Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. TITELBLATT

2. IMPRESSUM

3. I. SILVER BLAZE

4. II. THE YELLOW FACE

5. III. THE STOCK-BROKER’S CLERK

6. IV. THE “GLORIA SCOTT”

7. V. THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL

8. VI. THE REIGATE PUZZLE

9. VII. THE CROOKED MAN

10. VIII. THE RESIDENT PATIENT

11. IX. THE GREEK INTERPRETER

12. X. THE NAVAL TREATY

13. XI. THE FINAL PROBLEM

14. THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (ENGLISCH)

Arthur Conan Doyle
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / Die Memoiren von Sherlock Holmes
Zweisprachige Ausgabe
Übersetzt von Alice und Karl Heinz Berger

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I. SILVER BLAZE

“I AM afraid, Watson, that I shall have to go,” said Holmes, as we sat down together to our breakfast one morning.

»Ich fürchte, Watson, ich muß fahren«, sagte Holmes eines Morgens, als wir uns zum Frühstück niedersetzten.

“Go! Where to?”

»Fahren! Wohin?«

“To Dartmoor; to King’s Pyland.”

»Nach Dartmoor – nach King’s Pyland.«

I was not surprised. Indeed, my only wonder was that he had not already been mixed up in this extraordinary case,

Ich war nicht überrascht. Ich wunderte mich nur darüber, daß er bis jetzt noch nicht in diesen außerordentlichen Fall einbezogen worden war,

which was the one topic of conversation through the length and breadth of England.

der landauf, landab den einzigen Gesprächsstoff bildete.

For a whole day my companion had rambled about the room with his chin upon his chest and his brows knitted,

Einen ganzen Tag lang war mein Gefährte im Zimmer umhergewandert, das Kinn auf der Brust und die Stirn gerunzelt,

charging and recharging his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarks.

hatte die Pfeife wieder und wieder mit dem stärksten schwarzen Tabak gestopft und sich gegenüber allem, was ich fragte oder bemerkte, absolut taub verhalten.

Fresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, only to be glanced over and tossed down into a corner.

Die neuesten Ausgaben aller Zeitungen waren uns von unserem Zeitungshändler heraufgeschickt und doch nur überflogen und in die Ecke geworfen worden.

Yet, silent as he was, I knew perfectly well what it was over which he was brooding.

Aber wie er auch schweigen mochte, ich wußte genau, worüber er brütete.

There was but one problem before the public which could challenge his powers of analysis,

Es gab nur ein Problem in der Öffentlichkeit, das seinen analytischen Verstand herausforderte,

and that was the singular disappearance of the favorite for the Wessex Cup, and the tragic murder of its trainer.

und das war das sonderbare Verschwinden des Favoriten des Wessex-Cups und der tragische Mord an seinem Trainer.

When, therefore, he suddenly announced his intention of setting out for the scene of the drama it was only what I had both expected and hoped for.

Als er darum plötzlich die Absicht verkündete, sich an den Schauplatz des Dramas zu begeben, war das nur, was ich erwartet und erhofft hatte.

“I should be most happy to go down with you if I should not be in the way,” said I.

»Ich wäre sehr glücklich, könnte ich Sie begleiten, wenn ich nicht im Wege bin.«

“My dear Watson, you would confer a great favor upon me by coming.

»Mein lieber Watson, Sie täten mir einen großen Gefallen, wenn Sie mitkämen.

And I think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one.

Ich denke, daß Sie dadurch Ihre Zeit nicht vertun. Denn es gibt in diesem Fall Punkte, die absolute Einmaligkeit versprechen.

We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington, and I will go further into the matter upon our journey.

Wir haben gerade noch Zeit, den Zug ab Paddington Station zu erreichen, und ich werde auf der Reise alles Nähere erklären.

You would oblige me by bringing with you your very excellent field-glass.”

