On the Rocks

by Peter Rhodan

  Radovas and Meries both nodded. “Very good sir. We will see you later then.”

  Oween and Arturo travelled back to where they first met and Arturo braved the frigid water to retrieve another piece of the manifold gold. This time he managed to strip a fairly large piece off the manifold although it did require several dives. He then made another dive and managed to extract a piece of battle armour that was loose. Oween had built up a good fire by the time Arturo had finished his dives and Oween had brought Arturo a spare set of clothes acquired from Ceri so he was able to avoid hyperthermia! The water certainly felt cold enough for that!

  They returned to Dervent late in the day, Dagobert’s horse serving to carry the metal they had retrieved. Quite a bit of work had been done to the inside of the fort and Radovas had decided to order new timber the more rundown barrack block to get it into repair after years of neglect and some raiding by the locals as a source of useful material. The stone lower courses could be re-set easily enough so it should not take too long to get at least one barracks into shape.

  Two days later Arturo closed the deal on the purchase of a farm to the south east of Dervent that backed onto unclaimed land that ran up into the hills. This land was used for grazing by the local farmers under a sort of mutual use agreement and Arturo decided that for the moment he would leave that alone. Ceri and his mother along with Dryffyd were moved with the help of Arturo’s new army and they were soon set up in the farm house on the land Arturo had bought.

  Arturo also made it known in the town and surrounding areas that he was willing to swap coins for gold and soon had a few people wander in to swap their old coins for gold. This gave him a store of coins with which to pay his men and for smaller purchases they needed to keep them supplied. He was kept busy over the next week with getting his men settled and uniformed, supplies of food lined up and consulting with Ceri about matters relating to developing what he intended to become the most advanced iron works on the planet.

  Local iron was smelted by a chap down at Wern and there were supplies of coal locally available as well. Limestone came from the east and cost a bit due to having to be transported overland. There was copper and tin somewhere to the south and Oween was sure there was silver and lead somewhere in the hills further to the east, but he was not sure just how far away.

  Due to his majoring in history he had some idea about ancient technology, mostly weaponry admittedly, but he at least had a little background information and was sure he would be able to get an industrial revolution off the ground, at least in this area although that was presuming he was left alone to get the development going. For starters iron that was produced around here used charcoal which was laboriously baked from wood so one of his first tasks he decided was to introduce coke. This would also provide a stepping stone later for gas and distillates and other such useful products. Exactly what stuff you could get out of coal and coal gas he was not entirely sure but he knew from his readings there were several useful products to be had. Paper was another item that was at the top of his list but he wasn’t entirely sure where to start with that.

  In the end he settled for brick making, fired by coal, as being his first innovation. While he fiddled with that he had Ceri hire some more men and get to work building a dam across the stream that ran through the property they had acquired. This would create a pond from which water would be drawn at a slower but steady rate via a new channel to pass over the new water wheel that was slowly taking shape under the direction of a man from Dervent who was the most accomplished woodworker in the village.

  Iron supplies turned up from the man at Wern and some bronze also arrived from somewhere down south. Apparently, there was a small trading ship that sailed the coast from Wern all the way down to somewhere called Portus Adurni or Aderni or such like, which was a fair distance away apparently. Some supplies of clay suitable for pottery were found and Arturo purchased the whole area from the man who owned it. He soon had the local potter struggling to handle the idea of producing ceramics on a much larger scale using coal for the firing. Bricks from the new brick oven were used to build two new much larger kilns, one for pots, bowls and other food related items with the other designed for firing pipes. He remembered seeing ceramic pipes on a backward planet when the ship he had been serving on at the time had visited and had noted them as being interesting.

  The pipes he had seen had been in the privy he had found the need to use and they had one end larger in diameter than the other and were designed so that each end fitted snugly into the next pipe section. It took some experimentation with moulds to get the shapes right but eventually the potter was able to produce consistent if short lengths of pipe that fitted together properly. He even managed to get some curves and corners made.

  During the second week of intense activity Arturo was surprised one day by Arcadius turning up with Briffet and another man Arturo had not seen before. He was dark haired, dark skinned, with a hook nose and of only average height dressed in fairly normal clothes.

  “Greetings Arturo. I bring you Jacob ben Aharon whose father is an acquaintance of mine. Jacob has come down from his father’s house in Luguwalion and is intending to head on south to Londinium where he has family and but in the meantime is staying with me for a few days.”

  Arturo and Jacob clasped arms. “Greetings Arturo. I am very pleased to meet you. I was amazed at things happening around here when I rode through yesterday and even more when Arcadius explained it was due solely to your efforts.”

  “That is kind of you but I have not achieved much yet.” Arturo demurred.

  “But you have. Everywhere else there is decline and disuse. In Luguwalion a third of the buildings or more are unoccupied and some are even falling down. The Dux has not the money nor the tax base to pay his troops who have become more farmers than soldiers. Stone is replaced by wood, roads are overgrown and once thriving towns are fading away.” He paused and looked around at the busy scene around them with all manner of work going on. “Here there is growth. New buildings, new structures and most importantly, hope in the people’s eyes.”

