The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) by William H. Thomes (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📕

After I Had Made Up My Mind What I Intended To Do, I Went To The Bank

Where We Had Five Thousand Pounds Lying To Our Credit, Drew Out The

Money, And Then Began My Purchases. In Each Case I Stipulated That The

Flour Should Remain In Store One Week, Until I Could Get Teams To Cart

It To Ballarat. To This A Ready Assent Was Given, And The Merchants

Expressed Themselves Pleased To Transact Business With Me. In Some

Instances I Paid Cash, Especially Where The Quantity Bought Was Very

Slight, Not Amounting To More Than Fifty Barrels, Or One Hundred Sacks;

But Where I Bought Two Or Even Three Hundred Barrels, I Claimed The

Privilege Of One Month's Credit, After Paying Twenty Per Cent. Of The

Amount Down.

In Two Hours I Had Engaged Nearly Every Barrel And Sack Of Flour In

Melbourne, And Then, And Not Till Then, Did I Begin To Tremble For The

Result Of My Speculation. A Dozen Times During The Night Did I Wander

Through The Streets Of The City, And Down To The Water's Edge, For The

Purpose Of Seeing How The Wind Blew, And Each Time Did I Find That It

Was Favorable For Vessels Entering The Harbor. I Consulted An Aged

Mariner, With Tar Plentifully Sprinkled Upon The Seat Of His Trousers,

And The Son Of Neptune Told Me, With Many Grave Shakes Of His Head,

That,--

"You Can't Always Tell About These Things; Sometimes The Wind Blows One

Way Here In This Bloody Hole, And Sometimes It Blows Different On The

Ocean."

The Next Day I Despatched Two Large Teams To Ballarat Loaded Heavily

With Flour, And Sent A Letter By The Mail, Telling Fred What I Had Done,

And Advising Him To Put The Price Up, But To First, Frighten The

Merchants By Bantering Them With Offers For Their Stock. I Knew That

That Course Would Startle Them Into Asking At Least One Third More Than

They Had Been Demanding, And That A Dozen Of The Most Prominent Ones

Would Start For Melbourne Without A Moment's Delay For The Purpose Of

Seeing What The Movement Meant.

After I Had Written To Fred, And Started The Teams, I Felt A Little

Easier, Although No Change Had Taken Place In The Market. I Knew That

Dealers Had Sent To Sydney For A Supply Of Flour, And I Feared That

Their Orders Would Be Filled, But In This I Was Agreeably Mistaken.

Flour At Sydney Was Ten Shillings Per Barrel Higher Than At Melbourne,

With An Upward Tendency; While Not A Sack Could Be Obtained Of The Few

Farmers Who Raised Wheat, Short Of Eighty Pounds Per Ton,--Just Double

What I Had Paid.

Two Days After My Bargain, And Still No Ships Were Signalized. I Felt A

Little More Confidence In Myself, And In The Bold Scheme That I Was

Attempting To Carry Out. A Dozen Teams Were In The City, For The Purpose

Of Carrying Provisions To Ballarat And Other Mines, But They Were

Delayed, Owing To Their Inability To Get Flour. I Heard The Price Of The

Article Quoted At Fifty Pounds Per Ton, And I Debated Whether I Should

Hold On Longer, Or Sell.

Twice, During The Day, A Rumor Was Started That A Large American Ship

Was Signalized, And That She Was Loaded To Her Scuppers With Grain; But

I Quickly Proved The Falsity Of The Report, And Then Made My Appearance

In The Store Of The Largest Grain Dealers In Melbourne, Messrs. Hennetit

& Co., Since Failed, And Didn't Pay Their English Creditors But Sixpence

On The Pound, And I Strongly Suspect That American Firms Suffered Worse,

Even, Than That.

"My Dear Sir," Said Mr. Hennetit, Coming Forward And Shaking My Hand

With Great Cordiality, "I Have So Desired To See You!"

"May I Ask On What Account?" I Replied, With The Utmost _Sang Froid_,

Although I Was Almost Bursting With Anxiety.

"Why, To Tell You The Truth--And I Am Almost Ashamed To Confess It--We

Sold You More Flour Than We Intended, Having Several Orders To Fill, And

I Thought That If It Made No Difference To You, We Would Borrow One

Hundred Barrels, And Repay You In The Course Of A Day Or Two At

Farthest. It Is Not Of Much Importance, But I Concluded That I Would

Speak To You In Regard To The Subject."

Even While Conversing, He Led Me To His Neat And Commodious Private

Room, As Though The Sight Of His Wealth Would Soften My Heart, And Awe

Me To Subjection To His Will.

