The Seekers

by F. M. Parker

  Levi fell in beside Errin. Chun took a position away from Errin on the opposite side of Levi. She walked two steps behind the men.

  * * *

  “Tell us the complete story how you were brought to San Francisco,” Levi said to the Chinese girl. She was seated facing Errin and him with her slender, fine-boned body tense and erect, and her jet black eyes watching them warily, suspiciously. She seemed so vulnerable that he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her she was completely safe with him.

  Chun gripped her hands nervously together and prepared herself to reply. She was with the men in the house they had reached after a long walk along dark streets. Both were staring at her. The gray eyes and the blue eyes of the white men— looking out from their long, bony faces, so different from her people—seemed cold and uncaring. The man called Errin was the worst. His lips were stretched into a thin smile as if he wasn’t prepared to believe anything she said. She focused on Levi and wondered how she should begin.

  She took a deep breath. “I never thought of coming to America. It happened because of the buyer of girls on The Street of Merchants near the waterfront in Canton. He had bought many pretty girls that would be taken to America to become the wives of Chinamen who had become wealthy here. Fathers can sell their daughters, you understand, and it is often done. Among the girls, there were several that had been sold against their will. As the group was being taken to the ship that would transport them, some of the girls broke away and ran. The buyer’s men ran after them and easily caught them. I happened to be on the waterfront and they also grabbed me and forced me onto the ship. The buyer did not believe me when I told him I was not one he had purchased. Or he acted as if he did not. I was locked aboard the ship with the others and brought over the sea to your country.

  “I did not want to be owned by some man who would beat me, but there was nothing I could do until we arrived here. When they loaded us into carriages to be taken to be sold, I knew I had to escape. I cut the rope that held the door closed and ran.” Her eyes fastened upon Levi and softened, became almost worshipping. “You bravely helped me when those men would have captured me. Somehow I must repay you.”

  “She was kidnapped plain and simple,” Levi said, saddened by the wretched manner in which the girl had been treated.

  “So she tells us,” Errin said with a skeptical expression.

  “You don’t believe her?”

  “What else could she say to get help to escape?” Errin still chafed at the girl’s action that had gotten Levi into a fight with men who could have killed him.

  “Well like I told those two fellows who were chasing her, one person can’t own another.”

  “In China they can. Can’t they, miss?”

  “Yes. But I’m telling you the truth. The buyer did not purchase me, and I was forced to come to America.”

  “I believe you,” Levi said.

  “If as you say you were forced to come to America, how is it you speak English?” Errin asked brusquely. “It takes more time than crossing the ocean to learn a foreign language.”

  Chun looked steadily at the doubting Errin. This man must be convinced she spoke the truth. “My family was very poor, as are many families in China. Worse still, all my father’s six children were girls, and girls have little value. All parents want sons so they can care for them when they get old.” She looked from Errin to Levi wanting them to understand her plight. “To help my father and mother, I went to the American Baptist Missionaries who had an orphanage in Canton. I worked there at the orphanage taking care of the children. The missionaries taught me English so I could understand their Bible and explain it to the children.”

  “Well what do you think now?” Levi said to Errin.

  “All right, Levi, I’ll go along with you and her. But she’s trouble. She’s very pretty and must be worth several thousand dollars to some lonely Chinaman who has struck it rich here in America.”

  She is pretty, thought Levi, as his heart pounded away. “Chun, you’ve got to watch out for the ship’s captain for he’ll be looking for you.”

  “Yes, I know for he was responsible for delivering me safely here to be sold.”

  “I will help you get passage money back to China,” Levi said.

  To Levi’s surprise, the Chinese girl began to vigorously shake her head no. “Now that I am in your land of the Gum Shan, the Mountains of Gold, I will stay and work very hard and become rich. Then I will return home.”

  “Everybody wants to get rich here,” Levi said.

  “It’ll be a damn sight harder for her to do it than us,” Errin said.

