"Right you are," replied Douglas; and he began his meal with_Under the Chilian Flag: A Tale of War between Chili and Peru

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

Under the Chilian Flag

A Tale of War between Chili and Peru

By Harry Collingwood

________________________________________________________________________

There was a state of war between Chili and Peru in the 1870s. It was

all to do with a desert area that lay between Chili, Peru and Bolivia.

At first this desert was not particularly claimed by any of these

countries, but when it was discovered that it held rich reserves of

nitrates, the three of them fell out.

Two young Englishmen, with sea-going experience, were aboard a British

vessel trading in nitrates and other ores. The captain was a very

disagreeable character, and they determined to leave him, and sign up

with the Chilian authorities for employment in the Chilian Navy, which

was short of officers. They were taken on, and the rest of the book

details some of the adventures they had, and the trials and tribulations

they endured.

This is a very exciting and enjoyable book. There are a few Spanish

words, and of course the ships have Spanish names, but you soon get used

to that. I fully recommend it, especially if you can make it into an

audiobook. NH.

________________________________________________________________________

UNDER THE CHILIAN FLAG

A TALE OF WAR BETWEEN CHILI AND PERU

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD

CHAPTER ONE.

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE PERICLES.

"You, Thompson, go down and send the second mate up to me. Tell him to

leave whatever he is doing and to come up here at once. I want to speak

to him," growled Captain Fisher of the steamer _Pericles_, turning, with

a menacing expression, to the grizzled old quartermaster who stood

beside him on the bridge.

Thompson, as though only too glad of an excuse to leave the

neighbourhood of his skipper, grunted out an assent, and, swinging round

on his heel, shambled away down the ladder leading from the bridge to

the spar-deck, and departed on his errand.

The _Pericles_ was an iron single-screw steamer of two thousand tons or

thereabout. She was employed in the carriage of nitrates, silver ore,

hides, etcetera, between Chilian ports and Liverpool. She was owned by

a company, which also possessed two similar vessels employed in the same

trade. Captain Fisher, her skipper, had a considerable number of shares

in this company, a circumstance which accounted in no small measure for

the fact of his being the skipper of the _Pericles_; for a man less fit

to have the control of other men it would have been exceedingly

difficult to find.

Fisher was a man of enormous stature and splendid physique, but his

features, which would otherwise have been considered handsome, were

marred by a ferocious expression, due to his chronic condition of ill-

humour. He was constantly "hazing" his men, and was never at a loss for

an excuse for irritating them in every possible way. In this pleasing

occupation he was ably seconded by his first mate, an American, named

Silas Hoover. Between the pair of them they had contrived, during the

course of the several voyages which they had performed together, to

render their men thoroughly dissatisfied almost to the verge of mutiny;

and there is little doubt that long before this the crew would have

given open and forcible expression to their feelings had it not been for

the efforts of the second mate, a young fellow of eighteen years of age,

named James Douglas. This was the individual for whom Fisher had just

sent. He had conceived a most virulent hatred for him, in consequence,

probably, of the fact that Douglas was the only officer in the ship for

whom the men would work willingly and for whom they showed any real

respect. The lad had been left an orphan at an early age, and as he

showed even from he first a predilection for a seafaring life, he had

been sent by his uncle at the age of fourteen as an apprentice on board

a sailing ship, and during the four following years he had gradually

worked his way upward until now he was second mate of the _Pericles_.

Up to the time when he joined that ship he had had no cause to regret

his choice of a profession; but the six or seven months which he had

spent under Fisher had proved so thoroughly unpleasant that he had made

up his mind he would leave the ship at the first port at which she

called. This resolve was echoed by his own particular chum, Terence

O'Meara, third engineer of the same ship, who had likewise found life on

board the _Pericles_ anything but to his liking. The steamer was, at

the time when this story opens, on her way to Valparaiso, the principal

seaport of Chili; and, as she was now in the very centre of the South

Atlantic, Douglas hoped to escape from his tormentor in about a month's

time. As a matter of fact, Douglas and his friend were just talking the

matter over when the grizzled old quartermaster popped his head into

Douglas's cabin with the remark, "Skipper wants to see you, sir, on the

bridge. He told me particularly to say that he wanted you to come

_immediately_; and he do seem to be in a rare bad mood this morning, so

I shouldn't keep him waiting, sir, if I were you."

"All right, Thompson, all right," answered Douglas. "I'll be there in a

moment." Then, turning to Terry O'Meara, he remarked: "I wonder what

fault he will have to find this morning. I'll wager that he only wants

to see me in order to blow me up about something, confound him! Well,

Terry, old boy, I'll see you again when you come off duty in the

evening. Trot along to my cabin at about ten o'clock, as usual. Good-

bye for the time being."

