In a record of one of our previous cases, to which I gave the somewhat lurid title ‘The Sussex Vampire’, my friend described the episode of the so-called Giant Rat of Sumatra as something ‘for which the world is not yet ready’. And indeed it will never be, for our readers have come to expect a tale in which Holmes’s deductive skills have brought an initially baffling puzzle to a neat and satisfying conclusion. In this case the result was far from tidy, and I confess that the fault in the matter was entirely my own. Nevertheless, in the end a satisfactory solution was reached thanks to Holmes’s quickness of mind. Although the account that follows show me up as a bungling fool I must set it down as a tribute to his powers.
A hot summer afternoon combined with a substantial luncheon of venison cutlets and Mrs Hudson’s famous Netty’s pudding had reduced both Holmes and myself to a state of replete idleness. I observed with alarm that Holmes’s gaze was wandering towards the drawer where he kept his syringe when we were interrupted by the urgent sound of the door bell, and a minute later Mrs Hudson ushered up a young man of perhaps eighteen summers whose frivolous straw boater hat, pink-trimmed black Leander blazer and even pinker club tie were offset by his clearly visible agitation. His English manner was in contrast to a countenance of slightly oriental aspect, but the appeal in his brown eyes was frank.
We settled him in an armchair, plied him with brandy and soda, and gave him time to collect his wits. ‘Mr Holmes,’ he began, ‘I hesitate to trouble you, but I am greatly concerned about my mother.’
Holmes nodded undertandingly and refilled his glass. We have found in our investigations that the most effective way of getting our often hesitant clients to confess their troubles before us is by the copious application of spirits. The young man continued, ‘First, I should tell you that I am Frank Raptor, the son of Sir Vere Raptor.’
We had of course heard of the great arms manufacturer whose products in the service of various empires were mowing down simple folk all over the world, and silently indicated our understanding.
‘My mother,’ he went on, ‘is not from these shores. She is by birth a noblewoman of Sumatra, whom my father met and wooed when he visited the East Indies to –‘ (he hesitated) ‘ah, to encourage the native princes to purchase his wares. She resides here and, after intial hesitation by the local folk at her origin, has settled in well and is esteemed and loved by all around. But she has not been in the best of health since the birth of my little sister five years ago, and I have to say that she has become the prey of nervous imaginings. In truth she is terrified, though she bravely conceals her fears. Her doctor says that she has a weak heart, and is in danger of being frightened to death. Yet her dread is, on the face of it, ridiculous. She is convinced that she is being haunted by a giant rat.’
I replied, ‘I have visited the East Indies in the course of my military career, and am aware that the islands are inhabited by a large species of cane rat. Yet the creatures are at best eighteen inches long in the body, plump in build and far from menacing, and the natives in no way fear them but rather regard them as good eating.’
‘That is my understanding also,’ he replied. ‘But she has confided to me that this creature, though entirely ratlike in appearance, is far larger; in her own words, the size of a pony. So far it has appeared only to her, and from the manner in which it glares and snarls at her she is sure that it means harm.’
‘To my knowledge,’ I replied, ‘the biggest of all rodents is the capybara. But that is a denizen of South America, and it is never larger than a small pig at best.’
Holmes interjected, ‘Whatever it may be, and even if her imagination is exaggerating what she sees, it is clear that she is in some sort of danger, and we shall certainly come to her assistance.’
The young man replied, ‘Mr Holmes, I am indeed most grateful for your offer of help. But I must add that the matter is a delicate one. My father, who is –‘ (again he hesitated) ‘a masterful man, will have no truck with what he claims are the idle fantasies of a superstitious foreigner — yes, he used that word for his own wife of twenty years and the father of his two children. He says that he needs to protect my little sister from being affected by her mother’s fantasies, and has given her entirely to the care of her nursemaid, a Miss Ada Strapping, who indeed looks after her devotedly. There is a further complication, which is that –‘ (and he hesitated once more) ‘my father seems quite taken with Miss Strapping, a comely girl of twenty-three, to the exclusion of my mother, who is naturally hurt and resentful. Therefore I fear that I cannot invite you to our house at Blackwater, though in not doing so I may seem most inhospitable.’
‘That is quite understandable.’ said Holmes. ‘We can easily stay at an inn at a discreet distance and pursue our investigations from there. Would you care to suggest a suitable place?’
‘Thank you for that,’ the young man confessed. ‘I would say that the Ely, a short way from the house, would be most suitable. It is a fairly new establishment built, as I hear, on the proceeds of a substantial bet on a horse of that name in the Ascot Gold Cup in 1865, and is large and comfortable.’
‘We shall be there,’ replied Holmes. ‘Will you be able to meet us there at, say, four in the afternoon tomorrow, and if possible, bring your mother?’
‘Indeed I shall,’ he said. ‘And it should be possible to make an excuse for her absence. My father is devoting most of his attention to Miss Strapping at present, and will hardly miss her.’
After he had left, Holmes said, ‘Before we go we have some work to do. I know next to nothing about the large mammals of the East Indies, and we must pay a visit to Dr Manfred Strange at the Natural History Museum, whose knowledge of the fauna of that region is unrivalled.’
There was no time to send a telegram and expect a reply, so we simply took the Metropolitan Underground to South Kensington and walked up to the museum, hoping to find him present. Five minutes’ saunter from the station brought the huge and unique building into view, designed in Romanesque style by Alfred Waterhouse and oddly clad in pale brown and slate blue glazed terracotta, its cornice ornamented with tall figures of beasts and birds in the same material. Fortunately when we announced ourselves we found Dr Strange in his office, supervising the mounting of a large specimen of a Komodo dragon. A small bespectacled man, he was very far from the image of a bold explorer that I had expected, but nonetheless he had ranged the region and knew more of its creatures than any other denizen of Europe.
When we had presented our problem to him he was lost in thought for some time. Finally he spoke. ‘As you surmised, there is no possibility that a creature of that size could be a bamboo rat. They never exceed the size of a large cat. Furthemore, to my knowledge there are no native legends that would present it as ominous. On the contrary, it is both regarded as a model of industriousness and prized as being excellent eating.
‘There are larger mammals in plenty, including the Asian elephant and several species of big cats and deer. However, no one would mistake any of these for a rat, giant or otherwise. The animal that most closely fits the lady’s description would be the Malayan tapir, the largest of its tribe and the only one found outside the Americas. It may be as much as eight feet in length. I suppose that in a bad light is peculiar snout might cause it to be mistaken for a rat, though I consider that unlikely, as a resident of Sumatra would almost certainly recognise it for what it was. Furthermore, this creature is piebald, with black head, shoulders and legs and a pale, almost white body. It is not impossible that there should be darker specimens. But what is almost unimaginble is that one of these animals should be roaming the woods of Surrey undiscovered till this moment.
‘Gentlemen, I think you have to consider that your solution lies elsewhere. Have you considered the possibility that the lady is being subjected to a scheme of deception intended to terrify her?’
‘Indeed,’ said Holmes, that has never been absent from my thoughts. But before I could entertain that idea it was necessary to eliminate the other possible explanations; and thanks to you, Dr Strange, I think that we have done just that.’
We took our leave and returned home to prepare for tomorrow’s expedition. Holmes considered that we had better be armed, and I spent an hour that evening cleaning and oiling the old Enfield revolver that I had carried in Afghanistan, never a very practical weapon but adequate for the purpose if kept in good condition.
— To be continued.
© Tachybaptus 2026
