The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour, Volume Four (30 page)

This, you must remember, was before World War II, and there were no airlines as such.

“Where are the tickets?” he asked.

She came to him, her blue eyes wide and wonderful. “Oh, Milt! I hope you’re not going to be angry, but the Funstons are having a party tonight, and they are always such
fun
! Well, I turned in our tickets and got tickets on another boat, a much faster one, that leaves tomorrow!”

No doubt there was a moment of sheer panic; then what he hoped was common sense prevailed. It would take that junk a week to get to its destination. Well—four days at least. There was nothing to be done, and why not one more night?

The next morning was one I would never forget. I’d known Milton only to speak to, although we did have a drink together once. When a friend banged on my door at daybreak and told me he had something to show me, I went along.

What he showed me was what Milton might have expected, for the men with whom he did business did not play games.

There, standing upright in the parking lot outside his place on Bubbling Well Road, was a piece of the rusty pipe he had so carefully packed. On top of it was Milton’s head. His complexion was no longer florid.

“Everybody knew that story,” I repeated. “At least everybody of our sort. I heard it again a few days ago in the Casual Officers’ Mess on Place St. Augustine.”

“But you know about Chabrang,” the general said.

The wine was excellent. “I see no connection,” I said.

He gave me a sidelong glance, filled with suspicion. Why the mention of Chabrang disturbed him, I could not guess, as it was but an unimportant village on one of the routes out of Sinkiang to Ladakh. It was in no way noteworthy except that it was near the ruins of Tsaparang. The ruins represented about all that remained of a long-ago kingdom.

“Did you know Milton?” I asked.

“I knew him. If the Chinese had not killed him, I would have. Those munitions were consigned to me.”

“To
you
?”

“They were consigned to me for the war lord, and the fraud put my head on the block. I was suspected of complicity.”

“What happened?”

“I acted. Perceiving that I was suspected, and knowing the gentleman concerned was not one to dillydally, I made my move. You see, he already owed me money, a considerable sum. By disposing of me, he could make somebody atone for the fraud and liquidate his debt at the same time.”

He fell silent while the waiter brought a steaming platter of seafood. When he had gone, the general resumed. “It was the time to move, so I acted. Remember that this is the first principle—
act
! Remember that, my young friend! Do not deliberate! Do not hesitate! Do not wait upon eventuality!
Act!
It is always better to do something, even if not quite the right thing, than to do nothing.
Action! Decision!
Only these are important!”

He toyed with an oyster, glancing from under his brows. “My mind, at such times, works quickly. He needed a scapegoat to save face. Not in Shanghai but there, before his men! At once! Instantly I perceived it was I who must pay.”

He ate the oyster, and taking a bit of bread, buttered it lavishly. Many of the good people of France had not seen so much butter in months.

“You see, the commander himself did not yet know of the fraud, but immediately the discovery was made, an officer had left to report to him. He could reach him in not less than an hour, then an hour to return.

“The captain of the junk had seen none of what went on, so I went to him immediately, put money in his hand, and told him to sail to such and such a point upriver. The cargo would be received there.

“Then I went to the telegraph station, which was closed. I broke in to it and sent a message to another, rival war lord up the river, offering the guns to him for a fancy price. He was desperately in need of them, and I told him I could promise delivery if the money was paid to me in gold. A place of payment was mentioned.

“There was a charter plane at the field. You knew him, I think? Milligan? He would fly you anywhere for a price and land his plane on a pocket handkerchief if need be. Moreover, he could be trusted, and there were some, in those days, who could not. I placed five hundred dollars in his hand and said I wished to leave for Shanghai at once.

“‘After I gas up,’ he said.

“‘Now,’ I told him. ‘Right now. There is petrol at—’ I took his map and put my finger on the place. ‘And you can land there.’

“‘If you say,’ he replied doubtfully. ‘I never heard of—’

“‘The petrol is there,’ I promised him. ‘I had it placed there for just such an emergency.’”

