232 THE FOREST OF BOCKS. 



above the level of the sea. Here Humboldt wished to make 

 a trigonometrical measurement to ascertain the height of 

 the summit, but it was shrouded in thick clouds. From 

 time to time they caught a momentary glimpse of it, through 

 openings in the clouds, but the sky was gradually darken- 

 ing. They continued to ascend until they reached the 

 little lake of Yana-Cocha, a circular basin one hundred 

 and thirty feet in diameter. It was the most elevated spot 

 yet reached by man on the ridge of mountains, three thou- 

 sand three hundred feet higher than the summit of Mont 

 Blanc. Here they left their mules. The barometer show* •< 1 

 a height of fourteen thousand three hundred and fifty feet. 

 Crossing the yellow belt of grass which they had seen over 

 night, they came to a region of augite. Here rocks rose 

 in columns fifty or sixty feet high, and looked like the 

 trunks of trees. Traversing the aisles of this enchanted 

 forest of stone, over fields of new-fallen snow, they gained 

 a narrow ridge w r hich led directly to the summit of Chim- 

 borazo, and by which alone they might hope to reach it ; 

 for the snow around was too soft and yielding to be ven- 

 tured upon. The path became steeper and narrower, and 

 at last the guides refused to go any further. When they 

 were sixteen thousand five hundred feet high, all but one 

 left them. Nothin 2; daunted, however, the travellers went 

 on, enveloped in a thick mist. The path which they were 

 ascending was in many places not more than eight or ten 

 inches broad : the natives called it a " knife-blade." On 

 one hand was a declivity of snow covered with a glassy 

 coating of ice, on the other a chasm one thousand feet dvcp^ 

 the bottom of which was covered with masses of naked 

 rocks. They inclined their bodies over this chasm, dan- 

 gerous as it was, for they dared not trust themselves to the 



