CHAP. XVII. ON THE SUMMIT OF CARIEUAIRAZO. 315 



crest of the ridge was reached changed the course to N.N.W., and 

 followed the arete. Although this was only a little above 14,000 

 feet, every step was through deep, new snow/ About 7.30 

 entered on the glaciers surrounding the summits. Tied up, and 

 placed David last on the rope, with the sticks to mark the route. 

 Glacier soon steepened and required cutting. Small crevasses 

 were snowed up, and the big ones looked immense, seen through 

 the mist. Traversed several large snow - bridges, which drew 

 exclamations of wonder from the Ecuadorians, who had never seen 

 the like before. Snow steepened, and at last became a wall, 

 nearly or quite as rapid as the final slope of the Wetterhorn. 



At this stage Pedro wanted to give in, and sat down and 

 whined. Handed him up from one to another. By a stroke of 

 good fortune stumbled on a snow -bridge crossing the highest 

 bergschrund. Then the wall became too steep to ascend directly. 

 Made short zigzags, and presently saw a gigantic cornice looming 

 through the fog — an indication that the summit was near. Con- 

 sultation ended in going straight ahead, and we happily penetrated 

 the most assailable point. 



Temperature on the top of this mountain ranged from 38 - 40° 

 Faht., and the mean of two readings of the Mercurial Barometer 

 at 11 and 11.15 a.m. (reduced to 32° Faht.) was 16 '519 inches.^ 

 This was not so low as I expected the barometer to fall, and while 

 still on the summit I told the men that probably we were not on 

 the highest point. Our peak terminated in a snow cone too small 

 to stand upon, with a little patch of rock ^ peeping out a short 



^ In January this ridge was free from snow, 



2 The 11 a.m. observation at Guayaquil (reduced to 32° Faht.) was 29*928 

 inches, air temperature 74° Faht. 



^ " This rock breaks with a rather rough irregular fracture. The colour on this 

 is a warm purplish-grey mottled with darker spots, and speckled with small rather 

 light-coloured crystals of felspar with a rather satiny lustre. A few minute vesicles 

 may be perceived under the microscope. . . Enclosures of glass or various raicro- 

 liths are occasionally seen, but the majority of the crystals are fairly clear, though 

 a few are very dirty, and have a corroded look at the exterior. There is also present 

 in the ground-mass a fair number of crystals of augite of a yellowish-green colour, 



