“After all, my merchandise,” he said, “matters little one way or another when I am engaged with such a customer as you. What next?”
“You will next place a price upon the shipload; a price such as you would accept if the boat reached Cologne intact. I agree to pay you that money, together with the thousand thalers, when I return to Frankfort.”
“And when will that be, young sir?”
“You are better able to estimate the length of time than I. I do not know, for instance, how long it takes a barge to voyage from Frankfort to Cologne.”
“Given fair weather, which we may expect in July, and premising that there are no interruptions, let us say a week.”
“Would a man journeying on horseback from Cologne to Frankfort reach here sooner than the boat?”
“The barge having to make headway against a strong current, I should say the horseman would accomplish the trip in a third of the time.”
“Very well. To allow for all contingencies, I promise to pay the money one month from the day we leave the wharf at Frankfort.”
“That would be eminently satisfactory.”
“I forgot to mention that I expect you, knowing more about navigation than I, to supply a trustworthy captain and an efficient crew for the manning of the barge. I should like men who understand the currents of the river, and who, if questioned by the Barons, would not be likely to tell more than they were asked.”