overtake him holmes stretched out his hand for the manuscript and flattened it upon his knee you will observe watson the alternative use of the long s and the short it is one of several indications which enabled me to fix the date i looked over his shoulder at the yellow paper and the faded script at the head was written baskerville hall and below in large scrawling figures 1742 it appears to be a statement of some sort yes it is a statement of a certain legend which runs in the baskerville family but i understand that it is something more modern and practical upon which you wish to consult me most modern a most practical pressing matter which must be decided within 24 hours but the manuscript is short and is intimately connected with the affair with your permission i will read it to you holmes leaned back in his chair placed his fingertips together and closed his eyes with an air of resignation dr mortimer turned the manuscript to the light and read in a high cracking voice the following curious old world narrative of the origin of the hound of the baskervilles there have been many statements yet as i come in direct line from hugo baskerville and as i had the story from my father who also had it from his i have set it down with all belief that it occurred even as it is here set forth and i would have you believe my sons that the same justice which punishes sin may also most graciously forgive it and that no ban is so heavy but that by prayer and repentance it may be removed learn then from this story not to fear the fruits of the past but rather to be circumspect in the future that those foul passions whereby our family has suffered so grievously may not again be loosed to our undoing know then that in the time of the great rebellion the history of which by the learned lord clarendon i most earnestly commend to your attention this manner of baskerville was held by hugo of that name nor can it be gain said that he was a most wild profane and godless man this in truth his neighbors might have pardoned seeing that saints have never flourished in those parts but there was in him a certain wanton and cruel humor which made his name a byword through the west it chanced that this hugo came to love if indeed so dark a passion may be known under so bright a name the daughter of a yeoman who held lands near the baskerville estate but the young maiden being discreet and of good repute would ever avoid him for she feared his evil name so it came to pass that one michaelmas this hugo with five or six of his idol and wicked companions stole down upon the farm and carried off the maiden her father and brothers being from home as he well knew when they had brought her to the hall the maiden was placed in an upper chamber while hugo and his friends sat down to a long corrals as was their nightly custom now the poor lass upstairs was like to have her wits turned at the singing and shouting and terrible oaths which came up to her from below active man for by the aid of the growth of ivy which covered and still covers the south wall she came down from under the eaves and so homeward across the moor there being three leagues betwixt the hall and her father's farm it chanced that some little time later hugo left his guests to carry food and drink and other worst things perchance to his captive and so found the cage empty and the bird escaped then as it would seem he became as one that hath a devil for rushing down the stairs into the dining hall he sprang upon the great table flagons and trenchers flying before him and he cried aloud before all the company that he would that very night render his body and soul to the powers of evil if he might but overtake the wench and while the reveler stood aghast at the fury of the man one more wicked or it may be more drunken than the rest cried out that they should put the hounds upon her where at hugo ran from the house crying to the grooms that they should saddle his mare and unkennel the pack and giving the hounds a kerchief of the maids he swung them to the line and sew off full cry into the moonlight over the moor now for some space the revelers stood a gap unable to understand all that had been done in such haste but anon their bemused wits awoke to the nature of the deed which was like to be done upon the more lands everything was now in an uproar some calling for their pistols some for their horses and some for another flask of wine but at length some sense came back to their crazed minds and the whole of them 13 in number took horse and started in pursuit the moon shone clear above them and they rode swiftly abreast taking that course which the maid must needs have taken if she were to reach her own home they had gone a mile or two when they passed one of the night shepherds upon the moorlands and they cried to him to know if he had seen the hunt and the man as the story goes was so crazed with fear that he could scare speak but at last he said that he had indeed seen the unhappy maiden with the hounds upon her track but i have seen more than that said he for hugo baskerville passed me upon his black mare and there ran mute behind him such a hound of hell as god forbid should ever be at my heels so the drunken squires cursed the shepherd and rode onward but soon their skins turned cold for there came a galloping across the moor and the black mare dabbled with white froth went past with trailing bridle and empty saddle then the revelers rode close together for a great fear was on them but they still followed over the moor though each had he been alone would have been right glad to have turned his horse's head riding slowly in this fashion they came at last upon the hounds these though known for their valor and their breed were whimpering in a cluster at the head of a deep dip or goyal as we call it upon the moor some slinking away and some with startling hackles and staring eyes gazing down the narrow valley before them the company had come to a halt more sober men as you may guess than when they started the most of them would by no means advance but three of them the boldest or it may be the most drunken rode forward down the coil now it opened into a broad space in which stood two of those great stones still to be seen there which were set by certain forgotten peoples in the days of old the moon was shining bright upon the clearing and there in the center lay the unhappy maid where she had fallen dead of fear