As the lads watched the one-sided contest, two shafts of light darted from the monitor; the search-light from the fort from its size and greater illuminating power concealed the commencement of the war-ship’s less powerful lights, but upon the forts two round white spots traveled slowly along, and where they rested the midshipmen could see distinctly the gun emplacements and the great gun tubes protruding from the protecting rock and earth. In a terrible suspense those on the launch held their breath, while the heavy turrets, plainly visible in the light from the forts, swung around slowly; then the gun muzzles were raised and pointed steadily at the two white spots, the end of the search-light rays. After a terrible suspense, two great tongues of flame leaped far out over the river and a dull boom shook the air. “Fine shots!” Phil exclaimed joyfully as he saw the earth on two of the emplacements rise in the air as if a magazine had exploded underneath it. Again the monitor spoke angrily with her great twelve-inch guns, and again within the illumination the eager watchers saw masses of earth fly high in the air as the half ton shells exploded on the very parapets of the Chinese forts. “She’s turning!” Sydney exclaimed. Sure enough, the “Monterey” was swinging her bow away from the enemy. Not understanding the meaning of this treatment, the war-ship was circling to return down the river, out of range of the formidable forts. The search-light of the fort held steadily upon the retreating war-ship, but those of the “Monterey” had been extinguished. The fort guns, for the time silenced by the straight shooting of their enemy, now reopened with renewed energy. But the monitor, as if unconscious of the rain of shell about her, turned in silence, her flag waving proudly at the mast-head, and started down river. “Head over for her!” Phil ordered. With relief and satisfaction, the Americans saw that now after the monitor had turned, the Chinese gunners were shooting wildly. All the shots were falling aimlessly short of the retreating war-ship. But still the search-light ray clung tenaciously, as if it feared the monitor once out of the vision of its bright eye would take wings and fly away. Suddenly from the monitor’s after turret belched forth a single flash. Those on the launch watched in excited admiration to see the burst of flame on the ramparts of the fort, but instead, high above the guns, above even the search-light mounted at the very top of the hill, a jet of flame, a living ball of fire, cleft the darkness; a second later and the monitor had faded from sight. “Shrapnel,” Phil exclaimed intensely, as the sound of the explosion reached his ears; “that search-light is out of business for the present.” Then he realized that the launch and the “Monterey” were rapidly approaching each other on converging courses.