Huntsville gazette., 1891-03-07
INDIA's PRECIOUS STONES.
Discovered, Sometimes, by Persons Igno-
rant of Their Value.


Discovered, Sometimes, by Persons Igno-
rant of Their Value.
An old traveller who has been over
half the world showed reporter a
handsome uncut ruby the other day.
''This," he said, ''is from India. and was
given me by friend who found it while
out shooting"
Precious stones, he said, were still
numerous in certain districts in India,
but the rajahs who own the property
were very jealous Of all strangers, and
resented intrusions on their territory by
every means in their power. Neverthe-
less every now and then fine specimen
was found by some sportsman of way
farer.
The traveller told of party of En-
glish officers who went out shooting one
day on one of these estates, but they
managed to bag very little game. On
their way back in the afternoon one
of them came across a stone resembling
nodule, which he picked up and
dashed upon rock. The stone broke
into dozen pieces, and out dropped
beautiful, brilliant pebble. This peb-
BILE the young Englishman, who was
tourist, picked up, and, after examin-
ing it, was about to throw it away
again, but changed his mind and thrust
it into his pocket, remarking: III keep
this thing as a memento of my visit to
this place where a fellow can hardly
find any thing to shoot, you know"
When he arrived at Bombay, this En-
glish tourist dropped into a jewelers.
store to have his watch repaired. In
taking it out he found the stone in the
same pocket, he threw it upon the
counter and remarked to the jeweler
saw, here's nice stone I came across,
what'l II you give me for it?"
The head of the firm took up the
stone, and as he examined it his eyes
opened wider and wider After hum
ming and having awhile, he said: I'll
give you 100 rupees for it"
Had the jeweler offered the tourist a
shilling for the stone the latter would
simply have told him to take the stons
and keep the shilling and be blowed, a.
up to that moment he thought it w
only piece of crystal. But the offer Sr
100 rupees awoke his suspicious, and he
quickly guessed that it was a real, fine
diamond Taking it from the jewelers.
hand he exclaimed with laugh: II
dare say you would give me 100 rupees,
and perhaps trifie more but I'm going
to take it to England with me-" On his
arrival in London he sold the diamond
for f3, 900.
A fal1ir walking along one of the
wards in the same district also chanced
to pick up a fine large diamond that
had been washed out of the ground by
a heavy shower and lay glistening and
blazing in the sun. He tied it up in a
rag and put it into his empty tobacco
pouch and continued on his way to
town. Fakirs in India have little
money as rule, and this par
ticular faker had none at all, but
he did have a strong craving for quiet
smoke. So he betook himself to a
Parsee tobacconist and asked how much
tobacco he would let him have for pret-
ty stone that showed green and red and
blue lights. The dealer asked to see the
stone and Immediately recognized it as
diamond of the first water.
"Uncle,' he remarked to the fal1ir,
''sinee you are a poor man I'll give you
whole handful of tobacco" and he
grasped handful and thrust it into the
fakir's pouch.
my son." replied the fakir, II have
travelled a long distance, and am very
tired This is a beautiful stone, and
you ought to give me at least three
handsful of tobacco"
After some further haggling the Par
see agreed to keep the stone, after ex-
acting from the fal>ir a promise to keep
quiet about the matter. The Parsee
sent the stone to an associate in Bonn
bay, where it was sold for e2, 0O0.-N
" Times