Escape From Gold Mountain

by Zina Abbott

  Loi looked away and mumbled. “Ming baak. (Understood.)” She locked her gaze on his eyes. “You good man, Shorty. Ling Loi…I…” She swallowed and looked away for a few seconds. Next, she turned back and her gaze once again captured his, her sincerity evident in her expression. “I have little money, Shorty. I give you money. You go away, leave bad men today.”

  Loi’s words slammed into Luke’s chest and left him speechless. It wasn’t the revelation that she still had more money on her that Charley and Tex had not found. It was her offer to give some—maybe all of it—to him so he could get away and be done with them. She was willing to stay and take her chances with the two scoundrels by herself.

  Without thinking, Luke hugged Loi tight against his chest. He pressed her head under his chin. He reached his free hand up and cradled the side of her face. He longed to kiss her, but knew he had no right. He knew he couldn’t do what she asked and live with himself. “No, Loi. Your offer means more to me than I can tell you, but I won’t take your money. Boss is the one who owes me, not you.”

  “It my money, not tong money. You no want money?”

  No. I want you.

  Luke forced that thought aside. He couldn’t have her. They were from two entirely different cultures from opposite sides of the world. Besides, after what he had done—being a party to keeping her captive—he didn’t deserve her. “Loi, I’ve made a lot of stupid decisions in my life, especially in the last few months. Believing Boss and Tex offered me an honest job started this whole mess. I should have run once I found out what they were doing and taken my chances. But, the worst mistake I made was playing a part in you being stolen off that stagecoach and now being held for ransom. I won’t leave you to face Boss and Tex alone. I’ll stay with you until you go back with your own people.”

  Luke waited for a response acknowledging his remorse—anything that told him Loi understood his assurance of safe escort back to the Lundy Chinese. Instead, she stared at the ground. Unsure what she thought about him and his words, he forged forward. “Whatever you do, don’t let Tex and Boss know you have money hidden away. You will need it for yourself someday.”

  Luke thought he saw tears form in Loi’s eyes. He pressed his forehead to the side of her head and whispered in her ear. “Thank you, Loi. Thank you for offering the money to me. I truly want everything to turn out for the best for you. Just remember, no matter what I say or how I behave towards you when Boss and Tex come back, I do care about you and your safety.”

  Loi jerked her head away and turned to face him as she spit out her words. “Chinese prostitute never safe.”

  Her statement ringing in his ears, Luke stared at Loi. Unsure of her exact meaning—if she referred to being safe with him, or with Charley and Tex, or with the Chinese themselves, he silently stood and held out his hand to help her stand. He led her to his horse and helped her mount for the return trip to the cabin.

  Luke said nothing more as they rode. He sensed that if he stayed with Loi much longer, he would be tempted to take her and ride away so she could not return to Chinatown where she already told them she wished to go. Unfortunately, even though Charley Jardine would never admit to anyone his part in Loi’s abduction, if Luke and Loi disappeared, Charley would be quick to finger Luke for it. He would have everyone from the county sheriffs and a posse of bored, unemployed miners to the hoodlum Chinese hatchet men from San Francisco after them. In addition, without the money owed him, he could not purchase adequate supplies to last them long, especially with the coming winter. They would not get far with only the one horse.

  No, as much as Luke wished to, he was in no position to take Loi with him. He felt no desire to take her across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to San Francisco. However, he would do all in his power to get her back to Lundy where her own people could help her.

  ~o0o~

  Loi understood enough to realize Shorty felt as trapped by Boss and Tex in this situation as she knew she was. He looked forward to getting away and going somewhere else so he could leave everything that had happened in the last few months behind. She also wished to flee—to go far away, but she knew she could not ask him to take her with him. She would slow him down. With her feet, she could not even walk, let alone run. The hatchet men would catch them for sure.

  Loi had overheard Ah Chin on more than one occasion tell others of what happened to runaway prostitutes. The On Yick tong created a strong network. They used telegrams to communicate, often reporting sightings and other details. The tongs sent their hatchet men all over to search for those who tried to escape or who did not pay what was owed. If a woman ran away with her lover and was caught, the hatchet men killed the man and returned the woman to her owner to be beaten. Sometimes her face was cut before she was forced back into prostitution. She often ended up in the poorest cribs in the back alleys of Chinatown.

