Well, I am willing, now, that “Neary’s tunnel,” or anybody else’s tunnel shall succeed.  Some of them may beat us a few months, but we shall be on hand in the fullness 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 lists of capitalist proprietors, and its 35,000 feet of Priceless ground.

I wouldn’t mind being in some of those Clear Creek claims, if I lived in Carson and we could spare the money.  But I have struck my tent in Esmeralda, and I care for no mines but those which I can superintend myself.  I am a citizen here now, and I am satisfied—­although R. 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—­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 today, but I shall probably hold onto it till the cows come home.  I shall work the “Monitor” and the other claims with my own hands.  I prospected of a pound of “M,” yesterday, and Raish reduced it with the blow-pipe, and got about ten or twelve cents in gold and silver, besides the other half of it which we spilt on the floor and didn’t get.  The specimen came from the croppings, but was a choice one, and showed much free gold to the naked eye.

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 good-sized bedroom and adjoining it a kitchen, neither of which latter can be entered by anybody but yourself—­and finally, when one of the ledges begins to pay, the whole to be kept in parlor order by two likely contrabands at big wages, the same to be free of expense to the Government.  You want the entire second story—­no less room than you would have had in Harris and Co’s.  Make them fix for you before the 1st of 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 gentleman but W. F. Express isn’t.  They charge 25 cts to express a letter from here, but I believe they have quit charging twice for letters that arrive prepaid.

The “Flyaway” specimen I sent 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,