With a wave of his hand, Douglas slipped out of the cabin and hurried

along the alleyway, anxious to avoid keeping Fisher waiting any longer

than was absolutely necessary. In a few seconds he reached the foot of

the bridge ladder, and, running quickly up it, found the captain

impatiently pacing up and down, evidently in the very worst of bad

tempers.

"You wish to see me, sir," said Douglas respectfully.

The skipper glared at him for a moment and then burst out with, "Yes,

you lazy young scoundrel, I do; and a precious long time you've been

coming, too. I suppose you thought that, being off duty, you could

skulk in your cabin and do nothing. I expect you were hatching some

mischief with that other bright spark, your friend O'Meara. But let me

tell you, sir, I will have no idlers on board my ship. Just remember

that; and don't let me see you talking quite so much to that young scamp

O'Meara. But that's not what I wanted to see you about. Why have you

not carried out my instructions as to that paint-work which I told you

to see about? I gave you my orders three days ago, and there is no sign

as yet of the work being commenced. What do you mean by such conduct,

sir? What possible excuse can you have for not--"

"Pardon me, sir," interrupted Douglas. "I fear you are making a

mistake, or that you have been misinformed. I _did_ put the paint-work

in hand directly you told me; and the work was nearly completed when we

ran into that heavy sea yesterday. You know that we shipped it solid

over our bows, and the paint being still wet was, of course, nearly all

washed off. I set the men to work, however, to clean things up again,

and they have restarted the job this morning. You can see them at work

now."

"Yes, of course I can," roared Fisher; "and I wanted to know why you had

not seen fit to start the job until just now. However, you have given

me an excuse, and I suppose I must accept it; but if you had carried out

my orders with a little more promptitude the paint would have been dry

before we ran into that breeze. You can go now, sir, and take care that

I do not have cause to reprimand you again. I am getting sick of your

laziness, incapacity, and insubordination."

Douglas turned on his heel and left the skipper without any more ado,

but his cheeks burned with indignation at the injustice of it all. He

had carried out his orders to the letter directly they had been given

him, and it was certainly not his fault that the work had to be done

over again. Neither was he lazy nor insubordinate; while, far from

being incapable, he had earned the good-will of every skipper with whom

he had sailed, with the solitary exception of this one. He returned to

his cabin and lay down to think things over, with the result that he

went on duty a few hours later more than ever resolved to make this his

last voyage under Captain Fisher. True, he would be compelled to desert

and would consequently lose his certificate, and probably have some

difficulty in getting another ship; but even that would be better than

the life he was living at present, which, he felt, was not fit for a

dog.

The days slipped slowly away, however, in spite of all the discomfort

and annoyance; and Douglas at length began to look upon his quarrels

with the skipper as unavoidable, and to treat them as a matter of

course. The _Pericles_ rounded Cape Horn, steamed up the Chilian coast,

and on January 7, 1879, dropped her anchor in Valparaiso harbour. The

long and dreary voyage was at an end at last! Douglas and Terry O'Meara

had long before this completed all their plans for an early escape; and

the two lads were now standing just by the break of the poop, looking

across the blue water towards the fair city, aptly named the "Valley of

Paradise."

This was not the first time that the boys had been there, and both knew

the place fairly well; but this morning they seemed to notice some

indefinable change in the appearance of the city, and tried to discover

in what it consisted.

Presently Douglas started up with the remark: "I know what it is, Terry,

old boy; there's some tremendous excitement or other ashore there. If

you will take a squint through this glass you will see that the shops

are all shut, and that a good many of the streets are barricaded. Up

there at the back of the town there is a body of Chilian soldiers busily

throwing up earthworks or constructing a fort of some kind. Take my

word for it, lad, there's a revolution in progress there, or something

akin to it. What luck, Terry! We shall be able to get right into the

thick of it; and I shall be much mistaken if we don't find plenty of

employment ready for us when we get ashore. But what on earth's all

this? This looks as though something more serious than a mere

revolution were in progress!"

Douglas's exclamation of astonishment had been drawn from him by the

sight of a squadron of warships which had just put in their appearance

round the point, and which were slowly steaming in column of line ahead,

and were evidently making their way toward the warship anchorage in the

roads. There were five of them altogether, two large and three small

ships, all flying the Chilian ensign. By means of the glass the lads

made out that the first two craft were the _Almirante Cochrane_ and the

_Blanco Encalada_, both battleships. Then came the corvettes

_O'Higgins_ and _Chacabuco_; and, lastly, the sloop _Esmeralda_.

Presently they all slowed up and anchored; and as they did so there came

the sound of tumultuous cheering from the city, to which the ships

replied by dipping their ensigns.

