"The Black Stone of Agharti" by "Murray Leinster" (Will F. Jankins) (first published in Short Stories, September 10, 1930; reprinted in Empire Frontier, January 1931; in Leinster's collection Guns for Achin, 1936; in Adventure Yarns, August 1938; in Leinster's collection Malay Collins, Master Thief of the East, 2000; and in High Adventure #140, January 2015)
This is the third and final story about Malay Collins, the greatest thief of the East. Collins has been summoned to Urga by the Bogdo Khan, the Living Buddha of an Eastern religion. The Bogdo Khan was a drunkard, a poisoner, a shepherd to his people, and a benevolent despot and the god to whim several millions of people say their prayers. A blind old man, Bogdo Khan was the incarnation of a portion of Gautama Buddha's soul. The Bogdo Khan wanted Collins to steal the Black Stone of Agharti from the Hotuku of Kemchik.
The stone was a flat piece if black stuff, most likely a black diamond of unparalleled size -- about four inches by six, and the a palm's breadth in thickness. Intrinsically, it was worth many millions. "But aside from the intrinsic value it was beyond all price. To the Yellow Faith it was -- and is -- the most holy object in all the world And each and every follower of Lamaism believed devoutly that the engraved figures upon the Black Stone changed by day, so that prophecies, fortunes, secrets, and all knowable matters generally could be read from its adamantine surface. To say that it was the greatest treasure of the Living Buddhas of Urga is to phrase the thing too mildly. To every layman, lama and monk of the Yellow Faith, it was the most holy thing on earth. It is a matter of history that literally thousands of men devoted their lives to searching for it, after it was stolen.' But now, the Hotuku of Kemchik has found it, and is prophesizing by it, speaking of a holy war against the white races, commanding that the Yellow Faith to rise against the White Race. The Bogdo Khan needs to gain the Black Stone to see if this is what was actually prophesized. If so, he would accede to what the Stone says; if not, he may be able to avoid a racial war.
Collins's task will not be easy. The stone is within a monastery in the city of Kemchik. 'Within the monastery is a great courtyard. In the center of the courtyard is a tower, which is of solid stone. there are no steps within it. At the top of the tower there is a roofed platform with movable screens, Upon an altar upon the platform the Black Stone is kept. Twelve men, armed with swords, remain there night and day. they can ascend only by ladders, which it takes ten men to lift. Even when prophecy is made the Black Stone is not removed. Its signs are read by the Hotuku of Kemchik, standing upon the balcony of the monastery, while monks hold up the stone for him to see. The stone is in an iron frame, which is bolted by four chains to the tower itself. No thief can steal the stone." Five times before, the Bogdo Khan has sent thieves to capture the stone, and five times those thieves had been caught and executed. But Malay Collins is no ordinary thief.
From the beginning of this adventure, Collins, who used all his skills to maintain secrecy, has had his every move seemingly predicted by the Black Stone. Even as he traveled to Kemchik, he came across this notice painted on a large stone: "The Hokutu of Kemchik sends words to Collins Kahn that he is expected and will be welcomed according to his just deserts. The Black Stone describes his progress and has revealed his plans/" A lesser man -- and certainly any Oriental -- would consider this and similar encounters proof fo the magical powers of the Black Stone.
"But in spite of having been raised by a benevolent old scoundrel in a distinctly Oriental fashion, Collins was a white man; and a white man does not believe in magic, whatever he may see."
An intriguing, clever tale, filled with the derring-do and local color of the best of Leinster's adventure tales of the far-East. Even the racial sensibilities so rife in 1930s pulp fiction is held at a minimum to make the tale worthwhile for modern readers. As I have mentioned elsewhere, it is a pity that Leinster did not go to write more adventures of Malay Collins.
(Malay Collins, by the way, has been "inducted" into the Wold Newton family -- a literary crossover concept developed by Philip Jose Farmer which showed that various characters, heroes, and villains from popular literature were related, including Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Fu Manchu, Bulldog Drummond, the Shadow, Travis McGee, James Bond, Allan Quatermain, Mr. Moto, and Sam Spade. Malay Collins is part of the Wold Newton universe due his distant relationshuip to Barnabas Collins, and the Collins family of Collinswood, Maine. Neat, huh?
Very neat! I'm trying to track down Malay Collins so I can have as much fun reading them as you did!
ReplyDeleteGeorge, all three stories are available in John Gunnison's HIGH ADVENTURE pulp reprint magazine, issues #110 (for the first two stories) and #140 (for the third).. both issues are available at Amazon. Issue #140 also has a second Leinster tale.
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