"So this is what you boys think I want for a birthday present, huh?" "Well, like it says, boss, she's the "toast of the Stockton waterfront. "" "Uh-huh." "She's really somethin'." "Yeah." "The, uh, drinks are on us." "I sure appreciate this boys, but I gotta meet Gene's train in a half hour." "Well, then let's get inside, boss." "Time's a-wastin'." "It's really very thoughtful of you boys, but... drinks are on me!" "Come on!" "Git!" " I'll tell you what." "You go with these two boys." " Aww!" "I'll look around a while." "Be with you in a minute." "Come on." "It's party time." "Wanna to buy me a drink?" "I will if you're Barbary Red, the "toast of the Stockton waterfront. "" "She's not, but why don't you buy her a drink anyway?" "Well, now." "You're just like the boys said." "You're much better than a birthday cake." " Happy birthday, cowboy." " Mm-hmm." " Girls, we're having a birthday party." " Clint, a party!" " Which way?" " This way." "Send in a round of drinks and see that we're not disturbed." "We're having a birthday party." "Come on, boys." "Here." "Here's to you, boss." "Play us something else." "Come on, Dolly." "Let's dance." "What's the matter with you?" "Come on." "Get up off that" "Hey." "What" "Why fight it?" "Just relax- relax-relax." " Well, I can't imagine why they aren't here yet." " Maybe the train was late." "Shh!" "Here they are." "Light the candles." " That's one" " I got two" " Oh!" "Ooh, ooh, ooh!" "Stick to your own side!" " Where's Nick?" " I don't know." "He wasn't at the station when my train came in." "Why didn't you wait for him?" "You were supposed to make sure he got here." " I did." "I waited an hour." " Maybe somebody bought him a birthday drink or something." "Oh, that's right." "The boys were gonna buy him a drink." "He's probably with them." " Well, where'd they go?" " Oh, it could be any number of places." "Well, it's not Nick's fault." "After all, he didn't know about the party." "If we blame anyone it should be that, um" "What's her name, Heath?" "Uh, Barbary Red?" "Nothing gets by you, does it?" " Who's she?" "Polite ladies wouldn't even mention her name." "I'll try and restrain myself in the future." "Well, I hope Nick can tear himself away soon." "I think I'll go into town and find him- bring him home for a piece of cake anyway." "Well, happy birthday, Nick, wherever you are." "It's kind of quiet around here, isn't it?" "I'd always heard this was supposed to be an exciting place." "Well, it's still early." "What'll it be?" " Is your boss around?" " Maybe." " Hello, Barbara." " Mr. Barkley." "Dolly." "Dolly, give him whatever he wants... and make sure the glass is clean." "Mr. Barkley doesn't like to get his fingers dirty." "Uh, I'll have a little cognac, please- if you'll join me." "We have three drinks here:" "beer, whiskey and gin." "Well, in that case, I'll have whiskey." "One whiskey." "Do you always make it a practice to check up on old clients?" "Now, Barbara, I want to be your friend, really." "It's a little late for that, isn't it?" "On account of you, I spent 180 days in the house of correction, as they call it." "Well, I" "Now, there wasn't very much I could do about that, was there?" "Wasn't there?" "The judge was an old friend of your family." "You could have fixed it up with him." "That is not the way." "What do you want?" "All right." "I want you to know that I'm sincerely sorry about the house of correction." " I wish I could've helped you." " Do you really think you could've gotten me off?" "If you were innocent." "What difference does it make?" "You went your way, I went mine." "What brings a fancy lawyer like you to a saloon like this?" "You want me to be honest?" "You." "Yeah, I've thought about you a great deal since you walked out of my office that day." "There were a lot of things we didn't get a chance to say." "I... just wish we could have gotten to know each other as... well, man and woman instead of client and counselor." "And when I heard that you were here in Stockton, I" "Huh!" "Well, here I am." "Get to know one another?" "How would we do that, Mr. Barkley?" "First by calling meJarrod... then secondly by having lunch with me." "And then?" "Well, now, I wouldn't be much of a lawyer... if I told you all my strategy, would I?" "All right, Jarrod." "I'll have lunch with you." " Good!" " But