es el héroe" ("You are the hero"). Brown retired with four of the prizes towards Martín García to repair damages, write his report, and prepare for the eventual attempt of the Mariath Division, stationed to the south of the island, to force its way north. Martín García Mariath's orders were to use his ten vessels to overcome the fortifications at Martín García, attack the Argentine rear, and reinforce the Third Division. Although he could already hear cannon fire in the distance, Mariath moved slowly and with great caution. As the main Argentine battery (consisting of nine guns) were on the west side, covering the Grand Canal, Mariath sent a schooner down the Canal del Infierno, the passage to the east of the island, in order to determine if the water was deep enough for his squadron. In response, the garrison moved its mobile battery (consisting of two guns and a Congreve rocket launcher) to the east to defend against a possible landing. The move proved unnecessary, however, as the Brazilian vessel ran hard aground. Mariath was thus dissuaded from taking the eastern route, although his pilot thought it still possible. He commenced an artillery duel with the main batteries, until the storm obliged him to suspend the indecisive action. At this point, Mariath believed that the shallow water, the unpredictable weather, and the formidable batteries at Martín García made passing the island too risky. Thus, on 9 February, while the Third Division was being destroyed, the Mariath Division remained in the distance as a spectator. On 10 February, Mariath finally decided to withdraw in the direction of Colonia de Sacramento, where he arrived a week later. The first news of the defeat reached the Brazilians on the morning of 12 February , when eight survivors of Oriental arrived. Their stories were confirmed by the boat of Lieutenant Carvalho, and later, on 14 February, by the arrival of the only survivors, the schooner Vitoria de Colonia and a gunboat, escorted by the frigate Dona Paula. The chase On the day following the battle, the schooner Brocoio was pursued and captured, in addition to two gunboats (Paraty and Iguape) that ran aground in the mouth of the Paraná River and were likewise made Argentine prizes. At this point the Third Division was reduced to the schooners Liberdade do Sul, Itapoã, 7 de Março, 9 de Janeiro and 7 de Setembro, the gunboats