The Rajah's Sapphire
by M.P. Shiel
(Ward Lock & Bowden, 1896)
Stefan Von Reutlingen, a German diplomat, is dispatched to China by the Kaiser in order to make peace negotiations with Japan. Before setting out, he's to meet the Japanese minister at a Louis XVI ball in England. His fiancée, Ada MacDonald, will also be there. She requests him, however, to first stop at Bremen and retrieve a family jewel. This is a sapphire of immense value. Unfortunately, it has a history of bringing disaster and misfortune to anyone who possesses it. But heedless, Stefan gets the jewel from the pawn broker and then proceeds to ship from Bremen to Southampton to await his lady's bidding and fulfill his diplomatic work.
Ralph Ralloner, alias the "High Flyer," is a wealthy American who spends his time engaging in daredevil stunts and murderous escapades. He is described as "the spirit of swiftness, the demon of unrest." His mind races so fast that when he speaks he omits his articles and prepositions. He's a kooky, quirky, downright dangerous character. And he's just chartered a steamer to take him to Norway. Problem. His journey will bring him right across the path of the ship on which Stefan sails. During an icy morning watch Ralloner espies the other vessel coming near, but mows right into it, causing four hundred souls to perish in the wreck. Stefan is saved, however. And when he gets to land he vows to hunt down the helmsman of the other ship, whose face he saw in the light of the binnacle-lamp. That helmsman is Ralph Ralloner! Of course, Stefan had the sapphire inside his coat all along. Is that the true cause of the accident? Hmm.
Soon after the disaster, a ship officer blackmails Ralloner into paying him two thousand pounds a year to keep quiet. The madman is forced to come to terms, but vows to get even. He can't rest until his blackmailer is rid of. So accordingly the High Flyer sets about to destroy him. Once he puts Sailor Sam out of commission, Ralloner determines to "bury superstition." He now becomes ten times as reckless as before, courting disaster every stretch of the way. There's only one thing he needs to prove all superstitions a hoax and a sham. He needs the Rajah's sapphire. But Ada MacDonald won't part with it. However, a recent rift between Ada and Stefan has loosened her resolve, and when Ralloner proposes marriage she accepts. But Stefan soon returns from his diplomatic duty. He has not forgotten about Ada. In fact, he may even look her up. Are he and the High Flyer destined to cross paths? If so, the result will be a bloody showdown.
This little adventure classic can hardly be called a novel. It is really a long short story-- novelette if you prefer-- divided into nine chapters. It is told in Shiel's masterful style, which leaves nothing to be desired in the way of atmosphere and ornament. The plot was dictated to Shiel orally by landmark journalist W.T. Stead. Thus the work is actually a collaboration of two 19th century talents. Both men were socialists of the Herbert Spencer sort, and this tendency shows itself in The Rajah's Sapphire. In a superficial way the tale inveighs against the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few private individuals. Ralloner is supposed to represent the genius of this social distemper. However, it seems these complaints (which urge the emancipation of England's working poor) logically ought to have been directed against the British class system-- and not a reckless Yankee globetrotter. As a piece of social commentary, The Rajah's Sapphire is a bit absurd. But as a work of pulse-pounding adventure and genuine artistic finish, it's a real oyster, and worthy of the gem that bears its name.
The copy I reviewed isn't the original Ward Lock and Bowden edition-- which'd probably cost a small fortune to obtain-- but a 1981 facsimile reprint published by the "Highflyer Press." It includes an afterward by John D. Squires, founder and owner of J.D.S. Books. In fact, this title is available from him for $6 a copy (plus postage). It seems a shame that Shiel is so neglected today. But during his heyday he put out some highly popular works. Although he wrote in a variety of genres, his forte was probably the field of criminal detection. Matter of fact, he's written some of the best mystery tales I've ever read. This story, which is neither mystery nor strictly "genre-related" in any sense of the term, may be viewed as a minor work of adventurous import, made to cash in on the then-current fascination of readers for Imperial Europe. If you enjoy such tales, you'd better treat yourself to a copy of The Rajah's Sapphire.
--B.A.S.
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