CHAPTER XII
THE STORY OF SMUGGLING
"Between this country and Mexico," began the deputy, "there's a stripof land called the border--on one side U. S., and on the otherGreaser-land. You know all about that. Across this border run severalroads--passages into and from Mexico. And each of these roads ispatroled by United States officers.
"These men are placed there for a purpose, and one purpose among othersis to prevent the illegal sending into the States of Chinamen. You seeonly so many foreigners from each nation are allowed to settle in theUnited States each year, and once that quota is reached, no more willbe admitted. Naturally there are always men who want to come to the"Land of Plenty" and make their fortunes, but unless these men arewithin the quota for that year, they are forbidden to enter. AllChinese are forbidden entry and have been for several years.
"But there are ways and means of getting around that situation.Suppose a Chinaman wants to become rich. The first thing he thinksabout is America. All he has to do in America, he thinks, is to bendover and pick up the gold pieces that are lying in heaps all over thestreets.
"So the Chinaman makes up his mind to come to America. He goes to FoyLee, a slick friend of his, to find out about it. Foy Lee says 'Goodthing you see me. Sure. I fix you up. Easy. You want go America?All light. Can do. You got fifteen hundred dollah?' Now where woulda poor Chink get fifteen hundred dollars? He tells Foy Lee there ain'tthat much money in the world. So Foy Lee starts thinkin'. He rubs thetop of his head, blinks his eyes, and grunts twice. Then he says, 'youstill want go America?' 'Sure!' our Chink answers. 'All light,' saysFoy Lee. 'You come with me.' The rascal knows all the time what todo, only he wants to make it seem hard, so he can get his little rakeoff.
"Foy Lee takes his friend to an office over on a side street in someChinese city. There he meets a man who guarantees him passage to U. S.if the Chink will just sign the paper. That's all--no money nornuthin'--only sign the paper an' he gets to America. What is thepaper? Oh, just a promise that the Chink will pay the company that'ssending him all his future wages--less enough for food--until fifteenhundred dollars have been paid. Just a mere matter of slavery, that'swhat it amounts to.
"But the Chink signs. What's fifteen hundred in the land of 'plentydollah?' Now our Chink is put on a vessel bound for Mexico. There heis met by an agent of the same company that put him on board in China.
"This agent takes him to a town, near the border--say Presidio, or somesuch place. Then the real fun begins. The company notifies their manat headquarters that the Chink has arrived and is ready to be shippedacross the border. Headquarters looks up the Chink's bond that hesigned in China, and which has been received through the mail, andsends back word that everything is O. K., that the Chink, with severalothers, is to be handed to a smuggler at a certain spot, to be smuggledover the border. And when the Chink is so delivered the company's partends.
"After this the Chink's fate is in the hands of the smugglers, and ifthey get caught, and the poor coot is sent back to China again by theemigration authorities, he's still got to pay that fifteen hundred,although all he got for his money was a long ride and hard treatment.
"The border runners take their consignment of Chinese and either packthem in the back of an auto or wagon, or arrange to smuggle them acrosssome other way. If they're lucky, they get through. If not they gethauled up by the border officers, and the runners get jail and theChinks are sent back to their native land. And even if they do getthrough the lines the Chinks' troubles aren't over, for at any timethey're liable to be pulled in for not having what they call a 'chockgee,' which is a government paper signifying they are here lawfully andnot by smuggling. I told you about that before.
"And that's how the game works. These smugglers get hold of a ranchnear the border so they can hide their Chinks when they get themacross, until the time is set to turn them loose. 'Course I can't saythat's what this place has been used for. But it would be great forit."
The narrator paused and the Boy Ranchers drew long breaths ofexcitement.
"Well, boys, what do you think about it?"
The tall deputy looked from one to the other. He was prepared for adeluge of questions, and they came.
"Can't the Chinese counterfeit this 'chock gee'?"
"Who gets the fifteen hundred dollars?"
"Has that smuggling been going on here--near the Shooting Star?"
"Cease firing!" the deputy laughed. "I'll answer Bud's question first.Yes, it _has_ been going on here--right past Roaring River. That's howour marshal got shot up--tryin' to stop a load of Chinks from gettin'through.
"That fifteen hundred, Dick, is divided between the men who actually dothe running, and the company that ships the Chinks to Mexico. Thesmugglers get about five hundred a head for every man they get in. The'chock gee' is often counterfeited, but not very successfully. It'sprinted like a government bank bill, and is just as hard to fake."
For some time the discussion about smuggling went on. The deputy toldof the different tricks resorted to by the border runners in gettingtheir human cargo safely into the United States, and to what lengthsthey will go to prevent capture. Boats are also used to transport theChinese to the American seacoast, Hawkins said, and if, by chance, therunners were caught with a load of prospective undesirable Americansthey got out of the difficulty by the simple expedient of dumping theChinese into the sea.
