Guerrero was half-way to the door when he
adjoining cabin, knew that the vessel had
turned.
stopped and that the cargo was being
“A moment, senor,” said the unloaded. She knew Captain Bill had captain. “I wish you to do me a favor.”
entered his cabin with Guerrero, and when
“Certainly.”
she saw Guerrero go back to the deck and
Captain Adams took a coil of rope
leave the captain alone she determined on
from a corner and advanced to the middle
an interview with her uncle. She opened the
of the cabin.
door of his cabin and entered, to stand
“The men already are moving your
aghast at what she saw.
cargo, and have been told to obey your
“Uncle Bill!” she exclaimed,
orders in the matter. I’ll not go on deck
starting forward. “Who has done this?”
again at present. Senor Guerrero, you will
“Stay where you are!” he
kindly take this rope, bind me securely, and
commanded.
place me in my bunk; then tie me in so that
“I was going to unbind you.”
I cannot move.”
“I don’t want it!”
“I beg your pardon?”
“What can you mean?” she asked.
“I have a reason for this unusual
She stepped toward him,
request, believe me. You’ll get your cargo
wonderment in her face.
ashore before the gunboat comes—if it Captain Adams laughed at her appearance.
comes afterward and finds me I do not
“Go back to your cabin,” he
care. I have a little game of my own to
ordered. “Remain there, too! This is not
play.”
your affair.”
“It is a great risk, captain.”
“You—you are unloading the
“Which I alone am taking. You’ll
cargo—the contraband?” she asked.
do as I ask?”
“We are—if you want to know.”
Guerrero complied. He bound the
“But you—the captain—tied here at
Wild Norene
39
such a time! And the gunboat—”
“What do you mean?” she asked
“This is a little scheme,” said with quick suspicion.
Captain Adams, “to get square with the
“I’ll be found bound and helpless.
man who called you an unmentionable I’ll explain how Jack Connor shipped woman and said he could tame you.”
machinery with me to be landed here—
He thought his words would touch
mining machinery. I’ll say that just before
her, and they did, but not in the way he
we sailed I lost my other mate and signed
imagined.
on this Jack Connor, who told me he’d go
For Norene had been thinking the
on as far as Mazatlan in that capacity, then
past hour.
return to his mines; that he engaged to do
“I have told you,” she said, “that I
this because he was in a hurry to get the
blame you for that more than I blame him.”
machinery through and I couldn’t find
“Girl!”
another good mate in a hurry.”
“I do! And now you are breaking
“Well?”
the law again at this minute, and in addition
“And I’ll say that just before we got
placing me in a position where I may be
to this cove he admitted to me that the
insulted by the officer of a Mexican cargo wasn’t mining machinery, but arms gunboat.”
and ammunition for the revolutionists; that
“So you’re taking the part of the
I rebuked him and said I’d go on to
man who insulted you against your own
Mazatlan, hand him over to the authorities
uncle, are you?” the captain demanded.
and give them the contraband cargo.
“I am taking nobody’s part—but I
“He bound me here, left me
am not blaming a man who should not be
helpless, took the bridge, brought the ship
blamed.”
to anchor, and ordered the men to discharge
Anger flared in the captain’s face.
cargo. They did it because I wasn’t on
“Let me tell you this!” he deck, and he was the mate, and of course exclaimed. “If you want to overlook what
they’d obey his orders. Understand, girl?
this man said, you may. I’ll not. He
“I’ll be released and we’ll sail on
insulted me, too. He called me blackbirder,
with the Amingo—and the man who
smuggler—”
slandered you and insulted me will be shot
“And haven’t you been?”
by a firing squad. The cargo will be landed,
The girl’s retort increased the and I’ll have kept my word with Guerrero.
captain’s anger. Had he been free at the
I win—and Connor loses. I said I’d do it,
moment he might have struck her.
and I’ll keep my word.”
For an instant he half choked with
“Oh!” she gasped. “You’d do that?
rage, then he looked up at her and snarled.
