Beneath a Golden Veil by Melanie Dobson

Author:Melanie Dobson [Dobson, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503937710
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Published: 2016-11-07T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Panama City

May 1854

Victor paced around the tent as he waited for Levi to purchase his passage out of Panama City—though the word city was much too civilized for such a vile place.

He wiped the sweat off his face with his long sleeve, wishing he could strangle the proprietor of his hotel back in Boston, the man who’d told him to take the shorter journey across the isthmus instead of traveling the full distance around South America.

The trip through the jungle had lasted a week. The wait on this side was almost two months now.

He’d deal with the Boston proprietor once he retrieved Isaac and returned home.

Rounding the tent again, he saw the growing line up to a makeshift ticket office under a tree.

Panama was a repository of both hungry gold seekers and natives siphoning money from those held prisoner here. The few claptrap hotels were full so he and Levi had been forced to sleep in a tent and listen to drunk men fighting outside, along with the discord of cracked bells clanging incessantly day and night.

The boredom was horrific, the only brothel filthy, and he’d had to pay natives to dig jiggers out of his toes. He’d taken to playing Old Sledge for entertainment, but not even that held his attention for long. Gambling, he decided, was for fools.

Stopping, he looked out again at the gray hull of the ship that arrived last night.

For weeks, he’d watched as dozens of ships passed in the distance on their way north. He’d watched and waited for one of them to come into port, but those that did stop rarely had room for more passengers.

Then, last night, a steamer finally anchored offshore. Word spread like fire through town that they were offering passage for twenty people, all of whom would be sleeping on the floor during the voyage up to San Francisco.

He and Levi concocted a plan. He’d spent the night in their tent, guarding their things from looters who’d like nothing more than to relieve them of their possessions. Levi stood in line to purchase tickets for both of them. Unlike Victor, Levi said he didn’t mind waiting.

The line began to disperse, and he heard several men talking as they passed. The tickets were gone.

But not for him. All his possessions inside the tent were packed, and now he waited in earnest for Levi to return. By this afternoon, the sea breeze would be cooling his arms again. And in days, he would be in California.

Levi crossed between piles of rubble until he reached the tent, a slip of paper securely in his hands.

Victor held out his palm, but instead of putting the paper in it, Levi returned Victor’s money. Victor stared down at the banknotes. “What is this?”

“I’m sorry, my friend,” Levi said as he tucked the paper into his satchel. “They only had one ticket left.”

Victor stiffened. “You purchased it for yourself?”

“My employer is waiting for me.”

“I have important business in San Francisco!”

Levi shrugged. “There will be another boat.

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