94 M. Boussingault''s Account of 



great difficulty. We ascended as if it were on a bad ladder; 

 and the most troublesome part of our labour was the continued 

 care with which it was necessary to select the stones upon which 

 we could with safety place our feet. Every six or eight paces 

 we paused to breathe, without, however, sitting down. Some- 

 times I employed the time afforded by the delay in collecting 

 rocks for my geognostical collection. But whenever we reach- 

 ed the snow, the heat of the sun became oppressive, breathing 

 difficult, and consequently resting more frequently necessary. 



At a quarter before twelve we traversed obliquely an exten- 

 .sive field of ice, in which, for the sake of security, it was neces- 

 sary to make steps. This portion of our journey was not with- 

 out danger ; a slide would have cost us our lives. We now once 

 more stepped on fragments of trachyte — hard ground for us — 

 and on which we ascended somewhat more rapidly. We walk- 

 ed one behind the other, first myself, then Colonel Hall, and 

 last my Negro, who followed exactly in our footsteps, so that 

 the instruments entrusted to his care might run no risk. We 

 preserved perfect silence during our march, for experience had 

 taught me that at such a height nothing is more hurtful than a 

 continued conversation ; and when we exchanged a few words 

 during a halt, it was in a low tone of voice. It is chiefly to 

 this foresight that I attribute the good health which I have 

 invariably enjoyed during all my ascents to volcanos. I im- 

 pressed, in a despotic manner, this salutary precaution on my 

 companions. An Indian who neglected this advice on Antis- 

 ana, by calling with all his force to Colonel Hall, who had lost 

 the proper path while passing through a cloud, was in conse- 

 quence attacked by giddiness and hannorrhage. 



We soon attained the ridge along which we were to ascend. 

 It was not the same we had seen from a distance. There was 

 indeed little snow on it, but it presented acclivities which were 

 ascended with great difficulty. Great exertions were necessary, 

 and leaping is difficult in these regions. 



We at length reached the foot of a steep wall of trachyte, 

 several hundred metres in height. It was a moment of dis- 

 couragement when the barometer informed us that we had only 

 attained the height of 5680 metres. This was little for us, for 

 it was not even the height to which we had arrived on Coto- 

 paxi. Besides, Humboldt had ascended to a greater elevation, 



