"Resnick, Mike - Lucifer Jones 01 - Adventurers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Mike)

"Ever see one of these?" he asked.
I took a quick look and handed it back.
"If it's a map to King Solomon's mines, I've seen about
twenty. If it's to the elephants' burial ground. they're kind of
rare. I don't imagine I've seen much more than half a dozen in the
week I've been here."
He chuckled. "Actually, it's a map to the lost gold mine of
the Zulus. Only one I've seen."
"Must have been lost a good long time," I opined. "I don't
recall ever seeing a Zulu wearing anything but leopard-claw
necklaces."
"Well, what do you think?" asked Rourke.
"About the gold mine?" I asked.
"About the map."
He was still grinning at me, and all of a sudden a great big
Heavenly revelation smote me right between the eyes, and out of
courtesy I returned his smile.
"How many do you think we could make?" I asked.
"Well, we'd have to hunt up some real old paper, and figure
out what kind of charcoal the natives draw with. Need about three
bob for materials, I should think."
"You supplied the map, Brother Rourke," I said. "I'll supply
the capital. I've got a dozen copies of the Good Book stashed in
my hotel room. It shouldn't be too hard to sell them. There's
plenty of widows in town who can find solace in the words of Our
Lord and His prophets."
"Fine," he said. "I figure we ought to be able to make up
about fifty."
"That's a lot of maps," I said. "We wouldn't want to flood
the market."
He looked shocked. "That would be immoral. I'm surprised that
such a thought would even cross your mind, Saint Luke. Personally,
just for propriety's sake, I don't think we should sell more than
five an hour."
"At least, not until we get to Pretoria," I agreed.
We consummated our partnership with a solemn handshake.

#

Burley and I got turned out about a week later, and within
another week we had made and sold almost two hundred maps,
accumulating a substantial little nest egg along the way.
Of course, the bush was getting a little crowded by then,
what with a couple hundred of hopeful investors looking for that
lost gold mine, so we swung north to Bechuanaland, where
we stopped at an occasional outpost and dispensed maps, medical
care, and salvation with equal vigor. I began taking contributions
to the Tabernacle of Saint Luke, and Rourke made a little extra
pin money by curing two settlers who didn't have heart attacks and
another who hadn't broken his leg. When he came to a trader who