berland_ showed no signs of disablement, her
guns continuing to be fired with a regularity that spoke volumes for
the splendid fortitude of her officers and men.

"She's not done for yet," cried one of the _Minnesota's_ lieutenants
exultingly. "That rebel brute will have to try again."

He had hardly spoken when the _Cumberland_ listed badly over to port
and began to fill. Down sank the gallant ship, driving her crew to the
spar-deck, where they dauntlessly continued to work the pivot-gun,
until, with a wild swaying of her tall masts and a sickening shudder of
her shattered frame, she plunged beneath the waves, carrying her brave
defenders down to an honourable death, yet leaving the Union colours
still floating defiantly from her topmast, which projected high above
the swirling water.

For the first moment after her disappearance there was an appalling
silence on board the _Minnesota_, and then there broke forth a wild
storm of groans, cheers, and curses, as the feelings of her crew found
expression. They had witnessed a catastrophe without a parallel in the
history of naval warfare. Never before had the tremendous power for
harm of the ironclad ram been displayed, and by that one blow the
_Merrimac_ had put out of date the navies of the world as then
constructed.

Of course Terry neither knew nor cared anything about this; but he
could not help being profoundly impressed by the magnitude of the
disaster, and his warm Irish heart went out in sympathy towards the
gallant men who had stood by their ship to the last moment. In his
admiration of their bravery he quite forgot his preference for their
victorious opponents.

"O captain," he exclaimed, in a tone of deepest concern, plucking at
his companion's arm, "will you look at the poor creatures? Sure
they're doing their best to swim ashore, and it's a long way for them
too."

His sharp eyes had discovered little bits of black bobbing on the
waves, which he took to be the heads of men swimming hard for the beach
at Newport News, and the lieutenant's glass confirmed the accuracy of
his vision.

"Wouldn't I like to be giving them a hand!" he continued, jumping up
and down in the heat of his excitement. He felt so thoroughly at home
in the water, that he would not have hesitated a moment at any time to
go to the rescue of a full-grown man, and he would have thoroughly
enjoyed now going to the relief of the struggling sailors.

But the men of the _Minnesota_