The Great War Syndicate

Published：2026-08-01 02:06:38 Source: gift ideas with strategy games for the whole family Author: Fundraising Toys

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE

BY

FRANK R. STOCKTON

Author of "The kids trampolines for 12 year olds under 30 dollarsLady or the Tiger," "Rudder Grange,"
"The Casting Away of Mrs. Lecks and Mrs. Aleshine,"
"What Might Have Been Expected," etc., etc.

THE GREAT WAR SYNDICATE.

In the spring of a certain year, not far from the close of thenineteenth century, when the political relations between the UnitedStates and Great Britain became so strained that careful observers onboth sides of the Atlantic were forced to the belief that a seriousbreak in these relations might be looked for at any time, the fishingschooner Eliza Drum sailed from a port in Maine for the banks ofNewfoundland.

It was in this year that a new system of protection for Americanfishing vessels had been adopted in Washington. Every fleet of thesevessels was accompanied by one or more United States cruisers, whichremained on the fishing grounds, not only for the purpose of warningAmerican craft who might approach too near the three-mile limit, butalso to overlook the action of the British naval vessels on the coast,and to interfere, at least by protest, with such seizures of Americanfishing boats as might appear to be unjust. In the opinion of allpersons of sober judgment, there was nothing in the condition ofaffairs at this time so dangerous to the peace of the two countries asthe presence of these American cruisers in the fishing waters.

The Eliza Drum was late in her arrival on the fishing grounds, andhaving, under orders from Washington, reported to the commander of theLennehaha, the United States vessel in charge at that place, hercaptain and crew went vigorously to work to make up for lost time.They worked so vigorously, and with eyes so single to the catching offish, that on the morning of the day after their arrival, they werehauling up cod at a point which, according to the nationality of thecalculator, might be two and three-quarters or three and one-quartermiles from the Canadian coast.

In consequence of this inattention to the apparent extent of the marinemile, the Eliza Drum, a little before noon, was overhauled and seizedby the British cruiser, Dog Star. A few miles away the Lennehaha hadperceived the dangerous position of the Eliza Drum, and had startedtoward her to warn her to take a less doubtful position. But beforeshe arrived the capture had taken place. When he reached the spotwhere the Eliza Drum had been fishing, the commander of the Lennehahamade an observation of the distance from the shore, and calculated itto be more than three miles. When he sent an officer in a boat to theDog Star to state the result of his computations, the captain of theBritish vessel replied that he was satisfied the distance was less thanthree miles, and that he was now about to take the Eliza Drum into port.

On receiving this information, the commander of the Lennehaha steamedcloser to the Dog Star, and informed her captain, by means of aspeaking-trumpet, that if he took the Eliza Drum into a Canadian port,he would first have to sail over his ship. To this the captain of theDog Star replied that he did not in the least object to sail over theLennehaha, and proceeded to put a prize crew on board the fishingvessel.

At this juncture the captain of the Eliza Drum ran up a large Americanflag; in five minutes afterward the captain of the prize crew hauled itdown; in less than ten minutes after this the Lennehaha and the DogStar were blazing at each other with their bow guns. The spark hadbeen struck.

The contest was not a long one. The Dog Star was of much greatertonnage and heavier armament than her antagonist, and early in theafternoon she steamed for St. John's, taking with her as prizes boththe Eliza Drum and the Lennehaha.

All that night, at every point in the United States which was reachedby telegraph, there burned a smothered fire; and the next morning, whenthe regular and extra editions of the newspapers were poured out uponthe land, the fire burst into a roaring blaze. From lakes to gulf,from ocean to ocean, on mountain and plain, in city and prairie, itroared and blazed. Parties, sections, politics, were all forgotten.Every American formed part of an electric system; the same fire flashedinto every soul. No matter what might be thought on the morrow, or inthe coming days which might bring better understanding, this day theunreasoning fire blazed and roared.

With morning newspapers in their hands, men rushed from thebreakfast-tables into the streets to meet their fellow-men. What wasit that they should do?

Detailed accounts of the affair came rapidly, but there was nothing inthem to quiet the national indignation; the American flag had beenhauled down by Englishmen, an American naval vessel had been fired intoand captured; that was enough! No matter whether the Eliza Drum waswithin the three-mile limit or not! No matter which vessel firedfirst! If it were the Lennehaha, the more honour to her; she ought tohave done it! From platform, pulpit, stump, and editorial office cameone vehement, passionate shout directed toward Washington.

Congress was in session, and in its halls the fire roared louder andblazed higher than on mountain or plain, in city or prairie. No memberof the Government, from President to page, ventured to oppose thetempestuous demands of the people. The day for argument upon theexciting question had been a long weary one, and it had gone by in lessthan a week the great shout of the people was answered by a declarationof war against Great Britain.

When this had been done, those who demanded war breathed easier, butthose who must direct the war breathed harder.

It was indeed a time for hard breathing, but the great mass of thepeople perceived no reason why this should be. Money there was in vastabundance. In every State well-drilled men, by thousands, stood readyfor the word to march, and the military experience and knowledge givenby a great war was yet strong upon the nation.

To the people at large the plan of the war appeared a very obvious anda very simple one. Canada had given the offence, Canada should be madeto pay the penalty. In a very short time, one hundred thousand, twohundred thousand, five hundred thousand men, if necessary, could bemade ready for the invasion of Canada. From platform, pulpit, stump,and editorial office came the cry: "On to Canada!"

At the seat of Government, however, the plan of the war did not appearso obvious, so simple. Throwing a great army into Canada was all wellenough, and that army would probably do well enough; but the questionwhich produced hard breathing in the executive branch of the Governmentwas the immediate protection of the sea-coast, Atlantic, Gulf, and evenPacific.

In a storm of national indignation war had been declared against apower which at this period of her history had brought up her navalforces to a point double in strength to that of any other country inthe world. And this war had been declared by a nation which,comparatively speaking, possessed no naval strength at all.

For some years the United States navy had been steadily improving, butthis improvement was not sufficient to make it worthy of reliance atthis crisis. As has been said, there was money enough, and everyship-yard in the country could be set to work to build ironcladmen-of-war: but it takes a long time to build ships, and England's navywas afloat. It was the British keel that America had to fear.

By means of the continental cables it was known that many of thelargest mail vessels of the British transatlantic lines, which had beenwithdrawn upon the declaration of war, were preparing in British portsto transport troops to Canada. It was not impossible that these greatsteamers might land an army in Canada before an American army could beorganized and marched to that province. It might be that the UnitedStates would be forced to defend her borders, instead of invading thoseof the enemy.

In every fort and navy-yard all was activity; the hammering of ironwent on by day and by night; but what was to be done when the greatironclads of England hammered upon our defences? How long would it bebefore the American flag would be seen no more upon the high seas?

It is not surprising that the Government found its position one ofperilous responsibility. A wrathful nation expected of it more than itcould perform.

All over the country, however, there were thoughtful men, not connectedwith the Government, who saw the perilous features of the situation;and day by day these grew less afraid of being considered traitors, andmore willing to declare their convictions of the country's danger.Despite the continuance of the national enthusiasm, doubts,perplexities, and fears began to show themselves.

In the States bordering upon Canada a reactionary feeling becameevident. Unless the United States navy could prevent England fromrapidly pouring into Canada, not only her own troops, but perhaps thoseof allied nations, these Northern States might become the scene ofwarfare, and whatever the issue of the contest, their lands might beravished, their people suffer.

From many quarters urgent demands were now pressed upon the Government.From the interior there were clamours for troops to be massed on theNorthern frontier, and from the seaboard cities there came a cry forships that were worthy to be called men-of-war,—ships to defend theharbours and bays, ships to repel an invasion by sea. Suggestions wereinnumerable. There was no time to build, it was urged; the Governmentcould call upon friendly nations. But wise men smiled sadly at thesesuggestions; it was difficult to find a nation desirous of a war withEngland.

In the midst of the enthusiasms, the fears, and the suggestions, camereports of the capture of American merchantmen by fast Britishcruisers. These reports made the American people more furious, theAmerican Government more anxious.

Almost from the beginning of this period of national turmoil, a partyof gentlemen met daily in one of the large rooms in a hotel in NewYork. At first there were eleven of these men, all from the greatAtlantic cities, but their number increased by arrivals from otherparts of the country, until at last they, numbered twenty-three. Thesegentlemen were all great capitalists, and accustomed to occupyingthemselves with great enterprises. By day and by night they mettogether with closed doors, until they had matured the scheme whichthey had been considering. As soon as this work was done, a committeewas sent to Washington, to submit a plan to the Government.

These twenty-three men had formed themselves into a Syndicate, with theobject of taking entire charge of the war between the United States andGreat Britain.

This proposition was an astounding one, but the Government was obligedto treat it with respectful consideration. The men who offered it werea power in the land,—a power which no government could afford todisregard.

The plan of the Syndicate was comprehensive, direct, and simple. Itoffered to assume the entire control and expense of the war, and toeffect a satisfactory peace within one year. As a guarantee that thiscontract would be properly performed, an immense sum of money would bedeposited in the Treasury at Washington. Should the Syndicate beunsuccessful, this sum would be forfeited, and it would receive no payfor anything it had done.

The sum to be paid by the Government to the Syndicate, should it bringthe war to a satisfactory conclusion, would depend upon the duration ofhostilities. That is to say, that as the shorter the duration of thewar, the greater would be the benefit to the country, therefore, thelarger must be the pay to the Syndicate. According to the proposedcontract, the Syndicate would receive, if the war should continue for ayear, one-quarter the sum stipulated to be paid if peace should bedeclared in three months.

If at any time during the conduct of the war by the Syndicate anAmerican seaport should be taken by the enemy, or a British forcelanded on any point of the seacoast, the contract should be consideredat an end, and security and payment forfeited. If any point on thenorthern boundary of the United States should be taken and occupied bythe enemy, one million dollars of the deposited security should beforfeited for every such occupation, but the contract should continue.

It was stipulated that the land and naval forces of the United Statesshould remain under the entire control of the Government, but should bemaintained as a defensive force, and not brought into action unless anyfailure on the part of the Syndicate should render such actionnecessary.

The state of feeling in governmental circles, and the evidences ofalarm and distrust which were becoming apparent in Congress and amongthe people, exerted an important influence in favour of the Syndicate.The Government caught at its proposition, not as if it were a straw,but as if it were a life-raft. The men who offered to relieve theexecutive departments of their perilous responsibilities were men ofgreat ability, prominent positions, and vast resources, whose vastenterprises had already made them known all over the globe. Such menwere not likely to jeopardize their reputations and fortunes in a caselike this, unless they had well-founded reasons for believing that theywould be successful. Even the largest amount stipulated to be paidthem in case of success would be less than the ordinary estimates forthe military and naval operations which had been anticipated; and incase of failure, the amount forfeited would go far to repair the losseswhich might be sustained by the citizens of the various States.

At all events, should the Syndicate be allowed to take immediatecontrol of the war, there would be time to put the army and navy,especially the latter, in better condition to carry on the contest incase of the failure of the Syndicate. Organization and constructionmight still go on, and, should it be necessary, the army and navy couldstep into the contest fresh and well prepared.

All branches of the Government united in accepting the offer of theSyndicate. The contract was signed, and the world waited to see whatwould happen next.

The influence which for years had been exerted by the interestscontrolled by the men composing the Syndicate, had its effect inproducing a popular confidence in the power of the members of theSyndicate to conduct a war as successfully as they had conducted othergigantic enterprises. Therefore, although predictions of disaster camefrom many quarters, the American public appeared willing to wait withbut moderate impatience for the result of this novel undertaking.

The Government now proceeded to mass troops at important points on thenorthern frontier; forts were supplied with men and armaments, allcoast defences were put in the best possible condition, the navy wasstationed at important ports, and work at the shipyards went on. Butwithout reference to all this, the work of the Syndicate immediatelybegan.

This body of men were of various politics and of various pursuits inlife. But politics were no more regarded in the work they hadundertaken than they would have been in the purchase of land or ofrailroad iron. No manifestoes of motives and intentions were issued tothe public. The Syndicate simply went to work. There could be nodoubt that early success would be a direct profit to it, but therecould also be no doubt that its success would be a vast benefit andprofit, not only to the business enterprises in which these men wereseverally engaged, but to the business of the whole country. To savethe United States from a dragging war, and to save themselves from theeffects of it, were the prompting motives for the formation of theSyndicate.

Without hesitation, the Syndicate determined that the war in which itwas about to engage should be one of defence by means of offence. Sucha war must necessarily be quick and effective; and with all the forceof their fortunes, their minds, and their bodies, its members went towork to wage this war quickly and effectively.

All known inventions and improvements in the art of war had beenthoroughly considered by the Syndicate, and by the eminent specialistswhom it had enlisted in its service. Certain recently perfectedengines of war, novel in nature, were the exclusive property of theSyndicate. It was known, or surmised, in certain quarters that theSyndicate had secured possession of important warlike inventions; butwhat they were and how they acted was a secret carefully guarded andprotected.

The first step of the Syndicate was to purchase from the United StatesGovernment ten war-vessels. These were of medium size and in goodcondition, but they were of an old-fashioned type, and it had not beenconsidered expedient to put them in commission. This action causedsurprise and disappointment in many quarters. It had been supposedthat the Syndicate, through its agents scattered all over the world,would immediately acquire, by purchase or lease, a fleet of fineironclads culled from various maritime powers. But the Syndicatehaving no intention of involving, or attempting to involve, othercountries in this quarrel, paid no attention to public opinion, andwent to work in its own way.

