302 THE GREAT DIAMONDS OF THE WORLD.
regarding
this stone, which probably passed into the possession of the Dutch,
when they suppressed the kingdom of Bantam, and converted it into a "
Residency." If so it may be the same stone as that weighing 36 carats,
now in the Dutch regalia, and concerning which so little is known. In
any case it was very near costing Tavernier his life. He had taken the
dagger to Batavia for the purpose of procuring stones for the settings
with which the handle, and even the sheath was already covered, but
laid on, as he tells us, "without any order, from which I judged that
they have no knowledge of design." Returning next morning to the
palace, with his brother and a Dutch surgeon, who was attending one of
the king's wives, they had to pass along a road with the river on one
side, and on the other a large garden enclosed by palisades. Behind
these palisades a fanatical native of Bantam lay concealed, watching
his opportunity to run " amuck" amongst the " infidels ;" for he had
just returned from the pilgrimage to Mecca, and was bent on showing his
zeal for the faith in the usual Malay fashion. The Europeans were
walking all three abreast, and when they reached the spot the fakir
thrust out his poisoned weapon, intending to bury it in the body of one
of them. But " God permitted him to be too quick, so hat the point
passed just in front of us. The Dutchman being on my left, next the
river, and slightly ahead of my brother and myself, the spearhead
struck his breeches, whereupon he and I immediately seized the wooden
haft, while the fakir tugged with might and main to recover the pike.
My brother,
