an Attempt to ascend Chimhorazo. 103 



The mountaineers who accompanied Saussure in his memo- 

 rable ascent to Mont Blanc, asserted, that they had seen stars 

 in clear day ; this it was, which, on the ascent, guided them to 

 the top of the mountain. Saussure himself did not witness this 

 phenomenon, his attention was at that time directed to other ob- 

 jects ; but he intimated no doubt of the truth of the unanimous 

 testimony of his guides. Neither on Chimborazo, nor, I can 

 add, on any other mountain of the Andes, on which range I 

 have attained elevations much greater than those to which Saus- 

 sure ever reached on the Alps, have I seen stars during the 

 day ; and yet I was often in the most favourable situations for 

 the purpose ; as for example, on the Pena Colorado, where I 

 was in the shade, at the foot of a very thick wall of trachyte. 



While we were occupied with our observations on Chimbo- 

 razo, we had uninterrupted fine weather, and the sun was so hot 

 as even to annoy us a little. About three o'clock we saw some 

 clouds forming in the plain ; soon the thunder rolled under our 

 feet, and we believed at first it was a bramido, or subterranean 

 sound. Not long after, encircling the foot of the mountain, the 

 clouds began to ascend towards us ; we had no time to lose, for 

 it was necessary to pass the dangerous part of our journey be- 

 fore they should overtake us, or else be exposed to great dan- 

 ger. A greater fall of snow or a frost, which would have made 

 our route slippery, would have been sufficient to delay our re- 

 turn, and we had no provisions to enable us to spend the night 

 on the glaciers. 



The descent Mas difficult. After descending 300 to 400 

 metres, we encountered a cloud. A little lower down it began to 

 hail, and the air was thus considerably cooled. At the moment 

 we again found the Indians, who took charge of our mules, the 

 cloud poured down upon us a hail of such size, that we expe- 

 rienced from it pain both on our hands and faces. 



At a quarter from five I opened my barometer at the Pedro 

 del Almuerzo ; there, in the morning, at nine o'clock, it had 

 stood at 457 m,m - 6; the mercury indicating 10° cent. ; the air 

 5° 6 cent. I found it at 4£ o'clock at 458 m,m -, 2 ; the mercury 

 being 4° 8 cent., and the air 3° 9 cent. ; the difference, there- 

 fore, 000 m - m -, 6. 



It is singular enough, that, at this height, the daily variation 



