That evening, master of himself, and ever recovering facility of speech, he reasoned with Sinclair and the two Spaniards who had joined in the adventure. One, a Señor Felice Gomez, though posing as an authority on mines, had to admit that his knowledge was that of the company director and well-informed amateur. They were inclined to scoff at Power’s predictions of disaster; but he wound up with an argument which proved irresistible.
“How much has this enterprise cost you?” he asked.
Sinclair answered readily.
“We have put up twenty thousand paper dollars[*] for expenses,” he said. “My share is ten thousand, and my friends stand in five thousand each.”
[*] A paper dollar is worth about 40 per cent. of the gold dollar.
“Would you be satisfied if you got your money back, with a profit of one hundred per cent?”
“According to you, Mr. Power, and almost you convince me, we shall lose every penny.”
“But, assuming the profit I have named, would such return on your capital send you home well content?”
“Speaking for myself, it would.”
The Spaniards grinned amiably. As a conceit, the notion appealed to them. They were not poor men; but had embarked on the quest largely to sate their curiosity with regard to the unexplored reaches of the Chubut River.