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58 Thursday November 22nd The Prospecting Party. - A bright sun driving away the morning gave promise of a fair day. Dispatching our breakfast - Torrence Señor and myself - armed with proper implements - and Señor with his gun and pistol - set forth on our projected tour. We were picnicers - bound out both for pleasure and profit. Señor had proposed to shoot a deer or a hare - which we discussed before the game was shot - how we could cook it - what good fare we should have eating it &c - prefering to gratify our imaginations prospectively - for fun we might not have the opportunity of gratifying our palates actually. Thus conversing jocosely - we struck down the Sacramento road - and laid ourselves out for a 3 mile walk. They who would see a miners life - should have us trudging over hill and ravine. Señor with his gun on his shoulder - Torrence with the pan - and myself with the shovel and our dinner tied in a towel. How strange our appearance - taken in connection with our object. Methinks I hear - an who never has seen such sight exclaiming - why we these men so singularly accounted - and what do they seek - do it possible they seek money - what strange mode is this to acquire it that they pursue - Yes! we were on the search for gold - looking for that precious metal - the thing that taxes all mens wit - and which all -desire from the barbarian - to the most polished of mankind. Our first sight of any object worthy of note - was a stalled team. These were eight yoke of oxen & four men engaged in pulling a waggon from a mud hole. The unfortunate waggon - then it was - a-tilt, both wheels buried in the earth. The men - digging around the wheels - and placing brush before them - were just starting the animals as we came up. A long pull - a strong pull - a pull all together and the half burried waggon came again to the surface. The stream flowing across the road was too deep for our crossing - so we followed it down until we came to a place - where by dint of management and jumping we succeeded in crossing. We arrived at the Willow Spring about eleven o'clock - and struck from the road - with the ravines which designed to prospect. We were surprised to see their four tents. Standing on