562 



NATURE 



[April 14, 1892 



ished pressure, and next day pitched the second camp 

 at a height of 16,664 feet (pressure i6"5 inches). This 

 was reached without inconvenience, but the mules during 

 the last six or seven hundred feet of the ascent had shown 

 marked and unusual signs of exhaustion. Mules and 

 drivers were sent back, and the explorers remained in 

 excellent health and spirits, but about a couple of hours 

 afterwards all three were suddenly and almost simul- 

 taneously prostrated ; their respiration became laboured, 

 "accompanied by spasmodic gasps or gulps," they 

 suffered from acute headache, with feverish symptoms, 

 and an "indescribable feeling of illness pervading almost 

 the whole body. . . . The attack seemed to arrive at a 

 maximum quickly, to remain equally intense for several 

 hours, and then it died away imperceptibly." In about 36 

 hours the Carrels got better, and felt well enough, on the 



Carrel was suffering severely from the effects of frost- 

 bite. 



How the investigation was continued may be read in 

 the book. In addition to excursions to lower points, 

 Mr. Whymper, with one or both of his guides, ascended 

 the following mountains : Corazon (15,871 feet), Cotopaxi 

 (19,613 feet), where they encamped for the night, close to 

 the brink of the crater, Pichincha (15,918 feet), Sincholagua 

 (16,365 feet),Antisana (19,335 feet), Cayambe (19,186 feet), 

 Sara-iircu (15,502 feet), Cotocachi (16,301 feet), and 

 Carihuairazo (16 515 feet), all but the first three being 

 new ascents. The Carrels also reached the summit of 

 Illiniza (17,405 feet), and on two other occasions Mr. 

 Whymper arrived within a few hundred feet of it. The 

 expedition concluded with a second ascent of Chimborazo, 

 when the travellers were favoured with better weather, 



Fig. 2. — Cotopaxi 



29th, to set off for a preliminary exploration ; they reached 

 a height of about 19,300 feet, but were much exhausted 

 when they returned in the evening. Mr. Whymper recovered 

 rather more slowly, but during the whole time Mr. Perring, 

 a native of the country, who remained with them at the 

 camp, was unaffected. On January 2 they moved on to a 

 height of 17,285 feet, and after an attempt next day, 

 frustrated by bad weather, which appears to be almost 

 chronic in the mountains of Ecuador, reached the summit 

 (20,498 feet) on January 4. The weather was still un- 

 favourable, and the work laborious, but they progressed 

 more slowly than they would have done under similar 

 circumstances in the Alps. They remained at the camp 

 till January 10— for Mr. Whymper contemplated another 

 visit to the summit under more favourable conditions — 

 but were then obliged to return to Guaranda, as Louis 



NO. I I 72, VOL. 45] 



and with an exceptionally interesting incident. As they 

 were mounting the slopes, Cotopaxi was full in view, 

 nearly sixty miles away. Suddenly it ejected a 

 column of "inky black smoke" to a height of about 

 20,000 feet above the lip of the crater. At this elevation 

 the cloud was caught by an easterly wind, and borne at 

 right angles to its former course ; then it was taken by a 

 northerly current and carried down upon Chimborazo. 

 When the party reached the summit, at 1.20 p.m., the 

 snow was still perfectly white ; but, before long, the dust 

 began to fall thickly, shutting out all view, penetrating 

 into instruments, and adding an unpleasing condiment to 

 their food. It had taken rather more than 7^ hours on 

 its aerial journey. During these excursions, neither Mr. 

 Whymper nor his guides suffered any return of the severe 

 symptoms which they had experienced on the flanks of 



