Wilkie COLLINS

MOONSTONE

Assault on Seringapatam (1799)

(Letter from the family archive)I

I am writing these lines from India to my relatives in England to explain why I refused a friendly handshake to my cousin, John Herncastle. My silence on this matter was misinterpreted by members of our family, whose good opinion I do not want to lose. I ask them to postpone their conclusions until they read my story. I give my word of honor that I will write the strict and unconditional truth.

A secret discord between myself and my cousin arose during the great event in which we both participated, the storming of Seringapatam under the command of General Baird on May 4, 1799.

In order that the circumstances may be fully understood, I must turn to the period preceding the siege, and to the stories current in our camp about the precious stones and piles of gold kept in the Seringapatam palace.

One of the most incredible stories concerns a yellow diamond - a thing famous in the domestic chronicles of India.

The oldest legend says that this stone adorned the forehead of the four-armed Indian god of the Moon. Partly because of its special color, partly because of the legend - that this stone is subject to the influence of the deity it adorns and its brilliance increases and decreases with the full moon and with the loss of the moon - it received the name by which it is still known in India - Moonstone . I have heard that a similar superstition once took place in Ancient Greece and in Rome, referring, however, not to a diamond dedicated to a deity (as in India), but to a translucent stone of a lower category, subject to the influence of the moon and in the same way received its name from it, by which it is still known to mineralogists of our time .

The adventures of the yellow diamond begin in the eleventh century of the Christian era.

In that era, the Mohammedan conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India, captured the holy city of Somnaut and captured the treasures of the famous temple, which had attracted Indian pilgrims for several centuries and was considered a miracle of the East.

Of all the deities worshiped in this temple, only the god Lupa escaped the greed of the Mohammedan victors. Guarded by three Brahmins, the sacred idol with a yellow diamond in its forehead was transported at night to the second most sacred city in India - Benares.

There, in a new temple - in a chamber decorated with precious stones, under arches resting on golden columns, the Moon god was placed, who again became an object of worship. On the night when the temple was completed, Vishnu the creator appeared as if in a dream to three Brahmins. He breathed his breath into the diamond that adorned the idol’s brow, and the Brahmins fell on their knees before him and covered their faces with their clothes. Vishnu commanded that Moonstone guarded by three priests day and night, until the end of time. The Brahmins bowed to the divine will. Vishnu predicted misfortune to the daring one who dared to take possession of the sacred stone, and to all his descendants to whom the stone would pass after him. The Brahmins ordered this prediction to be written down on the gates of the sanctuary in golden letters.

Century after century passed, and from generation to generation the successors of the three Brahmins guarded the precious Moonstone day and night. Century after century passed until, at the beginning of the eighteenth century of the Christian era, Aurangzeb, the Mongol emperor, reigned. By his order, the temples of Brahma's worshipers were again plundered and destroyed, the temple of the four-armed god was desecrated by the killing of sacred animals, the idols were broken into pieces, and the Moonstone was stolen by one of Aurangzeb's commanders.

Unable to recover their lost treasure by force, three guardian priests watched over it in disguise. One generation gave way to another; the warrior who committed sacrilege died a terrible death; The moonstone passed, bringing with it a curse, from one illegal owner to another, and, despite all the accidents and changes, the successors of the three guardian priests continued to watch over their treasure, waiting for the day when the will of Vishnu the Creator would return their sacred stone. This went on until last year eighteenth century. The diamond came into the possession of Tippu, the Sultan of Seringapatam, who inserted it as an ornament into the hilt of his dagger and kept it among the most precious treasures of his armory. Even then - in the Sultan's palace itself - three guardian priests secretly continued to guard the diamond. In Tippu's retinue were three foreigners who had earned the trust of their ruler by converting (perhaps feignedly) to the Mohammedan faith; According to rumors, these were the priests in disguise.

III

That's what they said in our camp fantastic story Moonstone.

It made no serious impression on any of us except my cousin - his love for the miraculous made him believe this legend. On the night before the assault on Seringapatam, he became most absurdly angry with me and others for calling it a fable. A most stupid argument arose, and Herncastle's unhappy character caused him to lose his temper. With his characteristic boastfulness, he announced that if the English army took Seringapatam, then we would see a diamond on his finger. Loud laughter greeted this trick, and that was the end of the matter, as we all thought.

