batteries arranged in crescent form round the shores of the bay. At the
extreme south-west point of land, between the bays of Callao and
Miraflores, stood the strongest Peruvian battery, called the Dos de
Mayo, which had only very recently been constructed. This contained two
20-inch M.L. Rodman guns, mounted on United States service iron
carriages; and these formidable weapons commanded nearly seven-eighths
of the horizon. Tarapoca battery, which faced due south over Chorillos
bay, contained two 15-inch Dahlgren guns, as also did Pierola battery,
facing Callao bay. Next to Pierola came the Torre del Merced, a
revolving turret mounting two 10-inch rifled Armstrongs. Then came a
brick fort called the Santa Rosa, containing two 11-inch rifled Blakely
guns. The Castle, a very old and ruinous structure, the only strength
of which consisted of two masonry towers, had four 11-inch rifled
Blakelies. Seven large-bore guns were mounted on the mole, together
with two small and very ancient 32-pounders. At the north end of the
town itself was Fort Ayacucho, containing one 15-inch Dahlgren and one
11-inch Blakely. Then came another revolving turret, with two 10-inch
Armstrongs; and finally a sand-bag battery, named the Rimac, which
mounted four 15-inch Dahlgren muzzle-loaders.
It will thus be seen that the Chilian fleet would have all its work cut
out if it meant to take the port of Callao, as the first step toward the
capture of the capital, Lima.
By April 20 all the foreign merchant ships had gone away, and all the
foreign warships had moved out of the line of fire and taken up their
position off the mouth of the Rimac River, about two miles to the
northward of the port of Callao.
It was half-past one o'clock p.m. on the eventful day of April 22 when
Admiral Riveros hoisted a signal on the _Blanco Encalada_ for the fleet
to weigh anchor and stand over toward the batteries in readiness to
engage; and a few moments later the clatter of chain-cables was heard,
as the men-o'-war got their anchors. The _Pilcomayo_, gunboat, was the
first to move, and she took up a position north of the middle of the
bay; Jim's recent command, the cruiser _Angamos_, being next in line;
with the _Huascar_ at the south-west extremity. The flagship, to the
intense annoyance of her crew, was held in reserve; but the men would
not have grumbled at their enforced idleness had they but known of what
was in store for some of them. Jim, in particular, was never tired of
speculating as to what was the mysterious service which Riveros had
hinted his intention of employing him upon, and longed for an
opportunity which would enable him to distinguish himself.
He was roused from his somewhat moody reverie by the boom of a great
gun, and, looking up, he saw a cloud of white smoke hanging over the
_Huascar_, which had been the first ship to fire, while a brilliant
flash of flame on board the monitor _Atahualpa_ showed where the death-
dealing shell had struck and exploded. The _Angamos_ and the
_Pilcomayo_ were not slow in chiming in, and presently the air fairly
vibrated with the concussion of heavy guns; for the Peruvians were now
replying with their seventeen large-bore guns mounted in the batteries,
assisted by the pivot-guns of the _Union_ and several large smooth-bore
guns from some of the obsolete ships behind the mole or stone pier.
The _Blanco Encalada_ was theoretically beyond the range of any of the
enemy's guns; and although several shells exploded in the air near her,
she was never at any time in the least danger, and Jim Douglas, with his
chum Terry, had a splendid opportunity of witnessing a bombardment at
close quarters without taking any risks. But both of them were so
unappreciative of this immunity that they would have infinitely
preferred their ship to be in the thick of the fighting, instead of
lying safely out of range as she was.
But presently the Chilians found that it was almost impossible to hit
the shipping behind the mole from the position which they had taken up,
and as Admiral Riveros' principal desire was to annihilate the Peruvian
navy, and thus render Peru harmless at sea, he signalled for the
_Huascar_ to move closer in, and to take up a position more to the
north-eastward. The signal was acknowledged, and presently the monitor
lifted her anchor and stood over still closer to the mole, maintaining a
terrific fire as she went, and receiving a 20-inch Dahlgren shell on her
water-line as some slight return for the damage that she was inflicting.