Its vessels, eight of which were on the Atlantic coast and two on thePacific, were rapidly prepared for the peculiar service in which theywere to be engaged. The resources of the Syndicate were great, and ina very short time several of their vessels, already heavily plated withsteel, were furnished with an additional outside armour, formed ofstrips of elastic steel, each reaching from the gunwales nearly to thesurface of the water. These strips, about a foot wide, and placed aninch or two apart, were each backed by several powerful air-buffers, sothat a ball striking one or more of them would be deprived of much ofits momentum. The experiments upon the steel spring and buffersadopted by the Syndicate showed that the force of the heaviestcannonading was almost deadened by the powerful elasticity of thisarmour.

The armament of each vessel consisted of but one gun, of large calibre,placed on the forward deck, and protected by a bomb-proof covering.Each vessel was manned by a captain and crew from the merchant service,from whom no warlike duties were expected. The fighting operationswere in charge of a small body of men, composed of two or threescientific specialists, and some practical gunners and theirassistants. A few bomb-proof canopies and a curved steel deckcompleted the defences of the vessel.

Besides equipping this little navy, the Syndicate set about theconstruction of certain sea-going vessels of an extraordinary kind. Sogreat were the facilities at its command, and so thorough and completeits methods, that ten or a dozen ship-yards and foundries were set towork simultaneously to build one of these ships. In a marvellouslyshort time the Syndicate possessed several of them ready for action.

These vessels became technically known as "crabs." They were not large,and the only part of them which projected above the water was themiddle of an elliptical deck, slightly convex, and heavily mailed withribs of steel. These vessels were fitted with electric engines ofextraordinary power, and were capable of great speed. At their bows,fully protected by the overhanging deck, was the machinery by whichtheir peculiar work was to be accomplished. The Syndicate intended toconfine itself to marine operations, and for the present it wascontented with these two classes of vessels.

The armament for each of the large vessels, as has been said before,consisted of a single gun of long range, and the ammunition wasconfined entirely to a new style of projectile, which had never yetbeen used in warfare. The material and construction of this projectilewere known only to three members of the Syndicate, who had invented andperfected it, and it was on account of their possession of this secretthat they had been invited to join that body.

This projectile was not, in the ordinary sense of the word, anexplosive, and was named by its inventors, "The Instantaneous Motor."It was discharged from an ordinary cannon, but no gunpowder or otherexplosive compound was used to propel it. The bomb possessed, initself the necessary power of propulsion, and the gun was used merelyto give it the proper direction.

These bombs were cylindrical in form, and pointed at the outer end.They were filled with hundreds of small tubes, each radiating outwardfrom a central line. Those in the middle third of the bomb pointeddirectly outward, while those in its front portion were inclinedforward at a slight angle, and those in the rear portion backward atthe same angle. One tube at the end of the bomb, and pointing directlybackward, furnished the motive power.

Each of these tubes could exert a force sufficient to move an ordinarytrain of passenger cars one mile, and this power could be exertedinstantaneously, so that the difference in time in the starting of atrain at one end of the mile and its arrival at the other would not beappreciable. The difference in concussionary force between a trainmoving at the rate of a mile in two minutes, or even one minute, andanother train which moves a mile in an instant, can easily be imagined.

In these bombs, those tubes which might direct their powers downward orlaterally upon the earth were capable of instantaneously propellingevery portion of solid ground or rock to a distance of two or threehundred yards, while the particles of objects on the surface of theearth were instantaneously removed to a far greater distance. The tubewhich propelled the bomb was of a force graduated according tocircumstances, and it would carry a bomb to as great a distance asaccurate observation for purposes of aim could be made. Its force wasbrought into action while in the cannon by means of electricity whilethe same effect was produced in the other tubes by the concussion ofthe steel head against the object aimed at.

What gave the tubes their power was the jealously guarded secret.

The method of aiming was as novel as the bomb itself. In this processnothing depended on the eyesight of the gunner; the personal equationwas entirely eliminated. The gun was so mounted that its direction wasaccurately indicated by graduated scales; there was an instrument whichwas acted upon by the dip, rise, or roll of the vessel, and whichshowed at any moment the position of the gun with reference to theplane of the sea-surface.

Before the discharge of the cannon an observation was taken by one ofthe scientific men, which accurately determined the distance to theobject to be aimed at, and reference to a carefully preparedmathematical table showed to what points on the graduated scales thegun should be adjusted, and the instant that the that the muzzle of thecannon was in the position that it was when the observation was taken,a button was touched and the bomb was instantaneously placed on thespot aimed at. The exactness with which the propelling force of thebomb could be determined was an important factor in this method ofaiming.

As soon as three of the spring-armoured vessels and five "crabs" werecompleted, the Syndicate felt itself ready to begin operations. It wasindeed time. The seas had been covered with American and Britishmerchantmen hastening homeward, or to friendly ports, before the actualcommencement of hostilities. But all had not been fortunate enough toreach safety within the limits of time allowed, and several Americanmerchantmen had been already captured by fast British cruisers.

The members of the Syndicate well understood that if a war was to becarried on as they desired, they must strike the first real blow.Comparatively speaking, a very short time had elapsed since thedeclaration of war, and the opportunity to take the initiative wasstill open.

It was in order to take this initiative that, in the early hours of aJuly morning, two of the Syndicate's armoured vessels, each accompaniedby a crab, steamed out of a New England port, and headed for the pointon the Canadian coast where it had been decided to open the campaign.

The vessels of the Syndicate had no individual names. Thespring-armoured ships were termed "repellers," and were numbered, andthe crabs were known by the letters of the alphabet. Each repeller wasin charge of a Director of Naval Operations; and the whole naval forceof the Syndicate was under the command of a Director-in-chief. On thismomentous occasion this officer was on board of Repeller No. 1, andcommanded the little fleet.

The repellers had never been vessels of great speed, and their presentarmour of steel strips, the lower portion of which was frequently underwater, considerably retarded their progress; but each of them was takenin tow by one of the swift and powerful crabs, and with this assistancethey made very good time, reaching their destination on the morning ofthe second day.

It was on a breezy day, with a cloudy sky, and the sea moderatelysmooth, that the little fleet of the Syndicate lay to off the harbourof one of the principal Canadian seaports. About five miles away theheadlands on either side of the mouth of the harbour could be plainlyseen. It had been decided that Repeller No. 1 should begin operations.Accordingly, that vessel steamed about a mile nearer the harbour,accompanied by Crab A. The other repeller and crab remained in theirfirst position, ready to act in case they should be needed.

The approach of two vessels, evidently men-of-war, and carrying theAmerican flag, was perceived from the forts and redoubts at the mouthof the harbour, and the news quickly spread to the city and to thevessels in port. Intense excitement ensued on land and water, amongthe citizens of the place as well as its defenders. Every man who hada post of duty was instantly at it; and in less than half an hour theBritish man-of-war Scarabaeus, which had been lying at anchor a shortdistance outside the harbour, came steaming out to meet the enemy.There were other naval vessels in port, but they required more time tobe put in readiness for action.

As soon as the approach of Scarabaeus was perceived by Repeller No. 1,a boat bearing a white flag was lowered from that vessel and wasrapidly rowed toward the British ship. When the latter saw the boatcoming she lay to, and waited its arrival. A note was delivered to thecaptain of the Scarabaeus, in which it was stated that the Syndicate,which had undertaken on the part of the United States the conduct ofthe war between that country and Great Britain, was now prepared todemand the surrender of this city with its forts and defences and allvessels within its harbour, and, as a first step, the immediatesurrender of the vessel to the commander of which this note wasdelivered.

The overwhelming effrontery of this demand caused the commander of theScarabaeus to doubt whether he had to deal with a raving lunatic or ablustering fool; but he informed the person in charge of theflag-of-truce boat, that he would give him fifteen minutes in which toget back to his vessel, and that he would then open fire upon thatcraft.

The men who rowed the little boat were not men-of-war's men, and wereunaccustomed to duties of this kind. In eight minutes they had reachedtheir vessel, and were safe on board.

Just seven minutes afterward the first shot came from the Scarabaeus.It passed over Repeller No. 1, and that vessel, instead of replying,immediately steamed nearer her adversary. The Director-in-chiefdesired to determine the effect of an active cannonade upon the newarmour, and therefore ordered the vessel placed in such a position thatthe Englishman might have the best opportunity for using it as a target.

The Scarabaeus lost no time in availing herself of the facilitiesoffered. She was a large and powerful ship, with a heavy armament;and, soon getting the range of the Syndicate's vessel, she hurled ballafter ball upon her striped side. Repeller No. 1 made no reply, butquietly submitted to the terrible bombardment. Some of the great shotjarred her from bow to stern, but not one of them broke a steel spring,nor penetrated the heavy inside plates.

After half an hour of this, work the Director-in-chief became satisfiedthat the new armour had well acquitted itself in the severe trial towhich it had been subjected. Some of the air-buffers had beendisabled, probably on account of faults in their construction, butthese could readily be replaced, and no further injury had been donethe vessel. It was not necessary, therefore, to continue theexperiment any longer, and besides, there was danger that theEnglishman, perceiving that his antagonist did not appear to beaffected by his fire, would approach closer and endeavour to ram her.This was to be avoided, for the Scarabaeus was a much larger vesselthan Repeller No. 1, and able to run into the latter and sink her bymere preponderance of weight.

It was therefore decided to now test the powers of the crabs. Signalswere made from Repeller No. 1 to Crab A, which had been lying with thelarger vessel between it and the enemy. These signals were made byjets of dense black smoke, which were ejected from a small pipe on therepeller. These slender columns of smoke preserved their cylindricalforms for some moments, and were visible at a great distance by day ornight, being illumined in the latter case by electric light. Thelength and frequency of these jets were regulated by an instrument inthe Director's room. Thus, by means of long and short puffs, with theproper use of intervals, a message could be projected into the air as atelegraphic instrument would mark it upon paper.

In this manner Crab A was ordered to immediately proceed to the attackof the Scarabaeus. The almost submerged vessel steamed rapidly frombehind her consort, and made for the British man-of-war.

When the latter vessel perceived the approach of this turtle-backedobject, squirting little jets of black smoke as she replied to theorders from the repeller, there was great amazement on board. The crabhad not been seen before, but as it came rapidly on there was no timefor curiosity or discussion, and several heavy guns were brought tobear upon it. It was difficult to hit a rapidly moving flat objectscarcely above the surface of the water; and although several shotstruck the crab, they glanced off without in the least interfering withits progress.

Crab A soon came so near the Scarabaeus that it was impossible todepress the guns of the latter so as to strike her. The great vesselwas, therefore, headed toward its assailant, and under a full head ofsteam dashed directly at it to run it down. But the crab could turn asupon a pivot, and shooting to one side allowed the surging man-of-warto pass it.

Perceiving instantly that it would be difficult to strike this nimbleand almost submerged adversary, the commander of the Scarabaeus thoughtit well to let it alone for the present, and to bear down with allspeed upon the repeller. But it was easier to hit the crab than toleave it behind. It was capable of great speed, and, following theBritish vessel, it quickly came up with her.

The course of the Scarabaeus was instantly changed, and every effortwas made to get the vessel into a position to run down the crab. Butthis was not easy for so large a ship, and Crab A seemed to have nodifficulty in keeping close to her stern.

Several machine-guns, especially adopted for firing at torpedo-boats orany hostile craft which might be discovered close to a vessel, were nowbrought to bear upon the crab, and ball after ball was hurled at her.Some of these struck, but glanced off without penetrating her tougharmour.

These manoeuvres had not continued long, when the crew of the crab wasready to bring into action the peculiar apparatus of that peculiarcraft. An enormous pair of iron forceps, each massive limb of whichmeasured twelve feet or more in length, was run out in front of thecrab at a depth of six or eight feet below the surface. These forcepswere acted upon by an electric engine of immense power, by which theycould be shut, opened, projected, withdrawn, or turned and twisted.

The crab darted forward, and in the next instant the great teeth of herpincers were fastened with a tremendous grip upon the rudder andrudder-post of the Scarabaeus.

Then followed a sudden twist, which sent a thrill through both vessels;a crash; a backward jerk; the snapping of a chain; and in a moment thegreat rudder, with half of the rudder-post attached, was torn from thevessel, and as the forceps opened it dropped to leeward and hungdangling by one chain.

Again the forceps opened wide; again there was a rush; and this timethe huge jaws closed upon the rapidly revolving screw-propeller. Therewas a tremendous crash, and the small but massive crab turned over sofar that for an instant one of its sides was plainly visible above thewater. The blades of the propeller were crushed and shivered; thoseparts of the steamer's engines connecting with the propeller-shaft weresnapped and rent apart, while the propeller-shaft itself was broken bythe violent stoppage.

The crab, which had quickly righted, now backed, still holding thecrushed propeller in its iron grasp, and as it moved away from theScarabaeus, it extracted about forty feet of its propeller-shaft; then,opening its massive jaws, it allowed the useless mass of iron to dropto the bottom of the sea.

Every man on board the Scarabaeus was wild with amazement andexcitement. Few could comprehend what had happened, but this veryquickly became evident. So far as motive power was concerned, theScarabaeus was totally, disabled. She could not direct her course, forher rudder was gone, her propeller was gone, her engines were useless,and she could do no more than float as wind or tide might move her.Moreover, there was a jagged hole in her stern where the shaft hadbeen, and through this the water was pouring into the vessel. As aman-of-war the Scarabaeus was worthless.

Orders now came fast from Repeller No. 1, which had moved nearer to thescene of conflict. It was to be supposed that the disabled ship wasproperly furnished with bulk-heads, so that the water would penetrateno farther than the stern compartment, and that, therefore, she was inno danger of sinking. Crab A was ordered to make fast to the bow ofthe Scarabaeus, and tow her toward two men-of-war who were rapidlyapproaching from the harbour.

This proceeding astonished the commander and officers of the Scarabaeusalmost as much as the extraordinary attack which had been made upontheir ship. They had expected a demand to surrender and haul downtheir flag; but the Director-in-chief on board Repeller No. 1 was ofthe opinion that with her propeller extracted it mattered little whatflag she flew. His work with the Scarabaeus was over; for it had beenordered by the Syndicate that its vessels should not encumberthemselves with prizes.

