Mountain Journeys 41 



the health which I have consistently enjoyed during my ascents of 

 volcanoes. This wholesome precaution I imposed despotically, so to 

 speak, upon those who accompanied me, and on Antisana an Indian 

 who broke the rule by calling at the top of his lungs to Colonel Hall, 

 who had strayed from us while we were passing through a cloud, was 

 attacked by vertigo and had a slight hemorrhage. (P. 159.) 



They finally reached the foot of a peak of trachyte which barred 

 their way; it was a quarter of one, the height reached was 5680 

 meters, the thermometer stood at 4 degrees, and the air was very 

 full of moisture, a condition which is constant on the glaciers of 

 the Andes, according to M. Boussingault. Finally, after a rather 

 long rest, after studying the terrain carefully, they once more 

 began their climb: 



We were already beginning to feel more than we ever had the 

 effect of the rarefaction of the air; we were compelled to stop every 

 two or three steps, and often even to lie down for a few seconds. When 

 once seated, we recovered immediately; our sufferings occurred only 

 while we were moving. (P. 250.) 



Finally they arrived at a height of 6004 meters, an elevation 

 which no one had yet reached; however this was not quite the 

 summit of Chimborazo: 



After a few moments of rest, we were entirely recovered from our 

 fatigue; none of us felt the symptoms experienced by most of those 

 who have ascended lofty mountains. Three-quarters of an hour after 

 our arrival, my pulse rate, and that of Colonel Hall too, was 106 per 

 minute; we were thirsty, we were evidently in a slightly feverish con- 

 dition, but it was not at all painful. (P. 251.) 



The rarefaction of the air generally produces very marked effects 

 in persons who climb high mountains. ... As for us, we had, it is 

 true, experienced difficulty in breathing and extreme fatigue while 

 walking, but the symptoms ceased with the motion; when we were 

 resting, we thought we were in a normal condition. Perhaps the mild- 

 ness of the symptoms produced in us by the rarefaction of the air 

 should be attributed to our prolonged stay in the lofty towns of the 

 Andes. 



When one has seen the bustling in cities like Bogota, Micuipampa, 

 Potosi, and still others, at an altitude of 2600 and 4000 meters; when at 

 Quito, at an elevation of 3000 meters, one has witnessed the strength 

 and prodigious activity of the toreadors; when one has seen young and 

 delicate women dancing all night long in localities almost as high as 

 Mont Blanc, where the famous de Saussure could hardly find enough 

 strength to consult his instruments, and where his vigorous moun- 

 taineers fell fainting while digging a hole in the snow; finally, when 

 one remembers that a celebrated battle, that of Pichincha, took place 

 at a height nearly that of Monte Rosa, one must admit that man can 



