As the flames shot up, they revealed the Xenophon slowly and carefully feeling her way into the bay. Not a shot was fired, for she was still far away.
Thus the night wore on. Day began to dawn slowly, and as the first light fell on bay and sea it revealed the dread enemy lying like a monster sea-bird in the bay, not a mile away.
The Xenophon was in no hurry to commence. She had her prey so that there was no possible chance of escape, and the officers and men ate breakfast and walked about the deck, talking and joking on the work before them. Through a powerful glass, which Captain Lane furnished him, Fernando recognized Captain Snipes standing on the quarter deck, smoking a cigar.
Fernando had the guns loaded and shotted. They were sighted and ready when the Xenophon should take the initiative.
"Say, Capen, dat Britisher doan git dis chile no more," said Job. "I can't find my real massa, but, by golly, I've saved up fifty dollars to buy a new one, 'fore I go for to be a Britisher agin."
Before Fernando could answer, Sukey came running along the breastwork and said:
"Fernando! Fernando--he is there! Captain Snipes is aboard that ship!"
Sukey's face was deathly white, and his fingers convulsively clutched the air as if grasping at an imaginary throat.
Fernando was standing on the parapet, when a wreath of smoke curled up from the ship's side, followed by the boom of a heavy gun, and a ball came whizzing through the air, and struck the breastwork.
It was nine minutes after ten o'clock when the first shot was fired. This shot was the signal for a broadside, and a shower of balls with three or four shells came screaming through the air striking the walls of the fort, or exploding over it. One of the shells buried itself in the sand but a few feet from Fernando, and burst, scattering sand and gravel over him.