ees,deeplyinterestedinthestory,butwiththesamedisgustwrittenupontheirfaces.Hemayhaveobservedit,fortherewasatouchofdefianceinhisvoiceandmannerasheproceeded.
“Itwasallverybad,nodoubt,”saidhe.“Ishouldliketoknowhowmanyfellowsinmyshoeswouldhaverefusedashareofthislootwhentheyknewthattheywouldhavetheirthroatscutfortheirpains.Besides,itwasmylifeorhiswhenoncehewasinthefort.Ifhehadgotout,thewholebusinesswouldcometolight,andIshouldhavebeencourt-martialledandshotaslikelyasnotforpeoplewerenotverylenientatatimelikethat.”
“Goonwithyourstory,”saidHolmes,shortly.
“Well,wecarriedhimin,Abdullah,Akbar,andI.Afineweighthewas,too,forallthathewassoshort.MahometSinghwaslefttoguardthedoor.WetookhimtoaplacewhichtheSikhshadalreadyprepared.Itwassomedistanceoff,whereawindingpassageleadstoagreatemptyhall,thebrickwallsofwhichwereallcrumblingtopieces.Theearthfloorhadsunkinatoneplace,makinganaturalgrave,soweleftAchmetthemerchantthere,havingfirstcoveredhimoverwithloosebricks.Thisdone,weallwentbacktothetreasure.
“Itlaywherehehaddroppeditwhenhewasfirstattacked.Theboxwasthesamewhichnowliesopenuponyourtable.Akeywashungbyasilkencordtothatcarvedhandleuponthetop.Weopenedit,andthelightofthelanterngleameduponacollectionofgemssuchasIhavereadofandthoughtaboutwhenIwasalittleladatPershore.Itwasblindingtolookuponthem.Whenwehadfeastedoureyeswetookthemalloutandmadealistofthem.Therewereonehundredandforty-threediamondsofthefirstwater,includingonewhichhasbeencalled,Ibelieve,‘theGreatMogul’andissaidtobethesecondlargeststoneinexistence.Thentherewereninety-sevenveryfineemeralds,andonehundredandseventyrubies,someofwhich,however,weresmall.Therewerefortycarbuncles,twohundredandtensapphires,sixty-oneagates,andagreatquantityofberyls,onyxes,cats’-eyes,turquoises,andotherstones,theverynamesofwhichIdidnotknowatthetime,thoughIhavebecomemorefamiliarwiththemsince.Besidesthis,therewerenearlythreehundredveryfinepearls,twelveofwhichweresetinagoldcoronet.Bytheway,theselasthadbeentakenoutofthechestandwerenottherewhenIrecoveredit.
“AfterwehadcountedourtreasuresweputthembackintothechestandcarriedthemtothegatewaytoshowthemtoMahometSingh.Thenwesolemnlyrenewedouroathtostandbyeachotherandbetruetooursecret.Weagreedtoconcealourlootinasafeplaceuntilthecountryshouldbeatpeaceagain,andthentodivideitequallyamongourselves.Therewasnousedividingitatpresent,forifgemsofsuchvaluewerefounduponusitwouldcausesuspicion,andtherewasnoprivacyinthefortnoranyplacewherewecouldkeepthem.Wecarriedthebox,therefore,intothesamehallwherewehadburiedthebody,andthere,undercertainbricksinthebest-preservedwall,wemadeahollowandputourtreasure.Wemadecarefulnoteoftheplace,andnextdayIdrewfourplans,oneforeachofus,andputthesignofthefourofusatthebottom,forwehadswornthatweshouldeachalwaysactforall,sothatnonemighttakeadvantage.ThatisanoaththatIcanputmyhandtomyheartandswearthatIhaveneverbroken.
“Well,there’snousemytellingyougentlemenwhatcameoftheIndianmutiny.AfterWilsontookDelhiandSirColinrelievedLucknowthebackofthebusinesswasbroken.Freshtroopscamepouringin,andNanaSahibmadehimselfscarceoverthefrontier.AflyingcolumnunderColonelGreathedcameroundtoAgraandclearedthePandiesawayfromit.Peaceseemedtobesettlinguponthecountry,andwefourwerebeginningtohopethatthetimewasathandwhenwemightsafelygooffwithoursharesoftheplunder.Inamoment,however,ourhopeswereshatteredbyourbeingarrestedasthemurderersofAchmet.
“Itcameaboutinthisway.WhentherajahputhisjewelsintothehandsofAchmethediditbecauseheknewthathewasatrustyman.TheyaresuspiciousfolkintheEast,however:sowhatdoesthisrajahdobuttakeasecondevenmoretrustyservantandsethimtoplaythespyuponthefirst?ThissecondmanwasorderednevertoletAchmetoutofhissight,andhefollowedhimlikehisshadow.Hewentafterhimthatnightandsawhimpassthroughthedoorway.Ofcoursehethoughthehadtakenrefugeinthefort,andappliedforadmissiontherehimselfnextday,butcouldfindnotraceofAchmet.Thisseemedtohimsostrangethathespokeaboutittoasergeantofguides,whobroughtittotheearsofthecommandant.Athoroughsearchwasquicklymade,andthebodywasdiscovered.Thusattheverymomentthatwethoughtthatallwassafewewereallfourseizedandbroughttotrialonachargeofmurder,—threeofusbecausewehadheldthegatethatnight,andthefourthbecausehewasknowntohavebeeninthecompanyofthemurderedman.Notawordaboutthejewelscameoutatthetrial,fortherajahhadbeendeposedanddrivenoutofIndia:sonoonehadanyparticul