Towed by the powerful crab, which apparently had no fear that itsdisabled adversary might fire upon it, the Scarabaeus moved toward theharbour, and when it had come within a quarter of a mile of theforemost British vessel, Crab A cast off and steamed back to RepellerNo. 1.

The other English vessels soon came up, and each lay to and sent a boatto the Scarabaeus. After half an hour's consultation, in which theamazement of those on board the damaged vessel was communicated to theofficers and crews of her two consorts, it was determined that thesmaller of these should tow the disabled ship into port, while theother one, in company with a man-of-war just coming out of the harbour,should make an attack upon Repeller No. 1.

It had been plainly proved that ordinary shot and shell had no effectupon this craft; but it had not been proved that she could withstandthe rams of powerful ironclads. If this vessel, that apparentlycarried no guns, or, at least, had used none, could be crushed,capsized, sunk, or in any way put out of the fight, it was probablethat the dangerous submerged nautical machine would not care to remainin these waters. If it remained it must be destroyed by torpedoes.

Signals were exchanged between the two English vessels, and in a veryshort time they were steaming toward the repeller. It was a dangerousthing for two vessels of their size to come close enough together forboth to ram an enemy at the same time, but it was determined to takethe risks and do this, if possible; for the destruction of the repellerwas obviously the first duty in hand.

As the two men-of-war rapidly approached Repeller No. 1, they kept up asteady fire upon her; for if in this way they could damage her, theeasier would be their task. With a firm reliance upon the efficacy ofthe steel-spring armour, the Director-in-chief felt no fear of theenemy's shot and shell; but he was not at all willing that his vesselshould be rammed, for the consequences would probably be disastrous.Accordingly he did not wait for the approach of the two vessels, butsteering seaward, he signalled for the other crab.

When Crab B made its appearance, puffing its little black jets ofsmoke, as it answered the signals of the Director-in-chief, thecommanders of the two British vessels were surprised. They hadimagined that there was only one of these strange and terrible enemies,and had supposed that she would be afraid to make her peculiar attackupon one of them, because while doing so she would expose herself tothe danger of being run down by the other. But the presence of two ofthese almost submerged engines of destruction entirely changed thesituation.

But the commanders of the British ships were brave men. They hadstarted to run down the strangely armoured American craft, and run herdown they would, if they could. They put on more steam, and went aheadat greater speed. In such a furious onslaught the crabs might not dareto attack them.

But they did not understand the nature nor the powers of these enemies.In less than twenty minutes Crab A had laid hold of one of themen-of-war, and Crab B of the other. The rudders of both wereshattered and torn away; and while the blades of one propeller werecrushed to pieces, the other, with nearly half its shaft, was drawn outand dropped into the ocean. Helplessly the two men-of-war rose andfell upon the waves.

In obedience to orders from the repeller, each crab took hold of one ofthe disabled vessels, and towed it near the mouth of the harbour, whereit was left.

The city was now in a state of feverish excitement, which wasintensified by the fact that a majority of the people did notunderstand what had happened, while those to whom this had been madeplain could not comprehend why such a thing should have been allowed tohappen. Three of Her Majesty's ships of war, equipped and ready foraction, had sailed out of the harbour, and an apparently insignificantenemy, without firing a gun, had put them into such a condition thatthey were utterly unfit for service, and must be towed into a dry dock.How could the Government, the municipality, the army, or the navyexplain this?

The anxiety, the excitement, the nervous desire to know what hadhappened, and what might be expected next, spread that evening to everypart of the Dominion reached by telegraph.

The military authorities in charge of the defences of the city were asmuch disturbed and amazed by what had happened as any civilian couldpossibly be, but they had no fears for the safety of the place, for theenemy's vessels could not possibly enter, nor even approach, theharbour. The fortifications on the heights mounted guns much heavierthan those on the men-of-war, and shots from these fired from anelevation might sink even those "underwater devils." But, more than onthe forts, they relied upon their admirable system of torpedoes andsubmarine batteries. With these in position and ready for action, asthey now were, it was impossible for an enemy's vessel, floating on thewater or under it, to enter the harbour without certain destruction.

Bulletins to this effect were posted in the city, and somewhat allayedthe popular anxiety, although many people, who were fearful of whatmight happen next, left by the evening trains for the interior. Thatnight the news of this extraordinary affair was cabled to Europe, andthence back to the United States, and all over the world. In manyquarters the account was disbelieved, and in no quarter was itthoroughly understood, for it must be borne in mind that the methods ofoperation employed by the crabs were not evident to those on board thedisabled vessels. But everywhere there was the greatest desire to knowwhat would be done next.

It was the general opinion that the two armoured vessels were merelytenders to the submerged machines which had done the mischief. Havingfired no guns, nor taken any active part in the combat, there was everyreason to believe that they were intended merely as bomb-proofstore-ships for their formidable consorts. As these submerged vesselscould not attack a town, nor reduce fortifications, but could exercisetheir power only against vessels afloat, it was plain enough to seethat the object of the American Syndicate was to blockade the port.That they would be able to maintain the blockade when the full power ofthe British navy should be brought to bear upon them was generallydoubted, though it was conceded in the most wrathful circles that,until the situation should be altered, it would be unwise to riskvaluable war vessels in encounters with the diabolical sea-monsters nowlying off the port.

In the New York office of the Syndicate there was great satisfaction.The news received was incorrect and imperfect, but it was evident that,so far, everything had gone well.

About nine o'clock the next morning, Repeller No. 1, with her consorthalf a mile astern, and preceded by the two crabs, one on either bow,approached to within two miles of the harbour mouth. The crabs, aquarter of a mile ahead of the repeller, moved slowly; for between themthey bore an immense net, three or four hundred feet long, and thirtyfeet deep, composed of jointed steel rods. Along the upper edge ofthis net was a series of air-floats, which were so graduated that theywere sunk by the weight of the net a few feet below the surface of thewater, from which position they held the net suspended vertically.

This net, which was intended to protect the repeller against theapproach of submarine torpedoes, which might be directed from theshore, was anchored at each end, two very small buoys indicating itsposition. The crabs then falling astern, Repeller No. 1 lay to, withthe sunken net between her and the shore, and prepared to project thefirst instantaneous motor-bomb ever used in warfare.

The great gun in the bow of the vessel was loaded with one of thelargest and most powerful motor-bombs, and the spot to be aimed at wasselected. This was a point in the water just inside of the mouth ofthe harbour, and nearly a mile from the land on either side. Thedistance of this point from the vessel being calculated, the cannon wasadjusted at the angle called for by the scale of distances and levels,and the instrument indicating rise, fall, and direction was then put inconnection with it.

Now the Director-in-chief stepped forward to the button, by pressingwhich the power of the motor was developed. The chief of thescientific corps then showed him the exact point upon the scale whichwould be indicated when the gun was in its proper position, and thepiece was then moved upon its bearings so as to approximate as nearlyas possible this direction.

The bow of the vessel now rose upon the swell of the sea, and theinstant that the index upon the scale reached the desired point, theDirector-in-chief touched the button.

There was no report, no smoke, no visible sign that the motor had leftthe cannon; but at that instant there appeared, to those who were onthe lookout, from a fort about a mile away, a vast aperture in thewaters of the bay, which was variously described as from one hundredyards to five hundred yards in diameter. At that same instant, in theneighbouring headlands and islands far up the shores of the bay, and inevery street and building of the city, there was felt a sharp shock, asif the underlying rocks had been struck by a gigantic trip-hammer.

At the same instant the sky above the spot where the motor haddescended was darkened by a wide-spreading cloud. This was formed ofthat portion of the water of the bay which had been instantaneouslyraised to the height of about a thousand feet. The sudden appearanceof this cloud was even more terrible than the yawning chasm in thewaters of the bay or the startling shock; but it did not remain long inview. It had no sooner reached its highest elevation than it began todescend. There was a strong sea-breeze blowing, and in its descentthis vast mass of water was impelled toward the land.

It came down, not as rain, but as the waters of a vast cataract, asthough a mountain lake, by an earthquake shock, had been precipitatedin a body upon a valley. Only one edge of it reached the land, andhere the seething flood tore away earth, trees, and rocks, leavingbehind it great chasms and gullies as it descended to the sea.

The bay itself, into which the vast body of the water fell, became ascene of surging madness. The towering walls of water which had stoodup all around the suddenly created aperture hurled themselves back intothe abyss, and down into the great chasm at the bottom of the bay,which had been made when the motor sent its shock along the great rockbeds. Down upon, and into, this roaring, boiling tumult fell thetremendous cataract from above, and the harbour became one wild expanseof leaping maddened waves, hissing their whirling spray high into theair.

During these few terrific moments other things happened which passedunnoticed in the general consternation. All along the shores of thebay and in front of the city the waters seemed to be sucked away,slowly returning as the sea forced them to their level, and at manypoints up and down the harbour there were submarine detonations andupheavals of the water.

These were caused by the explosion, by concussion, of every torpedo andsubmarine battery in the harbour; and it was with this object in viewthat the instantaneous motor-bomb had been shot into the mouth of thebay.

The effects of the discharge of the motor-bomb astonished and evenstartled those on board the repellers and the crabs. At the instant oftouching the button a hydraulic shock was felt on Repeller No. 1.This was supposed to be occasioned the discharge of the motor, but itwas also felt on the other vessels. It was the same shock that hadbeen felt on shore, but less in degree. A few moments after there wasa great heaving swell of the sea, which tossed and rolled the fourvessels, and lifted the steel protecting net so high that for aninstant parts of it showed themselves above the surface like glisteningsea-ghosts.

Experiments with motor-bombs had been made in unsettled mountainousdistricts, but this was the first one which had ever exerted its powerunder water.

On shore, in the forts, and in the city no one for an instant supposedthat the terrific phenomenon which had just occurred was in any way dueto the vessels of the Syndicate. The repellers were in plain view, andit was evident that neither of them had fired a gun. Besides, thefiring of cannon did not produce such effects. It was the generalopinion that there had been an earthquake shock, accompanied by acloud-burst and extraordinary convulsions of the sea. Such acombination of elementary disturbances had never been known in theseparts; and a great many persons were much more frightened than if theyhad understood what had really happened.

In about half an hour after the discharge of the motor-bomb, when thesea had resumed its usual quiet, a boat carrying a white flag leftRepeller No. 1, rowed directly over the submerged net, and made for theharbour. When the approach of this flag-of-truce was perceived fromthe fort nearest the mouth of the harbour, it occasioned much surmise.Had the earthquake brought these Syndicate knaves to their senses? Orwere they about to make further absurd and outrageous demands? Someirate officers were of the opinion that enemies like these should beconsidered no better than pirates, and that their flag-of-truce shouldbe fired upon. But the commandant of the fort paid no attention tosuch counsels, and sent a detachment with a white flag down to thebeach to meet the approaching boat and learn its errand.

The men in the boat had nothing to do but to deliver a letter from theDirector-in-chief to the commandant of the fort, and then row backagain. No answer was required.

When the commandant read the brief note, he made no remark. In fact,he could think of no appropriate remark to make. The missive simplyinformed him that at ten o'clock and eighteen minutes A. M., of thatday, the first bomb from the marine forces of the Syndicate had beendischarged into the waters of the harbour. At, or about, two o'clockP.M., the second bomb would be discharged at Fort Pilcher. That wasall.

What this extraordinary message meant could not be imagined by anyofficer of the garrison. If the people on board the ships were takingadvantage of the earthquake, and supposed that they could induceBritish soldiers to believe that it had been caused by one of theirbombs, then were they idiots indeed. They would fire their second shotat Fort Pilcher! This was impossible, for they had not yet fired theirfirst shot. These Syndicate people were evidently very tricky, and thedefenders of the port must therefore be very cautious.

Fort Pilcher was a very large and unfinished fortification, on a bluffon the opposite side of the harbour. Work had been discontinued on itas soon as the Syndicate's vessels had appeared off the port, for itwas not desired to expose the builders and workmen to a possiblebombardment. The place was now, therefore, almost deserted; but afterthe receipt of the Syndicate's message, the commandant feared that theenemy might throw an ordinary shell into the unfinished works, and hesent a boat across the bay to order away any workmen or others whomight be lingering about the place.

A little after two o'clock P.M., an instantaneous motor-bomb wasdischarged from Repeller No. 1 into Fort Pilcher. It was set to actfive seconds after impact with the object aimed at. It struck in acentral portion of the unfinished fort, and having described a highcurve in the air, descended not only with its own motive power, butwith the force of gravitation, and penetrated deep into the earth.

Five seconds later a vast brown cloud appeared on the Fort Pilcherpromontory. This cloud was nearly spherical in form, with an apparentdiameter of about a thousand yards. At the same instant a shocksimilar to that accompanying the first motor-bomb was felt in the cityand surrounding country; but this was not so severe as the other, forthe second bomb did not exert its force upon the underlying rocks ofthe region as the first one had done.

The great brown cloud quickly began to lose its spherical form, part ofit descending heavily to the earth, and part floating away in vastdust-clouds borne inland by the breeze, settling downward as theymoved, and depositing on land, water, ships, houses, domes, and treesan almost impalpable powder.

When the cloud had cleared away there were no fortifications, and thebluff on which they had stood had disappeared. Part of this bluff hadfloated away on the wind, and part of it lay piled in great heaps ofsand on the spot where its rocks were to have upheld a fort.