and fatigue but it was not the sight of her body nor yet was it that of the body of hugo baskerville lying near her which raised the hair upon the heads of these three daredevil roysters but it was that standing over hugo and plucking at his throat there stood a foul thing a great black beast shaped like a hound yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon and even as they looked the thing tore the throat out of hugo baskerville on which as it turned its blazing eyes and dripping jaws upon them the three shrieked with fear and rode for dear life still screaming across the moor one it is said died that very night of what he had seen and the other twain were but broken men for the rest of their days such is the tale my sons of the coming of the hound which is said to have plagued the family so sorely ever since if i have said it down it is because that which is clearly known hath less terror than that which is but hinted at and guessed nor can it be denied that many of the family have been unhappy in their deaths which have been sudden bloody and mysterious yet may we shelter ourselves in the infinite goodness of providence which would not forever punish the innocent beyond the third or fourth generation which is threatened in holy writ to that providence my sons i hereby commend you and i counsel you by way of caution to forbear from crossing the moor in those dark hours when the powers of evil are exalted this from hugo baskerville to his sons roger and john with instructions that they say nothing thereof to their sister elizabeth when dr mortimer had finished reading this singular narrative he pushed his spectacles up on his forehead and stared across at mr sherlock holmes the latter yawned and tossed the end of his cigarette into the fire well said he do you not find it interesting to a collector of fairy tales dr mortimer drew a folded newspaper out of his pocket now mr holmes we will give you something a little more recent this is the devon county chronicle of may 14th of this year it is a short account of the facts elicited at the death of sir charles baskerville which occurred a few days before that date my friend leaned a little forward and his expression became intent our visitor readjusted his glasses and began the recent sudden death of sir charles baskerville whose name has been mentioned as the probable liberal candidate for mid devon at the next election has cast a gloom over the county though sir charles had resided at baskerville hall for a comparatively short period his amiability of character and extreme generosity had won the affection and respect of all who had been brought into contact with him in these days of nouveau riches it is refreshing to find a case where the scion of an old county family which has fallen upon evil days is able to make his own fortune and to bring it back with him to restore the fallen grandeur of his line sir charles as is well known made large sums of money in south african speculation more wise than those who go on until the wheel turns against them he realized his gains and returned to england with them it is only two years since he took up his residence at baskerville hall and it is common talk how large were those schemes of reconstruction and improvement which have been interrupted by his death being himself childless it was his openly expressed desire that the whole countryside should within his own lifetime profit by his good fortune and many will have personal reasons for bewailing his untimely end his generous donations to local and county charities have been frequently chronicled in these columns the circumstances connected with the death of sir charles cannot be said to have been entirely cleared up by the inquest but at least enough has been done to dispose of those rumors to which local superstition has given rise there is no reason whatever to suspect foul play or to imagine that death could be from any but natural causes sir charles was a widower and a man who may be said to have been in some ways of an eccentric habit of mind in spite of his considerable wealth he was simple in his personal tastes and his indoor servants at baskerville hall consisted of a married couple named barrymore the husband acting as a butler and the wife as a housekeeper their evidence corroborated by that of several friends tends to show that sir charles's health has for some time been impaired and points especially to some affection of the heart manifesting itself in changes of color breathlessness and acute attacks of nervous depression dr james mortimer the friend and medical attendant of the deceased has given evidence to the same effect the facts of the case are simple sir charles baskerville was in the habit every night before going to bed of walking down the famous u-alley of baskerville hall the evidence of the barrymore shows that this had been his custom on the 4th of may sir charles had declared his intention of starting next day for london and had ordered barrymore to prepare his luggage that night he went out as usual for his nocturnal walk in the course of which he was in the habit of smoking a cigar he never returned at 12 o'clock barrymore finding the hall door still open became alarmed and lighting a lantern went in search of his master the day had been wet and sir charles's foot marks were easily traced down the alley halfway down this walk there is a gate which leads out onto the moor there were indications that sir charles had stood for some little time here he then proceeded down the alley and it was at the far end of it that his body was discovered one fact which has not been explained is the statement of barrymore that his master's footprints altered their character from the time that he passed the moore gate and that he appeared from thence onward to have been walking upon his toes one murphy a gypsy horse dealer was on the moor at no great distance at the time but he appears by his own confession to have been the worst for drink he declares that he heard cries but is unable to state from what direction they came no signs of violence were to be discovered upon sir charles's person and though the doctor's evidence pointed to an almost incredible facial distortion so great that dr mortimer refused at first to believe that it was indeed his friend and patient who lay before him it was explained that this is a symptom which is not unusual in cases of dyspnea and death