When The Lion Feeds Part 33

Sean and Duff were eating lunch in the Rand Club when it was delivered to their table. Sean slit open the envelope and read the message to Duff.

Sailing four o'clock this afternoon. Good luck. Max.

I'll drink to that, Duff lifted his wine gla.s.s. Tomorrow, said Sean, I'll go up to the Candy Deep and tell Francois to pull all the men out of the bottom levels of the mine. No one's to be allowed in. Put a guard at the fourteenth level, suggested Duff. That'l make it more impressive. Good idea, agreed Sean. He looked up as someone pa.s.sed their table and suddenly he started to smile. Duff, do you know who that is?

Who are you talking about! Duff looked bewildered. That chap who's just gone out into the lounge, there he is, going into the lavatorie. Isn't that Elliott, the newspaper fellow? Editor of the Rand Mail, nodded Sean. Come with me, DuffWhere are we going? To get a bit of cheap publicity Duff followed Sean out of the dining-room, across the lounge and into the men's lavatories. The door of one of the closets was closed and as they walked in someone farted softly behind it. Sean winked at Duff and went across to the urinal. As he addressed himself to it he said, Well, all we can hope for now, Duff, is that Norman will be able to work a miracle in England. Otherwise, He shrugged his shoulder. Duff picked up his cue. We're taking a h.e.l.l of a chance relying on that. I still say we should sell out now. C. R. C. s were at ninety-one s.h.i.+llings this morning so it's obvious that the story hasn't leaked out yet. But when it does you won't be able to give the b.l.o.o.d.y shares away. I say we should get out while the going's good. Sean disagreed. Let's wait until we hear from Norman. It's taking a bit of a chance, I know, but we have a responsibility to the men working for us Sean took Duffs arm and led him out of the lavatory again; at the door he added the cherry to the top of the pie. If and when C. R. C. collapses there are going to be thousands of men out of work, do you realize that?

Sean closed the door behind them and they grinned delightedly at each other.

You're a genius, laddie, whispered Duff.

I'm happy to say I agree with you, Sean whispered back.

The next morning Sean woke with the knowledge that something exciting was going to happen that day. He lay and savoured the feeling before he sent his mind out to hunt for the reason. Then he sat up suddenly and reached for the newspaper that lay folded on the coffee tray beside his bed. He shook it open and, found what he was looking for on the front page, big headlines: Is all well with the Central Rand Consolidated? Norman Hradsky's mystery The story itself was a masterpiece of journalistic evasion. Seldom had Sean seen anyone write so fluently or convincingly on a subject about which he knew nothing. It is suggested, Usually reliable sources reported and there is reason to believe', all the old phrases of no significance. Sean groped for his slippers and padded down the corridor to Duffs room.

Duff had all the blankets and most of the bed; the girl was curled up like a pink anchovy on the outskirts. Duff was snoring and the girl whimpered a little in her sleep.

Sean tickled Duffs lips with the ta.s.sel of his dressinggown cord, Duff's nose twitched and his snores gargled into silence. The girl sat up and looked at Sean with eyes wide but vacant from sleep. Quickly, run, Sean shouted at her, the rebels are coming. She leapt straight into the air and landed three feet from the bed quivering with panic. Sean ran a critical eye over her. A pretty filly, he decided, and made a mental note to take her for a trot just as soon as Duff put her out to gra.s.s. All right, he rea.s.sured her, they've gone away now. She became aware of her nakedness and Sean's frank appraisal of it. She tried to cover it with hands too small for the task. Sean picked up Duff's gown from the foot of the bed and handed it to her. Go and have a bath or somethingg sweetheart, I want to talk to Mr Charleywood With the gown on she recovered her composure and told him severely, I didn't have any clothes on, Mr Courtney. I would never have guessed, said Sean politely. It's not nice. You are too modest, I thought it was better than average. Off you go now, there's a good girl. With a saucy flick of her head she disappeared into the bathroom and Sean transferred his attention to Duff. Duff had held 4 grimly onto the threads of sleep throughout the exchange but he let go when Sean whacked him across the backside with the folded newspaper. Like a tortoise coming out of its sh.e.l.l his head emerged from the blankets. Sean handed him the paper and sat down on the edge of the bed. He watched Duff's face crease into laughter lines before he said..

You better get down to the Editor's office and shout at him a little, just to confirm his suspicions. I'll go up to the Candy Deep and close all the bottom levels. I'll meet you back at the Exchange at opening time and don't forget to clean that grin off your face before you show it round town. Try and look haggard, it shouldn't be difficult for you.

