We soon succeeded in scratching together some of the yellow stuff and I went down to the store and bought a pan for five dollars, a shovel for ten dollars, and a poor pick cost me ten dollars more.

This took about two ounces of my money.
We now worked harder than ever for about three weeks, but we could not save much and pay such high prices as were charged.

Our gulch claim was soon worked out, and as the river had fallen some we tried the bar, but we could only make four or five dollars a day, and the gold was very fine and hard to save.

We bought a hind quarter of an elk and hung it up in a tree and it kept fresh till all of it was eaten.
Some others came and took up claims on the bar, and as the prospects were not as good as was wished, three of us concluded to go and try to find a better place.

The next day was Sunday and all lay in bed late.
Before I rose I felt something crawling on my breast, and when I looked I found it to be an insect, slow in motion, resembling a louse, but larger.