The Ten Little Indian Boys (figurines)

The Ten Little Indian Boys figurines are a set of ten small china figures placed on the dining table of the house on Indian Island, which serve as a macabre tally of the guests' deaths, each disappearance corresponding to a verse of the nursery rhyme that frames the entire plot. They are the physical embodiment of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indian Boys," a framed copy of which hangs in every guest's bedroom, and their progressive disappearance becomes the central, chilling symbol of the unfolding mass murder.

Appearance and Initial Significance

The figurines are first noticed by the guests during dinner on the night of their arrival. Anthony Marston points them out, remarking, "Quaint, these things, aren't they?" Vera Claythorne immediately connects them to the nursery rhyme, exclaiming, "What fun! They're the ten little Indian boys of the nursery rhyme, I suppose." The guests confirm that a framed copy of the rhyme hangs in each of their bedrooms, establishing the figures as a playful but ominous decoration. The set sits on a circular glass stand in the center of the round dining table, and the guests count them, confirming there are exactly ten.

The Disappearances Begin

The first disappearance occurs after the death of Anthony Marston, who chokes on poisoned whiskey. The butler, Rogers, notices the change and mutters to himself, "That's a rum go! I could have sworn there were ten of them." The next morning, after Mrs. Rogers is found dead in her sleep, Rogers reports to Dr. Armstrong that the figures have dwindled to eight. He is visibly shaken, saying, "It doesn't make sense, does it? Only eight." The pattern is immediately clear: each death is mirrored by the disappearance of one china figure, linking the murders directly to the nursery rhyme's verses.

The Pattern of Death

The disappearance of the figures becomes a grim confirmation of each new murder. After General Macarthur is found dead, Vera Claythorne, in a loud, harsh voice, confirms to Rogers, "You're quite right, Rogers. Look for yourself. There are only seven." When Rogers himself is killed with a chopper, the figures are reduced to six. After Emily Brent is injected with cyanide, the hypodermic syringe is found outside the dining-room window, and beside it lies a smashed china figure—the fifth broken Indian boy. The murderer is meticulously following the rhyme, using the figures as a scorecard.

The Final Reduction

After the staged death of Justice Wargrave, the figures are reduced to three. Following the disappearance and drowning of Dr. Armstrong, a pane in the dining-room window is found smashed, and only three little Indian boys remain on the table. Vera Claythorne, now alone with Philip Lombard and Blore, recites the relevant verse: "Four little Indian boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three." She interprets Armstrong's disappearance as a "red herring," a deliberate trick by the murderer. After Blore is crushed by the marble bear clock, only two figures remain. Vera, having shot Lombard, returns to the house and finds three figures still on the table. She laughs, picks up two and throws them out the window, saying, "You're behind the times, my dears." She keeps the last one, clasping it in her hand as she ascends the stairs to her room, where she hangs herself. The final figure breaks against the fender as she kicks away the chair.

Symbolic and Narrative Significance

The figurines are more than a decorative tally; they are the central symbol of the murderer's plan, which is explicitly based on the nursery rhyme. Justice Wargrave, in his confession, reveals that the rhyme "had fascinated me as a child of two—the inexorable diminishment—the sense of inevitability." The figures transform the abstract concept of justice into a tangible, diminishing countdown, creating an atmosphere of inescapable doom. They also serve as a key clue for the police, who find the final broken figure in Vera's room. The figures' disappearance is the most direct and visible link between the murders and the nursery rhyme, making them the physical manifestation of the killer's artistic and homicidal design. The final verse of the rhyme, "One little Indian boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none," is literally enacted by Vera, with the last figure breaking as she completes the pattern.