Before I proceed with my narrative, I must give some little account of
the celebrated town in which I now found myself. Potosi is situated
within a circle of mountains, and stands at the foot of a lofty peak
which rises far above the rest. In this are the rich mines of silver
which have given such fame to the place.
The number of inhabitants in Potosi was once 100,000, but it has
greatly diminished, and the present number does not exceed 15,000; half
of these are Indians. The towns of South America are not famous for
their neatness; in this respect, however, Potosi has the advantage over
most other cities in this quarter of the world. It is the custom to
whitewash the houses on the outside, which gives them a very cheerful
aspect.
Potosi is very remarkable in several respects. In the morning the air
is keen and cold, but in the middle of the day it is burning hot. At
night, the cold returns, and it seems almost as chill as during our New
England March. Potosi is situated at an elevation of 13,265 feet above
the level of the sea, and is the highest inhabited place on the face of
the globe.
After my arrival here, my first business was to despatch letters
to my friends at Valparaiso for a supply of money, and letters of
introduction. I then sallied forth to take a view of the town. On
my return I stated the manner in which I had lost my baggage to the
landlord of the hotel, and having informed him that I had come on
important business, requested him to supply me with such articles as I
needed till I could obtain remittances. The man looked in my face with
a gaze of amazement, and then laughed outright at what he deemed my
brazen impudence.
I was, in fact, miserably clad, and my servant was worse off than
myself. We looked, indeed, like a couple of vagabonds, and though
I was at first angry, I did not think the conduct of the landlord
unreasonable when I reflected upon the whole matter. But what was to
be done? I was out of money and totally unknown to everybody in the
place. It was necessary to do something for immediate support, and I
therefore determined that my guide, Balbo, should go to work in the
mines if I could get him a place, hoping that he would obtain the means
of subsistence for us both.
Everybody has heard how the silver mines of Potosi were discovered. An
Indian hunter was pursuing a vicuna up the slope of the mountain. In
order to aid his ascent, he seized upon a small tree. This gave way,
and beneath its roots, he saw a shining mass of silver. This occurred
three hundred years ago, and since that time, more than a thousand
millions of dollars have been taken from the mines in the mountain
where this accidental discovery was made.
I had heard the story of the Indian hunter, and fancied that silver
in Potosi was almost as abundant as common earth. When I reached the
mines, however, I found the fact to be otherwise. The openings to these
mines are small holes, which are entered by getting down upon the hands
and knees. In this manner, you crawl along for a number of yards, when
the space widens, and you are able to stand upright. There are a great
many of these shafts, and some of them penetrate to a considerable
distance into the bowels of the mountain. The silver ore is found in
veins, and in following these, the miners have wrought out irregular
winding caverns, sometimes ascending, and again descending. They work
by blasting the rock with gunpowder. The ore, thus broken off, is
carried out in the leather aprons of the workmen.
Most persons have no other than pleasant ideas in regard to silver; but
if they could see the miserable Indians toiling in the mines, shut out
from the light of day, grimed with soot and gunpowder, and haggard from
the want of pure air, and all to obtain this precious metal, they would
ever after feel that even this is purchased at almost too dear a rate.
I was not a little shocked and disgusted to observe the severe and
painful toil required at the mines. After the ore is obtained, it is
broken into pieces about the size of a hen’s egg. It is then put into
a mill, and reduced to powder. In this state, it is mixed with salt
and quicksilver, and remains fifteen days. By this time the silver has
become mixed with the quicksilver. The earthy particles are then washed
away, and the silver is separated from the quicksilver by squeezing.
Such is the laborious process of mining; yet, notwithstanding the
severe nature of the occupation, I found the wages to be but fifteen
cents a day. The urgency of the case conquered my feelings, and I
agreed that Balbo should go to work the next day.
This he accordingly did, and I found that, by the utmost economy, we
could both of us subsist upon his earnings. I was now at leisure to
pursue my inquiries in relation to the object of my journey. It is
unnecessary to detail the careful investigation that I made, or to
say with what anxiety I pursued my search. I may sum up the whole in
stating that my uncle was not in Potosi, and that if he had ever been
there, he had removed to some other part of the country at least three
years before.
At the end of two months, I expected an answer from Valparaiso, but
none was received; and after two months more I was forced to adopt
the conclusion that my letters had miscarried, or my correspondents
had refused to comply with my request. My situation was again in the
highest degree embarrassing. After revolving a great many schemes in
my mind, I determined to join a company of merchants who were going at
that time to Quito. I offered myself as a mule-driver, and Balbo as a
servant. Both were accepted, and we speedily set forward. I have not
space to detail the incidents of this journey of more than 1500 miles
in length. My story has, perhaps, already extended beyond the patience
of the reader. It will be enough to say, that, after travelling over
mountains and plains, and beholding some of the most sublime scenery in
the world, we reached the capital of Equador.
[Illustration: _Chimborazo._]