"Night came upon us while we were climbing the hills, and as it is very dangerous to travel after dark, we halted where there were a couple of rude huts, not sufficient for sheltering our party. The arrieros and their peons slept outside with their animals, while the travellers were made as comfortable as their blankets would permit on the floor of the huts. There was the solid earth to sleep on, and we were relieved from monotony by the presence of innumerable fleas. In the morning, each of us felt sure he had been bitten at least three thousand times, and Fred thought he could count not less than four thousand distinct and well-defined bites. Fleas are even cheaper than bananas to cultivate and much more abundant to the acre; it is certain they are not destructive to life, for if they were there would be no living thing in Ecuador. "Before going to bed we supped from some of our provisions, aided by a dish of stewed potatoes prepared by the owner of the hut where we slept. A favorite dish among the mountaineers is potato stew or soup, which is known as _locro_; sometimes it is prepared plain, while at others it contains chicken, beef, or any other obtainable meat. The presence of meat adds materially to the dish for European palates, and when well prepared a dinner of locro is not to be despised. "Our surroundings were not conducive to late sleeping, and we were off soon after daybreak. The morning was very cold, but as the sun ascended in the heavens the air grew warmer, and we ceased shivering. In a little while we reached the summit of a ridge several thousand feet above the level of the sea, and had a magnificent view. [Illustration: A MOUNTAIN CASCADE.] "There was a mist when we started, but it rolled away when we came to the top of the sierra; on one side we had the lofty mountains far above us, and on the other the country dropped away at our feet till it was lost in the distant shore of the Pacific. The great snowy peak of Chimborazo was in full view, and we longed to ascend to its summit and look out upon the wide stretch of land it commands. One traveller says the view from its top would embrace an area of fully ten thousand square miles, and I can readily believe him. Nobody has yet been there, and the name of the man who first ascends it is destined to be remembered. [Illustration: BARON VON HUMBOLDT IN 1802.] "Humboldt and his companions endeavored, in 1802, to ascend to the top of Chimborazo, but were obliged to stop short when they had yet two thousand and more feet above them. "They were stopped by an immense chasm that stretched across the line they were ascending, and by the inconveniences that are generally experienced at high altitudes. Blood spurted from their eyes and lips, and they breathed with great difficulty. According to barometrical observations, Humboldt was within 2138 feet of the summit when he turned back.