ed 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 b