ess than a minute the Chilian gunboat had her mizzen-mast shot away
close to the deck, her funnel riddled by machine-gun bullets, and every
man not under cover killed. But the survivors sheltered themselves
behind the gun-shields, and manfully replied with every weapon still
capable of firing. The _Union_ lost her captain and first lieutenant
during the first few minutes of the renewed encounter, her mainmast came
down by the board, having been struck, fair and square, by one of the
_Covadonga's_ 70-pounder shells, and all her small boats were in a few
minutes utterly destroyed by the storm of shot from the gunboat's
gatling-guns.

Then, suddenly, the _Covadonga_ observed a wild commotion on board the
_Union_, and her screw begin to revolve once more, while columns of
black smoke pouring out of her shot-torn funnel showed that there was a
considerable amount of activity in her engine-room. Then she began to
forge ahead and, turning slowly to starboard, headed away to the north.
She had caught sight of the approaching Chilian craft, and meant to
effect her escape while the way still lay open to her.

Jim saw a man run aft and dip the Peruvian ensign three times in a mock
farewell salute, while the white water began to boil out from under the
_Union's_ stern. She was in full retreat, firing with her stern guns as
she went. But Condell had no intention of permitting her to escape so
easily. His ship would still steer, after a fashion, if she was not
driven too hard, and he immediately took up a slow pursuit, hoping
against hope that he might still be able to plump a lucky shell into her
which should destroy either rudder or propeller, and so leave her at the
mercy of the new arrivals, which were rapidly coming up, and which could
now be plainly made out as being the _Magellanes_, gunboat, and the
_Chacabuco_, corvette.

The Peruvian was going away fast enough, however, to take her soon out
of range of the _Covadonga_. But the _Magellanes_ and _Chacabuco_, as
they rushed past the gunboat cheering, now began to fire at the flying
ship, and several of their shells burst aboard her. As the _Chacabuco_
passed she made the signal "Proceed forthwith to Valparaiso, and report
that I am chasing to the northward. Good luck and congratulations."
The two ships swept rapidly away in chase of the Peruvian, and the
_Covadonga_, obeying orders and resuming her voyage, made the best of
her way to Valparaiso, which she reached th