I called for $150?Ⓐemendation Can you “see it?”

remainder in ink:

May 12—Yours by the mail received last night. “Eighteen hundred feet in the C. T. Rice’s Company!”5explanatory note Well. I am glad you did not accept of the 200 feet. Tell Rice to give it to some poor man. I have fully determined that the “Monitor,” which is probably worth twenty-five Allen claims,6explanatory note shall be divided in twain some day, because 800 feet is too much to have in one company. 800 feet can be divided—but who wants to take risks on an untried portion of 1800, when in nine cases out of ten the ledge can’t be traced half the distance? In all the claims I have here which I consider of any value, I own one-fourth, except this, and the 1st N S.Ⓐemendation ex. Flyaway (one-ninth.) The latter I will sell when I can. I own one-fifth of the Dash-away, and about the same, I believe, in the Antelope Spur. We want no more ground. If I could have seen the “M. H.,” and satisfied myself that that specimen came from it, it would have been a dead-sure fortune. But as it is, it wall wasⒶemendation well enough to deed it back to Perry. I am sorry I could not go and see the “M. H.” But hereafter, when anybody holds up a glittering prospect before you, just argue in this wise, viz: That, if all spare change be devoted to working the “Monitor” and “Flyaway,” 12 months, or 24 at furthest, will find all our earthly wishes satisfied, so far as money is concerned—and the more “feet” we have, the more anxiety we must bear—therefore, why not say “No—d—n your ‘prospects,’ I wait on a sure thing—and a man is less than a man, if he can’t wait 2 years for a fortune?”Ⓐemendation When you and I came out here, we did not expect ’63 or ’64 to find us rich men—and if that proposition had been made, we would have accepted it gladly. Now, it is made.

Well, I am willing, now, that “Neary’s tunnel,” or e anybodyⒶemendation else’s tunnel shall succeed.7explanatory note Some of them may beat us a few months, but we shall be on hand in the fulness of time, as sure as fate. I would hate to swap chances with any member of the “tribe”—in fact, I am so lost to all sense and reason as to be capable of refusing to trade “Flyaway,” (with but 200 feet in the Company of four,) foot for foot for that splendid “Lady Washington,” with its list of capitalist proprietors, and its 35,000 feet of Priceless ground.

If Henry Hardy8explanatory note will take you up a claim and pay all assessments on it himself, forevermore, it would be well enough. But I don’t want it, even on those excellent terms.

Montgomery never gave me any deed at all. He sent me a blank deed, to be filled out in case I sold any ground for him. But I didn’t.

I wouldn’t mind being in some of those c ClearⒶemendation Creek claims, if I lived in Carson & we could spare the money.9explanatory note But I have struck my tent in Esmeralda, and I care for no mines but those which I can superintend myself. I am at citizen here now, and I am satisfied—although a R.Ⓐemendation and I are “strapped” and we haven’t three days’ rations in the house.

Raish is looking anxiously for money, and so am I. Send me whatever you can spare conveniently—and if you owe nothing on the Dayton lots, sell one of them for $100, or both for $150, if you can do no better, and co can’tⒶemendation otherwise raise that amount conveniently.10explanatory note I want it to work the Flyaway with. My fourth of that claim only cost me $50, (which isn’t paid yet, though,) and I suppose I could sell it here in town for ten times that amount, to-day, but I shall probably hold on to it till the cows come home. I shall work the “Monitor” and the other claims with my own hands. I prospected ¾ of a pound of “M.” yesterday, and Raish reduced it with the blow-pipe, and got about 10 or 12 cents in gold & silver, besides the other half of it which we spilt on the floor and didn’t get. There was about 4 or 5 times as much in the button as there was in that one which I sent you but from und10 or 11 12Ⓐemendation times as much rock Ⓐemendation. Lieut. Noble has got it. We put him in for 100 ft. The specimen came from the croppings, but was a choice one, and showed much free gold to the naked eye. The rock isⒶemendation exactly like the Antelope, and the ledge is the same width. I hope it may prove as rich.

Raish wrote the “Carsonite” letter to the “Age,” I only assisted him.11explanatory note

It will not be necessary to apprise me before sending down that portion of your salary. My only reason for s itⒶemendation was, that I was afraid that if these Derbys got the money, they would not do their work in the tunnel, and that would be another “dead dog” you know. I am confident they did not intend to do the work. But they kept inquiring about the money until I told them that the matter was in my hands now, entirely, and I hardly thought that last payment would ever be made until the work was done on the feet they still hold. They said your promise was out. I told them it would probably stay out for awhile—that if it were still in your hands, you would keep your promise; but it wasn’t, and I didn’t mind such things much when I found they were likely to render worthless a good claim. They said they had no means to work it with. So they told Raish. And I sent them word that if it suited them, I would have it worked myself, and take my pay out of the $75. They said “all right”—(what else could they say, you know?)—and I have had the work done.

Well, I like the corner up-stairs office amazingly—provided, it has one fine, large front room superbly carpeted, for the safe and a $150-desk, or such a matter—one handsome room amidships, less handsomely gotten up, perhaps, for Records and consultations, and one goodsized bedroomⒶemendation and adjoining it a kitchen, neither of which latter can be entered by anybody but yourself12explanatory note—and finally, when one of these ledges begins to pay, the whole to be kept in parlor order by two likely cl contrabandsⒶemendation at big wages, the same to be free of expense to the Government.13explanatory note You want the entire second story—no less room than you would have had in Harris & Co.’s.14explanatory note Make them fix for you before the 1st July—for maybe you might want to “come out strong” on the 4th, you know.

