银班驹 (1892)

《银斑驹》（The Adventure of Silver Blaze，又译：银色马），柯南·道尔所著的福尔摩斯探案的56个短篇故事之一，收录于《福尔摩斯回忆录》。此故事分别于1923年、1937年、1977年及1988年被改编成电影或电视。

故事简介

国王马场发生了命案及赛马失窃案，马主罗斯上校要福尔摩斯协助调查。福尔摩斯去到现场，只是四处侦查，又问一下人一些不相关的问题，令罗斯上校非常失望。事实上，福尔摩斯已经知道上校的失马是被邻近马场的人带走，并已叮嘱对方需于赛马日前交还赛马，而上校马场下的练马师的命案，福尔摩斯亦知道是该练马师欲令马匹不能出赛，从而伤害马匹期间被马匹打死。只因为罗斯上校态度恶劣，致福尔摩斯不愿即时告知真相。

"The Adventure of Silver Blaze", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the first from the 12 in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in The Strand Magazine in December 1892.

Doyle considered "Silver Blaze" among his favourite Sherlock Holmes stories. One of the most popular Sherlock Holmes short stories, "Silver Blaze" focuses on the disappearance of the eponymous race horse (a famous winner, owned by a Colonel Ross) on the eve of an important race and on the apparent murder of his trainer. The tale is distinguished by its atmospheric Dartmoor setting and late-Victorian sporting milieu. The plotting hinges on the "curious incident of the dog in the night-time":

Plot

Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. Watson, travel by train to Dartmoor to investigate a crime of disappearance of the great race horse Silver Blaze and the murder of the horse's trainer, John Straker. Holmes and Watson arrive at King's Pyland, from where Silver Blaze is missing. Bookmaker Fitzroy Simpson had come to Dartmoor (and specifically to King's Pyland) to gather information about Silver Blaze and his stablemate Bayard. He had approached both Straker's maid and a stable boy the night of the horse's disappearance and has been arrested for the murder. To Holmes, there seem to be a number of facts that do not fit the case against Simpson, damning as it looks. It seems odd that he would lead the horse out on to the moor simply to injure or kill him, which could be done in his stall. Had he stolen the animal, what good would such a famous thoroughbred be to him? Why has an exhaustive search of the neighbourhood not turned up Silver Blaze? What has Simpson done with him?

Sherlock Holmes soon tracks down Silver Blaze; his tracks (along with a man's) are clearly visible in the soil, albeit intermittently. Holmes also deduces why the police could not find the horse, despite having looked right at him. Holmes ensures Silver Blaze's safety, and turns his mind to other aspects of the case.

John Straker, Silver Blaze's late trainer, has been killed by a blow to the skull, assumed to have been administered by Simpson with his "Penang lawyer", a club-like walking stick. Simpson's cravat is also found in Straker's hand, and the latter's coat is found draped over a furze bush. A knife is found at the crime scene—a peculiarly delicate-looking one, with a small blade. Dr. Watson, from his medical experience, identifies it as a cataract knife used for the most delicate surgery—useful as it is for that purpose, it would be unsuitable as a weapon. Straker also seems to have gashed himself in the hip with it.

One of the stable lads, Ned Hunter, was on guard duty the night of the crime, but he proves to have been drugged with powdered opium placed in his supper. No one else who ate the curried mutton made at the Strakers' house that evening suffered any ill effects, but Hunter was in a profound stupor well into the next day. Straker's pockets contained a tallow candle and a milliner's bill for (among other things) a 22-guinea dress, made out to one William Derbyshire. There is the curious incident with the dog, and a problem with the sheep kept at the stable: The boy who looks after them tells Holmes that three of his animals have become suddenly lame.

Holmes's powers unravel the mystery and lay bare what villainies there are to be exposed. He visits the milliners' shop in London and determines, using Straker's photograph, that Straker posed as Derbyshire. This establishes his motive: He had a mistress with expensive tastes and tried to rig the race to earn himself a large sum of money. The curried mutton was a clue; only such a spicy dish could have masked the taste of powdered opium and it was impossible for Simpson to arrange a highly seasoned meal that evening for his purposes. Therefore, someone in the household must have conceived the idea, namely Straker.