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292 A HISTORY OF CHILE President Prado, hearing of the disaster at Pisagua, ordered his colleague, President Daza, to form a junc- tion with Buendia. President Daza started to obey President Prado, but had advanced from Arica only to the ravine of the Camarones with three thousand of his Bolivians, when he turned back in a cowardly retreat, his force utterly demoralized. There were too many president-generals commanding the allied armies to insure concerted action in carrying out important move- ments. General Buendia had gone to Iquique ; hearing there of the advance of Daza, and being short of provisions, he assembled his scattered army at Pozo Almonte near the northern terminus of the Iquique railroad. Early in November he began a march across twenty or thirty miles of intervening desert, his army in three divisions commanded respectively by Colonels Davila, Busta- mente and Villegras. Villegras commanded the Boli- vians, Davila, the advanced division. Meanwhile the Chileans had augmented their force at San Francisco ; six thousand men with thirty-two long range guns were now intrenched on the heights. On November igth, their advanced guard fell back from Agua Santa, retiring before the approach of Buen- dia's forces, amounting now to near lo.ooo men. On the same day the allies marched some fifteen or twenty miles from Agua Santa and halted at the oficitia of Por- vinir where there was a supply of water. They had made a long march across the arid plains and were suf- fering terribly from thirst. They were now close to the heights of San Fran- cisco, upon which the Chilean army was posted ; Gen- eral Buendia established his headquarters at Porvinir, Colonel Suarez rode from rank to rank. It was decided to allow the men to rest after their long march, but