sent a twelve-inch shell in reply. It was one of the best shots of the
war. It struck the Spanish gun fairly, dismounted it, and then burst,
throwing the sand high in the air. The Spanish account of the
engagement stated that no damage whatever was done, except the killing
of one mule!

Great excitement and great anxiety were caused by the news that a
large and powerful fleet was coming from Spain. Our Government could
not tell whether these ships would come to a Spanish port in the West
Indies, or whether they would attack one of our large cities on the
Atlantic coast. We had not ships enough to protect all our ports as
well as to blockade Cuba, so much care was needed to make good plans,
and our naval officers were kept busy. It was most important to watch
for the Spanish ships.

[Illustration: The "Cape Verde" Fleet.]

The "Cape Verde" fleet, as the Spanish ships were called, troubled the
Navy Department of the United States day and night. They knew that it
sailed from the Cape Verde Islands in the latter part of April, but
that was about all they did know regarding it. At last it was seen off
the Island of Martinique and then it was lost again. It was next heard
from at Curacoa, an island in the Caribbean Sea, off the north coast
of Venezuela, but before the American ships could reach it, the
Spanish admiral had coaled and provisioned his ships at Willemstad,
the chief city on the island, and was off again to sea.

[Illustration: U.S. Battleship "Oregon."]

There was some reason to think that the Spanish fleet might catch our