198 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. x. 



approach it. With slow and anxious pulls they hauled away, 

 fearing that the rope would be severed by the glassy edges ; but, 

 before my head touched the bridge, more of the brittle structure 

 yielded, and I went down again. This was repeated several 

 times, and then Jean-Antoine, seeing that their efforts must be 

 ineffectual so long as they were on opposite sides, leaped the 

 chasm ; and, with united pulls, the two cousins landed me with 

 a jerk, through the frozen vault and its pendent icicles, on to 

 the surface, poorer by a cap, though not otherwise the worse for 

 the immersion.^ In twenty minutes we arrived at the camp, 

 where the others were already in waiting, and by 6.40 p.m. we 

 were back at the Hacienda, having spent some time on the way 

 in adding to our collection;^ ^ 



The Hacienda of Antisana is reputed to be the highest farm 

 in Ecuador, and it owes its existence to the grazing that is 

 afforded by the surrounding slopes. The cattle seemed to find 

 upon them quite sufficient pasturage, though the grasses in general 

 were not so luxuriant as upon Ohimborazo, and other places at 



1 It is usually considered unnecessary to be tied up when traversing glacier 

 that is not covered by snow. This incident shews the contrary. After my extrica- 

 tion, we examined the crevasse, and found that it was several hundred feet long, 

 and seven feet wide where I broke through. It differed from all others that we 

 had ever seen in being bridged by ice. This was only an inch or two thick in 

 the centre, though more substantial where it sprang from the walls of the crevasse. 

 It could neither be detected by any ' droop ' on the surface nor by ' sounding ' in 

 the usual manner. We had crossed it three times without being aware of its 

 existence. Its formation was no doubt due to the peculiar meteorological conditions 

 which prevail in the Andes of the Equator ; and, as there was a strong probability 

 that there were more of the same kind, we considered it advisable to use a double 

 rope on subsequent traverses of Ecuadorian glaciers. 



^ The ascent of Antisana was effected at a better rate than usual, owing to 

 the assistance derived from our old track. Leaving camp (15,984 feet) at 5.38 

 a.m., at 10 a.m. we were on the summit (19,335 feet). Including halts, this ascent 

 was therefore made at the rate of 767 feet per hour. We started from the summit 

 at 11.40 a.m., and were back at camp by 2.20 p. m. Including the loss of time 

 from the detour and the crevasse incident, the descent was made at the rate of 

 1340 feet per hour. 



