So now I was in possession of C, O, and M, and I was in a position
to attack the first message once more, dividing it into words
and putting dots for each symbol which was still unknown.
So treated it worked out in this fashion:--
.M .ERE ..E SL.NE.
"Now the first letter CAN only be A, which is a most useful
discovery, since it occurs no fewer than three times in this
short sentence, and the H is also apparent in the second word.
Now it becomes:--
AM HERE A.E SLANE.
Or, filling in the obvious vacancies in the name:--
AM HERE ABE SLANEY.
I had so many letters now that I could proceed with considerable
confidence to the second message, which worked out in this
fashion:--
A. ELRI.ES.
Here I could only make sense by putting T and G for the missing
letters, and supposing that the name was that of some house or
inn at which the writer was staying."
Inspector Martin and I had listened with the utmost interest to
the full and clear account of how my friend had produced results
which had led to so complete a command over our difficulties.
"What did you do then, sir?" asked the inspector.
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