The Argosy | Page 9

effects there must
be some valuable stone of which he wished special care to be taken,

and which he desired to be sent home to you, madam, in England. I
knew nothing of any such stone, and I considered it beyond my
position to search for it among his luggage. I decided that when I got to
Chinapore I would give his message to the Colonel, and leave that
gentleman to take such steps in the matter as he might think best.
"I had hardly settled all this in my mind when Rung Budruck came to
me. 'The Russian sahib has gone: I have something to tell you,' he said,
only he spoke in broken English. 'Yesterday, just after the sahib
Captain was dead, the Russian came back. You had left the tent, and I
was sitting on the ground behind the Captain's big trunk, the lid of
which was open. I was sitting with my chin in my hand, very sad at
heart, when the Russian came in. He looked carefully round the tent.
Me he could not see, but I could see him through the opening between
the hinges of the box. What did he do? He unfastened the bosom of the
sahib Captain's shirt, and then he drew over the Captain's head the steel
chain with the little gold box hanging to it that he always wore. He
opened the box, and saw there was that in it which he expected to find
there. Then he hid away both chain and box in one of his pockets,
rebuttoned the dead man's shirt, and left the tent.' 'But you have not told
me what there was in the box,' I said. He put the tips of his fingers
together and smiled: 'In that box was the Great Hara Diamond!'
"Your ladyship, I was so startled when Rung said this that the wind of a
bullet would have knocked me down. A new light was all at once
thrown on the Captain's dying words. 'But how do you know, Rung,
that the box contained a diamond?' I asked when I had partly got over
my surprise. He smiled again, with that strange slow smile which those
fellows have. 'It matters not how, but Rung knew that the diamond was
there. He had seen the Captain open the box, and take it out and look at
it many a time when the Captain thought no one could see him. He
could have stolen it from him almost any night when he was asleep, but
that was left for his friend to do.' 'Was the diamond you speak of a very
valuable one?' I asked. 'It was a green diamond of immense value,'
answered Rung; 'it was called The Great Hara because of its colour,
and it was first worn by the terrible Aureng-Zebe himself, who had it
set in the haft of his scimitar.' 'But by what means did Captain

Chillington become possessed of so valuable a stone?' Said he, 'Two
years ago, at the risk of his own life, he rescued the eldest son of the
Rajah of Gondulpootra from a tiger who had carried away the child into
the jungle. The Rajah is one of the richest men in India, and he showed
his gratitude by secretly presenting the Great Hara Diamond to the man
who had saved the life of his child.' 'But why should Captain
Chillington carry so valuable a stone about his person?' I asked. 'Would
it not have been wiser to deposit it in the bank at Bombay till such time
as the Captain could take it with him to England?' 'The stone is a
charmed stone,' said Rung, 'and it was the Rajah's particular wish that
the sahib Chillington should always wear it about his person. So long
as he did so he could not come to his death by fire by water, or by
sword thrust.' Said I, 'But how did the Russian know that Captain
Chillington carried the diamond about his person?' 'One night when the
Captain had had too much wine he showed the diamond to his friend,'
answered Rung. Said I, 'But how does it happen, Rung, that you know
this?' Rung, smiling and putting his finger tips together, replied, 'How
does it happen that I know so much about you?' And then he told me a
lot of things about myself that I thought no soul in India knew. It was
just wonderful how he did it. 'So it is: let that be sufficient,' he finished
by saying. 'Why did you not tell me till after the Russian had gone
away that you saw him steal the diamond?' said I. 'If you had told me at
the time I could have charged him with it.' 'You are ignorant,' said
Rung;