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The little gunboat Covadonga had also been intended to sail with the squadron, but, as has been seen, she had been too badly damaged in her gallant fight with the Peruvian vessels to permit of her doing so. Mid-day came, but it brought no sign of the commodore; and it was three o'clock in the afternoon before his launch was seen to steam away from the naval steps at the jetty.
The Covadonga very soon ran the Huascar hull-down, and had left the corvette about five miles astern before the latter got the wreckage of her foremast cleared away and resumed her pursuit at full speed; but Condell had improved the shining hour by putting his own little ship to rights, and getting up more powder and shell in readiness for the renewed attack which he knew must come.
The Chilians at once replied with every available gun, and the action instantly became fierce, the Huascar singling out the Esmeralda as her antagonist, while the Covadonga was attacked by the Independencia.
The Covadonga had come up level with the Peruvian monitor, and the Union, being obliged to circle to seaward as she found herself in shoal water, was about three-quarters of a mile astern, although still firing incessantly. Condell gave one last look round and then shouted "Fire!" through the voice-tube which led to the gunboat's little turret.
The tourist will be told that it is Pelayo's tomb, and that of his sister, that are still to be seen in the cave at Covadonga. Perhaps, though no documents or other signs exist to bear out the statement. At any rate, the sepulchres are old, which is their chief merit. The monastical church which stands hard by cannot claim this latter quality; neither is it important as an art monument.
It would be better to endeavour to reach the Covadonga, should she still be afloat, and he looked round to see whether he could see her. To his great surprise, even as he was looking for her, he heard a shout and saw the gunboat heading directly for him, with the Independencia in hot pursuit.
For a moment Douglas thought that the ship would run over him, but a second glance showed him that it was evidently Condell's intention to try to pick him up. As the Covadonga approached, her captain sent his engines hard astern, checking the vessel's speed sufficiently to allow of Jim being picked up by a rope which, already noosed, was cleverly thrown to him.
My cousin" here he turned towards me "this gentleman or, as I must now learn to call him, this most reverend Doctor of Philosophy, Gil Gonsalvez de Covadonga found me some days ago stretched unconscious beside the highroad to Tordesillas, and in two ways has saved my life: first, by conveying me to this hiding-place, for the whole terrain was occupied by Marmont's troops, and I lay there in my scarlet tunic, a windfall for the first French patrol that might pass; and, secondly, by nursing me through delirium back to health of mind and strength of body."
There did not appear to be very much hope for the Covadonga, thought Jim, unless she could somehow manage to disable her antagonists a very unlikely contingency, owing to the smallness of her guns, or unless a Chilian ship should happen to be in the neighbourhood and be attracted to the spot by the sound of the firing which was bound to open in a few minutes.
Jim ran off, as requested, and took charge of the weapon, while the Covadonga, describing a wide curve, wheeled round until she presented her bow to the wrecked Peruvian, and at a distance of about half a mile, began to plump shell right into her stern.
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