66 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. hi. 



south-west ridge. Then the axes went to work, and the cliffs 

 resounded with the strokes of the two powerful cousins, who 

 lost no time in exploration, as they had already passed this 

 place on Dec. 29. The breach in the walls (for so it must be 

 termed from want of a better expression) rose at an angle 

 exceeding 50°, and here, for the same reason as upon the arete 

 we had quitted, snow could not accumulate to any depth, and 

 the major part of the daily fall slid away in streams, or tiny 

 avalanches, down to the less abrupt slopes beneath ; while the 

 residue, dissolved and refrozen, glazed the projecting rocks, and 

 filled their interstices with solid ice. Thus far and no farther a 

 man may go who is not a mountaineer. To our party it caused 

 only a temporary check, for the work was enchanting to the 

 Carrels after the uncongenial labour in which they had been 

 emjDloyed, and during a short time we made good progress — 

 then, all at once, we were brought to a halt. Wind had been 

 rising during the last half-hour, and now commenced to blow 

 furiously. It was certain we could not reach the summit on that 

 day ; so, getting down as quickly as possible, and depositing the 

 instruments and baggage in crannies in the cliffs after reading 

 the barometer,^ we fled for refuge to the tent, holding ourselves, 

 however, in readiness to start again on the next morning. 



Under the small further diminution in pressure which was 



^ At 8 a.m. on Jan. 3, the air temperature in the shade was 22° "5 Faht., and at 

 the same time the mercurial barometer (corrected for temperature) read 15 "276 inches. 



I ascended a^ain to this place on Jan. 6 to obtain an observation at 11 a.m. 

 On this occasion the air temperature in the shade was 49° '5 Faht., and the mercurial 

 barometer (reduced to 32°) read 15*298 inches. There was a simultaneous observa- 

 tion by Mr. Chambers at Guayaquil. The height adopted (18,528 feet) is the mean 

 of the altitudes deduced from the observations made upon tliese two days. 



The difference of level between the third camp and the foot of the lower series 

 of the Southern Walls of Chimborazo amounts to 1243 feet. We occupied 115 

 minutes in ascending and 30 minutes in descending that amount. The descent 

 was effected at the rate of 41 feet per minute, arid we could not have gone much 

 faster. This rate may be compared with those mentioned upon pp. 31, 32, which 

 it is stated were maintained over courses three or four times as long. 