"As you say, Jim, this is no revolution," answered Terry. "War has

probably broken out between Chili and some other country--I wonder

which. Peru, I expect. And it seems to me, my lad, that we have just

arrived in the very nick of time. Here is the chance of our lives, and

we shall be foolish if we don't make the most of it."

"What do you mean?" replied Jim; "I don't quite follow--"

"Why, simply this," answered Terry. "We want to get away from this

steamer, don't we? And in the usual course of events we might have some

difficulty in finding another; but here is our opportunity ready made

for us. Chili is apparently at war with some other country; and the

thing for us to do is to get ashore and enlist in the Chilian navy.

They are sure to want all the men they can lay hands on. We have had

plenty of experience; and you may be certain that no awkward questions

will be asked. They will accept us, and be more than glad to get us;

thus, you see, we shall have employment immediately, instead of having

to wait, perhaps, several months for it. We are indeed in luck's way!

The only question is, How are we to get ashore? for I don't suppose the

`old man' will grant any leave, under the circumstances. We will try

him first, however, and if he refuses we shall have to think of some

other means of getting away from the ship. Let us go to your cabin and

talk the matter over; this is a business which we had better decide as

soon as possible."

He slipped his arm through Douglas's and the pair went off to the

latter's cabin, where they spent the whole afternoon in making plans,

with the result that, by the evening, they had perfected all their

arrangements. They applied to the captain for leave in the usual way,

but, as they had anticipated, it was refused, so they had to look about

for some means of getting away from the ship without being observed, and

they managed it very simply, thus.

The next morning a boat laden with fruit came out to the _Pericles_, in

the hope that her crew would purchase some, as the ship had been ordered

by the authorities to remain at her moorings until further notice, in

consequence of the wharfage being required for military purposes. Jim

and Terry thereupon got into conversation with the man in charge of the

boat, and made arrangements with him to come off that same night in a

small skiff and take them ashore.

It required both time and money to induce the fellow to fall in with the

scheme, but he at last consented; and he proved as good as his word, for

at nine o'clock that evening he quietly dropped alongside, gave the pre-

arranged signal, and a few minutes later both the young men, with all

their belongings, were being pulled ashore to seek their fortune in a

new land and under another flag. They little knew, when they stepped

ashore at the Custom House quay, what adventures were in store for them,

what trials they would be called upon to undergo, what perils they would

pass through; but even if they could have foreseen them all it is very

doubtful whether they would have hesitated. They paid the man, and,

chartering a conveyance, drove away to the nearest hotel, where they put

up for the remainder of the night, fully determined that the following

morning should see their project put into execution, and that the

evening should find them duly enrolled as officers in the Chilian navy.

CHAPTER TWO.

JIM ENTERS THE CHILIAN NAVY.

Although the two lads went to bed early, intending to get a good night's

rest so that they might be up and doing betimes the next morning, they

soon found that sleep was well-nigh out of the question, by reason of

the uproar that never ceased the whole night through. The mercurial

Chilians were wrought up to a pitch of the highest excitement and

enthusiasm, and bands of them persisted in marching through the streets,

shouting _vivas_ at the top of their voices and singing war-songs. It

appeared that the inhabitants of Valparaiso had been dreading an attack

on that city by the Peruvian fleet, although war had not as yet been

actually declared; and the activity which Terry and Jim had observed on

the heights behind the city was due to the fact that the soldiers and

citizens had been busily engaged in throwing up earthworks and other

defences in order to repel the expected attack. But the timely arrival

of part of the Chilian fleet, under Admiral Rebolledo Williams, had put

an end to their anxiety, and they were now testifying to the relief they

felt in the manner usually adopted by Southern nations.

After lying in bed for some two or three hours, endeavouring

unsuccessfully to get to sleep, the two lads rose and looked out of

their window at the scenes that were being enacted in the streets below

them, and when they had been thus employed for a quarter of an hour they

no longer felt any desire for sleep. Huge bonfires had been lighted

wherever there was room to place them, and processions of men and women

marched to and fro, carrying torches, and singing their national songs

with astonishing verve and enthusiasm. Groups of people collected round

the bonfires, and danced until the early hours of the morning, when they

gradually broke up and dispersed to their homes. It was broad daylight

before the last of the revellers had disappeared; and the two lads,

recognising the futility of now attempting to secure any repose, dressed

themselves and went out on a tour through the city which should occupy

them until the time arrived for the public offices to open, when they

would be able to set about their business.

