Wild Norene by Johnston McCulley Read online

  white, and she appeared nervous, and

  now that you’ll sail with me. You’ll sail

  Connor had left her, afraid she was going

  with me, as my mate, whether you want to

  to lecture him again for drinking so

  or not!”

  heavily.

  “I don’t care to sail with any one

  Together with Morgan and the

  just now,” said Connor, remembering the

  others, he had gone to another resort. There

  girl he had met, and her half promise that

  Morgan and he had seated themselves in a

  he was to see her again. “And, if I did, I’d

  corner and ordered a Chinese to bring

  not sail with you! I’ve got money and drinks.

  friends, and Astoria is my home port.

  He had tossed his off—and that was

  “And even Captain Bill Adams all he could remember.

  can’t make me sign on when I don’t want

  Shanghaied! Jack Connor

  to do it! You can understand that!”

  Shanghaied!

  Connor laughed mirthlessly as he

  held his aching head. He did not doubt that

  CHAPTER III.

  he was aboard the Amingo, that Captain

  Wild Norene.

  Bill Adams had won.

  He found a bucket of water in a

  corner and drank deeply, then bathed his

  All-Story Cavalier Weekly

  14

  head. A groan caused him to whirl around.

  heels. Oh, we’ll have experience and

  A cry escaped him. Crawling out of excitement, all right, and maybe get shot up another bunk was Morgan, his friend.

  and maybe go to jail!

  “You!” Morgan gasped. “You?”

  “We’ll be lucky if we have only the

  “The same!” said Connor.

  Mexican to deal with. One of Uncle Sam’s

  “Where

  are

  we?”

  revenue cutters might take a notion to

  “Aboard some old hooker, just overhaul us before we get on the high crossing the bar, I should imagine. We’re

  seas.”

  shanghaied, that’s what!”

  “What are we going to do?”

  Morgan cursed as he made his way

  Morgan asked.

  toward the water-bucket.

  “Go on deck. Come on.”

  “But—”

  he

  began.

  Connor led the way. They reached

  “It isn’t a hard puzzle to solve,”

  the deck to discover that day was breaking.

  said Connor, laughing again. “I’ll bet we’re

  To starboard the light at North Head

  aboard the Amingo.”

  flashed. Behind was the river and Astoria.

  “She wasn’t to have sailed for

  And they were aboard the Amingo,

  twenty-four hours.”

  as Connor had guessed.

  “Maybe it’s been twenty-four

  Her lights were not burning, and

  hours,” replied Connor, “and maybe Cap’n

  Connor guessed they had not been burning

  Bill made up his mind to sail earlier. Cap’n

  when the craft slipped from the river. Her

  Bill has a habit, I’ve understood, of nose was pointed toward the open sea, and changing his mind at times. Take another

  the throbbing of her engines told that they

  swig of that water, and we’ll go on deck

  were being driven to the utmost. Captain

  and face the music.”

  Adams was barking orders, and members

  “Shanghaied!” gasped Morgan, of the crew were hurrying about.

  only half able to get the idea through his

  Morgan followed at Connor’s heels

  befogged brain. “Now, by Davy Jones—”

  as he led the way across the deck toward

  “Going to whip the skipper and the skipper. There was a grin on the face of crew and put back into port?” sneered Captain Adams as he met them. He stood Connor. “If we’re shanghaied aboard the

  before them with arms folded, waiting for

  Amingo we might as well take our one of them to speak.

  medicine, that’s what! We’re due to obey

  “Would you mind telling us, cap’n,

  cap’n’s orders until we make a port, then

  what we’re doing here?” Connor asked.

  there’ll be a chance to desert. We might as

  “Sleep must have robbed you of

  well make the best of it.”

  your wits, Mr. Connor,” came the reply.

  Morgan sat down on the edge of a

  “You are aboard the steam schooner

  bunk and held his head in his hands. Amingo, Portland to Mazatlan, with Connor stood before him smiling.

  lumber, of which craft you are first mate

  “We might get a chance to get and your friend a member of the crew.”

  square with Cap’n Bill, you know,” he

  “Oh! That’s it! I’m first mate, eh?”

  said. “That is, if we are aboard the Amingo,

  “You must have taken too much

  and I’ll make a big bet we are. And, if we

  liquor, Mr. Connor, that you fail to

  are, we’re helping pack arms and remember. I shall be obliged to deny you ammunition to the Mexican revolutionists,

  shore leave when we make port. You’ll

  and there’ll be a Mexican gunboat at our

  ruin your health.”

