Gold Part 16

"Oh--yes," said Talbot as though awaking from profound reverie.

"Well, tell us about it. How did you get it? How long did it take you?"

"About half an hour. I figured that everybody in a place like this would be wanting news. So I sorted out that bundle of old newspapers you fellows were always laughing at, and I went out and sold them. Lucky I got busy with them early; for I don't doubt the arrival of the _Oregon_ broke the market."

"How much did you get for them?" asked Johnny.

"A dollar apiece for most, and fifty cents for the rest. I came out two hundred and seventy dollars ahead all told. That, with Frank's and my ten dollars, gave me sixty dollars above the necessary amount."

Johnny arose and kicked himself solemnly.

"For not guessing what newspapers were good for," he explained. "Go on!

What next? What did you do with the rest of the day?"

Talbot leaned forward, and all the animation of the dinner table returned to his manner and to his face.

"Boys," said he earnestly, "this is the most wonderful town that has ever been! There has been nothing like it in the past; and there will never be anything like it again. After I had sold out my papers I went wandering across the Plaza with my hands in my pockets. Next the El Dorado there is a hole in the ground. It isn't much of a hole, and the edges are all caving in because it is sandy. While I was looking at it two men came along. One was the owner of the hole, and the other said he was a lawyer. The owner offered to rent the hole to the lawyer for two hundred and fifty dollars a month; and the lawyer was inclined to take him up. After they had gone on I paced off the hole, just for fun. It was twelve feet square by about six feet deep! Then I walked on down toward the water front, and talked with all the storekeepers. They do a queer business. All these goods we see around came out here on consignment. The local storekeepers have a greater or lesser share and sell mainly on commission. Since they haven't any adequate storehouses, and can't get any put up again, they sell the stuff mainly at auction and get rid of it as quickly as possible. That's why some things are so cheap they can make pavements of them when a ship happens to come in loaded with one article. I talked with some of them and told them they ought to warehouse a lot of this stuff so as to keep it over until the market steadied. They agreed with that; but pointed out that they were putting up warehouses as fast as they could--which wasn't very fast--and in the meantime the rains and dust were destroying their goods. It was cheaper to sell at auction."

"And a heap more exciting," put in Johnny. "I went to one of them."

"Well, I wandered down to the sh.o.r.e, and looked out over the bay. It was full of shipping, riding high at anchor. I had an idea. I hired a boat for five dollars, and rowed out to some of the ships. Believe me or not, most of them were empty; not even a watchman aboard! I found some of the captains, however, and talked with each of them. They all told the same story."

"Crews skipped to the mines, I suppose?" said Yank.

"Exactly. And they _couldn't_ get any more. So I offered to hire a few of them."

"The captains?" I inquired.

"No; the ships."

"The _what?_" we yelled in chorus.

"The ships."

"But if the captains can't get crews----"

"Oh, I don't want to sail them," went on Talbot impatiently. "It was hard work getting them to agree; they all cherished notions they could get crews and go sailing some more--good old salts! But I hired four, at last. Had to take them for only a month, however; and had to pay them in advance five hundred apiece."

"I beg pardon," said Johnny softly, "for interrupting your pleasing tale; but the last item interested me. I do not know whether I quite heard it right."

"Oh, shut up, Johnny," said Yank; "let the man tell his story. Of course he didn't have the money in his pocket. How did you get it, Tal?"

Ward shot him a grateful glance.

"I told them I'd pay them at four o'clock which gave me plenty of time."

"Two thousand dollars--oh, of course!" murmured Johnny.

"So then," continued Talbot, "I hustled ash.o.r.e; and went to see some of my merchant friends. In two hours I had contracts with twelve of them that totalled six thousand dollars."

"Why didn't some of them go out and hire ships on their own account?"

asked Yank shrewdly.

"Because I didn't mention the word 'ship' until I had their business,"

said Talbot. "I just guaranteed them storage, waterproof, practically fireproof, dustproof, and within twenty-four hours. I guess most of them thought I was crazy. But as it didn't cost them anything, they were willing to take a chance."

"Then you didn't raise your ten thousand dollars from them in advance payments!" I marvelled.

"Certainly not. That would have scared off the whole lot of them. But I got their agreements; I told you it took me two hours. Then I walked up the street figuring where I'd get the money. Of course I saw I'd have to divide the profits. I didn't know anybody; but after a while I decided that the best chance was to get some advice from honest and disinterested man. So I asked the first man I met who ran the biggest gambling place in town. He told me Jim Recket."

"Jim Recket?" I echoed. "He's the man I was to leave change for my gold slug with."

"Recket keeps the El Dorado, next door in the tent. He impressed me as a very quiet, direct, square sort of a fellow. The best type of professional gambler, in matters of this sort, generally is.

"'I am looking for a man,' said I, 'who has a little idle money, some time, no gold-mining fever, plenty of nerve, and a broad mind. Can you tell me who he is?'

"He thought a minute and then answered direct, as I knew he would.

"'Sam Brannan,' he said.

"'Tell me about him.'

"'To take up your points,' said Recket, checking off his fingers, 'he came out with a shipload of Mormons as their head, and he collected t.i.thes from them for over a year; that's your idle money. He has all the time the Lord stuck into one day at a clip; that's your "some time." He has been here in the city since '48 which would seem to show he doesn't care much for mining. He collected the t.i.thes from those Mormons, and sent word to Brigham Young that if he wanted the money to come and get it. That's for your nerve. As for being broad minded--well, when a delegation of the Mormons, all ready for a sc.r.a.p, came to him solemnly to say that they were going to refuse to pay him the t.i.thes any more, even if he was the California head of the church, he laughed them off the place for having been so green as to pay them as long as they had.'

"I found Sam Brannan, finally, at the bar in Dennison's Exchange."

"What was he like?" asked Johnny eagerly. "I'll bet I heard his name fifty times to-day."

"He is a thickset, jolly looking, curly headed fellow, with a thick neck, a bulldog jaw, and a big voice," replied Talbot. "Of course he tried to bully me, but when that didn't work, he came down to business.

We entered into an agreement.

"Brannan was to furnish the money, and take half the profits, provided he liked the idea. When we had settled it all, I told him my scheme. He thought it over a while and came in. Then we rowed off and paid the captains of the ships. It was necessary now to get them warped in at high tide, of course, but Sam Brannan said he'd see to that--he has some sort of a pull with the natives, enough to get a day's labour, anyway."

"Warp them in?" I echoed.

"Certainly. You couldn't expect the merchants to lighter their stuff off in boats always. We'll beach these ships at high tide, and then run some sort of light causeway out to them. There's no surf, and the bottom is soft. It'll cost us something, of course; but Sam and I figure we ought to divide three thousand clear."

"I'd like to ask a question or so," said I. "What's to prevent the merchants doing this same hiring of ships for themselves?"

"Nothing," said Talbot, "after the first month."

"And what prevented Brannan, after he had heard your scheme, from going out on his own hook, and pocketing _all_ the proceeds?"

"You don't understand, Frank," said Talbot impatiently. "Men of our stamp don't do those things."

"Oh!" said I.

"This," said Johnny, "made it about two o'clock, as I figure your story.