The record-union., 1899-01-10
ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
srn MARTIN CONWAY's ASCENT
OF ILLIMANI.

The Hero Of the Alps and Hima-
lavas Achieves New Traumphs
In the Andes.
NY previous letter was written ~
You from the lower slopes OF 1lilIIiani'
In it did not like to confess now NIUE
I expected that our enterprise Wouiu
soon be crowned with success, or tnat
we were even on the right track; yet
three DAVIS later we actually STOOD OH
the summit of the highest peak, ana SO
attained our ends. 1t was terribly $40"
work urging the superstitious lnolans
to carry our loads toward the dreaded
fastness of their still-reveronced noun
tain god. A days march Tor tneni
was little more than two hours ascent
for us. At last, early on SEPTEMBER
9Th, we reached the top of the stony
gully, whose ascent had taken US three
days, and there the real climbing OF
the great mountain had to begin. we
were at i::,7OO feet above sea Level.
A steep wall Of rocks rose above u.s.
ahead and on both hands. over the
top of them glittered the edge OF q
great glacier, whose "Seracs (Sfeal
masses of lce), falling over from time
to time in mighty avalancnes, re-
formed below into the smaller low
level glacier beside which we hao
pitched our camp. 1t was, of course
impossible to climb rocks down which
these avalanches fell; but small part
of the great wall was not so swept.
Accordingly I sent the guides, laden
with two heavy packs of stores, 10
find a way up at this point In two
or three hours they were on the snow
above, where they disappeared from
my view. They came down again De-
fore nightfall with good news.
THE CLIMB BEGINS.
Next day (September Sth) at an early
hour we packed up all our goods, some
to be left behind on the camp terrace,
the rest to be carried with us-two
tents, sleeping bags, cooking appar-
atus and provisions for several days,
SO that we might hold out against a
spell of bad weather. Only two In
dams remained with us. We were also
accompanied by Senior CULLEN, son Of
the steward of Cotana, to whose in
f1uence over the Indians, and power of
conversing with. them in their own
Aymara language, the ultimate success
of our expedition was largely due.
Zigzag we went, following all con-
venient lodges, but the scrambling
from ledge to ledge was often far from
easy; in fact, the whole of this part Of
the ascent is about equal in difficulty
to that of any of the harder Zermatt
Mountains, such as the Matternorn,
Gabelhorn or Dent Blanche. 1 stood at
the top of each difficult spot, holding
forth small silver coins for the Indians
to come up and possess. Thus by help
of money and the rope we made slow
but steady advance. About two-thirds
of the way up the rock wall there came
a perpendicular chimney, thickly COW
cred with ice. 1t was really the last
hard place. But nothing would induce
the Indians to attempt it. Their cup
of dread had been steadily filling; here
it overflowed. They dropped their loads
near the foot of the chimney, turned
tail and bolted.
THE OUTWORKS PASSED.
By hauling the loads up with ropes
In difficult places, and by planting
enormous bundles on the guides heads
and backs in easy ones. we at last
came successfully out on the snow
above, and in a few yards found our
selves advancing along the right side
of large and easy glacier, with a
rock slope close on our left hand. 1t
was beside these rocks that the guides
had chosen the site for our camp the
previous day and had left their first
loads. We pitched the tents at an
o1f I'D 1f
isfaction, for it was evident that the
outworks of the mountain fortress were
now passed; it only remained to de-
liver the assault on the final peak.
Senior CULLEN, a born mountaineer
II ever man was, revelled in the newly
revealed world of snow. He seemed
to be drinking in a new life. Bred at
an altitude of 1900 feet, he felt the
effects of diminished atmospheric pres
sure less than any of US. He ran about
like a chamois on snow and rocks, and
seemed anxious to plant his foot on
every surrounding eminence and look
abroad in every direction.
A CHECK.
Before o'clock next morning we had
left camp, and We're winding our way
upward among great yawning crevasses
by the light of a candle. Fifteen miles
away, across the great valley Of La
Paz River, another twinkling light was
visible, shining through the window of
a remote farmhouse. That was our
sole link with the world of men. The
night was not cold (only p degrees
Fahrenheit), but the snow was as hard
as a board, and we made rapid prog
ress- Once Senior Cullen fell into a
crevasse. but, being roped, no harm
was done. The old moon rising over
the snowfield rendered the lantern
needless. Two hours and a half after
starting we reached the head of the gla-
cler, the very crest Of the Cordilera
Real, and looked down an appalling
precipice OF at least 1900 feet into
the black depths of some valley Of fer
tile Youngas. 1t was still night.
During all this part Of our ascent
mountain, the Pico del Indio Gas I
named it,. behind which we knew there
was snow plateau, and beyond that
the highest peaks of Illimani. There
was nothing for it, then. but to climb
over this intervening peak To do so
we must begin by going up the ridge
forming the edge of the great precipice.
A. STIFF CLIMB.
A boss OF ice about the size Of a COW
stuck out of the ridge, and had to be
climbed. Steps were cut into it, and
we slowly hauled ourselves on to the
crest above, with one leg hanging over
the Cliff on one side and the other over
a steep slope with a gaping crevasse a
few wards down IN tho other The ice