  Wild Norene

  15

  “Would you mind telling me just

  deserved the smashing, but I didn’t want

  how it came about?”

  you for mate because I admired your fistic

  “Delighted. I offered you the berth

  ability. I can supply all of that necessary on

  and you refused, you’ll remember. When

  this craft. I wanted you under me where I

  you left that resort you went to a saloon

  could give you the punishment you

  where the proprietor is under obligations to

  deserved.”

  me. He put the old reliable knock-out drops

  Connor’s face flushed as he looked

  in the poison you ordered. A couple of my

  the other man squarely in the eyes.

  men took pity on you and your friend and

  “You gave me your word of honor

  carried you aboard. We didn’t want to that, if I made the voyage with you, you’d leave you behind.”

  not lay hand on me,” he said. “Now that

  Morgan took a step forward. His

  you have me aboard, I suppose you’ll take

  chin made an inviting target as he bent

  it out on me. Start in, Captain Bill Adams.

  toward the skipper.

  You’ll win, maybe, and anyway I’m

  “And let me tell you, you’ll suffer

  helpless on your ship and out at sea. But

  for this!” he cried. “No man can shanghai

  I’ll leave my mark on you—”

  me and get away with it!”

  The look in the captain’s face

  Captain Bill’s arm flashed through

  caused him to hesitate.

  the air, there was a crack, and Morgan

  “I am a man of my word,” replied

  stretched his length on the deck.

  the captain, “and when I said I’d not lay

  Connor did not make a move. hands on you I meant it. I’m not going to Morgan should have known better, he beat you up on this voyage.

  thought. Shanghaied or not, no man can

  “But I am going to mak
e your life a

  rebuke a ship’s master and expect to go

  hell!

  unpunished.

  “I overheard you last night, as you

  “I am glad to see, Mr. Connor, that

  know. I don’t care what you think of me or

  you take a sensible view of the matter,”

  what you have said about me. But you

  said the captain. “I’ll ask you to take the

  spoke of my niece. You divided women

  deck presently. Just now I am interested in

  into classes, and put her in the worthless

  putting three miles of the Pacific between

  class.

  the schooner and the coast.

  “You called her wild and untamed,

  “Of course, you must understand.

  and said you could tame her. You could

  There’s a little vessel in the river that might

  make her love you, promise to marry you,

  follow us. You mentioned her last night

  you said. And you intimated she was a

  during our interesting conversation.”

  woman of loose character, my niece, one of

  He called a couple of the men and

  the sweetest girls God ever let breathe the

  ordered them to take Morgan to the breath of life! You can tame her, can you!

  forecastle for the time being and place him

  Very well, Mr. Jack Connor, that’s exactly

  in irons, then faced Connor again.

  what you’ll have to do!”

  “I said I’d have you for mate, and I

  His eyes blazed into Connor’s, and

  have you,” he announced. “I am a man of

  Connor took a step backward, not because

  my word. I suppose you wonder why?”

  of sudden fear, but because of the spectacle

  “Because I smashed your old mate,

  of wrath and pain mingled that those eyes

  Riney, I reckon.”

  held.

  “Wrong, Mr. Connor. Riney

  “I’ll be watching you,” the captain

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  16

  continued, “and Heaven help you if you

  the skipper had said was damnably true—

  show an instant of disrespect. I’ll tell the

  Adams could, perhaps, do as he promised.

  girl what I heard you say. She’s a good girl,

  Ordinarily, Connor would have had

  a sweet and honest girl. I’ve kept her with

  no scruples. He would have laid siege to

  me because I was afraid to leave her alone

  the heart of Wild Norene and won it to save

  in some port. I worship her. Whatever I

  his own life, if he could.

  have been, Norene is honest and good.

  But now the scheme seemed

  “Tame her, then, if you can; make

  distasteful to him. Even if such a thing

  her love you and promise to marry you, and

  were possible after the girl’s mind had been

  do it honestly and honorably. You have

  poisoned against him, he did not want to

  until we make port. I’ve put you in the play with a girl’s affections only to cast her mate’s place so you’ll have every chance.

  aside if he won.

  I’m playing fair!”