The two lads had not proceeded very far on their way when they

perceived, some distance ahead of them, a small crowd of people

clustering round a building, and they crossed the road to see what the

disturbance was about. They soon perceived that the building was a

gunsmith's shop, and that the excitement was due to the fact that the

people outside were bent on securing arms and ammunition for themselves,

as a protection against the marauders who were wont to infest the town

upon the slightest excuse, and who were now, under cover of the

excitement caused by the impending war, committing all sorts of

atrocities, which the authorities were very much too busy with other

matters to put a stop to.

"Look here, Douglas," exclaimed Terry, clutching his companion's sleeve,

"it seems to me that we ought to follow the example of these people.

Everybody in this place appears to go about armed, and we had better do

the same, in case we should happen to get into some sort of trouble. It

shows what a state the city must be in, when the only place open the

whole night through happens to be a gun-shop! How much money did you

bring out with you, Jim? Enough to purchase a couple of revolvers and

some ammunition?"

Douglas hurriedly searched his pockets, and the two lads found that

their joint possessions amounted to about fifty pesos (they had

exchanged their English money at the hotel for Chilian currency).

Acting upon Terry's advice, Jim now stepped into the shop and purchased

two revolvers and a packet of ammunition for them, paying about forty

pesos of their money for the weapons. Once outside the shop, the two

lads slipped round a corner, loaded the pistols, and slipped them into

their hip-pockets. Having done this, they started out once more on

their tour of exploration, feeling much more secure than they had

previously done.

It was by this time about seven o'clock in the morning; and as the

Government Offices would not be open until nine or ten o'clock they had

still fully two hours to fill up before they could present themselves

for enlistment in the Chilian service. Therefore, feeling somewhat

hungry, they strolled up and down the streets, on the look-out for some

cafe or eating-house where they might refresh the inner man; and, after

about a quarter of an hour's search, they found a place in a side-street

which promised to afford what they required. As they were about to

enter, Douglas seized his friend's arm and remarked--

"I say, Terry, I don't know how it strikes you, but this looks to me to

be a very curious sort of place, and the surroundings do not appear

precisely what you might call select. Don't you think we had better go

on a little farther and see whether we cannot find a more respectable-

looking place?"

Terry cast his eyes over the cafe, and up and down the street in which

it was situated. Unlike the rest of the town, everything in this

district seemed to be comparatively quiet, and there were very few

people about, so he shook off his companion's restraining hand and

exclaimed--

"Oh, I don't know, Jim; I think this place looks right enough, and it is

quiet, and that is more than you can say for the other parts of the

town. I think we shall be quite safe in risking it; let us go inside

and see what the proprietor can give us to eat, for, to tell you the

truth, I am most ravenously hungry."

"All right," replied Douglas; "if you don't mind, I am sure I don't; we

ought to be able to take care of ourselves, with the little toys which

we have in our pockets. Come on, then; let's go inside."

The two lads thereupon walked in through the door, and immediately found

themselves in a large room which was filled with little marble-topped

tables, each made to accommodate four persons, while a high counter, on

which were coffee-urns, trays of cakes, flasks of spirits, etcetera, ran

down the whole length of the apartment. Early as was the hour, the

place was very far from being empty; indeed, the lads found, upon

looking round, that nearly every table was occupied, with the exception

of one nearly in the middle of the room, and a second standing in a

somewhat dark corner, close to a door which apparently communicated with

the back premises.

"The place seems pretty full, doesn't it, Terry?" queried Jim, taking a

comprehensive look round. "I should scarcely have expected that there

would have been so many folk about at such an early hour. These people

must have been up all night. Shall we take that table over in the

corner, there? It is out of the way, and I don't feel very much

inclined to take the one in the middle of the room, to be stared at by

everybody in the place. What do you propose to have for breakfast?

There doesn't seem to be a very wide selection, but perhaps they may be

able to supply us with something eatable."

"Well," answered O'Meara, "for myself, I should like some fried eggs, if

we could get them. I see they have coffee on tap in these big urns

yonder. What say you?"

Douglas agreed that he too could relish a few eggs; and the two lads

stepped up to the counter and inquired in their best Spanish, which they

had picked up during the course of frequent visits to South American

ports, whether they could be supplied with the required comestibles.

To their astonishment, the proprietor did not at once reply, but, after

staring hard at them for a few seconds, slipped quickly off into the

back part of the shop, where they heard him speaking volubly in Spanish

to some unseen person or persons. The lads could not, at that distance,

understand all that he said, but Jim fancied that he caught the words

_espias_ and _atacar_. He naturally did not connect them in any way

with his friend or himself, however; and when the proprietor returned in

a minute or two, Jim renewed his request. This time the fellow was all

smiles and bows, and he assured the _senores_ that their order would be

most promptly attended to. The boys therefore seated themselves at the

table which they had selected, and waited for the food to be brought to

them, examining meanwhile the motley collection of people in the

building. There seemed to be men present of every shade of colour under

the sun, from the pink-skinned representative of some northern country,

down to the blackest negro; and their costumes were as varied as they

were picturesque. But what gave the lads a momentary qualm of

uneasiness was the fact that every person in the place had suddenly

become very quiet, whereas, when the boys entered, the cafe fairly

hummed with conversation; and they also noticed that nearly every pair

of eyes was directed toward themselves, while the expressions on the

men's faces were, to put it very mildly, decidedly hostile.