You’d send him to his death—and for
“If I’ve got to tame you, girl, I’ll do
nothing? You’d blame him for the crime
it after this business is over,” he said. “But
you are committing?”
I’ll fix Mr. Jack Connor first. Want to
“I said I’d do it, and I keep my
know why I had Guerrero tie me up like
word. No man can call me a blackbirder
this, eh? Because about the time the cargo
and get away with it! If you want to
is landed and safe over the first hill the
overlook his insult to you, the more shame
gunboat will put in an appearance. The
to you; but I’ll not overlook his insult to
schooner ’ll be seized. And I’ll have a story
me!”
to tell.”
“You’d
not
dare!”
All-Story Cavalier Weekly
40
The captain laughed unpleasantly.
and you’re fighting for the wrong!”
“I promised I’d let him off, of
His curses ringing in her ears, she
course, if he tamed you before we got the
sped from the cabin and hurried to her own.
cargo landed. If he’d made you love him,
A moment, and she had explained to Sally
agree to marry him. But it’s too late for that
Wood, and Sally followed her to the deck.
now. It’ll not do any good to say you love
The men were loading the first
him just to save him. If you’re willing to
boat—Guerrero was commanding them.
admit before all the crew that this man has
Connor and Morgan were lashed to the
tamed you—if you’ll admit he insulted you
mast and helpless.
and you loved him for it—”
Sally remained in the shadow, and
The captain laughed raucously Norene sped across the deck, and with her again.
knife slashed the ropes that bound the mate
/> Sudden fire flashed in the eyes of
and his friend. There was not time to
Wild Norene. A swift movement forward
explain, and Norene spoke but few words.
and she had wrenched the revolver from his
“We must stop them, and get the
grasp—and Captain Bill Adams, outwitted
ship away from the coast! There is
for the first time in his life, found himself
danger—”
bound and helpless in his bunk, scarcely
Already she was speeding across
able to move, his subterfuge turned against
the deck, with Connor and Morgan at her
him.
heels. Sally Wood remained where she had
“What are you going to do?” he
been standing, watching the scene in the
cried, a feeling of dread in him.
dim light of the one lantern that burned.
“I’m going to play fair!” she
Norene stepped within the circle of
answered. “I’m going to save the man light just as the last case for the first you’d send to death. And I’m going to stop
boatload was being lowered. A pretty
this unlawful act. I’ll see that the men stop
picture she made, her eyes flashing, her
unloading that cargo; that the Amingo runs
hair blowing in the wind, a look of grim
out to sea again—”
determination on her face, the revolver
“Girl!”
gripped in her hand.
“If I must fight you, uncle, I’ll fight
“Stop!” she commanded, and as one
well! I’m Wild Norene, you know. You’ve
man the members of the crew turned to
often boasted no man could outwit me, that
look at her. “Bring that case on deck
in an emergency aboard ship I was worth
again—all of them! Hurry! Get up the
any six of the crew and any two officers.
anchor and put straight out to sea!”
Well, I’ll try to live up to your boasting!”
Connor stood beside her.
“You
dare—”
“Lively, men!” he cried.
“It is my wits against yours,” she
He had not forgotten how they had
reminded him. “You are helpless, but it is
handled him a short time before. His fists
your own doing. I didn’t bind you and tie
were clenched and the look in his eyes
you in your bunk. Your little trick has
promised ill for the one who hesitated.
proved a boomerang.
“Up with that case!”
“Swear—nobody will pay attention.
“We’re not takin’ orders from you!”
Call—the men will not answer, for they’re
one of the men growled.
busy. I’m fighting you with your own sort
Connor sprang forward, and that
of weapons, but I’m fighting for the right
man struck the deck felled by a single
Wild Norene
41
blow. Guerrero, who had stood to one side
Mexican prison, want to be stood against a
astonished, seemed to come to life.
wall and shot?”
“Throttle him!” he shrieked. “Lash
The men began to murmur. They
him to that mast again!”
could not understand the situation.
