inting into the darkness
at a faint blur upon their port bow, said:

"There's something there, Roger. D'ye see it, lad? It's a ship of some
sort. I can just make out her masts. We shall pass her at very close
quarters. Now, I wonder if perchance she is one of the warships that we
are searching for?"

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when a perfect volcano of flame
flashed from the side of the vessel which Harry had just sighted,
immediately followed by a thunderous roar, and the shot from the
well-aimed broadside came crashing aboard, doing a considerable amount
of execution. Men fell in every part of the ship. Cries, shrieks,
groans, and curses arose from the decks, which for a moment were a
perfect pandemonium of confusion.

The captain, rushing along the deck, shouted: "Steady, lads, and stand
to your guns! The Spaniards expected and are ready for us; but do not
forget that you are Englishmen. Pull yourselves together, men, and give
them back better than we received."

The confusion was but momentary. The crews were by this time too well
disciplined to become panic-stricken, and, awaiting the word of command,
they presently poured in their already-prepared broadside with great
effect, for the mainmast of the war-ship was seen to quiver, totter, and
finally fall with a rending crash over the side remote from the _Good
Adventure_, throwing the crew of the Spaniard into momentary disorder.

As the flag-ship came up to her antagonist, she took in her sails and
ranged up alongside, inshore of her. There were no batteries opposite
where the vessels were lying, so that no danger was to be apprehended on
that score.

Like magic, the lights flared up from all parts of the town, and aboard
all the vessels in the bay, as also in the fort at the opposite
extremity of the roadstead. The war-ship herself became a blaze of
illumination, as did also her consort, which could now be seen lying but
a half-cable's-length distant, and which also opened a tremendous fire
upon the flag-ship. The other two ships of the English squadron,
meanwhile, had shifted their helms and were fast approaching, guided by
the flashing of guns and the uproar of the action.

Even the ships of the plate fleet, lying near at hand, and which proved
to be heavily armed, now began to open fire, as well as the distant
fort; and it was soon very evident that the English fleet had entered
into an engagement in which the odds were vastly