Now let me take you to the day of the assault.

My cousin and I were separated at the very beginning of the attack. I didn't see him when we crossed the river; did not see him when we hoisted the English banner at the first breach; I did not see him when we crossed the ditch and, conquering every step, entered the city. Only at dusk, when the city was already ours and General Baird himself found Tippu’s corpse under a heap of dead, did I meet with Herncastle.

We were both assigned to a detachment sent, by order of the general, to stop the looting and disorder that followed our victory.

The soldiers indulged in terrible outrages, and, what was even worse, they made their way into the palace storerooms and plundered gold and precious stones. I met my cousin in the courtyard in front of the storerooms, where we had come to introduce discipline among our soldiers. I immediately saw that the ardent Herncastle was extremely excited by the terrible massacre through which we had passed.

In my opinion, he was unable to fulfill his responsibility.

There was a lot of confusion and turmoil in the storerooms, but I had not yet seen any violence.

The soldiers dishonored themselves very cheerfully, so to speak.

Exchanging rude jokes and witticisms, they suddenly remembered, in a sly joke, the story of the diamond. A mocking cry: “Who found the Moonstone?” again caused the robbery that had died down to flare up in another place. While I was trying in vain to restore order, a terrible scream was heard at the other end of the yard, and I immediately ran there, fearing some new outrage.

I approached open door and came across the bodies of two dead Hindus lying on the threshold. (I recognized them as palace officers by their clothes.) The scream that came again made me rush into the building, which turned out to be the armory. The third Hindu, mortally wounded, fell at the feet of a man whose back was to me. The man turned as I entered, and I saw John Herncastle, with a torch in one hand and a bloody dagger in the other. When he turned to me, the stone embedded in the hilt of the dagger sparkled like a fiery spark.

The dying Hindu rose to his knees, pointed to the dagger in the hands of Herncastle and, croaking in his native language: “The curse of the Moonstone is on you and your descendants!” - fell dead to the ground.

Before I could do anything, the soldiers who had been following me ran into the room. My cousin rushed towards them like crazy.

Clear the room,” he shouted to me, “and put a guard at the door!”

When Herncastle rushed at the soldiers with a torch and dagger, they retreated. I posted two trusted men from my squad to watch at the door. I didn't see my cousin for the rest of the night.

Early in the morning the robbery was still going on, and General Baird publicly announced, with the beating of drums, that any thief caught in the act, no matter who he was, would be hanged. The presence of the police officer proved that General Baird was not joking, and in the crowd that heard this order I met Herncastle again.

When greeting me, he, as usual, extended his hand to me.

I didn't dare give him mine.

Answer me first,” I said, “how did the Hindu die in the armory and what did his last words mean when he pointed to the dagger in your hand?”

The Hindu died, I suppose, from a mortal wound,” replied Herncastle. - And what his last words meant, I know as little as you do.

I looked at him closely. The rage that had possessed him the day before had completely subsided. I decided to give him the opportunity to justify himself.

Where did the detective novels of classic English literature begin? They have their own characteristics, easily recognizable by fans of the genre. According to Thomas Eliot, it all started with Wilkie Collins’s novel “The Moonstone,” which he considers the best. An exciting story, constructed and presented in a style unusual for its time, which later became a classic of the detective genre.

In addition to the interesting plot, the writer paints vivid pictures of the society of Victorian England and psychological portraits of individual people of that time. All the necessary information is given at the very beginning, but you still have difficulty trying to understand who the culprit is. Therefore, we have to carefully monitor the progress of the investigation.

After the death of her uncle, a young girl, Rachel Verinder, receives a gift in her will - a large and very beautiful diamond. Rachel's uncle fought in India, and at first the girl does not know that this diamond is special - it is an object of religious worship that was stolen. He is wanted by priests who are ready to do anything to return the relic to its place.