When Sean arrived at the Stock Exchange building the crowd had filled the street outside. Mbejane eased the landau into it and it opened to give them a pa.s.sage. Sean scowled straight ahead and ignored the questions which were shouted at him from all around. Mbejane stopped the carriage outside the main entrance and four police constables held back the mob while Sean hurried across the pavement and through the double doors. Duff was there ahead of him, the centre of a turbulent circle of members and brokers. He saw Sean and waved frantically over the heads of his inquisitors. That was sufficient to switch their attention from Duff to Sean and they flocked to him, ringing him in with anxious angry faces. Sean's hat was knocked forward over his eyes and a b.u.t.ton popped off his coat as one of them caught hold of his lapels. Is it true? the man shouted, spittle flying from his lips into Sean's face. We've got a right to know if it's true. Sean swung his cane in a full overarm stroke onto the man's head and sent him tottering backwards into the arms of those behind him. Back, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, he roared at them using both the point and the edge of his cane to beat them away, scattering them across the floor until he stood alone, glowering at them with the cane still twitching restlessly in his hand. I'll make a statement later on. Until then, behave yourselves. He adjusted his hat, picked the loose thread where the b.u.t.ton had been from his coat and stalked across to join Duff. He could see Duff's grin starting to lift the corner of his mouth and he cautioned him silently with his eyes. Grim-faced they walked through into the members, lounge.

How's it going your end? Duff kept his voice low. Couldn't be better. Sean contrived a worried expression. I've got an armed guard on the fourteenth level. When this bunch hear about that, they'll really start frothing at the mouth. When you make your statement, let it ring with obvious false confidence, Duff instructed. If it goes on like this well have the shares down to thirty-five s........

within an hour of opening. Five minutes before opening time Sean stood in the President's box and made his address to his fellow members, Duff listened to him with mounting admiration.

Sean's hearty rea.s.surances and verbal side-stepping were enough to strike despair into the souls of the most hardened optunists.

Sean finished his speech and climbed down from the box amid a gloomy lack of applause. The bell rang and -the brokers stood singly or in small disconsolate groups about the floor. The first tentative offer was made. 11 sell C. R. C. But there was no rush to buy. Ten minutes later there was a sale recorded at eighty-five s.h.i.+llings, six s.h.i.+llings lower than the previous day's closing price. Duff leaned across to Sean. We'll have to start selling some of our own shares to get things moving, otherwise everybody's going to keep sitting on the fence. That's all right, Sean nodded, we'll buy them back later at a quarter of the price. But wait until the news about the Candy Deep gets out. It was just before ten o'clock when that happened. The reaction was sharp. In one quick burst of selling C. R. C. s dropped to sixty s.h.i.+llings. But there they hung, fluctuating nervously in the chaos of hope and doubt. We'll have to sell now, whispered Duff, they are short of script. We'll have to give it to them otherwise the price will stick here. Sean felt his hands trembling and he clenched them in his pockets. Duff was showing signs of the strain as well, there was a nerve jumping in his cheek and his eyes had receded into their sockets a little. This was a game with high stakes. Don't overdo it, sell thirty thousand The price of C. R. C. s sagged under the weight but levelled out at forty-five s.h.i.+llings. There was still another hour until high change and Sean's whole body was screwed up tight with tension. He felt the cold patches of sweat under his arms. Sell another thirty thousand, he ordered his clerk and even to himself his voice sounded wheezy. He stubbed out his cigar in the copper ashtray next to his chair; it was already half full of b.u.t.ts. It was no longer necessary for either of them to act worried. This time the price stuck at forty s.h.i.+llings and the sale of sixty thousand more of their shares failed to move it down more than a few s.h.i.+llings.

Someone's buying up, muttered Sean uneasily.

It looks like it, agreed Duff. I'll lay odds it's that b.l.o.o.d.y Greek Efthyvoulos. It looks as if we'll have to sell enough to glut him before they'll drop any further. By high change Duff and Sean had sold three-quarters of their holdings in C. R. C. s and the price still stood stubbornly at thirty-seven and sixpence. So tantalizingly close to the magic figure that would release a flood of Hradsky's shares onto the unprepared market, but now they were nearing the stage when they would no longer have any shares with which to force the price down that last two and sixpence.