No, the Post Office is all right, and kept by a gentleman15explanatory note—but W. F. Express isn’t. They charge 25c to Express a letter from here, but I believe they have quit charging twice for letters that arrive prepaid.

Well, if Harroun calls for assessments, I would pay them when the call does not exceed $20 at a time and don’t come too often. You see 50 feet in those Humboldt ledges of infernal proportions don’t amount to much, and when they levy on you for $20, you may feel pretty sure that you are paying more than your share, because, in that case anybody who owned a full claim would be assessed $12000—and who ever heard of such an assessment as that in an unincorporated company—more money than there is in Santa Clara. I think you can safely pay assessments, because $5 at a time would be a big one, to my thinking.

No, 50 feet in Boyd’s ledge16explanatory note would not be desirable, unless there were only 200 feet in the company, and you could see gold in the rock—and in whenⒶemendation one owns a fourth, it necessarily costs like the devil to work a claim. For instance, you and I will have to pay about $90 towards sinking a shaft 22 feet on the Flyaway, alth as weⒶemendation own a fourth, and Raish and I are to foot all bills on the first 22 feet for working it. The “Flyaway” specimen I send you, (taken by myself from DeKay’s shaft, 300 feet from where we are going to sink) cannot be called “choice,” exactly—say something above medium, to be on the safe side. But I have seen exceedingly choice chunks from that shaft. My intention at first in sending the Antelope specimen was, that you might see that it resembles the Monitor—but, come to think, a man can tell absolutely nothing about that without seeing both ledges themselves. I tried to break a handsome chunk for fromⒶemendation a huge piece of my darling Monitor a wh whichⒶemendation we brought from the croppings yesterday, but it all splintered up, and I send you the scraps. I call that “choice”—any d—d fool would. Don’t ask if it has been assayed, for it hasn’t. It don’t need it. It is amply able to speak for itself. It is 6 feet wide on top, and traversed through and through with veins whose color proclaims their worth. What the devil does a man want with any more feet when he owns in the Flyaway and the invincibleⒶemendation bomb-proof Monitor?17explanatory note

Have just heard some bully news. Raish has returned from the mill, where he went to take his first lesson, and says Clayton will crush 20 tons for us from either the F. or M. at $20 a ton. I think we can get rock from the top of either ledge that will more than pay at least payⒶemendation expenses. You bet we will try.

Snow is the matter now, though. day before Yesterday we worked comfortably on the M.—Ⓐemendationnow there’s a foot of snow there, perhaps, and 3 or 4 inches down here—and still at it.

No, it is not best to segregate claims until they are paying in the mills. It costs too much to work a segregated claim. I wouldn’t have one now. Can’t work it by yourself, either if you wanted to—you must have assistance in a shaft—and I like to pick my company when at work. When every tub is able to stand on its own bottom, then it is early enough to begin.

I collected that $25.70—but can’t Upton wait on me awhile?—especially when I have been running to Tom, Dick and Harry, trying to get this thatⒶemendation house business of his properlyⒶemendation arranged—and if I haven’t succeeded yet, it wasn’t my fault. If he must have it, though, pay him. I don’t want to keep it longer, unless he is able to stand it.Ⓐemendation 18explanatory note But then again, suppose you don’t pay. it.Ⓐemendation No, on second thoughts;Ⓐemendation don’t pay him. Tell him I have spent $150 since I have been here, and you’ll be d—d if you’ll put up with it. (I owe him one, you know.) Tell him I spoke of the debt to you, and said to IⒶemendation would like to take haveⒶemendation an extension on it. (Entre nous, I have already taken up the 1st N. Exten. on it.) And say you will pay no debts at present except those of your own contracting—but that if I never pay it, he shall not lose it. You see it is not your debtⒶemendation, Orion, and I pr peremptorily Ⓐemendation forbid its payment at present. I must have money to open those ledges with.

How about the Governor’s 40-stamp mill which he w isⒶemendation to bring here? It wouldn’t set the camp back any.19explanatory note

If I had anything more to say, I have forgotten what it was, unless, perhaps, that I want a sum of money—anywhere from $20 to $150, as soon as possible.

Raish sends regards. He or I one will drop a line to the “Age” occasionally. I suppose you saw my letters in the “Enterprize.” 20explanatory note

P.S. I suppose Pamela never will regain her health, but she could improve it by coming to California,—provided the trip didn’t kill her.

You see Bixby is on the flag-ship. He always was the best pilot th onⒶemendation the Mississippi, and deserves his “posish.”21explanatory note They have done a reckless thing, though, in putting Sam. Bowen on the “Swon.”—Ⓐemendationfor if a bombshellⒶemendation happens to come his way, he will infallibly jump overboard. It would be refreshing if they would catch Will Bowen and hang him.22explanatory note

If the snow will permit us, we shall probably commence taking out rock to-morrow—Clayton would prefer 30 tons—and if it even pays expenses, why, I shall put on some of the most disgusting airs you know—but if it don’t pay,—why—I shan’t care a d—n anyhow. There’s plenty more rock in those ledges.

Send me another package of those envelops, per Bagley’s coat pocket.