steel--delivering destruction and death.

She had rounded the _Moscow's_ stern, raking her as she came, and
sending armor-piercing shells through her citadel. Some exploded on
impact, some inside; all did work. An eight-inch projectile entered the
after turret-port, and silenced the gun and gun-crew forever. Before
the _Argyll_ was abeam the _Moscow_ had ceased firing. Rolling and
smoking, her crew decimated, her guns disabled and steering-gear
carried away, she swung out of line; and the appearance in his field of
vision of several rushing waves with short smoke-stacks behind, and the
supplementary pelting his ship was now receiving from the _Marlborough_,
decided her commander to lower his flag.

On the starboard bow of the _Argyll_ was the armored cruiser _Orenburg_.
Her fire, hot and true, ceased on the explosion of a large shell at her
water-line, and she swung out of the fight, silent but for the roar of
escaping steam, heeled heavily to port, and sank in ten minutes, her
ensigns flying to the last. Mr. Clarkson rejoiced with his gun-crew. He
had sent the shell.

On stormed the _Argyll_. Her next adversary was the _Kharkov_, a
battle-ship nearly equal in guns and armor to herself, but not
quite--by an inch. And that inch cost her the fight. With her main
turrets damaged, her superstructure, secondary guns, and torpedo-tubes
shot away, she yielded to fate, and, while the _Argyll_ passed on,
hauled down her ensigns at the request of a torpedo-boat.

Ahead and to starboard was the cruiser _Tobolsk_, leaving the
neighborhood as fast as her twin screws could push her. Her end was in
sight; in her wake were two gray destroyers, and behind, charging
across the broken formation, was the fleet _Marlborough_. The _Argyll_
ignored the _Tobolsk_; for slowing down to await her coming was the
black and high-sided _Warsaw_, the monster of the fleet, bristling with
guns, somber, and ominous in her silence.

Ahead of her, and turning to port, was the flag-ship _Obdorsk_, also
slowed down; but she promised to be fully occupied with the _Atholl_,
_Sutherland_, and _Montrose_, who had wheeled in their tracks, no
longer obliged to traverse a circle to reach an enemy.

On rushed the _Argyll_, and when nearly up to the _Warsaw_, the latter
gave steam to her engines. Breast to breast the gladiators charged
across the sea, roaring, flaming, and smoking. A torpedo left the side
of the _Warsaw_, pointed diagonally ahead, to intercep