our packs, arrange our tump-lines, and proceed with
the same steady drudgery--now a little harder than the day before. We
broke camp at half-past seven and by noon had reached an altitude
of about 20,000 feet, on a snow field within a mile of the saddle
between the great truncated peak and the rest of the range. It looked
possible to reach the summit in one more day's climb from here. The
aneroids now differed by over five hundred feet. Leaving me to pitch
the tent, the others went back to the cache to bring up some of the
supplies. Due to the fact that we were carrying loads twice as heavy
as those which Tucker and Coello had first brought up, we had not
passed their cache until to-day. By the time my companions appeared
again I was so completely rested that I marveled at the snail-like
pace they made over the nearly level snow field. It seemed incredible
that they should find it necessary to rest four times after they were
within one hundred yards of the camp.

We were none of us hungry that evening. We craved sweet tea. Before
turning in for the night we took the trouble to melt snow and make
a potful of tea which could be warmed up the first thing in the
morning. We passed another very bad night. The thermometer registered
7 deg. F., but we did not suffer from the cold. In fact, when you stow away
four men on the floor of a 7 by 7 tent they are obliged to sleep so
close together as to keep warm. Furthermore, each man had an eiderdown
sleeping-bag, blankets, and plenty of heavy clothes and sweaters. We
did, however, suffer from soroche. Violent whooping cough assailed
us at frequent intervals. None of us slept much. I amused myself by
counting my pulse occasionally, only to find that it persistently
refused to go below 120, and if I moved would jump up to 135. I don't
know where it went on the actual climb. So far as I could determine,
it did not go below 120 for four days and nights.

On the morning of October 15th we got up at three o'clock. Hot sweet
tea was the one thing we all craved. The tea-pot was found to be
frozen solid, although it had been hung up in the tent. It took an
hour to thaw and the tea was just warm enough for practical purposes
when I made an awkward move in the crowded tent and kicked over the
tea-pot! Never did men keep their tempers better under more aggravating
circumstances. Not a word of reproach or indignation greeted my
clumsy accident, although poor Corporal Gamarra, who was lying on