midnight
So completely were the outlaws taken by surprise that many of them had not found time to arm themselves , and were therefore slaughtered like so many sheep . The promise of success , on the other hand , spurred the Chilians on to still further effort , and in another ten minutes they had struck such terror into the hearts of the defenders of the stronghold that the guerillas flung down their arms and cried for quarter ; and thus at last the tide of death was stopped . The guerillas were then disarmed and imprisoned in batches in the prison cells which they had so carefully prepared for others , while their arms were collected and destroyed , and the fort was in the hands of the Chilians . The terror of the surrounding country had been brought to nothing at last , and there would be no more savage raids and midnight massacres . A messenger was at once dispatched to La Paz to acquaint the Government with the fact of the capture and downfall of the guerilla band , with a request that a body of Bolivian troops might be dispatched to take charge of the prisoners . Jim determined , however , not to hand over the fort , although it was situated in Bolivian territory , until he should receive definite instructions so to do from headquarters ; for he did not know what new boundaries Chili proposed to arrange as the limits to the country which she had acquired by conquest from the two republics ; and he thought it more than probable that his Government would decide to retain the fort , since it occupied such a very commanding position . He therefore in due time handed over the eight hundred prisoners -- the rest of the band having been killed -- to the Bolivian troops ; who immediately returned with them to La Paz .