nnoyed at having been foiled
at Callao, from causes altogether beyond my control, for the bad
rockets, and worse faith of the Minister of Marine in not supplying me
with the promised troops, were no faults of mine. My instructions, as
has been said, were carefully drawn up to prevent my doing anything
rash--as the first trip to Callao had been represented by certain
officers under my command, who had no great relish for fighting. At the
same time the Chilian people expected impossibilities; and I had, for
some time, been revolving in my mind a plan to achieve one which should
gratify them, and allay my own wounded feelings. I had now only one
ship, so that there were no other inclinations to consult; and felt
quite sure of Major Miller's concurrence where there was any fighting to
be done, though a ball in the arm, another through the chest, passing
out at his back, and a left hand shattered for life, were not very
promising fighting incentives as far as physical force was concerned,
yet the moral courage of my gallant guest was untouched, and his
capacity to carry out my plans was greater than before, as being more
matured by sharp experience.

My design was, with the flag-ship alone, to capture by a _coup de main_
the numerous forts and garrison of Valdivia, a fortress previously
deemed impregnable, and thus to counteract the disappointment which
would ensue in Chili from our want of success before Callao. The
enterprise was a desperate one; nevertheless, I was not about to do
anything desperate, having resolved that, unless fully satisfied as to
its practicability, I would not attempt it. Rashness, though often
imputed to me, forms no part of my composition. There is a rashness
without calculation of consequences; but with that calculation,
well-founded, it is no longer rashness. And thus, now that I was
unfettered by people who did not second my operations as they ought to
have done, I made up my mind to take Valdivia, if the attempt came
within the scope of my calculations.

The first step clearly was to reconnoitre the place, where the flag-ship
arrived on the 18th of January, 1820, under Spanish colours, and made a
signal for a pilot, who--as the Spaniards mistook the _O'Higgins_ for
the long-expected _Prueba_--promptly came off, together with a
complimentary retinue of an officer and four soldiers, all of whom were
made prisoners as soon as they came on board. The pilot was ordered to
take us into the channels