Scheeps-togt van Pedro da Nhaya na Oost-Indien, met een vloot van 8 scheepen, in het jaar 1505 en vervolg... (1706) - Page 16

1505

” and are found in a land surrounded by mountains, to a length of 90 miles in circumference. The places where they suspect they will find gold are the driest and most barren, and where no herbs grow. This landscape is called Matuca, and the gold diggers carry the name of Botonghi. Notwithstanding that this land is situated between the Line the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn,
Abundance of snow on the mountains.

” the snow is nevertheless so great in the spring on these mountains that if someone were to stay there in this time, he would freeze to death within a short time; and on the contrary, in the summer the air is so pure and clear that one can easily see the new moon when it appears. In the gold mines of Manica, situated 150 miles west of Sofala, the Caffers have much labor, since it is a dry land and the gold that they find is all
Dust gold.

” dust gold, why they are forced to bring the earth to places that are rich in water. To avoid this labor as much as possible for them, they dig pits in which they collect some water in the winter, and which are 6 or 7 palms (that is almost one and a half ells) deep. The other mines 360 miles from Sofala lie in the landscape of Boro and
Gold found in the rivers.

” Quiticuy, where one—and in the rivers mentioned above—finds larger gold, which is purified either from the stones or from the filth. In places where these rivers do not flow too fast and form some small pools, the inhabitants fish for it, and if they were greedy and eager for it, they would be rich and powerful according to the multitude that the land yields,
The inhabitants are averse to gold.

” but on the contrary, they are lazy and slow to look for it, or rather they have no desire for it at all, such that they must have great hunger before they can be gotten to this work. Now when they have looked for it, the Moors historical term for Muslim traders in the region, who are accustomed to trade with them,