way. The stores were brought in waggons as far as Sacramento, and
from that town were carried to the diggings on the backs of mules and
horses. Consequently it was impossible for a man to live on the poorest
necessities of life for less than three or four dollars a day, and in
the out-of-the-way valleys the cost was often considerably more.

Some of the diggers owned that they were doing well, but there was a
general disinclination to state even the approximate amount of their
daily winnings. The hunters found, however, that the general belief was
that some of those who had claims in the centre of the valley, where of
course the gold would settle the thickest, were making from ten to
twenty ounces per day.

"That's something like!" Dick said. "Just fancy making from forty to
eighty pounds per day. I vote we set to work at once. As well here as
anywhere else."

"Yes, I suppose we may as well begin here," Frank agreed; "at any rate
until we hear what is being done in the other places. But you see we
must be ready to move off as soon as a report comes of some fresh
discovery, so as to get good places. Here, of course, we must be content
to settle down outside the rest. We will mark out five claims at once,
turn up the ground, and put our tools there; they say that's sufficient
to take possession. Then we will go up into the forests and cut down a
pine or two, and slit it up into planks for making one of those cradles.
That will take us all day to-morrow, I reckon."

As they sat round the fire that evening, talking over their prospects,
Abe said--

"I tell you what it is, mates, I have been thinking this here matter
over, and when I sees what tremendous prices are being charged for grub
here, I concluded there must be a big thing to be made in the way of
carrying. Now we have got our five riding-horses, and the three
baggage-horses, that makes eight. Now what I proposes is this: three of
us shall work the claims, and the other two shall work the horses; we
can sell the riding-saddles down at Sacramento, and get pack-saddles
instead. We can begin by carrying for one of the traders here.

"I hear that a horse can earn from five to ten dollars a day, so our
eight horses will earn forty to eighty dollars a day. Now that's a good
sartin living for us all, especially as we shall bring up the provisions
for ourselves, instead of paying big rates here. Arterards we will see
how things go, and if we like we can open a store he