At the worktable he picks up his hammer and begins crushing the lump into smaller pieces. He pauses occasionally to stare at the fire, as if in study. From time to time he places more fuel upon the already blazing coals and works his bellows until the flames are in a frenzy. He places the crucible in the fire and sits down beside it. A long day is before him, and this is where he will stay for as long as the metal is subject to the flames.
Silver is too precious to be forsaken in the furance, too valuable to be ruined through inattention.
Carefully he watches the fire. It must be maintained at exactly the right temperatue for the right duration of time to accomplish its purpose. Slowly the ore softens. The silver, with its greater density and lower melting point, liquefies first, hissing and bubbling as oxygen is released. The still-solid impurities rise to the top of the molten metal.