Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The End of the Islander

Holmes, Watson and Jones have an enjoyable dinner together while they wait for the perfect time for their plan to take place.

Boarding the boat

As they set off, Holmes tells Watson to get his pistol – this adds suspense and excitement to the story as the element of danger is heightened.
They arrive at the wharf and board the police boat. Once aboard, they travel to the boatyard, hoping to wait for the Aurora to appear.
On the way, Holmes describes how he came to find the whereabouts of the Aurora.

The police chase begins

After reaching the boatyard, the group decide to wait at the side of the river, opposite the entrance, well hidden.
One of the Baker Street Irregulars signals to the police boat (waving a white handkerchief) that the Aurora is leaving the boatyard.
Once out of the boatyard, the Aurora moves quickly down the River Thames. The police boat chases the Aurora down the river.

Seeing the accomplice

As they get closer, Watson begins to recognise the figures on the boat – one is clearly Jonathan Small (the wooden-legged man) and the other is a ‘dark mass / which looked like a dog'.
- Before we even meet the foreign accomplice, he is described as being inhuman, like an animal.
When the boat gets closer, the accomplice is then described as having features of ‘bestiality and cruelty’ and a mouth that ‘chattered at us with half animal fury’.

Killing the accomplice

The mysterious man suddenly aims his poisoned darts at the police boat.
Holmes and Watson fire their pistols at the accomplice, killing him. His body falls into the Thames.

Capturing Jonathan Small

Jonathan Small steers the Aurora towards the shore and jumps out, trying to run away up the river bank. His wooden leg sinks into the mud and he becomes stuck.
The police boat closes in on Small and captures him. They then board the Aurora and find the treasure chest.
Finally, Holmes notes that there is a poisoned dart stuck into the wood of the boat – the accomplice had fired at them and narrowly missed them.

Chapter 10: Holmes Reveals his Detective Work

While they travel to the boatyard in Chapter 10, Holmes reveals how he figured out the answers to the case:

Inferences about Small

As he was annoyed at not being able to find out how Small had hidden the boat, Holmes set out to find the answer to this puzzle.
Mrs Smith had told him that her husband would be back within the hour, so Holmes deduced that they had not travelled far.
He inferred that Small must have paid Mr Smith very well for him to keep his secret and agree to them hiding the boat.

Inferences about the boat

Holmes disguised himself as an old sailor and went back to the river to investigate undercover.
Holmes had learnt that the Aurora had been sent into the shipyard with instructions to fix the rudder – the foreman at the shipyard confirmed to Holmes that there was nothing wrong with the rudder.
Holmes found that this was how Small had been hiding the boat – he had sent it into the boatyard, pretending that it needed repairs. This meant that it was out of the way and no one could spot it.

Praise of Small

Holmes comments that Small was more intelligent than he’d thought as it was a very clever plan: ‘I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. That is usually a product of higher education’.

Key Quotations from Chapter 10

Here are three key quotations from Chapter 10:

Menacing character of Small

‘I did not think him capable of anything in the nature of delicate finesse. That is usually a product of higher education’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Holmes adds more of a sense of danger to the character of Jonathan Small before we really meet him – he is not only nasty and murderous, but he is also dangerous and calculating.
- This makes him more menacing to the reader, as Small is capable of thinking his actions through intelligently and forming premeditated plans.

Holmes' excitement

‘We must catch her… If we burn the boat we must have them!’ (Sherlock Holmes).
- Holmes is usually quite calm and collected, but we feel his excitement here as he becomes obsessed with catching the criminals and solving the case.
- His desperation is shown through his use of the repeated imperative ‘must’ and his use of an exclamation mark.
- He also disregards the safety of everyone on the boat as he suggests that catching the criminals is more important than their own lives.

Savagery of Tonga (accomplice)

‘Bestiality and cruelty’ and a mouth that ‘chattered at us with half animal fury' (Tonga, the accomplice).
- Tonga is repeatedly described as if he is an animal, suggesting he is savage and dangerous.
- When this creature turns on the police boat and tries to kill the men with poisoned darts, the animalistic side of him helps to build hatred from the reader and support for the protagonists.
- This also adds to the Victorian viewpoint that people from other cultures were dangerous.

1Context

1.1Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background

1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3Historical Context

1.1.4Victorian London

1.1.5Women

1.1.6The British Empire

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2Plot Summary

2.1Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.1.2Chapter 2

2.1.3Chapter 3

2.1.4Chapter 4

2.1.5Chapter 5

2.1.6Chapter 6

2.1.7Chapter 7

2.1.8Chapter 8

2.1.9Chapter 9

2.1.10Chapter 10

2.1.11Chapter 11

2.1.12Chapter 12

2.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3Characters

3.1Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3Dr John Watson

3.1.4Mary Morstan

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2Jonathan Small

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption

4.1.2Criminals & Victims

4.1.3Victorian Fear

4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5Duality

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice

5.1.2Dialogue

5.1.3Structure

5.1.4Structure & Characters

5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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