Escape From Gold Mountain

by Zina Abbott

  ~o0o~

  Although Luke stayed out of sight of both the cabin and the trail leading away from it, he did not leave the area. He hid his horse and found a rise. He climbed up the back of a boulder to watch what took place outside the cabin. He did not need to wait long before he saw Charley Jardine come out, saddle his horse, and ride off.

  Next, Tex came through the door and headed for the pole barn. Luke watched as the man saddled his horse and led it closer to the cabin where he tossed on his saddlebags, bedroll, and Loi’s valise. He secured everything. Tex reentered the cabin long enough to guide Loi out and help her onto the horse. He acted like he intended to mount up himself but stopped, tied off the reins, and fiddled with something in his one saddlebag. Then he walked over and filled a bucket with water before he disappeared back into the cabin.

  A billow of smoke poured out of the chimney. However, it was several minutes before Tex returned and rode off with Loi behind him. Once he became aware Tex stayed inside the cabin much longer than was needed to put out a fire, Luke smiled with a realization.

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  Chapter 28

  ~o0o~

  T ex threw the dregs of his coffee into the dying embers in his fireplace. He would douse it good with water from the water barrel as soon as he packed up and was ready to leave. It was time to get this business with the little Chinawoman over with.

  Tex grudgingly hooked the woman’s valise over his saddle horn. He would probably be sorry he brought it, but he knew it was all she owned. Next, he checked the blindfold over Ling Loi’s eyes to be sure it was tight before he helped her up behind the saddle.

  Tex placed his hands on the pommel as if to mount, but then he glanced back at his cabin with smoke from the dying embers still roiling out of the top of his chimney. He walked his horse over to a branch to tie off the reins. At the first step, the woman cried out in fear. She leaned forward and, with her fingers spread, placed her palms on the seat of the saddle for balance.

  Tex shook his head in disgust as he dug a leather poke containing his money out of his saddlebag and shoved it into his denim trousers pocket. “Y’all won’t fall, Chinawoman. Be right back.” Tex left her sitting on the horse as he strode over to the water barrel. Picking up the bucket that rested on the ground next to it, he filled it and carried the water inside the cabin. He doused the coals in the fireplace. Although he doubted he would be using this cabin as a hideout again anytime soon, he intended to hide most of his money until after he took care of returning the little Chinawoman to Lundy. With everyone out of the cabin, he now felt it was safe enough to do what he had dared not do before, especially while Charley Jardine was still about. He pulled the leather poke out of his pocket. From it, he removed all but ten dollars and a few small coins. That he shoved back into his pocket. If Charley tried to ambush him in order to steal back the money, he wouldn’t get much.

  Tex pulled the drawstring shut on the poke. He walked over to a section of wall where it butted up against the rafters. He felt around until he found the hidden piece he had cut away from the log. Damp from the recent rains, it had swelled tight. Tex managed to pry it loose with his knife. Inside, where he had hollowed out a section of the log, he tucked away the bulk of the money he had finally wrangled from Charley. After he replaced the cover, he stepped back to make sure there were no tell-tale gaps or scrapes that would betray his hidey-hole. Satisfied his money was well-hidden, he left the cabin, closed the door behind him, and mounted his horse. He began the journey to Lundy—a ride that would take up most of the day.

  After hours of riding a zig-zag path to avoid others who might be traveling and could spot not just him on the horse, but the passenger he carried, Tex turned up the narrow Mill Creek Canyon road leading into Lundy. He turned up his collar and cursed as a light snow began to fall. It was early in the season, so he hoped the weather warmed up so that instead of snow, it brought rain that would wash away the hoof prints made by his horse. However, just in case, he left the main road and traveled closer to Mill Creek where the leafy ground cover better hid his tracks. For several hundred feet at a time, he guided his horse into the creek’s rushing water, although he hated doing so to his horse this time of year. He kept his bandanna up over his face, for warmth as much as to keep it concealed, in case he accidentally stumbled across someone who might recognize him.

  Just as dark descended, he reached a point at the outlet of the lake where residents of Lundy could not see him. He dismounted, and then he gently pulled the small woman off his horse. He ignored her groans as he held her upper arms and steadied her until she found her balance. After all, he really didn’t have anything against the woman, even if she was Chinese. It wasn’t her fault she did not have more money on her. The Chinamen who owned her had been the ones who sent the money ahead, and it was Charley Jardine’s fault he had gotten the information wrong. She had given them very little trouble, especially with Shorty there to look after her. On the trip to Lundy, she even shared with him most of the bear jerky Shorty had given her.

  Tex shook his head at that thought. As much as Shorty tried to deny it, Tex knew he was sweet on the little Chinawoman. That was all right. As long as Shorty kept his mouth shut, Tex had no intention of saying anything about him. And, if the man was stupid enough to stay in Mono County, as long as he waited until the excitement over the Chinawoman being returned to Lundy died down, he could use some of that twenty dollars Charley finally let him keep to pay to get in to see her.

  Tex unhooked her valise from his saddle horn. Other than a china bowl, clothing and woman’s things, there was nothing of value inside. In a weak moment, he had decided to bring it. However, it had meant tolerating it rubbing against his knee the whole way. After he led her up to the dirt road that would take her to Lundy, he handed the valise to her, more than ready to be rid of it.

