To
heighten that confusion, and to scatter disorder among the Spanish
soldiery, the Elizabeth emptied her larboard guns into the fort as
she was swept past on the swift ebb.
At once realizing - though not yet how - he had been duped, and that
his prey was in the very act of escaping after all, the Admiral
frantically ordered the guns that had been so laboriously moved to
be dragged back to their former emplacements, and commanded his
gunners meanwhile to the slender batteries that of all his powerful,
but now unavailable, armament still remained trained upon the
channel. With these, after the loss of some precious moments, the
fort at last made fire.
It was answered by a terrific broadside from the Arabella, which had
now drawn abreast, and was crowding canvas to her yards. The enraged
and gibbering Spaniards had a brief vision of her as the line of
flame spurted from her red flank, and the thunder of her broadside
drowned the noise of the creaking halyards. After that they saw her
no more. Assimilated by the friendly darkness which the lesser
Spanish guns were speculatively stabbing, the escaping ships fired
never another shot that might assist their baffled and bewildered
enemies to locate them.
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