”You don’t care much about the money, do you?”
He chuckled and tucked his hands more comfortably behind his head. “You’re beginning to figure me out, young lady. Nope. Not like some scouts and guides, anyway.” He winked. “That’s not to say I’d be averse to picking up a nice little treasure if I had the chance. But for me, it’s the learning that’s the kick. It’s why Kit’s rich and I’m broke. He likes to learn, too. Isn’t a scout alive who doesn’t. But he cares more about the money than I do and truthfully … I think he’s a lot luckier than I am.”
”People make their own luck,” Margo said with surprising vehemence.
He glanced into her eyes, then smiled “Well, yes. Maybe they do. You’re here, after all. And I’d have bet money you’d never get this far.”
She flushed. “Thanks. I think.”
Malcolm laughed. “Well, considering the first thing you did in La-La Land was get lost in Residential … Straighten the rudder, Margo. We’re headed for the river bank again.”
She put out her tongue and steered for the central current again. It was a glorious day for a sail, perfect weather and perfect company, but as they neared the new port, river traffic grew much thicker. Malcolm took over and steered a course toward the far bank to get the best view possible when they neared what should be the spot for the new harbor facility.
”There are a lot of boats coming up river,” Margo commented.
”Ostia’s the grain port for Rome. Italian agriculture’s in trouble, mostly for economic reasons. Almost all of Rome’s food supply, grain in particular, is imported In fact, Rome imports far more than she exports. Take that, for instance.” He pointed to a heavily laded corbita, a kind of heavy freighter, passing majestically on its way upriver. “Those amphorae probably contain wine or olive oil, I can’t see the markings at this distance to be sure. Those bales are Egyptian cotton and imported luxury goods.” A barge towed by scaphae followed Huddled on its decks were miserable, half-naked men and women in chains.