Sherlock Holmes and the Chinese Junk Affair and Other Stories (3 page)

‘Rodger described it as “transposing” matter through space by means of converting solids, by electricity, into waves, which could then be converted back again into the original solid state. This was how he put it in simple terms, to me, a non-scientific person.

‘He then went on to explain that for the past fifteen years he had been working with two Chinese scientists on the project. They had suddenly had a breakthrough five years ago, and had been able to transpose solids by the use of electricity, into a form which enabled them to be transferred for a distance of over twenty miles, then re-form as solids again.

‘The Chinese scientists, Rodger said, did not seem interested in the potential of it, only in its discovery. They were now researching into the means of extending the process over greater distances.

“I left them to their research, I must confess, with much regret,” he said. “I had a huge respect for them as friends and for their ability. They were wonderful companions and fifteen years is a long time. In Europe, they would have been prize winners, but thousands of miles away in the heart of China, they worked on their research unsung, and their achievements unknown. China is, in distance and attitudes, miles apart from us in the West.”

‘He went on to say how he realised the value, and the huge possibilities the discovery held, and so decided to leave China and take the discovery to Europe.

‘Which country should he approach, because he realised that should a war develop, the transposing discovery could be used to great advantage. Heavy guns, supplies of all kinds could be “transposed” at a few hours’ notice and placed at the front where the enemy was weakest.

‘Although the British government had treated his family badly over the development of a past invention, and had evaded the patent rights which had led to the family’s financial downfall, he still held a certain loyalty to the old country.

‘In a nutshell, Mr Holmes, he offered the discovery to the British government for the sum of one million pounds; yes, one million pounds. I had been selected, chosen if you like to put it, to witness the discovery because I was a member of the Cabinet and he considered me a one hundred per cent, cast-iron person to be believed. After all, who would have listened to him, had he tried to sell his discovery without proof? But by setting up the elaborate demonstration in the ballroom, the validity of the discovery was proven beyond a shadow of doubt.’

Sir Simon leaned backwards as though the effort of going through the account had left him drained. He looked at his desk for some time as though forgetting we were present.

Holmes coughed, and said, ‘So, Sir Simon, about the transposition.’

Sir Simon appeared to shake himself literally, and took up the story again.

‘Next morning we had breakfast and the stable boy brought the dogcart to the door and Rodger and I set off at a brisk pace. I remember that wonderful sunny March morning; it was difficult for me to 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, one envelope is bound to be dispatched within days of the outbreak of hostilities, even if some are overlooked and arrive late or not at all. The holders of the envelopes do not of course realise the value of the contents.’

Holmes asked, ‘What is the reason Rodger gives for this elaborate exchange system?’

Sir Simon replied, ‘Rodger is against the discovery being used for commercial gain. He says the railways, canals and road transport carriers would suffer. Thousands of people would be thrown out of work. Women and children would starve. But by using this method he avoids the commercial use of the discovery, whilst making it available in time of crisis such as war, when it would prove invaluable.’

Holmes nodded and remarked, ‘This, however, is contrary to the purpose of leaving his colleagues in China; it was to exploit the invention.’

‘I agree, but during the long sea voyage he had time to think about it and decided that it would be of little merit or purpose to become the richest man in the world, if he also became the most hated.’

Holmes agreed. ‘So the nub of the situation is, should the discovery be genuine, Her Majesty’s Government has only Rodger’s word that he has not sold it on the same basis to other foreign powers and, in the event of war, Britain would have no advantage over them?’

Sir Simon agreed. He looked tired now and despondent. The worry of the situation once again upsetting him.

Holmes stroked his chin, stretched himself and said, ‘So I and Dr Watson are to do what the learned men refuse to do, state categorically that it is either a huge confidence trick, or a world-shattering discovery which could topple Empires?’

Sir Simon sat upright, as though to show he was again alert and ready to meet Holmes on his own terms. ‘That is exactly correct, Mr Holmes. The Prime Minister, the Cabinet members privy to this matter, and your brother Mycroft, concluded that if any person could answer that question, it is undoubtedly yourself.’

