95 The Eye of the Tiger (1/2)
”But this is very bad news,” Madan said.
Samir grimaced.
”We don't know yet if it's good or bad,” he said. ”Maybe that officer wants to offer his services. Second of March, Madan. The day after our colony becomes legal. If he wanted to put a squeeze on me, he'd have simply gone on to my house after talking to Sunil, and waited until I came home.”
”I don't like this Sunil,” said Madan. Samir sighed, and said:
”You know, it would be good if you met him before we bring him over. Are you joining us soon? When are you moving to Mumbai?”
”There is a lot of things I have to do before we can leave Khalapur. You cannot even imagine how many,” Madan said reproachfully.
”Don't give me that. What is it, Madan? What's holding you back? It isn't Kali. She said she'll be glad to move.”
”She was being polite.”
”Nonsense.”
”You have nowhere to put us.”
”I told you I have a construction crew coming. By the time you arrive, there'll be a room waiting just for you.”
”There are things we want to take from Khalapur. Too many for us to carry.”
”I will personally hire a cart or a couple of donkeys, and send them to Khalapur to fetch you.”
It went on like that for a while: Madan raised new objections, and Samir demolished them one by one. He raised his voice as his patience ran out, and ended up shouting at Madan to make up his fucking mind. It worked: Madan finally confessed what was the problem.
”We'll be putting ourselves completely at your mercy,” he said, avoiding Samir's eye. Samir couldn't deny it was true. He'd thought of that long before Madan brought it up. In fact, it had been an important reason for asking Madan to move to Mumbai.
But something that cannot be denied can always be given a new label. Samir said:
”Mercy? Are you out of your mind? I keep asking you to move because I really need you in Mumbai. There are just too many things for me and Rani to manage, we're close to losing control. I need you there with me, Madan. I'm not sure I can go on without your help. I am the one who is at your mercy, and not the other way around.”
Madan liked that. He said:
”You'll really hire a cart and send it for me?”
”I'll hire the best transport I can find. Who knows, maybe I can send a car. I saw a couple of old Ambassador taxis on the road today. I saw a couple of mopeds, too.”
”I thought only military vehicles could run.”
”Any vehicle without a data transmitter can run.”
Madan laughed.
”A car!” he said. ”That would be traveling in style. But tell me: how are you going to pay for all this?”
”We have to crank up exports,” said Samir, his course at Mr Go's business college suddenly kicking in. ”And diversify in what we send. Not just food, but other things.”
”Like what? Pots and baskets? Food is the only thing that sells.”
Samir smiled a very superior smile, and said:
”We'll send money. We'll send ready-made coins, maybe metal. It is better if we smelt the ore here in Kulaba. But it will be easier to mint coins in Mumbai. Better tools.”
”Much better tools,” agreed Madan. All the tools they had in the New World were made of wood, stone, and hardened clay. Madan could make and bake a clay knife as sharp as a razor but it would be brittle, wearing out quickly and shattering into pieces if dropped on a hard surface.
”It's time we paid a visit to that valley where we found the copper and the silver,” Samir said.
”I couldn't agree more. The furnace I'm using for baking clay is good enough for copper and silver. And, Samir?”
”What?”
”The stream that runs through that valley. Did you examine the stones and the gravel in the stream bed? I think we can get tin from the gravel. Then we could smelt bronze.”
”That would be very,very good,” said Samir. ”But for now, we'll concentrate on the copper and the silver, all right?”
Madan shrugged.
”Tin is very easy to smelt,” he said. ”All you need is a campfire. I want a basket of that gravel in Kulaba. You'll thank me for that when you get your first ax with a bronze head.”
Samir and Madan began their journey early the next day. They took two big baskets each, with shoulder slings that left their hands free for weapons. Each of them carried a bow with a dozen arrows and a bamboo pole with a long, sharp end. Madan also carried a stone ax, and Samir - a couple of ceramic knives. It was wise to always have at least a couple of these because of their fragility.