  Once again, Tex shook his head at the sight of the woman’s stubby little feet. He had no idea how she was going to walk the mile to Lundy. It was not his problem. If she needed to, she could crawl.

  Tex stood behind the woman whose height barely reached halfway up his chest. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he positioned her head so she looked straight in front of her. He leaned over and spoke into her ear. “Don’t know how much English y’all understand, little Chinawoman, but y’all listen real close. I’m taking my bandanna with me in case someone recollects seeing it on me. But, that don’t mean y’all can turn around and take a look-see. Y’all are a pretty little thing. I’d sure hate to have to kill y’all because you seen me. Keep your eyes shut until I’m good and gone, then just start walking uphill until you get to Lundy. Your own kind will find you right quick.”

  Tex pulled the blindfold off her head and waited a few seconds to see what the woman would do. When she didn’t move or turn her head, he holstered his gun and hurried through the brush to mount his horse. He turned it deeper into the trees and shrubbery that lined Mill Creek Canyon road. As he retraced his path, he cursed. Even though the sky had darkened, in the thin layer of snow, clear as a mid-summer’s day, he spotted the hoof prints made earlier by his horse. He hoped it would not freeze that night. Maybe the morning sunlight would quickly melt his tracks into oblivion.

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  Part II

  ~o0o~

  Escape

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  Chapter 29

  ~o0o~

  Lundy, California ~ Early October, 1884

  L ing Loi waited until she could no longer hear Tex’s horse before she carefully opened her eyes. She blinked as they adjusted to the twilight. In the distance, she could see the lights of a town. She could only assume it was Lundy. She had seen it once when she first arrived years earlier, but that had been in the daytime. She had seen glimpses of it on the first part of her stagecoach journey towards San Francisco many da
ys earlier.

  Loi looked around but saw nothing but tree trunks and the road boxed in by the hulking shadows of the tall mountains around her. She recalled there was a long, narrow lake next to the road. She closed her eyes and shivered. She hoped that, in the darkness, she did not stumble down the side of the road. She did not know how to swim, so she hoped it was not her fate for her life to end in the depths of the cold, dark water.

  Then again, could her life get any worse? After being forced these past several years to pleasure many men in order to pay for her boat ticket and earn her owner money, she had been denied, once again, the privilege to be allowed to marry and bear sons for a husband. Then, she had been kidnapped off of the stagecoach taking her to the brothels of Dai Fow and held by the American bad men who wanted money.

  Except, Shorty was not bad. He had treated her with more kindness than most men except a few Chinese customers who had brought her gifts to show their appreciation. She already missed him. Loi knew no longer being able to be with him meant swallowing another form of bitterness. She only wished he had felt the same about her and had found a way they could have stayed together.

  The one called Tex had treated her roughly, but he did not hurt her. She knew he was impatient with the whole business and unhappy she had not had the money they expected. However, it was the one called Boss or Char-Boss, the man with the red hair like the demon, Horse-Face, who frightened her the most. He was mean—and the most dangerous. Also, she had heard enough to know that he was a liar and a cheat—a man not even those who worked with him could trust. She hoped she never saw him again.

  Loi shivered and pulled her coat tightly around her. It was thick and warm, but no match for the autumn night weather. She knew walking the mile to Lundy would create a great deal of pain in her feet. In addition, she still was not accustomed to riding the back of a horse, even though she had made this trip once before and had ridden for a few hours one day with Shorty. She hurt in places she never knew before she could experience pain.

  Loi dared not stay on the road all night until someone found her. She began her walk to Lundy, a journey that became more excruciating as her steps crunched through the thin layer of snow already developing an icy crust. The cold penetrated her felt boots and silk fabric stockings. Other times, not able to see the road or the larger rocks that had rolled down the steep cliffs to her right, she tripped. She stopped often to rest, but knew she had to keep going.

  As time passed, the lights from town grew fewer and fewer. Hopefully, enough saloons close to the eastern edge of town would stay open and the lights shining out of their windows would act as beacons to help guide her. She watched a few thin ribbons of light reflect across the water. That helped to give her a sense of the lake’s location.

  Her frequent stumbling into the snow and ice soon saturated the knees of her trousers and the hem of her coat with cold dampness that seemed to penetrate every inch of her. She forced herself to keep moving.

  Loi finally reached the corner of the first building of the town. She tried to remember where she was in relation to where most of the Chinese lived. China Charlie’s Restaurant and the Chinese store should be close. She closed her eyes. She dreaded returning to Ah Chin, knowing her handler would be displeased to see her. He would beat her, if for no other reason than out of frustration that she had made his life more complicated by not arriving in Dai Fow. However, she had nowhere else to go. All she could hope for was he would let her clean up, get warm again, and have something to eat and drink before he punished her.

  Loi wondered if Shorty kept his word and remained close enough to see she arrived safely in Lundy.

  “Who goes there? Speak up, man.”