Another method of transportation was for the smugglers to put off in asmall craft from a Mexican port, with a cargo of barrels and Chinese.When the boat neared the United States coast the Chinese would benailed in the barrels and thrown overboard, to trust to the mercies ofFate to bring them ashore. Often the wind blows in an offshoredirection, which spells death to the floating Chinese; weeks later theyare found dead, when the barrels pile up on some distant coast.
This system of sneaking Chinese into this country was well established,said Hawkins, and the smugglers make use of scouts in small cars beforethey attempt to bring a load of Chinese across the line. These scoutsride swiftly along the route of the proposed entry, and locate,definitely, the position of each border patrol, so that when the run isactually made the driver of the car filled with Chinese knows the spotsto avoid.
Of course the Boy Ranchers were chiefly interested in the part theirnew Shooting Star property might have played in this game of smuggling.
"And the fellow that lived here is the local head of that system!" Budexclaimed. "Say, we let a rare bird go when he escaped."
"We've still got a chance to get him," Dick declared. "He must bearound somewhere. That note--you saw the note we found, didn't you,Mr. Hawkins?--well, that indicated we might look for another visit fromthe coot. The Kid will be glad to see him, eh, Kid?"
"An' I don't mean maybe!" Yellin' Kid exploded. "Stealin' the bestbronc I ever had--just when I was gettin' him broken in proper--an' meaway out here in the wilderness with nothin' to ride----"
"I'll get you a pony," the deputy offered. "There's one I know ofthat's a beaut--fast and strong. Friend of mine wants to sell her."
"I'd be sure grateful if you'd do that, mister. It sort of hits mehard, losin' a good bronc like that."
"It wasn't your fault, Kid," Bud hastened to say. "And Dad will insiston buying you another. So if Mr. Hawkins knows of one that will suityou, take it. You'll fix him up with a horse then, Mr. Hawkins?"
"Depend on it," the tall deputy declared. "Now to business. I've toldyou boys all I knew about the way smuggling is being done around here,but I didn't do it just to be interestin'. I want you-all to help me."
"Sure!"
"That's what we're here for!"
"No, we're not, Kid," Bud corrected. "We're here to herd sheep. Butwe'll certainly help Mr. Hawkins all we can."
"Here's the dope, boys," and the deputy leaned closer. "This Deltonmay or may not have been doin' business here at the ranch. If he hasbeen, an' I'm goin' to figger that way, his friends
still expect him tobe here. He left in too much of a hurry to send out word. An' here'swhere you-all come in.
"I want you to pretend the ranch hasn't changed hands. Just lay lowfor a while, not travelin' 'round much, an' we'll see what happens. Idon't mind tellin' you we got another tip, that some Chinks were goin'to be rushed across within the next few days. Can't say just when, butsoon now. It's a big load this time, an' if things work the way Ithink they will, they'll try to land them at this ranch."
"You mean they'll think Delton is still here?" Nort inquired excitedly.
"Yes. Of course I may be wrong--that may not be the plans at all. ButI've got pretty good reasons for thinkin' I'm right. We sort ofsuspected that the Shootin' Star was bein' used for illegal purposes,but we never had a chance to prove it. The place was too well guarded,and without a warrant you can't go on another's property. I knew we'dnot find anything if we did search the place, for the Chinks are onlylanded at night, and shipped away the next morning; scattered all overthe country. They all look so much alike it's hard to tell 'em apart."
"So you never really saw Delton?" asked Nort.
"Nope--never have. He never came to town--whatever stuff he wanted hesent his men in for."
"Told you!" Billee Dobb cried. "I knew he never saw the geezer! Justlike I said--nobody was allowed in here with a badge on."
"Right again," the Kid said with a grin. "Billee's the only one ofthis gang that seems to know his stuff."
"Well, that's the plan, boys," stated Mr. Hawkins. "Are you with me?"
"You bet!"
"Bring on the smugglers!"
"Kid, here's your chance to find out what became of your shirt!"
"Wait!" the deputy held up his hand. "We can't go into this thing likethat, boys! It's too dangerous. Enough men have been killed now bythe smugglers, and I don't want to add to the list. I thought a longtime before I came over this morning, and I finally decided I'd take achance on you. When I met you first I knew you were dependable men.Remember--this is no joke! We've got to be ready to take what comes!"
The faces of the boys sobered in an instant.
"I guess you'll find you weren't far wrong," Bud said quietly. "We'vebeen in a few tight squeezes before--I suppose you heard of Del Pinzo?"
"Certainly. He was captured and jailed a while ago. Don't knowwhether he got out since or not."
"Well, we are the ones who put him there," Bud went on in a quiet tone.
"No! Why say,--I remember you now! I saw you bring him in! Well,well! So that's the way of things! Boys, I'm sure glad I met you!Between us we ought to make a go of this. So you captured Del Pinzo!Now here's another job for you. What do you think of this idea?"
The boys leaned close as they prepared to hear the deputy's plan.
Boy Ranchers on Roaring River; Or, Diamond X and the Chinese Smugglers Page 12