"You See, My Dear Sir, It Is Such A Trifling Matter, That I Am Almost

Ashamed To Make The Request. I Am Positively Mortified To Think That We

Made Such A Mistake As To Dispose Of Our Whole Stock. However, A Ship

Will Be Here In A Few Days, And Then We Can Supply The Country At

Greatly Reduced Rates."

I Did Not Interrupt Him, But Sat Patiently, While He Was Endeavoring To

Wheedle Me Out Of My Speculation. He Displayed The Anxiety That He Felt,

To Carry His Point, While Speaking, And I Knew That One Of His Restless

Eyes Was On Me, To Read My Thoughts, During The Interview.

"I Am Sorry That I Cannot Accommodate You In This Instance," I Answered,

"Because I Bought For The Ballarat Market, And The People Of That

Section Of The Country Are In Want. Flour At The Mines Is Selling For

Sixty Pounds Per Ton, A Large Advance Upon What I Paid."

"O, I Don't Mind Allowing You A Small Margin For Your Trouble. You Paid

Forty Pounds Per Ton. I Will Give You Forty-Five For A Hundred Barrels."

"My Dear Mr. Hennetit, It Really Grieves Me To Think That I Must Refuse

Your Offer," I Replied, "But I Couldn't Think Of Selling Below The

Market Rates. If You Wish A Hundred Barrels At Fifty-Five Pounds Per

Ton, I Shall Be Exceedingly Happy To Accommodate You."

"Pooh, Pooh!" He Muttered; "I Can't Consider Such A Thing. If You Think

To Speculate In Flour In This Country, You Will Miss It, And Lose Your

Money."

"Perhaps I Shall; But As Flour Has Risen In Price Since I Purchased, I

Don't See Why I Should Not Reap The Benefit Of It."

I Bowed Courteously To The Merchant, Replaced My Veil, (For During The

Summer Months, When The Ground Is Dry, And The Wind Blows Strong, It Is

Necessary To Wear A Veil, To Protect The Eyes From The Dust Which Rises

In Heavy Clouds, And At Times Obscures The Sun Like A Thunder Squall,)

And Walked Off, Hoping That I Should Hear His Voice Calling Me Back, But

In This I Was Disappointed. Mr. Hennetit Thought That I Would Repent,

And Come To His Terms, And So Determined To Stand The Pressure One Day

More, At All Hazards.

I Walked Directly To The River, And Found That The Wind Was Blowing Off

Shore Like Great Guns. This Elated Me, Although I Remembered The Words

Of The Tarry Mariner, And Wondered How It Was Out Upon The Broad Ocean.

For Two Days I Had Not Slept An Hour's Time, Or Eaten More Than A Crust

Of Bread; But When I Saw How The Wind Was Blowing, I Returned To My

Hotel, And Supplied My Nearly Exhausted System With Food.

No Sooner Had I Finished Dinner Than I Was Told That A Gentleman Wished

To Speak To Me In The Bar Room. I Went There, And Saw One Of The

Merchants From Whom I Had Purchased One Hundred Sacks Of Chilian Flour,

And One Hundred Barrels Of American Brand.

"Well!" He Exclaimed, Shaking Hands With Some Warmth, "You Have _Dished_

Us, And No Mistake! Who, In The Devil's Name, Would Have Supposed That

Those Two Ships Could Have Made Such Long Passages--Did You?" And Then,

Without Waiting For Me To Answer, He Marched Up To The Bar And Called

For Drinks, And I Must Confess That I Gratified Him, And Pleased Myself,

In Taking A Very Good Glass Of Wine And Water At His Expense.

"Come, Now To Business," My Acquaintance Said, Wiping His Lips On A

Richly Embroidered Handkerchief, Imported From Manilla.

"Very Well, To Business It Is," Said I.

"You Have Got All The Flour In The Market In Your Hands," He Began.

"I Know It," I Answered.

"Yes, I Suppose That You Do," He Said, Dryly; "Now, I Want The Flour

That I Sold You, And Which Still Remains In My Store. What Is The

Figure, Sir?"

Here Was A Man That I Could Trade With, And Not Resort To Art. He Was

Never Schooled In Diplomacy, And His Blunt Nature Rejected All

Subterfuge. I Saw That He Was Willing To Allow Me To Make All That I

Could, Knowing That He Would Have Done The Same, Had He Been Situated As

I Was.

"Fifty-Five Pounds Per Ton," I Answered.

"I'll Take It At That Figure," He Replied, Promptly; "Come With Me To

The Store, And I Will Settle The Amount Immediately."