Yes Allard ... I suppose it is like the Drakensbergs around here.
They´re closer to Cape Town right?
But Jans is distracted by my analogy with Cruz del Eje so I keep quiet. Jeb Hoerst, the geologist who found a sizable gold deposit for Latin American Minerals in Santa Cruz in Patagonia, is standing next to Jans and examining some core samples set out on the plywood table. It´s warm here in northern Cordoba and the drilling rig sits in the sun some 50 metres towards the road. It´s surprisingly small but it makes sense; lighter and easier to get through rough terrain. The fact that this rig was sitting just over the border in La Rioja and was available was another lucky stroke. Jeb had taken one look at the property and had told Jans it was worth hiring the rig rather than risk someone else scooping it up.
So here we were while Isa was back in town and Diego was at the hospital making inquiries. Or were the two of them at the hospital? I wasn´t sure and it was my damn kid! But I have to trust Diego to help me take care of Isa. And I do. Jans and Jeb lean over another sample and stare intently, exchanging a few short phrases that I can´t make out. Jans handed me a fifty thousand dollar cheque on Tuesday. Diego and Caranzo got a hundred thousand for the twenty year exploration lease. Plus the stock. For me. For Isa. For Diego. And for Cagnazzo of course. Jeb mutters something and Jans nods. I´m standing a few feet back for fear of dropping or breaking something. They stare at the drill, then at the sample, then look back at me. I raise my eyebrows optimistically and ask,
What do we have?
Allard we might just have a very large phosphate desposit, Jans says slowly,
that´s what we have.
I have drunk all my water. The other bottles are in the rented truck parked by the roadside. I feel thirsty, very thirsty. Is it greed and fear - a terror that this is all an illusion and will vanish any minute? I nod slowly and feel sweat accumulating on my forehead and in my armpits. It´s over 25 C even though it´s only mid September. Here in Cruz del Eje it´s dry heat of course, unlike Buenos Aires or Mar del Plata. The rig´s crew sits in the small pool of shade beside the machinery. They´re eating lunch and drinking mate. I still don´t believe all of this but I approach the table and stare distractedly at the samples. Crushed rock and earth of varying colors in a tube like shape is all I see.
How soon can we get these to Acme in Mendoza?
Tomorrow we can fly them in I think. And have the results by ... maybe October?
Jeb looks a little doubtfully at Jans. I wonder if he´s dealt with that lab before. In any case, things are moving fast. If it really is a large phosphate deposit we´ve hit paydirt. With all the need for fertilizer here and in Brazil and hell ... everywhere ...
maybe we could let Bunge or Potash buy us out and ... stop it Allard. You have a cheque for fifty thousand and you have stock that might be worth something in a while. Leave it at that and let Jans take care of the rest. I´m also hungry but I don´t want to look impatient. Some of the work crew are now carefully loading the samples into metal tubes and carrying them towards the truck. We´ve only drilled three holes and there´s much more work to do while Jans flies back again to Toronto and sprinkles his enthusiasm in all the right places. He mentioned another private equity placement and I try not to worry about dilution. This is all smoke and mirrors so far and as long as my stock is worth something someday I should be very very happy. I´ve managed to pick up just enough jargon to make a fool of myself but my main job is to keep Jans informed while he´s away so that Jeb can focus on the drilling and the samples. That means I´ll be spending a lot of time at this site sweating like a pig and supervising a crew who specialize in something I know nothing about. We pull up in front of our hotel, a white and red stucco pile with worn tiles and cheap furniture. As we troop into the lobby to wash up and have lunch the thought occurs to me - I finally have a real job. I have to laugh a little as I shower quickly. Keep it together I tell myself. Cash the cheque; Cagnazzo will help you there. Keep the documents with your stock options safe and do your stupid little job for Jans without making any obvious mistakes. I towel off and pull on some pants and a shirt just as Jans knocks on the door.
Let´s go. Lunch and then I have to get to Mendoza.
I wonder where Isadora is as we pile back into the truck and head to a local parilla to eat some more beef. Jans lends me his cellphone and I manage to get a hold of her. She´s just undergone a checkup and they´ve done an Ultrasound. And I wasn´t there! I try to keep my voice calm but at least Isa agrees to meet us at the parilla. She´s starving of course. Jans turns around from the front seat and winks at me,
First child Allard?
I nod and grin sheepishly. Everyone laughs. Even the foreman who´s driving.
