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and a broad brimmed hat completed our picturesque costume then our pack consisted of a pair of blankets and provisions suspended over our shoulders held by a stick a tin cup frying pan and coffee pot that completed our housekeeping furniture we had also to carry a compass shovel and pick and a gold pan enough you may think to load a jack or mule to meet a fellow in full regimentals as we used to style it you might imagine yourself in the primative ages when they traveled from place to place carrying their household gods goods? on their backs. We had a good time of it that evening all our party were at home there was a good many dangers to be incurred on the journey we? were on the eve of making and it might be that we should never all meet again we talked over the intended routes that we were going to take and all of agreed if possible to meet in the same place in two weeks time. I was detailed to the Arkensas diggings on the head of the Arkensas river we broke up early and each one rolled up in his blanket prepared for an early start in the morning. We were all up early and preparing for the road my comrade and myself did not take much provision along as we were informed that the diggings were only twenty five miles across the range by the pack trail and eighty by the wagon road we were told that the trail was very faint in some places and that we should have to look sharp or we would get lost. All being ready to make a start some of our friends came along and laughed at us for packing on our shoulders they said that the trail was first rate and advised us to take a mule along their councils prevailed although I was certain that we should be sorry and we fixed up a mule and brought him along.