Воспоминания Шерлока Холмса
The “Gloria Scott”
Butthemostdreadfulill-luckpursuedme.ThemoneywhichIhadreckoneduponnevercametohand,andaprematureexaminationofaccountsexposedmydeficit.Thecasemighthavebeendealtlenientlywith,butthelawsweremoreharshlyadministeredthirtyyearsagothannow,andonmytwenty-thirdbirthdayIfoundmyselfchainedasafelonwiththirty-sevenotherconvictsinthe‘tween-decksofthebarkGloriaScott,boundforAustralia.
"‘Itwastheyear’55,whentheCrimeanWarwasatitsheight,andtheoldconvictshipshadbeenlargelyusedastransportsintheBlackSea.Thegovernmentwascompelled,therefore,tousesmallerandlesssuitablevesselsforsendingouttheirprisoners.TheGloriaScotthadbeenintheChineseteatrade,butshewasanold-fashioned,heavy-bowed,broad-beamedcraft,andthenewclippershadcutherout.Shewasafive-hundred-tonboat;andbesidesherthirty-eightjail-birds,shecarriedtwenty-sixofacrew,eighteensoldiers,acaptain,threemates,adoctor,achaplain,andfourwarders.Nearlyahundredsoulswereinher,alltold,whenwesetsailfromFalmouth.
"‘Thepartitionsbetweenthecellsoftheconvictsinsteadofbeingofthickoak,asisusualinconvict-ships,werequitethinandfrail.Themannexttome,upontheaftside,wasonewhomIhadparticularlynoticedwhenwewereleddownthequay.Hewasayoungmanwithaclear,hairlessface,along,thinnose,andrathernut-crackerjaws.
