there was something to be learned in the art of gold mining.  We had no tools nor money, and had never seen a speck of native gold and did not know how to separate it from the dirt nor where to search for it.  We were poor, ignorant emigrants.  There were two or three men camped here.  One of them was more social than the rest and we soon got acquainted.  His name was Williams, from Missouri.  He came down to the river with a pan of dirt, and seeing me in my ignorance trying to wash some as well, he took the pan from me and very kindly showed me how to work so as to let the dirt go and save the gold.  When he had the pan finished a few small, bright scales remained.  These to me were curious little follows and I examined them closely and concluded there was a vast difference between gold and lead mining.  Williams became more friendly and we told him something about our journey across the plains, and he seemed to think that we deserved a good claim.  He went to a dry gulch where a Spaniard was working and told him that all of California, now that the war was over, belonged to Americans and he must leave.  Williams had his gun in his hand and war might follow, so Mr. Spaniard left and his claim was presented to Bennett and myself.

Williams had been twice to Santa Fe from Missouri and had learned the Spanish language and could swear at them by note if necessary.  We now began work almost without tools, but our ground we had to work was quite shallow and Williams helped us out by loaning us some of his tools at times.  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.  He was a new emigrant to me and I wondered what he was.  I now took off my pants and found many of his kind in the seams.  I murdered all I could find, and when I got up I told Williams what I had found.  He said they hurt nobody and were called piojos, more commonly known as body lice.