  “I would imagine so,” Levi replied. “Now, Errin, just because she’s staying the night with us, doesn’t mean you can treat her like you did the pickpocket.”

  Chun glanced from Levi to Errin and back. What did that mean?

  “She’s yours, Levi, not mine. You decide what you want to do with her.”

  “She belongs to nobody. She’s free to go where she wants and do what she wants.”

  “You’re wrong about that. A young Chinese girl like her wouldn’t be safe on the street for ten minutes. One of the Chinese tongs would make her a prisoner and sell her, or a pimp would grab her and make her a whore.”

  “She can stay here until she finds a safe place with her own people in Chinatown.”

  Errin shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said, she’s yours to do with as you please.”

  “Chun, you’re welcome to stay here until you find a safe place to live,” Levi said. “I’ll get you some blankets, and you can make a pallet to sleep on in this room.”

  Chun arose from her chair. “Thank you. I will be no trouble to you.” She bowed to Levi. Then to Errin but not nearly so low. “May I have my knife, please,” she said to Errin.

  “Just don’t cut my throat with it while I sleep,” Errin said and gave her the knife.

  * * *

  Chun pulled the blanket Levi had given her close about her. She was safe for the night, if the men had told the truth and didn’t want her.

  But the immensity of being all alone in America lay heavily upon her. She had no concept of the risks and perils she had fallen into. She must be very careful. The captain of the ship that had transported her over the ocean would surely be searching for her. And what of the pimps and the tongs Errin had said were on the streets and would take her captive and make her a slave?

  How was she to survive in this foreign land of America where danger seemed to be everywhere? How could she become rich when just staying alive and free might not be possible? She had spoken bravely to the two men, so why was she now trembling?

  Chapter 19

  “What should we do with Chun?” Levi asked. “Do you think it’s safe for her to be seen on the street?”

  “The first thing you should do is take the China girl to bed and put a smile on her face,” Errin said.

  “Her name’s Chun, and don’t talk about her that way,” Levi retorted.

  The two men were in their office, with Errin by the door and ready to leave and Levi behind his desk covered with rosters of men and invoices.

  “Well, she hasn’t smiled even once that I ever saw,” Errin said, amused at Levi’s reply. He hadn’t been joking with his suggestion. He had observed how the China girl often looked at Levi, her dark eyes lingering lovingly upon him. Levi had seemed embarrassed by her obvious interest. If Levi ever overcame his bashfulness, then perhaps Chun would not be leaving their house.

  “She’s just a girl, Levi, prettier than most, but still just a girl and wanting some man to show he cares about her. In this case that’s you. She wants that more than anything else right now, certainly more than you putting her someplace else to live.”

  “You’re wrong, she just feels grateful toward me. I don’t want to take advantage of her. I’ll find a proper place for her and that’ll end it.”

  “She’s feeling more than grateful.”

  “I don’t see it, so that must make me a f
ool.”

  “No partner of mine could be a fool. But the next time you’re alone with her, reach out for her and see what she does.”

  “I’ll not do that. Just stay out of my private business.”

  “All right.” Errin saw Levi was taking his remarks in the wrong way. Not wanting to argue with his comrade, he left the office. He mounted the black horse and reined it off along the street.

  He checked on half-a-dozen jobs that were in progress, and collected on a completed contract, that of painting a Union warship, a steam frigate. He cashed the government bank draft and withdrew additional money so he would have funds to make the weekly payroll of his men. He stored the funds in one of the saddlebags on the horse.

  The neighborhood of smaller homes fell behind as Errin climbed the horse up Market Street. Near the top of the broad hill, he came to an area of handsome two- and three-story residences, both brick and frame. Many of the homes were quite old and, with their large fenced yards, resembled the country homes of the rich outside London. He stopped at times to view the well-tended yards with their spacious expanses of grass, neatly trimmed hedges, and large swathes of brilliantly blooming flowers. The delightful fragrance of the flowers wafted to him on the slow wind.