on two conditions." " Name 'em." " Well, we don't talk about my case." "That's over." "Agreed." "You served your sentence." "And I'm sure you wouldn't be foolish enough... to go back into the shanghai racket, would you?" "I never admitted I was in the shanghai business to begin with." " Remember?" " I remember." "What's the second condition?" " I want to pick the place." " Anywhere you say." "Well, how about... the Barkley Ranch?" "And you can inform your mother... that I would like a formal invitation in writing." "Well, that is how it's done in your part of town, isn't it?" "Sometimes." "Good evening, Jarrod." "Jarrod." "Nick?" "No sign of him anywhere in town." "Heath... it's just a suspicion, but I- I think Nick has been shanghaied." " Shanghaied?" " Shh!" " Is Mother asleep?" " She's with Audra." "Barbary Red was a client of mine in San Francisco." "She used to work for a notorious crimp named Jack Thatcher." " "Crimp"?" " A crimp, Gene... is a man who delivers live bodies to ships that need crews." " You think Nick and the men are already on a ship?" " I don't know." "All I know is that Nick isn't here and the men aren't in the bunkhouse... and Barbary Red once spent six months in jail for enticing men to sea against their will." "There's a good chance she's still in the same business." "But Stockton?" "We're just a river port." "That doesn't make any difference." "They could be short of men." "When that happens, they'll sail with anything they can get." " And they never come back with the same crew." " What do you mean?" "He means we may never see Nick again." "There are only two ways of escape from those ships." "Desertion, which makes it almost impossible to get back, or... death at sea." "Am I exaggerating, Jarrod?" "No." "Why are we just standing here?" "Let's go get the sheriff." "Oh, no, Audra." "I've seen this happen in San Francisco." "I mean, if the sheriff goes to Barbary Red and asks questions..." " she and her cohorts will get rid of the evidence." " I don't understand." "Nick, Hap and the others- They're the only evidence against 'em." " Well, if the law can't help" " If Nick isn't back by morning... we'll just have to help ourselves." "You know the Sailor's Paradise Hotel." "It's on the waterfront." " I know the place." " Well, they don't know you." "So I want you to check in there in the morning and find out anything you can." "Gene, you go to the harbor master's office." "You get me a complete list of all incoming and outgoing ships." "It'll be my job to find out whatever I can from Barbary Red." "I've invited her here to lunch tomorrow." "She'll come, but only if she gets a written invitation from you." "Jarrod, do we have enough time?" "I'm not sure we have any time at all." "You all right?" "Hap?" "Where are we?" " By the river." " Some birthday party." "Come on." "You all right?" "Belay that, mates.!" "You want to damage the goods?" "This way." "Got a match, mate?" " Anything?" " Not yet." "Much obliged." "Did you really check that last shipment of barrels?" "You know, they're charging" "We'll check it later." "Good morning." "Uh" "I hope you like cold lobster with a very dry white wine." ""The pleasure of your company"- "Luncheon today, Victoria Barkley. "" "And if the cook is in very good form, a chocolate soufflé." " You're not joking, are you?" " Jarrod Barkley rarely jokes." "Come on now." "You think I'm a crimp." "I never called you a "crimp. "" "I said, "think," and that is what you think, isn't it?" "That's what you thought when you dropped my case." "Barbara, I dropped your case because you wanted me to bribe a judge." "I said, I didn't want to talk about that." "Look." "I run a waterfront bar." "That's not against the law, is it, Counselor?" "Absolutely not." "I'll pick you up at noon." "No." "I don't want to be "picked up. "" "I hate that expression." "I'll ride out alone." "Alone?" "I've got my passport, haven't I?" " Anything?" " There's three ships sailing at dawn." "All right." "Now, you watch these two." "They're bound for the Orient." "I tell ya, we oughta start at one end of that port and search every ship." "Gene, no captain is gonna let us aboard a ship with crew of shanghaied sailors." "You're a lawyer." "Can't you get the sheriff or the judge... to issue some kind of search warrant?" "And take a chance that they'd