been only the valley of Tuy, and part of the headwaters of the river of the same name.  This river becomes of great volume, and terminates at the city of Nueva Segovia, or Cagayan.  It contains numerous fish, and the best ones that are found in the island of Luzon.  This valley and province are said to be forty leguas long, and end at the mountains of the Ygolotes.  Its width is unknown, except that it extends from the province of Pangasinan to the sea, from which one may infer that is a greater distance than the forty leguas.

Relation of what has been known from old times, in these districts, of the rich mines of the Ygolotes—­both from seeing the great amount of gold that the Indians of those mountains have extracted without skill, and are still obtaining, and which they sell to the neighboring provinces, and trade for food; and by persons (Spaniards as well as Indians) who have been in the mines opened by those mountaineers.

First, it is to be taken for granted that they are located in the mountains and ridges called Ygolotes, at somewhat less than eighteen degrees of latitude; and as the land in itself is so lofty, it is cold, although its inhabitants go naked except for some garments made from the bark of trees.  This region lies between the provinces of Cagayan, Ylocos, Pangasinan, and Tuy.  The people are light complexioned, well-disposed, and intelligent. [54] It is reported that about eighteen or twenty thousand Indians use lance and shield.  They are at war with their neighbors up to certain boundaries.  Beyond those boundaries those peoples trade with one another; for the Ygolotes descend to certain towns of Pangasinan with their gold, and exchange it for food—­hogs, carabaos, and rice, taking the animals alive to their own country.  Until that food is consumed, or but a little time before, they pay no heed to securing any gold.  Then each man goes to the mine assigned to him, and they get what they need, according to what they intend to buy, and not any more.  They are a people as void of covetousness as this; for they say that they have it there at hand for the times when they need it.

It is probable that the mines here are very numerous and rich; and it is a well-known fact that for these many centuries the greatest quantity of gold, and that of the finest quality, in these islands has been and is still obtained there; and at the present time this industry is as active as ever.  Although gold is obtained in certain parts of these islands, such as the island of Masbate, Catanduanes, Paracali, and the Pintados, yet none of it is in such quantities as that here; and this has been always, and now is the general opinion.  Consequently one cannot doubt that a great treasure could be secured with expert men and the order to work those mines, since rude Indians, without any skill except in washing, obtain so great a quantity.  It is said that one can obtain more gold in the rewashing of what the Indian leaves than the latter obtains.