But it was too late; for a shell had already
exploded in the engine-room and had penetrated one of the boilers.

Lieutenant Garezon, the sole remaining Peruvian officer, then called a
brief council of war, at which it was resolved to sink the ship rather
than yield; and orders were accordingly sent to MacMahon, the chief
engineer, to open the injection-valves and thus flood the vessel; but
even as the Scotsman set about his task a number of Peruvian seamen ran
forward and waved white cloths and towels, in token of surrender.

The Chilian fire immediately ceased, of course, but the battle was even
yet not quite over, for down below, in the seclusion of the engine-room,
it was not known that the men on deck had surrendered, and the engines
were still kept moving. The Chilians therefore reopened their fire, and
the _Blanco Encalada_ rushed up close alongside the now fast-sinking
monitor, intending to ram her, but was stayed in her deadly purpose by
the exhibition of fresh signals of surrender.

At length a boat, manned by a lieutenant, an engineer, half a dozen
seamen, and four soldiers, was dispatched from the _Cochrane_ to go on
board and take possession of the _Huascar_. They met with no
resistance; and Jim, who, in a boat from the _Blanco_, had also boarded,
at once rushed below, just in time to prevent the Peruvian engineers
from sinking the ship. A little longer delay and he would have been too
late; for the _Huascar_ had already nearly two feet of water over her
engine-room floor when he rushed in, revolver in hand, and many of the
shot-holes in the hull were by that time all but flush with the water's
edge. At the point of his pistol he drove Macmahon and the other
engineers away from the valves and closed them. The battle of Angamos
was over at last. The _Huascar's_ men were then secured, a prize-crew
placed on board, and under escort of the _Almirante Cochrane_ and
_Blanco Encalada_ she went under her own steam into the harbour of
Mejillones, where she was temporarily patched up and rendered more or
less seaworthy.

Two days later the three ships left in company for Valparaiso, where
they arrived on the 14th of October, amid the salutes of the forts and
the frantic cheers of the populace, who were thankful beyond measure to
be freed from the menace of the _Huascar_, which, they had felt, might
attack any of their seaports during the absence of the Chilian fleet.
Commodore Riveros was promoted to be Rear