"You ought to spoil that taste once in a while," was Burlingame's
observation. "But go on."

"I suppose originally there was a single stone, later cut into
halves, because they are perfect matches. The drums proper are
exquisitely carved ivory statuettes, of Hindu or Mohammedan drummers,
squatting, the golden base of the drums between the knees, and the
drumheads the emeralds. Lord, how they got to me! I wanted to run
off with them. The history of murder and loot they could tell!
Some Delhi mogul owned them first. Then Nadir Shah carried them off
to Persia, along with the famous peacock throne. I saw them in a
palace on the Caspian in 1912. Russia was very strong in Persia at
one time. Perhaps they were gifts; perhaps they were stolen - these
emeralds. Anyhow, I'd never heard of them until that year. And I
travelled all the way up from Constantinople to get a glimpse of
them if it were possible. I had to do some mighty fine wire-pulling.
For one of those stones I would give half of all I own. To see them
in the possession of another man would be a supreme test to my honesty."

"You old pirate!" said Burlingame.

"But why the word jeopardy?" persisted Kitty, who was intrigued by
the phrase.

"Probably some Hindu trick. It is a language of flowery metaphors.
It means, I suppose, that when you touch the drums they bite. In
journeying from one spot to another they always leave misfortune
behind, as I understand it. Just coincidence; but you couldn't
drive that into an Oriental skull. This is what makes the study of
precious stones so interesting. There is always some enchantment,