But luckily she was well provided with water-tight bulkheads, or
nothing could have saved her, for the sea poured into her in tons
through the huge hole which the shell had made in her side.
Nothing daunted, however, her captain, Carlos Condell--the man who had
fought the _Covadonga_ so splendidly, and been promoted through several
ships to the _Huascar_--continued to stand on until he had approached to
within a mile of the mole, when he dropped his anchor and opened a still
more furious and destructive fire upon the Peruvian ships. One well-
aimed shell set the _Union_ on fire, and for a few minutes Jim and his
chum--together with every other man in the Chilian navy, for that
matter--thought and hoped that the famous ship had run her course. But
Villavicencio was, as has already been seen, a man of resource and
energy, and in half an hour he had the fire under control.
Not so fortunate was the school-ship _Maranon_. Although old, she was
armed with the newest weapons for the instruction of naval men in
gunnery, and though these guns were of small calibre, and therefore of
little use against the thick armour of the ironclad, she steamed out
from behind the mole and replied heroically to the _Huascar's_ fire,
killing twelve men who were working the monitor's machine-guns, jamming
one of the turret-tracks, cutting one of the anchor cables, and nearly
wrecking the _Huascar's_ new foremast which had been put in at
Valparaiso, before one of the ironclad's 10-inch shells burst in her
hold and blew the bottom clean out of her.
"By George, Terry," exclaimed Jim enthusiastically, "did you ever see
such a plucky fight? Why, the school-ship has given the _Huascar_ a
thoroughly nasty mauling! I expect the Peruvians feel more than a bit
sore at seeing the ship which used to be the pride of their fleet in
Chilian hands. _Caramba_! but the _Maranon_ is sinking lower in the
water every second; she will be gone in less than five minutes. I hope
those brave fellows will be able to get out of her before she goes, for
the bay is simply swarming with sharks! Look at the black dorsal fins
of the beggars playing round the old _Blanco_! It's enough to make a
fellow sick to think of those gallant chaps being torn to pieces by such
monsters as these. Ah! I am glad to see that Condell has ceased firing
to allow those Peruvian launches which are just coming out to pick up
the survivors. Too late! too late!" he groaned, a second or two later;
"there she goes already! Why, the whole bottom must have been blown
clean out of her for her to sink in that short time!"
The launches held back for a few seconds to avoid being caught in the
vortex caused by the sinking ship, and then dashed forward to the
rescue. They saved a good many, but if Jim had but been close enough he
would have seen that his prophecy with regard to the sharks had proved
only too true; for the voracious monsters, darting hither and thither,
snapped up the unfortunate men before the very eyes of the comrades who
were straining every nerve to save them, the fierce fish sometimes
leaping half their length out of the water in their furious efforts to
snatch their prey back even when the man had been hauled up on to the
boat's gunwale.
The two lads were fortunately spared a close view of this harrowing
sight, and their attention was speedily diverted from the catastrophe by
a further commotion behind the mole, when, looking through their
glasses, they saw that the Peruvians, encouraged apparently by the
damage wrought by the _Maranon_, had got a couple of tugs alongside the
old monitors _Manco Capac_ and _Atahualpa_, and were towing them out
close to the _Huascar_; their ironclad sides being more capable of
resisting the latter's shells than the _Maranon's_ wooden hull.
Directly the Chilians perceived this new move, the _Angamos_ and
_Pilcomayo_ stood in to the support of their consort, and in a very few
minutes Jim beheld the somewhat rare spectacle of a close fleet action
in which the sides were well matched, for the two Peruvian monitors were
of about equal strength to the three Chilian warships. The thunder of
the cannon now became deafening, and Callao bay was positively flecked
with white by the hundreds of ricochetting shells and solid shot; while
even at the distance of four miles the boys could see, through their
telescopes, the ships' hulls reel and quiver under the frightful impact
of the shot and shell.