  Arturo was gratified by this speech, but a little embarrassed as well, feeling that the fellow was going a bit over the top. Yes there was work going on around the place and there had been a trickle of people arriving looking for work as the word spread that things were happening here, he even had a couple of new recruits or his army. And yes a couple of derelict buildings in town were being refurbished and a couple of new living blocks were being built near Ceri’s new workshop. But if this counted as a major revolution then things were worse than he imagined within the Rufanig Empire.

  “You are very kind to say such things but I feel you are overstating the case. In any case what were you doing in Lugowalion?”

  “And why did I have to leave, eh?” He laughed at Arturo’s obvious discomfort, because that had been precisely what Arturo had been thinking. “My father is the head of the small Jewish community there. We do a bit of jewellery, some engraving, scribing work and money lending. It’s just with things there so run down it is hard to find ways that money can be made in the place anymore. My cousin is staying as he has a young family but my father has shipped me off to his uncle’s family in Londinium.”

  “So you have experience with writing and numbers?” Arturo asked. When Jacob nodded he continued. “And you understand how money lending works?”

  “Yes. I am competent at working out interest on capital investments and repayment plans if that is what you mean.”

  “Yes it is. In fact, I am looking for someone like yourself for a small business venture I want to get started. Rather than travel to Londinium, which is a fair distance I understand, would you consider entering into a business relationship here with me?”

  The Jew considered the man in front of him. “What sort of business did you have in mind?”

  Arturo smiled, he was pretty sure he had the fellow. “Well it will sort of be a bit like the money lending that you are used
to but different. It is an idea from my homeland that works very well there, making those that operate it very wealthy, while at the same time it enables businesses and people to grow and expand far more rapidly than they could have without it.”

  Jacob turned his head slightly at an angle and looked closely at Arturo for a moment. “Ah, I did not think you were from around here from your accent. What province of the empire are you from?”

  Arturo blanked his face and decided to be honest, well after a fashion. “I am not from any province of the empire. My homeland is far from here. Very far indeed.”

  “You are from the east then? From somewhere even further than the Persians?” Jacob queried.

  “No. I am from the west, beyond the ocean.” Arturo answered. There that was not exactly a lie.

  “Not from Hibernia surely?”

  “Oh, you mean where the Scotti come from? No. Much further than that. I was captain of a warship that became damaged and had to be abandoned. Most of the crew got into a couple of small secondary boats we had aboard and escaped successfully, at least I hope they did." He paused to assemble his thoughts. He must remember to stick to this story from now on. "I had to help a couple of injured crew from below deck and by that stage there was only a small boat left, which was damaged and after some tribulations we finished up wrecked here.” He finished, opening his hands in a motion of sadness.

  “And your crewmen, where are they?” Jacob asked, trying not to sound too inquisitive as Arturo looked to be genuinely upset by recounting his story. Asking this question caused a pained look to cross Arturo’s features.

  “They did not make it.” He said quietly.

  “I am sorry for that. I beg forgiveness for raising such unhappy memories. As to your business plans, I would be interested in at least hearing more about what you plan, without committing myself, of course.”

  “Good. Would you like to join me for dinner this evening up in the fort. It is still pretty run down but we are gradually making it more liveable.”

  “I will be honoured to join you for dinner, no matter what the state of the fort.” He smiled.

  “Actually.” Arcadius interrupted. “How about you come to dinner at my house Arturo. You can stay the night as I have plenty of room and that way you can talk to Jacob in private.”

  “That is very kind of you Arcadius. I would like Oween to be privy to these talks though, so I doubt you would be so keen to have him stay.” Arturo nodded to where Oween and Briffet were quietly talking.

  “I am not overjoyed at the idea but at least I’ll be able to keep an eye on him under my own roof.” He grimaced but Arturo began to think that perhaps Arcadius was softening his attitude towards Oween.

  “Excellent. Very kind of you Arcadius. We will endeavour to not be too late!”

  Arturo extracted Oween from Briffet and the two returned to what they had been doing before Arcadius had arrived. Jacob indicated a desire to have a look at some of things Arturo had been implementing and the three headed off to where the pottery kilns were.

  That night Arturo and Oween were welcomed into Arcadius’ house by their host. Briffet and Jacob were waiting in the meal room. Arcadius referred to himself as traditional Ruman, or Rufanig as the locals named their conquerors, which in many ways he was. But in others he had adopted local customs. Arcadius had abandoned the traditional Rufanig reclining couches for local chairs around a table for eating, amongst other things. His house, which dated back several generations, still included a room with the traditional couches, something he pointed out as they went past, but he found the custom was bad for the digestion in his old age, or so he claimed.

  The house itself was very similar to the Lady Breanna’s one, a little larger, a little more ornate. The mosaics on the floors were more impressive, some with what Arturo decided were religious motifs besides the geometric patterns. His farm complex was in the same layout as the other house but a little larger with animal husbandry buildings down both sides of the courtyard behind the main building. As soon as they were seated the questions started.

