of which only 28 landed.

One of the _Alabama's_ 60-pound Blakely shells passed through the
bulwarks of the _Kearsarge_, and, bursting on the quarter deck, wounded
three men, of whom William Gowin was mortally hurt. When carried to the
surgeon, the intensely suffering man smiled. "We are whipping the
_Alabama_," he said, "and I am willing to give my life for such a
victory."

Another Confederate shell burst in the hammock nettings and started a
fire, which was easily extinguished. A third lodged in the sternpost,
but failed to explode. Had it done so, its effect would have been
terrific. The damage done by the other shells was insignificant.

A far different story was told on the Confederate cruiser. Winslow's
instructions to his gunners were to fire slowly and to make every shot
tell, and they did so. The men on the _Alabama_ stripped to their shirts
and drawers and fired rapidly, as if the only thing to do was to work
the guns without taking pause to aim. Crashing planks and timber and
exploding shells seemed to be all about them. A single shot from the
_Kearsarge_ killed and wounded eighteen men and disabled a gun. Another
burst in the coal bunks and cluttered up the engine room. Death and
destruction raged on every hand, and still the terrible _Kearsarge_
kept working nearer, the dearest wish of Winslow being to get to close
quarters.

The ships had described seven circles about each other and were starting
on the eighth, when Winslow, all alive and eagerness, saw the _Alabama_
set her fore trysail and two jibs and start for shore. That meant that
it was all up with her, and her captain's only hope now was to get into
the harbor of Cherbourg. Winslow ran across her bow and was on the point
of raking her, when the _Alabama's_ flag came down. Uncertain whether
this was an accident, and suspecting a ruse by which the enemy expected
to reach shore, now only two miles off, Winslow stopped firing, but held
himself ready to open again. A white flag was displayed, and he began
preparations to render assistance to his defeated antagonist. Just then,
however, the _Alabama_ fired again, upon which Winslow answered with
several shots, when the white flag was run up for the second time.

The doom of the _Alabama_ had overtaken her at last. She was fast
settling, and while the only two serviceable boats of the _Kearsarge_
were hurrying to the relief of the crew, the famous cruiser threw her
prow high in air and slid stern f