Most miners found it necessary to have a small pair of scales in the breast pocket to weigh the dust so as not to have to trust some one who carried lead weights and often got more than his just dues.

Gold dust was valued at sixteen dollars an ounce.
We now thought it would be best for two of us to take our mules and go down in the small hills and try to get some elk meat to take with us, as our route would be mostly through the unsettled part of the country, and no provisions could likely be procured, so Mr.Bradford of New Orleans and myself took our mules and went down where the hills were low and the game plenty.

We camped in a low ravine, staked out our mules and staid all night without a fire, believing that when we woke in the early morning some of the many herd of elk then in sight would be near us at daylight, and we could easily kill all we wanted without leaving camp; but we were disappointed.

Hundreds of the big-horned fellows were in sight, but none in rifle shot, and there was no chance for us to get any nearer to them.

We got near a couple of antelope and Mr.Bradford, who was a brag shot and had the best gun, proposed to kill them as we stood.
The larger of the two was on his side and much nearer than the smaller one, but we fired together just as we stood.