e
activity of her crew sufficed to avert disaster, and ship after ship was
overtaken and passed in deadly, ominous silence, for it was George's
intention to make no demonstration until he had overtaken and weathered
the leading ship, when he was determined to administer such a lesson as
should not be readily forgotten.

And at length the fateful moment arrived, about half an hour after the
_Nonsuch_ had slipped her cable and slid away from her anchorage. She
had overtaken and passed every ship but one, and that one was now
approaching her, the two ships being on opposite tacks. It was
difficult, just then, to determine which ship would weather the other;
but as the distance between the two narrowed it presently became
apparent that neither would weather the other, and that a collision was
inevitable, unless one of the two gave way. George issued certain
orders, and then walked forward, climbed the forecastle, that he might
see the better, and intently fixed his gaze upon the approaching ship.
She was then about a point on the lee bow of the _Nonsuch_, and was
steering such a course that, unless one or the other gave way, the
stranger must certainly strike the English ship somewhere between her
stem and foremast, probably bringing down the latter, most certainly
carrying away the bowsprit, and in any case rendering the _Nonsuch_
unmanageable. On she came, a blot of deeper blackness upon the black
background of the night, and it was clear to George that those on board
her were deliberately manoeuvring to strike the English ship. But Saint
Leger had already made his plans, and when presently the space between
the two craft had narrowed until only a few fathoms separated them, and
still there was no sign of the Spanish ship giving way, the young man
put a whistle to his lips and blew a shrill blast, whereupon the helm of
the _Nonsuch_ was put hard up, and as she bore broad away the whole of
her starboard broadside was poured into the approaching ship, within
biscuit-toss, and the discharge was instantly followed by a dreadful
outcry aboard her, mingled with the sound of rending timbers; and as the
two ships drove close past each other it was seen that her foremast had
been shot away. Then, to the amazement of all on board the English
ship, an order in Spanish was shouted, and the next instant a straggling
but heavy musketry fire was opened upon the former from the decks of the
latter, in the midst of which George hail