had at length cleared his eyes of dust and powder he delivered
his message to the captain and was about to leave, but Condell requested
him to remain, saying that he might want to make use of him. Montt was
in the conning-tower, carrying out Condell's orders as to the working of
the engines, while the skipper himself watched carefully through the
narrow observation-slit in the citadel, waiting for the moment when he
might begin to open an effectual fire upon the enemy.

At length the moment arrived. The _Covadonga_ had come up level with
the Peruvian monitor, and the _Union_, being obliged to circle to
seaward as she found herself in shoal water, was about three-quarters of
a mile astern, although still firing incessantly. Condell gave one last
look round and then shouted "_Fire_!" through the voice-tube which led
to the gunboat's little turret. Immediately there came a deafening roar
and a tremendous concussion, as the two 70-pounders hurled forth their
shells at the _Huascar_, and a dense cloud of white smoke drifted down
upon the conning-tower, filling it with acrid fumes and momentarily
blotting out the view.

When it cleared away it was seen that it had been a most lucky
discharge, for one shell had struck full upon the monitor's military
mast, causing it to fall lengthwise along the ship, partly wrecking the
funnel and a number of ventilators, while the other had apparently
penetrated an open gun-port and thus reached some part of the ship's
boiler-room, for columns of steam were seen issuing from every available
opening on the monitor's midship section.

"Load again, men; load again!" cried Douglas, quite forgetting himself
in the excitement of the moment.

"Another discharge like that, and we shall have the fellow completely
crippled. Hurrah for the gallant little _Covadonga_!"

He was recalled to his senses by a short, sharp laugh from Condell, who
remarked, with a grim smile: "Surely, Senor Douglas, you are not going
to take away the command of my ship from me, are you?"

Jim, of course, promptly apologised, explaining that it was owing to the
excitement that he had forgotten himself, but Condell told him to think
no more of it, as it was the sort of spirit that he liked to see a young
man display. There was little time for conversation, however, for the
_Huascar_, as though in revenge for the damage inflicted by her puny
enemy, again discharged her whole broadside--or at least so much of it
as was