The Spaniards were alert. They
thought that an American battle-ship was trying to force its way in,
perhaps with the whole fleet in its wake, and were ready to give it a hard
fight.

Through the rain of balls the "Merrimac" drove on, unhurt by the
bombardment, and even by a submarine mine which exploded near her stern.
The darkness and her rapid motion rendered her hard to hit, and she
reached the desired spot, in the narrowest spot of the channel, none the
worse for the shower of iron hail.

So far all had gone well. Now the critical moment had arrived. Hobson gave
the signal fixed upon, and the men below reversed the engine and opened
the sea connections. They then dashed for the deck. Those above dropped
the anchor and set the helm. Only then did Hobson, to his bitter
disappointment, discover that the rudder had been lost. The ship refused
to answer her helm, and the plan of setting her lengthwise across the
channel failed. The final task remained. Touching the electric button, the
torpedoes went off with a sullen roar and the ship lurched heavily beneath
their feet. The sharp roll threw some of the men over the rail. The others
leaped into the sea. Down went the "Merrimac" with a surge at the bow,
cheers from the forts and the ships greeting her as she sank. The gunners
thought they had sent to the depths one of the hostile men-of-war.

At the last moment of leaving the "New York" an old catamaran had been
thrown on the "Merrimac's" deck, as a possible aid to the crew in
extremity. This float lay on the roof of the midship house, a rope
fastening it to the taffrail, with enough slack to let it float loose
after the ship had sunk. It was a fortunate thought for the crew, as it
afforded them a temporary refuge in place of the lost dingy.

We may let Lieutenant Hobson speak for himself at this point in our
narrative. He says, "I swam away from the ship as soon as I struck the
water, but I could feel the eddies drawing me backward in spite of all I
could do. This did not last very long, however, and as soon as I felt the
tugging cease I turned and struck out for the float, which I could see
dimly bobbing up and down over the sunken hull.

"The 'Merrimac's' masts were plainly visible, and I could see the heads of
my seven men as they followed my example and made for the float also. We
had expected, of course, that the Spaniards would investigate the wreck,
but we had no idea that they would be at it as quickly as th