CHAP. IT. TOO SPECULATIVE, 23 



and yon, donbtless, do qnite right to say that yon intend to 

 ascend Chimborazo, — a thing tliat everybody knows is perfectly 

 impossible. We know very well what is your object ! Yon wish 

 to discover the treasures which are buried in Chimborazo, and, 

 no doubt, there is mtirh treasure buried there ; and we hope you 

 will discover it ; ])ut we hope, when you have discovered it, you 

 will not forget tis.'' " Gentlemen," I said, " I shall be delighted 

 to remember you, but in respect to the other matter — the 

 treasure — I venture to suggest that you shall pay half the 

 expenses of the expedition, and take half the treasure Ave 

 discover." Upon hearing this, they drew long faces, and went 

 away. Shortly afterwards, there came an empty person of 

 Riobamba, with his mouth full of a story of priceless riches 

 buried between Chimborazo and Carihuairazo ; to discover which 

 should be Dty aim for Ids advantage ; and to him I said, " Lead 

 us there, and we will share the sj)oil ! ' ' But he made no answer, 

 and went away, and we saw his face no more.^ 



On Dec. 21, we obtained our first view of Chimborazo. 

 Instruments had been kept in readiness ; a place of observation 

 to the north of and somewhat higher than the town had been 

 selected, and we hurried to it to make the most of the oppor- 

 tunity. Two things instantly arrested attention. One of these 

 was that Chimborazo had two summits — twin, snowy domes — ■ 

 apparently, nearly equally elevated. The other was that the 

 Avhole of that part of the mountain which was seen from 

 (xuaranda was nearly covered with glaciers. 



All the writers who have referred to Chimborazo from 

 personal knowledge, notably Humboldt and Boussingault, have 

 spoken of ' the summit,' never of summits ; and in a well-known 

 passage in Asie Ceiitrale, which has been embodied in many 

 geographical works, Humboldt expressly declares that he saw 

 no glaciers in Ecuador. " I have seen nothing in the tropics," 



' At almost every place we visited iu Ecuador persons introduced themselves 

 with stories of buried treasures. 