Ich wäre Ihnen verbunden, wenn Sie Ihren hervorragenden Feldstecher mitnehmen würden.«

And so it happened that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first-class carriage flying along en route for Exeter,

So fand ich mich denn ungefähr eine Stunde später in der Ecke eines Abteils erster Klasse wieder, unterwegs in Richtung Exeter;

while Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap,

Sherlock Holmes, dessen hageres, begieriges Gesicht von einer Reisemütze mit Ohrenklappen eingerahmt war,

dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had procured at Paddington.

vertiefte sich sofort in das Bündel neuester Zeitungen, das er auf dem Bahnhof gekauft hatte.

We had left Reading far behind us before he thrust the last one of them under the seat, and offered me his cigar-case.

Erst als Reading schön weit hinter uns lag, warf er das letzte Blatt unter den Sitz und hielt mir sein Zigarrenetui hin.

“We are going well,” said he, looking out the window and glancing at his watch.

»Wir kommen gut voran«, sagte er, blickte aus dem Fenster und dann auf die Uhr.

“Our rate at present is fifty-three and a half miles an hour.”

»Gegenwärtig beträgt unsere Geschwindigkeit dreiundfünfzig und eine halbe Meile in der Stunde.«

“I have not observed the quarter-mile posts,” said I.

»Ich habe nicht auf die Viertelmeilensteine geachtet«, sagte ich.

“Nor have I. But the telegraph posts upon this line are sixty yards apart, and the calculation is a simple one.

»Ich auch nicht. Aber die Telegraphenmasten längs dieser Linie stehen in einem Abstand von sechzig Yards. Da ist die Rechnung einfach.

I presume that you have looked into this matter of the murder of John Straker and the disappearance of Silver Blaze?”

Gehe ich recht in der Annahme, daß Sie schon einen Blick auf den Fall der Ermordung von John Straker und des Verschwindens von Silver Blaze geworfen haben?«

“I have seen what the Telegraph and the Chronicle have to say.”

»Ich habe gelesen, was der ›Telegraph‹ und der ›Chronicle‹ berichten.«

“It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence.

»Das ist einer jener Fälle, in denen die Kunst des Detektivs eher danach trachten sollte, die Einzelheiten zu sichten, als nach neuen Beweisen zu suchen.

The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people,

Die Tragödie ist so ungewöhnlich, so total, und an den Geschehnissen haben derart viele Leute ein so großes persönliches Interesse,

that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis.

daß wir an einem Übermaß an Verdacht, Mutmaßung und Hypothese leiden.

The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact — of absolute undeniable fact — from the embellishments of theorists and reporters.

Die Schwierigkeit besteht darin, das Gerüst der Fakten – unbezweifelbarer Fakten – von den Zutaten der Theoretiker und der Reporter zu befreien.

Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see

Dann, wenn wir uns auf eine feste Grundlage gestellt haben, ist es unsere Pflicht, zu schauen,

what inferences may be drawn and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns.

welche Schlüsse gezogen werden können und welches die besonderen Punkte sind, auf denen das Geheimnis beruht.

On Tuesday evening I received telegrams from both Colonel Ross, the owner of the horse,

Am Dienstagabend erhielt ich zwei Telegramme, eins von Colonel Ross, dem Eigentümer des Pferdes,

and from Inspector Gregory, who is looking after the case, inviting my cooperation.”

und eins von Inspektor Gregory, der mit dem Fall befaßt ist, und in beiden werde ich zur Mitarbeit eingeladen.«

“Tuesday evening!” I exclaimed. “And this is Thursday morning. Why didn’t you go down yesterday?”

»Dienstagabend!« rief ich. »Und jetzt ist Donnerstagmorgen. Warum sind Sie nicht schon gestern hingefahren?«

“Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson —

»Weil ich einen Bock geschossen habe, mein lieber Watson,

which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs.

und das, fürchte ich, passiert öfter, als jemand annehmen könnte, der mich nur aus Ihren Memoiren kennt.