The general looked around at me. “You are young, lieutenant, and wise as you may be, you are still learning, so remember to trust no one! Prepare for every eventuality no matter how remote! Not even a mouse trusts himself to one hole only. That is an old saying, but it has remained in my mind, and can I be less wise than a mouse?

“We took off at once. Within twenty minutes of my realization I
acted
! And that night I was in Shanghai with
her
!”

“Her?” He had lost me.

“Of course! With Milton’s blonde. What was her name? I’ve forgotten. No matter. I was there, consoling her.

“Of course”—he glanced at me—“I was younger then and not so—so—well, I am a little overweight now. But then, ah, I was handsome then, lieutenant! I was handsome, and I was, of course, younger.

“I found her in tears. She was weeping for him. For Milton. Or perhaps she was weeping for that lost trip to Paris. About women, lieutenant, one never knows. No matter.

“There on the floor was the black bag. It was out of the way, back against the sofa’s end, but I recognized it at once. True, I’d never seen it before, but I’d seen others of the kind. In it would be the money! All that delightful, beautiful money! And she was crying? Well, as I have said, she was a woman, and about women one never knows.

“I consoled her. What else could I do? What does one do with a pretty woman who is sad and has a quarter of a million dollars, give or take a few? I told her she must not worry, that I—
I
would take her to Paris! And who knew Paris better? Who knew the nightspots, the cafés, the bordel—Well, who knew the town better than I? Even its history!

“Oh, I was marvelous that day! I told her exciting and glamorous tales of what the city was like, of living there, and I dropped names, names of all the famous and infamous. As a matter of fact, I actually did know some of them.

“She was consoled! She rested her head on my shoulder. As you have seen, they are very broad. She dried her tears; then she smoothed her dress, she touched up her makeup, and she said, ‘I still have the tickets. We could go at once. I—there is nothing more for me here! Nothing!’

“‘I know.’ I took her two hands. ‘It is tragic. But in Paris, my dear, you can forget. In Paris there is music, there is dancing, there is love, and there is beauty! And we shall be there—together!’”

He paused, refilling his glass. “She listened, her blue eyes very wide and wondering. She was a dear girl, no question of it. The black bag was at my feet. ‘Look!’ I took from my pocket a packet of bills and stripped off several of the thousand-dollar denomination. ‘Take this! I shall meet you in Paris! Go to this place—’ I wrote out the name of a small, discreet hotel—‘and wait for me. I shall not be long.’

“Then I picked up the black bag and walked out. Once beyond the door with the bag I did not wait for the lift, but ran down the stairs. I had it, did I not? I had the black bag with the quarter of a million, and more to come from my own sale of the munitions! Ah, it was exciting, my friend, most exciting! It is always exciting when one is making money! And such delightful sums! Into my car then and away to the field where Milligan awaited me.

“Racing out on the field, I leaped from the car. Milligan was there, beside his plane, but he was not alone.

“Three men were with him, and one of them was the old marshal. He was the last person I expected in Shanghai, where he had many enemies, but here he was. One of the men stood guard over Milligan, and the other had a pistol directed at me.

“My eyes caught those of Milligan. He was a man I knew—a tough man, a ready man. Did I tell you that he was from Texas? Anyway, a lift of the brows, a small hand gesture—he knew what was coming. There was no doubting that he wished to be away as much as I.

“‘Ah, Marshal Chang! How delightful to see you! And what a surprise to find you in Shanghai of all places! Once I knew what happened I flew here at once! At once, Marshal. It was my duty as your aide, your confidant, and your friend to rectify this error!’

“You see, one does what one can, and I had already given up on this money. True, what I was about to do would
hurt
! Hurt, lieutenant! But it was my only way out. The old marshal would be in no mood for games, and every second here was filled with danger for him, so he was desperate. As for me, it is a wise soldier who knows when to retire from the field.

“Anyway, did I not have money awaiting me at the other end? From my sale of the arms?

“‘When I realized what had happened, Marshal, I flew to recover your money! It was the least I could do for one who has been my friend, my adviser, almost a second father!’

“‘Recover?’ he asked, puzzled.

