The other duel, between the _Independencia_ and the _Covadonga_, was of a very different nature. The Chilian boat had an English pilot on board and determined to effect by strategy what she could not accomplish by force. She went away along the coast, keeping in the shallower waters, pursued by the _Independencia_. The _Covadonga_ at last found herself near the reefs, touched a rock and stopped, but did not remain fast. The _Independencia_, which was only 200 or 300 yards behind, thought that this was a grand opportunity to ram her, and not knowing the reason of the _Covadonga’s_ sudden stoppage, headed straight for her. Instead of striking the _Covadonga_, she ran on the reef with all her force, and remained hard and fast. The smaller wooden boat then steamed into a favourable position astern of the ironclad where the latter could not bring her great guns to bear, and at short range poured shell after shell into her stern until it was soon blazing fiercely. During the pursuit of the _Covadonga_ the two vessels had exchanged several shots. As usual, the Peruvian gunners, who were untrained, missed nearly every time, and the Chilian gunners, who shot carefully, seldom failed to do damage. This ended the career of the _Independencia_. The _Covadonga_ was sunk by Peruvian torpedoes in September, 1880, off Chancay. The _Huascar’s_ next exploit was in 1879, when she fought the _Almirante Cochrane_ and the _Blanco Encalada_. The _Huascar_ opened fire at 3,000 yards range but inflicted no injury. The _Cochrane_ steamed in and replied at 700 yards with a broadside which made the ironclad shiver from stem to stern, for every shot struck. The _Huascar_ was no match for either of these vessels and certainly not for them both, but she fought on with a grim determination which has made this engagement one of the most memorable on record, and has caused more than one historian to compare it to the famous fight of Sir Richard Grenville’s little _Revenge_, when that intrepid adventurer tackled a Spanish fleet numbering fifty-three vessels, and did not surrender until he himself and nearly all his crew were wounded, and most of the others killed, and his ship was like to sink under him.