Presently Douglas remarked to his chum: "I say, Terry, old boy, it

appears almost as though these fellows did not quite approve of our

presence here; I wonder what's wrong? The Chilians have always been

very friendly disposed toward us British, so I suppose it is this

anticipated war which has upset their equilibrium a bit. All the same,

I wish the landlord would bring along our meal, so that we might finish

it and get out; I don't like the look of things here at all."

"Neither do I," replied Terry; "but if there should be a row, remember

that we must not get separated, whatever we do; and don't use your

pistol until you are absolutely compelled to do so. Should you,

however, be obliged to shoot, you must shoot to kill; for when once we

open fire we shall have all our work cut out to get away alive. Ah,

here comes our breakfast at last; so let us get on with it as quickly as

possible, and take no notice of the menacing looks of this crowd. If

they see that we don't appear to notice anything wrong they may quiet

down a bit."

"Right you are," replied Douglas; and he began his meal with a very

excellent appetite despite the uncongenial surroundings. The two boys

carried out their programme of not appearing to notice the forbidding

glances which everywhere met them whenever they raised their eyes from

their plates; but presently their ears caught the sound of angry

whispers, then low mutterings, until in a few minutes furious voices

plainly directed against themselves were heard from every corner of the

room. One man jumped upon a chair and began to harangue the crowd,

speaking in some South American patois which the boys did not

understand, and pointing toward them with angry gestures, while several

other rough-looking characters had risen to their feet and were

gradually edging down toward the corner where Jim and Terry were seated.

"Jim," exclaimed Terry, suddenly glancing up, "there is no doubt that

these unwashed scoundrels very strongly object to our presence here, for

some reason or other; I don't much like the idea of running away, but

since we are outnumbered by about ten to one I really think that

discretion will prove the better part of valour in the present case.

Let us pay our score at once, and get out--if we can," he added under

his breath.

The lads rose to their feet and walked, as unconcernedly as they could,

toward the counter, upon which Terry rapped with a coin, to attract the

landlord's attention. But that gentleman had, for some reason or other,

vanished, and, rap as they might, no one put in an appearance; while all

the time the crowd continued steadily to close in on them, with angry

looks and threatening gestures.

"Come away, Terry," whispered Douglas; "we must not stand on ceremony

any longer. We shall have to make a bolt for it, or we shall not get

out at all; put your pistol in a side-pocket, so that you can get at it

easily, and then come along."

Under cover of one of the tables the lads shifted their revolvers from

one pocket to the other, and then began to walk toward the door; but no

sooner had they started than, with a hoarse growl of rage, a score of

men, drawing daggers and knives from various portions of their clothing,

dashed at the boys, upsetting chairs and tables as they came, and

evidently bent upon taking their lives, if possible.

As a matter of fact it was only the obstructive presence of the numerous

tables and chairs that saved the two lads from that first wild rush.

With all the agility of youth they sprang back to the corner where they

had taken their meal, put their backs against the wall for safety's

sake, and drawing their pistols, presented them at the crowd of furious

men, Terry inquiring, at the same time, in the best Spanish he could

muster, the meaning of this murderous assault.

Seeing the muzzles of the deadly revolvers pointed at them, their

assailants paused for a few seconds, while one of the men--a gigantic

Chilian with a blanket poncho over his shoulders--took it upon himself

to answer the lad's inquiry.

"Why are we going to kill you, you dogs?" he roared. "Why?--because you

are a brace of Peruvian spies. _Caramba_! we know very well why you

have come here; but neither of you shall leave this place alive. We

have a quick way with people of your stamp in this country."

"But," exclaimed Douglas, at the top of his voice, "you are all making a

mistake; we are no Peruvian spies, but a couple of British sailors, who

have left our ship, the _Pericles_, in order to enlist in the Chilian

navy, and fight against the Peruvians, not for them. We are merely

waiting for the offices to open, in order to proceed there and give in

our names as candidates for service."

The only reply to this statement was a volley of oaths and mocking

laughter, interspersed with the words "liar," "traitors," and "Kill the

Inca dogs"; while, recovering from their momentary alarm at the sight of

the pistols, the crowd again began to surge forward toward the two lads.

The situation was becoming exceedingly critical; therefore, again

raising his revolver, Douglas pointed it straight at the foremost man

and shouted, "One step farther and I fire!"

