Wild Norene by Johnston McCulley
Page 12
“Connor is the man you want. He’s
down to bedrock this man Jack Connor
your filibuster. Punish him for it, and
pitched into Riney for some reason and
welcome, for he made my ship a dishonest
beat him up. Riney saw me watching him,
vessel in spite of me. You can take the rest
and I think he guessed I was on to him, for
of us to Mazatlan for trial, if you want. I
he sneaked away.
can prove my innocence. Question the
“Then this man Connor told me he
crew, if you like!”
would act as my mate until we got to
Garza grinned again.
Mazatlan, then run back to this, cove on
“That story doesn’t sound good.”
some little boat. I was to deduct regular
“Why did you find me bound then?
mate’s wages from what I charged him for
Why wouldn’t I be on deck putting up a
handling his machinery. I was anxious to
fight? You know my history. Do you think
sail, and I took him up.”
you’d have taken this ship so easily if I’d
“Well?”
been running guns?”
“Let me get this straight now,” said
“There’s something in that,” the
Wild Norene
47
Mexican officer said.
“Girl!” the captain screeched.
He turned and looked at Connor.
“It’s true—true! You sha’n’t have
“What have you to say?” he an innocent man executed! You must face demanded.
your crime yourself! I’m telling the truth,
Connor had been thinking swiftly.
senor,” she added, facing Garza again.
Captain Bill had plotted well. He could
“Ask Guerrero—he has no reason to hate
send Connor before an execution squad.
this man, but he has reason to hate my
“I’ve nothing to say,” Connor uncle now, because he failed to land the growled.
cargo. Go back to the States and find who
“You admit it is true?”
bought the arms and cartridges!”
“I’m not talking! “
She was sobbing as she spoke, for
Garza faced Captain Bill again.
she began to realize the consequences of
“If this is true, I am glad for your
what she was saying.
sake,” he said. “But I’m not certain.”
Connor
realized,
too, with horror.
Connor was still thinking. Either he
The girl was freeing him, but condemning
would pay the penalty, else Captain Bill
her uncle—and perhaps herself.
and Norene would pay it. He didn’t care for
“Girl—girl!
You’ve
just killed me!”
Captain Bill, but Norene was innocent; had
said Captain Bill, surprise and horror in his
been horrified when she discovered what
voice.
her uncle was doing.
Garza was looking at him
Perhaps there’d be some chance of
searchingly.
escape after Captain Bill got Norene and
“This matter can be investigated
the Amingo away.
and the guilt fixed,” he said. “I think,
“It’s up to me!” he told Garza Captain Adams, that your little plot has suddenly. “What the captain, says is true.
been in vain.”
But you haven’t executed me yet by a long
Captain Adams cursed, cursed his
shot—”
niece, cursed Connor, cursed the Mexican
“So!” Garza cried, “Iron him, men!
officer and his men, and Senor Guerrero
He’s tried to run guns for the last time!”
most of all.
Two of the men started toward
“Silence!” Garza commanded, and
Connor.
called a subordinate to him. “Take charge
Norene, her face white, stepped of this schooner and follow the gunboat to before him. Connor never forgot how she
Mazatlan. A squad here! Bind these
looked just then.
prisoners well and have them taken aboard
“Wait!” she cried. “It isn’t true! My
the gunboat. Watch the captain carefully,
uncle has lied to you! He alone is guilty!
and have his guard a double one. Senor
“Wait—listen to me! He Connor, too. And the girl—
shanghaied this man in Astoria—
“Take the girl aboard the gunboat,
shanghaied him, and one of his friends, too.
but keep her in irons. She’s as bad as her
This man had spoken lightly of me. My
uncle. She’s known in every port. She’s
uncle swore he’d punish him for it. slippery as an eel.”
Guerrero tied my uncle, at his orders. My
Two of the men caught Connor just
uncle admitted to me what he was going to
as he launched himself at the Mexican
do—that he was going to send this man to
officer.
his death, and go free himself.”
“Watch the girl closely!” Garza
All-Story Cavalier Weekly
48
went on, ignoring the American. “I don’t
of a trial in Mazatlan. With the country in
know why she’s turned against the captain,
such a state, the trial would be over and
but that makes no difference. You all heard
they’d be executed before a United States
her testimony here. We’ll make her repeat
consul could even make a protest.
it—and it’ll send her uncle before a firing
But he held Wild Norene in his
squad. Lively, now!”
arms for the moment, and that was because
“You dare lay hands on me?”
she sought a refuge in her grief, not
Norene had ceased her weeping. because of love. Even as he thought these Her tiny hands were clenched at her sides,
things she drew away from him and stood
her eyes blazed.
in the circle of Mexicans, watching Garza’s
“You curs!” she cried. “I accused
squad smash in the tops of the cases.
