highest point.

Stephen, who of course accompanied the admiral on all occasions, enjoyed
these festivities very much more than did Lord Cochrane. To him it was all
quite new, and very pleasant. He shone in the reflected light of the
admiral, and was made a great deal of by the young Chilian ladies, the
only drawback being his ignorance of the language. He had, however, on the
way out, picked up a little from some Chilian passengers on board the
_Rose_, and it was not long before he was able to talk to a certain extent
to his partners in the dances. Nevertheless, much as he enjoyed himself,
he was by no means sorry when, on the 22nd of December, Lord Cochrane, who
had received his commission as Vice-admiral of Chili, and
Commander-in-chief of its naval forces, hoisted his flag on board the
principal ship of the Chilian navy.

He had arrived none too soon. A large Spanish force was advancing from
Peru against Santiago, their formidable fleet were masters of the sea, and
they were fitting out a naval expedition for an attack on Valparaiso. The
Chilian admiral, Blanco Encalada, had succeeded in capturing a Spanish
fifty-gun frigate, which had been renamed the _O'Higgins_; but this was
only a temporary success; and with his undisciplined and badly-equipped
fleet he was quite unable to withstand the threatened attack of the
Spaniards. Lord Cochrane had to encounter troubles from the outset. Among
the Chilian fleet was the _Hecate_, an eighteen-gun sloop that had been
sold out of the British navy, and purchased by two men, Captains Guise and
Spry, as a speculation. They at first attempted to sell her at Buenos
Ayres, but, failing to do so, had brought her on to Chili, where the
government had bought the ship, and had appointed them to command her.
They, and an American captain named Worcester, had obtained a considerable
influence over Admiral Encalada, and seeing that this influence would be
shaken by Lord Cochrane's ascendency, they formed an intrigue to persuade
the Chilian admiral to insist upon retaining the chief command, or upon
dividing it with Lord Cochrane.

Admiral Encalada, however, refused to allow himself to be made their tool,
saying that he would wish for no greater honour than that of serving under
so distinguished an officer as Lord Cochrane; for a time, therefore, their
intrigue was defeated. No sooner had he hoisted his flag on board the
_O'Higgins_ than Lord Cochrane set to work with his usual energy to