The fellow hesitated for the fraction of a second, then his hand shot

forward swiftly as a flash of lightning, and the knife which it had

held, missing Jim's ear by a hair's-breadth, stuck quivering in the

panelling behind him.

With a growl of rage Douglas pulled the trigger of his pistol, firing

twice in quick succession, while, close beside him, Terry's revolver

also spoke out, and so close were their foremost assailants that every

bullet took effect, four men plunging heavily forward to the ground,

almost within arm's length of the two boys. This circumstance, so far

from intimidating the Chilians, seemed but to stimulate their rage, and

knives began to flash through the air like so many silver flying-fish,

thrown, too, with such force that had one of them but hit its mark it

would have closed the recipient's earthly career on the spot.

"By the Lord Harry!" ejaculated Terry, firing rapidly into the thick of

the crowd, "this is getting rather too warm to be pleasant; we shall

have fired away all the cartridges in our pistols presently, and they

will certainly give us no time to reload. What is to be our next move,

Jim?"

Douglas, however, had already been glancing hastily about him, in the

endeavour to discover some pathway of escape, and, even as Terry spoke,

his eyes lighted upon the door close to which they had been sitting

while they were taking their breakfast.

"Edge along toward the right a little, Terry," he exclaimed; "our only

hope of escape is through that door. God grant that it may not be

locked!"

Meanwhile O'Meara, availing himself of a momentary pause on the part of

their assailants, had contrived to insert a few fresh cartridges in his

pistol, and, firing several more shots right into the "brown," began to

edge his way along to the door, in which manoeuvre he was quickly

followed by Douglas. Then, shooting out his left hand behind him, he

felt for the knob, and turned it, knowing that their lives depended upon

whether it was fastened or otherwise. To his inexpressible relief, the

handle turned, and the door opened under his touch, while, luckily for

the two lads, it opened away from instead of toward them.

Emptying the remaining barrels of their revolvers, the boys at once

slipped through, and pushed the door close behind them, just as a

further volley of knives came hurtling through the air, to stick

quivering in the panelling, while, with a hoarse roar of rage, the

Chilians surged forward bent on preventing the escape of the supposed

spies. But by the greatest good luck there happened to be a lock and a

couple of bolts on the farther side of the door, and these the two lads

slipped home in a trice, interposing between themselves and their

bloodthirsty foes a barrier which they hoped would gain them a few

minutes' grace.

Once on the right side of the door, they hurriedly reloaded their

pistols, and looked round for an exit from the apartment, while the air

resounded with the sound of the blows which thundered upon the frail

woodwork behind them. Clearly the door would not stand more than a

minute or so, and it was necessary to hasten if they were to escape

after all. But, look as they might, there seemed to be no means of

egress, until Terry suddenly shouted, "That door will be down in a

second, Jim. We must get behind this tier of casks; they will afford us

a certain amount of shelter, at any rate."

In a moment the boys had slipped behind the stack of barrels, and there,

right in front of them, was the door for which they had been searching.

"Come along, Terry," exclaimed Douglas; "this way for your life!" And

like a flash they darted through the door, finding themselves in a dimly

lighted passage, which looked as though it led into the back premises of

the cafe. Just as they entered the passage they heard a crashing and

splintering of wood, followed by shouts of rage, and they knew that the

frail barrier between themselves and their pursuers was destroyed.

Down the passage they ran at top speed, round a sharp corner at the

bottom, and then emerged into a large _patio_ or courtyard. A rapid

glance round revealed no exit from the place; and already they could

hear their enemies rushing down the passage behind them.

"Quick! Quick!" whispered Jim, "we must hide somewhere or we are lost,"

And he cast his eyes round for some place which would suit their

purpose.

"This way!" he cried to his companion, dashing across the court towards

a large corn-bin. "This is our only chance!"

Like a flash the two lads raised the lid, clambered inside, and let the

covering down just as the first Chilian emerged into the _patio_. They

heard their pursuers separate and search the whole yard, calling to one

another at intervals to inquire whether anything had been heard or seen

of the fugitives; but, for some reason or other, it seemed to occur to

none of them to glance inside the corn-bin; the reason probably being

that it stood before them so prominently that they never dreamed that

any one could have thought of hiding there.

Suddenly there was a shout from the far corner of the _patio_, and a

voice cried, "This way, children! I have found the door through which

the spies have fled!"

There was a quick trampling of feet, more savage cries, and then

silence. The Chilians had evidently gone off on a false scent; and now,

if ever, was the moment for Jim and Terry to effect their escape.

