And now there arose on the night air such a sound of human baffled fury as may have resounded about Babel at the confusion of tongues.

To heighten that confusion, and to scatter disorder among the Spanish soldiery, the Elizabeth emptied her larboard guns into the fort as she was swept past on the swift ebb.
At once realizing--though not yet how--he had been duped, and that his prey was in the very act of escaping after all, the Admiral frantically ordered the guns that had been so laboriously moved to be dragged back to their former emplacements, and commanded his gunners meanwhile to the slender batteries that of all his powerful, but now unavailable, armament still remained trained upon the channel.

With these, after the loss of some precious moments, the fort at last made fire.
It was answered by a terrific broadside from the Arabella, which had now drawn abreast, and was crowding canvas to her yards.

The enraged and gibbering Spaniards had a brief vision of her as the line of flame spurted from her red flank, and the thunder of her broadside drowned the noise of the creaking halyards.

After that they saw her no more.
Assimilated by the friendly darkness which the lesser Spanish guns were speculatively stabbing, the escaping ships fired never another shot that might assist their baffled and bewildered enemies to locate them.
Some slight damage was sustained by Blood's fleet.