In attempting to fire now upon the Englishman, the Milagrosa and her consort would also be firing into each other.

Too late he ordered his helmsman to put the tiller hard over and swing the ship to larboard, as a preliminary to manoeuvring for a less impossible position of attack.

At that very moment the Arabella seemed to explode as she swept by.

Eighteen guns from each of her flanks emptied themselves at that point-blank range into the hulls of the two Spanish vessels.
Half stunned by that reverberating thunder, and thrown off her balance by the sudden lurch of the ship under her feet, Miss Bishop hurtled violently against Lord Julian, who kept his feet only by clutching the rail on which he had been leaning.

Billowing clouds of smoke to starboard blotted out everything, and its acrid odour, taking them presently in the throat, set them gasping and coughing.
From the grim confusion and turmoil in the waist below arose a clamour of fierce Spanish blasphemies and the screams of maimed men.