QUALITIES OF SILVER ORES. 209 



hard rocke with hammers of yron, waying 150 poundes, and Lin - 

 draw out the mettall upon their shoulders, labouring day and 

 night, one delivering his charge to another, and all in dark 

 ness, onely the last sees the light; with wedges and hammers 

 they breake the flintes, how hard and strong soever, for the 

 hunger of gold is yet more sharpe and strong.&quot; This Plinie 

 saies, who although he speakes as a historigrapher of that 

 age, yet doth he seeme to prophecie of this time. Neither 

 is it lesse which Phocion of Agatarchides reports of the 

 great travail they indure, whom they called Chrysios, in 

 drawing out of golde : for as the said Author saieth, gold 

 and silver are as painefull to digge and drawe forth, as they 

 are pleasing to possesse. 



CHAP. ix. How they refine the Mettall of Silver. 



The Vein, as I have said, where they finde silver, runnes 

 betwixt two rockes, which they call La Caxa, whereof the 

 one is commonly as hard as flint, and the other soft and more 

 easie to breake. This mettall is not always equal, and of 

 the same value, for you shall finde in one and the same 

 veine, one sort of mettall very rich, which they call Gcbcilla, 

 or Tacana, from which they draw much silver, and another 

 is poore, from whence they draw little. The most rich 

 mettall of this mountaine is of the colour of amber, and 

 the next is that which inclines to blacke. There is other 

 somewhat red, and other of the colour of ashes ; finally of 

 divers and sundrie coloures, which seeme to such as know 

 them not, to be stones of no value. But the miners do 

 presently know his qualitie and perfection, by certaine 

 signes and small veines which they finde in them. They 

 carry all this mettall they drawe out of these mines 

 vpon Indian sheepe, 1 which serve them as asses to carry 

 it to the milles. The richest mettall is refined by melting 



1 Llamas. 



p 



