The Raja's Lost Treasure
Page 21
Hank sighed. “Speaking of which, I have another assignment for you, if you’re interested.”
“Oh?” Richard said as his eyebrows shot upward. “Where are the Germans headed next?”
“China,” Hank said. “They’re looking for an ancient seal that’s worth millions.”
Richard shrugged. “Count me in. I’ve always wanted to go to China.”
Epilogue
August 5, 1976
Jaipur, India
INDIRA GHANDI PACED around the courtyard of the ancient Fort Jaigahr. The compound was just as she had remembered it, though somewhat more dilapidated. The warm breeze whipping through the fort made her smile and think back to a time when life was much simpler.
She looked down at the letter in her hand, one postmarked from November 1939. The letter, however, was written nearly a year earlier. She wasn’t sure why there was such a discrepancy in the dates, but it was significant, catching her attention almost immediately.
The envelope was addressed to Indira Nehu. She hadn’t been called that in years, not since she forsook her father’s name after marrying Feroze, who’d long since widowed her. She removed the paper and read it once more:
April 5, 1938
Dear Indira,
You may not remember me, but I remember you. Your sweet face and willingness to help out a stranger in need is something I’ve never forgotten.
I’m not sure when you’ll receive this—or if you’ll receive it all. But I wanted to send you a map. If you remember where we met, you’ll know the location and be able to follow this to a vast treasure.
You may wonder why I’m sending this to you right now all these years later, but it’s because there are some things you do in life that you wish you could change. And one of my longtime regrets is that I didn’t make sure the people of India were able to enjoy the vast treasure that belonged to them. I trust you’ll retrieve this fortune and handle it with care.
Warmest regards,
Richard Halliburton
Indira Ghandi had shut down the area around Fort Jaigahr for three days. Outside the walls, journalists and citizens alike buzzed with what was going on inside. For centuries, the tale of a hidden treasure in the fortress had ascended to legendary status in Indian culture. And if there was ever a time that India needed financial help, it was in the middle of an emergency declared by Indira, the country’s prime minister.
Indira had almost forgotten about the letter until a month earlier when she found it while rummaging through some old boxes in her basement. Initially, the note sounded strange, like it was intended for someone else. But she was going through some official documents of her father’s and found a report dated from 1922 where he mentioned that he took her on a trip to Jaipur. And suddenly, the memory rushed back. She could still see the handsome foreigner pleading with her not to let anyone know she had seen him. There was something about him that made her believe he was a trustworthy man.
“Prime Minister,” a soldier shouted from across the courtyard. “We’ve located it. Please come with me.”
Indira strode through the walkways of the fortress and descended into the bowels, upon which she saw a light glowing in the corner. When she approached it, she found soldiers crammed into a room and huddled over a vast fortune.
She gasped with wide eyes and mouth agape. “I never thought it was true.”
“It’s true,” one of the soldiers exclaimed. “And I don’t believe it myself either.”
Indira smiled. “Box it up,” she said, “and not a word of this to anyone. It’d be a shame to ruin one of our country’s greatest legends.”
THE END
Acknowledgments
This project has been incredibly exciting and fun to embark upon, mixing fiction with fact. And quite frankly, none of it would’ve ever come about without my wife’s introduction of Richard Halliburton to me through his timeless Book of Marvels. My children also played a huge role in convincing me to write something about Halliburton after they read his books and would regale me with his stories everyday until I finally decided I needed to read them for myself.
I’d like to thank Rhodes College and Bill Short for allowing me access to Richard Halliburton’s archived journals and other material that helped fill in the blanks about what kind of man Richard really was and where he really went. Bill was an incredible help in gathering the information for me and graciously allowing me to plod my way through the material I requested. Without Bill’s assistance, I’m not sure this project would’ve ever become a reality—at least in my lifetime.
And a big thank you to Muan Songput for visiting Jaipur and getting video to help me have a more accurate depiction of the city.
And as always, this book wouldn’t be what it is without Krystal Wade’s skillful editorial direction. She made this book much better than when I originally conceived it.
Dwight Kuhlman has been incredible to partner with in creating the audio version of this book, and I look forward to his voice being the one that shares many more Richard Halliburton tales in the future.
And last but certainly not least, I’m most grateful for you, the reader, who decided to invest your time with one of my stories. I hope you had as much fun reading this book as I did writing it.
The Raja's Lost Treasure
© Copyright 2019 Garrett Drake
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
First Edition 2019
Published in the United States of America
Green E-Books
PO Box 140654
Boise, ID 83714