e English
captains!--but how reckless to expose in this manner the lives of
their passengers and crew, as we shall see in the present instance.

Circling around us he tried to ram us with his prow, and we naturally
avoided him by also turning in the same direction. Every time he
veered about he offered us his broadside for a shot; with
well-directed aim we took advantage of this target, and our successful
fire gave him full proof of the skill of our gunners. The latter had a
hard time of it; the high seas poured over the low deck, and they
continually stood up to their necks in the cold salt water. They were
often dragged off the deck by the great receding waves, but as they
were tied by strong ropes to the cannons we were able to pull them up
again, and fortunately no lives were lost.

On seeing our gunners struggling in the seas, our foe hoped to make
good his escape, but with each telling shot our own fighting blood was
aroused and the wild chase continued. A well-aimed shell tore off the
English flagstaff at the stern, but the Union Jack was quickly
hoisted again on the foretop. This was also shot down, and a third
time the flag flew from a line of the yard of the foretop, but the
flag had been raised too hastily and it hung reversed, with the Union
Jack upside down, and in this manner it continued to fly until it sank
with the brave ship.

The fight had lasted four hours without our being able to deliver the
death stroke. Several fires had started on the steamer, but the crew
had been able to keep them under control; big holes gaped open in the
ship's side, but there were none as yet below the water line, and the
pumps still sufficed to expel the water. It often occurred that in the
act of firing the waves choked our cannons, and the shot went hissing
through tremendous sheets of water, while we were blinded by a deluge
of foam. Of course we were all wet, through and through, but that was
of no importance, for we had already been wet for days.

It was now essential for us to put an end to this deadly combat, for
English torpedo-boat destroyers were hurrying on to the calls of
distress of the steamer. Big clouds of smoke against the sky showed
they were coming towards us under full steam. The ship was by this
time listing so heavily that it was evident we need waste no more of
our ammunition, and besides the appearance of another big steamer on
the southern horizon was an enticing inducement to quit the battle