32 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. ii. 



practicable for mules/ ^ But he was beaten by Humboldt, who 

 descended 3686 feet in sixty minutes, or at an average rate of 

 sixty-one feet ]per minute, down a ridge which in many places 

 was not wider than from eight to ten inches, with friable rock 

 w^hich had to be climbed ; where every loose place had first to 

 be tested, and from the insecurity of the footing greater caution 

 was necessary than during the ascent — the last part of the way 

 being through a storm which covered the ridge with several 

 inches of snow. This is a divine rate for men encumbered with 

 mercurial barometers, and laden with geological collections. 



I had not imagined that we should equal these extraordinary 

 rates of speed. I did not, and do not, understand how they 

 were accomplished.^ It had seemed to me probable that the 

 times which were occupied were incorrectly noted. My per- 

 plexities were increased when I saw Chimborazo from Guaranda, 

 and studied the mountain in connection with the narratives of 

 these two famous travellers. I was roughly disillusionized. 

 Accepting its height as 21,425 feet, a fair notion could be 

 formed where 19,500 feet would come ; and it was evident that 

 no one could stand at that elevation, at any part of the mount- 

 ain, without having glaciers in front, behind, and upon each 

 side, and that no one could gain that elevation without, also, 

 passing over glacier. 



It now seemed probable that the altitudes had also been 

 incorrectly determined, and I began to take more interest in 

 the elevation of Chimborazo. The height of this mountain has 



^ For the full account, from which these quotations are made, see Appendix H, 

 at the end of this volume. The title of the original is Ascension au Chimborazo, 

 execute le 16 decembre, 1831, par M. Boussingault. 



"^ When writing Scrambles amongst the Alps, I tabulated a large number of 

 ascents of the principal Alpine peaks to obtain a notion of the average rate of 

 progression of mountaineers iu general ; and found that 1000 feet per hour, taking 

 the mean of ascent and descent, was a respectable rate, including halts. That 

 is to say, ten hours would be a fair allowance for the ascent and descent of 

 5000 feet involving work of moderate difficulty. This, however, had reference to 

 unencumbered men, and to mountain work less than 16,000 feet above the sea. 