Listening intently for a few seconds, Douglas raised the lid of their

hiding-place an inch or so and peered out through the opening thus

formed. There was no one in sight, but they could hear the savage

shouts of the Chilians in the distance as they searched hither and

thither for their prey.

"Now, Terry," whispered Jim, "_now_ is our time. Out you get quickly,

my hearty; we must make a rush for the passage, through it into the

shop, and so out into the street; it is our only hope. Are you quite

ready? Yes? Then here goes!" And flinging back the cover, the two

friends clambered out, rushed across the _patio_, up the passage,

through the wrecked door, and into the shop. To their great relief, the

place was absolutely empty. After a short halt, therefore, to rearrange

and brush their clothing, which had become somewhat disordered, they

strolled casually out of the cafe into the street.

By this time there were many more people about, and mingling with the

throng the two boys soon lost sight of the cafe, and with rapid steps

made the best of their way down toward the harbour, near which were

situated the Government Offices. These were now open, and entering one

which bore a plate with the words "_Oficina por empleo en la marina_"

inscribed thereon, they found themselves in the presence of Senor Don

Guzman Cartador, the Director of the Navy, to whom they made known their

desire to enter the Chilian service. This gentleman listened

courteously to them, examined them shortly upon their capabilities, and

finally gave them a letter of introduction to Admiral Rebolledo

Williams, of the battleship _Blanco Encalada_, to whom he recommended

them to apply, saying at the same time that he had little doubt they

would be successful in obtaining commissions, as Admiral Williams was

very short of efficient officers just then.

Armed with this official's introduction the two lads presented

themselves aboard the warship about mid-day, and were fortunate enough

to find Admiral Williams not only disengaged, but also in a particularly

good humour. He at once granted them an interview; asked them several

questions, as the Naval Director had done; and finally accepted their

services, much to the gratification of the two lads. He gave Douglas a

commission as second lieutenant on board the flagship, and O'Meara a

post as second engineer aboard the same vessel. He then sent them

ashore to have their commissions signed by Captain Morales, and to

procure the necessary uniforms and outfit, and instructed them to report

themselves on board the _Blanco Encalada_ on the 7th of February, since

he, the Admiral, expected orders to sail on or about that date.

The boys left Senor Williams with many expressions of gratitude, and

went ashore to provide themselves with uniform and the necessary kit, an

order for the supply of which had been given them by Williams himself.

The tailor promised to have everything ready by the 6th, and for a

wonder he was as good as his word. On the morning of the 7th,

therefore, the two lads in full uniform, and with their belongings in

the boat with them, were rowed off to the _Blanco Encalada_, and by mid-

day they found themselves duly installed as officers in the Chilian

service.

CHAPTER THREE.

THE OCCUPATION OF ANTOFAGASTA.

The month of February in the latitude of Valparaiso corresponds

approximately to the month of August in the northern hemisphere, and it

was a beautiful, sunny, and very hot morning when, on the 7th of that

month, the Chilian fleet, consisting of the _Blanco Encalada_ flagship,

the _Almirante Cochrane_ battleship, the corvettes _O'Higgins_ and

_Chacabuco_, with the sloop _Esmeralda_, steamed out of harbour, on its

way to Antofagasta, the principal seaport of Bolivia.

It may not be amiss to state here briefly the causes of the war that was

then impending between the allied republics of Bolivia and Peru and the

republic of Chili.

The desert of Atacama, on the borders of Chili and Bolivia, had been for

many years without an acknowledged owner. Chili claimed it, so also did

Bolivia; but it was not considered by either claimant to be of much

importance, and it was certainly not regarded as worth fighting for,

until it was discovered that it was rich in nitrates and other mineral

wealth. In 1866 the two republics, being allied in war against Spain,

fixed by treaty the 24th parallel of south latitude as the future

boundary between them; and Bolivia agreed that Chilian citizens who were

already landowners in the region between 23° and 24° south should be

allowed to mine and to export the produce without tax or other

hindrance. To facilitate this arrangement, Chili was permitted to

maintain a representative in the Custom House at Antofagasta. The

nitrate business of those days was chiefly in the hands of a Company,

the heads of which were the British house of Gibbs, a Chilian named

Edwards, and the Chilian Government. On February 23, 1878, Bolivia saw

fit to impose a tax of 10 _centavos_ (4½ pence) per _quintal_ (152

pounds) on all nitrates. Chili remonstrated; but Bolivia insisted, and

declared, in addition, that the tax was meant to be retrospective, and

that unless all dues were paid before February 14, 1879, the nitrates in

the hands of the exporters would be seized and sold by auction. As the

day which had been fixed for the seizure drew near, a Chilian squadron,

under Rear-Admiral Rebolledo Williams, was got ready for the purpose of

seizing Antofagasta itself. It was this fleet which, on the morning of

February 7, 1879, steamed out from Valparaiso, with Jim and Terry, as

Chilian officers, on board the _Blanco Encalada_, the flagship of the

squadron.

