364 
NORTHERN CHILE 
CHAP. 
cases to entertain the Chilian authorities ; libraries of well- 
bound geological books ; miners brought out for particular 
metals, as tin, which are not found in Chile ; contracts to 
supply the miners with milk, in parts where there are no cows ; 
machinery, where it could not possibly be used ; and a hundred 
similar arrangements, bore witness to our absurdity, and to this 
day afford amusement to the natives. Yet there can be no 
doubt that the same capital well employed in these mines 
would have yielded an immense return : a confidential man 
of business, a practical miner and assayer, would have been 
all that was required. 
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, which I picked out by hazard. It required considerable 
exertion on my part, when standing directly over it, to lift it 
from the ground. The load was considered under weight 
when found to be 197 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 the general regulation, the apire 
is not allowed to halt for breath, except the mine is six hundred 
feet deep. The average load is considered as rather more than 
200 pounds, and I have been assured that one of 300 pounds 
(twenty-two stone and a half) by way of a trial has been 
brought up from the deepest mine ! At this time the apires 
were bringing up the usual load twelve times in the day ; that 
is, 2400 pounds from eighty yards deep ; and they were 
employed in the intervals in breaking and picking ore. 
These men, excepting from accidents, are healthy, and appear 
cheerful. Their bodies are not very muscular. They rarely 
eat meat once a week, and never oftener, and then only the hard 
dry charqui. Although with a knowledge that the labour was 
voluntary, it was nevertheless quite revolting to see the state in 
which they reached the mouth of the mine ; their bodies bent 
forward, leaning with their arms on the steps, their legs bowed, 
their muscles quivering, the perspiration streaming from their 
faces over their breasts, their nostrils distended, the corners of 
their mouth forcibly drawn back, and the expulsion of their 
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