  Ah Chin shared such tales as newsy events. However, all of Lundy’s Chinese understood the unspoken message. Fulfil your obligations to your tongs, pay what is required, and don’t try to go out on your own—or suffer the consequences.

  Loi struggled to swallow this new bitterness. She chastised herself for entertaining unrealistic desires. She felt certain Shorty cared for her, that perhaps he loved her. She knew she gave her heart to him more and more with each passing day. As much as she wished to stay with him, she would never ask him to help her flee from both Ah Chin at Lundy or the On Yick tong in Dai Fow. She would try to stay brave and accept her fate, because she did not want Shorty to die.

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  Chapter 24

  ~o0o~

  L uke knew this peaceful interlude of being alone with Loi would end—and it did. He walked out late the next afternoon to get firewood only to spot Tex walking his horse into the clearing. He watched as the man slowly dismounted, glanced around, and then studied the bearskin stretched on its rack.

  Tex turned his head and focused on Luke. “Y’all got a bear, looks like.”

  Luke shrugged. “Got too close to the cabin. Decided I didn’t want my horse to end up being bear grub.”

  “Not to mention the little Chinawoman. Grizzly, right? Heard they don’t got too many left in these parts.”

  “A bear’s a bear.”

  As the man started to walk his horse to join Luke’s mare in the pole barn, Luke took in Tex’s bloodshot eyes and the slump of his shoulders. They hinted he didn’t feel his best because he was still hungover. “Are you back because you ran out of money?”

  Tex turned and glared at Luke. “None of your business, Shorty. Way I see it, Char…” Tex cursed under his breath. “I hate this game he’s playing. I reckon it’s best, though, in case that little Chinawoman shoots off her mouth when she gets back. I figure Boss ought to be back with our money right quick. I’m fixing to get mine and light a shuck out of these parts.”

  Luke recalled what Loi had told him about the Lundy Chinese being eager to send her back to San Francisco and how they expected a replacement woman. He held his tongue. It would be hard enough dealing with Tex’s return without getting him riled up over what could prove to be nothing.

  While Tex unsaddled his horse, Luke returned to the cabin to warn Loi. He found her sitting demurely on her blankets atop Luke’s pallet with her hands in her lap. The blindfold covered her eyes.

  ~o0o~

  Charley Jardine returned seven days after he left. It had rained part of the time he was gone, and again the night after Tex returned, which no doubt contributed partly to his delay. As anxious as they were to learn what had happened, judging by the scowl on Charley’s face, both men had enough sense to stay quiet. Charley did not bring good news.

  Instead of speaking, Charley studied the grizzly belt still stretched on the frame. Luke had put it under some trees the night before to protect it from the rain as much as possible. That morning he had moved it back into the sun to dry. He knew it was still too damp to fold and bring in the cabin.

&nb
sp; “That’s a nice pelt, a grizzly if I’m not mistaken, eh? I always did fancy having a bearskin. It’ll do nicely.”

  Luke narrowed his eyes in defiance. “The bearskin is mine. If you want a bear pelt, you can find your own bear and shoot it. You’re not getting this one.”

  Charley turned to Luke and glared. “So, that’s how it is?”

  Expressionless, Luke nodded. His fists rested on his hips. He knew neither Charley nor Tex missed the unspoken message Luke would not hesitate to use his weapons if Charley pressed him about the bearskin.

  Charley dismounted and threw his reins in Luke’s direction. “Take care of my horse, Shorty. It’s been a long ride.”

