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358 A HISTORY OF CHILE Caldera. There a thorough organization of their forces was made ; their presence there also obliged the pres- ident to send reinforcements to his contingent in Co- quimbo, thus reducing his forces around the capital. When preparations had been completed, the oppo- sition army embarked on transports and the war vessels for Quintero, about twenty or thirty miles north of Valparaiso, where disembarkation began on the 20th of August. The government felt secure in its position until the insurgent army was disembarked. For several days opposition agents had been at work in Valparaiso ; many oppositionists there were armed and awaiting the approach of the northern troops to join themselves with them. To let these partisans know that the final hour for the struggle had arrived, the "Esmeralda" on the i8th, fired eight shots at Valparaiso. On the 30th, the senate would formally ratify Claudio Vicuna's elec- tion ; henceforward he would be legal president ; it was therefore politic to have the decisive battle before that time, to overthrow the dictator before he was succeeded by Senor Vicuna, though against him not much could be urged, save that he was a partisan of Balmaceda. Telegraph and telephone lines to Santiago were cut, and so well planned was the oppositionist movements that the fact of their landing at Quintero, which was machine, containing several pounds weight of dynamite, with time-fuse and every thing ready to set it off in the ship's hold. With equal success they con- trived to get similar machines on board the 'CondelP and the "Lynch," sup- plemented by quantities of dynamite neatly stowed away in large loaves of fresh bread from which they had removed the crumb. Bread thus prepared is, as it seems, known as Greek bread. Fortunately, however, for the republic and the vessels, one of the Italians bribed into this plot betrayed his accomplices to the authorities, who discovered the infernal machine, the dynamite loaves, and other appliances half an hour before the time agreed upon for the explosions." For this offense Gumming, an Austrian named Politico and Sepulveda, were tried, convicted and shot. The guilty quartermaster of the "Imperial" hanged himself in his cabin. The British minister and several members of the diplo- matic body interceded for Gumming, but Balmaceda insisted on having him shot with Politico and Sepulveda, wherefore the thing became a political scandal. The story becomes interesting as a portentious warning of what may be ex- pected in modern warfare