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But you lose not the paper: put it away with the paper-money, quite safe. For yourself, this is half your pay I give you napoleons; ten. Count. And now once at the Chateau Sonnenberg, I repeat, you leave her in charge of two persons, one a woman, at the gate, and then back frrrrr.... Antonio-Pericles smacked on the flat of his hand, and sounded a rapid course of wheels.
A bank of dark clouds had risen in the east, the heat of the day being followed by a thunderstorm that growled menacingly above the Taunus mountains, evidently accompanying a torrent of rain, although none fell in the line of march. The sun had set when the leader brought his company down into the valley of the Walluf, about two and a half leagues from Sonnenberg.
The straggling company made a halt for a short time, while provisions were purchased, every man carrying his own share, which was scantly sufficient for supper and breakfast, and a quantity of wine was acquired to gratify each throat with about a liter and a half; plenty for a reasonable thirst, but not enough for a carouse. The company grumbled at being compelled to quit Sonnenberg.
Many castles are in view of it; the loud and tameless Passeyr girdles it with an emerald cincture; there is a sea of arched vineyard foliage at his feet. Vittoria reached the Castle of Sonnenberg about noon, and found empty courts and open doors.
For purposes of such a nature, Barto Rizzo turned the uneasy craven to account. It happened that one of the maids at Sonnenberg was about to marry a peasant, of Meran, part proprietor of a vineyard, and the nuptials were to be celebrated at the castle.
The concession awarded by King Lobengula to Rhodes and to the few men who together with him took it upon themselves to add this piece of territory to the British Empire had, in reality, already been given by the dusky monarch long before the ambitions of De Beers had taken that direction to a Mr. Sonnenberg, a German Jew who had very quickly amassed a considerable fortune in various speculations.
This covered the same ground and advantages which, later, were granted to Mr. Rhodes and his business associates. Owing in some measure to negligence and partly through the impossibility of raising the enormous capital necessary to make anything profitable out of the concession, Mr. Sonnenberg had put the document into his drawer without troubling any more about it.
Subsequently, when Matabeleland came into possession of the Chartered Company, Mr. Sonnenberg ventured to speak mildly of his own concession, and the matter was mentioned to Mr. Rhodes. The latter's reply was typical: "Tell the fool that if he was fool enough to lose this chance of making money he ought to take the consequences of it." And Mr. Sonnenberg had to content himself with this reply.
Remember, you are a connoisseur, from Bonn from Berlin from Leipsic: not of the K.K. army! Abjure it, or you make no way with this mad thing. You shall see her and hear her, and judge if she is worth your visit to Schloss Sonnenberg and a short siege. Good: we go aloft. You bow to the maestro respectfully twice, as in duty; then a third time, as from a whisper of your soul. Vanitas, vanitatis!
"No; we are determined to reach Sonnenberg. A storm impends." "In that case, gentlemen, don't let me detain you. The gloom thickens as you spend your time in talk." "Oh, that's all very well, but when we reach Sonnenberg we shall need money." "So you will." "And we intend to secure it." "Quite right." "We demand from you three thalers for each man." "Oh, you want the money from me?" "Yes, we do."
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