“Wouldn’t you like to put your feet up, poppa?”
“If you were a few years younger,” Ansell said, between his teeth, “I’d like to smack some manners into you!”
I knew just how he felt.
Myra giggled. “You’re not the only one who’s thought along those lines,” she said, shaking her head. “One of them did try it. They had to put four stitches in his face and give him a pension.”
“Take it easy,” I broke in. “What makes you think this baby could get the stuff and what would you do with it if you got it?”
Ansell calmed down. “People all over the world are getting bitten by snakes,” he explained.
“Teopatli really works. Properly marketed it’s worth a fortune. It would be an essential part of any traveller’s equipment. I could charge what I liked for it.”
I considered this. If the stuff was really a cure for any snake bite, then, of course, he had something. There was not only a fortune in it, but also a terrific news story.
“You’ve actually seen the stuff work?” I asked.
“Of course, I have.”