  Luke felt his anger ignite at Charley’s imperious manner. He had experienced more than his fill of being treated like a servant or sub-human person when he lived back home where people knew he was Ojibwa, especially when they did not get their way about something. For the sake of the horse, Luke slowly picked up the reins and pulled it to the pole barn. He nudged his own mount out of the way so that he could put some feed and hay out for the horse he doubted Charley had allowed to rest and graze on his trip back from Lundy. He almost left the saddle on, but decided to remove it. The horse deserved to be treated well, even if its owner did not. He grabbed some straw and quickly rubbed it down. He left the man’s saddle and saddlebags where he had tossed them. It was one thing to take care of the horse, but he had no intention of being Charley’s personal servant.

  Charley and Tex had been quietly talking, but started towards the door of the cabin as Luke moved to rejoin them.

  “Where’s my saddle and tack, Shorty?”

  Luke jerked his thumb back towards the pole barn. He ignored Charley’s scowl as he walked into the cabin. He noticed that Loi had moved away from the fire and sat on her blankets with her back to the wall.

  Tex and Charley, Charley with his saddle and saddlebags slung across his shoulders, entered. They stood just inside and waited a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the relative darkness. Luke found the kerosene lantern and lit it while Charley tossed his gear over by where he slept. Next, Charley perched on a log stool by the fireplace. He reached for the nearest cup and poured out the dregs of the coffee left in the pot from the morning. He scowled at the bitter taste.

  Charley flung the empty cup across the room and let loose with a string of curses. Both Tex and Luke stood taller and tensed. Loi pulled her knees closer to her body.

  “The Chinese won’t pay. Two thousand wasn’t asking too much for her, and it sure would have gone a long way to getting us through the winter. They claim they have another Chinawoman to replace her.” Charley nodded in Loi’s direction. “She arrived before this one even left. The wily Chinese, they say the new whore’s all the rage. The men like her better. That Ah Chin doesn’t care what happens to the one we have since she belongs to some tong boss in Chinatown.”

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  Chapter 25

  ~o0o~

  T ex snorted his disgust. “Looks like another one of y’all’s blunders, Boss. I’m fed up with your schemes.”

  Charley ignored Tex as he continued to vent. “The more I pressed, the more they threatened to send the tong highbinders after me. I finally decided if they already telegraphed San Francisco and a bunch of Chinese killers are on the way, it wouldn’t be very smart on my part to be there to greet them.”

  After a pause, Luke carefully ventured a question. “With the hatchet men on the way, what do you plan to do with Ling Loi, Boss? You do plan to take her back to Lundy, don’t you?”

  Charley glanced over at Luke. “You worried about the Chinawoman, Shorty?”

  Tex chuckled. “Shorty’s sort of sweet on her, huh, Shorty?”

  Luke shrugged and spoke softly. “Not really. I just don’t want any trouble with those Chinese highbinders because they find her dead or in bad shape. I don’t think the Chinese men treat their women well, so I sort of feel sorry about what they might do to her when they get her back.”

  Luke turned away. So much for talking tough, like he didn’t care about what happened to Loi.

  Tex quickly assured Charley. “But we done like y’all said, Boss. Neither of us touched her unless Shorty, here...” He stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Luke, realizing he did not particularly want Charley to know he had spent most of his time carousing in Bodie. “We took real good care of her—considering.”

  Charley muttered under his breath. “Doesn’t matter much at this point, eh? Guess you could have had your fun with her after all.”

  Tex leaned forward and stared hard at Charley. “So, if she’s not worth no money to us, what we going to do with her? I don’t aim to swing for stealing a Chinawoman, and I’m sure not sticking around to deal with no hatchet men.”

  Charley heaved a sigh and shook his head. “We might have bigger problems than the Chinese from San Francisco. That loud-mouth Kirk Steves keeps hollering to Callahan about us being up to our eyeballs in this. I think they suspect we’re the ones who took her, and they’re wanting to prevent a rash of stagecoach abductions. Since all the money we’ll be getting from her is what we got…”

  Tex rose from the stool where he had been sitting, his fists clenched and his chest puffed out in anger. “That’s not how y’all said it would be.”

  Charley glared at Tex and spoke slowly. “It’s like this. We’ll be getting us a good night’s sleep. In the morning, Tex, you’ll take her back to where we pulled her from the stage and leave her. Even with her feet being crippled, although it might take her several hours, she can walk back to her people in Lundy. It’ll give you plenty of time to get away. If the Lundy Chinese have her, they can deal with their hatchet men when they show up to claim her. It’ll keep the Chinese hoodlums off our backs.”