But the combat did not last very long, for the merciful darkness came
down about an hour after the monitors had been towed out, and put an end
to the action. The signal for recall was hoisted aboard the _Blanco
Encalada_, the firing gradually ceased, the _Huascar, Angamos_, and
_Pilcomayo_ got their anchors, and shortly after nightfall the whole
Chilian fleet was once more anchored safely under the lee of San Lorenzo
island.
These tactics and the bombardment of Callao continued day after day, and
the port seemed to be as far from surrendering as it was when they
began; but the Chilians found, after the first few days, that it was
necessary to lay down permanent moorings under San Lorenzo Island and
buoy them, so that the fleet could leave its berth every night at dusk,
and return when morning dawned. This was because of the fact that the
Peruvians had constructed several fast torpedo-boats which prowled round
the fleet after dark and attempted to torpedo the vessels composing it;
and also to avoid the peril of the floating mines which the enemy put
into the water at the mouth of the harbour and allowed to drift down
upon the Chilian vessels with the tide.
The flagship had, in particular, been made the objective of several of
these torpedo attacks; and it was this fact which put into the head of
the admiral a scheme which he had now been turning over in his mind for
some days past.
On the 8th of May a meeting of officers was convened in Admiral Riveros'
cabin on board the flagship; and Jim was one of the officers present.
It was about seven o'clock in the evening, and darkness had already
closed in, the fleet then steaming, in double column of line abreast, on
and off, about two miles to seaward of their anchorage. As soon as all
the Chilian officers had come aboard Riveros took his seat at the head
of the cabin table, and straightway plunged into business.
"As you are aware, gentlemen," he began, "we have now been lying before
Callao for nearly three weeks; and, despite our best endeavours, the
town still remains untaken, and the way to Lima is still closed to us.
This cannot be permitted to continue very much longer; for we are
running short of provisions and coal, while the ships' bottoms are
getting so foul that, should the need for fast steaming arise, we should
find that the vessels are incapable of making their top speed by at
least two or three knots. If we are compelled to raise the blockade of
the place so that we may put ourselves in order, the Peruvians will
naturally avail themselves of the opportunity to throw cargoes of arms,
ammunition, and provisions into the place; and thus, upon our return,
all our work will need to be done over again. Therefore, it is out of
the question for us to think of raising the blockade before Callao has
fallen; and it appears to me that the principal obstacle in the way of
our bringing that to pass is the presence of those Peruvian ships lying
behind the mole. We have proved that it is impossible to reduce the
port by gun-fire alone; a general assault, therefore, seems to be the
only alternative left us; and a general assault is equally impossible in
the face of the hurricane of shot and shell which those ships are, as we
have already seen, capable of discharging.
"Therefore, as you will doubtless have gathered from my remarks,
gentlemen, it will be necessary for us to destroy those ships, and that
soon. The question is, how are we to do it? So long as they remain
where they are, they are safe from our guns, for they are all protected
by the mole. I have therefore summoned you aboard the flagship with the
object of ascertaining whether any of you have any plans or suggestions
to offer for the solution of the difficulty. If so, I shall be very
glad to hear them."
For a considerable time there was silence in the cabin, everybody
seeming to be busily engaged in the endeavour to evolve a plan whereby
the admiral's difficulty might be overcome; but at length Jim, who had
been cogitating profoundly, with his head between his hands, looked up
and inquired whether Riveros happened to possess a chart of Callao
harbour. As it happened there was one ready to hand; and a few seconds
later Douglas was poring over it by the light of the cabin lamp, with a
pencil and a pair of compasses in his hand.
Meanwhile several of the Chilian officers now began to propound schemes,
each of which was promising enough--up to a certain point, at which
somebody was certain to point out an insurmountable difficulty. One
suggested a concerted attack by the entire Chilian squadron; but this
was manifestly impossible, in face of the enormously powerful guns which
the Peruvians could bring to bear. Another put forward the suggestion
that an assault could be delivered in the rear of the town, by landing a
number of seamen and marines in Chorillos bay. But Chorillos bay was
open to the full "run" of the Pacific Ocean, and upon nearly every day
throughout the year there was such a terrific surf on the beach that a
landing by means of small boats would be impossible.
