For the first few minutes of the duel, only three of the _Carmania’s_ guns could be brought to bear, but soon by porting a little she was able to bring another gun into action, and some very successful salvoes at once followed. The British gun-layers, firing as coolly as if they had been at practice, were now hitting with nearly every shot, and the vessels were closing one another rapidly, when at about 5,500 yards the new and sinister sound of machine-gun firing began to thread the din of the bursting shells. By this time a well placed enemy shell had carried away the _Carmania’s_ control, so that it was no longer possible for ranges to be given from the bridge to the guns by telephone, and it was evidently the _Cap Trafalgar’s_ intention to disable the bridge entirely, shell after shell hitting its neighbourhood, or only just missing it. It was at once clear to those on board that if the enemy’s machine-gun could now get the range, the guns and ammunition parties on the unprotected decks of the _Carmania_ would be inevitably mown down. The order was therefore given to port, and the _Carmania_ wore away in order to increase the range. This brought the enemy astern and another of the _Carmania’s_ guns into action, and for a brief moment she had five guns bearing upon the _Cap Trafalgar_. Still porting, however, the guns on that side ceased to fire, and the turn came for the starboard gunners to take their hand. The enemy now also ported, and as she did so, it became clear that she was visibly listing to starboard; she had already been set on fire foreward, but this fire seemed to have been extinguished. [Illustration: THE “CARMANIA” APPROACHING TRINIDAD (“Cap Trafalgar” to the right)] [Illustration: ONE OF THE “CARMANIA’S” GUNS] The _Carmania’s_ gunners, on the soundest principles, were steadily aiming at the _Cap Trafalgar’s_ water line, and there was no doubt that as a result of this policy she was already beginning rapidly to make water. It was by no means, however, the case of the honours resting with one side entirely, and the enemy was constantly registering hits on the _Carmania’s_ masts, ventilators, boats, and derricks, and it is an amazing fact, considering that at one time the range was not more than 1½ miles, that her casualties should have been so few. The _Carmania’s_ gunners were now firing so fast that the paint was blistering off the guns, and at the same time she herself was on fire to an extent that might have proved very serious. The main pipes having been shot away, no water could be got through the hose pipes and brought to play upon this fire, and reliance had therefore to be placed upon water buckets handled under the most difficult conditions of smoke and heat.