While these events were taking place in Saumur, Charles was making his fortune in the East Indies. His first trading venture, to begin with, had been very successful, and he had quickly realized a sum of six thousand dollars. Crossing the line cured him of many prejudices; he perceived that the best way to make money in the tropics, as in Europe, was to buy and sell men; so he made a descent upon the coast of Africa and bargained for Negroes and other merchandise which could be profitably disposed of at the various markets his interests led him to. Flt had no thought or time to spare for anything but business. His one idea was to return to Paris clothed in all the glamour of great wealth, and to achieve a position there even more splendid than the one from which he had fallen.