taining Irish stew, beef a la
mode, et al. Corporal Gamarra appeared during the day, having found
his mule, which had strayed twelve miles down the canyon. He did not
relish the prospect of climbing Coropuna, but when he saw the warm
clothes which we had provided for him and learned that he would get
a bonus of five gold sovereigns on top of the mountain, he decided
to accept his duties philosophically.

Tucker and Coello returned in the middle of the afternoon, reported
that there seemed to be no serious difficulties in the first part
of the climb and that a cache had been established about 2000 feet
above the Base Camp, on a snow field. Tucker now assigned our packs
for the morrow and skillfully prepared the tump-lines and harness
with which we were to carry them.

Notwithstanding an unusual headache which lasted all day long, I
still had some appetite. Our supper consisted of pemmican pudding
with raisins, hard-tack and pea soup, which every one was able to
eat, if not to enjoy. That night we slept better, one reason being
that the wind did not blow as hard as it had the night before. The
weather continued fine. Watkins was due to arrive from Arequipa in
a day or two, but we decided not to wait for him or run any further
risk of encountering an early summer snowstorm. The next morning,
after adjusting our fifty-pound loads to our unaccustomed backs,
we left camp about nine o'clock. We wore Appalachian Mountain
Club snow-creepers, or crampons, heavy Scotch mittens, knit woolen
helmets, dark blue snow-glasses, and very heavy clothing. It will be
remembered by visitors to the Zermatt Museum that the Swiss guides
who once climbed Huascaran, in the northern Peruvian Andes, had been
maimed for life by their experiences in the deep snows of those great
altitudes. We determined to take no chances, and in order to prevent
the possibility of frost-bite each man was ordered to put on four pairs
of heavy woolen socks and two or three pairs of heavy underdrawers.

Professor Coello and Corporal Gamarra wore large, heavy boots. I
had woolen puttees and "Arctic" overshoes. Tucker improvised what
he regarded as highly satisfactory sandals out of felt slippers and
pieces of a rubber poncho. Since there seemed to be no rock-climbing
ahead of us, we decided to depend on crampons rather than on the
heavy hob-nailed climbing boots with which Alpinists are familiar.

The snow was very hard until about one o'clock. By three o'clock it