ng we could
have stood it. It is difficult to believe that with strength enough
to achieve the climb we should have felt as weak and ill as we did.

That night, although we were very weary, none of us slept much. The
violent whooping cough continued and all of us were nauseated again
in the morning. We felt so badly and were able to take so little
nourishment that it was determined to get to a lower altitude as
fast as possible. To lighten our loads we left behind some of our
supplies. We broke camp at 9:20. Eighteen minutes later, without
having to rest, the cache was reached and the few remnants were picked
up. Although many things had been abandoned, our loads seemed heavier
than ever. We had some difficulty in negotiating the crevasses, but
Gamarra was the only one actually to fall in, and he was easily pulled
out again. About noon we heard a faint halloo, and finally made out two
animated specks far down the mountain side. The effect of again seeing
somebody from the outside world was rather curious. I had a choking
sensation. Tucker, who led the way, told me long afterward that he
could not keep the tears from running down his cheeks, although we
did not see it at the time. The "specks" turned out to be Watkins
and an Indian boy, who came up as high as was safe without ropes or
crampons, and relieved us of some weight. The Base Camp was reached
at half-past twelve. One of the first things Tucker did on returning
was to weigh all the packs. To my surprise and disgust I learned that
on the way down Tucker, afraid that some of us would collapse, had
carried sixty-one pounds, and Gamarra sixty-four, while he had given
me only thirty-one pounds, and the same to Coello. This, of course,
does not include the weight of our ice-creepers, axes, or rope.

The next day all of us felt very tired and drowsy. In fact, I was
almost overcome with inertia. It was a fearful task even to lift one's
hand. The sun had burned our faces terribly. Our lips were painfully
swollen. We coughed and whooped. It seemed best to make every effort
to get back to a still lower altitude for the mules. So we broke camp,
got the loads ready without waiting, put our sleeping-bags and blankets
on our backs, and went rapidly down to the Indians' huts. Immediately
our malaise left us. We felt physically stronger. We took deep breaths
as though we had gotten back to sea level. There was no sensation
of oppression on the chest. Yet we were still actually h