What do you think?
Rate this book
Sherlock Holmes Chronicles #36
Die Entführung aus der Klosterschule
Der junge Lord Holdernesse verschwindet aus seinem Internat. Mit ihm sein Deutschlehrer und ein Fahrrad. Was hat das zu bedeuten? Der Leiter der Schule schaltet den Meisterdetektiv ein. Dieser entdeckt alsbald seltsame "Spuren im Moor".
1 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 1904
8 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.9k books24.4k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 5, 2016
Take the money and run Holmes!
August 3, 2017
In this story, Holmes gets a visit from Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the author and main of a private academy called Priory School in Northern England. He importunes Holmes to return to Mackleton with him to investigate the hijacking of one of his understudies.
The kid's dad, the Duke of Holdernesse, has offered a reward of £5000 to any individual who can reveal to him where his child, the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, is, and a further £1000 to any individual who can disclose to him who his ruffians are.
James Wilder, the Duke's own secretary, has additionally been sufficiently rash to specify something to Huxtable about the youthful Lord's despondent home life. His folks never again live respectively, his mom having moved to Southern France. More stunning has said that Lord Saltire's sensitivities were with his mom in these issues. Upon landing in the school, however, Lord Saltire appeared to be very glad, and in his component.
Not as much as a fortnight later, be that as it may, he all of a sudden vanished from the school. He could just have let by climbing well enough alone for his window around evening time and down the thick ivy to the ground. Inquisitively, the German ace, Heidegger, is additionally lost, alongside his bike. Master Saltire had gotten a letter that very day from his dad, yet Huxtable has no clue about the substance. The kid has brought it with him. He was completely dressed, as well. In any case, Heidegger left his shirt and socks behind.
Holmes chooses to go with Huxtable back to Mackleton, despite the fact that he is very occupied with business in London. He discloses to Huxtable first that on the off chance that he will transmit home, it is shrewd to give the gossip of advance in Liverpool a chance to hold on.
Once in the North, Holmes asks the Duke a couple of inquiries. His Grace does not surmise that his antagonized spouse has anything to do with his child's vanishing, nor has there been a payoff request. He can likewise consider nothing in the letter that he composed, posted by James Wilder alongside many others, that could have disturbed Lord Saltire.
Holmes builds up that the kid and his hijackers couldn't have utilized the adjacent street without being seen, recommending that they went crosscountry. As though to affirm this, the police discover the kid's school top in a few vagabonds' ownership. They swear that they essentially discovered it on the field, however the police bolt them up.
Holmes and Dr. Watson go chasing for pieces of information.
The kid's dad, the Duke of Holdernesse, has offered a reward of £5000 to any individual who can reveal to him where his child, the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, is, and a further £1000 to any individual who can disclose to him who his ruffians are.
James Wilder, the Duke's own secretary, has additionally been sufficiently rash to specify something to Huxtable about the youthful Lord's despondent home life. His folks never again live respectively, his mom having moved to Southern France. More stunning has said that Lord Saltire's sensitivities were with his mom in these issues. Upon landing in the school, however, Lord Saltire appeared to be very glad, and in his component.
Not as much as a fortnight later, be that as it may, he all of a sudden vanished from the school. He could just have let by climbing well enough alone for his window around evening time and down the thick ivy to the ground. Inquisitively, the German ace, Heidegger, is additionally lost, alongside his bike. Master Saltire had gotten a letter that very day from his dad, yet Huxtable has no clue about the substance. The kid has brought it with him. He was completely dressed, as well. In any case, Heidegger left his shirt and socks behind.
Holmes chooses to go with Huxtable back to Mackleton, despite the fact that he is very occupied with business in London. He discloses to Huxtable first that on the off chance that he will transmit home, it is shrewd to give the gossip of advance in Liverpool a chance to hold on.
Once in the North, Holmes asks the Duke a couple of inquiries. His Grace does not surmise that his antagonized spouse has anything to do with his child's vanishing, nor has there been a payoff request. He can likewise consider nothing in the letter that he composed, posted by James Wilder alongside many others, that could have disturbed Lord Saltire.