The effect of the motor-bomb was fully observed with glasses from thevarious fortifications of the port, and from many points of the cityand harbour; and those familiar with the effects of explosives were notlong in making up their minds what had happened. They felt sure that amine had been sprung beneath Fort Pilcher; and they were now equallyconfident that in the morning a torpedo of novel and terrible power hadbeen exploded in the harbour. They now disbelieved in the earthquake,and treated with contempt the pretence that shots had been fired fromthe Syndicate's vessel. This was merely a trick of the enemy. It wasnot even likely that the mine or the torpedo had been operated from theship. These were, in all probability, under the control ofconfederates on shore, and had been exploded at times agreed uponbeforehand. All this was perfectly plain to the military authorities.

But the people of the city derived no comfort from the announcement ofthese conclusions. For all that anybody knew the whole city might beundermined, and at any moment might ascend in a cloud of minuteparticles. They felt that they were in a region of hidden traitors andbombs, and in consequence of this belief thousands of citizens lefttheir homes.

That afternoon a truce-boat again went out from Repeller No. 1, androwed to the fort, where a letter to the commandant was delivered.This, like the other, demanded no answer, and the boat returned. Laterin the afternoon the two repellers, accompanied by the crabs, andleaving the steel net still anchored in its place, retired a few milesseaward, where they prepared to lay to for the night.

The letter brought by the truce-boat was read by the commandant,surrounded by his officers. It stated that in twenty-four hours fromtime of writing it, which would be at or about four o'clock on the nextafternoon, a bomb would be thrown into the garrisoned fort, under thecommand of the officer addressed. As this would result in the entiredestruction of the fortification, the commandant was earnestlycounselled to evacuate the fort before the hour specified.

Ordinarily the commandant of the fort was of a calm and unexcitabletemperament. During the astounding events of that day and the daybefore he had kept his head cool; his judgment, if not correct, was theresult of sober and earnest consideration. But now he lost his temper.The unparalleled effrontery and impertinence of this demand of theAmerican Syndicate was too much for his self-possession. He stormed inanger.

Here was the culmination of the knavish trickery of theseconscienceless pirates who had attacked the port. A torpedo had beenexploded in the harbour, an unfinished fort had been mined and blownup, and all this had been done to frighten him—a British soldier—incommand of a strong fort well garrisoned and fully supplied with allthe munitions of war. In the fear that his fort would be destroyed bya mystical bomb, he was expected to march to a place of safety with allhis forces. If this should be done it would not be long before thesecrafty fellows would occupy the fort, and with its great guns turnedinland, would hold the city at their mercy. There could be no greaterinsult to a soldier than to suppose that he could be gulled by a tricklike this.

No thought of actual danger entered the mind of the commandant. It hadbeen easy enough to sink a great torpedo in the harbour, and theunguarded bluffs of Fort Pilcher offered every opportunity to thescoundrels who may have worked at their mines through the nights ofseveral months. But a mine under the fort which he commanded was animpossibility; its guarded outposts prevented any such method ofattack. At a bomb, or a dozen, or a hundred of the Syndicate's bombshe snapped his fingers. He could throw bombs as well.

Nothing would please him better than that those ark-like ships in theoffing should come near enough for an artillery fight. A few tons ofsolid shot and shell dropped on top of them might be a very conclusiveanswer to their impudent demands.

The letter from the Syndicate, together with his own convictions on thesubject, were communicated by the commandant to the militaryauthorities of the port, and to the War Office of the Dominion. Thenews of what had happened that day had already been cabled across theAtlantic back to the United States, and all over the world; and theprofound impression created by it was intensified when it became knownwhat the Syndicate proposed to do the next day. Orders and advicesfrom the British Admiralty and War Office sped across the ocean, andthat night few of the leaders in government circles in England orCanada closed their eyes.

The opinions of the commandant of the fort were received with butlittle favour by the military and naval authorities. Greatpreparations were already ordered to repel and crush this mostaudacious attack upon the port, but in the mean time it was highlydesirable that the utmost caution and prudence should be observed.Three men-of-war had already been disabled by the novel and destructivemachines of the enemy, and it had been ordered that for the present nomore vessels of the British navy be allowed to approach the crabs ofthe Syndicate.

Whether it was a mine or a bomb which had been used in the destructionof the unfinished works of Fort Pilcher, it would be impossible todetermine until an official survey had been made of the ruins; but, inany event, it would be wise and humane not to expose the garrison ofthe fort on the south side of the harbour to the danger which hadovertaken the works on the opposite shore. If, contrary to the opinionof the commandant, the garrisoned fort were really mined, the followingday would probably prove the fact. Until this point should bedetermined it would be highly judicious to temporarily evacuate thefort. This could not be followed by occupation of the works by theenemy, for all approaches, either by troops in boats or by bodies ofconfederates by land, could be fully covered by the inland redoubts andfortifications.

When the orders for evacuation reached the commandant of the fort, heprotested hotly, and urged that his protest be considered. It was notuntil the command had been reiterated both from London and Ottawa, thathe accepted the situation, and with bowed head prepared to leave hispost. All night preparations for evacuation went on, and during thenext morning the garrison left the fort, and established itself farenough away to preclude danger from the explosion of a mine, but nearenough to be available in case of necessity.

During this morning there arrived in the offing another Syndicatevessel. This had started from a northern part of the United States,before the repellers and the crabs, and it had been engaged in laying aprivate submarine cable, which should put the office of the Syndicatein New York in direct communication with its naval forces engaged withthe enemy. Telegraphic connection between the cable boat and RepellerNo. 1 having been established, the Syndicate soon received from itsDirector-in-chief full and comprehensive accounts of what had been doneand what it was proposed to do. Great was the satisfaction among themembers of the Syndicate when these direct and official reports camein. Up to this time they had been obliged to depend upon veryunsatisfactory intelligence communicated from Europe, which had beensupplemented by wild statements and rumours smuggled across theCanadian border.

To counteract the effect of these, a full report was immediately madeby the Syndicate to the Government of the United States, and a bulletindistinctly describing what had happened was issued to the people of thecountry. These reports, which received a world-wide circulation in thenewspapers, created a popular elation in the United States, and gaverise to serious apprehensions and concern in many other countries. Butunder both elation and concern there was a certain doubtfulness. Sofar the Syndicate had been successful; but its style of warfare wasdecidedly experimental, and its forces, in numerical strength at least,were weak. What would happen when the great naval power of GreatBritain should be brought to bear upon the Syndicate, was a questionwhose probable answer was likely to cause apprehension and concern inthe United States, and elation in many other countries.

The commencement of active hostilities had been precipitated by thisSyndicate. In England preparations were making by day and by night tosend upon the coast-lines of the United States a fleet which, innumbers and power, would be greater than that of any naval expeditionin the history of the world. It is no wonder that many people of soberjudgment in America looked upon the affair of the crabs and therepellers as but an incident in the beginning of a great and disastrouswar.

On the morning of the destruction of Fort Pilcher, the Syndicate'svessels moved toward the port, and the steel net was taken up by thetwo crabs, and moved nearer the mouth of the harbour, at a point fromwhich the fort, now in process of evacuation, was in full view. Whenthis had been done, Repeller No. 2 took up her position at a moderatedistance behind the net, and the other vessels stationed themselvesnear by.

The protection of the net was considered necessary, for although therecould be no reasonable doubt that all the torpedoes in the harbour andriver had been exploded, others might be sent out against theSyndicate's vessels; and a torpedo under a crab or a repeller was theenemy most feared by the Syndicate.

About three o'clock the signals between the repellers became veryfrequent, and soon afterwards a truce-boat went out from Repeller No.1. This was rowed with great rapidity, but it was obliged to go muchfarther up the harbour than on previous occasions, in order to deliverits message to an officer of the garrison.

This was to the effect that the evacuation of the fort had beenobserved from the Syndicate's vessels, and although it had beenapparently complete, one of the scientific corps, with a powerfulglass, had discovered a man in one of the outer redoubts, whosepresence there was probably unknown to the officers of the garrison.It was, therefore, earnestly urged that this man be instantly removed;and in order that this might be done, the discharge of the motor-bombwould be postponed half an hour.

The officer received this message, and was disposed to look upon it asa new trick; but as no time was to be lost, he sent a corporal's guardto the fort, and there discovered an Irish sergeant by the name ofKilsey, who had sworn an oath that if every other man in the fort ranaway like a lot of addle-pated sheep, he would not run with them; hewould stand to his post to the last, and when the couple of shipsoutside had got through bombarding the stout walls of the fort, theworld would see that there was at least one British soldier who was notafraid of a bomb, be it little or big. Therefore he had managed toelude observation, and to remain behind.

The sergeant was so hot-headed in his determination to stand by thefort, that it required violence to remove him; and it was not untiltwenty minutes past four that the Syndicate observers perceived that hehad been taken to the hill behind which the garrison was encamped.

As it had been decided that Repeller No. 2 should discharge the nextinstantaneous motor-bomb, there was an anxious desire on the part ofthe operators on that vessel that in this, their first experience, theymight do their duty as well as their comrades on board the otherrepeller had done theirs. The most accurate observations, the mostcareful calculations, were made and re-made, the point to be aimed atbeing about the centre of the fort.

The motor-bomb had been in the cannon for nearly an hour, andeverything had long been ready, when at precisely thirty minutes pastfour o'clock the signal to discharge came from the Director-in-chief;and in four seconds afterwards the index on the scale indicated thatthe gun was in the proper position, and the button was touched.

The motor-bomb was set to act the instant it should touch any portionof the fort, and the effect was different from that of the other bombs.There was a quick, hard shock, but it was all in the air. Thousands ofpanes of glass in the city and in houses for miles around were crackedor broken, birds fell dead or stunned upon the ground, and people onelevations at considerable distances felt as if they had received ablow; but there was no trembling of the ground.

As to the fort, it had entirely disappeared, its particles having beeninstantaneously removed to a great distance in every direction, fallingover such a vast expanse of land and water that their descent wasunobservable.

In the place where the fortress had stood there was a wide tract ofbare earth, which looked as if it had been scraped into a staring deadlevel of gravel and clay. The instantaneous motor-bomb had beenarranged to act almost horizontally.

Few persons, except those who from a distance had been watching thefort with glasses, understood what had happened; but every one in thecity and surrounding country was conscious that something had happenedof a most startling kind, and that it was over in the same instant inwhich they had perceived it. Everywhere there was the noise of fallingwindow-glass. There were those who asserted that for an instant theyhad heard in the distance a grinding crash; and there were others whowere quite sure that they had noticed what might be called a flash ofdarkness, as if something had, with almost unappreciable quickness,passed between them and the sun.

When the officers of the garrison mounted the hill before them andsurveyed the place where their fort had been, there was not one of themwho had sufficient command of himself to write a report of what hadhappened. They gazed at the bare, staring flatness of the shorn bluff,and they looked at each other. This was not war. It was somethingsupernatural, awful! They were not frightened; they were oppressed andappalled. But the military discipline of their minds soon exerted itsforce, and a brief account of the terrific event was transmitted to theauthorities, and Sergeant Kilsey was sentenced to a month in theguard-house.

No one approached the vicinity of the bluff where the fort had stood,for danger might not be over; but every possible point of observationwithin a safe distance was soon crowded with anxious and terrifiedobservers. A feeling of awe was noticeable everywhere. If peoplecould have had a tangible idea of what had occurred, it would have beendifferent. If the sea had raged, if a vast body of water had beenthrown into the air, if a dense cloud had been suddenly ejected fromthe surface of the earth, they might have formed some opinion about it.But the instantaneous disappearance of a great fortification with alittle more appreciable accompaniment than the sudden tap, as of alittle hammer, upon thousands of window-panes, was something whichtheir intellects could not grasp. It was not to be expected that theordinary mind could appreciate the difference between the action of aninstantaneous motor when imbedded in rocks and earth, and its effect,when opposed by nothing but stone walls, upon or near the surface ofthe earth.

Early the next morning, the little fleet of the Syndicate prepared tocarry out its further orders. The waters of the lower bay were nowentirely deserted, craft of every description having taken refuge inthe upper part of the harbour near and above the city. Therefore, assoon as it was light enough to make observations, Repeller No. 1 didnot hesitate to discharge a motor-bomb into the harbour, a mile or moreabove where the first one had fallen. This was done in order toexplode any torpedoes which might have been put into position since thedischarge of the first bomb.

There were very few people in the city and suburbs who were at thathour out of doors where they could see the great cloud of water arisetoward the sky, and behold it descend like a mighty cataract upon theharbour and adjacent shores; but the quick, sharp shock which ran underthe town made people spring from their beds; and although nothing wasthen to be seen, nearly everybody felt sure that the Syndicate's forceshad begun their day's work by exploding another mine.

A lighthouse, the occupants of which had been ordered to leave when thefort was evacuated, as they might be in danger in case of abombardment, was so shaken by the explosion of this motor-bomb that itfell in ruins on the rocks upon which it had stood.

The two crabs now took the steel net from its moorings and carried itup the harbour. This was rather difficult on account of the islands,rocks, and sand-bars; but the leading crab had on board a pilotacquainted with those waters. With the net hanging between them, thetwo submerged vessels, one carefully following the other, reached apoint about two miles below the city, where the net was anchored acrossthe harbour. It did not reach from shore to shore, but in the courseof the morning two other nets, designed for shallower waters, werebrought from the repellers and anchored at each end of the main net,thus forming a line of complete protection against submarine torpedoeswhich might be sent down from the upper harbour.

Repeller No. 1 now steamed into the harbour, accompanied by Crab A, andanchored about a quarter of a mile seaward of the net. The otherrepeller, with her attendant crab, cruised about the mouth of theharbour, watching a smaller entrance to the port as well as the largerone, and thus maintaining an effective blockade. This was not adifficult duty, for since the news of the extraordinary performances ofthe crabs had been spread abroad, no merchant vessel, large or small,cared to approach that port; and strict orders had been issued by theBritish Admiralty that no vessel of the navy should, until furtherinstructed, engage in combat with the peculiar craft of the Syndicate.Until a plan of action had been determined upon, it was very desirablethat English cruisers should not be exposed to useless injury anddanger.