  Tex shook his head with disgust. “Why me, Boss? Why do I got to take her back? I don’t want no part of the little Chinawoman no more. And don’t say it’s because I messed up. Y’all was the one who got it wrong about the money.”

  “Because it was you who got paid to take her off the stage. I’m the boss and what I say goes. Shorty will clean up the camp, here, and we’ll head for our other hideout…” Charley glanced at Loi who, although blindfolded, could still hear. He finished his sentence by gesturing northeast towards the mountains just over the Nevada state line.

  Luke slowly rose to his feet. “Boss, once you leave to take Ling Loi back to Lundy, I plan to take off for Portland. You said you’d bring our money with you. You owe me fifty dollars. Tex can settle up with you when he finishes dropping her off, but I want my money now.”

  “Boss settles up with me first, or I’m not taking that Chinawoman nowhere. Boss can take her, or she can stay here and rot.”

  Charley narrowed his eyes at Tex. “Do you think with the law breathing down my neck I’d be fool enough to ride out with a lot of money on me, Tex? You’ll both get your money when the job’s done.”

  Tex stretched to his full height. The man had murder in his eye, and his hand hovered within inches of his gun. “That’s not going to happen, Boss. Y’all give me my hundred plus my cut from both this job and from rustling them beeves, or y’all can take care of the Chinawoman yourself—once y’all get back on your feet after I pound y’all six ways from sundown.”

  Charley pulled out his big knife, the one he had used to stab and nearly kill his friend, Robert Delahide, up in Lundy a few years earlier. He assumed an offensive stance, ready to lung at Tex.

  Tex drew his gun and pointed it at Charley before the man could take more than one step towards him. As Charley jerked to a halt and froze in his position, the deep rumbling laugh typical of Tex rolled forth, only it lacked mirth. “Y’all just don’t got no sense. Don’t y’all know you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight? I figured even you Canadians were smarter than that.”

  Luke grabbed up Loi and moved her to a back corner of the cabin out of the line of fire should Tex deci
de to shoot at Charley. He pulled his tomahawk from his belt and clutched it with his right hand while his left hand slid his knife out of the sheath. He put his body between Loi and the two combatants. While he focused on the scene before him, he struggled to ignore her gasps as she fought back her fear.

  The two men glared each other. Tension filled the room so densely that Luke felt it in his bones. Other than her labored breathing, Loi remained still and quiet.

  Tex kept his focus on Charley, but he spoke to Luke. “What y’all aiming to do with that tomahawk and knife, Shorty? Reckon I can take out both you and Boss, here—kill two birds with one stone, if need be.”

  “Nothing, as long as neither of you points anything this way. Either one of you does, you’ll get a taste of what the grizzly felt before I put a bullet in him.”

  Silence hung in the air. Charley kept his knife pointed at Tex, but Luke watched his eyes flick his direction several times as if taking Luke’s measure. Luke held his position. “As soon as you two charging bull moose put up your weapons, I’ll put away the tomahawk and knife.”

  Tex chuckle. “Moose? Don’t got no moose around these parts. Reckon y’all really do come from up Canada-way like this transplanted Scot.” Tex narrowed his eyes, the humor gone from his face. “What’s it going to be, Boss? Y’all going to hand over my money so I can finish this nasty business and light a shuck out of here? Or, are y’all taking a bullet first?”

  Heaving a sigh of resignation, Charley raised his hand and splayed his fingers. He used his thumb to hold his knife handle against his palm. “You win, Tex. I’ll give you your money. Put the gun away.” Keeping his eyes on Tex the entire time, Charley slowly slid his knife back into its sheath. Tex slowly lowered his gun and holstered it. Only after both men put away their weapons and tempers appeared to have cooled did Luke slide the handle of his tomahawk into its loop and sheath his knife. He turned and picked up Loi to carry her to her blankets closer to the fire.