"This much ought to be understood, however," Thorpe resumed,
reflecting upon his words as he went along. "If I'm
to buy back a dead horse, like that, it's only reasonable
that there should be conditions. I suppose you've seen
by this time that even if this concession of ours was
recognized by the Government there wouldn't be any money
in it to speak of. I didn't realize that two years ago,
any more than you did, but it's plain enough now.
The trade has proved it. A property of rubber trees
has no real value--so long as there's a wilderness
of rubber trees all round that's everybody's property.
How can a man pay even the interest on his purchase money,
supposing he's bought a rubber plantation, when he has
to compete with people who've paid no purchase money at all,
but just get out as much as they like from the free forest?
You must know that that is so."
Tavender nodded eloquently. "Oh yes, I know that is so.
You can prove it by me."
Thorpe grinned a little. "As it happens, that aint what I
need to have you prove," he said, dryly. "Now WE know that
a rubber property is no good--but London doesn't know it.
Everybody here thinks that it's a great business to own
rubber trees. Why, man alive, do you know"--the audacity
of the example it had occurred to him to cite brought
a gratified twinkle to his eyes as he went on--"do you know
that a man here last year actually sold a rubber plantation
for four hundred thousand pounds--two millions of dollars!
Not in cash, of course, but in shares that he could do
something with--and before he's done with it, I'm told,
he's going to make twice that amount of money out of it.
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