Silent communication for Holmes and Watson

[mightymads]

stonepicnicking_okapi has a ficlet where Holmes and Watson use Morse code to communicate without making a sound, drumming their fingers on each other’s body parts. The idea fascinated me so much that I did some research. It seems that Morse code has a resurgence in popularity due to possibilities it offers to people with disabilities: e.g. a blind person can type using the dot-and-dash keyboard. There is a Google project which helps to learn Morse code within a few hours.

So, it was all very interesting—letters represented by combinations of short and long signals, or dits and dahs. I plunged into studies and soon could create short messages, but then it occurred to me: how do you tap in Morse? There are no short and long taps. All taps sound the same. This is when a scene from Current War came to mind. There Thomas Edison’s little son knocks a spoon against his tea saucer, sending a funny message no one in the room can understand except his parents who taught him Morse code. 



The boy uses a double knock for a long signal and a single knock for a short signal.

E. g. the letter ‘H’ is four short signals, and ‘O’ is three long ones.

H      O     L    M    E   S

....  _ _ _  ._..  _ _    .   ...

If Watson were to drum his fingers against the back of Holmes's hand, it would be something like this:
 

Tap tap tap tap (H)/ tap-tap tap-tap tap-tap (O)/ tap tap-tap tap tap (L)/ tap-tap tap-tap (M)/ tap (E)/ tap tap tap (S)

It's clear that rhythm is important for the recipient to be able to distinguish between letters. It takes a lot of practice, but it's fun!

Comments

[mightymads]

A secret message in a sheet of music? Sounds like a very interesting idea! And a challenge too, especially for a nerd like Holmes or someone equally talented and cunning. Remember that Granada episode, when Holmes drums his fingers against an armrest, mimicking the rhythm of the music piece he heard a few days before? The music rhythm itself could be a message, and more difficult to catch while listening to the orchestra version. If, on the other hand, it's tapped away...

[natrix_natrix]

Yes, exactly!! I totally forgot about that episode, but it fits so well! Imagine if Holmes had cracked the code right then and there and then shot out of the barber shop without a word. Poor Watson, abandoned in the middle of his haircut and trying to decide if he should wait till it's done or pay the barber for a job half done and run after Holmes.

[mightymads]

Could be a nice premise to write a fic ;)