The market closed and left Duff and Sean sitting limply in their armchairs, shaken and tired as prizefighters at the end of the fifteenth round. Slowly the lounge emptied but still they sat on. Sean leaned across and put his hand on Duffs shoulder. It's going to be all right, he said. Tomorrow it will be all right. They looked at each other and they exchanged strength, each of them drawing it from the other until they were both smiling. Sean stood up. Come on, let's go home.

Sean went to bed early and alone. Although he felt drained of energy, sleep was a long time coming to him and when it did it was full of confused dreams and punctuated with sharp jerks back into wakefulness. it was almost a relief to see the dawn define the windows as grey squares and to be released from his unrewarding rest. At breakfast he drank a cup of coffee and found that his stomach was unable to accept the plateful of steak and eggs that was offered it for it was already s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up tight in antic.i.p.ation.

of the day ahead. Duff was edgy and tired-looking as well; they spoke only a little during the meal and not at all in the carriage when Mbejane drove them down to the Exchange.

The crowd was outside the Stock Exchange again. They forced their way through it and into the building; they took their seats in the lounge and Sean looked round at the faces of his fellow members. In each of them were the marks of worry, the same darkness round the eyes and the jerkiness in movement. He watched Jock Heyns yawn extravagantly and had to do the same; he lifted his hand to cover Ins mouth and found it was trembling again He left the hand on the arm of Ins chair and kept it still.

Across the lounge Bonzo Barnes caught Sean's eye and looked away quickly, then he also gaped into a cavernous yawn. It was the tension. In the years ahead Sean would see men yawn like that while they waited for the dawn to send them against the Boer guns. Duff leaned across to him and broke his line of thought. As soon as the trading starts, we'll sell. Try and panic them. Do you agree? Sudden death, Sean nodded. He couldn't face another morning of that mental agony. Couldn't we offer shares at thirty-two s.h.i.+llings and sixpence and get it over with? " he asked.

Duff grinned at him. We can't do that, it, is too obvious we'll just have to go on offering to sell at best and let the price fall on its own. suppose you're right, but we'll play our high cards now and dump the rest of our shares as soon as the market opens. I don't see how the price can possibly hold after that Duff nodded. He beckoned to their authorized clerk who was waiting patiently at the door of the lounge and when the man came up to them he told him, Sell one hundred thousand C. R. C. s at best. The clerk blinked but he jotted the order down on his pad and went out onto the main floor where the other ebrokers were gathering. It was a few Minutes from the bell.

What if it doesn't work? Sean asked. The tightness in his belly was nauseating him. It must work, it's got to work, Duff whispered as much to himself as to Sean. He was twisting his fingers round the head of his cane and chewing against clenched teeth. They sat and waited for the bell and when it rang Sean jumped then reached sheepishly for his cigar case.

He heard their clerk's voice, raised sharply, I sell C. R. C. Is, and then the confused mumble of voices as the trading started. Through the lounge door he saw the recorder chalk up the first sale. Thirty-seven s.h.i.+llings He drew hard on Ins cigar and lay back in his chair forcing himself to relax, ignoring the restless tapping of Duff Is fingers on the arm of the chair next to him. The recorder wiped out the figures and wrote again. Thirtysix s.h.i.+llings. Sean blew out cigar smoke in a long jet. It's mavingI he whispered and Duff's hand clenched on the arm of the chair, his knuckles paling from the pressure of his grip. Thirty-five. The elusive number at last. Sean heard Duff sigh next to him and his voice, Now! watch it go, laddie, now the banks will come on. Get ready, laddie, get ready now. Thirty-four and six, wrote the recorder. They must come in now, said Duff again. Get ready to get rich, laddie. Their clerk was coming back across the floor and into the lounge. He stopped in front of their chairs. I managed to sell them, Sir.

Sean straightened up quickly. So soon? he asked. Yes, Sir, three big sales and I got rid of them all. I'm afraid the last was only at thirty-four and sixpence. Sean stared back at the board. The figure was still at thirty-four and sixpence.

Duff, something's going on here. Why haven't the banks come in yet? We'll force them to off-load. Duff's voice was unnaturally hoa.r.s.e. We'll force the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. He pulled himself half out of his chair and snarled at the clerk.

Sell another one hundred thousand at thirty s.h.i.+llings.

The man's face went slack with surprise. Hurry, man, do you hear me? What are you waiting for? The clerk backed away from Duff, then he turned and scurried out of the lounge. Duff, for G.o.d's sake. Sean grabbed his arm. Have you gone madVWe'll force them, I muttered Duff. They'll have to seU. We haven't got another hundred thousand shares. Sean jumped up. I'm going to stop him. He ran across the lounge but before he reached the door he saw the sale being chalked up on the board at thirty shfflings. He pushed his way across the crowded floor until he reached his clerk. Don't sell any more, he whispered.

