The General opened a small safe in a corner of the library and brought forth a plush-covered box.  Opening this, he exposed to the reporter’s bewildered gaze a huge and brilliant diamond—­nearly as large as a hailstone.

“This stone,” said the General, “is something more than a mere jewel.  It once formed the central eye of the three-eyed goddess Kali, who is worshipped by one of the fiercest and most fanatical tribes of India.  If you will arrange yourself comfortably I will give you a brief history of it for your paper.”

General Ludlow brought a decanter of whiskey and glasses from a cabinet, and set a comfortable armchair for the lucky scribe.

“The Phansigars, or Thugs, of India,” began the General, “are the most dangerous and dreaded of the tribes of North India.  They are extremists in religion, and worship the horrid goddess Kali in the form of images.  Their rites are interesting and bloody.  The robbing and murdering of travellers are taught as a worthy and obligatory deed by their strange religious code.  Their worship of the three-eyed goddess Kali is conducted so secretly that no traveller has ever heretofore had the honour of witnessing the ceremonies.  That distinction was reserved for myself.

“While at Sakaranpur, between Delhi and Khelat, I used to explore the jungle in every direction in the hope of learning something new about these mysterious Phansigars.

“One evening at twilight I was making my way through a teakwood forest, when I came upon a deep circular depression in an open space, in the centre of which was a rude stone temple.  I was sure that this was one of the temples of the Thugs, so I concealed myself in the undergrowth to watch.

“When the moon rose the depression in the clearing was suddenly filled with hundreds of shadowy, swiftly gliding forms.  Then a door opened in the temple, exposing a brightly illuminated image of the goddess Kali, before which a white-robed priest began a barbarous incantation, while the tribe of worshippers prostrated themselves upon the earth.

“But what interested me most was the central eye of the huge wooden idol.  I could see by its flashing brilliancy that it was an immense diamond of the purest water.

“After the rites were concluded the Thugs slipped away into the forest as silently as they had come.  The priest stood for a few minutes in the door of the temple enjoying the cool of the night before closing his rather warm quarters.  Suddenly a dark, lithe shadow slipped down into the hollow, leaped upon the priest; and struck him down with a glittering knife.  Then the murderer sprang at the image of the goddess like a cat and pried out the glowing central eye of Kali with his weapon.  Straight toward me he ran with his royal prize.  When he was within two paces I rose to my feet and struck him with all my force between the eyes.  He rolled over senseless and the magnificent jewel fell from his hand.  That is the splendid blue diamond you have just seen—­a stone worthy of a monarch’s crown.”