Holmes builds up that the kid and his hijackers couldn't have utilized the adjacent street without being seen, recommending that they went crosscountry. As though to affirm this, the police discover the kid's school top in a few vagabonds' ownership. They swear that they essentially discovered it on the field, however the police bolt them up.
Holmes and Dr. Watson go chasing for pieces of information.
October 22, 2014
In this story, Holmes receives a visit from Dr. Thorneycroft Huxtable, the founder and principal of a preparatory school called Priory School in Northern England. He beseeches Holmes to come back to Mackleton with him to look into the kidnapping of one of his pupils.
The boy's father, the Duke of Holdernesse, has offered a reward of £5000 to anyone who can tell him where his son, the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, is, and a further £1000 to anyone who can tell him who his kidnappers are.
James Wilder, the Duke's personal secretary, has also been indiscreet enough to mention something to Huxtable about the young Lord's unhappy home life. His parents no longer live together, his mother having moved to Southern France. Wilder has said that Lord Saltire's sympathies were with his mother in these matters. Upon arrival at the school, though, Lord Saltire seemed to be quite happy, and in his element.
Less than a fortnight later, however, he suddenly disappeared from the school. He could only have left by climbing out of his window at night and down the thick ivy to the ground. Curiously, the German master, Heidegger, is also missing, along with his bicycle. Lord Saltire had received a letter that very day from his father, but Huxtable has no idea of the contents. The boy has taken it with him. He was fully dressed, too. However, Heidegger left his shirt and socks behind.
Holmes decides to accompany Huxtable back to Mackleton, even though he is quite busy with business in London. He tells Huxtable first that if he is going to telegraph home, it would be wise to let the rumor of progress in Liverpool persist.
Once in the North, Holmes asks the Duke a few questions. His Grace does not think that his estranged wife has anything to do with his son's disappearance, nor has there been a ransom demand. He can also think of nothing in the letter that he wrote, posted by James Wilder along with dozens of others, that could have upset Lord Saltire.
Holmes establishes that the boy and his kidnappers could not have used the nearby road without being seen, suggesting that they went cross-country. As if to confirm this, the police find the boy's school cap in some gypsies' possession. They swear that they simply found it on the moor, but the police lock them up.
Holmes and Dr. Watson go hunting for clues. They find a bicycle track, but it is not Heidegger's; it does not match his tires. Holmes observes, however, that one tire has a patch on it. Most anything observable has been obliterated by cow tracks, making sleuthing rather difficult. Indeed, the only marks on the ground anywhere nearby are cows' hoof prints.
Eventually, Heidegger's bicycle tracks are found, and they end where he apparently had his head smashed in. There he lies, quite dead.
A number of things may already be deduced:
Lord Saltire left the school of his own free will;
Heidegger hurriedly went after him, having seen him climb down, which explains his less than complete dress;
The boy had a swift means of escape, for Heidegger would not have bothered with his bicycle if the boy had been on foot;
The boy had an adult companion, for he himself could not have smashed Heidegger's head in;
No other cyclist, nor another man on foot could have anything to do with the murder, for there are no marks on the ground to indicate this;
Something caused the boy to leave school at night, either homesickness (unlikely) or the letter he was mentioned to have received.
Holmes and Watson find themselves at the Fighting Cock Inn, and meet the innkeeper, Reuben Hayes, who seems startled indeed to hear that Holmes wants to go to Holdernesse Hall, the Duke's nearby house, to tell him news of his son. The two men have lunch there, and Holmes suddenly realizes something: He and Watson saw lots of cow tracks out on the moor, all along their line of investigation, but never at any time did they see any cows. Furthermore, the patterns of the hoof prints were quite unusual, suggesting that the cow in question walked, cantered, and galloped – very unusual behavior for a cow. Holmes and Watson sneak out to Hayes's stable and examine the horse's hooves. As Holmes has expected, there is evidence of recent shoeing, but with old shoes and new nails. Examining the nearby smithy, Holmes and Watson are rather belligerently asked to leave by Mr. Hayes. A short way down the road towards the Duke's house, Watson tells Holmes that he is convinced that Hayes knows all about the sordid business at hand.
