hoisted up the ships' sides, others slipped
through their girths and were severely hurt by falling, and a
considerable number of the poor animals died before the ships left the
port. Every morning we saw dozens of dead horses thrown over board. The
continued lurching of the vessels in which the cavalry was embarked,
bore evidence of the inconvenient situation of the horses between decks.

At the beginning of July the whole squadron sailed for the harbor of
Coquimbo, where the troops were decimated by the small-pox.

There prevailed in Chile a feeling very adverse to this campaign; so
much so that most of the troops were embarked by force. I was standing
on the _muele_ when the Santiago battalion was shipped. The soldiers,
who were in wretched uniforms, most of them wearing ponchos, and
unarmed, were bound together two-and-two by ropes, and absolutely driven
into the boats.

This war proved most unfortunate to Peru, a result which, however,
cannot certainly be ascribed either to the courage of the enemy's troops
or the judgment of their commanders. We shall presently see the
circumstances which combined to secure triumph to the Chilenos.

I and my fellow-voyagers were also sufferers by the war, our captain
having imprudently announced his intention of selling the Edmond to the
protector Santa Cruz, as she might easily have been transformed into an
excellent corvette. She was a quick sailer, tight-built, carrying ten
guns of moderate calibre, and she might easily have mounted ten more.

The captain's intention having reached the knowledge of the Chilian
government, the natural consequence was, that the port was closed, a
measure deemed the more necessary inasmuch as an American captain was
suspected of entertaining the design of selling his ship to the
Peruvians. It was not until the fleet had had time to reach Peru, and
the first blow was supposed to be struck, that the embargo was raised,
and we obtained leave to depart. We lay in the port of Valparaiso
five-and-forty days. To me the most annoying circumstance attending this
delay was, that I could not absent myself from the port longer than
twenty-four hours at a time, as the ship was constantly in readiness to
get under weigh, as soon as we should receive permission to sail, which
was hourly expected. My excursions were, therefore, confined to the
immediate neighborhood of the town; and even there my walks and rides
were much impeded by constant stormy and rainy w