The man looked surprised. I've sold them already, Sir. The whole hundred thousand? There was horrified disbelief in Sean's voice. Yes, Sir, someone took the lot in one batch. Sean walked back across the floor in a daze. He sank into the chair beside Duff.

They re sold already. He spoke as though he didn't believe himself.

We force them, we'll force them to sell, muttered Duff again and Sean turned to him with alarm. Duff was sweating in little dewdrops across his forehead and his eyes were very bright. Duff, for G.o.d's sake, Sean whispered to him, steady, man Sean knew that they were watched by everybody in the lounge. The watching faces seemed as large as those seen through a telescope and the buzz of their voices echoed strangely in his ears. Sean felt confused: everything seemed to be in slow motion like a bad dream. He looked through into the trading floor and saw the crude number thirty still chalked accusingly against C. R. C.

Where were the banks? Why weren't they selling? We'll force them, we'll force the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, Duff said again Sean tried to answer him but the words wouldn't come. He looked back across the trading floor and now he knew it was a bad dream for Hradsky and Max were there, walking across the floor towards the members, lounge. Men were crowding around them and Hradsky was smiling and holding up his hands as if to fend off their questions. They came through into the lounge and Hradsky went to his chair by the-fireplace. He lowered himself into it with his shoulders sagging forward and his waistcoat wrinkled tightly around the full. bag of his body.

He was still smiling and Sean thought that his smile was one of the most unnerving things he had ever seen. He watched it with flesh-crawling fascination and beside him Duff was just as stiR and stricken. Max spoke quickly to Hradsky and then he stood up and walked across to Sean and Duff. He stopped in front of them. The clerk informs us that you have contracted to sell to Mr Hradsky five hundred thousand shares in C. R. C. s at an average price of thirty-six s.h.i.+llings. Max's lashes drooped sadly onto his cheeks. The total issue of C. R. C. s, as you know, is one million shares. During the last two days Mr Hradsky was able to purchase another seventy five thousand shares apart from the ones you sold to him. This makes his total holdings of C. R. C. s almost six hundred thousand shares. It seems therefore that you have sold shares that don't exist. Mr Hradsky foresees that you will have some difficulty in fulfilling your contract. Sean and Duff went on staring at him. He turned to leave them and Duff blurted out. But the banks, why didn't the banks sell? Max smiled a mournful little smile. The day he reached Port Natal Mr Hradsky transferred sufficient funds from his accounts there to liquidate his overdrafts in Johannesburg. He sent you that telegram and returned here immediately. We only arrived an hour ago. But, but, you lied to us. You tricked us! Max inclined his head. Mr Charleywood, I will not discuss honesty with a man who does not understand the meaning of the word. He went back to Hradsky's side.

Everyone in the lounge had heard him and while Duff and Sean went on sitting amongst the ruins of their fortune the struggle to buy C. R. C. shares started on the main floor. in five minutes the price was over ninety s.h.i.+llings and still climbing. When it reached one hundred s.h.i.+llings, Sean touched Duff's arm. Let's go. They stood up together and started for the door of the members lounge. As they pa.s.sed Hradsky's chair he spoke.

Yes, Mr Charleywood, you can't win all the time. It came out quite clearly with only a slight catch on the c's - they were always difficult letters for Norman Hradsky.

Duff stopped, he turned to face Hradsky, his mouth open as he struggled to find a reply. His lips moved, groping, groping for words, but there were none. His shoulders drooped, he shook his head and turned away.

He stumbled once at the edge of the floor. Sean held his arm and guided him through the excited jabber of brokers.

No one took any notice of the two of them. They were b.u.mped and jostled before they were through the crush and out onto the pavement. Sean signalled Mbejane to bring the carriage. They climbed into it and Mbejane drove them up to Xanadu.

They went through into the drawing-room. Get me a drink, please, Sean. Duff's face was grey andcrumpi looking. Sean poured two tumblers half full of brandy and carried one across to Duff. Duff drank and then sat staring into the empty gla.s.s. I'm sorry, I lost my head. I thought we'd be able to buy those shares for dirt, when the banks started sellingIt doesn't matter, Sean's voice was tired. We were smashed before that happened. Christ! What a well-laid trap it was! we couldn't have known. It was so d.a.m.n cunning, we couldn't have guessed, could we, Sean? Duff was trying to excuse himself.

