reached her magazine and she blew up with a
terrific noise, scattering her timbers far and near. The men on the
_Merrimac_ looked proudly at the burning ship. It was a great triumph
for them. But they saw one thing by her light they did not like so well.
Off towards Fortress Monroe there lay in the water a strange-looking
thing, which had not been there an hour before. What queer low ship was
that? And where had it come from?

The sun rose on the morning of Sunday, March 9, and an hour later the
_Merrimac_ was again under way to finish her work. Not far from where
the _Congress_ had burnt lay the _Minnesota_. She had run aground and
looked like an easy prey. But close beside her was the floating thing
they had observed the night before, the queerest-looking craft that had
ever been seen.

Everybody opened their eyes wide and stared as at a show when they saw
this strange object. They called it "a cheese box on a raft," and that
was a good name for its queer appearance. For the deck was nearly on a
level with the water, and over its centre rose something like a round
iron box. But it had two great guns sticking out of its tough sides.

It was the _Monitor_, the new vessel which Captain Ericsson had built
and sent down to fight the _Merrimac_. But none who saw this little low
thing thought it could stand long before the great Confederate
iron-clad. It looked a little like a slim tiger or leopard before a
great rhinoceros or elephant. The men on the _Merrimac_ did not seem to
think it worth minding, for they came steaming up and began firing at
the _Minnesota_ when they were a mile away.

Then away from the side of the great frigate glided the little
_Monitor_, heading straight for her clumsy antagonist. She looked like
no more than a mouthful for the big ship, and men gazed at her with
dread. She seemed to be going straight to destruction.

But the brave fellows on the _Monitor_ had no such thoughts as that.

"Let her have it," said Captain Worden, when they came near; and one of
the great eleven-inch guns boomed like a volcano. The huge iron ball,
weighing about 175 pounds, struck the plates of the _Merrimac_ with a
thundering crash, splitting and splintering them before it bounded off.
The broadside of the _Merrimac_ boomed back, but the balls glanced away
from the thick round sides of the turret and did not harm.

Then the turret was whirled round like a top, and the gun on the other
side came round and was fire