"`Friends,' came the answer.I uncovered my lanter and threw a flood of light upon them.The first was an enormous Sikh with a black beard which swept nearly down to his cummerband.Outside of a show Ihave never seen so tall a man.The other was a little fat, round fellow with a great yellow turban and a bundle in his hand, done up in a shawl.He seemed to be all in a quiver with fear, for his hands twitched as if he had the ague, and his head kept turning to left and right with two bright little twinkling eyes, like a mouse when he ventures out from his hole.It gave me the chills to think of killing him, but I thought of the treasure, and my heart set as hard as a flint within me.When he saw my white face he gave a little chirrup of joy and came running up towards me.
"`Your protection, sahib,' he panted, `your protection for the unhappy merchant Achmet.I have travelled across Raipootana, that Imight seek the shelter of the fort at Agra.I have been robbed and beaten and abused because I have been the friend of the Company.It is a blessed night this when I am once more in safety! and my poor possessions.'
"`What have you in the bundle?' I asked.
"`An iron box,' he answered, `which contains one or two little family matters which are of no value to others but which I should be sorry to lose.Yet I am not a beggar; and I shall reward you, young sahib, and your governor also if he will give me the shelter I ask.'
"I could not trust myself to speak longer with the man.The more Ilooked at his fat, frightened face, the harder did it seem that we should slay him in cold blood.It was best to get it over.
"`Take him to the main guard,' said I.The two Sikhs closed in upon him on each side, and the giant walked behind, while they marched in through the dark gateway.Never was a man so compassed round with death.I remained at the gateway with the lanter.
"I could hear the measured tramp of their footsteps sounding through the lonely corridors.Suddenly it ceased, and I heard voices and a scuffle, with the sound of blows.A moment later there came, to my horror, a rush of footsteps coming in my direction, with a loud breathing of a running man.I turned my lanter down the long straight passage, and there was the fat man, running like the wind, with a smear of blood across his face, and close at his heels, bounding like a tiger, the great black-bearded Sikh, with a knife flashing in his hand.I have never seen a man run so fast as that little merchant.He was gaining on the Sikh, and I could see that if he once passed me and got to the open air he would save himself yet.
My heart softened to him, but again the thought of his treasure turned me hard and bitter.I cast my firelock between his legs as he raced past and he rolled twice over like a shot rabbit.Ere he could stagger to his feet the Sikh was upon him and buried his knife twice in his side.The man never uttered moan nor moved muscle but lay where he had fallen.I think myself that he may have broken his neck with the fall.
You see, gentlemen, that I am keeping my promise.I am telling you every word of the business just exactly as it happened, whether it is in my favour or not."He stopped and held out his manacled hands for the whisky and water which Holmes had brewed for him.For myself, I confess that Ihad now conceived the utmost horror of the man not only for this cold-blooded business in which he had been concerned but even more for the somewhat flippant and careless way in which he narrated it.
Whatever punishment was in store for him, I felt that he might expect no sympathy from me.Sherlock Holmes and Jones sat with their hands upon their knees, deeply interested in the story but with the same disgust written upon their faces.He may have observed it, for there was a touch of defiance in his voice and manner as he proceeded.
"It was all very bad, no doubt," said he."I should like to know how many fellows in my shoes would have refused a share of this loot when they knew that they would have their throats cut for their pains.
Besides, it was my life or his when once he was in the fort.If he had got out, the whole business would come to light, and I should have been court-martialled and shot as likely as not, for people were not very lenient at a time like that.""Go on with your story," said Holmes shortly.
"Well, we carried him in, Abdullah, Akbar, and I.A fine weight he was, too, for all that he was so short.Mahomet Singh was left to guard the door.We took him to a place which the Sikhs had already prepared.It was some distance off, where a winding passage leads to a great empty hall, the brick walls of which were all crumbling to pieces.The earth floor had sunk in at one place, making a natural grave, so we left Achmet the merchant there, having first covered him over with loose bricks.This done, we all went back to the treasure.
"It lay where he had dropped it when he was first attacked.The box was the same which now lies open upon your table.A key was hung by a silken cord to that carved handle upon the top.We opened it, and the light of the lanter gleamed upon a collection of gems such as Ihave read of and thought about when I was a little lad at Pershore.It was blinding to look upon them.When we had feasted our eyes we took them all out and made a list of them.There were one hundred and forty-three diamonds of the first water, including one which has been called, I believe, `the Great Mogul,' and is said to be the second largest stone in existence.Then there were ninety-seven very fine emeralds, and one hundred and seventy rubies, some of which, however, were small.There were forty carbuncles, two hundred and ten sapphires, sixty-one agates, and a great quantity of beryls, onyxes, cats'-eyes, turquoises, and other stones, the very names of which I did not know at the time, though I have become more familiar with them since.Besides this, there were nearly three hundred very fine pearls, twelve of which were set in a gold coronet.By the way, these last had been taken out of the chest, and were not there when I recovered it.
