The general repeated these figures to Strawbridge.
At the first words uttered by the voice, Strawbridge turned, to see a third person in the library, a young man behind a reading-lamp at the other end of the room, busy at some clerical work. Strawbridge turned his thoughts back to the figures and fixed them in his mind, then set out after more details.
"How much more is there to be consolidated?"
This question in turn was relayed to the clerk, who said:
"Two hundred and thirty-two thousand four hundred and eighteen."
The American compared the two figures, looked at the map.
"Then it will take you a long time, a number of years to finish," he observed.
"Oh, no!" objected the general, becoming absorbed in his subject. "Our progress will be in geometrical, not in arithmetical ratio. You see, every new town we absorb gives us so much human material for our next step."
"I see that," assented the drummer, looking at the map; "and your idea is to absorb the whole Orinoco Valley?"
The general's answer to this was filled with genuine ardor. The Orinoco Valley was one of the largest geographical units in the world, a great natural empire. It was variously estimated at from two hundred and fifty thousand to six hundred and fifty thousand square miles in area. It was drained by four hundred and thirty-six rivers and upward of two thousand streams. These innumerable waters would convert the whole region into a seaport. With such cheap transportation the Orinoco country could supply the world with cocoa, tonka-beans, cotton, sugar, rubber, tropical cabinet-woods, cattle, hides, gold, diamonds.