rts. The
sentinels seemed fast asleep.

Some of the ships had passed before the Spaniards waked up. Then a
rocket shot up into the air, and there came a deep boom and a flash of
flame. A shell went whizzing through the darkness over the ships and
plunged into the water beyond.

Some shots were fired back, but in a few minutes it was all over and
Dewey's squadron was safe in Manila Bay. The gallant American sailors
had made their way into the lion's den.

The Bay of Manila is a splendid body of water, running many miles into
the land. The City of Manila is about twenty miles from the harbor's
mouth, and the ships had to go far in before its distant lights were
seen, gleaming like faint stars near the earth.

But it was not the city Dewey was after. He was seeking the Spanish
fleet. When the dawn came, and the sun rose behind the city, he saw
sails gleaming in its light. But these were merchant vessels, not the
warships he had come so far to find.

The keen eyes of the commodore soon saw the ships he was after. There
they lay, across the mouth of the little bay of Cavite, south of the
city, a group of ships-of-war, nine or ten in number.

This brings us to the beginning of the great naval battle of the war.
Let us stop now and take a look around. If you had been there I know
what you would have said. You would have said that the Americans were
sure to win, for they had the biggest ships and the best guns. Yes, but
you must remember that the Spaniards were at home, while the Americans
were not; and that makes a great difference. If they had met out on the
open sea Dewey would have had the best of the game. But here were the
Spanish ships drawn up in a line across a narrow passage, with a fort on
the right and a fort on the left, and with dynamite mines under the
water. And they knew all about the distances and soundings and should
have known just how to aim their guns so as to hit a mark at any
distance. All this the Americans knew nothing about.

When we think of this it looks as if Dewey had the worst of the game.
But some of you may say that the battle will tell best which side had
the best and which the worst. Yes, that's true; but we must always study
our players before we begin our game.

George Dewey did not stop long to think and study. He was there to take
his chances. The minute he saw the Spanish ships he went for them as a
football player goes for the line of his opponents.

Forward went the American