Page:A history of Chile.djvu/320

 290 A HISTORY OF CHILE one; but Colonel Suarez, his chief of staff, was a highly efficient officer. Tarapaca is something over one hun- dred miles southwest from Arica, fifty from Pisagua and about the same distance inland from Iquique. The Chileans, now masters of the sea, began to push forward reinforcements until their army in the field soon numbered from 12,000 to i5,ooomen, well drilled, ably officered and splendidly equipped. From seven to ten thousand of these troops were embarked at Antofagasta under General Escala, the objective point being the port of Pisagua. The fleet and ten or twelve trans- ports were emplo'ed in the expedition, under the com- mand of Commodore Riveros. On the morning of the 2nd of November, this force appeared off Pisagua, which was defended by rifle-pits, two small batteries, a garrison of three hundred troops and about six hundred Indians, Buendia being in the town at the time and taking the chief command. The coast rises here to a height of ten or twelve hundred feet, and at the foot of the bluff lies the town of Pisagua. Two paths and a railroad zigzag over the hills, and along them the rifle-pits had been formed ; here the Bolivian Indians were stationed under Colonel Granier. Other troops took up positions in the town, commanded by Colonels Villamil and Recabarren, Gen- eral Buendia himself commanding in chief. The bat- teries were situated about three miles apart, extending from the mouth of. the Tiviliche ravine on the north, to the point of Huayna Pisagua on the south. A force which had been landed at Junin several miles down the coast, was to make a detour and fall upon Pisagua in the rear. The first act was to bombard the little forts north and south of the town by the "O'Higgins" and "Coch- rane;" the one at Huayna Pisagua was soon silenced,