168 SELLINGLUMBER 



still and shriveled up with fear, while other men preached con- 

 servation and deliberation, one young salesman made plans to 

 capitalize aggressiveness. That young salesman was Nathan Roth- 

 schild, whose grandson died last year in London, head of ad- 

 mittedly the most influential family in the world. With young 

 Rothschild to think was to act. So aggressive had he grown to be 

 that some business men rated him an unsafe risk. When con- 

 ditions had reached their worst, young Rothschild called his book- 

 keeper and gave him quick but careful instructions. "I am going 

 across to the Continent," he said, "where I shall see either the 

 downfall of Napoleon or his triumph. If Napoleon goes down I 

 shall send a letter to myself a blank sheet of paper in an en- 

 velope. When you get this, buy English bonds. Buy as quickly 

 as you can, using as many men as you are able to hire. Spend all 

 the money you can and buy up to within five points of par." Then 

 young Rothschild rode away on horseback. He left a man with 

 a strong and fast horse every forty miles between London and 

 Dover, and then on the other side of the channel between Calais 

 and Brussels. At Calais he stationed a swift yacht and he prom- 

 A T , ised her skipper a reward of a hundred guineas if he crossed back 



of One Man's over the channel within four hours after receiving a special letter 

 Aggressiveness addressed to Nathan Rothschild. He also promised rich reward 

 to each rider if he rode his forty miles in less than four hours. 

 History tells us that young Rothschild watched away the night of 

 the 17th of June circling uneasily the outposts of Brussels. He 

 saw the battle of Waterloo or such of that mad confusion as 

 was visible. He saw the French ride headlong into that open 

 ^ ditch he saw the last stand of the Old Guard. At nightfall he 

 drew the girth of his saddle a hole tighter, threw away his pistols 

 and his coat and his hat, and rode off on a gentle gallop. Soon 

 he must have been riding each mile in less than five minutes, be- 

 cause he rode sixty miles that night in five hours, using up three 

 horses, and the rider to whom he finally tossed his saddle bags 

 asked no questions, but, leaping astride his horse dived into the 

 darkness and was gone. Twenty-four hours before London knew 

 that Wellington had won, young Rothschild's firm had stuffed into 

 its vaults practically every English 'security that was then in 

 England. While other men had stood still and shriveled up with 

 fear; while other men had been counseling conservatism and de- 

 liberation, one young salesman had quickly invested a young man's 

 aggressiveness and capitalized the golden opportunity of the hour. 



