The evening world., 1911-09-21
THE DIAMOND OF KALI.
Tale of a Goddess Whose
Eye Was Put Out.
BY O. HENRI Y.

he exposed to the reporters b~swtdsrs1
gaze a huge and brilliant diamond
nearly as large as a hailstone.
This stone" said the general. 'Is
something more than q mere jewel. II
once formed the central eye Of the
three-eyed goddess Kali. who II wof.
shipped BY one Of the fercest and most
fnnaticai tribes OF India. II you viii
arrange yourself comfortably. win
give you q brief history Of II for your
paper"
General Ludlow brought q dscantsr Of
whislSey and glasses from a cabinet. ana
set q comfortable armchair for the
lucky scribe.
The P~hansgars. or Thugs. OF India"
began the general. ''are the most Ian
gerous and dreaded OF the sects OF North
India. They are extremiNs In rsligtea.
and worship the horrid Eoddess Kali
In To form OF images. Their rites are
interesting INK bloody. Tho robb!ns a
numbering of travellers Is taught ~ .
worthy and obligatory deed by tne,r
strange religious code. Their worship
OF the three-eyed goddess Kali II con-
Quoted so secretly that no traveller has
ever heretofore had the honor OF w.t.
Messing the ceremonies. That d'sinctiou
was reserved for myself.
while at Sakaranpur. between Dsfhi
and Khelat. I used to explore tho jungle
IN every direction In the hope OF learn
ing something new about these mys-
terious Phansigars.
"One evening at twilight I Wal max.
Ing my way through q teakwood fore6s.
when came upon a deep circular de-
preston In an open space. in the centre
OF which was a rude stone temple. /
was sure that this was one OF the Ten.
pies OF the Thugs. so I concealed myself
IN the underground to watch.
when the moon rose the depression
IN the clearing was suddenly filled with
hundreds OF shadowy. swiftly glldius
forms, Then a door opened In the ten
pie, exposing a brightly Illuminated I'M
age OF the goddess Kali, before which
a white-robed priest began a barbarous
incantation. while the tribe Of worship
pers Frustrated themselves upon the
earth.
But what interested me most was
4 the central eye OF the huge wooden
Idol. I could see by Its hashing bril-
llancy that II was an immense diamond
OF the purest water.
After the rites we're concluded the
Thugs slipped away into the forest a.
silently as they had come. The priest
stood for Il few minutes In the door of
the temple enjoying the cool OF the night
before closing his a.heT warm quar-
ters. suddenly a dark, 1.-THE shadow
slipped down into the hollow. leapsd
upon the priest and struck him down
with a glittering knife, Then the MUIR
derer sprang at the image .ot the god
dess like a cat and pr.ed out the central
eye OF Kali with his Weapon. Straight
toward me he ran with his royal prize.
When he was within two PAGES I rose TO
my feet ami struck him with all my
force between the eyes. He rolled over
senseless and the magnificent Jewel fell
from his hand. That Is the splsnd.d
blu diamond you have just seen-A
stone worthy of n monarch's crown"
That's a corking story" said the re-
porter. That deeanter II exactly like
the one that John w. Gates always ssts
out during an interview"
Pardon me-" said Gsl. Ludlow, for
forgetting hospitality In the excitsmsa1
OF my narrative, Help yourself"
Here's looking At YOU" said the n.
porter,
STs Be Contnusd.l