Спрут: Калифорнийская история
Chapter IX
Bagsweresometimesfourcentsapiece,andhehaddecidedtobuildhiselevatorandbulkhisgraintherein,ratherthantoincurthisexpense.Onlyasmallpartofhiswheat—thatonNumberThreedivision—hadbeensacked.Alltherest,practicallytwo-thirdsoftheentireharvestofLosMuertos,nowfounditselfwarehousedinhisenormouselevatoratPortCosta.
ToacertaindegreeithadbeenthedesireofobservingtheworkingofhissystemofhandlingthewheatinbulkthathaddrawnS.BehrmantoPortCosta.Butthemorepowerfulmotivehadbeencuriosity,nottosaydownrightsentiment.Solonghadheplannedforthisdayoftriumph,soeagerlyhadhelookedforwardtoit,thatnow,whenithadcome,hewishedtoenjoyittoitsfullestextent,wishedtomissnofeatureofthedisposalofthecrop.Hehadwatcheditharvested,hehadwatchedithauledtotherailway,andnowwouldwatchitasitpouredintotheholdoftheship,wouldevenwatchtheshipassheclearedandgotunderway.
Hepassedthroughthewarehousesandcameoutuponthedockthatranparallelwiththeshoreofthebay.Agreatquantityofshippingwasinview,barquesforthemostpart,CapeHorners,great,deepseatramps,whoseiron-shodforefeethadpartedeveryoceantheworldroundfromRangoontoRioJaneiro,andfromMelbournetoChristiania.Somewerestillinthestream,loadedwithwheattothePlimsollmark,readytodepartwiththenexttide.Butmanyotherslaidtheirgreatflanksalongsidethedocksandatthatmomentwerebeingfilledbyderrickandcranewiththousandsuponthousandsofbagsofwheat.
