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"It was all very bad, no doubt," said he "I should like to kno many fellows in my shoes would have refused a share of this loot when they knew that they would have their throats cut for their pains Besides, it was ot out, the whole business would coht, and I should have been court-martialled and shot as likely as not; for people were not very lenient at a time like that"

"Go on with your story," said Holmes, shortly

"Well, we carried hiht he was, too, for all that he was so short Mahouard the door We took him to a place which the Sikhs had already prepared It was soreat e to pieces The earth floor had sunk in at one place, rave, so we left Ach first covered him over with loose bricks This done, we all went back to the treasure

"It lay where he had dropped it when he was first attacked The box was the sa by a silken cord to that carved handle upon the top We opened it, and the light of the lantern gleaht about when I was a little lad at Pershore It was blinding to look upon them When we had feasted our eyes we took them all out and made a list of them There were one hundred and forty-three dia one which has been called, I believe, 'the Great Mogul' and is said to be the second largest stone in existence Then there were ninety-seven very fine emeralds, and one hundred and seventy rubies, some of which, however, were small There were forty carbuncles, two hundred and ten sapphires, sixty-one agates, and a great quantity of beryls, onyxes, cats'-eyes, turquoises, and other stones, the very nah I have become more familiar with them since Besides this, there were nearly three hundred very fine pearls, twelve of which were set in a gold coronet By the way, these last had been taken out of the chest and were not there when I recovered it