This being the state of affairs, a message was sent from the office ofthe Syndicate across the border to the Dominion Government, whichstated that the seaport city which had been attacked by the forces ofthe Syndicate now lay under the guns of its vessels, and in case of anyovert act of war by Great Britain or Canada alone, such as the entranceof an armed force from British territory into the United States, or acapture of or attack upon an American vessel, naval or commercial, by aBritish man-of-war, or an attack upon an American port by Britishvessels, the city would be bombarded and destroyed.

This message, which was, of course, instantly transmitted to London,placed the British Government in the apparent position of being held bythe throat by the American War Syndicate. But if the BritishGovernment, or the people of England or Canada, recognized thisposition at all, it was merely as a temporary condition. In a shorttime the most powerful men-of-war of the Royal Navy, as well as a fleetof transports carrying troops, would reach the coasts of North America,and then the condition of affairs would rapidly be changed. It wasabsurd to suppose that a few medium-sized vessels, however heavilyarmoured, or a few new-fangled submarine machines, however destructivethey might be, could withstand an armada of the largest and finestarmoured vessels in the world. A ship or two might be disabled,although this was unlikely, now that the new method of attack wasunderstood; but it would soon be the ports of the United States, onboth the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, which would lie under the guns ofan enemy.

But it was not in the power of their navy that the British Governmentand the people of England and Canada placed their greatest trust, butin the incapacity of their petty foe to support its ridiculousassumptions. The claim that the city lay under the guns of theAmerican Syndicate was considered ridiculous, for few people believedthat these vessels had any guns. Certainly, there had been no evidencethat any shots had been fired from them. In the opinion of reasonablepeople the destruction of the forts and the explosions in the harbourhad been caused by mines—mines of a new and terrifying power—whichwere the work of traitors and confederates. The destruction of thelighthouse had strengthened this belief, for its fall was similar tothat which would have been occasioned by a great explosion under itsfoundation.

But however terrifying and appalling had been the results of theexplosion of these mines, it was not thought probable that there wereany more of them. The explosions had taken place at exposed pointsdistant from the city, and the most careful investigation failed todiscover any present signs of mining operations.

This theory of mines worked by confederates was received throughout thecivilized world, and was universally condemned. Even in the UnitedStates the feeling was so strong against this apparent alliance betweenthe Syndicate and British traitors, that there was reason to believethat a popular pressure would be brought to bear upon the Governmentsufficient to force it to break its contract with the Syndicate, and tocarry on the war with the National army and navy. The crab wasconsidered an admirable addition to the strength of the navy, but amine under a fort, laid and fired by perfidious confederates, wasconsidered unworthy an enlightened people.

The members of the Syndicate now found themselves in an embarrassingand dangerous position—a position in which they were placed by theuniversal incredulity regarding the instantaneous motor; and unlessthey could make the world believe that they really used such amotor-bomb, the war could not be prosecuted on the plan projected.

It was easy enough to convince the enemy of the terrible destructionthe Syndicate was able to effect; but to make that enemy and the worldunderstand that this was done by bombs, which could be used in oneplace as well as another, was difficult indeed. They had attempted toprove this by announcing that at a certain time a bomb should beprojected into a certain fort. Precisely at the specified time thefort had been destroyed, but nobody believed that a bomb had been fired.

Every opinion, official or popular, concerning what it had done andwhat might be expected of it, was promptly forwarded to the Syndicateby its agents, and it was thus enabled to see very plainly indeed thatthe effect it had desired to produce had not been produced. Unless theenemy could be made to understand that any fort or ships within tenmiles of one of the Syndicate's cannon could be instantaneouslydissipated in the shape of fine dust, this war could not be carried onupon the principles adopted, and therefore might as well pass out ofthe hands of the Syndicate.

Day by day and night by night the state of affairs was anxiouslyconsidered at the office of the Syndicate in New York. A new andimportant undertaking was determined upon, and on the success of thisthe hopes of the Syndicate now depended.

During the rapid and vigorous preparations which the Syndicate were nowmaking for their new venture, several events of interest occurred.

Two of the largest Atlantic mail steamers, carrying infantry andartillery troops, and conveyed by two swift and powerful men-of-war,arrived off the coast of Canada, considerably to the north of theblockaded city. The departure and probable time of arrival of thesevessels had been telegraphed to the Syndicate, through one of thecontinental cables, and a repeller with two crabs had been for somedays waiting for them. The English vessels had taken a high northerncourse, hoping they might enter the Gulf of St. Lawrence withoutsubjecting themselves to injury from the enemy's crabs, it not beingconsidered probable that there were enough of these vessels to patrolthe entire coast. But although the crabs were few in number, theSyndicate was able to place them where they would be of most use; andwhen the English vessels arrived off the northern entrance to the gulf,they found their enemies there.

However strong might be the incredulity of the enemy regarding thepowers of a repeller to bombard a city, the Syndicate felt sure therewould be no present invasion of the United States from Canada; but itwished to convince the British Government that troops and munitions ofwar could not be safely transported across the Atlantic. On the otherhand, the Syndicate very much objected to undertaking the imprisonmentand sustenance of a large body of soldiers. Orders were thereforegiven to the officer in charge of the repeller not to molest the twotransports, but to remove the rudders and extract the screws of the twowar-vessels, leaving them to be towed into port by the troop-ships.

This duty was performed by the crabs, while the British vessels, bothrams, were preparing to make a united and vigorous onset on therepeller, and the two men-of-war were left hopelessly tossing on thewaves. One of the transports, a very fast steamer, had already enteredthe straits, and could not be signalled; but the other one returned andtook both the war-ships in tow, proceeding very slowly until, afterentering the gulf, she was relieved by tugboats.

Another event of a somewhat different character was the occasion ofmuch excited feeling and comment, particularly in the United States.The descent and attack by British vessels on an Atlantic port was amatter of popular expectation. The Syndicate had repellers and crabsat the most important points; but, in the minds of naval officers and alarge portion of the people, little dependence for defence was to beplaced upon these. As to the ability of the War Syndicate to preventinvasion or attack by means of its threats to bombard the blockadedCanadian port, very few believed in it. Even if the Syndicate could doany more damage in that quarter, which was improbable, what was toprevent the British navy from playing the same game, and entering anAmerican seaport, threaten to bombard the place if the Syndicate didnot immediately run all their queer vessels high and dry on someconvenient beach?

A feeling of indignation against the Syndicate had existed in the navyfrom the time that the war contract had been made, and this feelingincreased daily. That the officers and men of the United States navyshould be penned up in harbours, ports, and sounds, while British shipsand the hulking mine-springers and rudder-pinchers of the Syndicatewere allowed to roam the ocean at will, was a very hard thing for bravesailors to bear. Sometimes the resentment against this state ofaffairs rose almost to revolt.

The great naval preparations of England were not yet complete, butsingle British men-of-war were now frequently seen off the Atlanticcoast of the United States. No American vessels had been captured bythese since the message of the Syndicate to the Dominion of Canada andthe British Government. But one good reason for this was the fact thatit was very difficult now to find upon the Atlantic ocean a vesselsailing under the American flag. As far as possible these had takenrefuge in their own ports or in those of neutral countries.

At the mouth of Delaware Bay, behind the great Breakwater, was nowcollected a number of coastwise sailing-vessels and steamers of variousclasses and sizes; and for the protection of these maritime refugees,two vessels of the United States navy were stationed at this point.These were the Lenox and Stockbridge, two of the finest cruisers in theservice, and commanded by two of the most restless and bravest officersof the American navy.

The appearance, early on a summer morning, of a large British cruiseroff the mouth of the harbour, filled those two commanders withuncontrollable belligerency. That in time of war a vessel of the enemyshould be allowed, undisturbed, to sail up and down before an Americanharbour, while an American vessel filled with brave American sailorslay inside like a cowed dog, was a thought which goaded the soul ofeach of these commanders. There was a certain rivalry between the twoships; and, considering the insult offered by the flaunting red crossin the offing, and the humiliating restrictions imposed by the NavalDepartment, each commander thought only of his own ship, and not at allof the other.

It was almost at the same time that the commanders of the two shipsseparately came to the conclusion that the proper way to protect thefleet behind the Breakwater was for his vessel to boldly steam out tosea and attack the British cruiser. If this vessel carried along-range gun, what was to hinder her from suddenly running in closerand sending a few shells into the midst of the defenceless merchantmen?In fact, to go out and fight her was the only way to protect the livesand property in the harbour.

It was true that one of those beastly repellers was sneaking about offthe cape, accompanied, probably, by an underwater tongs-boat. But asneither of these had done anything, or seemed likely to do anything,the British cruiser should be attacked without loss of time.

When the commander of the Lenox came to this decision, his ship waswell abreast of Cape Henlopen, and he therefore proceeded directly outto sea. There was a little fear in his mind that the English cruiser,which was now bearing to the south-east, might sail off and get awayfrom him. The Stockbridge was detained by the arrival of a despatchboat from the shore with a message from the Naval Department. But asthis message related only to the measurements of a certain deck gun,her commander intended, as soon as an answer could be sent off, to sailout and give battle to the British vessel.

Every soul on board the Lenox was now filled with fiery ardour. Theship was already in good fighting trim, but every possible preparationwas made for a contest which should show their country and the worldwhat American sailors were made of.

The Lenox had not proceeded more than a mile out to sea, when sheperceived Repeller No. 6 coming toward her from seaward, and in adirection which indicated that it intended to run across her course.The Lenox, however, went straight on, and in a short time the twovessels were quite near each other. Upon the deck of the repeller nowappeared the director in charge, who, with a speaking-trumpet, hailedthe Lenox and requested her to lay to, as he had something tocommunicate. The commander of the Lenox, through his trumpet, answeredthat he wanted no communications, and advised the other vessel to keepout of his way.

The Lenox now put on a greater head of steam, and as she was in anycase a much faster vessel than the repeller, she rapidly increased thedistance between herself and the Syndicate's vessel, so that in a fewmoments hailing was impossible. Quick signals now shot up in jets ofblack smoke from the repeller, and in a very short time afterward thespeed of the Lenox slackened so much that the repeller was able to comeup with her.

When the two vessels were abreast of each other, and at a safe hailingdistance apart, another signal went up from the repeller, and then bothvessels almost ceased to move through the water, although the enginesof the Lenox were working at high speed, with her propeller-bladesstirring up a whirlpool at her stern.

For a minute or two the officers of the Lenox could not comprehend whathad happened. It was first supposed that by mistake the engines hadbeen slackened, but almost at the same moment that it was found thatthis was not the case, the discovery was made that the crabaccompanying the repeller had laid hold of the stern-post of the Lenox,and with all the strength of her powerful engines was holding her back.

Now burst forth in the Lenox a storm of frenzied rage, such as wasnever seen perhaps upon any vessel since vessels were first built.From the commander to the stokers every heart was filled with fury atthe insult which was put upon them. The commander roared through histrumpet that if that infernal sea-beetle were not immediately loosedfrom his ship he would first sink her and then the repeller.

To these remarks the director of the Syndicate's vessels paid noattention, but proceeded to state as briefly and forcibly as possiblethat the Lenox had been detained in order that he might have anopportunity of speaking with her commander, and of informing him thathis action in coming out of the harbour for the purpose of attacking aBritish vessel was in direct violation of the contract between theUnited States and the Syndicate having charge of the war, and that suchaction could not be allowed.

The commander of the Lenox paid no more attention to these words thanthe Syndicate's director had given to those he had spoken, butimmediately commenced a violent attack upon the crab. It wasimpossible to bring any of the large guns to bear upon her, for she wasalmost under the stern of the Lenox; but every means of offence whichinfuriated ingenuity could suggest was used against it. Machine gunswere trained to fire almost perpendicularly, and shot after shot waspoured upon that portion of its glistening back which appeared abovethe water.

But as these projectiles seemed to have no effect upon the solid backof Crab H, two great anvils were hoisted at the end of thespanker-boom, and dropped, one after the other, upon it. The shockswere tremendous, but the internal construction of the crabs provided,by means of upright beams, against injury from attacks of this kind,and the great masses of iron slid off into the sea without doing anydamage.

Finding it impossible to make any impression upon the mailed monster athis stern, the commander of the Lenox hailed the director of therepeller, and swore to him through his trumpet that if he did notimmediately order the Lenox to be set free, her heaviest guns should bebrought to bear upon his floating counting-house, and that it should besunk, if it took all day to do it.

It would have been a grim satisfaction to the commander of the Lenox tosink Repeller No. 6, for he knew the vessel when she had belonged tothe United States navy. Before she had been bought by the Syndicate,and fitted out with spring armour, he had made two long cruises in her,and he bitterly hated her, from her keel up.

The director of the repeller agreed to release the Lenox the instanther commander would consent to return to port. No answer was made tothis proposition, but a dynamite gun on the Lenox was brought to bearupon the Syndicate's vessel. Desiring to avoid any complications whichmight ensue from actions of this sort, the repeller steamed ahead,while the director signalled Crab H to move the stern of the Lenox tothe windward, which, being quickly done, the gun of the latter boreupon the distant coast.

It was now very plain to the Syndicate director that his words couldhave no effect upon the commander of the Lenox, and he thereforesignalled Crab H to tow the United States vessel into port. When thecommander of the Lenox saw that his vessel was beginning to movebackward, he gave instant orders to put on all steam. But this wasfound to be useless, for when the dynamite gun was about to be fired,the engines had been ordered stopped, and the moment that thepropeller-blades ceased moving the nippers of the crab had beenreleased from their hold upon the stern-post, and the propeller-bladesof the Lenox were gently but firmly seized in a grasp which includedthe rudder. It was therefore impossible for the engines of the vesselto revolve the propeller, and, unresistingly, the Lenox was towed,stern foremost, to the Breakwater.

