CHAP. XVIII. 



JEAN-ANTOINE BECOMES DEAF. 



323 



became continuous, and proceeded along the arete until it came 

 to a termination at the extreme western end of ' the Northern 

 Walls ' ; ^ and then bore away horizontally to the right, to an 

 islet of rock, and halted at 8.35 a.m. for breakfast.^ The barometer 

 said that we had risen 3000 feet in three hours and twenty 

 minutes; — the mercury had sunk from 16'950 to 15*177 inches, 

 while temperature had risen from 30° to 46° Faht. We were 

 already 18,900 feet above the sea. 



COMMENCEMENT OF THE ERUPTION 

 OF COTOPAXI, JULY 3, 1880. 



In a half - hour the march was 

 resumed. The slopes here were too 

 steep for direct escalade, and we still 

 bore away to the south (traversing 

 the head of the glacier which I have 

 named after Dr. Alphons Stlibel of 

 Dresden), opening out the valley of 

 the Chimbo, and an immense pro- 

 spect beyond. '^^ Hi ! Carrel ! what is 



that?^' ^^ Gruaranda, Monsieur." " G-uaranda ! Monsieur deceives 

 himself, does he?" but the man in front suddenly became 

 deaf, and could not hear a word. At this time the view was 

 magnificent. We could see to the bottom of the basin of the 

 Chimbo, eleven thousand feet below, and overlooked the country 

 on the west by four or five thousand feet. Between us and the 

 sea, the whole expanse from north to south was filled by the 

 Pacific Range of Ecuador, with countless peaks and ramifications — 



^ This is just beyond the range of the engraving on p. 320, on the right. 

 2 At the spot marked Z on the Map of Chimborazo. 



