"Smith, Wilbur - Sunbird" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Wilbur)

to stop with it. It was looking better and better. The latitude was
perfect, all the clues I had so painstakingly gathered over the years
pointed to this general area.

"Here," he said. "Two hundred and twelve miles south-east of Maun,
fifty-six miles south-western beacon of the Wankie game reserve, tucked
below a curve of low hills, lost in a wilderness of rock and dry land
scrub."

"When can we leave?" I asked.

"Wow!" Louren shook his head. "You do believe it. You really do!"

"Someone else could stumble on it."

"It's been lying there for a thousand years-another week won't.. . "

"Another week!" I cried in anguish.

"Ben, I can't get away before then. I've got the Annual General Meeting
of Anglo-Sturvesant on Friday, and on Saturday I have business in
Zfirich-but I'll cut it short, especially for you."

"Cut it altogether, " I begged. "Send one of your bright young men.

"When somebody ]lends you twenty-five million, it's only polite to go
fetch the cheque yourself, not send the office boy."

"Christ, Lo. It's only money-this is really important." For a moment
Louren stared at me, the pale blue eyes bemused and reflective.

"Twenty-five million is only money?" He shook his head slowly and then
wonderingly as though he had heard a new truth spoken. "I suppose you
are right." He smiled, gently now, the smile of affection for a
well-loved friend. "Sorry, Ben. Tuesday.

We'll fly at dawn, I promise you. We'll recce from the air. Then land at
Maun. Peter Larkin-you know him?"

"Yes, very well. " Peter ran a big safari business out of Maun.

Twice I'd used him on my Kalahari expeditions.

"Good. I've been on to him already. He will service the expedition. We
will go in light and fast-one Land-Rover and a pair of three-ton
Unimogs. I can only spare five days-and that's a squeeze-but I'll get a
charter helicopter to fetch me out, and I'll leave you to scratch
around... As he talked Louren led me out of the projection room into the
long gallery.