Rachel carries the diamond with her during her birthday. But according to the terms of the will, it must be split into several parts, and Rachel opposes this. He has a flaw, and perhaps his value will increase after the split. But the most important thing is that then it will cease to be a religious artifact. The night after the girl's birthday, the stone disappears. The investigation brings no results; the main suspect committed suicide. We have to explore other versions, and one of them is that Rachel knows who stole the stone, and perhaps it was herself.

On our website you can download the book “The Moonstone” by William Wilkie Collins for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.

For many centuries in an Indian temple there stood a sacred statue of the Moon God, in whose forehead there was a sparkling yellow the most beautiful diamond. According to ancient legend, if gem leaves the monastery, it will bring misfortune to its owner. The statue with the precious shrine was guarded by Brahmin priests. But during an attack on the temple by the British military, the diamond disappeared from the forehead of the Moon God.

The English Colonel Herncastle took possession of the jewel and decided to give it to his relative Rachel Verinder on her coming of age.

On Rachel’s birthday, at her family estate, a young man, Franklin Black, appeared among the assembled guests, handed the girl a stone of extraordinary beauty, bequeathed to her by Herncastle, and told the colonel’s request to break the diamond into several small diamonds. One of the guests heard the story of this ancient stone and the incessant search for it by the Hindus. The traveler agreed with Herncastle's opinion that the diamond must be split, otherwise its owner could die. But Rachel refused to spoil the diamond.

Franklin got carried away with the fun charming girl and realized that he had fallen in love, but it seemed to him that Rachel was more sympathetic to cousin Godfrey. The birthday celebration continued and during the conversation, Franklin quarreled with Dr. Kandy, who was present at the celebration, arguing with him about the purpose of medicine. After dinner, the guests were invited to watch a circus performance, but no one noticed that the performers performing tricks were Indians.

The next morning it was discovered that the diamond had disappeared. Franklin called the police, but they were unable to find out anything, and then the young man turned to the services of private detective Cuff. The detective found traces of washed-out paint on the door behind which the stone was kept, decided that the thief had stained his clothes and directed his search in that direction. Cuff noticed that Rachel behaved very nervously and hysterically, she communicated with Franklin dryly and reluctantly, and it seemed to the detective that the girl knew who was involved in the disappearance of the stone. Continuing the investigation, Cuff's attention was drawn to one of the maids, Rosanna. He found out that the maid was convicted in the past, and now unrequitedly fell in love with Franklin. The detective was unable to find out anything from the maid; the girl died in a quagmire of quicksand. The detective was forced to complete the unsuccessful investigation, but leaving, he was sure: Rachel knows the thief of the precious thing, and the story of the moonstone is not over yet.

Worried about the health of her daughter, who was upset by the events that had taken place, her mother took Rachel to the capital, hoping that the girl would recover amid city life. Rachel's circle continued to gossip about the stolen diamond, and many members of society believed that Cousin Godfrey had a hand in this event. However, Rachel harshly cut off all conversations.

When Godfrey proposed marriage to Rachel, the girl decided to agree, but at that moment her mother suddenly died and Rachel broke off the engagement.

Franklin was haunted by the missing diamond, and he returned to the estate to continue the search for the missing stone. A friend of the maid Rosanna gave the young man a suicide note from the maid, in which she said that it was he, Franklin Black, who took the jewelry. Having recovered from what he had read, the young man decided to find out all the details of the strange disappearance.

He went to Rachel and insisted on talking to the girl. Rachel told Franklin that she saw him take the stone that night. The young man was very upset, but made a firm decision to find out the whole truth.

Franklin went to visit Dr. Cundy and found him mortally ill. The doctor's assistant revealed a secret to the young man: that evening the doctor slipped a strong medicine into his drink, which provoked an attack of sleepwalking in Franklin. Kandi made fun of his offender in this way. Much became clear to Franklin and Rachel was delighted at the young man’s innocence, but where the diamond was located remained unknown.

Black contacted Detective Cuff again and together they resumed the search. One day, their investigation led them to a man staying at a suburban hotel. Arriving at his room, the trackers found him dead. When Cuff removed the artificial hair from the man and peeled off the imitation beard, it became clear that this was Godfrey. It turned out that Franklin, while unconscious, gave the stone to Rachel's cousin, and he appropriated it for himself because he was in dire need of money. After a while, Godfrey was destroyed by the Hindus in order to return their holy thing to the temple.

