308 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



terror, the Indian, Aldas, who was close in front of me, fell 

 through the frozen crust of snow. He sank up to the waist, 

 and as he declared that he could find no support for his feet, we 

 feared he had sunk into an open cleft. Happily, the danger 

 was less imminent. Falling with his legs apart, he had in 

 sinking pressed together by his weight a considerable mass of 

 snow, upon which he was supported as on a saddle. He rode 

 as it were upon this mass ; and as we perceived that he did not 

 continue to sink, we were able to labour with all the more 

 calmness for his extrication. This we effected by throwing 

 him upon his back, and pulling him out by the shoulders. 

 We were somewhat disconcerted by the accident. The Indian, 

 under the influence of superstitious fear, on account of the 

 near vicinity of the crater, protested against all further progress 

 upon the treacherous snow. 



' We retraced our steps, to deliberate upon our future plans. 

 The most easterly of the pinnacles surrounding the crater 

 appeared, upon nearer inspection, to be steepest at the base, 

 and to become much less abrupt towards the summit, the 

 upper parts of the rock being broken up so as to form rugged 

 steps. I requested M. Urquinaona to remain below in the 

 Sienega, resting upon a block of stone, while I attempted the 

 ascent of the lower and steeper portion, and only to follow 

 when he saw me reappear in course of time upon the turret- 

 shaped rock bare of snow. The good-natured Indian was easily 



persuaded once more to accompany me On reaching 



the pinnacle we continued the laborious ascent, by means of 

 the narrow shelves and isolated projections of rock, in ignorance 

 of our way, but with ever-brightening hopes, and soon found 

 ourselves surrounded by a cloud of vapour, which gradually 

 thickened, but remained inodorous. The ledges of rock be- 

 came gradually wider, and the ascent less steep. To our great 

 joy, the snow lay only in patches, from ten to twelve feet 

 in length, and scarcely eight inches deep. After our recent ad- 

 venture, we feared nothing so much as the half-frozen snow. 

 The mist hid everything from us. beyond the ground on which 

 we trod : every more distant object was concealed. We wandered 

 in a cloud. A stifling smell of sulphur announced to us the 

 close proximity of the crater ; but we little suspected that we 



