the three
deserted men on the _Huascar_!

Jim took one hasty look round and then, putting his hands above his
head, plunged downward into the sea, and began to strike out after his
own ship. A few bullets splashed harmlessly into the water alongside
him, and then the Peruvians turned their attention to other and larger
prey. The _Huascar_ went ahead once more and, taking a wide circle,
presented her stem once more at the unfortunate _Esmeralda_. Jim then
recognised that the sloop was doomed, and that it would be of no use for
him to strive to regain her. It would be better to endeavour to reach
the _Covadonga_, should she still be afloat, and he looked round to see
whether he could see her.

To his great surprise, even as he was looking for her, he heard a shout
and saw the gunboat heading directly for him, with the _Independencia_
in hot pursuit. Carlos Condell, seeing the fate of his consort, and
realising that he was hopelessly outmatched, had evidently determined to
retreat while his engines were still intact; and the _Covadonga_ was now
heading out of the bay at full speed to the southward.

For a moment Douglas thought that the ship would run over him, but a
second glance showed him that it was evidently Condell's intention to
try to pick him up. As the _Covadonga_ approached, her captain sent his
engines hard astern, checking the vessel's speed sufficiently to allow
of Jim being picked up by a rope which, already noosed, was cleverly
thrown to him.

Although the lad thought that his body must certainly be torn in half by
the strain upon the rope, he was safely hauled aboard and deposited on
deck, whereupon Captain Condell again sent his engines ahead at full
speed and resumed his flight. Jim was soon upon his feet again, and
almost before he had fully recovered his breath an officer came up to
him to tell him that Commander Condell wished to see him, in order to
receive a report from him as to what had, up to now, occurred aboard the
_Esmeralda_. Jim therefore made his way to the little conning-tower
where Carlos Condell was directing the fighting of his ship; but before
he had time to enter he saw the final act in the fight between the
_Huascar_ and the _Esmeralda_.

The Peruvian had dashed straight at the sloop and, stopping his engines
when only eighty feet away from her, had struck her fairly on the
starboard broadside, piercing a huge hole in her side, through which the
water poured in catarac