Rachel and Franklin no longer hid their feelings for each other and got married. One evening they received a letter from a traveler who visited the Indian peninsula. The letter told of his visit to an ancient temple in which there is a statue of the Moon God with a bright diamond shining in his forehead.

Picture or drawing of Collins - Moonstone

"Moonstone"

Moonstone - a huge yellow diamond - has adorned the forehead of the Moon god in one of the temples of the sacred Indian city of Somnauta since time immemorial. In the 11th century, saving the statue from Mohammedan conquerors, three Brahmins transported it to Benares. It was there that the god Vishnu appeared to the Brahmins in a dream, commanded them to guard the Moonstone day and night until the end of time and predicted misfortune to the daring one who dared to take possession of the stone, and to all his descendants to whom the stone would pass after him. Century after century passed, the successors of the three Brahmins did not take their eyes off the stone. At the beginning of the 18th century. The Mongol emperor plundered and destroyed the temples of Brahma's worshipers. The moonstone was stolen by one of the military leaders. Unable to return the treasure, three guardian priests, in disguise, watched over it. The warrior who committed sacrilege died. The moonstone passed, bringing with it a curse, from one illegal owner to another, the successors of the three priests continued to monitor the stone. The diamond ended up in the possession of the Seringapatam Sultan, who embedded it in the hilt of his dagger. During the storming of Seringapatam by English troops in 1799, John Herncastle, without stopping to kill, seizes the diamond.

Colonel Herncastle returned to England with such a reputation that the doors of his relatives were closed to him. The wicked colonel did not value the opinion of society, did not try to justify himself and led a solitary, vicious, mysterious life. John Herncastle bequeathed the moonstone to his niece Rachel Verinder as a gift for her eighteenth birthday. In the summer of 1848, the diamond is brought from London to the Verinder estate by Franklin Black, Rachel's cousin, but even before his arrival, three Indians and a boy appear near the Verinder house, posing as traveling magicians. In fact, they are interested in the Moonstone. On the advice of the old butler Gabriel Betteredge, Franklin takes the diamond to the nearest bank in Frizinghall. The time before Rachel's birthday passes without any special events. The young people spend a lot of time together, in particular, painting the door of Rachel's small living room with patterns. There is no doubt about Franklin's feelings for Rachel, but her attitude towards him remains unknown. Perhaps she prefers her other cousin, Godfrey Ablewhite. On Rachel's birthday, Franklin brings a diamond from the bank. Rachel and the guests who have already arrived are beside themselves with delight, only the girl’s mother, Milady Verinder, shows some concern. Before dinner, Godfrey declares his love to Rachel, but is refused. At dinner, Godfrey is gloomy, Franklin is cheerful, excited and speaks out of place, without malicious intent turning others against him. One of the guests, Frizinghall doctor Kandi, noticing Franklin's nervousness and hearing that he has been suffering from insomnia lately, advises him to get treatment, but receives an angry rebuke. It seems as if the diamond that Franklin managed to attach to Rachel’s dress like a brooch cast a spell on those present. As soon as lunch was over, the sounds of an Indian drum were heard and magicians appeared at the porch. The guests wanted to see the magic tricks and poured out onto the terrace, and with them Rachel, so that the Indians could make sure that the diamond was with her. Mr. Merthwath, a famous traveler in India, who was also present among the guests, determined without any doubt that these people were only disguised as magicians, but in fact they were Brahmins of a high caste. In a conversation between Franklin and Mr. Mertuet, it turns out that the gift is a sophisticated attempt by Colonel Herncastle to harm Rachel, that the owner of the diamond is in danger. The end of the festive evening goes no better than dinner, Godfrey and Franklin try to hurt each other, and in the end Doctor Cundy and Godfrey Ablewhite mysteriously agree on something. Then the doctor leaves for home in the sudden torrential rain.

