Ascent of Cotopaxi. 577 



At 8.45 lie reached the arenal, a deep mass of fine sand 

 stretching upward at an angle of 40°. Over this he must 

 advance, difficult as it was, for on either side were impass- 

 able fields of snow and ice. The temperature of the sand 

 was 77°. Another stream of lava was discovered, which 

 must have fiowed with great velocity, since, instead of fol- 

 lowing the inclination of the cone, it had descended diag- 

 onally. Only the peaks of Iliniza and Chimborazo in the 

 opposite Cordillera were visible; but above the clouds, 

 toward the southwest, a dense mass of smoke rose perpen- 

 dicularly to a prodigious height, and then, by an east wind, 

 was carried off in a horizontal line westward. This came 

 from the furious and ever-active volcano of Sangay, whose 

 top was invisible, but whose activity was manifested in 

 this manner. As the clouds shifted, the diversified valley 

 and its royal mountains were spread out like a map. Near- 

 by, on the southern flank of the volcano, was the porphy- 

 ritic peak called Cabeza del Cotopaxi, or the Inca's Head. 

 Tradition has it that this was the original summit of Co- 

 topaxi, torn off by an eruption on the very day Atahualpa 

 was murdered by Pizarro. Dr. Eeiss thinks it really forms 

 no part of Cotopaxi, but belongs to a more ancient volca- 

 no. The old eruptions produced much obsidian, not found 

 in the lavas of Cotopaxi, and probably the heaps of pumice 

 around Tacunga came from some ancient crater. 



The clouds were ascending the mountain more rapidly 

 than our traveler, as if in hot pursuit to intercept his view 

 of the unseen crater. More than once, while ascending 

 the arenal, his courage nearly failed him. The sand be- 

 came mingled with ice ; but, turning a little to the soiith, 

 he found a series of huge rocks rising above the snow and 

 ashes, and giving him a firm foothold. It was now 10.15 

 A.M. ; thermometer, 28°. Fumaroles abounded, giving 

 forth sulphurous gas. And now followed a sheet of com- 

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