130 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. vi. 



of June 27. Lastly, in January, 1878, the summit was gained 

 by Freiherr Max von Thielmann, who, starting from Machachi, 

 passed through the hamlet of Pedregal to the mountain by the 

 route shewn in dotted line upon my map, and completed the 

 ascent by the same way as Dr. Wolf.^ 



The accounts of these gentlemen agree in general very well ; 

 though none of them saw to the bottom of the crater, and they 

 differed amongst each other as to the height of the mountain and 

 several matters of detail. By remaining a greater length of time 

 in the field I hoped to clear up, or at least to bring more into 

 harmony, various discrepancies ; and in going to the mountain I 

 proposed to follow the line taken by Von Thielmann, for, from 

 a description which he was good enough to give me personally, it 

 appeared to be more desirable than the way by Mulalo. 



I brought a letter of introduction to the proprietor of the farm, 

 and was received very courteously.^ His house was the nearest 

 one to Illiniza, and we came to it hoping to combine an ascent 

 of that mountain with our inspection of Ootoioaxi. No informa- 

 tion in regard to Illiniza is in print, and this is not a matter for 

 surprise, as it is almost perpetually shrouded in mist. Persons 

 living in its neighbourhood say that it is seldom or never perfectly 

 clear. At one or another time we were seventy-eight days in its 

 vicinity, yet we did not see the whole of the mountain on any 

 single occasion.^ Only partial views were .obtained, lasting a few 



^ See the Alpine Journal, Aug., 1878, pp. 45-47. 



"^ There was the same uncleanliaess about this hacienda that was remarlved in 

 most other places. My apartment had the appearance of not having been cleaned 

 or even swept since the building was erected. The whole ceiling was covered with 

 a dense black mass of house-flies clustered over one another to the depth of perhaps 

 half an inch. I could not have imagined that sucli a spectacle was possible. There 

 were also tens of thousands on the upper part of the walls. 



Feeling something hard under the pillow I loolced underneath, and found a 

 prayer-book, a revolver, and a guitar. This was apparently the bedroom of the 

 head of the establishment. 



2 In May and June, Louis Carrel stopped for five weeks at Machachi, and in this 

 time only saw Illiniza twice. 



