Mountain Journeys 75 



Citizens Riche and Blavier (he says) had undertaken the ascent 

 of the Peak one day after us (Labillardiere, who made the ascent 

 October 17, 1791, speaks of no painful sensation) ; but these two 

 naturalists did not succeed in climbing to the summit; they were 

 still far from it when they spat blood, since their lungs could not 

 become accustomed to the rarefied air, and they were forced to give up 

 their undertaking. (Vol. I, p. 27.) 



It is true that, according to Bory Saint-Vincent," 



Riche was in very poor health and had very weak lungs .... He 

 died as a result of his journey, soon after his return to France. (P. 182.) 



Von Humboldt 100 (ascent of June 21, 1799) says absolutely 

 nothing of physiological disturbances. 



The celebrated geologist Cordier, 101 who ascended the Peak 

 April 16, 1803, discusses these disturbances, but only to deny them, 

 or practically so: 



What has been said of the keenness of the cold, . . . and the 

 difficulty of breathing on the Peak is not correct. Moreover, I have 

 already proved several times that the opinion generally held in this 

 respect is more than exaggerated; I assure you that the cold was quite 

 endurable . . . that the rarity of the air did not inconvenience us at all, 

 although it forced us to halt quite frequently as we approached the 

 summit. (P. 61.) 



The illustrious Leopold de Buch, in the accounts of his ascents 

 of May 18 and 27, 1815, 102 does not give them a more important 

 place: 



The ascent becomes more difficult after the Estancia de los 

 Ingleses ... In spite of that, the difficulties are not comparable to 

 those of an ascent to the summit of one of the snow covered peaks, 

 of the Alps .... When we reached the crater, we suddenly saw 

 appearing opposite us Mme. Hammond, a Scotch lady, with her trav- 

 elling companions. She was the first woman ever to ascend to the 

 summit. (P. 4.) 



May 27 we again ascended the Peak. (P. 5.) 



The account of Dumont d'Urville 10a is very interesting in its 

 brevity. He passed the night, in June, 1826, at the Estancia de los 

 Ingleses: 



The air was very pure (he says) and I felt none of these violent 

 disturbances and these suffocating sensations experienced by different 

 travellers. M. Quoy alone had pains in the stomach, and M. Gaimard 

 slept all night without any trouble .... The next day, as we 

 approached the Pain-de-Sucre, we were obliged to stop frequently 

 to get our breath .... We lunched gayly on the crest of the Piton. 

 (P. 37.) 