Presently Jim looked up from the chart which he had been studying, and
remarked quietly:
"I think, sir, I can manage the business; but it will probably involve
the destruction of a torpedo-boat, her crew, and myself! As regards
myself, I am perfectly willing to take the risk; but it is for you to
say whether you will spare the torpedo-boat, and I suppose it will be a
question of calling for volunteers if you should decide to allow me to
try my experiment."
"Let us hear what you have to propose, Senor Douglas," said the admiral,
"and we shall then be the better able to decide whether your scheme is
sufficiently promising to justify me in risking the loss of--or rather,
by your own showing, throwing away--a torpedo-boat and her entire crew.
Such a loss would of course be a small price to pay for the achievement
of our object; but you must convince me that there is at least a
possibility of success before I can consent to what you may have to
suggest." Whereupon the young Englishman described in detail what he
purposed doing.
When he had finished Riveros sat back in his chair and stared fixedly at
the ceiling for some minutes while he drummed upon the table with his
fingers. The other officers seated round the cabin seemed divided into
two parties, one party sunk in deep thought, while the other stared at
the young man as though he had taken leave of his senses.
Then presently Riveros brought his fist down upon the table with a
clatter that made everybody start. "By Jove! young man," he exclaimed,
"you shall try your scheme; and if you are successful--of which,
however, I have very grave doubts, let me tell you--I believe I can
promise that there is nothing that Chili will not do for you.
_Caramba_! but it is a brilliant as well as a daring idea; what say you,
gentlemen? Yes, Senor Douglas, you shall have the torpedo-boat
_Janequeo_, and with her everything that you require. As for a crew, I
cannot _order_ men to go on such an expedition as you contemplate, but I
believe that if you call for volunteers you will get your complement.
At least, I hope so, for the honour of the Chilian navy. Now when do
you propose to make your attempt?"
"Well, sir," replied Douglas, "I am afraid that I shall require all to-
night and all day to-morrow to prepare; but I have very little doubt
that I shall be able to make the attempt to-morrow night."
"Very well, then," said the admiral, rising; "I will not detain you any
longer, Senor Douglas; for, as you have hinted, you will have a good
many preparations to make, and the sooner you are able to carry out your
scheme the better."
Jim wished the admiral good-night, and retired to his own cabin to
snatch, if he could, a few hours' sleep, which might very possibly prove
to be the last he would ever take on earth. He left orders with the
sentry that he was to be called at midnight; and accordingly at that
hour he turned out, washed and dressed, and then made his way to the
magazine, between which and his own cabin, with one or two intervals for
meals, he was busily engaged until four o'clock in the afternoon of the
next day; hearing all the time the thunder of the heavy guns rolling and
reverberating over his head; for during the last few days the _Blanco
Encalada_ had herself taken part in the bombardment.
As soon as he had finished his mysterious preparations in the magazine,
he went on deck and spoke a few words to the admiral. The latter
listened, nodded once or twice, and then gave a certain order to the
yeoman of the signals. A few minutes later a stream of brilliant-
coloured flags soared aloft into the now fast-gathering gloom; and it
would have taken a very sharp eye on shore to discern that the signal
was briefly answered by a man on board the _Janequeo_, who waved a small
yellow flag.
In another half-hour it had become too dark to continue the bombardment,
and the usual signal of recall was made from the flagship; in response
to which the furious cannonading ceased, and the ships drew away over to
San Lorenzo Island, where they always assembled prior to going to sea
for the night. Then, with the flagship and the _Huascar_ leading the
double line, the fleet steamed away into the offing until they were
hidden from the sight of Callao behind San Lorenzo Island. But here, in
response to a signal, the fleet anchored, thus departing from its usual
custom of cruising to and fro during the hours of darkness.
But even before the ships had lost their way prior to dropping their
anchors, the _Janequeo_ was seen to sheer out of her place in the line;
and presently she raced up alongside the _Blanco Encalada_, where she
came to a standstill. The _Blanco's_ side-ladder was then lowered, and
Jim went down it on to the small craft's deck. Then a number of seamen
took their places on the accommodation-ladder, one on every step, from
the top to the bottom, and a group of Chilians likewise formed up on the
_Janequeo's_ deck.
