ect 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 showe