310 ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT. 



c While the Indian descended to the Sienega to fetch my com- 

 panion, M. Urquinaona, I sat alone at the edge of the crater, and 

 remarked that my boots, which had been completely saturated 

 with snow-water during our first attempt at the ascent, were 

 becoming quickly dried in the stream of warm air that ascended 

 out of the crater. The thermometer, which in the Sienega 

 stood at 41, rose as I held it over the abyss to 66. . . . 



' After a tedious delay, M. Urquinaona at length made his 

 appearance, when almost immediately we became enveloped in 

 a dense mist a cloud of steam produced probably by the mix- 

 ing of streams of air of unequal temperature. It was now within 

 an hour of sunset, and with feelings of pleasure at having at- 

 tained our object, we hurriedly left the volcano, and descended 

 into the valley of Sienega a district filled with pumice. We 

 crossed, fortunately, before night came on, the steep ridge which 

 separates the Sienega from the valley of Yuyucha. Through this 

 valley we proceeded in total darkness (for not a star was to 

 be seen), encountering numerous falls in consequence of the 

 roughness of the path, and arrived at Quito at half-past twelve 

 o'clock at night. Our arduous expedition had occupied us 

 eighteen hours, fourteen of which we had spent on foot.' 



Notwithstanding the dangers and fatigue to which Humboldt 

 had thus been exposed, we find him on May 28, after an interval 

 of only twenty-four hours, again upon the frail balcony of rock 

 overhanging the flaming crater, intent upon making a series of 

 observations and experiments. 'My third ascent was to me 

 the most interesting, from the proof I then received of the 

 continuous or renewed activity of the volcano, for about half- 

 past one in the afternoon we experienced several smart shocks of 

 earthquake while standing on the shelf of rock. I counted fifteen 

 shocks in thirty-six minutes.' 



The news that the volcano had shown signs of fresh activity 

 gave rise in Quito to the report that the heretic foreigners had 

 thrown gunpowder into the crater, by means of which the recent 

 shocks had been produced. 



As previously mentioned, Humboldt also made the ascent of 



of this celebrated mountain : they were unprovided with instruments, and 

 remained only a quarter of an hour at the crater. 