The men sprang to obey. The
Connor sensed the clash in
captain had told them to obey Guerrero and
authority, and he didn’t trust the men. He
disregard the mate.
stepped into the circle of light again.
But Norene stepped before Connor,
“Back with that case!” he ordered.
and the weapon in her hand covered them.
“We ain’t takin’ orders from you—
“Do as I commanded!” she ordered.
cap’n told us not to obey you!”
“My dear young lady!” It was
Again Norene stepped before him
Guerrero speaking. “There must be some
and with her weapon threatened the crew.
mistake. This work must not be delayed—
“You men know me!” she said. “If
for there is danger. It must be done as
you’ll not obey the mate because of the
swiftly as possible.”
cap’n’s orders, you’ll obey me!”
“There is no mistake! “ she said.
The weapon spit fire; a bullet
“You men—do as I ordered!”
crashed into the deck at the feet of the
One of them stepped forward and
foremost man.
touched his forehead.
Guerrero had been watching for his
“Cap’n’s orders, miss, under favor,
chance; now he sprang upon her in an
that we unload cargo and take orders from
attempt to wrest the revolver from her
Senor Guerrero.”
hand.
“The captain’s orders have been
But Guerrero did not know Wild
changed!” she said.
Norene. A quick step she gave to one side,
“If th’ cap’n—”
and the butt of the heavy weapon struck the
“The captain is ill, cannot come on
senor behind the ear and felled him.
deck.”
“Bring back those cases now!” she
Guerrero cursed and stepped toward
commanded again, and the men turned to
her.
obey.
“Enough of this nonsense!” he
And out of the blackness that hung
cried. “To your work, men! You know the
over the sea came a tiny finger of light that
skipper’s orders.”
flashed toward the shore, broadened, and
“They’ve been changed!” Norene finally bathed the deck of the Amingo in its said again.
glory, making it as light as if the sunshine
“I’ll
see!”
had played there.
Guerrero turned to start to the
Like statues they stood, those on the
cabin. The revolver in the hands of Wild
Amingo’s deck—statues whose faces
Norene covered him.
expressed fear and horror and anger and
“You’ll stay here!” she said.
hopelessness—while the search-light
Guerrero, his face purple with rage,
revealed to all their guilt.
turned toward her threateningly. But he did
A crash out there in the night, a
not speak to her—he faced the men.
flash of vivid flame, and a shell shrieked
“Do as I ordered!” he commanded.
over the Amingo’s bow and rushed on
“Hurry with that cargo! Do you want that
toward the shore!
gunboat down on you-want to go to a
The gunboat had arrived!
All-Story Cavalier Weekly
42
Sally Wood. He knew how the men
CHAPTER IX.
regarded Norene. They would hold her
What Riney Did.
equally to blame with her uncle.
For Norene it probably meant
prison or death or worse. No courtesy
MOMENT they stood, while the gunboat
would be shown her, no respect.
crept nearer, and in the silence they could
Connor looked at her where she
hear the slow beating of her screws, the
stood gazing into the face of the light. Love
creaking of davits as boats were prepared
for her swelled his heart.
to be lowered away.
This was the time to make the fight,
That pitiless light revealed he decided; even if she detested him, that everything on the Amingo’s deck. A dash
did not prohibit him making a fight for her
below, an attempt to get arms, a movement
sake. True love, even when hopeless, calls
even might call forth a shell that would
forth sacrifice.
crash into the vessel or the rigging or
Now they could hear oars creaking.
scatter death among those on deck.
The boats from the gunboat were coming.
Senor Guerrero’s face was white as
In a moment men from her would be
chalk, and his teeth chattered. None knew
swarming over the deck of the Amingo,
better than he what capture meant—that
taking prisoners.
there would be no red tape about the
And that search-light held them in
matter.
thrall, and behind it, Connor knew, were
A trip to the shore—a squad—
big guns ready for firing when an officer
flashes of fire—then the hereafter.
gave the word.
Wild Norene by Johnston McCulley Page 10