The next morning it turns out that the diamond is missing. Franklin, having slept well against expectation, actively begins the search, but all attempts to find the diamond lead to nothing, and the young man leaves for the police. The loss of the jewel has had a strange effect on Rachel: not only is she upset and nervous, but her attitude towards Franklin has become undisguised anger and contempt, she does not want to talk to him or see him. Inspector Seagrave appears at the Verinder house. He searches the house and rather rudely interrogates the servants, then, having achieved no results, leaves to take part in the interrogation of three Indians detained on suspicion of stealing a diamond. The famous detective Cuff arrives from London. He seems interested in everything except the search for the stolen stone. In particular, he is partial to roses. But then the detective notices a speck of smeared paint on the door of Rachel’s small living room, and this determines the direction of the search: on whose clothes the paint is found, he, therefore, took the diamond. During the investigation, it turns out that the maid Rosanna Spearman, who entered the service of my lady from the correctional home, has been acting strange lately. The day before, Rosanna was met on the road to Frizingall, and Rosanna’s friends testify that she had a fire burning all night, but she did not answer the knock on the door. In addition, Roseanne, unrequitedly in love with Franklin Black, dared to speak to him in an unusually familiar manner and seemed ready to tell him something. Cuff, having interrogated the servants one by one, begins to follow Rosanna Spearman. Finding himself together with the butler Betteredge in the house of Roseanne's friends and skillfully conducting a conversation, Cuff realizes that the girl hid something in the Shifting Sands - an amazing and terrible place not far from the Verinder estate. In the Shifting Sands, as in a quagmire, any thing disappears and a person may well die. It is this place that becomes the resting place of the poor suspected maid, who also had the opportunity to verify the complete indifference to her and to her fate of Franklin Black.

Milady Verinder, concerned about her daughter’s condition, takes her to her relatives in Frizinghall; Franklin, having lost Rachel’s favor, leaves first for London, then to travel around the world, and Detective Cuff suspects that the diamond was stolen by Rosanna at the request of Rachel herself, and believes that soon The Moonstone case will come to light again. The next day after the departure of Franklin and the owners of the house, Betteredge meets Lame Lucy, a friend of Rosanna, who brought a letter from the deceased for Franklin Black, but the girl does not agree to give the letter except to the addressee in her own hands.

Milady Verinder and her daughter live in London. Doctors have prescribed Rachel to have fun, and she is trying to follow their recommendations. Godfrey Ablewhite, in the opinion of the world, is one of the possible thieves of the Moonstone. Rachel strongly protests against this accusation. Godfrey's meekness and devotion persuade the girl to accept his proposal, but then her mother dies of a long-standing heart disease. Father Godfrey becomes Rachel's guardian; she lives with the Ablewhite family in Brighton. After a visit from the solicitor Breff, who has been involved in family affairs for many years, and a conversation with him, Rachel terminates her engagement, which Godfrey accepts without complaint, but his father makes a scandal for the girl, because of which she leaves the guardian’s house and temporarily settles in the solicitor’s family.

