50 ovalle's historical relation of chile. " 



Thefe few years laft paft have given beginning to a difcovory of fome golden mines, 

 and filver ones, on each fide of the Cordillera : for as I paiTed over it once, I 

 remember that the fight difcovers a black mountain at a diftance, whofe top Ihines as 

 if it were covered with filver ; and it is a common tradition that it contains it, and 

 great treafures befides, in its bowels ; but they are at prefent ufeless, for the reafonsi 

 alledged ; and becaufe one half of the year the mountain is covered with fnow, and 

 fo not only uninhabitable, but impenetrable. 



They write me word, that on the fide of the province of Cuyo, they have begun 

 to difcover other very rich mines, which being below the rougheft part of the mountain, 

 may be wrought all the year round, and with great conveniency of the miners, and 

 other neceffary workmen, becaufe carts may come to the very fituation of the mine, 

 which is of confideration for the price of the metal. They fpeak of it with great ex- 

 peftation, by reafon of the good proofs they have already had in the affaying of it in 

 fmall quantities. 



Befides the mines of gold, and filver, and brafs, and lead, which are worked in 

 Coquimbo, and thofe of quickfilver, which have been difcovered within thefe few 

 years in Lamache, which is a valley in Chile, I do not know of any others of any 

 other fort in this Cordillera. I am verily perfuaded there are fome of chryftal ; for, 

 confidering the nature of the place, I cannot think there is one any where more proper. 

 Being in the valley of Rancagua, I heard one of our nation tell an Indian, that upwards 

 in the mountain he had found a great deal of chryftal : he hearing this, out of curi- 

 ofity went up to fee what it was ; and I heard him tell, that after having gone over 

 feveral rocks, he faw on the top of a precipice a great opening, and that drawing near 

 to it, he faw a profound cave, and in the bottom of it a great plank or table of chryftal, 

 which appeared to him of the fineft fort ; but wanting help and inftruments to get 

 it out, he returned with only this information, and fome little pieces of a chryftal ftone 

 which he found on the top, 



CHAP. VII. — Of the Fountains^ Rivers , and Brooks^ of the Cordillera. 



THAT which contributes not a little to the admiration we have for this great chain 

 of mountains, is the vaft number of fountains, fprings, brooks, and rivers, which we 

 meet with ever and anon, when we go over it : they are fo numerous, that it is a thing 

 rather to be feen than related, though the travellers reap but little benefit by the curi- 

 ous obfervation of them ; for by them the ways are the moft broken and troublefome 

 that it is poffible to imagine : they laft about eight days journey. One muft fuppofe 

 too, that the fummer is pretty well entered ; for in winter they are abfqlutely impaflk- 

 ble, and in the fpring not without evident danger of one's life ; becaufe one travels all 

 ^the way on a path fo narrow, that there is but juft room for a mule's feet. On one 

 (U^ai-^'^;Jh fide are prodigious precipices, which have at the bottom a furious and profound river j 

 and on the other hand huge rocks, and fome part of them ftanding out fo, that if the 

 mule's loading, (as it often happens, and I have feen it,) touches part of them, it 

 throws down the mule headlong, and fends her rolling down till ftie comes to the river 

 at the bottom, which carries her away to the fea without ftopping, except it happen 

 upon fome turning of the river to get it on the ftiore ; where, though the lading may 

 be faved, yet not the mule's life, becaufe it is impoflible almoft to get her up again. 



In many places one is forced to light ; and even a man on foot is not very fafe, be- 

 caufe fome of the coafts are fo ftraight and flippery, that it frights one to walk on them. 



The 



