The Adventure of the Devil's Foot

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



In recording from time to time some of the curious experiences
and interesting recollections which I associate with my long and
intimate friendship with Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I have continually
been faced by difficulties caused by his own aversion to
publicity. To his sombre and cynical spirit all popular applause
was always abhorrent, and nothing amused him more at the end of a
successful case than to hand over the actual exposure to some
orthodox official, and to listen with a mocking smile to the
general chorus of misplaced congratulation. It was indeed this
attitude upon the part of my friend and certainly not any lack of
interesting material which has caused me of late years to lay
very few of my records before the public. My participation in
some if his adventures was always a privilege which entailed
discretion and reticence upon me.

It was, then, with considerable surprise that I received a
telegram from Homes last Tuesday--he has never been known to
write where a telegram would serve--in the following terms:

Why not tell them of the Cornish horror--strangest case I have
handled.

I have no idea what backward sweep of memory had brought the
matter fresh to his mind, or what freak had caused him to desire