This ruby had been an eye in one of the two gorgeous jewelled peacocks
that surmounted the "Peacock Throne" at Delhi in the time of Akbar to
the time when the Persian conqueror, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi and took
the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor, and everything else of value back
to Persia. But he didn't get the ruby for the Vizier of the King of
Delhi stole it. Then Alam, the eunuch, stole it from the Vizier. Its
possession was desirable, not only because of its great value as a
jewel, but because it held in its satanic glitter an unearthly power,
either of preservation to its holder or malignant evil against his
enemies.
At any rate Sewlal sent for Hunsa the night of the ordeal and explained
to him, somewhat casually, that a jewel merchant passing through
Mahrattaland had in his collection a ruby of no great value, but a
stone that he would like to become possessed of because a ruby was his
lucky gem. The Dewan intimated that Hunsa would get a nice private
reward for this particular gem, if by chance he could, quite secretly,
procure it for him.
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