Gypsy - Lesley Pearse [130]
Beth was leaning against one sack now, wrapped in a blanket, trying very hard not to give in to total despondency.
Sam had fallen asleep, and Theo had gone off to check out what the town had to offer. As they had been told Skagway was an entirely lawless place, overtaken by thugs, confidence tricksters, gamblers and prostitutes, Beth guessed he would be gone half the night.
It was bad enough to find they had landed in a place full of thugs and thieves, but it was far more disappointing to discover they’d have to stay here until February.
There were two trails over the mountains. White Pass, which started here in Skagway, was supposed to be the easier as pack animals could be taken on it, but it was longer than the Chilkoot Trail, which began at Dyea some twenty-odd miles away.
People were going off on both trails right now, but Jack had spoken to an Indian who worked as a packer taking people’s goods up over the trail, and he’d advised him it would be folly to join them. The Indian explained the river Yukon would freeze over next month, long before they could reach it, and without a team of dogs to pull a sledge along it, they’d be trapped for the entire winter in the mountains and might die there.
Jack was very disappointed, but Theo had been delighted at the prospect of staying here till February. He saw Skagway as the boom town he’d been looking for, ripe for exploitation. Without a trace of shame he’d pointed out that everyone on the ship was a gambler in as much as they’d abandoned their homes and jobs to come here, and therefore he saw them as ripe for fleecing.
Sam didn’t seem to mind whether they went or stayed, and it had been left to Beth to make the final decision. While she thought Skagway was hell come to earth, the prospect of freezing to death in the mountains was even more daunting, so she’d opted for staying put.
‘It won’t be so bad here, I’ll build us a cabin,’ Jack said soothingly. ‘There’s plenty of wood for it. Maybe when I’ve done one for us I can make a few dollars building them for others too.’
‘Then I’ll get out my fiddle tomorrow,’ Beth said. It had been a huge relief to find it unharmed by the salt water. Their flour was damp, so was the sugar, but luckily there were no further casualties. ‘It’s going to cost us a fortune to stay here. Did you see the price of a meal?’
People had already opened up tents as saloons and restaurants. She had seen a menu stuck up on one of them offering bacon and beans at one dollar. Back in Vancouver that would have only been a few cents.
Jack nodded. ‘Theo’s going to get a shock at the price of whisky too. But you should make some money with that heap of ribbons you brought with you. Some of the girls in the saloons look like they need something to brighten themselves up.’
‘You’ve been in to see them then?’
‘Oh yes, and a sorry-looking sight they are too.’ Jack chuckled. ‘One is known as Dirty-neck Mary, another Pig-faced Sal! A man would need to be desperate to go with either of them.’
‘Then maybe Theo will be safe here.’ Beth smiled.
‘I think it might be you who gets lured away.’ Jack arched his eyebrows. ‘With less than thirty women to a couple of thousand men and more arriving daily, you are a great prize.’
‘Playing here tonight. The World Famous English Gypsy Queen!’
Beth giggled when she saw the board which the Clancy Brothers had erected. To her it was as huge an exaggeration as the Clancys claiming that their large tent behind the board was a saloon.
On her second day in town Beth had been told that the brothers Frank and John Clancy were the top men in Skagway and ran everything from their saloon, so she went straight to them.
Knowing she was unique in being the only female fiddler in town