  The people of those grand homes lived in luxury. He could also have such a life for he was no longer a prisoner in chains. He was free and was growing wealthy. With the profit from Levi’s and his business and the reward paid by Wells Fargo, he and Levi had now accumulated a substantial amount of money.

  The sense of good fortune and well-being came from having returned the stolen gold to Wells Fargo and receiving the unexpected reward for his honesty. As a highwayman in England, the taking of other men’s valuables had not bothered him. Here in America, that way was forsaken and never again would he surrender to the temptation of pulling his pistol to steal another man’s money.

  A carriage driven by a Chinaman outfitted in maroon livery and perched on a seat in front, went by. A pretty young woman in a full-length dress of a bright yellow color sat in the passenger seat. A man on horseback rode beside the buggy. An ugly brown bulldog with a huge head trailed at the horse’s heels.

  The woman looked at Errin as she passed him. He smiled at her and touched the brim of his hat in greeting. She smiled back at him, her rouged lips curving up in a very friendly way.

  The rider saw the woman’s flirtatious response and he scowled at Errin. He looked down at his bulldog, then back at Errin in a belligerent and calculating manner.

  Errin shook his head in the negative and moved the flap of his jacket aside to show the pistol in a shoulder holster. The man didn’t seemed impressed by the gun. Errin grinned with an expression daring him to loose his animal. The man rode on with no word to his bulldog.

  The women are friendly and the men are not, thought Errin. I must remember that.

  Half a mile further along, the hill became less steep with large trees widely scattered about. There were only a few houses, most appearing quite old, and separated from each other by broad open areas of two to several acres. Beneath one of the trees, several vehicles were parked and a score of men had gathered.

  Errin brought his horse to the edge of the crowd, and from his saddle, looked over the heads of the men to see what drew their interest. A low wooden platform was being removed from the rear of one of the carriages by a portly, gray-headed man. He placed the platform on the ground and stepped upon it.

  “Gentlemen,” the man called, “may I please have your attention. As most of you know, I am Albert Talbot, broker and auctioneer. I have been commissioned by Senorita Beremendes to sell three acres of her land in one acre parcels. You now stand on one of those parcels. They have been surveyed and the corners well marked. If you look around you can see those markers.” Talbot pointed at each of the four corner stakes.

  “This is a lovely location for a home. It overlooks the city and our beautiful San Francisco Bay. The land is free and clear of any mortgage. A warranty deed shall be issued to the fortunate high bidder.”

  Errin dismounted as Talbot went on with his introductory spiel for the auction. He moved to stand beside an elderly gentleman.

  “What is an acre of land worth here on the hill top?” Errin asked the man.

  “Fifteen hundred dollars to two thousand,” the man replied. He smiled wryly. “But the Beremendes woman won’t get half what its true value is.” He gestured at a woman and an old Mexican man sitting in a buggy nearby and watching the proceedings. “That’s Celeste Beremendes there.”

  The woman wore a black flowing dress with many pleats. A matching black mantilla was upon her dark hair. She was leisurely fanning herself with a small fan. Errin judged her young, but could not make out her features because the fluttering fan obscured his view.

  “Why won’t the land bring the proper price?” Errin asked.

  The man fastened his old eyes upon Errin. “You’re new in San Francisco?”

  “Yes. I arrived not long ago.”

  “Well I’ve been here several years and have seen this sort of thing before.”

  “What about the land value?”

  “There’ll be few bids by white men for Mexican property. Just three or four to make it look legal. The Mexicans lost the war of ‘47 and many Americans think all the land claimed by Mexicans should belong to Americans. You can bet that a scheme has been hatched to steal these three acres of prime land from the Beremendes woman.”

  “So the bidding is rigged,” Errin said, evaluating what the information might mean to him. He had every intention of remaining in San Francisco and someday would want a home. This location was indeed a choice site with the big trees and the view to the east at the beautiful bay and beyond that the coast mountains.

