银色马 23（在线收听）

Four days later Holmes and I were again in the train, bound for Winchester to see the race for the Wessex Cup. Colonel Ross met us by appointment outside the station, and we drove in his drag to the course beyond the town. His face was grave, and his manner was cold in the extreme.

“I have seen nothing of my horse,” said he.

“I suppose that you would know him when you saw him?” asked Holmes.

The colonel was very angry. “I have been on the turf for twenty years and never was asked such a question as that before,” said he. “A child would know Silver Blaze with his white forehead and his mottled off-foreleg.”

“How is the betting?”

“Well, that is the curious part of it. You could have got fifteen to one yesterday, but the price has become shorter and shorter, until you can hardly get three to one now.”

“Hum!” said Holmes. “Somebody knows something, that is clear.”

As the drag drew up in the enclosure near the grandstand I glanced at the card to see the entries.

Wessex Plate [it ran] 50 sovs. each h ft with 1000 sovs. added, for four and five year olds. Second, 300 pounds. Third, 200 pounds. New course (one mile and five furlongs).

1 . Mr. Heath Newton’s The Negro. Red cap. Cinnamon jacket.

2. Colonel Wardlaw’s Pugilist. Pink cap. Blue and black jacket.

3. Lord Backwater’s Desborough. Yellow cap and sleeves.

4. Colonel Ross’s Silver Blaze. Black cap. Red jacket.

5. Duke of Balmoral’s Iris. Yellow and black stripes.

6. Lord Singleford’s Rasper. Purple cap. Black sleeves.

四天以后，我和福尔摩斯决定乘车到温切斯特市去看韦塞克斯杯锦标赛。罗斯上校如约在车站旁迎接我们，我们乘坐他那高大的马车到城外跑马场去。罗斯上校面色阴沉，态度非常冷淡。

“直到现在我的马一点消息也没有，”上校说道。

“我想你看到它，总能认得它吧？”福尔摩斯问道。

上校极为恼怒。

“我在赛马场已经二十年了，以前从来还没有听过这样的问题，”他说着，”连小孩子也认得银色白额马的白额头和它那斑驳的右前腿。”

“赌注怎么样？”

“这才是奥妙之处呢。昨天是十五比一，可是差额越来越小了，现在竟跌到三比一。”

“哈！”福尔摩斯说道，“分明是有人知道了什么消息。”

马车驶抵看台的围墙，我看到赛马牌上参加赛马的名单。

韦塞克斯金杯赛

赛马年龄：以四、五岁口为限。赛程：一英里五弗隆。每马交款五十镑。头名除金杯外得奖一千镑。第二名得奖三百镑。第三名得奖二百镑。

一、希恩-牛顿先生的赛马尼格罗。骑师着红帽，棕黄色上衣。

二、沃德洛上校的赛马帕吉利斯特。骑师着桃红帽，黑蓝色上衣。

三、巴克沃特勋爵的赛马德斯巴勒。骑师着黄帽，黄色衣袖。

四、罗斯上校的赛马银色白额马。骑师着黑帽，红色上衣。

五、巴尔莫拉尔公爵的赛马艾里斯。骑师着黄帽，黄黑条纹上衣。

六、辛格利福特勋爵的赛马拉斯波尔。骑师着紫色帽，黑色衣袖。