his study. Sean was in a state of deep contentment induced by a meal
from an enormous roast sirloin which he was digesting, by the fact that
Ruth had finally agreed to his adoption of Storm and the change of her
name from Friedman to Courtney, and by the prospect of joining Ruth in
their gargantuan double bed just as soon as he finished his brandy and
his hand-rolled Havana cigar.
'Come in, Michael. Sit down. Have a brandy. ' Sean greeted him
genially, and almost defiantly Michael crossed the Persian carpet and
laid a thick sheaf of papers on the desk in front of him.
'What's this all about?' Sean smiled at him.
'Read it and you'll see. ' Michael retreated to a chair across the
room. Still smiling Sean glanced at the heading on the top sheet.
'Preliminary estimates and ground plan for proposed Tannin Extraction
Plant. Lion Kop Estates.
The smile faded. Sean turned the page and as he read he began to frown
and then to scowl. When at last he finished he relit his dead cigar
and sat in silence for five minutes while he recovered from the
shock.
'Who put you up to this?
'Nobody.
'Where would you sell your extract?'
'Page 5. The outlets are listed there-and the ruling prices over the
last ten years.
'This plant needs 20,000 tons of bark a year-if we planted every foot
of Lion Kop and Mahobo's Kloof to wattle we could only supply half of
that. ' 'We'd buy the rest from the new estates along the valley-we
could offer a better price than Jackson, because we'd save rail age to
Pietermaritzburg. ' 'Who would run the plant?'
an engineer.
'On paper you are,' Sean grunted. 'What about water?'
'We'd dam the Baboon Stroom above the falls. ' For an hour Sean poked
and prodded at the scheme, seeking for a soft spot. His agitation
mounted as Michael calmly met each of his queries.
'All right,' Sean growled. 'You've done your homework.
Now answer me this one. How the hell do you propose finding seventy
thousand pounds to finance this little lot?'
Michael closed his eyes as though he were praying, his jaw was a hard,
thrusting line. And suddenly Sean wondered why he had never noticed
the strength in that face, the stubborn almost fanatical determination.
Michael opened his eyes again and spoke softly.
'A loan on Lion Kop and Mahobo's Kloof for twenty-five thousand, a
notarial bond on the plant for as much again-and a public share issue
on the balance.
Sean jumped up from his desk and roared.
'No!'
'Why not?' still calmly and reasonably.
y
'Because I've spent half my life in debt up to here!' Sean rubbed his
own throat. 'Because now at last I'm in the clear and I want to stay