Having received news of his father's death, Franklin Black returns to London. He tries to see Rachel, but she stubbornly refuses to meet with him and accept his letters. Franklin leaves for Yorkshire, where the Verinder house is located, to once again try to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of the Moonstone. Here Franklin is given a letter from Rosanna Spearman. Brief note contains instructions, following which Franklin pulls out of the Quicksand hidden in a cache there nightgown stained with paint. To his deepest amazement, he discovers his mark on his shirt! And Rosanna’s suicide letter, which was in the cache along with the shirt, explains the feelings that forced the girl to buy fabric, sew a shirt and replace it with the one that was smeared with paint. Having difficulty accepting the incredible news - that it was he who took the diamond - Franklin decides to bring the investigation to the end. He manages to persuade Rachel to talk about the events of that night. It turns out that she saw with her own eyes how he took the diamond and left the small living room. Young people part in sadness - an unsolved secret stands between them. Franklin decides to try to repeat the circumstances that preceded the loss of the stone, in the hope of tracing where it could have gone. It is impossible to gather everyone present at Rachel's birthday party, but Franklin asks about the events memorable day everyone he can find. Arriving on a visit to Dr. Kandy, Franklin is amazed at the change that has taken place in him. It turns out that the cold the doctor caught on his way home from visiting guests about a year ago turned into a fever, as a result of which Mr. Kandy’s memory continually fails him, which he diligently and in vain tries to hide. The doctor's assistant, Ezra Jennings, a sick and unhappy man, having taken part in Franklin's fate, shows him diary entries made when Jennings was caring for the doctor at the very beginning of his illness. Comparing these data with eyewitness accounts, Franklin understands that a small dose of opium was mixed into his drink (Dr. Cundy did not forgive him for ridicule and wanted to laugh at him in turn), and this, superimposed on his anxiety about the fate of the stone and nervousness associated with the fact that he had recently quit smoking plunged him into a state similar to sleepwalking. Under Jennings' guidance, Franklin prepares himself to repeat the experience. He quits smoking again, and his insomnia begins again. Rachel secretly returns to the house, she again believes in Franklin's innocence and hopes that the experiment will be successful. On the appointed day, under the influence of a dose of opium, Franklin, as before, takes the “diamond” (now it is replaced by glass of approximately the same type) and takes it to his room. There the glass falls out of his hands. Franklin's innocence has been proven, but the diamond has not yet been found. His traces are soon discovered: an unknown bearded man buys a certain jewel from the moneylender Luker, whose name had previously been associated with the history of the Moonstone. A man stops at the Wheel of Fortune tavern, but Franklin Black and detective Cuff arrive there and find him already dead. Having removed the wig and false beard from the dead man, Cuff and Franklin recognize him as Godfrey Ablewhite. It is revealed that Godfrey was the guardian of one young man and squandered his money. Being in a desperate situation, Godfrey could not resist when Franklin, unconscious, gave him the stone and asked him to hide it better. Feeling complete impunity, Godfrey pledged the stone, then, thanks to the small inheritance he received, bought it back, but was immediately discovered by the Indians and killed.

The misunderstandings between Franklin and Rachel are forgotten, they get married and live happily. Old Gabriel Betteredge watches them with pleasure. A letter arrives from Mr. Merthwat in which he describes a religious ceremony in honor of the Moon God, which took place near the Indian city of Somnauta. The traveler ends the letter with a description of the statue: the moon god sits on a throne, his four arms are extended to the four cardinal directions, and a yellow diamond shines in his forehead. After centuries, the moonstone again found itself within the walls of the sacred city where its history began, but it is unknown what other adventures might befall it.

A huge yellow diamond - Moonstone - was on the forehead of the Moon god in the temple of the Indian city of Somnauta. Saving the statue from conquerors in the 11th century, the Brahmins transported it. The god Vishnu appeared to them and ordered them to guard the Moonstone. God predicted misfortune for everyone who dared to take possession of it. For centuries the successors of the three Brahmins kept the treasure. In the 18th century, the Mongol emperor destroyed the temples of Brahma, and the stone was stolen by a military commander. Three priests watched him. The warrior died, the diamond passed, bringing misfortune, from one hand to another. The stone ended up in the possession of the Seringapatam Sultan - he decorated the hilt of a dagger with it. The Englishman John Herncastle, having committed murder, appropriated the diamond.

Colonel Herncastle returned to England. He did not value people’s opinions and led a vicious life. John decided to give the moonstone to his niece Rachel Verinder for her 18th birthday. Franklin Black, Rachel's cousin, takes him to the Verinder estate. Near the house he meets three Indian magicians. On her birthday, Rachel and the guests are delighted with the gift of a diamond. Only the girl's mother is concerned. The diamond that Franklin attached to Rachel's dress seems to have cast a spell on everyone - the guests are quarreling. After lunch, an Indian drum is heard. Mr. Murthwath, who knows India, saw that they were not really magicians, but Brahmins.

In the morning it turned out that the stone was missing. Rachel is upset and shows anger and contempt for Franklin. Inspector Seagrave searches the house, roughly interrogates the servants, and goes to interrogate three Indians. Detective Cuff arrived from London.