Shortly afterwards, the two men hide as a cyclist comes along the road from the direction of the Duke's. It is James Wilder, and he looks agitated. He arrives at the inn. Soon afterwards, a trap pulls out of the stable yard and goes along the road towards Chesterfield. A while later, someone else – it is getting dark and only a fleeting glimpse of the new visitor is caught – arrives at the inn.
Coming closer, Holmes observes Wilder's bicycle tires and notes that they are the same make as the first ones encountered on the moor, and as expected, one tire has a patch. Holmes uses Watson as a stepladder to have a look at the meeting. His look is very brief, and then they leave.
The next morning, they go to Holdernesse Hall, where they find that the Duke is not at all well. Nevertheless, Holmes demands from him a check for £6000, saying that he has earned the reward. His son is at the Fighting Cock, and the accused is the Duke himself.
Holmes has not, however, deduced the whole story. He has found Lord Saltire, and seen the Duke with him while standing on Watson's shoulders, but the actual mastermind of this crime is James Wilder. He conceived a plan to kidnap Lord Saltire to force the Duke to change his will. Wilder has always felt cheated, because he is, as it turns out, the Duke's son, born out of wedlock to the Duke's late lover, before he married the Duchess, who bore the Duke a legitimate heir. Wilder knew very well that his father would not call the police on him, as he abhorred the very idea of scandal. The plan began to unravel when Wilder hired Hayes – who has now fled, but been caught on Holmes's information – to do the actual kidnapping. Hayes killed Heidegger, and when Wilder heard the news, he confessed all to his father. So anxious was the Duke to avoid scandal, he agreed to let his younger son stay at the inn for another three days, and to keep quiet, so that Hayes could flee justice.
All ends well, except for Hayes, who faces the gallows. Lord Saltire is brought home from the inn and the Duke writes to his estranged wife asking her to reconcile with him. This he feels she will be willing to do, for the source of the friction between them is going away: James Wilder is being packed off to Australia to seek his fortune there.
As for the cow tracks, they were accomplished by shoeing the horses with special shoes shaped like cow's hooves.
An splendid plot, I recommend this story to any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery.
The boy's father, the Duke of Holdernesse, has offered a reward of £5000 to anyone who can tell him where his son, the ten-year-old Lord Saltire, is, and a further £1000 to anyone who can tell him who his kidnappers are.
James Wilder, the Duke's personal secretary, has also been indiscreet enough to mention something to Huxtable about the young Lord's unhappy home life. His parents no longer live together, his mother having moved to Southern France. Wilder has said that Lord Saltire's sympathies were with his mother in these matters. Upon arrival at the school, though, Lord Saltire seemed to be quite happy, and in his element.
Less than a fortnight later, however, he suddenly disappeared from the school. He could only have left by climbing out of his window at night and down the thick ivy to the ground. Curiously, the German master, Heidegger, is also missing, along with his bicycle. Lord Saltire had received a letter that very day from his father, but Huxtable has no idea of the contents. The boy has taken it with him. He was fully dressed, too. However, Heidegger left his shirt and socks behind.
Holmes decides to accompany Huxtable back to Mackleton, even though he is quite busy with business in London. He tells Huxtable first that if he is going to telegraph home, it would be wise to let the rumor of progress in Liverpool persist.
Once in the North, Holmes asks the Duke a few questions. His Grace does not think that his estranged wife has anything to do with his son's disappearance, nor has there been a ransom demand. He can also think of nothing in the letter that he wrote, posted by James Wilder along with dozens of others, that could have upset Lord Saltire.
Holmes establishes that the boy and his kidnappers could not have used the nearby road without being seen, suggesting that they went cross-country. As if to confirm this, the police find the boy's school cap in some gypsies' possession. They swear that they simply found it on the moor, but the police lock them up.
Holmes and Dr. Watson go hunting for clues. They find a bicycle track, but it is not Heidegger's; it does not match his tires. Holmes observes, however, that one tire has a patch on it. Most anything observable has been obliterated by cow tracks, making sleuthing rather difficult. Indeed, the only marks on the ground anywhere nearby are cows' hoof prints.
Eventually, Heidegger's bicycle tracks are found, and they end where he apparently had his head smashed in. There he lies, quite dead.
