There was a block-house and a fort guarding the pier, and because the Spaniards were expected to make a stout resistance, a feint of landing at several places was ordered. Accordingly on the morning of June 21st, the Texas, Captain John Philip, the Scorpion, Captain Adolph Marix, and the Vixen, Captain A. Sharp, went to Cabáñas, a landing-place a few miles west of Santiago; the Eagle, Captain W. H. H. Southerland, and Gloucester, Captain R. Wainwright, to Aguadores; the Helena, Captain W. T. Swinburne, Bancroft, Captain R. Clover, and Hornet, Captain J. M. Helm, to Enseñada de los Altares, and the New Orleans, Captain W. M. Folger, Detroit, Captain T. H. Dayton, Castine, Captain R. M. Berry, and Wasp, Captain A. Ward to Baiquiri. The coal transports were sent to Cabañas to carry out the feint there, but when the real attack on the shore batteries was begun it became apparent that no force of consequence was gathered anywhere to resist a landing. Very little reply was made to our bombardments east of Santiago, and 3,000 men were landed in small boats at Baiquiri the first day without special incident.

However, the Texas in carrying out orders to attack the batteries west of the harbor shelled the Socapa battery, where some modern rifles from the Spanish squadron were mounted. The Spaniards replied, and near the end of the

a vessel, he ordered the port blockaded. The St. Paul, Captain Sigsbee, was chosen, because she was at once a good fighter and swift enough to carry news quickly to Santiago, should that be necessary. She reached her destination on June 22d, and had a fight on hand before the day was over. As told by the War Budget, a periodical printed on the St. Paul, the story

runs :

We came off the port early on the 22d. The weather was fair, the trade wind blowing fresh from the eastward and raising somewhat of a sea. At about 12.40 the third-class cruiser Isabel II., or one of her class, came out and, steaming under the Morro until she was abreast of the batteries, commenced edging out toward us, firing at such a long range that her shots were ineffective. As her purpose evidently was to put us within fire of the batteries we took but little notice of her, lying still and occasionally sending in our largest shell at her to try the range. Soon afterward she dropped to the westward and the torpedo-boat destroyer Terror, or it may have been her sister ship the Furor, was sighted steaming along shore under the batteries. Captain Sigsbee watched her for awhile and worked along with her in order to separate her from the cruiser and keep her in the trough of the sea if she came for us. She then circled to get up speed and headed for us, firing straight as far as direction went, but her shots fell short. When within range of our guns the signal "Commence firing" was made, and for several minutes we let fly our starboard battery at her at from 5,500 to 6,000 yards, the shells striking all around her. This stopped her; she turned her broadside to us, and her fire soon ceased. She then headed inshore to the southward and westward, going slow, and it was evident to all on board that she was crippled, drifting well leeward of the main harbor entrance. Off the Morro she flashed some signals to the shore, and afterward a tug came out and towed her into the harbor.

All this time the cruiser was firing at us, and some of her

shots and those of the Terror fell pretty close. The cruiser followed the Terror back toward the port, and soon afterward was joined by a gun-boat, and the two steamed under the batteries to the eastward. But when the St. Paul, making an inshore turn, seemed to be going for them, they returned to the harbor and we saw no more of them.

"The Spaniards seemed to have settled this whole matter in advance, as they wished to have it, for the townspeople came out on the bluffs to see the Yankee driven off or sunk, and the cruiser flew an ensign at her gaff almost as big as a maintopsail.

"The Isabel is bark rigged and carried four 4.7-inch breechloading rifles, four 2.7-inch breech-loading rifles, eight machine guns, and two torpedo tubes. The Terror has two fourteenpounders, rapid fire; two six-pounders, rapid fire; two onepounders, automatic Maxims, and two torpedo tubes. 220 feet; estimated speed, 28 knots.

Length,

We know that the Terror was struck three times, and that one shot entering the engine-room killed an engineer and fireman. And from what we regard as trustworthy information, we are inclined to think that she was seriously damaged, requiring the assistance of tugs to keep her afloat.”

The story is especially interesting because it shows how well Yankee Jack can write as well as how he can fight-shows the grade of intelligence of our man before the mast. The physical superiority of the Spanish force was great enough to have made victory easy for them, and they were so sure of it that the captain of the Terror made a speech in the plaza of the town before he went out in which he gave the enthusiastic audience the details of his plans for bringing the Yankee into port.

On June 28th the Porto Ricans saw another fight off San Juan, wherein the odds against us