The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-11-05
Concluding Chapter]
TI1EMOONSTONE
BY WILKIE COLLINS

tanned within the boundaries Of Kat
tiawar. One of them is Dwarka, the
birthplace of the god Krishna. The
other is the sacred city of Somnath,
sacked and destroyed as long since as
the eleventh century by the Moham-
medan conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni.
Finding myself for the second time
in these romantic regions, l resolved
to leave Kattiawar without look
ing once more on the magnificent des-
olation of Somnath..
I had not been long on the road be-
fore I noticed that other people, by
twos and threes, appeared to be trav-
cling in the same direction as myself.
To such Of these as spoke to me I
gave myself out as a Hindu-Buddhist,
from a distant province, bound on a
pilgrimage. 1t is needless to say that
my dress was Of the sort to carry out
this description. Add that l know the
language as we'll as l know my own
and that l am lean enough and brown
enough to make 1t no easy matter to
detect my European origin, and you
will understand that l passed muster
with the people readily, not as one of
themselves, but as a stranger from a
distant part Of their own country.
On the second day the number Of
Hindus travelling in my direction had
increased to fifties and hundreds. On
the third day the throng had swollen
to thousands, all slowly converging to
one point, the city of Somnath.
A triling service which l was able
to render to n of my fellow pilgrims
during the third days journey proved
the means of introducing me to GER
tain Hindus of the higher caste. From
these men l learned that the multitude
was on its way to a great religious
ceremony which was to take place on
a hill at a little distance from Som
nath. The ceremony was in honor Of
the god of the moon, and it was to be
held at night.
By the time we reached the hill the
moon was high in the heavens. MY
Hindu friends possessed some special
privileges which enabled them to gain
access to the shrine. They kindly al
lowed me to accompany them. When
we arrived at the place we found the
shrine hidden from our view by a ur-
tain hung between two magnificent
trees. Beneath the trees a fat projec-
ton Of rock jutted out and formed a
species Of natural platform. Below this
l stood in company with my Hindu
friends.
A strain Of plaintive music played on
stringed instruments and flutes recall
ed my attention to the hidden shrine.
l turned and saw on the rocky plat
form the figures Of three men. In the
central figure Of the three I recognized
the man to whom l had spoken in Eng
land when the Indians appeared on the
terrace at Lady V%erinder's house. The
other two who had been his compan-
ions on that occasion were no doubt
his companions also on this.
One Of the Hindus, near whom I vas
standing, saw me start. In a whisper
he explained to me the apparition Of
the three figures on the platform Of
rock.
They were Brahmans, he said, who
had forfeited their caste in the service
Of the god. The god had commanded
that their publication should be the
publication by pilgrimage. On that
night the three men were to part. In
three separate directions they were to
set forth as pilgrims to the shrines of
India. Never more were they to look
on each others face. Never more were
they to rest OF their wanderings, from
the day which witnessed their separa-
ton to the day which witnessed their
death.
AS those words were whispered to
me the plaintive music ceased. The
three men Frustrated themselves on the
rock before the curtain which hid the
shrine. They rose, they looked on one
another, they embraced. Then they
descended separately among the peo-
pie. The people made way for them in
dead silence. In three different direc-
lions l saw the crowd part at one and
the same moment. Slowly the grand
white mass OF the people closed to-
gether again. The track Of the doomed
men through the ranks Of their fellow
mortals was obliterated. We saw them
no more.
The curtain between the trees was
drawn aside, and the shrine was dis
closed to view.
There, raised high on n throne, seat
ed on his typical antelope with his
four arms stretching toward the four
corners of the earth-there scared
above us, dark and awful in the mys-
tic light Of heaven, the god Of the
moon. And there, in the forehead of
the deity, cleaned the yellow diamond,
whose splendor had last shone on me,
In England, from the bosom Of a wo-
mans dress!
Yes; after the lapse of eight cen
turtles the mOonstone looks forth once