on serious. Three of the Spanish ships were on
fire, and the Boston had also broken out in flames. The Olympia had
not enough ammunition to continue the fight two hours longer. Our
ships were far from home, and could not get a supply of ammunition in
less than a month's time. There was good reason to think that the
Spanish forts were well supplied.

The Spaniards thought, when our ships drew away from the shore, that
the Americans had been overcome and were leaving in order to bury
their dead. They found themselves sadly mistaken.

Our men, strengthened by the rest and a breakfast of bread and cold
meat, started again to battle a little before eleven o'clock. Soon
several of the Spanish ships were on fire, and some of them sank.
After the Spanish fleet had been destroyed, some of our ships attacked
the forts on the shore and made them surrender. At five minutes after
one o'clock the Spaniards hauled down their flag.

The Spaniards did many brave things that day, and fought desperately,
but they were not good marksmen. They did not aim their guns well.
They lost eleven ships, and had many men killed and wounded. Our ships
were not much injured, only seven of our men were wounded, and none
were killed.

When our ships drew together after the battle, and our men found that
they had suffered so little, and that no one had been killed, they
knew not how to control their feelings. Some of them cried like little
children. But such tears are not childish. It is said that when the
Spanish forts gave the signal of surrender, Commodore Dewey turned
to his officers near him, and said: "I've the prettiest lot of men
that ever stepped on shipboard, and their hearts are as stout as the
ships."

[Illustration: The Destroyed Spanish Fleet.]

You must notice that the city of Manila had not been taken in this
battle. We shall see later about its surrender. But the battle of
Manila Bay was one of the most remarkable naval battles ever fought.

When Commodore Dewey received his orders to "capture or destroy" the
Spanish fleet, that was known to be somewhere about the Philippine
Islands, the Asiatic squadron, as his ships were called, was lying in
the harbor of Hong Kong, which is an English port. After the blowing
up of the Maine, which occurred in February, you will remember, he
began to put his ships in the very best possible condition for a war
with Spain, which he and his officers now thought inevitable. Every
emergency was pro