I told Maleck I found what he said to be too true, as to the people of Brandleguarp: "But," says I, "are there not enough of your countrymen here to carry me thither?" He believing there were, I ordered him to contract with them; but it vexed me very much to be obliged to take these men. However, though I resolved to go, yet I chose to reason the ragans into the project if I could; thinking they would soon bring the people over.

I called several of the ragans together, and said: "Because you are a wiser and more thinking people than the vulgar, I have applied myself to your judgments in the affair of Mount Alkoe. Now, consider with yourselves whether you have any real reason beyond a prepossession, for thinking these people fiends, or devil's servants, as you call them, without further examination; for according to my comprehension, they only, understanding the nature of several sorts of earth, reduce them by labour and fire to solid substances for the use of mankind; and the want of these things is the reason of your living as you do, without a hundredth part of the benefits of life. These sort of people, these noises and these operations, which you hear and see carried on at Alkoe, are to be heard and seen in my country; and we deal and traffic with their labours, from one end of the world to the other; and we who are with them the happiest, without them should be the most miserable of people. Did not some of you see, at my entertainment, what I called my knives and forks and spoons, my pistols, cutlasses, and silver cup? All these, and infinitely more, are the produce of these poor men's industry. Now," says I, "if we settle a communication with these people, your dues will be all paid in these curious things; you will have your people employed in working them, and have strangers applying to you to serve them with what they want; who in return will give you what you want; and you will find yourselves known and respected in the world." Finding some of these arguments applied to the men had staggered them a little, I applied to their senses. Says I, "It still appears to me that you have your prejudices hanging on you; but what will you say if I go thither and return safe? will you be afraid to follow me another time?" They persuaded me from it, as a dangerous experiment; but said, if I did return, they would not think there was so much in it as they suspected.

Maleck having chose me out fourscore of his countrymen, in about a month's time I trained them up to the knowledge of my pistols and cutlasses, and the management of them; and taking a chest with me for the arms and other necessaries, we sallied up to the Black Mountain. I rested there; and there Nasgig and Lasmeel overtook me, saying that when they found me obstinate to go, they could not in their hearts leave me, happen what would. This put new spirits into me, and we consulted how the noises lay, and agreed to engage first upon the skirts of them, where the smokes were most straggling. I charged six guns and all my pistols, which I kept in my chest, and ordered them to alight with me about a hundred paces from the first smoke they saw; then ordered three of them to carry my guns after me, and twelve of them to take pistols and follow me; but not to fire till I gave orders. The remainder I left with the baggage.

We marched up to the smoke, which issued out of a low archway just at the foot of the mountain. It was very light there with the flames of the volcano; and entering the arch, a fellow ran at me with a red-hot iron bar; him I shot dead: and seeing two more and a woman there, who stood with their faces to the wall of the hut or room, as unwilling to be seen, I ordered Maleck to speak to them in a known tongue, and tell them we were no enemies, nor intended them any hurt; and that their companion's fate was owing to his own rashness in running first at me with the hot bar; and that if they would show themselves good-natured and civil to us, we should be so to them; but if they offered to resist openly, or use any manner of treachery towards us, they might depend upon the same fate their companion had just suffered.

Upon hearing this, they approached us; and showing great tokens of submission, I delivered my gun to Maleck, and bade them go on with their work, ordering all the guns out of the shop for fear of a spark. I then perceived they were direct forges, but made after another manner from ours, their wind being made by a great wheel, like a wheel of a water-mill, which worked with the fans or wings in a large trough, and caused a prodigious issue of air through a small hole in the back of the fireplace. They were then drawing out iron bars.

I gave each of these men, and also to the woman, a dram of brandy; which they swallowed down very greedily, and looked for more, and seemed very pleasant. I then inquired into the trade—by whom and how it was carried on; and they told me just as Maleck had done. I then asked where the mines lay; and one of them looking full at me said, "Then you know what we are about."—"Yes," says I, "very well."—He told me the mine was (in his language as Maleck interpreted it) about a quarter of a mile off, and directed me to it. I ordered them to go on with their work, telling them, though I left a guard over them, it was only that they might not raise their neighbours to disturb me; though if they did, I should serve them all as I had done their companion; and left four men with pistols at the archway.

I proceeded to the iron mine, but supposed the men were all within, for I saw nobody; but there were many large heaps of ore lying, which I felt of; and, being vastly heavy, I supposed it might be rich in metal.

I returned to my men at the arch, and asked them what other mines there might be in that country, and of what other metals; but Maleck not knowing the metals themselves, was not able to interpret the names they called them by. I then showed them an English halfpenny, a Portuguese piece of silver money, and my gold watch; and asking if they had any of those, they pointed to the halfpenny and silver piece, but shook their heads at the watch. I then showed them a musket-ball, and they said they had a great deal of that.

I desired them to show me the way to the copper-mine (pointing my finger to the halfpenny), and told them if they would go with me, they should have some more (pointing to my brandy); and they readily agreed, if I would stand by them for leaving their work. I believe it might be two miles farther on the right to the copper-mine; and as these men had the graundee, I expected they would have flown by me; but I found they had a light chain round their graundee which prevented them; so I walked too, and having made them my friends by being familiar with them, I desired they would go in, and let the headman of the works know that a stranger desired to speak with him and view his works, and to inform him how peaceable I was if he used me civilly, but that I could strike him dead at once if he did not.

I do not know how they managed, or what report they made; but the man came to me very courteously, and I bade Maleck ask if he came in friendship, as I did to him; and he giving me that assurance, I went in with him, taking Nasgig and Maleck with me, and leaving our firearms without. I ordered them both, as I did myself, to carry their cutlasses, sheathed in their hands, for fear of a surprise. We saw a great quantity of copper ore and several melting-vats, being just at the mouth of the mine, the mine running horizontally into the side of the mountain, and, as they said, was very rich. I gave the headman a little brandy, and two or three more of them, who had been industrious in showing and explaining things to me.