Free The Gobi Desert Page A

think about it, and didn’t even want to wait for me to sign up before presenting me with this cheque. What do you say to that? Come to think of it, this is the man who only the other day you were advising me to be very careful about! You should take a close look at this as well.’
    â€˜A close look at what?’
    â€˜At the draft contract which he has just proposed to me, which we were talking about.’
    She pushed away the document which I held out to her. ‘No, my dear Michel! Your trust is very touching. But I don’t want to seem to be interfering in something which doesn’t concern me.’
    â€˜Are you mad?’ I asked, bursting into laughter and shrugging my shoulders at the same time. ‘As if our interests were not the same! Besides, you told me not to be trusting, to be careful. I intend to prove to you that I am not a child.’
    â€˜Oh! Well, if you say so!’ she muttered, and smiled.
    *
    It was all very clear, as clear as it was unexpected. With a generosity and a broad-mindedness such as I had never known before in my life, Sanders was offering me, during a hunting expedition of a fixed duration of six months and an itinerary that seemed to be detailed and interesting, the following terms: a sum of three hundred and twenty dollars per month, that was equivalent, for the six months, to forty-eight thousand francs. This contract could be extended, either expressly or by tacit renewal, for a further period of either three or six months. At the end of the first six months, I would have the option of keeping the same method of remuneration, or of relinquishing my salary in exchange for receiving a share calculated as five percent of the net profits of the expedition. All this was designed in the most liberal and generous spirit. From the moment of ratification of the contract – and we have seen that Sanders didn’t bother with actually signing it – I was to receive, by way of an advance, the first three months instalments as agreed, plus four hundred dollars for my personal expenses for equipment, and every payment, of whatever type, was to be mine whatever happened afterwards.
    Alzire finished reading, and gave a nod of approval. ‘I can’t see anything there which isn’t absolutely correct.’
    â€˜Really?’ I said excitedly.
    â€˜Yes, it’s all correct. He’s even given you too much, I think. Yes, three hundred and twenty dollars a month for three months, that comes to only nine hundred and sixty. Adding the premium for equipment of four hundred dollars, we get to one thousand three hundred and sixty. The cheque is for two thousand dollars. So there is a difference of six hundred and forty dollars between what is laid down in your contract and what you have just received. I’ve calculated that correctly.’
    â€˜But I told you it’s not all for me. He has written a cheque for two thousand dollars
to round up.
‘‘You will always have bills to pay,’’ he explained, ‘‘and I don’t want you to have to pay for all and sundry. It’s right that you should have something in advance. When this advance is nearly all used up, you only have to let me know.
Voila!’’
    â€˜He’s right. But don’t expect too much, that’s all,’ said Alzire pensively.
    She began to read the contract again, and asked:
    â€˜Five per cent of the net profits of the expedition, what does that consist of?’
    â€˜If I understand correctly what Sanders is thinking,’ I began in a casual tone, ‘he’s not counting on making money from this business. He has an objective which I don’t know about, but I’m certain that he will pay, although he hasn’t confided in me about any of this. Besides, what does it matter as long as my interests at any rate are protected? The way in which I expect to be paid depends only on me. And anyway, the expenses which he is