Then he wheeled about and with leveled weapon, added:
“I will kill the first man who attempts to lay a finger on me!”
General Yozarro and his officers showed more promptitude than would have been expected. Seeing that a conflict was inevitable, they set out to win by their own quickness. Their armament was heavier than that of the American yacht,—that is to say, though his pieces carried smaller missiles, he had two of them, while that of the Warrenia was a brass saluting twelve-pounder.
The port gun was slewed around and pointed at the other craft, now within twenty-five yards, and in a twinkling it bore fairly.
“Fire!” shouted the excited General, too savage to regard the usual preliminaries.
Major Starland shuddered, for he saw the gun seemingly directed true and knew it must do great destruction on his yacht. The gunner snapped the lanyard, but a dull click followed and there was no discharge.
General Yozarro uttered an oath and Captain Ortega called from the pilot house:
“That is the one which was not loaded!”
Jack Starland had forgotten the fact in the flurry of the moment. He smiled and looked across at his own boat. Captain Winton did not throw away a second. He signalled to the engine room, quickly veered, and the brass twelve-pounder was pointed fairly at the tug. Meantime, by working frantically, the gunners quickly loaded the piece on the Atlamalcan craft and swung it around to bear on the other.