an Attempt to ascend Chimborazo. 91 



other, which is directed to the district called Chillapullu, not 

 far from Mocha, is, on the contrary, by no means steep, but of 

 considerable extent. After we had examined the mountain 

 from all sides, we determined to attempt the ascent by the last 

 mentioned acclivity. 



On the 14th December 1831, we took up our quarters for 

 the night at the farm of Chimborazo ; we were so fortunate as 

 to find some straw for a bed, and a sheep's skin as a protection 

 against the cold. The farm stands at a height of 3800 metres ; 

 the nights are cool, and the place rendered more disagreeable 

 by the scarcity of wood. We were already in the region of the 

 grasses (pqjonales), which is traversed before the limit of per- 

 petual snow is reached. Here trees cease. 



On the 15th, at seven o'clock a. m., we commenced our jour- 

 ney, guided by an Indian from the farm. In general the In- 

 dian^ of the Plateaus are very bad guides, for, as they seldom 

 ascend beyond the snow limit, they know very imperfectly the 

 routes which lead to the ridges of the glaciers. We ascended 

 along a stream which, enclosed between two walls of trachyte, 

 receives its water from the glacier. But we soon left this ravine 

 in order to direct our steps towards Mocha, along the foot of 

 Chimborazo. We ascended very gradually. Our mules had 

 a fatiguing difficult march amongst the heaps of blocks at the 

 foot of the mountain. The acclivity became very steep, the 

 ground insecure, and the mules paused for some time at almost 

 every step ; they no longer obeyed the spur ; they breathed 

 quicker and kicked. We were then exactly at the height of 

 Mont Blanc, for the barometer indicated a height of 4808 above 

 the sea.* 



After we had covered our faces with a mask of gauze to pro- 

 tect us from the misfortunes we suffered in Antisana, we clam- 

 bered up a ridge which terminated in a very high point of the 

 glacier. It was mid-day. We ascended slowly, and in pro- 

 portion as we got deeper in the snow, the difficulty of breathing 

 while walking became more sensible. We recovered ourselves 

 easily, however, by standing still every eight or ten paces, but 

 never sitting down. I think that I have remarked that at the 



Mont Blanc is 15,666 English feet high. 