dump Nick into the river before we could get to him?" "Jarrod, there's another way." "Let me go down to Barbary Red's and get myself shanghaied." " No, Heath." " But at least we'd know where Nick is." "The only think we'd know for sure is that you'd both been shanghaied." " You could follow me." " These people are good at this." "They've been at it a long time." "You think they'rejust gonna drag you out the front door and make a public announcement?" "Believe me, we might lose both of you." "Now, we may have to take that gamble, but not yet." "Just give me a little more time." "Red, my love." "Jack, why didn't you let me know you were in there?" "I thought it'd be a pleasant surprise." "Well, since when do I have to have an invitation to me own place?" "Ohh!" "You're a sweet-smellin' woman, Red." "I was out to the cold-storage house this morning." "There are only three fish on ice." " It was a slow night." "It was the best I could do." " You're gonna have to try harder." "I've got three captains waiting on crews." "You've got six other places up and down the river." " Are they delivering any better than me?" " No, but you're special, Red." "You always were, ever since the first time I laid eyes on ya." "Hey, where are you goin' dressed like that?" "I've been invited to lunch by a prominent local family." ""A prominent local family. " What's his name?" " And during lunch, what are you going to talk about?" "Let's see- the price of a barrel of whiskey... or, um, the time I found you hustlin' drinks in San Francisco." "Aw, Red." "Maybe old Jack's not the handsomest man in the world, or the richest... yet." "But we haven't done too badly, have we, love?" "Oh, oh, I got somethin' for you." "This'll make you forget that prominent local family." "What's he got that old Jack can't give you?" "Go ahead." "Take it out." "Go on." "Put it on." "Oh, Jack!" "Eh" "W-What's the matter?" "Don't you like the color?" "I-I" " I could take it- take it back." "I like the color." "And I don't see how you can expect us to sit and make polite conversation with that woman!" ""That woman," Audra, knows where Nick is." "We don't." "Well, what do you talk about with somebody like Barbary Red?" "She's undoubtedly a lot more worried about what she's going to say to you." "She's here." "J'yah!" "Jarrod, she's driving away." " Oh, go get her, Jarrod!" "Hurry!" " No, no." "No, it won't work here." "I can see that." "Then what are we going to do?" "Well, if she won't come into our world..." "I've got to go back to hers." "Come in." "I couldn't make it for lunch." "Something came up." "Liar." "You were afraid to come in the house, weren't you?" "Mm-hmm." "Well, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do." "I'll give you another chance." "Have dinner with me." "Not at your house." "Oh, no, no." "We'll go out to the best restaurant in Stockton." "You know, I want to prove something to you- about where you belong, Barbara." "I keep expecting to be thrown out of here any minute- have them send me back to the saloon where I belong." "Barbara, nobody's gonna throw you out of here." "You belong here... if you want to." "Well, tonight, maybe, with you." "Just this once, for a laugh." "I know who I am." "I run a saloon." "It may not be much to you, but I'm not doing so bad." "But it is bad." "As your friend, I can tell you, it's worse than bad." " You don't understand." " Yes, I do." "Now, look, Barbara." "I'm not the sheriff." "You don't have to pretend it's just a saloon." " I've heard otherwise." " All right." "So a couple of cowboys get themselves liquored up and they disappear." "So it's my fault?" "Just like San Francisco?" "Couple of cowboys disappeared?" "I'm saying if- if they disappear." "Listen, the waterfront's a tough place." "Cowboys, sailors- They get boozed up." "I entertain them." "If they fall off the dock, they better know how to swim." "Now tell me." "What do you want from me?" "I want you to feel that the next time... you can step out of your carriage... come into my house... and be treated like the beautiful woman you really are." "I have to go." " Barbara" " Now." "Please." "Well, we had a beautiful dinner, a lovely talk" " And?" " Nothing." "You're still certain she's involved?" "Yes, yes, I am." "Only" "Only what?" "Oh, nothing." "She's a beautiful woman." "Isn't