In short, Mr. Holmes, you would go far before you
found a more dangerous man than Peter Carey, and I have heard
that he bore the same character when he commanded his ship.
He was known in the trade as Black Peter, and the name was given
him, not only on account of his swarthy features and the colour
of his huge beard, but for the humours which were the terror of
all around him. I need not say that he was loathed and avoided
by every one of his neighbours, and that I have not heard one
single word of sorrow about his terrible end.
"You must have read in the account of the inquest about the
man's cabin, Mr. Holmes; but perhaps your friend here has not
heard of it. He had built himself a wooden outhouse -- he
always called it `the cabin' -- a few hundred yards from his
house, and it was here that he slept every night. It was a
little, single-roomed hut, sixteen feet by ten. He kept the key
in his pocket, made his own bed, cleaned it himself, and allowed
no other foot to cross the threshold. There are small windows
on each side, which were covered by curtains and never opened.
One of these windows was turned towards the high road, and when
the light burned in it at night the folk used to point it out
to each other and wonder what Black Peter was doing in there.
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