The Republican journal., 1870-09-15

? Seeing a respectable looking old man il
his shop he saluted him, and asked if he I'M
derstood French or English.
mot very much, +" he answered. enough
to sell YOU some very good tobacco
sThank YOU, I'll have some Give me a
skin of Latakia. BY the by" he said. ''this
is all Il Jews quarter is it not ~
',Yes"
You know most Of the merchants, | dare
say?"
YES, most of them"
eDo you know benjamin Bagdadee ?'
,,Rioht well-we are related by marriage
That is lis house inside that court" pointing
across the street.
.Boele thanked him, and walked over to
the place indicated The first person he saw
was an old woman, who was sweeping the
steps and door way He asked in French
sis Benjamin Bagdadee at home p
at was evident She only understood part
of what he said but she replied in Hebrew,
and pointed to the door TO the left, Just inside
the main entrance,
s'Boglc knocked. A voice said something
which he interrupted into ''come in.''
He entered, and bowing to an old man
seated on some cushions, said in English
.'do | salute Benjamin Bagdadee ?"
Yes" he said gravely, "but why?'
''Bogle quickly took his letter from his
breast pocket and showed it.
"Ah you are from Jacob Ezra. Sit, down,
sit down But no-not here. Come. he said
--'comc with me-
"lle left the room, went up some stairs,
along q passage, opened u heavy, narrow
door, up some more steps, and then entered
Il small room in a turret of the house. lie
sat down with Boyle on the carpet and care
fully read the letter.
elias Ezra explained the risk Of your mis-
sion ?" said he, after while
''Yes, some Of it,
''You English are brave, but not cunning"
Here Boyle quietly took off his fez, wig,
and beard.
''Ila that is we'll Beelzebub would not
know YOU. Good" he said again, and
laughed gently behind his busy beard and
moustache Who is your dragoman he
asked.
''Nicholas Paleolos.'
Il know him; he is a spy. Take care of
him"
II thought he was no good,n said Boyle
"but | suppose they are AL nearly birds Of a
feather 81
''Yes, they are torewarned is forearmed,
Now, about this letter,-holding up Ezra's.
''Mv friend Ezra says YOU can afford to pay
the money for this wonderful stone and |
dare say you can easily sivea cheque for the
sum. But the fact is the amount must be
paid in gold and in no other way
Il can arrange this for you, through my
people; and Us have Ezra's guarantee, will
take chcque on Paris, or Vienna, or Lon
don, as it may suit You best. The Pacha has
agreed to pay me a commission on the sale );
50 that is settled, and You have nothing to
thank me for The great thing is the risk in
your getting the stone out of the country :;
for if you were known to have it about you,
you would run a good chance of being mur-
dered, leaving alone the probability of the
government either contiscating it, or tining
you to some outrageous extent However,
you must trust to your good fortune. And
now | will tell about this gem. The Pacha
is of very old Turcon,an family, who have
intermarried in odcn times with one of the
Mogul princes of India; and it is through
them this stone came into his possession.
Tradition says that it is the smaller half Of
the Koh-i-noor, which was broken in two
when it was first found at Golconda There
is short inscription in Persian on it but
what the words are know not 1t is as
long and thick as the first Joint of your thumb.
where there seems to be Il flaw. This You
must look to. If it is only u refraction OF
light from a rough point, it does not matter
but you are doubtless an expert and must
Judge for yourself IF you will come back
in two days, | will arrange for you to see the
stone, and will also quietly see how much
gold can collect among my brethren.
''Boglc thanked the old man, took his
leave and at the end Of two days was punctu-
al to his appointment
Benjamin received him kindly, and said
All goes well. l have arranged for YOU to
see the stone thus: You will be taken by a
kuwass OF the Pachas whom you will meet,
into the country At night you will return
to the Pacha's palace in the outskirts Of the
town; and if you approve Of the stone, you
will have to remain there till the bargain is
concluded, as the Pacha swears he will have
no going backward or forward to your hotel
for fear OF your visits being found out. II
you approve, | will bring the money tc
YOU
This was settled and on the cventtul even
ing Boyle met the Pacha's servant, who had
Il led horse with him. rode out half i dozen
miles and then back again. He YVES ther
ushcred into q courtyard: thence into long
stone veranda, up a flight Of stairs, through
Il doorway closed by heavy curtains, into 8
room handsomely carpetcd and cushioned
and told to sit down.
In about halt IN hour, during which the 81
lcncc and mysteriousncss Of the affair begar
to tell on Bogle's pulsaton, one of the eu
nuchs-a negro, of course--camc in anC
beckoned him to follow. Another curtaneC
room or two brought them into small one
meanly furnished, in which sat, on u few
cushions in one corner, an old woman. The
eunuch salaamed and left
s.You speak French p the woman said.
Yes said Bogle; mot very we'll.
Il am the Pacha's attendant she said
and, as | speak French, am deputed t(
show you something.
! Out of q muslin rag she took the big dia
mond. 1t was q monster! There were two
or three good lamps in the room and Boyle,
after Il long and careful examination, ant
trial in his scales, found it was perhaps The
fifth largest known diamond in the world
and of undoubted good water, although i
was in quite a rough state
There were some chances OF it not prov
! ing cventualy-that is. after being cut-o
the first water; but Boyle knew from wha
Benjamin, had said, that he would get
cheap, and that the great risk was not 50
much as to its quality, but in getting it on
of the country without its being conliscated
What will you give? the slave girl ask
ed.
How much do You want +? said Boyle.
This stone is one of the wonders of tn
world said the oirl. 1T came from India