Chapter IX. 
Another place higher up on the path leading to the Freshfield 
Pass, which the rains and the going to and fro of the porters 
had now reduced to the condition of a ditch full of mud, 
offered no better opportunities. The Duke and Cagni became 
convinced of this after spending a whole day there in the 
rain. 
They accordingly planned to prepare a base line on the 
first-mentioned level behind Bujongolo. The Duke was then 
to re-ascend the Edward Peak, while Cagni was to climb the 
mountain which bears his name, and from these two they were 
to measure the angles of the other peaks. Everything now 
depended upon the good luck of getting a few hours of clear 
weather upon these two summits. 
Meantime, on the 2nd of July, the Duke made a recognizance 
in the valley which runs between Mts. Baker and Cagni and 
comes out opposite Bujongolo. This valley he found to be 
barred by great steep slabs of rock, extremely slippery and 
certainly impassable for the native porters. The weather 
continued bad. Mt. Baker was completely covered with fresh 
snow. In the valley the rain had turned the whole ground 
into one mass of deep mud. On the 4th of July, between 
the showers, they succeeded, by taking advantage of every 
break in the fog, in tracing the base line upon the level tract 
above the camp, which consisted of a carpet of moss upon 
a muddy soil, dotted with senecios dripping with rain. In 
order to mount the theodolite at the extremities of the Base 
line, they were obliged to build real foundations, sinking 
tree trunks into the mud more than six feet down to serve 
as piles. 
Hardly had they taken these preparatory measures before 
the weather began to improve. On the 5th of July, on a 
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