load, lode

Load or load means something that is being carried, as freight or a burden--
He found the load too heavy to bear.
He stumbled and dropped his load.
Load is also a verb ( action word ), meaning to pack or stow freight or goods--
Load the truck; we're leaving soon.
It took all day to load the moving van.

Lode or lode ( rhymes with load ) means a deposit of metal or minerals, as in a mine--
The miners found a lode of silver and became wealthy.
The lode became so famous that everyone knew it by name.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They had to carry the load from the silver lode out of the mine on foot."

Note--a "load" or "loads" is used to means a lot, or a great quantity--
They found a load of silver.
Not to be confused with a "lode", meaning a deposit of minerals--
They found a lode of silver.
Note # 2--"lowed"  ( rhymes with load ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "low", meaning to bellow or "moo" as a cow does--
The poor cow lowed at every passing car.