The news of this incident created the wildest indignation in the UnitedStates navy, and throughout the country the condemnation of what wasconsidered the insulting action of the Syndicate was general. Inforeign countries the affair was the subject of a good deal of comment,but it was also the occasion of much serious consideration, for itproved that one of the Syndicate's submerged vessels could, withoutfiring a gun, and without fear of injury to itself, capture aman-of-war and tow it whither it pleased.

The authorities at Washington took instant action on the affair, and asit was quite evident that the contract between the United States andthe Syndicate had been violated by the Lenox, the commander of thatvessel was reprimanded by the Secretary of the Navy, and enjoined thatthere should be no repetitions of his offence. But as the commander ofthe Lenox knew that the Secretary of the Navy was as angry as he was atwhat had happened, he did not feel his reprimand to be in any way adisgrace.

It may be stated that the Stockbridge, which had steamed for the opensea as soon as the business which had detained her was completed, didnot go outside the Cape. When her officers perceived with theirglasses that the Lenox was returning to port stern foremost, theyopined what had happened, and desiring that their ship should do allher sailing in the natural way, the Stockbridge was put about andsteamed, bow foremost, to her anchorage behind the Breakwater, thecommander thanking his stars that for once the Lenox had got ahead ofhim.

The members of the Syndicate were very anxious to remove theunfavorable impression regarding what was called in many quarters theirattack upon a United States vessel, and a circular to the public wasissued, in which they expressed their deep regret at being obliged tointerfere with so many brave officers and men in a moment of patrioticenthusiasm, and explaining how absolutely necessary it was that theLenox should be removed from a position where a conflict with Englishline-of-battle ships would be probable. There were many thinkingpersons who saw the weight of the Syndicate's statements, but theeffect of the circular upon the popular mind was not great.

The Syndicate was now hard at work making preparations for the grandstroke which had been determined upon. In the whole country there wasscarcely a man whose ability could be made available in their work, whowas not engaged in their service; and everywhere, in foundries,workshops, and shipyards, the construction of their engines of war wasbeing carried on by day and by night. No contracts were made for thedelivery of work at certain times; everything was done under the directsupervision of the Syndicate and its subordinates, and the work went onwith a definiteness and rapidity hitherto unknown in naval construction.

In the midst of the Syndicate's labours there arrived off the coast ofCanada the first result of Great Britain's preparations for her warwith the American Syndicate, in the shape of the Adamant, the largestand finest ironclad which had ever crossed the Atlantic, and which hadbeen sent to raise the blockade of the Canadian port by the Syndicate'svessels.

This great ship had been especially fitted out to engage in combat withrepellers and crabs. As far as was possible the peculiar constructionof the Syndicate's vessels had been carefully studied, and Englishspecialists in the line of naval construction and ordnance had givenmost earnest consideration to methods of attack and defence most likelyto succeed with these novel ships of war. The Adamant was the onlyvessel which it had been possible to send out in so short a time, andher cruise was somewhat of an experiment. If she should be successfulin raising the blockade of the Canadian port, the British Admiraltywould have but little difficulty in dealing with the American Syndicate.

The most important object was to provide a defence against thescrew-extracting and rudder-breaking crabs; and to this end the Adamanthad been fitted with what was termed a "stern-jacket." This was agreat cage of heavy steel bars, which was attached to the stern of thevessel in such a way that it could be raised high above the water, soas to offer no impediment while under way, and which, in time ofaction, could be let down so as to surround and protect the rudder andscrew-propellers, of which the Adamant had two.

This was considered an adequate defence against the nippers of aSyndicate crab; but as a means of offence against these almostsubmerged vessels a novel contrivance had been adopted. From a greatboom projecting over the stern, a large ship's cannon was suspendedperpendicularly, muzzle downward. This gun could be swung around tothe deck, hoisted into a horizontal position, loaded with a heavycharge, a wooden plug keeping the load in position when the gun hungperpendicularly.

If the crab should come under the stern, this cannon could be fireddirectly downward upon her back, and it was not believed that anyvessel of the kind could stand many such tremendous shocks. It was notknown exactly how ventilation was supplied to the submarine vessels ofthe Syndicate, nor how the occupants were enabled to make the necessaryobservations during action. When under way the crabs sailed somewhatelevated above the water, but when engaged with an enemy only a smallportion of their covering armour could be seen.

It was surmised that under and between some of the scales of thisarmour there was some arrangement of thick glasses, through which thenecessary observation could be made; and it was believed that, even ifthe heavy perpendicular shots did not crush in the roof of a crab,these glasses would be shattered by concussion. Although this mightappear a matter of slight importance, it was thought among navalofficers it would necessitate the withdrawal of a crab from action.

In consequence of the idea that the crabs were vulnerable between theiroverlapping plates, some of the Adamant's boats were fitted out withGatling and machine guns, by which a shower of balls might be sentunder the scales, through the glasses, and into the body of the crab.In addition to their guns, these boats would be supplied with othermeans of attack upon the crab.

Of course it would be impossible to destroy these submerged enemies bymeans of dynamite or torpedoes; for with two vessels in closeproximity, the explosion of a torpedo would be as dangerous to the hullof one as to the other. The British Admiralty would not allow even theAdamant to explode torpedoes or dynamite under her own stern.

With regard to a repeller, or spring-armoured vessel, the Adamant wouldrely upon her exceptionally powerful armament, and upon her greatweight and speed. She was fitted with twin screws and engines of thehighest power, and it was believed that she would be able to overhaul,ram, and crush the largest vessel armoured or unarmoured which theSyndicate would be able to bring against her. Some of her guns were ofimmense calibre, firing shot weighing nearly two thousand pounds, andrequiring half a ton of powder for each charge. Besides these shecarried an unusually large number of large cannon and two dynamiteguns. She was so heavily plated and armoured as to be proof againstany known artillery in the world.

She was a floating fortress, with men enough to make up the populationof a town, and with stores, ammunition, and coal sufficient to last fora long term of active service. Such was the mighty English battleshipwhich had come forward to raise the siege of the Canadian port.

The officers of the Syndicate were well aware of the character of theAdamant, her armament and her defences, and had been informed by cableof her time of sailing and probable destination. They sent outRepeller No. 7, with Crabs J and K, to meet her off the Banks ofNewfoundland.

This repeller was the largest and strongest vessel that the Syndicatehad ready for service. In addition to the spring armour with whichthese vessels were supplied, this one was furnished with a second coatof armour outside the first, the elastic steel ribs of which ranlongitudinally and at right angles to those of the inner set. Bothcoats were furnished with a great number of improved air-buffers, andthe arrangement of spring armour extended five or six feet beyond themassive steel plates with which the vessel was originally armoured.She carried one motor-cannon of large size.

One of the crabs was of the ordinary pattern, but Crab K was furnishedwith a spring armour above the heavy plates of her roof. This had beenplaced upon her after the news had been received by the Syndicate thatthe Adamant would carry a perpendicular cannon over her stern, butthere had not been time enough to fit out another crab in the same way.

When the director in charge of Repeller No. 7 first caught sight of theAdamant, and scanned through his glass the vast proportions of themighty ship which was rapidly steaming towards the coast, he felt thata responsibility rested upon him heavier than any which had yet beenborne by an officer of the Syndicate; but he did not hesitate in theduty which he had been sent to perform, and immediately ordered the twocrabs to advance to meet the Adamant, and to proceed to actionaccording to the instructions which they had previously received. Hisown ship was kept, in pursuance of orders, several miles distant fromthe British ship.

As soon as the repeller had been sighted from the Adamant, a strictlookout had been kept for the approach of crabs; and when the smallexposed portions of the backs of two of these were perceived glisteningin the sunlight, the speed of the great ship slackened. The ability ofthe Syndicate's submerged vessels to move suddenly and quickly in anydirection had been clearly demonstrated, and although a great ironcladwith a ram could run down and sink a crab without feeling theconcussion, it was known that it would be perfectly easy for thesmaller craft to keep out of the way of its bulky antagonist.Therefore the Adamant did not try to ram the crabs, nor to get awayfrom them. Her commander intended, if possible, to run down one orboth of them; but he did not propose to do this in the usual way.

As the crabs approached, the stern-jacket of the Adamant was let down,and the engines were slowed. This stern-jacket, when protecting therudder and propellers, looked very much like the cowcatcher of alocomotive, and was capable of being put to a somewhat similar use. Itwas the intention of the captain of the Adamant, should the crabsattempt to attach themselves to his stern, to suddenly put on allsteam, reverse his engines, and back upon them, the stern-jacketanswering as a ram.

The commander of the Adamant had no doubt that in this way he could runinto a crab, roll it over in the water, and when it was lying bottomupward, like a floating cask, he could move his ship to a distance, andmake a target of it. So desirous was this brave and somewhat facetiouscaptain to try his new plan upon a crab, that he forebore to fire uponthe two vessels of that class which were approaching him. Some of hisguns were so mounted that their muzzles could be greatly depressed, andaimed at an object in the water not far from the ship. But these werenot discharged, and, indeed, the crabs, which were new ones of unusualswiftness, were alongside the Adamant in an incredibly short time, andout of the range of these guns.

Crab J was on the starboard side of the Adamant, Crab K was on the portside, and, simultaneously, the two laid hold of her. But they were notdirectly astern of the great vessel. Each had its nippers fastened toone side of the stern-jacket, near the hinge-like bolts which held itto the vessel, and on which it was raised and lowered.

In a moment the Adamant began to steam backward; but the only effect ofthis motion, which soon became rapid, was to swing the crabs aroundagainst her sides, and carry them with her. As the vessels were thusmoving the great pincers of the crabs were twisted with tremendousforce, the stern-jacket on one side was broken from its bolt, and onthe other the bolt itself was drawn out of the side of the vessel. Thenippers then opened, and the stern-jacket fell from their grasp intothe sea, snapping in its fall the chain by which it had been raised andlowered.

This disaster occurred so quickly that few persons on board the Adamantknew what had happened. But the captain, who had seen everything, gaveinstant orders to go ahead at full speed. The first thing to be donewas to get at a distance from those crabs, keep well away from them,and pound them to pieces with his heavy guns.

But the iron screw-propellers had scarcely begun to move in theopposite direction, before the two crabs, each now lying at rightangles with the length of the ship, but neither of them directly asternof her, made a dash with open nippers, and Crab J fastened upon onepropeller, while Crab K laid hold of the other. There was a din andcrash of breaking metal, two shocks which were felt throughout thevessel, and the shattered and crushed blades of the propellers of thegreat battleship were powerless to move her.

The captain of the Adamant, pallid with fury, stood upon the poop. Ina moment the crabs would be at his rudder! The great gun,double-shotted and ready to fire, was hanging from its boom over thestern. Crab K, whose roof had the additional protection of springarmour, now moved round so as to be directly astern of the Adamant.Before she could reach the rudder, her forward part came under thesuspended cannon, and two massive steel shot were driven down upon herwith a force sufficient to send them through masses of solid rock; butfrom the surface of elastic steel springs and air-buffers they bouncedupward, one of them almost falling on the deck of the Adamant.

The gunners of this piece had been well trained. In a moment the boomwas swung around, the cannon reloaded, and when Crab K fixed hernippers on the rudder of the Adamant, two more shot came down upon her.As in the first instance she dipped and rolled, but the ribs of heruninjured armour had scarcely sprung back into their places, before hernippers turned, and the rudder of the Adamant was broken in two, andthe upper portion dragged from its fastenings then a quick backwardjerk snapped its chains, and it was dropped into the sea.

A signal was now sent from Crab J to Repeller No. 7, to the effectthat the Adamant had been rendered incapable of steaming or sailing,and that she lay subject to order.

Subject to order or not, the Adamant did not lie passive. Every gun onboard which could be sufficiently depressed, was made ready to fireupon the crabs should they attempt to get away. Four large boats,furnished with machine guns, grapnels, and with various applianceswhich might be brought into use on a steel-plated roof, were loweredfrom their davits, and immediately began firing upon the exposedportions of the crabs. Their machine guns were loaded with smallshells, and if these penetrated under the horizontal plates of a crab,and through the heavy glass which was supposed to be in theseinterstices, the crew of the submerged craft would be soon destroyed.

The quick eye of the captain of the Adamant had observed through hisglass, while the crabs were still at a considerable distance, theirprotruding air-pipes, and he had instructed the officers in charge ofthe boats to make an especial attack upon these. If the air-pipes of acrab could be rendered useless, the crew must inevitably be smothered.

But the brave captain did not know that the condensed-air chambers ofthe crabs would supply their inmates for an hour or more withoutrecourse to the outer air, and that the air-pipes, furnished withvalves at the top, were always withdrawn under water during action withan enemy. Nor did he know that the glass blocks under thearmour-plates of the crabs, which were placed in rubber frames toprotect them from concussion above, were also guarded by steel nettingfrom injury by small balls.

Valiantly the boats beset the crabs, keeping up a constant fusillade,and endeavouring to throw grapnels over them. If one of these shouldcatch under an overlapping armour-plate it could be connected with thesteam windlass of the Adamant, and a plate might be ripped off or acrab overturned.

But the crabs proved to be much more lively fish than their enemies hadsupposed. Turning, as if on a pivot, and darting from side to side,they seemed to be playing with the boats, and not trying to get awayfrom them. The spring armour of Crab K interfered somewhat with itsmovements, and also put it in danger from attacks by grapnels, and ittherefore left most of the work to its consort.

Crab J, after darting swiftly in and out among her antagonists for sometime, suddenly made a turn, and dashing at one of the boats, ran underit, and raising it on its glistening back, rolled it, bottom upward,into the sea. In a moment the crew of the boat were swimming for theirlives. They were quickly picked up by two of the other boats, whichthen deemed it prudent to return to the ship.

