'DONALDINA CAMERON' (Con't) The Missionary Friend of Chinese Slave Girls. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- But Donaldina Cameron was not new to the methods of the hateful Tongs. She had saved many a girl from their hands, gaining the respect and admiration of the San Francisco police department and certain government leaders, who sincerely believed that she was a chief means of battling the yellow-slave traffic that plagued the city. She worked quickly and with the diligence of a soldier. Each possible move of the crafty Tongs had to be anticipated and frustrated in a simple rescue from one den to another. More often, however, they first had to search for the girl in the haunts of the highbinders, in the very heart of wickedness, and then wrench her from those who owned her. Then, and only then, would she be free to determine her own future. After taking down the location of the latest hideout, Miss Cameron motioned to the boy, "Now go on your way. And thank you for coming. The Lord surely blesses you and knows of your courage." By daybreak, Donaldina had received the services of two San Francisco policemen, and with two Chinese girls, themselves rescued slaves, the party had quietly begun an earnest search of the dark Chinatown alley where the abducted girl was being held. On either side of the street were dilapidated brick buildings with many rooms and occupants. Vice was undertaken on the upper floors in a maze of dirty rooms. The choking mist had given way to windless rain, and the sky was now grey instead of black. Smoke curled about the many tenements, and the pungent scents of herbs and fowl cut the musky morning odors. Chinatown was already awakening, but the sight of policemen and Donaldina Cameron kept the residents behind locked doors. The exploits of this woman were well known here, as were the retaliations of the nearby Tongs. "This is the one," Miss Cameron finally said, pausing in front of a narrow dark stairway leading to the suspected room. They ascended until they reached the upper story, then Donaldina put her finger to her lips. The police and the two Chinese girls came closer. "We will part here. The girls know what to do from here on in." "Are you sure, Miss Cameron?" one officer asked. "Indeed I am. I have learned to depend on their alert intuition. They will climb to the roof to keep watch while we turn and knock on this door." The two tiny girls disappeared, their black almond eyes intent on their job, their feet softly but quickly ascending the steps. Miss Cameron and the police stiffened, then knocked forcibly on the door to one of the apartments In the outer door of the entrance a slot-panel went back. The American missionary was instantly recognized. Almost at once a frenzy of electric bells warned the chain of tenements that a rescue was in progress. "We've been exposed," one officer said, using his club to force open the double barricade. "The girl has been removed!" "No, no," Donaldina exclaimed confidently. "We must pursue them at all speed till we find her!" "Yes, ma'am," the other officer barked, his big shoulders forcing the doors apart. The light sound of feet echoed down the dim passageway, Miss Cameron and the two officers in close pursuit. Down the narrow winding hall they went, brushing against the walls, the Irish policeman cursing the low ceiling. "Now, now, Officer Kelly, a little patience is a virtue. And do be as quiet as possible. We don't want to lose them now that they are within our grasp. "I think we've lost them," he replied. "No we haven't. Just hush a moment." The three rescuers halted in the darkness, tilting their heads to one side. In the silence they heard a trapdoor spring softly into place. "Did you hear that? Now we have lost them." Officer Kelly shook his fists. "We will find the door," Donaldina said, taking out a candle and match. Look for a weak panel -- tap lightly along the walls." Undaunted, the party searched for the secret door in the wall. Panel after panel was tested till the weak one was discovered and an entrance battered through. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," Officer Kelly said with surprise. "Can you imagine a hidden panel that turns out to be a door, but a little one at that!" "Never mind. Just give me a hand and watch that the light doesn't go out." The missionary gathered up her long skirts and went into the adjoining passageway. It was pitch black. Only the candle flickering in her hand broke the darkness. A heavy scent of mildew and human waste flooded their nostrils. Donaldina might have turned back from the stench had it not been for her desire to save the young girl from slavery. "You sure you want to go on, Miss Cameron?" Officer Kelly asked. "It smells awfully bad." "We'll go on. She's got to be here somewhere." "It sure is dark," the other officer said. "Looks like a maze of 100 different passageways, all going in a different direction." Groping along in the silent darkness, they discovered enclosed, empty rooms that in turn enclosed tiny cells. Somewhere, a secret pocket in the floor or wall held the slave girl. Such a labyrinth of corridors was not new to Donaldina. She had often led the police in perilous midnight raids to save a young woman from death or degradation. These rescues usually ended up in the city streets or on a country highway under the hot pursuit of a frenzied Tong man. But the good humor and determination of this woman had saved many a girl. To Be Continued . . ."We'll find her yet."....... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert October 3, 2005 iggy29@rnetinc.net 'A Closed Mouth Gathers No Foot.'