"Let me see," continued Whitney, "your concessions are all about
here, in the north, aren't they?"
Lockwood drew a pencil from his pocket and made several cross-
marks over the names of some towns on the large map.
"Those are the points that we had proposed to work," he said
simply, "before this terrible tragedy to Mendoza."
"Mining, you understand," explained Whitney. Then, after a pause,
he resumed quickly. "Of course, you know that much has been said
about the chances for mining investments and about the
opportunities for fortunes for persons in South America. Peru has
been the Mecca for fortune hunters since the days of Pizarro. But
where one person has been successful thousands have failed because
they don't know the game. Why, I know of one investment of
hundreds of thousands that hasn't yielded a cent of profit just
because of that."
Lockwood said nothing, evidently not caring to waste time or
breath on any one who was not a possible investor. But Whitney had
the true promoter's instinct of booming his scheme on the chance
that the interest inspired might be carried to some third party.
"American financiers, it is true," he went on excitedly, taking
out a beautifully chased gold cigarette case, "have lost millions
in mining in Peru.
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