warship or a
merchant-vessel. In order to make certain the commander of the _Mindoro_
ordered a turn to starboard, whereupon it was discovered that the
strange ship was an ocean-steamer of about three thousand tons, whose
nationality could not be distinguished at that distance. Still it might
be an auxiliary cruiser from the Japanese merchant service. The
commander of the _Mindoro_ therefore ordered his vessels to clear for
action.

The actions of the strange steamer were followed with eager attention,
and it was seen that she continued her direct northward course. When she
was about five hundred yards to port of the _Mindoro_, the latter
requested the stranger to show her flag, whereupon the English flag
appeared at the stern. Eager for battle, the Americans had hoped she
would turn out to be a Japanese ship, for which, being four against one,
they would have been more than a match; the English colors therefore
produced universal disappointment. Suddenly one of the officers of the
_Mindoro_ drew Parrington's attention to the fact that the whole build
of the strange steamer characterized her as one of the ships of the
"Nippon Yusen Kaisha" with which he had become acquainted during his
service at Shanghai; he begged Parrington not to be deceived by the
English flag. The latter at once ordered a blank shot to be fired for
the purpose of stopping the strange vessel, but when the latter calmly
continued on her course, a ball was sent after her from the bow of the
_Mindoro_, the shell splashing into the water just ahead of the steamer.
The stranger now appeared to stop, but it was only to make a sharp turn
to starboard, whereupon he tried to escape at full speed. At the same
time the English flag disappeared from the stern, and was replaced by
the red sun banner of Nippon.

Parrington at once opened fire on the hostile ship, and in a few minutes
the latter had to pay heavily for her carelessness. Her commander had
evidently reckoned upon the fact that the Americans were not yet aware
of the outbreak of war, and had hoped to pass the gunboats under cover
of a neutral flag. It also seemed unlikely that four little gunboats
should have run the blockade before Manila; it was far more natural to
suppose that these ships, still ignorant of the true state of affairs,
were bound on some expedition in connection with the rising of the
natives. The firing had scarcely lasted ten minutes before the Japanese
auxiliary cruiser, which