“You got it right the first time, Plum. I--”
“Ginger! going to raise coffee? ’Cause of you air I can give you a pointer.”
“No; you are on the wrong track now. But I have no objection to telling you. Ever since I saw the result of your experiment I have been thinking that the stuff would sell like hot cakes in our own country, in places where the land is worn out and needs some such a stimulant. At any rate I am going to send home a cargo and see what comes of it.”
“Hooray! I see it all now. It may pay, but I doubt it. How air you going to get the stuff there?”
“In the first place I have got to get possession of the article itself, though I do not believe this will be a very expensive undertaking. I have a few dollars I have saved up from my wages, and I think I can borrow some somewhere. I am going to buy one of the nitrate tracts as soon as I can get suited.”
“You can buy a big mine for a hundred dollars, ’cause they’re looked on with disfavor. But after you’ve bought one, what then?”
“I am going to team a cargo to the nearest port and then charter a ship to take it home.”
“You’re smart enough to be a general, Jack North,” and having paid him the highest compliment that he could, according to his estimate, Plum added:
“Say, Jack, I want to drive the team for you.”
“You shall. But, as I am anxious to begin operations, I am going to look for my first purchase.”