THE FIGHT. 279 which he displayed his flag. Captain Cadarso rigging and bulwarks and cheered the Commodore. The burning and sinking Spanish ships were all that was left of the hostile fleet. The shore batteries were silent, and in front of Manila, crowds watched the strangescene.

was about to leave the burning ship, and his son, a lieutenant in the navy, was calling to him to come into his boat,when a shell burst just over the captain's head and killed him on the spot. Montojo's impression was that the American fleet had suffered heavy loss from his fire, and that they weredrawing off to get their wounded ashore,repairdamages, and obtainafresh supply of ammunition from the storeships, which had kept wellout of rangeduring thefight. Indeed, a first message from Manila to Madrid by the stillundamaged cable claimed that a victory had been won forSpain.

Montojo was also accompanied by his son, a naval lieutenant, and the young man, like his father, was wounded by a bursting shell. No soonerhadtheIslade Cubahoisted the admiral's flag than she, and theIsla de Luzon which lay nearher, becamethe centreof the Americanfire. Dewey's fleet had closed in to a range of only 2,000 yards,and wasrunning along the line for the fifth time. Three little torpedo boats dashed out frombehind Cavite and tried to close with the enemy. Such an attack in broad daylight was a piece of heroic madness. They ought to have been lurking in the darkness under Corregidor Island the night before; then they might have done something. As it was, they were destroyed by the American quick-firers before they could come within striking distance. The little wooden gunboat, Isla de Mindanao, ran ashore on the east side of the bay. Shells from the ConcordandPetrelsoon set her on fire, and her crew abandonedher. It is curious to note that her chief engineer was a Scotchman namedMcKinley, the namesake of the American President.

At eleven o'clock the American squadron was again under weigh. It steamed towards Cavite in two lines, one consisting of the Olympia, Baltimore,andConcord,the other of theRaleigh, Boston, and Petrel. At a quarter-past eleven they opened fire on the Sangley Point battery and on Cavite arsenal and fort at long range. TheSpanish reply was slow and feeble,the shells all fallingshort. It wasfor the Americans more like target practice than a battle. Soon a white flag was run up on Cavite. Fire ceased for a few minutes while a launch went in from the fleet to parley with the commandant. He said he did not want to surrender, but only to have time to get the women and children out of Cavite. The American officer answered that hehad no wish to cause useless bloodshed,but that he was determined to destroy the arsenal and what was left of the fleet. Then for awhile Cavite wasleft unmolested, whilethe largerships engaged the Sangley Point battery, and the smaller ships, thePetreland Concord, stood into Bakor Bay,and with their shells set fire to the ships that were scuttled and aground in the shallows. At half-past eleven a heavy shell burst in the battery, sending up a huge column of earth and debris. After this the guns at Sangley were silent. The ships in the bay were all ablaze. Cavite reopenedfire for a few minutes, then about twelve the last shot was fired by the Spaniards, and a few minutes later Dewey signalled to cease firing. The victory was complete. The Spanish Pacific squadron had ceased 1st. And this great success had been cheaply bought. Eightofficers andmenwounded represented the Americaninjury by the Spanish fire. The chief engineer of the despatch-boat McCulloch was dead. He had died of heat apoplexyduring the fight.

The Spanish ships were now in a sad plight. Riddled by the American fire, with their decks strewed with dead and slippery with blood, further resistance was mere useless slaughter. Montojo ran the Isla de Cuba into Bakor Bay, behind Cavite, and signalled to the other ships to follow, and then reluctantly hoisted his last order to his shattered fleet: "Scuttle and abandon yourships." This was about half-past seven. Thecaptains took away with them the breechpieces of the guns so as to make them useless in case the victors recoveredthem, and then 1 their crews, placing the wounded under guard in the villages and marching the rest of their intoManila. -V twenty -five minutes to eight Dewey 'lied to his fleet to draw off out of action and give the men breakfast. They had gone the fight after having taken only a cup of . and the crews were well-nigh exhausted with the heat, toil, and excitement of the cannonade, which had lasted for nearly two One by one the ships steamed past the flagship and out into the open water of Manila and as each went by. her crew crowded I The Spaniards had lost some eight hundred men. No praise could be too high for their