Sherlock Holmes and the Chinese Junk Affair and Other Stories by Roy Templeman

wire around the vessel were intended to both impress Sir Simon that it was essential to the transposition process, and to prevent him, after being warned of the danger, from reaching between them and touching the vessel, perhaps to admire the smoothness of the paintwork, thus discovering it was constructed only of paper and card. All part of the elaborate deception.
    ‘After Sir Simon had walked around the vessel and had withdrawn with Rodger Hardy to partake of dinner, the same frantic activity took place you witnessed yesterday in the workshops. This time, of course, the Chinese junk was much, much larger and the time allowed for dismantling it had to be greater.
    ‘Dinner was an ideal length of time to execute the dismantling of the vessel. After about two hours and following a good meal and suitably good wines Rodger Hardy was ready to spring his ingenious confidence trick.
    ‘Just before the estimated time when he was to take Sir Simon back to the ballroom, he excused himself for a few minutes. This would be to make sure all was well and there were no last-minute hitches.
    ‘The Chinamen had taken the paper and debris to one of the unused rooms nearby. Most probably the withdrawing-room. They disposed of it permanently the following day, after Sir Simon had returned to London.’
    Holmes turned to me and said, ‘The reason why Dr Watson and I never found a trace of anything was because in the kitchen garden there was a disused well. Everything was thrown down it, and the top covered with wooden boards and earth. As a final touch, plants were carefully taken from other parts of the garden and replanted over the disturbed earth as camouflage.’
    Holmes smiled when Lord Bellinger said, ‘It is an incredible story of deception, Holmes, almost unbelievable,’ shaking his head from side to side.
    Holmes replied, ‘I agree, Prime Minister. It was planned over a long time and masterfully carried out.’
    Sir Simon leaned forward and tipped his drinking glass upside down to indicate it was empty. One of the other Cabinet members passed over the decanter. When all the glasses had been recharged, the Prime Minister asked:
    ‘What I want to hear, Mr Holmes, is how you arranged to put on an almost identical demonstration of the one witnessed at Halam Hall.’
    The others clamoured to hear the account too.
    Holmes took a sip from his recharged glass and put it down with great deliberation onto the walnut occasional table by his elbow. We all waited with great expectation. We were not disappointed.
    ‘I mentioned earlier how addicted to gambling the Chinese are. I was able to use this vice to advantage, saying that I too wished to gamble but, like my friend Rodger Hardy, wanted to make sure I would win. They laughed like young children being let into a secret. I explained that I too wanted to perform the magic trick and win much money from my friends which I would share with them. They would build me a small boat and I would bet my friends I could make it vanish. They fell about laughing and could not wait to begin making another paper and cardboard boat.
    ‘I searched around for suitable premises and was fortunate in renting the three disused identical-sized workshops. They had small doors and a connecting corridor, although dirty and in a poor state of repair they would fulfil my purpose exactly.
    ‘I looked then for a new suitably sized craft which could be copied. This proved more difficult. I was beginning to despair when I came across this pontoon which had just been built and was awaiting collection in a boat-builder’s yard. I was able to persuade the owners to delay collection from the yard for a while by paying double the hiring fee they would normally charge when hiring it out.
    ‘The Chinamen descended upon it like monkeys, examining and measuring every part of it. They were delighted when I presented them with a set of photographs I had had taken of the vessel, and they assured me having them would