The fact is that I could not believe it possible that the most remarkable horse in England could long remain concealed,

Tatsache ist, ich konnte nicht glauben, daß es möglich wäre, das bemerkenswerteste Pferd Englands lange verborgen zu halten,

especially in so sparsely inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor.

besonders nicht in einem so dünnbesiedelten Gebiet wie dem Norden von Dartmoor.

From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Straker.

Von Stunde zu Stunde habe ich gestern zu hören erwartet, daß man es gefunden habe und daß der Entführer der Mörder von John Straker sei.

When, however, another morning had come, and I found

Als dann der Morgen anbrach und es sich herausstellte,

that beyond the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson nothing had been done, I felt that it was time for me to take action.

daß außer der Verhaftung des jungen Fitzroy Simpson nichts geschehen war, fühlte ich, es sei Zeit für mich, in Aktion zu treten.

Yet in some ways I feel that yesterday has not been wasted.”

Dennoch kommt es mir irgendwie vor, als sei der gestrige Tag nicht verschwendet.«

“You have formed a theory, then?”

»Sie haben also eine Theorie aufgebaut?«

“At least I have got a grip of the essential facts of the case.

»Wenigstens habe ich die wichtigsten Fakten des Falls im Griff.

I shall enumerate them to you, for nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person,

Ich werde sie Ihnen aufzählen, denn nichts macht einen Fall übersichtlicher, als wenn man ihn jemandem vorträgt,

and I can hardly expect your co-operation if I do not show you the position from which we start.”

und außerdem kann ich Ihre Mitarbeit kaum erwarten, wenn ich Ihnen nicht die Stelle zeige, bei der wir anfangen.«

I lay back against the cushions, puffing at my cigar, while Holmes, leaning forward,

Ich lehnte mich in das Polster und paffte meine Zigarre, während Holmes, vorgebeugt,

with his long, thin forefinger checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand,

mit seinem langen Zeigefinger die einzelnen Punkte an der linken Hand abzählend,

gave me a sketch of the events which had led to our journey.

mir einen Umriß der Ereignisse vermittelte, die zu unserer Reise geführt hatten.

“Silver Blaze,” said he, “is from the Somomy stock, and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor.

»Silver Blaze«, sagte er, »stammt aus der Isonomy-Linie und hat eine ähnlich glänzende Siegesliste wie sein berühmter Vorfahr.

He is now in his fifth year, and has brought in turn each of the prizes of the turf to Colonel Ross, his fortunate owner.

Er steht jetzt in seinem fünften Jahr und hat Colonel Ross, seinem glücklichen Besitzer, hintereinander alle Preise des Turfs gebracht.

Up to the time of the catastrophe he was the first favorite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him.

Bis zu der Katastrophe war er der erste Favorit für den Wessex-Cup – die Wetten standen drei zu eins.

He has always, however, been a prime favorite with the racing public, and has never yet disappointed them,

Er war immer der Liebling des Rennpublikums, und bis jetzt hat er es nie enttäuscht;

so that even at those odds enormous sums of money have been laid upon him.

selbst bei kleinen Wetten wurden enorme Summen auf ihn gesetzt.

It is obvious, therefore, that there were many people who had the strongest interest in preventing Silver Blaze from being there at the fall of the flag next Tuesday.

Es liegt deshalb auf der Hand, daß viele Leute das stärkste Interesse hatten, den Start von Silver Blaze am nächsten Dienstag zu verhindern.

“The fact was, of course, appreciated at King’s Pyland, where the Colonel’s training-stable is situated. Every precaution was taken to guard the favorite.

Das war natürlich in King’s Pyland, wo die Stallungen des Colonel liegen, bekannt. Alle Vorsichtsmaßnahmen, den Favoriten zu schützen, waren getroffen.

The trainer, John Straker, is a retired jockey who rode in Colonel Ross’s colors before he became too heavy for the weighing-chair.