she." "And you wish you weren't involved in this filthy mess, hmm?" "Oh, I don't know." "All this lying to her, this pretending." "I" "I can't help but feel dirty about it." " They're moving some men to a ship." " When?" "Later." "I don't know what ship or where, but I know it'll be tonight." "Come on, come on." "Anybody ever put up a fight to get out of this place?" "It won't do you no good, mates." "I've been shanghaied twice now, and I never heard of anybody breaking free." "The crimps knows their business... or they wouldn't be in it so long." "So you just give it all up, right?" "Give it all up!" "Get over there!" "I said, get down!" "All right now." "Who's first?" "You'll be signing' aboard the schooner Halcyon... bound for Pedian through Sunder Strait." "A tropical voyage to a South Sea paradise." "And you expect us just to sign on, huh?" "Oh, we can't put you aboard without your signature... or at least your mark." "Why, that would be illegal." "Sign the book." "Hey, hey." "Don't be a hero, lad." "Sign." "The trip'll be educational, and the work'll make a man of ya." "Like them?" "Well, they've learned their lessons well." "Like I say, the trip is educational." "Stand up." "Give him his first lesson." "Don't!" "He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Stay there!" "Well, are you ready to sign now, cowboy?" "Well, congratulations, lads." "You've signed on under the hardest man that ever commanded a ship." "That'd be Bully Bob Waterman." "You guessed it, lad." "Well, bon voyage." "Waterman." "Waterman." "Would that be Captain Robert Waterman?" "The same." "No crueler captain on the seven seas." "Twelve lashes from a cat-o'-nine... raises 108 welts on a bare back." "Bully Bob uses it every single day." "I've met the man... at a party... in my home." "You think he'd help us?" "Well, we're not out to sea yet." "Go away." " Jarrod." " Barbara." "I've got something I want to say." " Jarrod, you can't stay." " It's been on my mind ever since dinner." " It won't keep." " Jarrod, I'm expecting someone." "Well, whoever it is, he'll just have to wait." "I thought we said good night." "That's just the point, Barbara." "I want it to stay good night and not good-bye." "You're gonna have to make a choice- right now, tonight." "A choice?" "A choice between this life here or a life in my part of town." " I don't know what you're talking about." " Listen to me." "I'm asking you to give it up- all of it." "And I'm not talking aboutjust this saloon- I mean, the crimping." "Let me go!" "The shanghaiing, Barbara." "And don't bother to lie to me about it." "You practically admitted that three cowboys were shanghaied out of this place last night." " You're in it up to your neck!" " Jarrod, please, you've got to get out of here." "I told you, I was expecting someone." "Give it up, Barbara." "You're better than this- believe me, you are." "Walk away." "If you don't, there'll never be a chance for us- together." "And I want that chance." "You can start tonight." "Let those men go now." "I can't do that." "Then tell me where they are." "Well, I don't believe I've had the pleasure." "Jarrod Barkley." "Jack Thatcher." "You a friend of Red's?" "The lady and I were just about to leave." "Weren't we, Barbara?" "Oh, were we, Barbara?" "Pete, Ben." "I think you'd better go, Jarrod." "Barbara, this is your last chance." "Make the right choice." "If you shanghai him, Jack, we're through." "I mean it, Jack." "Dump him in the alley." "Here." "You're going back to San Francisco with me tonight... just as soon as I hand Waterman his crew." " Jack, I want to quit." " Quit, huh?" "For him, that fancy pants, that Barkley?" "You stupid- What has he been tellin' ya?" "And what kind of a fool are you to believe him?" "He's" "Barkley." "Barkley." "That name is familiar." "Who is he, and what does he wa" " Does he know about our operation here?" " No." "Are you sure?" "Tell me fast." "And if you're lyin' to me, I'm" "I'm just trying to make friends in the right part of town." "That's what you want me to do, isn't it?" "Butter up the right people?" "Well, I pray that you're not lyin' to me..." "Barbara." "Jarrod, you went about this all wrong." "You should have come to me in the first place." "Steve, while we're standing here talking, Nick may be shipped to heaven knows where." " That's