the task of attaching the fuses to
them. He was obliged to work by the sense of touch alone, as he dared
not, of course, use a light of any description. By the time that he had
finished his preparations the _Janequeo_ had almost reached the northern
end of the mole, and the moment was at hand for the great attempt to be
made. Douglas now lessened speed still further, for he did not quite
know what shape the defences to the harbour would take. He anticipated
that there would almost certainly be a number of floating mines to pass
through; and it was more than likely that a patrol of the place might be
maintained by launches steaming with their lights out.

A few minutes later the adventurers arrived abreast the northern end of
the mole, and were made aware of the fact by a slight diminution of the
pitchy blackness caused by the wall of the mole being left on their
starboard quarter. The light on the pierhead was, of course,
extinguished while hostilities were in progress; for the Peruvians were
much too sensible to leave any beacon by which an enemy might easily
make the mouth of the harbour. Jim could now see the forest of spars
belonging to the ships which he had come to destroy outlined against the
luminous haze formed by the lights of the town, although his own little
craft was shrouded in dense blackness; and he ordered the man at the
wheel to port his helm a few spokes, upon which the _Janequeo_ turned
gradually to starboard until she came abreast of the harbour entrance,
which was only about two hundred feet in width. He then stopped his
engines altogether, and, when the torpedo-boat had come to a standstill,
he proceeded to listen with all intentness for suspicious sounds. But
everything was as still as the grave, and Douglas began to hug to
himself the conviction that events seemed to be turning out fortunately.
He could hear no sounds aboard the Peruvian warships; and there was no
sign of any patrol launches being about. Having, therefore, taken all
the precautions in his power, he started his engines once more and went
ahead, dead slow, turning to starboard until the _Janequeo's_ bows
pointed straight for the harbour entrance. Nearer and nearer she stole,
while her crew waited in readiness for action, every muscle tense and
quivering with anticipation and excitement. The bombs had been ranged
in two lines of six each, one on the port and one on the starboard side,
so that there would be no need to ca