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1Suddenly there was the momentary gleam of a light up in the direction of the ventilator, which vanished immediately, but
2was succeeded by a strong smell of burning oil and heated metal. Someone in the next room had lit a dark-lantern. I
3heard a gentle sound of movement, and then all was silent once more, though the smell grew stronger. For half an hour I
4sat with straining ears. Then suddenly another sound became audible--a very gentle, soothing sound, like that of a small
5jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle. The instant that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a
6match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell-pull. "You see it, Watson?" he yelled. "You see it?" But I saw
7nothing. At the moment when Holmes struck the light I heard a low, clear whistle, but the sudden glare flashing into my
8weary eyes made it impossible for me to tell what it was at which my friend lashed so savagely. I could, however, see
9that his face was deadly pale and filled with horror and loathing. He had ceased to strike and was gazing up at the
10ventilator when suddenly there broke from the silence of the night the most horrible cry to which I have ever listened.
11It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one dreadful shriek. They
12say that away down in the village, and even in the distant parsonage, that cry raised the sleepers from their beds. It
13struck cold to our hearts, and I stood gazing at Holmes, and he at me, until the last echoes of it had died away into
14the silence from which it rose. "What can it mean?" I gasped. "It means that it is all over," Holmes answered. "And
15perhaps, after all, it is for the best. Take your pistol, and we will enter Dr. Roylott's room." With a grave face he
16lit the lamp and led the way down the corridor. Twice he struck at the chamber door without any reply from within. Then
17he turned the handle and entered, I at his heels, with the cocked pistol in my hand. It was a singular sight which met
18our eyes. On the table stood a dark-lantern with the shutter half open, throwing a brilliant beam of light upon the iron
19safe, the door of which was ajar. Beside this table, on the wooden chair, sat Dr. Grimesby Roylott clad in a long grey
20dressing-gown, his bare ankles protruding beneath, and his feet thrust into red heelless Turkish slippers. Across his
21lap lay the short stock with the long lash which we had noticed during the day. His chin was cocked upward and his eyes
22were fixed in a dreadful, rigid stare at the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow he had a peculiar yellow band, with
23brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head. As we entered he made neither sound nor motion. "The
24band! the speckled band!" whispered Holmes. I took a step forward. In an instant his strange headgear began to move, and
25there reared itself from among his hair the squat diamond-shaped head and puffed neck of a loathsome serpent. "It is a
26swamp adder!" cried Holmes; "the deadliest snake in India. He has died within ten seconds of being bitten. Violence
27does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another. Let us thrust
28this creature back into its den, and we can then remove Miss Stoner to some place of shelter and let the county police
29know what has happened." As he spoke he drew the dog-whip swiftly from the dead man's lap, and throwing the noose round
30the reptile's neck he drew it from its horrid perch and, carrying it at arm's length, threw it into the iron safe, which
31he closed upon it. Such are the true facts of the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott, of Stoke Moran. It is not necessary
32that I should prolong a narrative which has already run to too great a length by telling how we broke the sad news to
33the terrified girl, how we conveyed her by the morning train to the care of her good aunt at Harrow, of how the slow
34process of official inquiry came to the conclusion that the doctor met his fate while indiscreetly playing with a
35dangerous pet. The little which I had yet to learn of the case was told me by Sherlock Holmes as we travelled back next
36day. "I had," said he, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is
37to reason from insufficient data. The presence of the gipsies, and the use of the word 'band,' which was used by the
38poor girl, no doubt, to explain the appearance which she had caught a hurried glimpse of by the light of her match, were
39sufficient to put me upon an entirely wrong scent. I can only claim the merit that I instantly reconsidered my position
40when, however, it became clear to me that whatever danger threatened an occupant of the room could not come either from
41the window or the door. My attention was speedily drawn, as I have already remarked to you, to this ventilator, and to
42the bell-rope which hung down to the bed. The discovery that this was a dummy, and that the bed was clamped to the
43floor, instantly gave rise to the suspicion that the rope was there as a bridge for something passing through the hole
44and coming to the bed. The idea of a snake instantly occurred to me, and when I coupled it with my knowledge that the
45doctor was furnished with a supply of creatures from India, I felt that I was probably on the right track. The idea of
46using a form of poison which could not possibly be discovered by any chemical test was just such a one as would occur to
47a clever and ruthless man who had had an Eastern training. The rapidity with which such a poison would take effect would
48also, from his point of view, be an advantage. It would be a sharp-eyed coroner, indeed, who could distinguish the two
49little dark punctures which would show where the poison fangs had done their work. Then I thought of the whistle. Of
50course he must recall the snake before the morning light revealed it to the victim. He had trained it, probably by the
51use of the milk which we saw, to return to him when summoned. He would put it through this ventilator at the hour that
52he thought best, with the certainty that it would crawl down the rope and land on the bed. It might or might not bite
53the occupant, perhaps she might escape every night for a week, but sooner or later she must fall a victim. "I had come
54to these conclusions before ever I had entered his room. An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the
55habit of standing on it, which of course would be necessary in order that he should reach the ventilator. The sight of
56the safe, the saucer of milk, and the loop of whipcord were enough to finally dispel any doubts which may have remained.
57The metallic clang heard by Miss Stoner was obviously caused by her stepfather hastily closing the door of his safe upon
58its terrible occupant. Having once made up my mind, you know the steps which I took in order to put the matter to the
59proof. I heard the creature hiss as I have no doubt that you did also, and I instantly lit the light and attacked it."
60"With the result of driving it through the ventilator." "And also with the result of causing it to turn upon its master
61at the other side. Some of the blows of my cane came home and roused its snakish temper, so that it flew upon the first
62person it saw. In this way I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr. Grimesby Roylott's death, and I cannot say that
63it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience."
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