“Ay. I’ve lived for weeks at a time on nothing but oranges and cocoanuts, and a bit of fish caught just now and then with my hands, when I’ve been exploring like and hunting for gold.”
“For gold? Is there gold about here?”
“Lots, my lad, washed down the rivers. I’ve often found it.”
“Then you ought to be rich.”
The man chuckled.
“Gold sounds fine, sir, but it’s a great cheat. My ’sperience of gold has always been that it takes two pounds’ worth of trouble to get one pound’s worth o’ metal. So that don’t pay. Seems to me from what I hear that it’s the same next door with dymons.”
“Next door?”
“Well, up yonder in Brazil. I should say your Mr Brazier will do better collecting vegetables, if so be he can find any one to buy ’em afterwards. What do you call ’em—orkards?”
“Orchids,” said Rob.
“But who’s going to buy ’em?”