Золотой жук. Уровень 1 / The Gold-bug

The great size, the strength, the wildness of these animals are well known[7 - well known – хорошо известны]. Suddenly, all hit me at once: the color of the hair… the size of the hand… the terrible strength… the wildness of the killings… a mysterious voice that spoke a language no one could understand…

“But, Dupin!” I said, “There were two voices! If one was of an orangutan, the other was unquestionably the voice of a Frenchman.”

“True; and you will remember that, by the evidence, the voice said “My God!” in French.

I built my hopes of a full solution of the riddle upon these two words.

“The witnesses described the way in which these words were said as an expression of horror. This means that a Frenchman knew about these murders. I am sure he did not participate in the bloody killing itself. The orangutan probably run from him. He traced it to the chamber but failed to recapture it. These are my guesses and I have no right to call them more. But if the Frenchman is indeed, as I suppose, innocent, he will come here tonight.

Read this. I have put this advertisement in the newspaper.”

He handed me a paper, and I read thus:

CAUGHT – Early in the morning of the – (the morning of the murder): a very large orangutan. The owner, who is known to be a sailor, may have the animal again if he can prove it is his.

“How do you know he is a sailor?” I asked.

“I do not know and I’m not sure of it. I found a small piece of ribbon at the foot of the lightning rod.

Look at this knot. Only few besides sailors can tie this knot.”

“But why do you think he would reply to your advertisement?”

“Because he would want to avoid extra attention for he, which follows from the paper, is known as an owner of the orangutan. He would think: �I will answer the advertisement, get the orangutan, and keep it close until it’s over.’”

At this moment, we heard a step on the stairs.

“Be ready,” said Dupin, “with your pistols, but neither use them nor show them until at a signal from myself.

”

Dupin left the front door of the house open. The visitor entered the house and made several steps up the stairs. Then he stopped.

“Come in,” said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone.

A man entered. He was a sailor, evidently, – a tall, stout, and muscular-looking person. He had a huge cudgel with him. He bowed awkwardly, and bade us “good evening,” in French accents.