A number of things may already be deduced:
Lord Saltire left the school of his own free will;
Heidegger hurriedly went after him, having seen him climb down, which explains his less than complete dress;
The boy had a swift means of escape, for Heidegger would not have bothered with his bicycle if the boy had been on foot;
The boy had an adult companion, for he himself could not have smashed Heidegger's head in;
No other cyclist, nor another man on foot could have anything to do with the murder, for there are no marks on the ground to indicate this;
Something caused the boy to leave school at night, either homesickness (unlikely) or the letter he was mentioned to have received.
Holmes and Watson find themselves at the Fighting Cock Inn, and meet the innkeeper, Reuben Hayes, who seems startled indeed to hear that Holmes wants to go to Holdernesse Hall, the Duke's nearby house, to tell him news of his son. The two men have lunch there, and Holmes suddenly realizes something: He and Watson saw lots of cow tracks out on the moor, all along their line of investigation, but never at any time did they see any cows. Furthermore, the patterns of the hoof prints were quite unusual, suggesting that the cow in question walked, cantered, and galloped – very unusual behavior for a cow. Holmes and Watson sneak out to Hayes's stable and examine the horse's hooves. As Holmes has expected, there is evidence of recent shoeing, but with old shoes and new nails. Examining the nearby smithy, Holmes and Watson are rather belligerently asked to leave by Mr. Hayes. A short way down the road towards the Duke's house, Watson tells Holmes that he is convinced that Hayes knows all about the sordid business at hand.
Shortly afterwards, the two men hide as a cyclist comes along the road from the direction of the Duke's. It is James Wilder, and he looks agitated. He arrives at the inn. Soon afterwards, a trap pulls out of the stable yard and goes along the road towards Chesterfield. A while later, someone else – it is getting dark and only a fleeting glimpse of the new visitor is caught – arrives at the inn.
Coming closer, Holmes observes Wilder's bicycle tires and notes that they are the same make as the first ones encountered on the moor, and as expected, one tire has a patch. Holmes uses Watson as a stepladder to have a look at the meeting. His look is very brief, and then they leave.
The next morning, they go to Holdernesse Hall, where they find that the Duke is not at all well. Nevertheless, Holmes demands from him a check for £6000, saying that he has earned the reward. His son is at the Fighting Cock, and the accused is the Duke himself.
Holmes has not, however, deduced the whole story. He has found Lord Saltire, and seen the Duke with him while standing on Watson's shoulders, but the actual mastermind of this crime is James Wilder. He conceived a plan to kidnap Lord Saltire to force the Duke to change his will. Wilder has always felt cheated, because he is, as it turns out, the Duke's son, born out of wedlock to the Duke's late lover, before he married the Duchess, who bore the Duke a legitimate heir. Wilder knew very well that his father would not call the police on him, as he abhorred the very idea of scandal. The plan began to unravel when Wilder hired Hayes – who has now fled, but been caught on Holmes's information – to do the actual kidnapping. Hayes killed Heidegger, and when Wilder heard the news, he confessed all to his father. So anxious was the Duke to avoid scandal, he agreed to let his younger son stay at the inn for another three days, and to keep quiet, so that Hayes could flee justice.
All ends well, except for Hayes, who faces the gallows. Lord Saltire is brought home from the inn and the Duke writes to his estranged wife asking her to reconcile with him. This he feels she will be willing to do, for the source of the friction between them is going away: James Wilder is being packed off to Australia to seek his fortune there.
As for the cow tracks, they were accomplished by shoeing the horses with special shoes shaped like cow's hooves.
An splendid plot, I recommend this story to any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery.
January 27, 2018
Ending was very disappointing.
July 18, 2015
A very mysterious story of my most favorite fictitious character of all time, Sherlock Holmes.
The headmaster of a prestigious prep calls on Holmes for help in investigating the disappearance of the only son of his patron, a rich and powerful duke who seems more worried about staying out of the public eye than finding his ten year old heir. After he reluctantly agrees to allow Holmes to take on the case, The Great Detective investigates not only the missing boy, but a German teacher and the lone bicycle that have mysteriously vanished also.
Considering the day and age in which these stories were written this is a very good and intriguing mystery. The Serials like CSI, Bones relies heavily on forensics. Serials like monk, mentalist, castle etc relies on hunches and unexplained guess work of leads. But todays VFX graphics movie generation will not be able to appreciate the mystery.
