er.

"Crash! crash! went our guns, and suddenly, when within ten yards of
the ship, the splashes ceased. The man at the gun had been killed. We
were saved temporarily, but still the enemy was fighting for dear
life. Both destroyers were trying their best to sink us; we refused to
go down. Suddenly the pin of number four gun dropped out and it was
necessary to remove the breach block and find the pin. It was all done
quietly, quickly, but the nervous strain was awful. We were now within
five hundred yards of the Furor, firing; sometimes at her and
sometimes at the Pluton. At this point the New York went speeding by
and cheered us as she passed. Gradually the Pluton's guns became
silent, and it was evident that she was in distress. She was making
for the shore.

"Suddenly there was a great flash aboard her, a mass of steam rose
into the air, and she had exploded, probably in the engine room. Later
we learned that a shot had passed clear through her boilers. A great
cheer went up from the Gloucester's crew. But what was the Furor
doing? Coming toward us? It was the last act of desperation. Again the
starboard battery had come into use. There was no time to be lost;
either we must sink the Furor or she would sink us.

"Our fire was redoubled. It was too fierce; no vessel could stand it.
Still continuing on the circle, with a starboard helm, the Furor
turned away from us toward Morro. But we kept up our heart-breaking
fire. Like a stag, the boat turned again and made for her companion,
which was now lying on her side amid the breakers, endeavoring, to
escape us, but in vain; and, still turning, she made weakly toward us
again. Then the truth dawned upon us; she was unmanageable, and was,
simply moving in a circle, with a jammed helm. The battle was at an
end.

"But our work was by no means over. We had spent two hours in
slaughtering our friends who had crossed the sea to meet us, and we
now spent twelve hours in rescuing the survivors."

[Illustration: Lieut.-Commander Wainwright.]

The Gloucester was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Wainwright, a
most gallant and plucky officer. He was the executive officer of the
battleship Maine when she was blown up in Havana harbor shortly before
the war began. His fight with the "destroyers" was one of the bravest
deeds ever recorded in naval history. After rescuing Admiral Cervera
from the water, he placed his cabin at his disposal, did everything to
make him comfortable, an