from cardiac exhaustion this explanation was borne out by the post-mortem examination which showed long-standing organic disease and the coroner's jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence it is well that this is so for it is obviously of the utmost importance that sir charles is heir should settle at the hall and continue the good work which had been so sadly interrupted had the prosaic finding of the coroner not finally put an end to the romantic stories which have been whispered in connection with the affair it might have been difficult to find a tenet for baskerville hall it is understood that the next of kin is mr henry baskerville if he is still alive the son of sir charles baskerville's younger brother the young man when last heard of was in america and inquiries are being instituted with a view to informing him of his good fortune dr mortimer refolded his paper and replaced it in his pocket those are the public facts mr holmes in connection with the death of sir charles baskerville i must thank you said sherlock holmes for calling my attention to a case which certainly presents some features of interest i had observed some newspaper comment at the time but i was exceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the vatican cameos and in my anxiety to oblige the pope i lost touch with several interesting english cases this article you say contains all the public facts it does then let me have the private ones he leaned back put his fingertips together and assumed his most impassive and judicial expression in doing so said dr mortimer who had begun to show signs of some strong emotion i am telling that which i have not confided to anyone my motive for withholding it from the coroner's inquiry is that a man of science shrinks from placing himself in the public position of seeming to endorse a popular superstition i had the further motive that baskerville hall would certainly remain untenated if anything were done to increase its already rather grim reputation for both these reasons i thought that i was justified in telling rather less than i knew since no practical good could result from it but with you there is no reason why should not be perfectly frank the more is very sparsely inhabited and those who live near each other are thrown very much together for this reason i saw a good deal of sir charles baskerville with the exception of mr franklin of laughter hall and mr stapleton the naturalist there are no other men of education within many miles sir charles was a retiring man but the chance of his illness brought us together and a community of interest in science kept us so he had brought back much scientific information from south africa and many a charming evening we have spent together discussing the comparative anatomy of a bushman and the hatanat within the last few months it became increasingly plain to me that sir charles's nervous system was strained to the breaking point he had taken this legend which i have read to you exceedingly to heart so much so that although he would walk in his own grounds nothing would induce him to go out upon the moor at night incredible as it may appear to you mr holmes he was honestly convinced that a dreadful fate overhung his family and certainly the records which he was able to give of his ancestors were not encouraging the idea of some ghastly presence constantly haunted him and on more than one occasion he has asked me whether i had on my medical journeys at night ever seen any strange creature or heard the baying of a hound the latter question he put to me several times and always with a voice which vibrated with excitement i can well remember driving up to his house in the evening some three weeks before the fatal event he chanced to be at his hall door i had descended from my jig and was standing in front of him when i saw his eyes fix themselves over my shoulder and stared past me with an expression of the most dreadful horror i whisked round and had just time to catch a glimpse of something which i took to be a large black calf passing at the head of the drive so excited and alarmed was he that i was compelled to go down to the spot where the animal had been and look around for it it was gone however and the incident appeared to make the worst impression upon his mind i stayed with him all the evening and it was on that occasion to explain the emotion which he had shown that he confided to my keeping that narrative which i read to you when i first came i mentioned this small episode because it assumed some importance in view of the tragedy which followed but i was convinced at the time that the matter was entirely trivial and this excitement had no justification it was my advice that sir charles was about to go to london his heart was i knew affected and the constant anxiety in which he lived however chimerical the cause of it might be was evidently having a serious effect upon his health i thought that a few months among the distractions of town would send him back a new man mr stapleton a mutual friend who was much concerned at his state of health was of the same opinion at the last instant came this terrible catastrophe on the night of sir charles's death barrymore the butler who made the discovery sent perkins the groom on horseback to me and as i was sitting up late i was able to reach baskerville hall within an hour of the event i checked and corroborated all the facts which were mentioned at the inquest i followed the footsteps down the u alley i saw the spot at the moor gate where he seemed to have waited i remarked the change in the shape of the prince after that point i noted that there were no other footsteps save those of barrymore on the soft gravel and finally i carefully examined the body which had not been touched until my arrival sir charles lay on his face arms out his fingers dug into the ground and his features convulsed with some strong emotion to such an extent that i could hardly have sworn to his identity there was certainly no physical injury of any kind but one false statement was made by barrymore at the inquest he said that there were no traces upon the ground around the body he did not observe any but i did some little distance off but fresh and clear footprints footprints a man's or a woman's dr mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered mr holmes they were the footprints of a gigantic hound end of chapter two