e following evening, dropping
her anchor in the middle of the assembled Chilian fleet, to the
accompaniment of rousing cheers for her gallant conduct at Iquique Bay
and Punto Gruesos.

Jim then bade good-bye to Captain Condell and returned to his own ship,
the _Blanco Encalada_, where he was most enthusiastically received by
all his friends, an especially warm welcome being extended to him by his
chum Terry O'Meara.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

MINE AND COUNTERMINE.

Jim found, upon rejoining the _Blanco Encalada_, that there was great
excitement prevailing aboard that ship; for the fleet had received
orders to sail, that very day, for the port of Arica, and the squadron
was only waiting for Commodore Riveros, who had superseded Rebolledo
Williams, to come aboard to start.

There were numerous rumours flying about the _Blanco_ as to the object
of the cruise northward; but the one which obtained most credence was to
the effect that the Chilian fleet had been instructed to find and
destroy the _Huascar, Union_, and _Pilcomayo_, which were waging a
destructive war against the Chilian commerce, and which, it was very
strongly suspected, had been guilty of certain acts against Chilian and
other craft which more nearly resembled piracy than civilised warfare.
So much damage, indeed, had been wrought by them that the Chilian
Government had decided to hunt down the obnoxious craft; and for this
purpose there were now assembled in Valparaiso harbour the _Almirante
Cochrane_ and _Blanco Encalada_, both battleships, the corvette
_O'Higgins_, and the armed merchant-steamers _Loa_ and _Mathias
Cousino_. The little gunboat _Covadonga_ had also been intended to sail
with the squadron, but, as has been seen, she had been too badly damaged
in her gallant fight with the Peruvian vessels to permit of her doing
so.

Mid-day came, but it brought no sign of the commodore; and it was three
o'clock in the afternoon before his launch was seen to steam away from
the naval steps at the jetty. The side was then piped, and Riveros came
on board, to the accompaniment of the flagship's band and a crashing
salute from the other vessels in the harbour. Upon his arrival on board
he immediately went below to his cabin and sent for his captain, with
whom he was in close conference for about an hour. Apparently he
informed him as to the plan of campaign, for soon after Captain Castello
came on deck it became known, all over the ship, that a telegram ha