  Loi pressed her back flat against the wall of a building. She hoped, in spite of the faint moon that had risen, she could disappear within the depths of its shadow. Her breaths accelerated as she realized heavy footsteps advanced toward her. She squinted and turned her head away as someone struck a lucifer and shoved it in her face. She glanced back and sucked in her breath at the sight of two Western men who loomed over her and stared.

  “It’s one of them Chinese.”

  “It’s a woman. Something’s going on. The only women they got up here are whores, and that Chinaman don’t let them go running loose, especially not this time of night. You got a candle with you, Ira?”

  Another match flared off the dying flame of the first and was touched to the wick of a fat, squatty candle. The increased light revealed more men had joined the original two. All stared at her. Loi shook with fear as much as with cold.

  “Say, you don’t suppose she’s that Chinawoman that was stole off the stagecoach, do you?”

  Loi forced her words out. “Yes. Bad men steal Ling Loi off stagecoach, steal Ling Loi money.”

  One man let out a low whistle. “Ain’t that something? Figured we’d never see hide nor hair of her again.”

  Loi looked from one American face to another, not sure which was worse—being with them or returning to Ah Chin.

  A new voice, one she hadn’t heard yet, spoke authoritatively. “Someone go get Bill Callahan. She’s not going anywhere until he talks to her. Even though she’s just a Chinawoman that was took, he’s been tied in knots about the hombre being so bold as to abduct someone off our stagecoach. Let’s get her over to the Arcade Saloon.”

  “Think someone should go get that Chinaman who works the Chinese brothel?”

  “Naw, the Chinese get ahold of her, she’ll disappear. Bill won’t find out what he needs to know from her.”

  Someone wrapped a blanket around her. Loi clutched the edges tightly to her chest. She still shivered, but felt grateful for the act of kindness and the warmth. One of the men took her by the arm and guided her up the street.

  “What’s wrong with her feet? Best you carry her if she can’t walk no faster than that.”

  “Just hold your horses and let her move at her own pace. Callahan’s going to want her to tell what she knows, and he won’t like it if she gets roughed up or too scared to talk.”

  They soon reached a building Loi did not recognize. Inside, the warmth from a wood stove enveloped her. The man who held her arm and kept her from falling during the walk to the saloon pulled out a wooden chair and gently encouraged her to sit. Loi glanced around the room that was furnished so differently than the brothel where she worked. She hunched her shoulders and lowered her eyes to avoid the stares from the curious men as they pressed in around her.

  Someone shoved a large cup in front of her. The aroma floating on the steam told her it was tea. She took a sip and closed her eyes as the warmth traveled down her throat and heated her chilled insides.

  Soon the crowd stepped back as another big American, his steps filled with confidence, strode into the room. He eased into the chair across from her. Loi raised her eyes enough to use her peripheral vision to study his face.

  “Miss, I’m Bill Callahan, the deputy sheriff for Lundy. You that Chinawoman who was taken off the stagecoach a little over a week ago?”

  Loi dropped her gaze and stared at her tea. She nodded. “Yes. Bad man steal Ling Loi off stagecoach, steal money.”

  “Take it slow, but tell me everything that happened.” In spite of her discomfort due to the growing crowd of men eager to hear every word, Loi told her story about how Tex had taken her off the stage and another man had taken her money. She described being taken far away, many hours ride, to a cabin to wait while the second man tried to get two thousand dollars ransom money for her from the Lundy Chinese. Loi realized this caused a stir among the listening men. A quick glance at the expression on the face of the deputy sheriff told her he was not happy to hear this.

  Someone in the crowd muttered. “Didn’t know about no ransom attempt.”

  Wearing a scowl, Callahan turned to the man who made the comment. “It’s none of your business to know things like that. It’s sheriff’s business. Now keep your traps shut, or I’ll throw you all out of here.”


  A commotion at the doorway drew the attention of everyone in the room. Loi looked up and sucked in her breath. Ah Chin, his eyes focused on her, hurry towards the table. He grabbed her arm and jerked her out of her chair. “This worthless woman belongs with me. I’ll take her.”

  Bill Callahan rose to his full height and puffed out his chest. “Let her go, Ah Chin. She’s going nowhere until I say so, and that won’t be until I finish talking to her. Now, you get on out of here.”

  “I’ll go. I take the worthless woman. No need to bother with her.”

  “I’m law enforcement in this county. I’m telling you to let loose of her and skedaddle until I’m done. You continue to interfere with my administration of justice, I’ll arrest you.”

  Ah Chin released Loi’s arm but stood tall and defiant. “We Chinese need no American justice. We take care of justice the Chinese way.”

  Callahan leaned forward with his palms flat on the table. “Not here, you don’t. This isn’t Chinatown. If it was up to me, I’d see to it those slackers in San Francisco went into that cesspool and cleaned out that nest of vipers and their brand of justice. Now, while you’re here, Ah Chin, maybe you can explain why I’m just now hearing about someone demanding ransom for this woman.”

  Ah Chin jerked his head and glared at Loi. “No ransom. No one wants this worthless prostitute. She lied to you.”

  Loi looked down to avoid the malevolence shooting from Ah Chin’s eyes. She realized immediately he did not want the Americans to know Boss had gone to him to demand a ransom for her.