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Cabin Fever

Page 40

Then Cash's record goes on: June 27.

Bud very sick & out of head. Think it is heat, which is terrible.

Talked all night about burros, gasoline, & camphor balls which he seemed

wanting to buy in gunny sack. No sleep for either. Burros came in for

water about daylight. Picketed Monte & Pete as may need doctor if Bud

grows worse. Thumb nearly well.

June 27. Bud same, slept most of day. Gave liver pills & made gruel of

cornmeal, best could do with present stores. Burros came at about 3 but

could not drink owing to bees around water hold. Monte got stung and

kicked over water cans & buckets I had salted for burros. Burros put for

hills again. No way of driving off bees.

June 28.

Burros came & drank in night. Cooler breeze, Bud some better & slept.

Sway has badly swollen neck. May be rattler bite or perhaps bee. Bud

wanted cigarettes but smoked last the day before he took sick. Gave him

more liver pills & sponge off with water every hour. Best can do under

circumstances. Have not prospected account Bud's sickness.

June 29.

Very hot all day, breeze like blast from furnace. Burros refuse to leave

flat. Bees better, as can't fly well in this wind. Bud worse. High fever

& very restless & flighty. Imagines much trouble with automobile, talk

very technical & can't make head or tail of it. Monte & Pete did not

come in, left soon as turned loose. No feed for them here & figured Bud

too sick to travel or stay alone so horses useless at present. Sponged

frequently with coolest water can get, seems to give some relief as he

is quieter afterwards.

July 4th.

Monte & Pete came in the night & hung around all day. Drove them away

from vicinity of shack several times but they returned & moped in shade

of house. Terrible hot, strong gusty wind. Bud sat up part of day, slept

rest of time. Looks very thin and great hollows under eyes, but chief

trouble seems to be, no cigarettes. Shade over radishes & lettice works

all right. Watered copiously at daylight & again at dusk. Doing fine.

Fixed fence which M & P. broke down while tramping around. Prospected

west of ranche. Found enormous ledge of black quartz, looks like

sulphur stem during volcanic era but may be iron. Strong gold & heavy

precipitate in test, silver test poor but on filtering showed like white

of egg in tube (unusual). Clearing iron out showed for gold the highest

yet made, being more pronounced with Fenosulphate than $1500 rock have

seen. Immense ledge of it & slightest estimate from test at least $10.

Did not tell Bud as keeping for surprise when he is able to visit ledge.

Very monotonous since Bud has been sick. Bud woke up & said Hell of a

Fourth & turned over & went to sleep again with mosquito net over head

to keep off flies. Burros came in after dark, all but Cora & Colt, which

arrived about midnight. Daddy gone since yesterday morning leaving no

trace.

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