Der Trainer, John Straker, war ein ehemaliger Jockey – er ritt für Colonel Ross’ Farben, bevor er für die Waage zu schwer wurde.

He has served the Colonel for five years as jockey and for seven as trainer, and has always shown himself to be a zealous and honest servant.

Er hat dem Colonel fünf Jahre als Jockey gedient und sieben Jahre als Trainer, und immer hat er sich als eifriger und ehrlicher Angestellter erwiesen.

Under him were three lads; for the establishment was a small one, containing only four horses in all.

Unter Straker arbeiteten nur drei Burschen, denn es handelt sich um einen kleinen Rennstall, in dem nur vier Pferde betreut werden.

One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters.

Jeweils einer von diesen Burschen hält Nachtwache, während die anderen auf dem Speicher schlafen. Alle drei Jungen haben einen hervorragenden Ruf.

John Straker, who is a married man, lived in a small villa about two hundred yards from the stables.

Der verheiratete John Straker wohnte in einem kleinen Landhaus, etwa zweihundert Yards von den Ställen entfernt.

He has no children, keeps one maid-servant, and is comfortably off.

Er hatte keine Kinder, hielt sich ein Dienstmädchen und war ganz gut dran.

The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas

Die Gegend ist sehr einsam, aber ungefähr eine halbe Meile nördlich gibt es eine kleine Gruppe Landhäuser,

which have been built by a Tavistock contractor for the use of invalids and others who may wish to enjoy the pure Dartmoor air.

die von einem Unternehmer aus Tavistock für Kranke und andere Leute, die die reine Luft von Dartmoor genießen wollen, erbaut worden sind.

Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor, also about two miles distant,

Das Städtchen Tavistock liegt zwei Meilen weiter westlich, und jenseits des Moors, in ebenfalls ungefähr zwei Meilen Entfernung,

is the larger training establishment of Mapleton, which belongs to Lord Backwater, and is managed by Silas Brown.

befindet sich der größere Rennstall von Capleton, der Lord Backwater gehört und von Silas Brown geleitet wird.

In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies.

Nach jeder anderen Richtung ist das Moor völlige Wildnis und wird nur von ein paar umherziehenden Zigeunern bewohnt.

Such was the general situation last Monday night when the catastrophe occurred.

Das war die allgemeine Situation am Abend des letzten Montags, als sich die Katastrophe ereignete.

I. SILVER BLAZE

“I AM afraid, Watson, that I shall have to go,” said Holmes, as we sat down together to our breakfast one morning.

“Go! Where to?”

“To Dartmoor; to King’s Pyland.”

I was not surprised. Indeed, my only wonder was that he had not already been mixed up in this extraordinary case, which was the one topic of conversation through the length and breadth of England. For a whole day my companion had rambled about the room with his chin upon his chest and his brows knitted, charging and recharging his pipe with the strongest black tobacco, and absolutely deaf to any of my questions or remarks. Fresh editions of every paper had been sent up by our news agent, only to be glanced over and tossed down into a corner. Yet, silent as he was, I knew perfectly well what it was over which he was brooding. There was but one problem before the public which could challenge his powers of analysis, and that was the singular disappearance of the favorite for the Wessex Cup, and the tragic murder of its trainer. When, therefore, he suddenly announced his intention of setting out for the scene of the drama it was only what I had both expected and hoped for.

“I should be most happy to go down with you if I should not be in the way,” said I.

“My dear Watson, you would confer a great favor upon me by coming. And I think that your time will not be misspent, for there are points about the case which promise to make it an absolutely unique one. We have, I think, just time to catch our train at Paddington, and I will go further into the matter upon our journey. You would oblige me by bringing with you your very excellent field-glass.”

And so it happened that an hour or so later I found myself in the corner of a first-class carriage flying along en route for Exeter, while Sherlock Holmes, with his sharp, eager face framed in his ear-flapped travelling-cap, dipped rapidly into the bundle of fresh papers which he had procured at Paddington. We had left Reading far behind us before he thrust the last one of them under the seat, and offered me his cigar-case.

