Fénix 10, 203-234

224 FENIX safe retreat for the main Army, in case of reverses. Whereas he only contri- ved to detach me with my light company only to the northward. 1 scampe- red about in a wild sort of way between Quilca, Victor and Palpa. I t was a perfect Harlequinade, becausc although the Enemy had eight times my num- ber, he fancied that 1 had two Batallions. My situations sometimes bordered on the rornantic. iUy movernents had the effect of causing Canterac to de- tac5, from Puno, Carstala 98. with their strongest Batallion of Infantery and a Squadron of Cavalry. 600 were stationed in Parinacocha, 300 in Yca, aiid some scattered detachments. CarataIa lost 600 of his men from death and desertion. I was a t last seized by the Cholera of morbus and terciaria, was carried from Acary in a littex, and hoisted on board a t the port of Lomas, more dead than oliv-e. IHad it not been for this sickness, 1 would have steered for Tarrapaca in5tead of Callao. Perhaps 1 ought Po observe S profourd silence upon the expedition, wla,icfi has jrrst sailed for Puertos intermedios 99, because circumstances have occurred tvhich mzke it unavoidable to sperk more of rnyself than I feel in- ned to do. You know very well that 1 have been very much over-rated in these cou~tries,and that a run of luck has contributed to countenance and spread the illusion. Public oppinion ran so strong in my favour that Govern- ~ n e n t could not avoid promoting me when they promoted three or four others for Revolutionary services. Hence my last step 100. From the moment Ge- neral Sta. Cruz 101, was appointed to his present command, 1 discerned in a thousand different ways, in spite of [a] conciliating exterior, that the spirit of jealousy had found its way into his mind. I t became evident to me that he was desirous 1 should be left behind, least 1 should, as formerly, obtain more than my due share of credit if successfnl, or, if otherwise, Xess than my due share of blarne. My Regiment was ernbarked and a day or two before the last transport sailed, 1 first received official orders. As they had managed to separate me from my first Batallion, which had sailed two days before, I declined to go at all, to the secret Qoy of Sta. Cruz and Gamarra, 102 and to the no small offence of the President 103 a ~ l dSecretary of War 104. Since then the Iast two have taken very little ilotice of me, and 1 of them. Mor are we likeIy to become more intimate, unless they have occasion for my services, because I shall be the !ast to make the most trifling advance towards the sha- dow of an accomodation. Here I am, then, a perfect idler, but some Chilena friends made the interoai! more than pleasant. The Expedition consists of 5300, al1 Peruvians, viz: Casadores dei Exto., Peruvian Legion, No 1, No 2, No 3, N? 4, No 6 Pnfaritery, Regiment of Usares of the Legion, two squadrons of Lanzers, with some Artillery. The comman- 9 9 . José Czrratalá. 99. May, 1823. 100. Miller became a Bilgadicr-General in April, 1823 101. Andrés Szilta Cruz. 102. Agystín Gamarra. IQ;. Jose de ía Riva Aguero. 104. General Rzmón Herrera. Fénix: Revista de la Biblioteca Nacional del Perú. N.10, 1954