Ep. 1173, The Sign of the Four, Part 5 of 5, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Summary
In this episode of The Classic Tales Podcast, host BJ Harrison presents Chapter 12 of Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Sign of the Four," featuring the full narrative of Jonathan Small. Small recounts his harrowing experiences during the Indian Mutiny, where he and three Sikh soldiers murdered a merchant to steal a chest of jewels, leading to their imprisonment in the Andaman Islands. He details how he later attempted to sell the secret of the treasure’s location to Major Sholto and Captain Morstan in exchange for their help in escaping. The story concludes with Small’s defiant refusal to surrende…
Topics discussed
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Show intro and live event announcement
Chapter 12: The empty box and Holmes' reaction
Small explains scattering the treasure
Small's 20 years of convict labor in India
Small's origins and losing his leg to a crocodile
Working for Abel White and the start of the Mutiny
The fall of the Agra garrison and White's death
The retreat to the Agra Fort and its layout
Small's night watch and the Sikh guards
The Sikhs' threat and the demand for the treasure
The story of the Rajah's hidden jewels
The plan to ambush the merchant and take the box
The arrival of the merchant and the ambush
The murder of the merchant and the theft
The inventory of the Agra treasure
The trial, conviction, and sentence
Life as a convict in the Andaman Islands
Small's encounter with Major Sholto
The deal to free the convicts for a share
Sholto's betrayal and Small's vow of vengeance
Small's escape with Tonga and journey to England
Tracking Sholto and leaving the Sign of Four
The final heist and recovery of the treasure
Holmes' reaction and Small's departure
Post-case banter and Holmes' cocaine
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