“‘Of course! It is here! In this bag! Now if you would like to fly back with me?’

“‘Let me see the money,’ he demanded.

“‘Of course,’ I said, and yielded the bag to his grasp. Yielded it reluctantly, you understand, for I had hoped to have that money somehow, someway. If I could just get the marshal into the plane—

“He gestured to one of his men, he who had been covering me, to open the bag. He did so. The marshal leaned over and peered inside; then he looked up at me, and his face was dark with anger.

“Looking into the bag, I knew why, knew that we had been cheated, that—

“The bag was filled with old newspapers, and there was a novel there to give it weight. And
that
novel? How could it have had weight enough? It was by a writer I have never liked—never!

“The old marshal was trembling with anger. ‘You!’ he shouted. ‘You—!’

“It was a time, lieutenant, a time for decision! Never have I been more pleased with myself than what I did then! In an instant I should have been killed! And Milligan, also! It was a time for
action,
and like the old soldier I was, I
acted
!

“He who guarded me had lowered his pistol while he opened the bag, and for that reason he was holding the pistol but loosely. I struck down at the base of his thumb with the edge of my hand, and as the pistol fell from his hand, I seized it and fired!

“Not at the man I had disarmed but at the man guarding Milligan.

“Turning swiftly, I shoved the old marshal. He was a heavy man, and he tottered back off balance and fell. Milligan had leaped into the plane, and the man I had disarmed leaped at me. My pistol exploded, and he fell; then I leaped into the plane, and we were off—gone!

“Once again, lieutenant, I had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. I do not wish to appear smug, but it is only the truth.

“In Kansu I received payment for the guns and told them where the junk would be. Then once more we took off. In the air I changed clothing, changed to such a costume as an English scientist might wear in the field. I had it always with me, for you know how the English are—one is apt to find them anywhere, in any out-of-the-way, godforsaken place, doing God knows what.

“I was to be a hunter of butterflies and a bit vague about all else. You see? It was an excellent cover.

“We landed—I shall not say where, for it is a field I have often used and may well use again. I have such places here and there. One never knows, does one?

“There I paid Milligan. Ten thousand dollars, more than he had ever seen before at one time, and there I left him, but with regret. He was a man, that one!

“I bought horses, and in a small town I found some equipment abandoned at some time by a scientific scholar before he attempted the Karakoram Pass. Have you tried it? If not, do not. It is—anyway, there is another older pass not far from there that is useful if one does not mind swinging bridges over gorges with roaring water beneath.

“It is a very remote country, yet it seemed by far the best and far from troublesome officials. Who would expect to find anyone in such a place. Yet when we reached Chabrang—”

“Yes?”

“We went to a place where we might find food, and I heard a merchant, a Kirghiz, complaining in a loud voice against the government! He had been stopped, searched, questioned. It seemed there were soldiers there looking for someone with a great deal of money. As if any merchant dared carry any money at all in such a place!

“You can see my problem. But again I refused to be defeated! It is my decision that counts! I decided, and I acted! Promptly!

“I inquired, and in a voice just loud enough that all might hear, as to the ruins of Tsaparang and which road must I take?

“I knew the road, and I had seen the ruins. Who could forget them, high in that yellow cliff? Built into the very face of it like some of your cliff dwellings.

“Of course I knew where the ruins lay, and we went to them. The men I had hired to travel with me and who owned the horses were only too glad to lie in the shade and rest. I took a pack from a horse, some scientific instruments, and of course the money. Then I made my way up the steep slope. One too curious fellow chose to follow me, but I found heavy stones that must be moved from my path, so he soon lost interest.

“I hid the money, hid it securely, in a place only I shall find, and in its place I packed some broken bits of pottery, a few blue beads, bits of carnelian and such. I took measurements, and took pictures with an old camera I had wheedled from Milligan, and then returned to my horses.

“We were stopped, of course, and questioned. We were searched, and they found the shards of pottery, some butterflies collected long ago by that traveler, whoever he was, and some very smelly bottles.