what I mean." "If you'd come to me sooner" " My son's life is at stake." "We did what we thought was best, and we'll do it the same way again." "Steve, you're just wasting time." "Now, do you still want to go through with it?" " Steve, for the love of" " All right." "I said the plan has a chance of working." "Now I've got to tell you" "I also think Heath has a chance of winding up dead if it doesn't." "I'll take that chance." "I'll round up some deputies." "This'll give you a little head start." "Bartender, gimme a drink." "I'm a seagoing' wolf, and it's my night to howl." "No, no, no." "Whiskey, whiskey." "To the brim." "Come on." "Fill it up." "Much obliged." "Just leave the bottle here." "We have a likely fish downstairs." "Shall we hook him?" "Waterman'll take all we bring." "He needs a full crew." "What'll it be?" " Well, anything, as long as it ain't water." " Oh, it won't be water." "Hey, pretty lady." "Let's dance a little jig here, huh?" "Get out of here, mate, now." " Come on, honey bee." " Now, while you" "All right." "If you don't wanna dance..." " let's have a drink." " Have a drink." "Yeah." "What's" " Ooh, buddy, buddy!" "Come on, mate." "Get ahold of yourself." "Oh, you are the prettiest thing I have ever seen." "Well, why don't you have a drink?" "Ooh." "Is there a place on this train... where a fella might..." "lay down?" "Ahh, this way to the sleeping'car, mate." "All right." "Let's go, Red." "I want you where I can keep an eye on you." "All right, you men." "Up on your feet." "Captain Waterman wants to look over his new crew." "It's him, Bully Bob." "If you know him, now's your chance." "Good evening, men." "I hope you're all well." "Captain Waterman, I'm Nick Barkley." "Let this man out." "I want to talk to him." " This is most unfortunate, Barkley." " Straighten it out, Captain." " Oh, I'm sorry." "There's nothing I can do." " Nothing?" "My men and I were shanghaied." "One of them was killed." "Ship's articles." ""Nick Barkley. " Is that your signature?" "We were forced to sign." "One man was beaten to death because he didn't." "Now, that's not true, Captain." "They all signed of their own free will." " Was someone beaten?" " No." "A man deserted, but I don't think we'll ever see him again." "He wouldn't want to face a court-martial for desertion, would he, Captain?" "Barkley, you're under my command." "Your very life for the next two years is in my hands." "From now on, you will not speak to me without my prior permission." "Is that understood?" "Lock him up." "We sail at dawn." "The money's all there, I assure you." "I'm an honest man." "We're all honest, Captain, and we stay honest by not trustin' anybody." "Count that." "Hey!" "Now, just where do you think you're going?" "Back to town." "I'm finished with this business!" "Oh, you're finished, are ya?" "Well, then I should have taken care of your boyfriend after all, huh?" "And I thought I'd smartened you up some." "You didn't really think I'd let you go, did ya?" "And if you ran, you must've known I'd come after you, didn't ya?" "Keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere." "Is it all there?" "All right." "Let's get them out and get 'em in the wagon." "All right." "Line up against the wall." "We're goin' for a little ride." "Uh, pick him up." "Hold it!" "Now you call out there... and you tell him to open that door, or I'm gonna blow your head off." "Tell 'im!" "Or I'll blow you apart." "Open up!" "We're comin' out!" "You haven't got a chance!" "Red!" "Run it back here!" " You tricked me!" "How could you do that to me?" " My brother's in there!" "Oh, everything you said- You're a liar!" "Hyah!" "Jack!" "You used me." "All my life men have used me." " Get 'em all." "One more." " Ah!" "One here." "Well, I hope you got another cake around, because I plan to eat all this by myself." " Oh, no, you don't." "We all get our share." " I'll have a big piece..." " with that big flower on it." " All right." " I get the flower." " Here we go." " All right." " That big enough for ya?" " Fancy." "We used to" " How's that?" " Come on." "Put it in, put it in." " Wow, look at that." " Mine." " Ah." "You going to town?" "Well, I" " I thought I might drop by the jail." "Well, you think she'll see you?" "I don't know, but she's gonna need a good lawyer." "Well, she'll have the best there is."