Soon, turning a bend, two launches appeared, and as soon as we were perceived we heard a voice shout out: "Fire! Fire! Sink the canoe! Sink the canoe!" Before this order could be executed, however, the first vessel, the _Liberal_ of the "civilising company," had passed us, but the second, the _Iquitos_, a sort of river gunboat, in the service of the Peruvian Government, let fly at us, one of the bullets passing just between Sánchez and myself, and splashing into the water a little beyond. Then, at our cries of astonishment and protest, we heard a voice ordering us, in the most vile and obscene words, to approach the launch, and at the same time commanding the soldiers to keep us covered with their carbines. We approached as quickly as possible, but, handicapped by the robbery of our Indian boatmen, were able to make but slow progress. Then we heard once more the order, "Fire! Fire!" the click of the hammers being cocked, and I thought all was over with us. But at this moment an altercation arose between the two chiefs, one of them countermanding this order, while the other insisted upon its execution. Meanwhile, as rapidly as possible, we approached the vessel, and perceived some twenty-five or thirty soldiers all covering us, their rules aimed over the rail, calmly awaiting the final order to launch us into eternity! Fortunately, the altercation continued between the two bandits long enough to enable us, after what seemed like a century, to reach the side of the _Iquitos_. Here we were jerked on board, kicked, beaten, insulted, and abused in a most cowardly manner by Captain Arce Benavides of the Peruvian Army, Benito Lores, commander of the _Iquitos_, and a gang of coffee-coloured soldiers, sailors, and employees of the "civilising company," without being given a chance to speak a word. As soon as they had finished their self-imposed task of outraging us in this brutal and cynical manner--defenceless as we were--I told them who we were, and demanded to be allowed to continue our journey, but all in vain, for they merely laughed at me and my protests. Then these conquering heroes, after searching our persons and our canoe and taking possession of the few things we had with us, put us under a sentinel. This operation accomplished, Captain Benavides entertained us with a horrible account of the "victory" the Peruvians had gained at La Unión, the sounds of which we had heard in the morning. He informed us that as the two launches had arrived there that morning the Colombians had treacherously opened fire upon them, and that the Peruvian forces had gallantly repulsed the attack, under his leadership, and killed several of the assaulting party. A peculiar feature of the "battle" was, according to his version, that such Colombians as had not escaped had all been killed outright, there being no wounded.