with a woman along ..." I could see I was going to have to give her a better argument. "There will be snakes and leeches. I'm not trying to scare you, it's just a fact. We'll be on the water and in the water all day, every day, and with the humidity we'll never get dry, not until we get back. We'll be eating mostly fish we catch ourselves and rice. There is the risk of infection from any cut or scrape and an infection while you're upriver can kill you."
She was quiet for a moment. "I believe I'll be all right," she said. "I grew up in Louisiana, so the heat and humidity ... well, they are only a little bit worse here." She laughed and her teeth were white and perfect. "Really, Mr. Kardec, I'm quite strong."
"I can see that," I said, and then wished I'd said nothing at all.
Lacklan's head snapped up and for a moment he glared at me. This man was deeply jealous, though Helen didn't seem the kind of person who would give him reason. Of course, that very fact made her all the more attractive.
She caught his reaction to me and quickly said, "Perhaps it would be better if I stayed here, John. Mr. Kardec is right. I might make trouble for you."
"Nonsense!" he replied irritably. "I want you to go."
His eyes narrowed as they turned back to me and burned as they looked into mine. I couldn't tell if he was disturbed about my appreciation of his wife or because I'd made her consider not going upriver with him or, and I only thought of this later, because I'd made her consider staying in Marudi where she would be on her own while we were gone.
"We will both go, Mr. Kardec. Now what will it cost me and when can we leave?"
I explained what they would need in the way of clothing and camping gear. Warned them against wearing shorts, no reason to make life easy for the mosquitoes and leeches. And then told them my price.
"I get a thousand, American. The canoes, Raj, and four Iban crewmen will run you six-fifty. Kits, food, first-aid and mining supplies, maybe another three to three-fifty. Depends on whose palm I have to grease."
"Is that the best you can do?" he objected. "You're taking more than half for yourself!"
"Look, Mr. Lacklan, I've been where you need to go. I've found diamonds ... lots of diamonds. I lost them all but I know where they were. If it was easy, or cheap, I'd be back there working that streambed right now instead of trying to make a deal with you."
I could see something behind his glasses. A calculation taking place, like in one of the computers he probably used at work, punch cards feeding in data, tubes glowing with orange light. "All right," he said. "But how are we going to split up our take? After all, I'm paying for this expedition. I should get a piece of whatever you dig out."
I guess I recoiled a bit. Anyway, Helen looked at me in concern and Lacklan leaned back in his chair smugly. I hadn't really given it much thought. I'd figured that I'd take them there and they'd work the river in one area and I'd find somewhere else. I could see that this might lead to problems, especially once he realized that he could enlist the boat crews in the digging and panning.
"We'll split what we find, fifty-fifty," I said. "With the best stone to be for Mrs. Lacklan's ring." He was still gazing at me, one eyebrow arched above the round steel rim of his dark glasses. I gave in a little more. "I'll give Raj and the boat crews a bonus from my share."
Helen Lacklan turned to him. "That's fair, darling, don't you think?"
"Yes, I suppose it is."
We settled on a date, ten days from then, to leave. They went to the door and Helen hesitated there. "Thank you," she said graciously. "I enjoyed the drink."
They walked away toward the town.
It's maybe only once in a lifetime that a man sees such a woman, and I confess I looked after them with envy for him. It made my throat dry out and my blood throb in my pulses just to look at her, and it was that as much as anything else that made me worry about taking the job. A man
She was quiet for a moment. "I believe I'll be all right," she said. "I grew up in Louisiana, so the heat and humidity ... well, they are only a little bit worse here." She laughed and her teeth were white and perfect. "Really, Mr. Kardec, I'm quite strong."
"I can see that," I said, and then wished I'd said nothing at all.
Lacklan's head snapped up and for a moment he glared at me. This man was deeply jealous, though Helen didn't seem the kind of person who would give him reason. Of course, that very fact made her all the more attractive.
She caught his reaction to me and quickly said, "Perhaps it would be better if I stayed here, John. Mr. Kardec is right. I might make trouble for you."
"Nonsense!" he replied irritably. "I want you to go."
His eyes narrowed as they turned back to me and burned as they looked into mine. I couldn't tell if he was disturbed about my appreciation of his wife or because I'd made her consider not going upriver with him or, and I only thought of this later, because I'd made her consider staying in Marudi where she would be on her own while we were gone.
"We will both go, Mr. Kardec. Now what will it cost me and when can we leave?"
I explained what they would need in the way of clothing and camping gear. Warned them against wearing shorts, no reason to make life easy for the mosquitoes and leeches. And then told them my price.
"I get a thousand, American. The canoes, Raj, and four Iban crewmen will run you six-fifty. Kits, food, first-aid and mining supplies, maybe another three to three-fifty. Depends on whose palm I have to grease."
"Is that the best you can do?" he objected. "You're taking more than half for yourself!"
"Look, Mr. Lacklan, I've been where you need to go. I've found diamonds ... lots of diamonds. I lost them all but I know where they were. If it was easy, or cheap, I'd be back there working that streambed right now instead of trying to make a deal with you."
I could see something behind his glasses. A calculation taking place, like in one of the computers he probably used at work, punch cards feeding in data, tubes glowing with orange light. "All right," he said. "But how are we going to split up our take? After all, I'm paying for this expedition. I should get a piece of whatever you dig out."
I guess I recoiled a bit. Anyway, Helen looked at me in concern and Lacklan leaned back in his chair smugly. I hadn't really given it much thought. I'd figured that I'd take them there and they'd work the river in one area and I'd find somewhere else. I could see that this might lead to problems, especially once he realized that he could enlist the boat crews in the digging and panning.
"We'll split what we find, fifty-fifty," I said. "With the best stone to be for Mrs. Lacklan's ring." He was still gazing at me, one eyebrow arched above the round steel rim of his dark glasses. I gave in a little more. "I'll give Raj and the boat crews a bonus from my share."
Helen Lacklan turned to him. "That's fair, darling, don't you think?"
"Yes, I suppose it is."
We settled on a date, ten days from then, to leave. They went to the door and Helen hesitated there. "Thank you," she said graciously. "I enjoyed the drink."
They walked away toward the town.
It's maybe only once in a lifetime that a man sees such a woman, and I confess I looked after them with envy for him. It made my throat dry out and my blood throb in my pulses just to look at her, and it was that as much as anything else that made me worry about taking the job. A man
Similar Books