But the second officer of the Adamant, who commanded the fourth boat,did not give up the fight. Having noted the spring armour of Crab K,he believed that if he could get a grapnel between its steel ribs heyet might capture the sea-monster. For some minutes Crab K contenteditself with eluding him; but, tired of this, it turned, and raising itshuge nippers almost out of the water, it seized the bow of the boat,and gave it a gentle crunch, after which it released its hold andretired. The boat, leaking rapidly through two ragged holes, was rowedback to the ship, which it reached half full of water.

The great battle-ship, totally bereft of the power of moving herself,was now rolling in the trough of the sea, and a signal came from therepeller for Crab K to make fast to her and put her head to the wind.This was quickly done, the crab attaching itself to the stern-post ofthe Adamant by a pair of towing nippers. These were projected from thestern of the crab, and were so constructed that the larger vessel didnot communicate all its motion to the smaller one, and could not rundown upon it.

As soon as the Adamant was brought up with her head to the wind sheopened fire upon the repeller. The latter vessel could easily havesailed out of the range of a motionless enemy, but her orders forbadethis. Her director had been instructed by the Syndicate to expose hisvessel to the fire of the Adamant's heavy guns. Accordingly therepeller steamed nearer, and turned her broadside toward the Britishship.

Scarcely had this been done when the two great bow guns of the Adamantshook the air with tremendous roars, each hurling over the sea nearly aton of steel. One of these great shot passed over the repeller, butthe other struck her armoured side fairly amidship. There was a crashand scream of creaking steel, and Repeller No. 7 rolled over towindward as if she had been struck by a heavy sea. In a moment sherighted and shot ahead, and, turning, presented her port side to theenemy. Instant examination of the armour on her other side showed thatthe two banks of springs were uninjured, and that not an air-buffer hadexploded or failed to spring back to its normal length.

Firing from the Adamant now came thick and fast, the crab, in obedienceto signals, turning her about so as to admit the firing of some heavyguns mounted amidships. Three enormous solid shot struck the repellerat different points on her starboard armour without inflicting damage,while the explosion of several shells which hit her had no more effectupon her elastic armour than the impact of the solid shot.

It was the desire of the Syndicate not only to demonstrate to its ownsatisfaction the efficiency of its spring armour, but to convince GreatBritain that her heaviest guns on her mightiest battle-ships could haveno effect upon its armoured vessels. To prove the absolute superiorityof their means of offence and defence was the supreme object of theSyndicate. For this its members studied and worked by day and bynight; for this they poured out their millions; for this they wagedwar. To prove what they claimed would be victory.

When Repeller No. 7 had sustained the heavy fire of the Adamant forabout half an hour, it was considered that the strength of her armourhad been sufficiently demonstrated; and, with a much lighter heart thanwhen he had turned her broadside to the Adamant, her director gaveorders that she should steam out of the range of the guns of theBritish ship. During the cannonade Crab J had quietly slipped awayfrom the vicinity of the Adamant, and now joined the repeller.

The great ironclad battle-ship, with her lofty sides plated with nearlytwo feet of solid steel, with her six great guns, each weighing morethan a hundred tons, with her armament of other guns, machine cannon,and almost every appliance of naval warfare, with a small army ofofficers and men on board, was left in charge of Crab K, of which onlya few square yards of armoured roof could be seen above the water.This little vessel now proceeded to tow southward her vast prize,uninjured, except that her rudder and propeller-blades were broken anduseless.

Although the engines of the crab were of enormous power, the progressmade was slow, for the Adamant was being towed stern foremost. Itwould have been easier to tow the great vessel had the crab beenattached to her bow, but a ram which extended many feet under waterrendered it dangerous for a submerged vessel to attach itself in itsvicinity.

During the night the repeller kept company, although at a considerabledistance, with the captured vessel; and early the next morning herdirector prepared to send to the Adamant a boat with a flag-of-truce,and a letter demanding the surrender and subsequent evacuation of theBritish ship. It was supposed that now, when the officers of theAdamant had had time to appreciate the fact that they had no controlover the movements of their vessel; that their armament was powerlessagainst their enemies; that the Adamant could be towed wherever theSyndicate chose to order, or left helpless in midocean,—they would beobliged to admit that there was nothing for them to do but to surrender.

But events proved that no such ideas had entered the minds of theAdamant's officers, and their action totally prevented sending aflag-of-truce boat. As soon as it was light enough to see the repellerthe Adamant began firing great guns at her. She was too far away forthe shot to strike her, but to launch and send a boat of any kind intoa storm of shot and shell was of course impossible.

The cannon suspended over the stern of the Adamant was also againbrought into play, and shot after shot was driven down upon the towingcrab. Every ball rebounded from the spring armour, but the officer incharge of the crab became convinced that after a time this constantpounding, almost in the same place, would injure his vessel, and hesignalled the repeller to that effect.

The director of Repeller No. 7 had been considering the situation.There was only one gun on the Adamant which could be brought to bearupon Crab K, and it would be the part of wisdom to interfere with thepersistent use of this gun. Accordingly the bow of the repeller wasbrought to bear upon the Adamant, and her motor gun was aimed at theboom from which the cannon was suspended.

The projectile with which the cannon was loaded was not aninstantaneous motor-bomb. It was simply a heavy solid shot, driven byan instantaneous motor attachment, and was thus impelled by the samepower and in the same manner as the motor-bombs. The instantaneousmotor-power had not yet been used at so great a distance as thatbetween the repeller and the Adamant, and the occasion was one ofintense interest to the small body of scientific men having charge ofthe aiming and firing.

The calculations of the distance, of the necessary elevation anddirection, and of the degree of motor-power required, were made withcareful exactness, and when the proper instant arrived the button wastouched, and the shot with which the cannon was charged wasinstantaneously removed to a point in the ocean about a mile beyond theAdamant, accompanied by a large portion of the heavy boom at which thegun had been aimed.

The cannon which had been suspended from the end of this boom fell intothe sea, and would have crashed down upon the roof of Crab K, had notthat vessel, in obedience to a signal from the repeller, loosened itshold upon the Adamant and retired a short distance astern. Materialinjury might not have resulted from the fall of this great mass ofmetal upon the crab, but it was considered prudent not to take uselessrisks.

The officers of the Adamant were greatly surprised and chagrined by thefall of their gun, with which they had expected ultimately to pound inthe roof of the crab. No damage had been done to the vessel except theremoval of a portion of the boom, with some of the chains and blocksattached, and no one on board the British ship imagined for a momentthat this injury had been occasioned by the distant repeller. It wassupposed that the constant firing of the cannon had cracked the boom,and that it had suddenly snapped.

Even if there had been on board the Adamant the means for rigging upanother arrangement of the kind for perpendicular artillery practice,it would have required a long time to get it into working order, andthe director of Repeller No. 7 hoped that now the British captain wouldsee the uselessness of continued resistance.

But the British captain saw nothing of the kind,and shot after shot from his guns were hurled high into the air, inhopes that the great curves described would bring some of them down onthe deck of the repeller. If this beastly store-ship, which couldstand fire but never returned it, could be sunk, the Adamant's captainwould be happy. With the exception of the loss of her motive power,his vessel was intact, and if the stupid crab would only continue tokeep the Adamant's head to the sea until the noise of her cannonadeshould attract some other British vessel to the scene, the condition ofaffairs might be altered.

All that day the great guns of the Adamant continued to roar. The nextmorning, however, the firing was not resumed, and the officers of therepeller were greatly surprised to see approaching from the Britishship a boat carrying a white flag. This was a very welcome sight, andthe arrival of the boat was awaited with eager interest.

During the night a council had been held on board the Adamant. Hercannonading had had no effect, either in bringing assistance or ininjuring the enemy; she was being towed steadily southward farther andfarther from the probable neighbourhood of a British man-of-war; and itwas agreed that it would be the part of wisdom to come to terms withthe Syndicate's vessel.

Therefore the captain of the Adamant sent a letter to the repeller, inwhich he stated to the persons in charge of that ship, that althoughhis vessel had been injured in a manner totally at variance with therules of naval warfare, he would overlook this fact and would agree tocease firing upon the Syndicate's vessels, provided that the submergedcraft which was now made fast to his vessel should attach itself to theAdamant's bow, and by means of a suitable cable which she wouldfurnish, would tow her into British waters. If this were done he wouldguarantee that the towing craft should have six hours in which to getaway.

When this letter was read on board the repeller it created considerablemerriment, and an answer was sent back that no conditions but those ofabsolute surrender could be received from the British ship.

In three minutes after this answer had been received by the captain ofthe Adamant, two shells went whirring and shrieking through the airtoward Repeller No. 7, and after that the cannonading from the bow, thestern, the starboard, and the port guns of the great battle-ship wenton whenever there was a visible object on the ocean which looked in theleast like an American coasting vessel or man-of-war.

For a week Crab K towed steadily to the south this blazing andthundering marine citadel; and then the crab signalled to the stillaccompanying repeller that it must be relieved. It had not been fittedout for so long a cruise, and supplies were getting low.

The Syndicate, which had been kept informed of all the details of thisaffair, had already perceived the necessity of relieving Crab K, andanother crab, well provisioned and fitted out, was already on the wayto take its place. This was Crab C, possessing powerful engines, butin point of roof armour the weakest of its class. It could be betterspared than any other crab to tow the Adamant, and as the British shiphad not, and probably could not, put out another suspended cannon, itwas considered quite suitable for the service required.

But when Crab C came within half a mile of the Adamant it stopped. Itwas evident that on board the British ship a steady lookout had beenmaintained for the approach of fresh crabs, for several enormous shelland shot from heavy guns, which had been trained upward at a highangle, now fell into the sea a short distance from the crab.

Crab C would not have feared these heavy shot had they been fired froman ordinary elevation; and although no other vessel in the Syndicate'sservice would have hesitated to run the terrible gauntlet, this one, byreason of errors in construction, being less able than any other crabto resist the fall from a great height of ponderous shot and shell,thought it prudent not to venture into this rain of iron; and, movingrapidly beyond the line of danger, it attempted to approach the Adamantfrom another quarter. If it could get within the circle of fallingshot it would be safe. But this it could not do. On all sides of theAdamant guns had been trained to drop shot and shells at a distance ofhalf a mile from the ship.

Around and around the mighty ironclad steamed Crab C; but wherever shewent her presence was betrayed to the fine glasses on board the Adamantby the bit of her shining back and the ripple about it; and everbetween her and the ship came down that hail of iron in masses of aquarter ton, half ton, or nearly a whole ton. Crab C could not ventureunder these, and all day she accompanied the Adamant on her voyagesouth, dashing to this side and that, and looking for the chance thatdid not come, for all day the cannon of the battle-ship roared at herwherever she might be.

The inmates of Crab K were now very restive anduneasy, for they were on short rations, both of food and water. Theywould have been glad enough to cast loose from the Adamant, and leavethe spiteful ship to roll to her heart's content, broadside to the sea.They did not fear to run their vessel, with its thick roofplatesprotected by spring armour, through the heaviest cannonade.

But signals from the repeller commanded them to stay by the Adamant aslong as they could hold out, and they were obliged to contentthemselves with a hope that when night fell the other crab would beable to get in under the stern of the Adamant, and make the desiredexchange.

But to the great discomfiture of the Syndicate's forces, darkness hadscarcely come on before four enormous electric lights blazed high up onthe single lofty mast of the Adamant, lighting up the ocean for a mileon every side of the ship. It was of no more use for Crab C to try toget in now than in broad daylight; and all night the great guns roared,and the little crab manoeuvred.

The next morning a heavy fog fell upon the sea, and the battle-ship andCrab C were completely shut out of sight of each other. Now the cannonof the Adamant were silent, for the only result of firing would be toindicate to the crab the location of the British ship. Thesmoke-signals of the towing crab could not be seen through the fog byher consorts, and she seemed to be incapable of making signals bysound. Therefore the commander of the Adamant thought it likely thatuntil the fog rose the crab could not find his ship.

What that other crab intended to do could be, of course, on board theAdamant, only a surmise; but it was believed that she would bring withher a torpedo to be exploded under the British ship. That one crabshould tow her away from possible aid until another should bring atorpedo to fasten to her stern-post seemed a reasonable explanation ofthe action of the Syndicate's vessels.

The officers of the Adamant little understood the resources andintentions of their opponents. Every vessel of the Syndicate carried amagnetic indicator, which was designed to prevent collisions with ironvessels. This little instrument was placed at night and during fogs atthe bow of the vessel, and a delicate arm of steel, which ordinarilypointed upward at a considerable angle, fell into a horizontal positionwhen any large body of iron approached within a quarter of a mile, and,so falling, rang a small bell. Its point then turned toward the massof iron.

Soon after the fog came on, one of these indicators, properly protectedfrom the attraction of the metal about it, was put into position onCrab C. Before very long it indicated the proximity of the Adamant;and, guided by its steel point, the Crab moved quietly to the ironclad,attached itself to its stern-post, and allowed the happy crew of Crab Kto depart coastward.

When the fog rose the glasses of the Adamant showed the approach of nocrab, but it was observed, in looking over the stern, that the beggarlydevil-fish which had the ship in tow appeared to have made some changein its back.

In the afternoon of that day a truce boat was sent from the repeller tothe Adamant. It was allowed to come alongside; but when the Britishcaptain found that the Syndicate merely renewed its demand for hissurrender, he waxed fiercely angry, and sent the boat back with theword that no further message need be sent to him unless it should beone complying with the conditions he had offered.

The Syndicate now gave up the task of inducing the captain of theAdamant to surrender. Crab C was commanded to continue towing thegreat ship southward, and to keep her well away from the coast, inorder to avoid danger to seaport towns and coasting vessels, while therepeller steamed away.