He was silent for a few moments. ‘Frankly I have no doubts that it is genuine. No power on earth, except that explained by Rodger Hardy to me that weekend, would have been able to have achieved what I saw happen. We look upon you as our only hope in finding out the truth. Will you take it on?’

‘You put a lot of onus on our shoulders, do they not, Dr Watson? But we shall do what we can.’ Sir Simon ushered us out and a few minutes later we met with the Prime Minister again.

The Prime Minister’s eyes held those of Holmes. I felt he was looking both for acceptance of the case by Holmes and also, perhaps, some sign of hope that it might be resolved. I glanced at Holmes and felt as he spoke to the Prime Minister that he seemed, for once, to have reservations about this particular case.

However, he accepted it and promised to pursue it with the utmost vigour, but I now detected a distinct lacking of his usual joy and pleasure at solving what always seemed the unsolvable. It was a great responsibility they had thrust upon his shoulders, and Holmes was well aware of it.

For the rest of the day, Holmes sat by the fire at 221B Baker Street, referring to scientific books and lapsing into long periods of thinking. I didn’t speak to him, not wishing to disturb his train of thought, but got on with my letter writing and pottering about.

I looked out of the window. The unusual Spring fog was clearing and within an hour the sun was beginning to break through.

‘You realise, Watson,’ said Holmes, at last breaking his long silence, ‘that if we accept the fact that the Chinese junk did indeed transpose through the air within the space of two hours, then we must accept this electrical “transposition” explanation. No other power on earth by the laws of physics as we know them today is capable of achieving this. You can see from the photographs taken that day of the junk on the Thames, that she is large, heavy, and built to be almost indestructible except in the worst typhoon.

‘Now, we are told that Rodger Hardy is now visiting America and that he has put Halam Hall up for sale. So, Watson, let us go property hunting.’

I looked up the trains in our Bradshaw and saw we would be better catching the early morning workman’s train next day, than setting off now and, on arriving, spend most of our time perhaps searching for overnight accommodation.

Holmes agreed and continued to expound his thoughts to me. ‘You see, Watson, we must not lose sight of our brief which is of course to investigate and prove or disprove the genuineness of this electrical transposing device.

‘It does no good and serves no useful purpose by thinking it is just not possible. Who would have thought it possible in the heyday of coach travel, that passengers would rush along in armchair comfort at speeds in excess of eighty miles an hour on the railways. Or that London Bridge could be lit at the touch of a switch, on and off, on and off.’

Holmes reeled off facts as though lecturing a body of students.

‘Electric lights were installed and illuminated London Bridge in 1881. Edison invented the electric light in 1879. So we see solid coal was converted to electricity to produce light.

‘Way back in 1831 Michael Faraday, an Englishman, and Joseph Henry, an American, discovered independently how to produce electricity,’ Holmes continued his lecture from his great fund of knowledge stored in that noble cranium.

‘Before all this, Benjamin Franklin originated the idea of electricity. He flew kites in thunderstorms to capture the electricity from the skies. Later, he stated, electricity flowed from positive to negative, but he was wrong in this, because later other scientists proved that electricity flows in the opposite direction from negative to positive. We know that electric fields exist in the space around a charged body. An electric force acts on the charged bodies that enter the field. Particles with unlike charges attract one another, and those with like charges repel.’

He paused and looked at the ceiling and after a few moments continued.

‘This is ordinary knowledge, but reflect upon the amount of progress three dedicated scientists, building upon what is already known, might achieve. It is no use saying, “Yes, but this is beyond belief, to actually transform solid matter into a form whereby it moves from one place to another, and re-forms itself, that is too absurd.” But is it?

‘Would not many of those learned men of a hundred years ago have thought the same about the electric car which first appeared, as you are aware, on the streets of Europe in 1880? A horseless carriage indeed.’

Holmes placed his fingertips together; it was one of his favourite mannerisms when contemplating matters. He looked at me with a serious face.

‘Proving the “Transposer” is a confidence trick may prove very difficult, Watson, but proving it is authentic...’ He shook his head slowly from side to side... ‘Well-nigh impossible.’