  Jacob had been intrigued by the large pond or small lake that was being created above where the new smithy was. “The pond is a good idea to ensure you get a steady flow of water, but I would not have thought it needed to be that high above where the wheel was going in.” He commented, having seen where the supports for the axle the wheel would be mounted on were being built.

  Arturo smiled. “Ah, but you see we a putting in an overshot wheel, not an undershot one. Gets around the problem of water flow totally. Buckets are designed to carry enough water to move the wheel and none is wasted as happens with a lot of the water that flows below the undershot ones.”

  “Interesting. I have heard of such in Gallia but never seen one. So what else have you in store for us I wonder?” He asked.

  “Well let's start with a thing called a ‘company’ where I come from. This is a legal entity in its own right, rather like a person. It is comprised of two or more investors who put money in and are issued shares to the value of their investment.” He paused trying to gauge if the Jew was following him.

  “Like a partnership?” Jacob inquired.

  “Sort of. Except it is open to any number of people and the shares can be bought and sold later on. Normally the people owning the shares are not actually involved in running the company, hiring a professional in the field to do that, although the performance of the company is reviewed each year by them or a selected panel voted by the shareholders.”

  “Hmmm. I think I follow although I don’t really see the advantages.” The man certainly looked puzzled.

  “Well take the smithy for instance. We intend to put in an iron furnace. Where I come from we know how to use a modified form of coal in the furnace instead of charcoal, so we must build a plant to do that. Then there’s the water wheels, of which we will need three or four fairly soon. And besides that there are the drop forges and die cutting assemblies that the wheels will power, besides bellows for the furnace. And so on. Far too much for Ceri to fund so we are going to set up a company. He will get shares to an agreed value to reflect his expertise and he will be made manager. I will be putting up most of the money but not necessarily all. Oween wants to put a bit in too and so does Radovas.”

  “I think I understand better now. But you said it will be a legal entity like a person?”

  “Yes. So it will be responsible for any contracts signed, goods ordered, and so forth. Not the manager. If legal action is needed to be taken to recover a debt for instance the company is who will be sued and whose assets will be seized to be sold to pay the amount owing. Of course in a bad situation like that the manager will have to face the panel of owners who may not be happy!”

  Jacob nodded smiling. Arturo continued. “It is set up like this because the shares can be bought and sold in a share marketplace. Thus over time the share owners may change drastically. The real purpose though is to ensure continuity over generations while allowing amateurs like myself to invest in specialised concerns like iron working without any knowledge of the practical operation of such a concern.”

  “Interesting idea. I will have to consider this concept at some length but I think I can see some of the benefits.”

  “Good because one of the first companies I want to start is a thing called a ‘bank’ where I come from. It is a company that specialises in borrowing and lending money which I rather thought may be something you might be interested in.”

  “Indeed. Especially since my father and his ancestors have been moneylenders forever. It is something I know a good deal about, although I am not sure why you would need to borrow money. I am missing something obviously, yes?” He looked genuinely intrigued and was clearly enjoying being presented with new ideas.

  “Well you see one of the things that a bank offers is security. People can lend their money to the bank for safe keeping rather than dig a hole in the back yard or whatever." He glanced at Arcadius who had produced some coins i
n exchange for gold from Arturo's ship to help ease Arturo’s payment problems. "The bank will have a very secure vault and armed guards to protect the money and valuables people deposit with them. For valuables the bank just offers a safe place to store them. For money the bank will pay interest to the people on the money they deposit. Only a low rate of interest but still something. Tell me, what is the going rate if I wanted to borrow money from your father?”

  Jacob looked at him for a few moments. “Well assuming you are someone known to us and have good assets like a house or farm, then usually one part in ten for up to a year.”

  Arturo nodded. “Well the bank we will build here will be lending money at five percent, that is one part in twenty, per year. It will pay those that deposit money with it one part in fifty per year. The difference is three parts in a hundred from which the bank will pay its staff and other expenses.”

  “That is a very cheap rate.” Jacob commented looking a bit sour.

  “True, but it is both a fair one and one people will be willing to pay. People will have to offer collateral to borrow money, for instance if I wanted to buy a house, the money I borrow from the bank would be upon the house so if I fail to make the payments the bank could step in and sell the house to get its money back.”

  “Interesting. You will upset my father and other money lenders when they hear of it as you be offering a cheap alternative to their loans.”

  “They will just have to follow suit. Our advantage will be all the money people deposit as they get used to the idea. It will give our bank a lot more money to lend out than any one person could raise on their own. Even a family group for that matter”

  Jacob considered this aspect of the proposal for a few moments. “Yes, I can see that. Actually I think the real problem will be how the Dux reacts to all this.” And here he waved his arm about. “Maximus is not an easy man to get along with, my father calls him a grating leech. Behind his back of course.”