A very satisfying read. Must read for all those who like a good mystery. What sets apart Sherlock Holmes form Poirot, Miss Marple, Feluda, Byomkesh Bakshi and many others is that he explains everything logically. Holmes doesn’t rely on intuition, hunches or so called intelligent guess work. Holmes is the best.
The headmaster of a prestigious prep calls on Holmes for help in investigating the disappearance of the only son of his patron, a rich and powerful duke who seems more worried about staying out of the public eye than finding his ten year old heir. After he reluctantly agrees to allow Holmes to take on the case, The Great Detective investigates not only the missing boy, but a German teacher and the lone bicycle that have mysteriously vanished also.
Considering the day and age in which these stories were written this is a very good and intriguing mystery. The Serials like CSI, Bones relies heavily on forensics. Serials like monk, mentalist, castle etc relies on hunches and unexplained guess work of leads. But todays VFX graphics movie generation will not be able to appreciate the mystery.
A very satisfying read. Must read for all those who like a good mystery. What sets apart Sherlock Holmes form Poirot, Miss Marple, Feluda, Byomkesh Bakshi and many others is that he explains everything logically. Holmes doesn’t rely on intuition, hunches or so called intelligent guess work. Holmes is the best.
November 8, 2015
I have mixed feelings about this short story. The characters are great, especially Holmes. The mystery is intriguing and challenging, with red herrings aplenty. The story is entertaining and engagingly told. But once the facts are revealed, they strain credulity a bit--the mastermind's scheme apparently relied upon the sentimental unwillingness of a victim to allow any harm to come to his tormentor.
May 24, 2013
And yet another exciting adventure from the mind of Doyle! This time, Holmes and dear
Watson are on the hunt for a Duke heir. The clues are scarce, the motive is unknown, and best-of-all, the conclusions and red herrings are infinite! Definitely a great addition to the Holmes chronicles that kept me guessing until the end.
Watson are on the hunt for a Duke heir. The clues are scarce, the motive is unknown, and best-of-all, the conclusions and red herrings are infinite! Definitely a great addition to the Holmes chronicles that kept me guessing until the end.
August 2, 2015
very nicely composed. Although 1 can for-see things like "James" delivering the letter. Also, by the fact that the German Master left without socks which implies he left in a hurry therefore must have seen the boy going out. But the end was Final. Even though Sherlock Holmes generally never works for money, in this case he let go of 1 primary conspirator.
November 1, 2010
A nice, quick listen (I had the audiobook); a typical Sherlock Holmes story.
March 25, 2012
I can never get enough of Sherlock Holmes (mostly on the page, but also in cinema). This was a real gem, reliably Holmes, reliably Doyle. Highly recommended.
April 18, 2012
It definitely showed more of Shelock's ingenious! One of my favorite's I think... and the story was very catching!
February 10, 2013
It wasn't one of my favorites, as it the story itself was a little sketchy but I liked it. Definitely didn't see the twist at the end but I should have expected something...it it Conan Doyle!
March 14, 2013
The ending certainly made this one worth it :)
August 7, 2013
4.5
Loved this one!
Loved this one!
November 16, 2013
An estranged couple have their child abducted. Holmes to the rescue!
January 16, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 Extra: The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The Baker Street sleuth probes a young aristocrat's disappearance from prep school. Stars Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.
The Baker Street sleuth probes a young aristocrat's disappearance from prep school. Stars Clive Merrison and Michael Williams.
August 18, 2015
The ending was really unpredictable! I never would have guessed it. I liked how even Sherlock Holmes could not figure everything out, although he had solved most of it.
March 2, 2014
Oh Sherlock.. how you deduct everything ?
January 12, 2016
*Listened to via Audiobook*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2017
Have read all of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and probably others as well, just never bothered to put them in to amazon or goodreads, so dates wrong. Some KU some paperback some hardback some collections.
April 28, 2017
This one started out really good, but got less interesting for me as it went on.
Final rating = 3.5 stars
Final rating = 3.5 stars
June 2, 2017
One of the rare occasions where Holmes earns a lot of money.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews