Drawing by hugues66
Preface:
This is a sequel of „Land of the Brave“ and takes part in San Francisco in the autumn of 1865. Those who know better about the circumstances of the Taiping rebellion or the Chinese community of San Francisco may excuse the many historical mistakes and inaccuracies.
Chapter one
„So, this is the famous city“, Princess Jinjin meant towards her maid, Lien, standing beside her at the railing of the steamer that had brought them from Hongkong to San Francisco. Together with them, there were some 200 Chinese on board of the ship, but unlike most of them, Jinjin and Lien had travelled in a first class cabin.
About one year ago, the Taiping rebellion, a bloody conflict between the government in Peking and the Taiping, a spiritual sect that had turned into politics and had found many followers among the discontent people of the Chinese Empire, had come to an end, leaving more than 20 million people dead. Most of the Taiping nobility had been executed or imprisoned, but Jinjin`s family had bought her a passage to safety. She had only her most trusted maid with her, but she also had some gold and jewelry worth thousands of dollars and she expected to find some support by the Chinese society in San Francisco.
„Yes, San F-rr-ancisco.“
Jinjin smiled. Though they had both been tought English for years and had practiced their skills during the voyage, Lien still had some difficulties in pronouncing the letter „R“. However, she had not chosen Lien as her companion for her accurate spelling.
„Well then, let`s get prepared for the departure.“
Jinjin staggered to the steps leading down to their cabin. Her high heels made it difficult to walk on the swaying ship`s planks, but she would have never worn any other footwear. Being a member of the Hakka people`s aristocracy, Jinjin had not to suffer from having her feet broken and bound when she was a child, but being just 4`11``, she always wore high heels to make her legs appear longer and to seem taller. At least, she now was taller than Lien who measured 5`1``, but who preferred flat shoes.
From the lower deck, one of the Chinese standing there watched the two young women in their expensive silk robes instead of the City they were heading to. Cheng was not so much interested in San Francisco, since he did not intend to stay for long. His orders were clear:
„Take hold of the Princess and get her back to China for trial.“
***
After being one month in San Francisco, two things still were uncommon to the former slave Zenobia: having a last name and getting a salary for her work every week. When she and Andrea had arrived at the city, they had to find work immediately. So, Zenobia had registered herself and now officially was Miss Zenobia Smith. Actually, she did not really care about having a last name and so, she had just chosen something colloquial.
The salary, however, was not only a matter of pride, but also of daily survival, since they had reached the city with literally nothing more than the clothes they were wearing. However, there had been a time when they had had even less.
When she and Andrea had finally freed themselves from the bondage in which the Apache had left them, the two women had been naked except for the two pairs of used knickers that had previously gagged them. So, they had waited for the night, sneaked into White Skull and had stolen some clothes from a clothline. Now provisionally dressed, but still barefoot, they had found that Andrea`s house had been burnt to the ground.
Since none of them knew that their mighty enemy, Cassandra DeRainier, was no longer a threat at the moment Zenobia and Andrea examined the smoking debris of their house, she was naked, bound and gagged, transported towards an uncertain fate - , they had decided to leave immediately.
In a nearby mews, there was still Andrea`s horse and so, they had made it to Tucson. By selling the horse, they could get new clothes and a passage to the West. Andrea had thought that the bigger the city, the better the chances for starting a new life, and so, they had finally arrived in San Francisco.
Their relationship, though still quite cordially, was also still more or less platonic. Zenobia had not dared to reveal her true feelings to Andrea yet and the reporter had never since mentioned their ordeal, let alone the sexual experience they both had had when being tied together naked.
Andrea had tried to find work as a journalist, but soon had to find out that most newspapers were not interested in employing a woman. Finally, the „City Herald“ had given her a job as a reporter for „women`s stuff“, i. e. gossip, fashion and society news. Andrea, neither interested in gossip nor in fashion, hated the job, but at least, it gort them a few Dollars. She even got used to wear a skirt and blouse, though she would have preferred her beloved man`s trousers.
By virtue of her race, Zenobia had even more difficulties in finding work, but finally, she could become a kitchen aid in a restaurant. Their combined money was not enough to be demanding in their living standards, but after a few weeks in a cheap and dirty hotel, they had luckily been given the adress of Miss Hooke`s hostel for unmarried women.
They both had expected the hostel owner to be either a strict governess kind of woman, or an old lady with a bun of white hair, but Miss Vanessa Hooke had turned out to be still quite young – she seemed to be in about Andrea`s age – and pretty. The blonde curled woman had also been very friendly, even when they had told her about their monetary situation.
„If my tenants were rich, they would not live here. I want to help young women to find their place in life. Unfortunately, some fail in their search, but quite many succeed. However, we have quite a fluctuation here. Some girls marry, some move, and some just never come back, leaving not even a message. That`s why I insist on getting paid in advance for the week.“
That sounded more than reasonable and the prizes were moderate and so, Andrea and Zenobia now shared a room in Miss Hooke`s hostel. The room was clean and fully furnished, but it had not more than some 20 square metres and only one bed.
„So, I will sleep every night side to side with the woman I love, will see her changing her clothes every day, but since I am a shy fool, this will be agony, not fun“, Zenobia thought.
Vanessa Hooke smiled when she counted the few Dollars she had taken from her new tenants. She could allow herself to be generous, since running the hostel was not her only business. She had not been exactly honest towards Zenobia and Andrea. Some of the girls who had disappeared without a trace had not done so on their own will. Instead, they had been chosen by Vanessa for their beauty and other attributes – and sold into slavery. She was no ordinary pimp – her business partners had rather special wishes and in addition, Vanessa had to be careful, since the disappearance of too many girls in a period would have been suspicious. So, not many young women had been kidnapped from the hostel during the last years, but since her partners always paid well and punctually, she had made quite a fortune.
This two new Ladies sure were worth at least a thought. Of course, Andrea was a bit old, but a beautiful woman and her partners were usually not interested in Blacks, but at least, she would have an eye on them. However, there was another girl under her roof who would be next to do an unexpected journey.
***
„Never call it Frisco“, Jody told Zenobia when they were sitting in the „Pacific Restaurant“`s kitchen, peeling potatoes. The pretty blonde was not only Zenobia`s co-worker, but she lived at the hostel, too. Actually, it had been her who had told her about it. Jody was born and raised in a small gold digger`s town not far away, but at 15, now some four years ago, she had decided that living in a small nest was too boring and had went to „The City“. Here, her carelessness about life in general and earning money in special had prevented her from becoming rich, but Jody was a cheerful and open-minded girl who did not care much about money, as long as she did not have to suffer from hunger or cold.
Being quite a beauty, she usually would have been allowed to serve the guests in the dining room, but the headwaiter thought that she was „lacking style and manners“. Zenobia, who had served in a rich man`s household, would have had these qualities, but her skin colour limited her to kitchen work, too, and so, the two young women were working together, only loosely observed by the cook, and had lots of time for gossip.
First, it had been a bit annoying when Jody wanted to know all about the „Wild West“, but she had been so friendly and heartily that Zenobia had told her something about her encounters and she was about to befriend the young blonde, though she never seemed to take a break from talking.
„In one hour, when our shift ends, we will go to the harbour. I know some bars where a girl can go without risking her virginity – unless she likes it.“
She smiled a bit lasciviously, making Zenobia feel prudish and unexperienced. Anyway, she shook her head.
„I don`t have money to waste.“
„Oh, don`t mind, I will pay our first drink. And then, usually it`s me who get`s offered drinks for free.“
So, at about ten o`clock in the evening, the two women were walking through the streets of San Francisco. Jody had chosen a shortcut, leading them through Chinatown. Zenobia could not help admiring the exotic ornaments on the houses and the men with their funny pigtails in their strange clothes. She wondered why there were no women to be seen in the streets.
„It`s a man`s world here. Most of them are young men who came here for work, leaving their families behind. That`s why they have their pigtails. If they come home to China and cannot show their pigtail, they will lose their head!“
Zenobia could not believe that, ut when they were passing a narrow, dark street, she grabbed her friend`s arm.
„Look! At least there are two women.“
Jody just wanted to inform Zenobia that most of the few women in Chinatown actually were prostitutes when suddenly some shadows emerged from the dark. These shadows turned out to be four men wearing black who threw themselves on the two women, grabbing their arms and clamping their mouths shut.
„Mhhmmph!“
Zenobia was too perplexed to cry for help and Jody had not reacted either when something unbelievable happened: One of the girls suddenly threw the man holding her from behind over her shoulder. With a wild, high pitched cry she then jumped high and kicked another in his side. The two men had landed on the ground, but now, one of them drew a knife.
„Help! Police! Stop it!“, Jody suddenly cried and Zenobia found her speech back, too, adjoining in her friend`s calls for help.
The attackers hesitated and the woman kicked the knife from his hand. One of his companions, still holding the other woman in his arms, suddenly threw her against the fighting girl and all four attackers disappeared in the dark.
„Are you okay?“, Zenobia panted when she had arrived at the two women. Now, she could see them more clearly. Both were dressed in strange, high collared silk dresses and the one who had fought the men was also wearing some kind of silk trousers. Their lineaments were similar to those of the men they had seen in the streets, but Zenobia had always heard people talking about the Chinese being „yellow-faced“. However, the men had just a darker complexion than the White and these two women looked rather pale, though Zenobia could see that both were wearing quite a lot of makeup.
„Yes, thank you, Madam“, the fighter said in fluent English, but with a funny accent. The other one just looked at Zenobia and Jody with interest. None of them showed a sign of fear or anger.
„If you want to go to the police-“, Zenobia began, but Jody interrupted her.
„No policeman will set his foot into Chinatown, except for collecting bribery aor protection money“, she hissed into Zenobia`s ear.
However, the two women did not seem to be interested in going to the police anyway. The one who hadn`t talked yet said something to her companion in a strange sounding language and the, the other one slightly bowed towards Jody and Zenobia.
„My Mistress says thank you for helping us, Madams. Please, allow us to give that to you.“
Having said so, she reached for her bag and gave Jody a coin. Then, the two women continued their way as if nothing had happened.
„Wow!“, Jody said when the two Chinese had walked around the next corner. Zenobia looked over her friend`s shoulder. The coin in her palm was no Dollar. It was covered with strange signs and it seemed to be quite heavy. To be more exactly, it looked as if it was made of pure gold.
***
The same moment, Vanessa Hooke opened the back door of the hostel, letting in three men wearing black clothes. Two of them were Chinese, the third one had brown hair and cold looking grey eyes. Once they were inside, the European asked Vanessa:
„Is she already in her room?“
Vanessa shook her head:
„Sorry, Mr. Kane. Usually, she arrives at about nine o`clock. But today, it seems that she has gone out. Maybe together with her new room neighbour, they are working at the same place.“
The man grunted angrily. As usual, his Chinese companions showed no emotion.
„Next time, you tell us if such things happen. We don`t like running through the streets for nothing.“
Vanessa wasn`t really afraid. Mr. Kane was a rough man, but he had never been brutal towards her and she had never given him reason to really complain. Sometimes, such things happened and then, he and his man had to come another day to fetch their prey. However, this time, he seemed a bit concerned.
„Madame wants to increase her business. Obviously, the demand has risen. But she has not found other – business partners yet.“
Vanessa frowned. Actually, it had been the said „Madame“ that had told her that cautiousness was essential in a business like that. On the other hand, a large sum was a large sum and she had an eye on moving to a better part of the city. So, she told Mr. Kane:
„Well, now that you are here, there is that other girl I`ve told you about. she`s a bit of a raw diamond, but I am sure Madame knows how to – polish her.“
Mr. Kane grinned wolfishly: „Oh, be sure she knows. Well, now that we are here.“
Vanessa smiled and handed him a key.
„Number three“, she said.
The girl they had talked about was Myra Donnell, a girl from the East Coast that had arrived in San Francisco a few months before and who was currently working in a tailor`s shop. Myra was 20 years old, rather small, but with quite large breasts and had long, dark brown hair and green eyes. Vanessa thought that she was quite handsome, but Myra always seemed to be a bit too dishevelled to be really called pretty. A long hot bath and a visit to a good hairdresser would have worked wonders, Vanessa thought, but Myra always seemed a bit harried and perhaps had either not the money or the time for such luxury. In addition, Myra had quite a temper.
„Maybe, Madame will tame her a bit“, she thought when she waited for the three men to come back.
Upstairs, Mr. Kane carefully listened to the door of Number three. Only the breathing of a sleeping person could be heard. The adjacent rooms were quiet, too. He looked through the keyhole, finding that the door was locked from the inside. But that was only a minor delay.
He took a velvet cloth and shoved it through the gap between the door and the treshold. Then, using a thin stick, he gntly pushed against the key. It landed on the cloth without a sound. The gap was too narrow to get the key through it, but he had gotten the reserve key from Vanessa and slowly unlocked and opened the door. For obvious reasons, the doors in Vanessa`s hostel were always well oiled and did not creak a bit.
Now Hu, one of his Chinese accomplices stepped inside. In his right, he held an opened little bottle and in his left, a cloth. Hu thoroughly soaked the rag and approached the bed where a woman in a nightgown was sleeping on her side. Mr. Kane and Tian, the other Chinese, entered the room, too, closing the door behind them. The moonlight lit the room enough for them to see clearly. Beside the bed, they lined up and then, Hu bent down to the women turning her back towards them. Then, he nodded and the three men attacked.
Whilst Hu pressed the soaked cloth on the girl`s mouth and nose, grabbing her scalp with is other hand, Mr. Kane grabbed her arms and Tian was clasping her legs.
„Uuuhmm? Mhhmmmph! Ggghhmmmm!“
Myra awoke and rose her eyes open, but could see nothing but dark. She tried to flail and mmphed through the hand pressed over her lips, but the three men were far too strong for her. Myra smelled something sweet and soon, she became dizzy and her vision blurred.
„Mmmhhhrrrrrrrr!“, she screamed and tried to buck in a last effort. Then, everything went black and she passed out.
Whilst Hu kept the cloth over her mouth for another minute, Kane and Tian already began to stow Myra`s belongings in two bags they had brought with them. It should look as if Myra had left on her own will, taking her property with her.
When they were finished, Kane kept cave and the two Chinese tied and gagged the unconscious girl. With pre-cut hemp ropes, they tied her arms at wrists and elbows, tied her crossed ankles and put her into a hogtie. Then, Hu stuffed her mouth with a rag and tied another one tightly between the girl`s lips. Tian, who had taken the bedding off, pulled the pillowcase over her head and secured it by knotting the ends of it around Myra`s neck. Then, they wrapped her victim into the remaining bedding and Tian loaded her upon his shoulder. Kane looked at the corridor and nodded and they silently disappeared. The whole abduction had not lasted for more than five minutes.
Downstairs, Kane handed the key back to Vanessa and gave her a small, but heavy leather bag.
„I am sure I don`t have to count, Mr. Kane. Until next time, and don`t forget to close the court`s door.“
When the three men and their victim had gone, Vanessa quickly checked the room upstairs. Myra had been late with the rent, but the 500 Dollars she had just received were more than a small compensation for that little sum.
***
Cheng still was a bit uncertain about what he just had seen. He had witnessed the four men`s attack on the Princess and her maid and he was not sure who those men were or who had sent them. It was unlikely that they were just ordinary muggers. But who were they then?
He had been send by the governor of Guandong himself and it would be strange if his excellency would have sent other men, at least without telling him. In addition, the governor had told him to be discreet and to avoid any disturbance in the relation to the USA. And this attack was far from being discreet.
He had followed the Princess to the house where she was living. It belonged to a rich salesman who was widely related to her. This man was in the opium business and so, he had several guards in and around his house. And, thanks to these unknown attackers, Princess Jinjin would now sure either have an armed escort in the streets or never leave the house at all.
Discretion was a good thing, but as a stranger in a strange land, Cheng knew he would need some help. So, he secretly followed the two women that had aided Jinjin and Lien after the assault to their home.
***
When Myra awoke from her drugged sleep, she found her self tied to a bed with her wrists and ankles shackled to the bedposts. She had thrashed and flailed and tried to scream, but she had still been gagged.
„Ah, so you are awake“, a female voice said.
„Mmmhhhhhrrrr! Uuuhhhmmmmph! Mmmhhhhmmmph!“
„You better calm down and listen to me“, the voice, coming from somewhere behind Myra, said.
„Mhhmmmmph! Uuhhmmmmmm! Mph!“
Myra had no intention to calm down. She continued to fight her bonds and if the shackles had not been upholstered, she would have injured her joints. In addition, she continued to scream into the rag that stuffed her mouth until exhaustion forced her to quieten a bit.
Now, a woman in a red kimono with black ornamental flowers on it stepped beside the bed and looked down on Myra. The girl looked at her with wide eyes and moaned through her gag, but the woman just waited.
She was a Chinese, with lightly curly hair she was wearing open and that reached to her hips. The woman seemed to be quite young and she just looked at the moaning and squirming girl with no expression except for a small smile. Finally, she raised her right as if to tell Myra to stop.
„Be quiet now, or I will wait until tomorrow for you to listen to me. And if you are still not behaving tomorrow, I will come back the day after.“
She had not raised her voice, but something in her voice told Myra that these words were not just an empty threat and so, she stopped fighting her bondage, panting heavily and staring daggers at the Chinese woman that now showed a friendly smile.
„Good. Now. Listen careful, Myra. You will be my guest from now till some friends of mine will take care of you. Behave well and you will be treated like a guest. But any sign of resistance will be punished severely. Did you understand?“
Myra just stared at her with a mixture of fear, anger and disbelief.
„From now on, you will follow any orders given by me or by any of my employees and you will answer any question that can be answered by ,Yes` or ,No` in the appropriate way. Since you will remain gagged for your time here, except for the times of meals or when you clean your teeth, you will do so by nodding or shaking your head.“
Myra interrupted her by another outburst of flailing and muffled screaming, but the Chinese woman just slowly reached for a big whip. Myra shrieked through her gag when the woman hit the pillow just one inch beside her right ear, shredding the upholstery by her stroke. When the frightened girl fell silent, she continued as if nothing had happened.
Drawing by hugues66
„Since we need you as presentable as possible, we will use the whip only if we need to. But be sure that we don`t have bought it for only lying around either. Did you understand?“
Myra just grunted something into her gag.
„I said, did you understand?“, the woman repeated, again raising the whip.
„Mhhmmmph!“
Trembling, Myra nodded and again, the Chinese smiled:
„Good, Myra. By the way, my name is Madame Yini. Perhaps, you have heard about me before. I own a tea house near the harbour, though your being here has got nothing to do with tea.“
„Mmmhhmmph!“
„Oh, can`t you guess it from the fact that you are a pretty young girl – though you sure need a bath and someone with a hairbrush before we can start with the fine work. I am what your Yellow Press calls a White Slaver.“
„Mhhmmmmph! Uuuhhmmmmm! Hhhrrrrmmmmph!“
„Yes, I am selling young pretty girls to people who want to have some. But don`t be afraid: you will not end up in a filthy harbour brothel. My customers are members of the upper class. And don`t be afraid your friends and neighbours will find out about what your new profession will be. They never will, for you are going to China!“
This caused Myra to scream and flail once more, but the woman just walked to the door.
„You sure have a lot to think about. In the morning, one of my servants will bring you some breakfast. Until then, try to relax, the next day might be a bit – strenuous.“
***
„I have never seen such a coin in my life. But these strange signs could be Chinese letters“, Andrea said.
They were sitting in Jody`s room. After their strange encounter, they had went for the hostel and waited for the reporter to come home from her visit a t a boring welfare party about which she had to write an article. So, it had become around midnight when the two could tell her about the assault they had witnessed – and the more than lavish reward. The coin was indeed made of gold and it weighed some two ounces.
„But if she`s so rich, why does she walk around without any bodyguard?“, Zenobia asked.
„She had one. This other girl. Do you remember how she threw the man through the air? Boom! Zack!“
Jody tried to emphasize her expression by moving her hands and Andrea had to put the coffee pot away. She shook her head, but Zenobia could see that her eyes were glancing. Obviously, Andrea was intrigued by hearing something else than idle gossip or what to wear in the winter.
„Anyway, it`s quite dangerous to walk through the streets at night with loads of gold in your pockets. And since they were attacked, at least these men knew that they are wealthy.“
Jody stood up: „If only we knew someone who knows something about China!“
As on the word, a faint knock from the window could be heard. Given the fact that Jody`s room was in the third floor and that there were no stairs at the wall, this was more than a surprise and the three women gasped. Then, as the knocking continued, but no intruder broke the window and jumped inside, Jody took the metal coffee pot as a weapon and looked outside.
Beside the window, a man was hanging on the water pipe and smiled. Jody could see that he was a Chinese.
„Oh my god, the robbers, they have followed us!“, the girl thought and wanted to scream, but the man showed no intention to attack her. Instead, he once again knocked at the window and smiled at her.
Jody, who was not a fearful woman, stifled her cry of fear and slowly opened the window a bit.
„W-who are you, and what do you want?“
„My name is Cheng Xian. Cheng, if that`s easier for you. I have seen you and your friend helping Princess Jinjin. she`s in danger, and now, I might need your help, too.“
He spoke without a recognizable accent and despite the fact that he was hanging some five yards above the ground, he talked calm and friendly.
Jody fully opened the window and allowed Cheng to enter the room. He bowed towards Andrea and Zenobia and once again introduced himself. Then, he continued:
„As you already have guessed, evil powers are behind the Princess. I can`t tell you more right now, but she will need protection. I am a stranger in a strange land, and from what I`ve seen just some time ago, you are courageous women who do not want the evil to triumph!“
As none of the women spoke, he asked them with an urgently voice:
„Will the three of you help me to protect the Princess? Please!“
After a few seconds of hesitating, Zenobia nodded. Soon, Andrea and Jody joined in.
„Tell us everything“ , Andrea said.
***