an Attempt to ascend Chimborazo. 99 



lying towns of the Andes. When we have seen the activity 

 exhibited in towns like Bogota, Micuipampa, Potosi, &c. which 

 stand at a height of 2600 to 4000 metres ; when we have wit- 

 nessed the strength and wonderful activity of the Torcadores, 

 in bull-fights at Quito, which is at an elevation of 3000 metres; 

 when we have seen young and delicate females dance the whole 

 night in places nearly as high as Mont Blanc, where the cele- 

 brated Saussure hardly retained strength enough to observe his 

 instruments, and where his robust mountaineers fainted when 

 they attempted to dig a hole in the snow ; and, finally, when 

 we remember that a celebrated battle, that of Pichincha, was 

 fought nearly at the height of Monte Rosa, — it will, I believe, 

 be agreed that man can become accustomed to breathe the rare- 

 fied air of the highest mountains. 



During all the excursions which I made in the Cordilleras, 

 the ascent to the same height over snow has been more oppres- 

 sive than when it has been on naked rock. We suffered much 

 more when climbing up Cotopaxi, than during our ascent of 

 Chimborazo. On Cotopaxi we were constantly on snow. The 

 Indians also of Antisana assured us that they experienced an 

 oppression (ahogo), when they marched for a long time on sur- 

 faces of snow ; and I confess that I am much inclined to attri- 

 bute, at least partly, to this still unknown action of the snow, 

 the disagreeable feelings experienced by Saussure and his com- 

 panions, during their bivouac on Mont Blanc, at the moderate 

 height of 3888 metres. Bivouacs, even at the height of the 

 towns of Calamarca and Potosi, are not attended by any dis- 

 agreeable consequences *. On the mountains of Peru, in the 

 Andes of Quito, travellers, and also the mules on which they 

 ride, experience occasionally, and very suddenly, great difficulty 

 in breathing ; it has been asserted that mules have been seen to 

 fall down in a state of asphyxia. This does not always take 

 place ; and, in many instances, the occurrence of these symp- 

 toms seems unconnected with the effects of rarefied air. They 

 ' have been remarked chiefly when there has been much snow on 

 the mountains, and when the weather was tranquil. This* per- 

 haps is the proper place to remark, that Saussure felt himself 



* According to Mr Pentland, Calamarca is placed at a height of 4141 me- 

 tres, and the highest part of Potosi at 4166 metres. 



G % 