my uncle to save an honest man, not
She tried to explain to herself why
because I hated my father’s brother. And
she had not let Connor be taken to his death
he’s a better man than any five of you!
while her uncle escaped. What was Connor
He’s an American and I’m an American,
to her?
and you can punish us for such an offense
She answered herself that she had
if we are guilty—but you’ll treat us done it because of the dread of seeing an decently until we’re proved so!
honest man suffer for the crime of
“You’re going too fast, my fine another—and because she had real love for Mexican officer—entirely too fast aboard
her uncle after all, that he was her ideal,
an American ship. We have a right to stop
and she didn’t want that ideal shattered,
here and land cargo, haven’t we?”
didn’t want her uncle to lower himself by
“Scarcely, when that cargo is putting the blame on another.
contraband of such a nature, my
dear young
It was over now, she thought.
lady,” Garza smilingly reminded her.
Prison, perhaps death—at least for her
“We’re lost, I suppose. But we’ll
uncle and his crew, and perhaps for herself.
bother you as much as we can!” she went
Or, if she escaped, there would be endless
on. “You’ll take every step in a legal years to remember that she had condemned manner! Perhaps, before you remove us to
her father’s brother with her words—the
the gunboat, you’d better be sure the cargo
man who had been like a second father to
is contraband. Not all-of us will be her.
executed—and the man who is not you
A cry from Garza caused all to turn
may be sure will see that you suffer if
toward him. The lid of the first case was
every step is not legal.”
off. Here were no rifles, no cartridges—
Garza, smiling, bowed before her
here were chunks of scrap iron, stones,
with fine sarcasm.
packed with heavy paper!
“Very well, senorita,” he said. “A
A smothered oath came from the
squad! Smash in those cases and we’ll have
Mexican.
a look. If you’ll pardon me, senorita, I was
“Smash them in—all of them!” he
about to do so, to make the evidence sure.”
commanded in his own language.
She turned toward her uncle,
They waited in consternation—
weeping, but he repulsed her.
Captain Bill, Norene, Connor, Morgan and
Connor clasped her in his arms. It
the crew.
was all foolery, he knew. They’d be taken
Case after case was opened—all
aboard the gunboat, there would be a farce
scrap iron and heavy paper and stones!
Wild Norene
49
Some one laughed hoarsely. Some one searchlight died out. Captain Bill Adams cursed.
roared out an order, and men sprang to
It was a miracle, almost. Norene
touch match to the lights of the Amingo.
had not known. She had spoken as she did
Forgetting the predicament, the
without reason, on the verge of hysteria.
certain death he had faced, Captain Bill
Garza ordered his men below—but
was himself again.
they found no contraband.
“’Tend to the wounded!” he roared.
“I scarcely think you’ll trouble us
“And bless the swindlers that sold the junta
further,” Norene said to him when he scrap iron for rifles!”
returned to the deck. “By the way, you and
Connor stretched his cramped
your men in the Mexican service are on the
muscles and made his way from the
deck of a ship flying the United States flag.
forecastle to the deck. He had been
You’ve fired a shot across our bows, dressing a bad wound in Morgan’s leg. The attacked our crew, seized the ship. The
Amingo was on her way again, and day had
United States government shall hear of broken, and the sea danced in the sunshine.
this!”
The Mexican coast was red with
Captain Bill Adams, coming from
poinsettias. In the distance the gunboat
his lethargy, suddenly realized the steamed toward the south.
situation.
Wild Norene stood beside the rail,
“Off my ship, you scum!” he looking at the distant warship.
roared. “Into your boats! Take us to
Connor stepped up beside her.
Mazatlan, will you? Not without evidence!
“Why did you do it?” he asked
Off my ship!”
softly. “Why didn’t you let me die, let your
Garza was an officer who knew uncle live? You didn’t know, when you when he was whipped. He knew as well as
spoke, that the junta had been fooled, that it
any man that Captain Bill Adams had put
would turn out such a farce. Why did you
into that cove to land contraband.
do it, Norene?”
He wasn’t sure who was fooled—
“I didn’t want to think my uncle
Captain Bill or himself—but he had an
would hide behind another man, put his
inkling that it was both.
guilt on another man, even if to do
With poor grace he ordered his men
otherwise meant his death.”
into their boats after, releasing the
“And that was the only reason?” he
members of the Amingo’s crew. He would
asked.
have to be satisfied with Riney, a murderer,
“That—and
because—because—
and with Guerrero, who was wanted on
maybe—Wild Norene has been tamed,” she
other charges of inciting rebellion.
whispered.
And down in his soul he hoped he
And the man at the wheel whistled
never would hear from the incident again.
softly as she turned and went into Connor’s
The boats pulled away. The arms in token of sweet surrender.