“We are going well,” said he, looking out the window and glancing at his watch. “Our rate at present is fifty-three and a half miles an hour.”

“I have not observed the quarter-mile posts,” said I.

“Nor have I. But the telegraph posts upon this line are sixty yards apart, and the calculation is a simple one. I presume that you have looked into this matter of the murder of John Straker and the disappearance of Silver Blaze?”

“I have seen what the Telegraph and the Chronicle have to say.”

“It is one of those cases where the art of the reasoner should be used rather for the sifting of details than for the acquiring of fresh evidence. The tragedy has been so uncommon, so complete and of such personal importance to so many people, that we are suffering from a plethora of surmise, conjecture, and hypothesis. The difficulty is to detach the framework of fact — of absolute undeniable fact — from the embellishments of theorists and reporters. Then, having established ourselves upon this sound basis, it is our duty to see what inferences may be drawn and what are the special points upon which the whole mystery turns. On Tuesday evening I received telegrams from both Colonel Ross, the owner of the horse, and from Inspector Gregory, who is looking after the case, inviting my cooperation.”

“Tuesday evening!” I exclaimed. “And this is Thursday morning. Why didn’t you go down yesterday?”

“Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson — which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs. The fact is that I could not believe it possible that the most remarkable horse in England could long remain concealed, especially in so sparsely inhabited a place as the north of Dartmoor. From hour to hour yesterday I expected to hear that he had been found, and that his abductor was the murderer of John Straker. When, however, another morning had come, and I found that beyond the arrest of young Fitzroy Simpson nothing had been done, I felt that it was time for me to take action. Yet in some ways I feel that yesterday has not been wasted.”

“You have formed a theory, then?”

“At least I have got a grip of the essential facts of the case. I shall enumerate them to you, for nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person, and I can hardly expect your co-operation if I do not show you the position from which we start.”

I lay back against the cushions, puffing at my cigar, while Holmes, leaning forward, with his long, thin forefinger checking off the points upon the palm of his left hand, gave me a sketch of the events which had led to our journey.

“Silver Blaze,” said he, “is from the Somomy stock, and holds as brilliant a record as his famous ancestor. He is now in his fifth year, and has brought in turn each of the prizes of the turf to Colonel Ross, his fortunate owner. Up to the time of the catastrophe he was the first favorite for the Wessex Cup, the betting being three to one on him. He has always, however, been a prime favorite with the racing public, and has never yet disappointed them, so that even at those odds enormous sums of money have been laid upon him. It is obvious, therefore, that there were many people who had the strongest interest in preventing Silver Blaze from being there at the fall of the flag next Tuesday.

“The fact was, of course, appreciated at King’s Pyland, where the Colonel’s training-stable is situated. Every precaution was taken to guard the favorite. The trainer, John Straker, is a retired jockey who rode in Colonel Ross’s colors before he became too heavy for the weighing-chair. He has served the Colonel for five years as jockey and for seven as trainer, and has always shown himself to be a zealous and honest servant. Under him were three lads; for the establishment was a small one, containing only four horses in all. One of these lads sat up each night in the stable, while the others slept in the loft. All three bore excellent characters. John Straker, who is a married man, lived in a small villa about two hundred yards from the stables. He has no children, keeps one maid-servant, and is comfortably off. The country round is very lonely, but about half a mile to the north there is a small cluster of villas which have been built by a Tavistock contractor for the use of invalids and others who may wish to enjoy the pure Dartmoor air. Tavistock itself lies two miles to the west, while across the moor, also about two miles distant, is the larger training establishment of Mapleton, which belongs to Lord Backwater, and is managed by Silas Brown. In every other direction the moor is a complete wilderness, inhabited only by a few roaming gypsies. Such was the general situation last Monday night when the catastrophe occurred.