232 TRAVELS AMONGST THE GREAT ANDES, chap. xii. 



became involved in a complicated maze of snow-covered crevasses 

 at the head of the ice-fall of the Espinosa Glacier, which had 

 to be threaded cautiously. This was followed by moderately- 

 inclined slopes, and we then entered upon a large plain that 

 took three-quarters of an hour of steady going to cross. This 

 we called the Grand Plateau. Afterwards the slopes became 

 steeper, with occasional large open crevasses and numerous con- 

 cealed ones, and were rapid near the top, which was gained soon 

 after 10 o^clock in the morning. 



Early in the day mists began to form and gather beneath 

 us, and we pushed on to endeavour to have a view from the 

 summit. At 9.30 a.m., when quite a short distance below the 

 highest point, we were well seen by a crowd assembled on the 

 Plaza of the village ; but in a few minutes more the clouds 

 caught us up, and we did not get out of them until the close of 

 the day. 



The true summit of Cayambe is a ridge, running north and 

 south, entirely covered by glacier. Its height (deduced from the 

 mean of two readings of the mercurial barometer at 10.45 and 

 11 a.m.) is 19,186 feet, and this mountain is therefore the fourth 

 in rank of the Great Andes of the Equator.^ Of the other two 

 summits the northern one is the higher, and it is well-nigh 

 inaccessible, being almost surrounded by gigantic crevasses, and 

 surmounted by tufted cornices. The central or true summit pre- 

 sented fewer difficulties, though it was not altogether easy of 

 access. It was a stroke of good fortune to find a snow-bridge 

 across the highest crevasse, just under the place where there was 

 a break in the coronal cornice. 



Glacier departs in all directions from the summit of Cayambe 



1 The mean of these two readings (reduced to 33° Faht.) was 14-983 inches. 

 The 11 a.m. reading at Guayaquil (red. to 32° F.) was 29-915 inches, air tempera- 

 ture 79° Faht. At some future date it may perhaps appear that Cayambe is 

 third, and that Antisana is the fourth in ranli. There is, I imagine, a very slight 

 difference in the elevation of these two mountains. 



