the L5000
reward. The Duke kept perfectly quiet about our little encounter, and
afterwards we became stanch friends; for he was a good fellow, and was
driven to his desperate deed only by the demands of his creditors, and the
following Christmas he sent me the watch I had given him, with the best
wishes of the season.

"So, you see, gentlemen, in a moment, by quick wit and a mental
concentration of no mean order, combined with strict observance of the
pettiest details, I ferreted out what bade fair to become a great diamond
mystery; and when I say that this cigar end proves certain things to my
mind, it does not become you to doubt the value of my conclusions."

"Hear! hear!" cried Raleigh, growing tumultuous with enthusiasm.

"Your name? your name?" came from all parts of the wharf.

The stranger, putting his hand into the folds of his coat, drew forth a
bundle of business cards, which he tossed, as the prestidigitator tosses
playing-cards, out among the audience, and on each of them was found
printed the words:

---------------------------
| SHERLOCK HOLMES, |
| DETECTIVE. |
| |
| FERRETING DONE HERE. |
| |
| _Plots for Sale._ |
---------------------------

"I think he made a mistake in not taking the L200 for the watch. Such
carelessness destroys my confidence in him," said Shylock, who was the
first to recover from the surprise of the revelation.

[Illustration: "THE STRANGER DREW FORTH A BUNDLE OF BUSINESS CARDS"]

III

THE SEARCH-PARTY IS ORGANIZED

"Well, Mr. Holmes," said Sir Walter Raleigh, after three rousing cheers,
led by Hamlet, had been given with a will by the assembled spirits, "after
this demonstration in your honor I think it is hardly necessary for me to
assure you of our hearty co-operation in anything you may venture to
suggest. There is still manifest, however, some desire on the part of the
ever-wise King Solomon and my friend Confucius to know how you deduce that
Kidd has sailed for London, from the cigar end which you hold in your
hand."

[Illustration: "THREE ROUSING CHEERS, LED BY HAMLET, WERE GIVEN"]

"I can easily satisfy their curiosity," said Sherlock Holmes, genially. "I
believe I have already proven that it is the end of Kidd's cigar. The
marks of the teeth have shown that. Now observe how closely it is
smoked--there is barely enough of it left for one to