Date: 02
Prompt: Whip Crack
From: Stutley Constable
Warnings: pastiche science
A/N: No horses were harmed in the writing of this story.
Ch 2: Whip Crack
CRACK! Watson flinched involuntarily against the threatening bang of the horsewhip that the carriage driver expertly swung in such a manner so as to produce a very impressive (and thankfully, harmless) snap.
Holmes and Watson were attending a small demonstration of Bavarian cab drivers on the outskirts of London. With a lifetime of practise at cracking their whips, the heart-bounding boom of the whips was spectacularly terrifying. Holmes stated he wanted to attend in order to gain addition data for a case he was investigating. Watson wasn't quite so sure.
"Holmes, why not ask the nearby cabbie how he snaps his whip? Every carriage driver in London practically, carries a whip and knows how to snap one. Why bother going out of our way to watch a special demonstration? And besides, whatever the driver can't teach you, I'm sure you can mange to dig up in a book."
Holmes gave Watson a withering glare. "Dull! Watson, will you never understand the necessity of the most exquisite expertise in detection. It is expedient that I learn the details of whip cracking from the most expert crackers in all of London. Therefore, it is imperative for us to attend."
Now it was Watson's turn to sigh. With a resigned shrug he asked, "Should I bring my gun?"
Holmes nodded to the affirmative.
It didn't take a genius like Sherlock Holmes to deduce there was more than just a bit of crack'in potential at the Bavarian social.
While the two observers stood against the sidelines and watched the whipsnappers create their fantastical display of dexterity and skill, Holmes decided to elaborate on his most recent gleaned information.
"Theories abound as to the precise nature of the sound of the whip crack. There are some that maintain the peculiar noise to which your ears have taken adverse offense is due to the great speed at the tip of the whip – speeds exceeding 1,125 feet per second. In order to achieve such an impressive velocity, one must take a closer look at the physical dimensions and physics of a whip."
Sensing a lecture on the topic whether he liked it or not but also finding an opportunity to step further from the loud whip cracking, Watson nodded. "Please, continue to enlighten me. Let's just step over here, further away from the noise, so I can listen better, Holmes."
The detective obliged and continued his monologue. "As you will observe, Watson, the handle of the whip is much thicker and wider in diameter than the tip of the instrument which tapers to a very small diameter of a wisp, almost. It is this unique design that allows the energy of the handler to be conveyed from the base to the distal aspects whereby it amplifies exponentially and the speeds at the tip of the whip may exceed even sound waves."
At this point, Holmes interjected his own opinion. "Of course, all this is purely conjecture on the part of some questionable physicists and such things as the speed of sound and sonic boom are highly theoretical."
He sighed, "Still one must start somewhere. Anyway, it is at these fantastic velocities of the whip when crossing what's been termed the sound barrier that then create a sonic boom – another dubious term, I'm afraid."
Watson's brain buzzed with all these new theoretical terms snapping to the forefront against the staccato thunder of the whip demonstration. "Holmes," he shouted over the noise, "have you gathered the essential data now? I am beginning to feel it imperative to return to our lodgings."
Holmes nodded.
"Mrs Hudson has cooked a feast for us tonight and gave me strict orders not to be late. I fear, even against the fearsome sounds at this Bavarian gathering that our landlady still wins. She knows how to 'crack the whip' better than any of these coachmen."
"You may be correct in that deduction," Holmes admitted as he turned to head back to 221B Baker Street. "One of the greatest mysteries in acoustics, the true cause of a whip's crack, shall remain undiscovered for the moment."
A/N: Deepest apologies to those of you who actually understand the science behind whips and the characteristic whip snap. Some very interesting theories abound, I discovered.