Then a man made his appearance at the _Blanco's_ gangway, carrying
something heavy, which he handled with quite exceptional care. This
object he handed to the man at the top of the ladder, who passed it to
the next man, and so on until it reached the _Janequeo_, when it was
taken aboard and stowed away below with every sign of the utmost
precaution. This process was repeated again and again, until a dozen of
the mysterious packages had been placed on board; when, in profound
silence, the torpedo-boat sped away from the flagship, to visit each of
the other craft of the squadron in turn; receiving two men from one,
half a dozen from another, and so on, until her complement was complete.
All her lights were then extinguished, and she slid off into the
darkness without a sound. There was no cheering from the fleet, not
even so much as a shout of "Farewell!" but in his heart every man in
every ship silently wished success to the daring young Englishman and
his crew. The _Janequeo_ was out of sight in half a minute; and when
she had vanished the squadron got under way once more, and continued its
usual nightly cruise on and off the port; while Admiral Riveros,
standing on the navigating bridge, strained his ears in an attempt to
catch the sounds which should tell him that Jim's effort had been
unsuccessful, and that he and his gallant crew were no more.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
JIM IS TAKEN PRISONER.
Douglas's plan was, indeed, a sufficiently daring one; for he had
resolved upon the accomplishment of no less a task than that of blowing
into the air every ship in the Peruvian fleet then lying at Callao; and
to do this he had been obliged to set to work on quite a new system.
The _Janequeo_ was constructed to carry only two spar-torpedoes, and
these, of themselves, were quite insufficient for Jim's purpose. For
the ships would almost certainly be protected by booms to ward off
possible attacks by torpedo-boats; and, should he manage to approach
near enough, the young Englishman would need one torpedo to destroy the
boom, leaving him but one more with which to destroy the ship it had
protected.
But the destruction of a single ship was not sufficient; for to ensure
the subsequent success of the Chilian fleet it was imperative that _all_
should be destroyed. The young man had therefore brought along his
spar-torpedoes for use if necessary; but he had also manufactured a
dozen large bombs which he meant to attach to the ships themselves,
afterwards exploding them by means of a time fuse. By doing this he
hoped to be able to destroy the whole fleet practically simultaneously;
whereas by the spar method, even had he been able to carry a sufficient
number of torpedoes, he would have been obliged to destroy them one
after another; and of course, after the first explosion, the crews of
all the rest would be prepared for him. He also had it in his mind to
use the two spars themselves as a bridge, should he find that the
vessels were protected by booms. Thus, if he could but attach the bombs
undetected, he ought to be able to ensure the annihilation of the entire
Peruvian squadron.
But it was a terribly dangerous service that he had undertaken, for he
had on board the _Janequeo_ enough explosive to destroy twelve ships,
and if but one searching little machine-gun bullet were to strike her
cargo--well, there would be an end of Douglas, his crew, and the
torpedo-boat together. However, neither he nor the brave fellows with
him gave much thought to the danger which they were themselves
incurring; their country needed them, and if it must be so, she should
have them.
Jim had calculated to the utmost nicety the time which he would probably
need in getting through his business, and he had cut each of his fuses
to such a length that the bombs should explode, as nearly as possible,
at the same instant. If he received no check, and remained
undiscovered, well and good; but if he were delayed at all after
lighting the fuse, it would be very bad indeed for the _Janequeo_ and
her crew.
The wheel was in charge of an old quartermaster who knew Callao Bay as
intimately as he did Valparaiso harbour; and as Jim stood beside him in
the tiny shelter, watching him peer through the darkness and ever and
anon give the wheel a slight turn this way or that, he realised that he
had on board most of the elements which go to make up success. Luck was
all that was wanting; and, as fortune is supposed to favour the brave,
Jim had high hopes of bringing his expedition to a successful issue.