130 WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



CHILE. 



England, where the system of selling part of the vein is fol- 

 lowed, the miners are obliged to act and think for themselves, 

 and are therefore a singularly intelligent and well-behaved 

 set of men. 



The dress of the Chilian miner is peculiar and rather pic- 

 turesque. He wears a very long shirt of some dark-colored 

 baize, with a leathern apron, the whole being fastened round 

 his waist by a bright -colored sash. His trousers are very 

 broad, and his small cap of scarlet cloth is made to fit the 

 head closely. We met a party of these miners in full cos- 

 tume, carrying the body of one of their companions to be 

 buried. They marched at a very quick trot, four men sup- 

 porting the corpse. One set having run as hard as they 

 could for about two hundred yards, were relieved by four 

 others, who had previously dashed ahead on horseback. 

 Thus they proceeded, encouraging each other by wild cries. 

 Altogether the scene formed a most strange funeral. 



Captain Head has described the wonderful load which 

 the "apires" truly beasts of burden carry up from the 

 deepest mines. I confess I thought the account exaggerated, 

 so that I was glad to take an opportunity of weighing one 

 of the loads, \vhich I picked out by hazard. It required con- 

 siderable exertion on my part, when standing directly over 

 it, to lift it from the ground. The load was considered un- 

 der weight when found to be one hundred and ninety-seven 

 pounds. The apire had carried this up eighty perpendicular 

 yards part of the way by a steep passage, but the greater 

 part up notched poles, placed in a zigzag line up the shaft. 

 According to rule, the apire is not allowed to halt for breath 



