28 ABOUT ORCHIDS. 
they say. In brief, this was a man who stood no 
nonsense. 
A young fellow-passenger showed much sym- 
pathy while the row went on, and Arnold 
learned with pleasure that he also was bound for 
Caraccas. This young man, whose name it is not 
worth while to cite, presented himself as agent for 
a manufacturer of Birmingham goods. There was 
no need for secrecy with a person of that sort. 
He questioned Arnold about orchids with a blank 
but engaging ignorance of the subject, and before 
the voyage was over he had learned all his friend’s 
hopes and projects. But the deception could not 
be maintained at Caraccas. There Arnold dis- 
covered that the hardware agent was a collector 
and grower of orchids sufficiently well known. He 
said nothing, suffered his rival to start, overtook 
him ata village where the man was taking supper, 
marched in, barred the door, sat down opposite, 
put a revolver on the table, and invited him to 
draw. It should be a fair fight, said Arnold, but 
one of the pair must die. So convinced was the 
traitor of his earnestness—with good reason, too, 
as Arnold’s acquaintances declare—that he slipped 
under the table, and discussed terms of abject sur- 
render from that retreat. So, in due time, Messrs. 
Sander received more than forty thousand plants 
