Ram is settling into the
water. The stern has been laid open from deck to keel. The waves rush
in. She is sinking! Hurrah, hurrah!" The national standard was run up
upon the flag-ship, and as the Natties uncovered and saluted the colors,
cheer after cheer made the welkin ring. The Brownie bugles struck up one
of their favorite national airs, "The Bonnie White Flag," which begins,

The Natties over the blue waves sail,
The Troopers cleave the air,
The Footmen tramp o'er hill and vale,
But one is the Flag we bear!

CHORUS:

Huzza for the Flag we bear!
Huzza for the Name we wear!
We are one, we three,
Over shore and sea,
In the honors and toils we share
For the Flag and the Name we bear.
Ho--e--yo! Tu--loo--ra--lay
The bonny white Flag for aye!

[Illustration: FIG. 93.--Saluting the Colors.]

The noble character of the Brownies was well shown by the absence of
jealousy on this occasion. Although the navy had run from the Ram, the
sailors cheered the good trooper who had conquered. However, the Ensign
took no time to indulge in hurrahs and congratulations. He pushed to the
shore, exchanged his injured pony for a fresh nag, and rode off to join
MacWhirlie.

The Stygians at first could not credit the destruction of their naval
machine, least of all that it had been wrought by a dragoon! Few of them
had seen the combat. They had left the Ram, as they supposed, to follow
and destroy the Ken, and had themselves pursued the fleeing Natties at
full speed. Many of them had just seen the vessel as she went down. For
the rest the vacant water was the proof. The Ram was gone! Their hopes
had now also gone. With one half of the fleet on the other side of the
channel, they deemed discretion the better part of valor, and slowly
fell back toward their harbor again.

Rodney longed to follow them, but for several good reasons kept on his
course up the channel. He had lost two of his best ships, with Pipe,
Fluke, True, Blythe, Help, and many other brave men. In the hurly-burly
no one had observed the escape of Help and his boat crew; they, as well
as the crews of the Praise and the Hope, were thought to be lost.
Moreover, he knew not but another Ram might be sent against him. Finally
he feared that if he did stop to attack the Stygians in the harbor, the
other squadron would sail around the island, and he would thus be caught
between the two divisions. Much to his regret,