from the enemy. _Sirius_ and _Brilliant_ were already past the Stroom
Bank buoy when the wind changed, revealing the arrangements to the
enemy, who extinguished the flares with gunfire.

[Sidenote: The _Sirius_ runs aground.]

The _Sirius_ was already in a sinking condition when at length the two
ships, having failed to find the entrance, grounded, and were forced
therefore to sink themselves at a point about four hundred yards east of
the piers, and their crews were taken off by motor launches.

[Sidenote: Operations cannot be rehearsed.]

The difficulty of the operation is to be gauged from the fact that from
Zeebrugge to Ostend the enemy batteries number not less than 120 heavy
guns, which can concentrate on retiring ships, during daylight, up to a
distance of about sixteen miles. This imposes as a condition of success
that the operation must be carried out at night, and not late in the
night. It must take place at high water, with the wind from the right
quarter, and with a calm sea for the small craft. The operation cannot
be rehearsed beforehand, since the essence of it is secrecy, and though
one might have to wait a long time to realize all the essential
conditions of wind and weather, secrecy wears badly when large numbers
of men are brought together in readiness for the attack.

[Sidenote: The _Vindictive_ makes for Ostend.]

The _Sirius_ lies in the surf some two thousand yards east of the
entrance to Ostend Harbor, which she failed so gallantly to block; and
when, in the early hours of yesterday morning, the _Vindictive_ groped