Читаем A Dangerous Fortune (1994) полностью

Micky had been able to help Papa with his choice of rifles. Micky had always been fascinated by weapons of all kinds, and he kept up with the latest technical developments. Papa needed short-barreled rifles that would not be too cumbersome for men on horseback. Micky had taken Papa to a factory in Birmingham and shown him the Westley-Richards carbine with the breech-loading action, nicknamed the Monkeytail because of its curly lever.

"And they make them so fast," Micky said.

"I expected to wait six months for the guns to be manufactured. But they can do it in a few days!"

"It's the American machinery they use." In the old days, when guns had been made by blacksmiths who fitted the parts together by trial and error, it would indeed have taken six months to make two thousand rifles; but modern machinery was so precise that the parts of any gun would fit any other gun of the same pattern, and a well-equipped factory could turn out hundreds of identical rifles a day, like pins.

"And the machine that makes two hundred thousand cartridges a day!" Papa said, and he shook his head in wonderment. Then his mood switched again and he said grimly: "But how can they ask for the money before the rifles are delivered?"

Papa knew nothing about international trade, and he had assumed the manufacturer would deliver the rifles in Cordova and accept payment there. On the contrary, the payment was required before the weapons left the Birmingham factory.

But Papa was reluctant to ship silver coins across the Atlantic Ocean in barrels. Worse still, he could not hand over the entire family fortune before the arms were safely delivered.

"We'll solve this problem, Papa," Micky said soothingly. "That's what merchant banks are for."

"Go over it again," Papa said. "I want to make sure I understand this."

Micky was pleased to be able to explain something to Papa. "The bank will pay the manufacturer in Birmingham. It will arrange for the guns to be shipped to Cordova, and insure them on the voyage. When they arrive, the bank will accept payment from you at their office in Cordova."

"But then they have to ship the silver to England."

"Not necessarily. They may use it to pay for a cargo of salt beef coming from Cordova to London."

"How do they make a living?"

"They take a cut of everything. They will pay the rifle manufacturer a discounted price, take a commission on the shipping and insurance, and charge you extra for the guns."