Slightly different were the methods of the Portuguese with the Indians of Brazil, whom they found adorned with gorgeous ornaments of gold. The former demanded of the latter that they should be shown the gold locality. When the natives refused, one of the Portuguese poured some spirit, which the natives thought was water, from a flask, and set fire to it, saying that he and his comrades would set fire to all the rivers in their country if they did not show them where the gold was to be found.
Still rougher were the Spaniards with the natives of Peru and Mexico.

Both in ancient and medieval societies, however, the mining for gold was not considered honourable toil, but only to be performed by slaves ; and where the Phoenicians mined their gold, whether in Spain or in Rhodesia, to which they penetrated, crushing stones and mortar holes have been found at which African slaves wore out their miserable lives. Recent research has  demonstrated that to  the  Phoenicians  we  owe the numerous galleries and pits found throughout Rhodesia, particularly in that neighbourhood of which Mr Rider Haggard has drawn his sketch King Solomon’s Mines. When they abandoned these mines they walled them up.