“It was a ruse.”
“But what could have been the object?”
“That ship’s manœuvre answers your question,” and the captain pointed to the Mathias Cousino, which was moving slowly toward the provision-laden craft. “The Chileans had not noticed Old John’s floating mine, or having noticed it were suspicious,” he added. “The launch was sent to attract their attention, or to lull their fears by an apparent anxiety to tow the lighter inshore.”
Whether Captain Saunders had surmised correctly or not was never known in Callao; the instructions given the officer in command of the launch were not made public.
Every eye had been turned in the direction of the Chilean cruiser that had left her station, and as she came within a mile of the barge, men on the club balcony climbed on the railings and on tables, that they might see the better, expecting that she would prove a victim to the floating mine. But after a few minutes the Mathias Cousino altered her course, and describing a broad semicircle, returned to her position in the squadron.
“She has set signals!” said Captain Saunders, who had been looking through the telescope.
“And the Blanco is answering!” remarked Señor Cisneros, after sweeping his marine glasses to the right, where the flagship formed one of the wings of the fleet.
“She’s shaping a course for the lighter!” exclaimed the captain, who had swung his telescope around; and then every one looked toward the north, from which point of the compass the big ironclad was lumbering shoreward.
A breeze from the south, blowing somewhat earlier in the day than was usual, had cleared the last shadow of mist away, a cool temperature had prevented the forming of a heat haze, and the eye could discern even trees on San Lorenzo Island.
At the time of exchanging signals the Blanco was about six miles distant from the Mathias Cousino. She moved sluggishly, not over eight knots an hour, for her hull had become foul with the marine growth of the South Pacific; and it was a half hour from the time she left the line before she reached the spot where the cruiser had been. The lighter had moved some two and a half miles from shore, and was still drifting. To reach this craft the big man-of-war had approached so near that even those who had no marine glasses could make out features of her superstructure; while persons sitting at the telescopes counted the number of men stationed on the bridge and on other elevated deck works.