As the fleet weighed anchor and stood out to sea the bells pealed from

every steeple in the town, while the guns in the hastily improvised

fortifications above the town thundered out a farewell salute to the

ships which were going to vindicate the honour of Chili, and the action

of which was tantamount to a declaration of war. As each warship

rounded the point she returned the salute with all her starboard

broadside guns, while the ensigns at the mizzen-gaff were dipped thrice

in jubilant farewell.

Although war had not as yet actually been declared against Peru, the

Chilian Government had very strong reason to suspect the existence of a

secret treaty between that country and Bolivia; and as Peru was the

possessor of a navy of considerable strength it behoved Admiral Williams

to be exceedingly careful that he did not run into any ambush of

Peruvian ships; a very sharp look-out was therefore kept incessantly

during the six days which the fleet took to steam from Valparaiso to

Antofagasta. There was no Bolivian navy, if we except a few steam-

launches and old spar-torpedo-boats; there was nothing, therefore, to

fear in that direction; but, as the Chilians had not as yet had time to

advance their forces overland up the coast, a contingent of five hundred

regulars was put on board the ships to effect the occupation of

Antofagasta; two hundred and fifty being put on board at Valparaiso,

while Admiral Williams had been instructed to call in at Caldera Bay, in

order to embark the remainder.

Steaming at the rate of the slowest ship in his squadron--the sloop

_Esmeralda_, which was incapable of a speed of more than four or five

knots--the Admiral arrived in Caldera Bay on the evening of the 9th of

February; and as it was too late to think of embarking the troops that

night, he anchored his ships, in column of line ahead, at a distance of

about half a mile from the shore, and on a course which stretched across

the bay from the signal station to the little village of Calderillo.

Nothing had thus far been seen of the Peruvian squadron, and as Bolivia

had, as stated above, no navy worthy of the name, and the fleet was,

moreover, still in Chilian waters, Admiral Williams did not consider it

necessary to establish a patrol of picket-boats on watch round the

ships, as he certainly would have done had he been lying before a

hostile port. It was this oversight, coupled with the fact that

Williams regarded the Bolivian sea strength as beneath his notice, that

very nearly led to a frightful disaster for the Chilians at the very

outset of the war.

On this particular night Douglas was, as it happened, the officer of the

watch, and Terry, who was off duty, was sharing the vigil with his

friend, walking to and fro upon the _Blanco Encalada's_ quarter-deck and

listening to the sounds which were wafted across the water both from the

town of Caldera and from the neighbouring ships, all of which were

brilliantly lighted up. There was a sailor's "sing-song" in progress

aboard the corvette _Chacabuco_, the second ship away from the _Blanco

Encalada_, and both lads listened with amusement to the rollicking

sounds which proceeded from that direction. There was no moon, but the

sky was spangled with brilliant stars, which shed a faint, silvery

lustre over the sea and the distant summits of the Andes, enwrapping

everything in a soft luminous haze which could scarcely be dignified

with the name of light.

The two lads paced to and fro, eagerly longing for the time when Douglas

should be relieved from duty, for both were very tired; but Terry did

not feel inclined to leave his friend to continue his watch by himself.

As the time passed on, the lights of the squadron disappeared, one by

one, until at length the only lights which showed were the riding

lights, two of which were suspended on every ship, one at the bow and

one at the stern. The sounds on board the ships had died away

completely, and it was only occasionally that the shouts of a party of

revellers were heard from the shore.

It was shortly after one o'clock in the morning when Terry, who was

still keeping his friend company, walked to the ship's rail and stood

there in a listening attitude; then he raised his voice slightly and

called Douglas to his side.

"Listen carefully for a moment, old fellow," he said; "cannot you hear

something away out there on our port bow?"

Jim listened, and presently his strained senses caught a faint sound

like the throbbing of a tiny engine somewhere away in the darkness.

"Yes," he whispered, "I certainly can hear something. To me it sounds

as though there is a small steam-launch somewhere out there; but I

certainly cannot see anything of her. What can a launch possibly be

doing out there, at this time of the morning?"

"Well," replied his chum, "if this were not a Chilian port I should be

inclined to suspect something in the nature of a night-attack; but under

the circumstances I don't quite see from what quarter such an attack

could come. The Peruvian fleet can hardly have come upon us unawares,

for we should surely have seen some sign of them; they would hardly

steam without showing any lights at all. Besides, this sound--which is

certainly nearing us, by the way--seems to me more like-- Hallo! did you

see _that_, Douglas? By Jove, it strikes me that there is something