Next comes a series tragic events: maid Rosanna, in love with Franklin, dies in quicksand, mother Rachel dies of heart disease. The girl lives with her guardian, first agrees to marry Godfrey, and then breaks off the engagement. She assures Franklin that it was he who took the stone - she saw it herself. The young man begins an investigation, and from Dr. Kandy learns about the opium that was added to him. Convinced of the incredible fact that it was he who took the diamond, Franklin decides to reconstruct all the events. Having taken opium again, he takes a “diamond” (a piece of glass) and then does not remember anything, being in a state similar to sleepwalking. But who took the stone and where is it? Traces are discovered: an unknown bearded man bought the jewelry from a moneylender and went to the Wheel of Fortune tavern. He is found dead. After removing the wig and beard from the corpse, Cuff and Franklin recognize Godfrey. It turns out that Godfrey wasted other people's money. And he couldn’t resist when Franklin, unconscious, gave away the stone. Godfrey mortgaged the property, and then, having received an inheritance, bought it back. And he was killed by the Hindus.

Misunderstandings are forgotten between Franklin and Rachel, they get married. A letter arrives from Mertuet: he describes a ceremony in honor of the Moon God, God sits on a throne, four arms are extended to the four cardinal directions, and a yellow diamond shines in the forehead.

Wilkie COLLINS

MOONSTONE

Assault on Seringapatam (1799)

(Letter from the family archive)I

A secret discord between myself and my cousin arose during the great event in which we both participated, the storming of Seringapatam under the command of General Baird on May 4, 1799.

One of the most incredible stories concerns a yellow diamond - a thing famous in the domestic chronicles of India.

The oldest legend says that this stone adorned the forehead of the four-armed Indian god of the Moon. Partly because of its special color, partly because of the legend - that this stone is subject to the influence of the deity it adorns and its brilliance increases and decreases with the full moon and with the loss of the moon - it received the name by which it is still known in India - Moonstone . I have heard that a similar superstition once took place both in ancient Greece and Rome, referring, however, not to a diamond dedicated to a deity (as in India), but to a translucent stone of a lower order, subject to the influence of the moon and in the same way received from It does not have its own name, by which it is still known to mineralogists of our time.

The adventures of the yellow diamond begin in the eleventh century of the Christian era.

There, in a new temple - in a chamber decorated with precious stones, under arches resting on golden columns, the Moon god was placed, who again became an object of worship. On the night when the temple was completed, Vishnu the creator appeared as if in a dream to three Brahmins. He breathed his breath into the diamond that adorned the idol’s brow, and the Brahmins fell on their knees before him and covered their faces with their clothes. Vishnu commanded that the Moonstone be guarded by three priests day and night until the end of time. The Brahmins bowed to the divine will. Vishnu predicted misfortune to the daring one who dared to take possession of the sacred stone, and to all his descendants to whom the stone would pass after him. The Brahmins ordered this prediction to be written down on the gates of the sanctuary in golden letters.

Unable to recover their lost treasure by force, three guardian priests watched over it in disguise. One generation gave way to another; the warrior who committed sacrilege died a terrible death; The moonstone passed, bringing with it a curse, from one illegal owner to another, and, despite all the accidents and changes, the successors of the three guardian priests continued to watch over their treasure, waiting for the day when the will of Vishnu the Creator would return their sacred stone. This continued until the last year of the eighteenth century. The diamond came into the possession of Tippu, the Sultan of Seringapatam, who inserted it as an ornament into the hilt of his dagger and kept it among the most precious treasures of his armory. Even then - in the Sultan's palace itself - three guardian priests secretly continued to guard the diamond. In Tippu's retinue were three foreigners who had earned the trust of their ruler by converting (perhaps feignedly) to the Mohammedan faith; According to rumors, these were the priests in disguise.

III

This is how they told the fantastic story of the Moonstone in our camp.

Now let me take you to the day of the assault.

We were both assigned to a detachment sent, by order of the general, to stop the looting and disorder that followed our victory.

In my opinion, he was unable to fulfill his responsibility.

There was a lot of confusion and turmoil in the storerooms, but I had not yet seen any violence.

The soldiers dishonored themselves very cheerfully, so to speak.

Moonstone author and description. Moonstone (novel). Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

Picture or drawing of Collins - Moonstone

Other retellings and reviews for the reader's diary

"Moonstone"