  He remembered the girl in Astoria,

  “Suppose I do not fancy making a

  the one he could not meet now on

  young woman fall in love with me,” said

  Commercial Street, as he had hoped. He

  Connor. “Suppose I do not make the saw a vision of her before him—her large, attempt; suppose I grant you that I made a

  trusting eyes and frank face. She was the

  mistake, that she is a good, sweet girl?”

  first woman he ever had met for whom he

  “There still remains the fact that

  thought he could care.

  you said you could tame her, boasted of it

  What would she think of a man who

  before your worthless companions. You would make love to a woman when he did have until we reach port.”

  not mean it, merely to save his own half-

  “And if I do not try, or do try and

  worthless life?

  fail?”

  “I’ll not do it!” he muttered.

  “Then you stand proved a liar, Jack

  “There’ll be some other way. I can wait

  Connor, and I’ll remember the insults and

  until the last—put up a fight. Morgan will

  deal with you.”

  help me!”

  “But you’ve passed your word

  He took charge of the deck and for

  you’ll not lay a hand on me.”

  a time worked frantically. Captain Adams

  “And I’ll not. But I can do watched him and recognized that Connor something else. I can make it appear you

  knew his business, that the new mate was

  are guilty of certain things, violating familiarizing himself with the men and the international law, for instance. I can swear,

  ship.

  and my men will back me up, that what this

  Half an hour passed; then Connor

  vessel carries is known to you alone, was

  turned aft—to meet the vision of which he

  shipped by you, that I thought it honest

  had dreamed.

  cargo—for so it looks. I can have you stood

  She was coming across the deck

  up against a wall, a file of Mexican Federal

  toward him, her face flushed, her eyes wide

  soldiers before you, and shot.

  in wonder. She was dressed in a loose

  “Do you understand now? Make blouse and short skirt, and her hair was good your boast. Tame Wild Norene after

  whipped about her face by the wind.

  she knows what you have said about her—

  Connor stared at her as she advanced.

  or die! Take the deck!”

  What could she be doing here? he

  Captain Adams went aft. Connor

  wondered. If she was surprised to see him,

  stood near the rail, looking after him. What

  he was more surprised to see her. But his

  Wild Norene

  17

  heart beat wildly as he realized she was

  face, was thinking of the predicament in

  aboard, that he would see her every day,

  which he found himself.

  talk with her, walk the deck with her.

  That this girl could be the Wild

  Tame Wild Norene to save his own

  Norene of whom he had heard so much

  life? Not with this girl aboard! He could

  was not to be believed. How she would

  not act falsely before her, could not let her

  despise him when her uncle told her!

  despise him, as he felt sure she would if he

  There was a pleading in Connor’s

  did such a thing.

  face as he locked at the skipper, but

  “You?” he heard her say. “You are

  Captain Bill did not show mercy.

  the new mate?”

  “Norene,” he said, “I’ve something

  “I whipped Riney, then got his job,”

  to tell you in Mr. Connor’s presence.”

  he replied, laughing. “But how do you “Well,

  uncle?”

  happen to be here? I was to have met you

  “You know I went to a certain

  this afternoon in Astoria.”

  resort in Astoria last night to learn the truth

  “I intended to sail on the Amingo,

  about Riney
being a man I could not trust?”

  but she wasn’t to have sailed until tonight,”

  “I heard you say you were going

  she answered. “There was a change in with Senor Guerrero.”

  plans. I really expected to see you in

  “Mr. Connor was sitting at a table

  Astoria this afternoon. And now—to find

  near me with some of his companions.

  you here—”

  They began talking of the Amingo, of me

  “But why are you here?” he asked.

  and my business, finally of you.”

  “I didn’t know the Amingo carried

  “Of me!” she exclaimed.

  passengers.”

  “Very complimentary, wasn’t it, to

  Captain Adams, smiling evilly, speak of you in such a place? Mr. Connor stepped between them.

  spoke, too, in a tone half the persons in the

  “Mr. Connor,” he said, “let me resort could hear. One of his companions make you acquainted with my niece, Miss

  remonstrated with him about mentioning

  Norene Adams!”

  your name there.

  The captain’s eyes were upon him,

  “Do you know what he replied?

  but Connor could not prevent the look of

  That there were but two classes of women,

  amazement and pain that came into his

  one too good to be mentioned by men of

  face.

  his stamp, and the others of such standing

  Norene Adams! This woman he had