300 M. Humboldt on hvo Attempts to ascend Chimborazo. 



sight of the stones thus rolled down before they came to rest. 

 The absence of snow, as well upon the ridge along which we 

 ascended, as upon the rocks on our right hand towards the east, 

 cannot be ascribed so much to the steepness of the masses, and 

 to the gales of wind, as to open clefts, which breathe out warm 

 air from deeper situated beds. We soon found our further 

 ascent more difficult, from the increase of the crumbling nature 

 of the rock. At single and very steep echelons it was necessary 

 to apply at the same time the hands and feet, as is so usual in 

 all alpine journeys. As the rock was very keenly angular, we 

 were painfully hurt, especially in the hands. Leopold Von 

 Buch and I suffered very much in this manner near the crater 

 of the Peak of TenerifFe, which abounds in obsidian. I had 

 had besides (if it be permitted a traveller to mention such unim- 

 portant particulars) for several weeks a sore in the foot, occasioned 

 by the accumulations of Niguas* [Piilex penetrans), and much 

 increased by fine dust of pumice-stone during measurements in 

 Llano de Tapia. The little adhesion of the rocks upon the ridge 

 now rendered greater caution necessary, as many masses which we 

 supposed firm lay loose and covered with sand. We proceeded 

 one after the other, and so much the more slowly, as it was need- 

 ful to try the places which seemed uncertain. Happily the at- 

 tempt to reach the summit of Chimborazo was the last of our 

 mountain journeys in South America; hence previous experi- 

 ence guided us, and gave us more confidence in our powers. 

 It is a peculiar character of all excursions in the Andes, that 

 above the snow-line white people find themselves in the most 

 perilous situations, always without guides, indeed without any 

 knowledge of localities. 



We could see the summit no longer, even for a moment only 

 at a time, and were hence doubly curious to know, how much 

 higher it remained for us to ascend. We examined the baro- 

 meter at a point where the breadth of the ridge permitted 

 of two persons standing conveniently together. We were now 

 at an elevation of 17,300 feet ; thus scarcely two hundred 



• The Sand-flea, the Chique of the French colonists of the "West Indies, 

 an insect that introduces itself under the human skin, and, as the ovary of the 

 impregnated female considerably enlarges, inflammation is excited. 



