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XXII.
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THE MOON OF MOUNTAINS.
"
Diamond Cut Diamond "—Nadir Shah Murdered by his own Troops—Shafforass
and the Afghan Soldier—The Curse of Wealth—A Terrible Tragedy—Three
Brothers Murder a Jew and an Afghan for the "Moon of Mountains"— Two
Brothers Murdered by the Third—Adventures of the Assassin—The Law of
Russia—The Story as told by Pallas—Shafforass the Murderer Retires and
Marries, and is eventually Killed by his Son-in-Law.
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FTER
unravelling the intricate history of the " Orloff," so often interwoven
with that of the " Moon of Mountains," the tragic story of the latter
gem flows smoothly enough. That this diamond originally belonged to
the Mogul emperors, and passed from them together with a vast quantity
of other treasures, to Nadir Shah, is highly probable. It seems to have
been in the Persian conqueror's possession for many years, and of all
places visited by his destroying hosts, Delhi was by far the most
likely to have harboured a rare stone, such as this. It was said to
have been one of the two large diamonds which ornamented Nadir's
throne, and which were respectively known as the " Sun of the Sea," and
the " Moon of Mountains." A few years after returning from his
sanguinary campaign laden with spoil, his chariot wheels literally
clogged with the blood of his helpless victims, he was murdered, and
his ill-gotten treasures plundered and dispersed by his revolted and
brutalized troops. This occurred in the year 1747, and a short time afterwards
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