2i6 A VOYAGE TO Book V. 



os^ercome, that I fell down, and remained a long time 

 without fenfe or motion; and, as I was told, with all 

 the appearances of death in my face. Nor was I able 

 to proceed after coming to myfelf, but v/as obliged to 

 return to the foot of the rock, where our fervants and 

 inftruments remained. The next day I renewed the 

 attempt of climbing the rock ; though probably I 

 fliould have had no better fuccefs than before, had 

 not fome Indians afilfted me in the mod fteep and 

 difficult places. , 



Tpie ilrange manner of living which we were redu- 

 ced to, may not, perhaps, prove unentertaining to 

 the reader and therefore I fliall, as a fpecimen of it, 

 g^ve a fuccind account of what we fuffered on Pi- 

 chinch a. For this defert, both with regard to the 

 operations wc performed there, and its inconveniencies, 

 djifering very little from others, an idea may be very 

 eaiily formed of the fatigues, hardfbips, and dangers, 

 to v/hicii we were continually expofed. The prin- 

 cipal difference betv/een the feveral deferts, confifted 

 in their greater or lefTer diflance from places where 

 we could procure provifions ; and in the inclemency 

 of the weather, v/hich was proportionate to the height 

 of the m>ountains, and the leafon of the year when 

 we vifned them>. 



We generally kept within our hut. Indeed, we 

 were obliged to do this, both on account of the in- 

 tenfenefs of the cold, the violence of the v/ind, and 

 our being continually involved in fo thick a fog, that 

 an objeft at fix or eight paces was hardly difcernible. 

 When the fog cleared up, the clouds, by their gra- 

 vity, moved nearer to the furface of the earth, and 

 on all fides furrounded the mountain to a vad: dif- 

 tance, reprefenting the fea, with our rock like an 

 jfland in the center of it. When this happened^ we 

 heard the horrid noifes of the tempefts. Which then 

 dilcharged themfelves on Quito and the neighbour- 

 ing country. We faw the lightnings iiTue from the 



clouds. 