Sean kicked off his boots and loosened his collar. That night up at the mine dump, I would have staked my life Max wasn't lying. He lay back in the chair and stirred his brandy with a circular movement of his hand, Christ, how they must have laughed to see us stampede into the pitfall! But we aren't finished, Sean, we aren't completely finished, are we?

Duff was pleading with him, begging for a peg to hang his hope on. We'll come out of this all right, you know we will, don't you? We'll save enough out of the wreckage to start again. We'll build it all up again, won't we, Sean? Sure, Sean laughed brutally. You can get a job down at the Bright Angels cleaning out the spittoons and I'll get one at the Opera House playing the piano. aBut, but, there'll be something left. A couple of thousand even.

We could sell this house. Don't dream, Duff, this house belongs to Hradsky.

Everything belongs to him. Sean flicked the brandy that was left in his gla.s.s into his mouth and swallowed it. He stood up quickly and went across to the liquor cabinet. I'll explain it to you. We owe Hradsky a hundred thousand shares that don't exist. The only way we can deliver them is to buy them from him first and he can set his own price on them. We're finished, Duff, do you know what that means? Smashed! Broken! Sean poured brandy into his gla.s.s, slopping a little on the sideboard. Have another drink on Hradsky, it's his brandy now. Sean swept his arm round the room, pointing at the rich furniture and heavy curtains. Take a last look at this lot.

Tomorrow the Sheriff will be here to attach it; then through the due processes of the law it will he handed to its rightful owner, Mr Norman Hradsky. Sean started back towards his chair and then he stopped. The due processes of the law, he repeated softly. I wonder, it might just work. Duff sat up eagerly in his chair. You've got an idea? Sean nodded. Well, half an idea anyway. Listen, Duff, if I can save a couple of thousand out of this do you agree that we get out of here? Where to, where will we goVWe were facing north when we started. It's as good a direction as any. They say tHere's gold and ivory beyond the Limpopo for those who want it. But, why can't we stay here? We could play the stock market. Duff looked uncertain, almost afraid. d.a.m.n it, Duff, we're finished here. it's a different story playing the market when you are paying the fiddler and calling the tune, but with a mere thousand or so we'd be among the dogs fighting for the sc.r.a.ps under Hradsky's table. Let's get out and start again. We'll go north, hunt ivory and prospect for a new reef. We'll take a couple of wagons and find another fortune. I bet you've forgotten how it feels to sit on a horse and handle a rifle, to have the wind in your face and not a wh.o.r.e or a stockbroker within five hundred miles. But it means leaving everything we've worked for Duff groaned. Sweet merciful heavens, man, are you blind or just plain stupid? Sean stormed at him. You don't own anything, so how the h.e.l.l can you leave something you haven't got? I'm going down to see Hradsky and try to make a deal with him. Are you coming?

Duff looked at him without seeing him, his lips were trembling and he was shaking his head. At last he was realizing the position they were in and the impact of it had dazed him. The higher you ride the further there is to fall. All right, said Sean. Wait for me here Hradsky's suite was full of talking, laughing men. Sean recognized most of them as the courtiers who used to cl.u.s.ter round the throne on which he and Duff had sat.

The King is dead, long live the King! They saw him standing in the doorway and the laughter and loud voices fizzled out. He saw Max take two quicksteps to the stinkwood desk in the corner, pull open the top drawer and drop his hand into it. He stood like that watching Sean.

One by one the courtiers picked up their hats and canes and hurried out of the room. Some of them mumbled embarra.s.sed greetings as they brushed pa.s.sed Sean. Then there were only the three of them left: Sean standing quietly in the doorway, Max behind the desk with his hand on the pistol and Hradsky in the chair by the fireplace watching through yellow, half-hooded eyes. Aren't you going to invite me in, Max? Sean asked and Max glanced quickly at Hradsky, saw his barely perceptible nod and looked back at Sean. Come in, please, Mr Courtney.

Sean pushed the door shut behind him. You won't need the gun, Max, the game is over. And the score is in our favour, is it not, Mr Courtney? Sean nodded. Yes, you've won. We are prepared to make over to you all the C. R. C. shares we hold. Max shook his head unhappily. I'm afraid it's not quite as easy as that. You have undertaken to sell us a certain number of shares and we must insist upon delivery M full Just where do you suggest we get them? Sean asked. You could buy them on the Stock Exchange.