The Hound of the Baskervilles

1

Know then the legend of the

hound of the Baskervilles.

Know then that the great

hall of Baskervilles

was once held by Sir

Hugo of that name

a wild, profane, and godless man.

An evil man, in truth

for there was with him a certain

ugly and cruel humour

that made his name a

byword in the county.

- Our friend learns swiftly.

- Aye.

He's already learned to

fly like a wildfowl

and now he swims like a waterfowl.

Shall we see how he roasts?

Fetch him.

By morning, our friend will know better

than to condemn the sport of his master.

Come on out. Come on.

Here he comes, Sir Hugo.

Here he is, Sir Hugo.

Now our waterfowl has

become guinea fowl.

Guinea pig, more likely.

Bird or beast, we'll soon make

him sing like a nightingale.

Now, sir...

This may teach you to

criticize my pleasures.

If 'twere anyone but my

own daughter, Master...

You should be proud

that a Baskerville

should so much as look

at your miserable child.

Pay up!

No, no! The game was spoiled

before the wager was laid.

Do not crowd me, sirs, I pray you.

I will not pay.

What about the wager?

If I must, I must.

- But not in gold.

- Not in gold?

In kind, with a plaything

I was keeping for myself.

I accept. Where is the girl?

Girl? What talk is this of a girl?

I know of no girl.

Enough!

You shall see her at once, and before

Sir Richard bursts with passion.

See to it that there be no

fighting among your herd of rams.

The b*tch has got away.

What does she think I am,

that she does this to me?

Damn her!

I have her now.

You there! Let loose the pack!

And you, my hunter at the door...

- set the hounds on her.

- But, sir, you cannot...

The hounds! Let loose the pack!

- Yeah, I'll get her.

- My friend, you cannot do this.

I'll get her!

May the hounds of Hell take

me if I can't hunt her down!

Come on.

Come on, what's the matter

with you? Come on, will you?

Now, you witch!

No.

"And so, the curse of Sir Hugo

"came upon the Baskervilles

"in the shape of a

hound from Hell

"forever to bring misfortune

"to the Baskerville family.

"Therefore, take heed

"and beware the moor in those dark

hours when evil is exalted

"else you will surely

meet the hound of Hell

"the hound of the Baskervilles.

"So ends the legend."

And what, may I ask, do you

think of that, Mr. Holmes?

There must be hundreds

of similar folk stories.

I fail to see why I should find

this one of singular interest.

What do you say, Watson?

I'm sure Dr. Mortimer's

intentions are for the best

but there seems little to be

gained from what he's told us.

I had hoped, sir, that the facts

I have laid before you

might have intrigued

you as a detective.

I was obviously mistaken.

Good day to you, sir.

Dr. Mortimer, it was

something more important

that brought you from

Devonshire to Baker Street

something that occurred on Dartmoor

on Friday, the 13th of June.

You've known about it

all the time, then?

I know nothing, except that

you live on Dartmoor

have a copy of the Devon County

Chronicle in your briefcase

dated June 14.

That newspaper is published on Saturdays,

but goes to press on Thursday.

You've kept it for something

vitally important.

The headlines aren't interesting,

so it must be in the stop press.

Whatever it was happened on

Friday, the 13th of June.

- But this is remarkable.

- Superficial.

There's nothing remarkable

about using one's eyes.

Now, sir, would you be prepared

to give us the relevant facts?

Why, yes.

Under the circumstances,

I think I would.

- Proceed.

- Thank you.

This is just the stop press.

"Devonshire knight found dead.

"The body of Sir Charles Baskerville

discovered on Dartmoor early today.

"Foul play not suspected."

The account in the next

edition is much fuller.

Now, where are we?

Yes, here we are.

"The death of Sir Charles Baskerville

has caused much sadness

"in the small village

of Grimpen, Dartmoor.

"Dr. Richard Mortimer, a well-known

Devonshire personality

- "said today that"...

- If you'll pardon me, Dr. Mortimer...

I want just the plain

facts in your own words.

Please.

Very well.

The plain facts of the matter

are that a fortnight ago

Sir Charles Baskerville was

found dead on the moor.

- Who found him?

- His servant, Barrymore.

He and his wife are housekeepers

up at Baskerville Hall.

He fetched me at once and

took me back to the body.

Where was the body? Dartmoor, I know,

but exactly where? It's a large place.

Near the abbey ruins up on the hill,

not far from Baskerville Hall.

The place where Sir Hugo

died in the legend

and the circumstances

were exactly the same.

You mean Sir Charles

had been attacked?

- That his throat had been torn out?

- No. The body was untouched.

But his face...

Never in all my medical career have I seen

such a look of horror on a dead person.

Sir Charles must have been

terrified when he died.

But he was alone.

The strange thing was, there

were no footprints, Mr. Holmes.

That cannot be quite true.

There were the servants', for

instance, your own, and Sir Charles'.

Yes, of course, but what

I meant to say was

there were no other footprints.

Facts are only of value when they're

clear, concise, and correct.

Pray, continue.

And there was another

strange thing.

Sir Charles must've been tiptoeing

back to Baskerville Hall when he died.

I could tell that because the footmarks

showed only the toes of his boots.

There were no heel marks.

I'm something of an archaeologist

in my spare time

and so I'm used to looking

for the extraordinary.

You have not yet told us

what Sir Charles died of.

Before you do, sir, I suggest

it was heart failure.

The inquest found that he

died of arteriosclerosis

a disease of the coronary arteries.

A condition of the heart

that can lead to heart failure.

Yes. I think it must be

hereditary with the Baskervilles.

They all seem to suffer

from the same weakness.

Is there a successor

to the family title?

Yes. Sir Henry Baskerville.

He's due to arrive in London

tonight from Johannesburg.

Why have you come to me,

when you really don't believe

that I can help you?

- I don't think I know what you mean.

- I think you do.

Excuse me.

Although you knew the cause of death,

you've implied a more horrible death

that he might have seen the hound of

Hell, the curse of the Baskervilles.

Do you really believe that legend?

There are many things in life and

death that we do not understand.

Then I suggest you consult a

priest instead of a detective.

Do you think I can influence

the powers of darkness?

Of course not.

I thought you might prevent Sir

Henry from going into danger.

If there is an evil

curse on the family

it can be just as powerful

in London as in Devonshire.

- Where will he be staying?

- At the Northumberland Hotel.

Does this mean that you'll

investigate the matter?

I have not said. My

commitments are heavy.

I beg of you, Mr. Holmes, this

is a matter of life and death.

There can be no harm done

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