Hutton laughed. “Well,” he said, “it’s money we’re out for, and unless you take it all up, your claim’s no good. Anybody else could jump right in and buy a few hundred acres. Then he could locate water rights and stop you running down the river, unless you bought him out.”
“The difficulty is that the Crown authorities haven’t been selling land lately, and would sooner lease. They seem inclined to admit that this is a somewhat exceptional case; in fact, they have granted me one or two privileges.”
“What you would call a first option?”
Nasmyth remembered Acton’s manner when he had mentioned his acquaintance with his companion, and one or two things he had said.
“No,” he said, “not exactly that. I merely mentioned certain privileges.”
“Then, what’s to stop me or anybody going right down to Victoria and buying the whole thing up to-morrow?”
“I’m inclined to fancy you would discover one or two things that would make it difficult,” answered Nasmyth 171 dryly. “For another thing, I hardly think you would get any of the regular rock-cutting or mine-sinking people to undertake the work about the fall at a figure that wouldn’t make the risk too big. It’s not a place that lends itself to modern methods or the use of machinery. Besides, after approaching you to a certain extent in confidence, it wouldn’t be quite the thing.”
Hutton waved the hand which bore the ring. “Well,” he said, “we’ll get back to our original offer. If it isn’t good enough, how much more do you want?”
Nasmyth explained his views, and they discussed each proposition point by point, gradually drawing nearer to an agreement. Nasmyth was quite aware that in a matter of this kind the man who provides the capital usually takes the lion’s share, but, after all, the project was his, and he naturally wanted something for himself. At length Hutton leaned forward with both elbows on the table, and a certain intentness in his lean face.
“Now,” he said, “I’ve gone just about as far as I can. You have either got to close with my proposition or let it go.”