CEHBates043

for which we paid 50¢ apiece, about the worst
breakfast I ever ate.

About 9 o'clock the stage came. It was a
small wagon pulled by two horses with
room for 2 men and the driver and a
pile of baggage. [small drawing of the stage with note]: The stage. I rode till lunch
which I ate at Kopps, a surveying camp, and after
a rest went on again till night. I stayed over
night at another surveying camp called
Hutchinsons. The next morning I changed stages
and went on till I arrived at a place called
Beldons were [where] they had shot about 35,000
pounds of powder and blocked up the road.
The other fellow on the stage, named Truxel,
and I then got off the stage and walked
to Gradons camp, where Les is. You never
saw a more surprised fellow in your life
than Les when I walked in. I stayed over
night and went on the next morning to
Kerlingers where I am now, about five
miles from Gradons.

It is a pretty good camp, but Les has a