  “I would like to own this land,” Errin said.

  “I’d like to have a home up here myself. This acre of land is one of the most desirable properties in all the city. It’s been in the Beremendes family for a hundred years. I imagine she hates selling it.”

  The auctioneer called out, “The bidding shall start at four hundred dollars. Bids then shall increase in one-hundred-dollar increments. Now who’ll bid first?”

  “I think I’ll bid,” Errin said.

  “Then watch yourself,” the old man said.

  “Why?”

  “You’ll find out.”

  * * *

  Celeste watched the Americans and hoped the auction went well with spirited bidding. Her attorney had examined previous sales in the area and told her to expect some amount near seven thousand dollars for the three parcels. It was a sad thing to sell part of the original homesite, but she had no choice. She would sacrifice these acres to save the rancho.

  Dokken was present and talking with another man. Madre de Dios, how she hated the man. What was he doing here? Surely he would not buy her property and thus put money into her hands with which to fight him.

  “I bid four hundred dollars,” a man shouted.

  “Five,” a second called.

  “Six hundred,” Dokken called.

  Celeste was surprised that Dokken had bid. What was his scheme? She knew he must have one. She waited for the next bid.

  The auctioneer called to the group of men. “Come, come, gentlemen, the land is worth several times six hundred dollars. What am I bid?”

  He stomped his foot upon his platform. “I have six hundred. Who’ll make it seven hundred?”

  The crowd of men remained silent. A few lowered their heads and stared at the ground. Dokken slowly began to smile.

  “Who’ll bid seven hundred?” the auctioneer repeated in a wheedling tone.

  Celeste felt her heart hammering in her bosom. The land was valuable and the Americans must see that and bid for it. What was wrong with them? Then her blood ran cold as she realized what was happening. The Americans had banded together against her and were about to steal her land.

  “I bid a thousand dollars,” Errin called. Damn the crooked band of men. He
took a step forward and held up his hand to identify himself to the auctioneer.

  Talbot smiled. “I have a thousand dollars. Who’ll make it eleven hundred?”

  Dokken twisted quickly to look at Errin. An expression of surprise, that swiftly changed to anger, washed across his face. He glanced at a big, blond-headed man near the edge of the gathering, and nodded.

  Dokken turned back to the auctioneer. “I bid eleven hundred.”

  “Twelve.” Errin’s voice was loud and firm. He had seen the bidder’s signal to the other man.

  “Thirteen hundred,” Dokken said.

  “Fourteen hundred.” As Errin spoke, the blond man came up on his left side. The man jostled Errin with his shoulder.

  Errin stepped away. The man immediately moved to stand with his shoulder touching Errin’s.

  Dokken bid again. Errin raised it by a hundred dollars.

  “Damn, you, stop crowding me,” the blond man snarled. He jabbed Errin roughly in the ribs with his elbow.

  Errin’s anger came so hot it seemed to burn him. The man had deliberately elbowed him. Errin knew the game was to force him out of the bidding, and if he did not stop competing, this man near him would start a fight.

  Errin folded his fist into a bony hammer. The fight must be over quickly. He whirled around and rammed his fist into the man’s stomach. The man folded over Errin’s driving fist, and his breath left him with an explosion of air. Errin struck a savage blow to the back of the man’s neck. The man crashed face down unconscious on the ground.

  Errin stalked toward Dokken. He stopped barely two paces away. “I know that man was yours. He wasn’t much of a fighter. Now let’s you and me finish this game you’ve started.”

  Dokken began to slide his hand toward the pistol inside his jacket, but then halted. The men around him knew he was challenging the Beremendeses in court for the big Mexican Land Grant on Mount Mocho. They would prefer that he win, rather than the Mexican woman. That was the reason they had made only token bids against him. However the presence of this well-dressed stranger and the ease with which he had taken Dokken’s man out, may have destroyed the clannish agreement the Americans had made against the Mexican. Most likely they would not back Dokken in a fight with another American.