They´re closer to Cape Town right?
But Jans is distracted by my analogy with Cruz del Eje so I keep quiet. Jeb Hoerst, the geologist who found a sizable gold deposit for Latin American Minerals in Santa Cruz in Patagonia, is standing next to Jans and examining some core samples set out on the plywood table. It´s warm here in northern Cordoba and the drilling rig sits in the sun some 50 metres towards the road. It´s surprisingly small but it makes sense; lighter and easier to get through rough terrain. The fact that this rig was sitting just over the border in La Rioja and was available was another lucky stroke. Jeb had taken one look at the property and had told Jans it was worth hiring the rig rather than risk someone else scooping it up.
So here we were while Isa was back in town and Diego was at the hospital making inquiries. Or were the two of them at the hospital? I wasn´t sure and it was my damn kid! But I have to trust Diego to help me take care of Isa. And I do. Jans and Jeb lean over another sample and stare intently, exchanging a few short phrases that I can´t make out. Jans handed me a fifty thousand dollar cheque on Tuesday. Diego and Caranzo got a hundred thousand for the twenty year exploration lease. Plus the stock. For me. For Isa. For Diego. And for Cagnazzo of course. Jeb mutters something and Jans nods. I´m standing a few feet back for fear of dropping or breaking something. They stare at the drill, then at the sample, then look back at me. I raise my eyebrows optimistically and ask,
What do we have?
Allard we might just have a very large phosphate desposit, Jans says slowly,
that´s what we have.
I have drunk all my water. The other bottles are in the rented truck parked by the roadside. I feel thirsty, very thirsty. Is it greed and fear - a terror that this is all an illusion and will vanish any minute? I nod slowly and feel sweat accumulating on my forehead and in my armpits. It´s over 25 C even though it´s only mid September. Here in Cruz del Eje it´s dry heat of course, unlike Buenos Aires or Mar del Plata. The rig´s crew sits in the small pool of shade beside the machinery. They´re eating lunch and drinking mate. I still don´t believe all of this but I approach the table and stare distractedly at the samples. Crushed rock and earth of varying colors in a tube like shape is all I see.
How soon can we get these to Acme in Mendoza?
Tomorrow we can fly them in I think. And have the results by ... maybe October?
Jeb looks a little doubtfully at Jans. I wonder if he´s dealt with that lab before. In any case, things are moving fast. If it really is a large phosphate deposit we´ve hit paydirt. With all the need for fertilizer here and in Brazil and hell ... everywhere ...
maybe we could let Bunge or Potash buy us out and ... stop it Allard. You have a cheque for fifty thousand and you have stock that might be worth something in a while. Leave it at that and let Jans take care of the rest. I´m also hungry but I don´t want to look impatient. Some of the work crew are now carefully loading the samples into metal tubes and carrying them towards the truck. We´ve only drilled three holes and there´s much more work to do while Jans flies back again to Toronto and sprinkles his enthusiasm in all the right places. He mentioned another private equity placement and I try not to worry about dilution. This is all smoke and mirrors so far and as long as my stock is worth something someday I should be very very happy. I´ve managed to pick up just enough jargon to make a fool of myself but my main job is to keep Jans informed while he´s away so that Jeb can focus on the drilling and the samples. That means I´ll be spending a lot of time at this site sweating like a pig and supervising a crew who specialize in something I know nothing about. We pull up in front of our hotel, a white and red stucco pile with worn tiles and cheap furniture. As we troop into the lobby to wash up and have lunch the thought occurs to me - I finally have a real job. I have to laugh a little as I shower quickly. Keep it together I tell myself. Cash the cheque; Cagnazzo will help you there. Keep the documents with your stock options safe and do your stupid little job for Jans without making any obvious mistakes. I towel off and pull on some pants and a shirt just as Jans knocks on the door.
Let´s go. Lunch and then I have to get to Mendoza.
I wonder where Isadora is as we pile back into the truck and head to a local parilla to eat some more beef. Jans lends me his cellphone and I manage to get a hold of her. She´s just undergone a checkup and they´ve done an Ultrasound. And I wasn´t there! I try to keep my voice calm but at least Isa agrees to meet us at the parilla. She´s starving of course. Jans turns around from the front seat and winks at me,
First child Allard?
I nod and grin sheepishly. Everyone laughs. Even the foreman who´s driving.
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