Week after week the Adamant moved southward, roaring away with hergreat guns whenever an American sail came within possible range, andsurrounding herself with a circle of bursting bombs to let any crabknow what it might expect if it attempted to come near. Blazing andthundering, stern foremost, but stoutly, she rode the waves, ready toshow the world that she was an impregnable British battle-ship, fromwhich no enemy could snatch the royal colours which floated high aboveher.

It was during the first week of the involuntary cruise of the Adamantthat the Syndicate finished its preparations for what it hoped would bethe decisive movement of its campaign. To do this a repeller and sixcrabs, all with extraordinary powers, had been fitted out with greatcare, and also with great rapidity, for the British Government wasworking night and day to get its fleet of ironclads in readiness for adescent upon the American coast. Many of the British vessels werealready well prepared for ordinary naval warfare; but to resist crabsadditional defences were necessary. It was known that the Adamant hadbeen captured, and consequently the manufacture of stern-jackets hadbeen abandoned; but it was believed that protection could beeffectually given to rudders and propeller-blades by a new method whichthe Admiralty had adopted.

The repeller which was to take part in the Syndicate's proposedmovement had been a vessel of the United States navy which for a longtime had been out of commission, and undergoing a course of very slowand desultory repairs in a dockyard. She had always been consideredthe most unlucky craft in the service, and nearly every accident thatcould happen to a ship had happened to her. Years and years before,when she would set out upon a cruise, her officers and crew wouldreceive the humorous sympathy of their friends, and wagers werefrequently laid in regard to the different kinds of mishaps which mightbefall this unlucky vessel, which was then known as the Tallapoosa.

The Syndicate did not particularly desire this vessel, but there was noother that could readily be made available for its purposes, andaccordingly the Tallapoosa was purchased from the Government and workimmediately begun upon her. Her engines and hull were put into goodcondition, and outside of her was built another hull, composed of heavysteel armour-plates, and strongly braced by great transverse beamsrunning through the ship.

Still outside of this was placed an improved system of spring armour,much stronger and more effective than any which had yet beenconstructed. This, with the armour-plate, added nearly fifteen feet tothe width of the vessel above water. All her superstructures wereremoved from her deck, which was covered by a curved steel roof, andunder a bomb-proof canopy at the bow were placed two guns capable ofcarrying the largest-sized motor-bombs. The Tallapoosa, thustransformed, was called Repeller No. 11.

The immense addition to her weight would of courseinterfere very much with the speed of the new repeller, but this wasconsidered of little importance, as she would depend on her own enginesonly in time of action. She was now believed to possess more perfectdefences than any battle-ship in the world.

Early on a misty morning, Repeller No. 11, towed by four of theswiftest and most powerful crabs, and followed by two others, left aNorthern port of the United States, bound for the coast of GreatBritain. Her course was a very northerly one, for the reason that theSyndicate had planned work for her to do while on her way across theAtlantic.

The Syndicate had now determined, without unnecessarily losing an hour,to plainly demonstrate the power of the instantaneous motor-bomb. Ithad been intended to do this upon the Adamant, but as it had been foundimpossible to induce the captain of that vessel to evacuate his ship,the Syndicate had declined to exhibit the efficiency of their new agentof destruction upon a disabled craft crowded with human beings.

This course had been highly prejudicial to the claims of the Syndicate,for as Repeller No. 7 had made no use in the contest with the Adamantof the motor-bombs with which she was said to be supplied, it wasgenerally believed on both sides of the Atlantic that she carried nosuch bombs, and the conviction that the destruction at the Canadianport had been effected by means of mines continued as strong as it hadever been. To correct these false ideas was, now the duty of RepellerNo. 11.

For some time Great Britain had been steadily forwarding troops andmunitions of war to Canada, without interruption from her enemy. Onlyonce had the Syndicate's vessels appeared above the Banks ofNewfoundland, and as the number of these peculiar craft mustnecessarily be small, it was not supposed that their line of operationswould be extended very far north, and no danger from them wasapprehended, provided the English vessels laid their courses well tothe north.

Shortly before the sailing of Repeller No. 11, the Syndicate hadreceived news that one of the largest transatlantic mail steamers,loaded with troops and with heavy cannon for Canadian fortifications,and accompanied by the Craglevin, one of the largest ironclads in theRoyal Navy, had started across the Atlantic. The first business of therepeller and her attendant crabs concerned these two vessels.

Owing to the power and speed of the crabs which towed her, Repeller No.11 made excellent time; and on the morning of the third day out the twoBritish vessels were sighted. Somewhat altering their course theSyndicate's vessels were soon within a few miles of the enemy.

The Craglevin was a magnificent warship. She was not quite so large asthe Adamant, and she was unprovided with a stern-jacket or otherdefence of the kind. In sending her out the Admiralty had designed herto defend the transport against the regular vessels of the UnitedStates navy; for although the nature of the contract with the Syndicatewas well understood in England, it was not supposed that the AmericanGovernment would long consent to allow their war vessels to remainentirely idle.

When the captain of the Craglevin perceived the approach of therepeller he was much surprised, but he did not hesitate for a moment asto his course. He signalled to the transport, then about a mile to thenorth, to keep on her way while he steered to meet the enemy. It hadbeen decided in British naval circles that the proper thing to do inregard to a repeller was to ram her as quickly as possible. Thesevessels were necessarily slow and unwieldy, and if a heavy ironcladcould keep clear of crabs long enough to rush down upon one, there wasevery reason to believe that the "ball-bouncer," as the repellers werecalled by British sailors, could be crushed in below the water-line andsunk. So, full of courage and determination, the captain of theCraglevin bore down upon the repeller.

It is not necessary to enter into details of the ensuing action.Before the Craglevin was within half a mile of her enemy she was seizedby two crabs, all of which had cast loose from the repeller, and inless than twenty minutes both of her screws were extracted and herrudder shattered. In the mean time two of the swiftest crabs hadpursued the transport, and, coming up with her, one of them hadfastened to her rudder, without, however, making any attempt to injureit. When the captain of the steamer saw that one of the sea-devils hadhim by the stern, while another was near by ready to attack him, heprudently stopped his engines and lay to, the crab keeping his ship'shead to the sea.

The captain of the Craglevin was a very different man from the captainof the Adamant. He was quite as brave, but he was wiser and moreprudent. He saw that the transport had been captured and forced to layto; he saw that the repeller mounted two heavy guns at her bow, andwhatever might be the character of those guns, there could be noreasonable doubt that they were sufficient to sink an ordinary mailsteamer. His own vessel was entirely out of his control, and even ifhe chose to try his guns on the spring armour of the repeller, it wouldprobably result in the repeller turning her fire up on the transport.

With a disabled ship, and the lives of so many men in his charge, thecaptain of the Craglevin saw that it would be wrong for him to attemptto fight, and he did not fire a gun. With as much calmness as thecircumstances would permit, he awaited the progress of events.

In a very short time a message came to him from Repeller No. 11, whichstated that in two hours his ship would be destroyed by instantaneousmotor-bombs. Every opportunity, however, would be given for thetransfer to the mail steamer of all the officers and men on board theCraglevin, together with such of their possessions as they could takewith them in that time. When this had been done the transport would beallowed to proceed on her way.

To this demand nothing but acquiescence was possible. Whether or notthere was such a thing as an instantaneous motor-bomb the Craglevin'sofficers did not know; but they knew that if left to herself their shipwould soon attend to her own sinking, for there was a terrible rent inher stern, owing to a pitch of the vessel while one of thepropeller-shafts was being extracted.

Preparations for leaving the ship were, therefore,immediately begun. The crab was ordered to release the mail steamer,which, in obedience to signals from the Craglevin, steamed as near thatvessel as safety would permit. Boats were lowered from both ships, andthe work of transfer went on with great activity.

There was no lowering of flags on board the Craglevin, for theSyndicate attached no importance to such outward signs and formalities.If the captain of the British ship chose to haul down his colours hecould do so; but if he preferred to leave them still bravely floatingabove his vessel he was equally welcome to do that.

When nearly every one had left the Craglevin, a boat was sent from therepeller, which lay near by, with a note requesting the captain andfirst officer of the British ship to come on board Repeller No. 11 andwitness the method of discharging the instantaneous motor-bomb, afterwhich they would be put on board the transport. This invitation struckthe captain of the Craglevin with surprise, but a little reflectionshowed him that it would be wise to accept it. In the first place, itwas in the nature of a command, which, in the presence of six crabs anda repeller, it would be ridiculous to disobey; and, moreover, he wasmoved by a desire to know something about the Syndicate's mysteriousengine of destruction, if, indeed, such a thing really existed.

Accordingly, when all the others had left the ship, the captain of theCraglevin and his first officer came on board the repeller, curiouslyobserving the spring armour over which they passed by means of a lightgang-board with handrail. They were received by the director at one ofthe hatches of the steel deck, which were now all open, and conductedby him to the bomb-proof compartment in the bow. There was no reasonwhy the nature of the repeller's defences should not be known to the worldnor adopted by other nations. They were intended as a protectionagainst ordinary shot and shell; they would avail nothing against theinstantaneous motor-bomb.

The British officers were shown the motor-bomb to be discharged, which,externally, was very much like an ordinary shell, except that it wasnearly as long as the bore of the cannon; and the director stated thatalthough, of course, the principle of the motor-bomb was theSyndicate's secret, it was highly desirable that its effects and itsmethods of operation should be generally known.

The repeller, accompanied by the mail steamer and all the crabs, nowmoved to about two miles to the leeward of the Craglevin, and lay to.The motor-bomb was then placed in one of the great guns, while thescientific corps attended to the necessary calculations of distance,etc.

The director now turned to the British captain, who had been observingeverything with the greatest interest, and, with a smile, asked him ifhe would like to commit hari-kari?

As this remark was somewhat enigmatical, the director went on to saythat if it would be any gratification to the captain to destroy hisvessel with his own hands, instead of allowing this to be done by anenemy, he was at liberty to do so. This offer was immediatelyaccepted, for if his ship was really to be destroyed, the captain feltthat he would like to do it himself.

When the calculations had been made and the indicator set, the captainwas shown the button he must press, and stood waiting for the signal.He looked over the sea at the Craglevin, which had settled a little atthe stern, and was rolling heavily; but she was still a magnificentbattleship, with the red cross of England floating over her. He couldnot help the thought that if this motor mystery should amount tonothing, there was no reason why the Craglevin should not be towed intoport, and be made again the grand warship that she had been.

Now the director gave the signal, and the captain, with his eyes fixedupon his ship, touched the button. A quick shock ran through therepeller, and a black-gray cloud, half a mile high, occupied the placeof the British ship.

The cloud rapidly settled down, covering the water with a glitteringscum which spread far and wide, and which had been the Craglevin.

The British captain stood for a moment motionless, and then he pickedup a rammer and ran it into the muzzle of the cannon which had beendischarged. The great gun was empty. The instantaneous motor-bomb wasnot there.

Now he was convinced that the Syndicate had not mined the fortresseswhich they had destroyed.

In twenty minutes the two British officers were on board the transport,which then steamed rapidly westward. The crabs again took the repellerin tow, and the Syndicate's fleet continued its eastward course,passing through the wide expanse of glittering scum which had spreaditself upon the sea.

They were not two-thirds of their way across the Atlantic when thetransport reached St. John's, and the cable told the world that theCraglevin had been annihilated.

The news was received with amazement, and even consternation. It camefrom an officer in the Royal Navy, and how could it be doubted that agreat man-of-war had been destroyed in a moment by one shot from theSyndicate's vessel! And yet, even now, there were persons who diddoubt, and who asserted that the crabs might have placed a greattorpedo under the Craglevin, that a wire attached to this torpedo ranout from the repeller, and that the British captain had merely firedthe torpedo. But hour by hour, as fuller news came across the ocean,the number of these doubters became smaller and smaller.

In the midst of the great public excitement which now existed on bothsides of the Atlantic,—in the midst of all the conflicting opinions,fears, and hopes,—the dominant sentiment seemed to be, in America aswell as in Europe, one of curiosity. Were these six crabs and onerepeller bound to the British Isles? And if so, what did they intendto do when they got there?

It was now generally admitted that one of the Syndicate's crabs coulddisable a man-of-war, that one of the Syndicate's repellers couldwithstand the heaviest artillery fire, and that one of the Syndicate'smotor-bombs could destroy a vessel or a fort. But these things hadbeen proved in isolated combats, where the new methods of attack anddefence had had almost undisturbed opportunity for exhibiting theirefficiency. But what could a repeller and half a dozen crabs doagainst the combined force of the Royal Navy,—a navy which had in thelast few years regained its supremacy among the nations, and which hadmade Great Britain once more the first maritime power in the world?

The crabs might disable some men-of-war, the repeller might make hercalculations and discharge her bomb at a ship or a fort, but what wouldthe main body of the navy be doing meanwhile? Overwhelming, crushing,and sinking to the bottom crabs, repeller, motor guns, and everythingthat belonged to them.

In England there was a feeling of strong resentment that such a littlefleet should be allowed to sail with such intent into British waters.This resentment extended itself, not only to the impudent Syndicate,but toward the Government; and the opposition party gained daily instrength. The opposition papers had been loud and reckless in theirdenunciations of the slowness and inadequacy of the naval preparations,and loaded the Government with the entire responsibility, not only ofthe damage which had already been done to the forts, the ships, and theprestige of Great Britain, but also for the threatened danger of asudden descent of the Syndicate's fleet upon some unprotected pointupon the coast. This fleet should never have been allowed to approachwithin a thousand miles of England. It should have been sunk inmid-ocean, if its sinking had involved the loss of a dozen men-of-war.

In America a very strong feeling of dissatisfaction showed itself.From the first, the Syndicate contract had not been popular; but thequick, effective, and business-like action of that body of men, and themarked success up to this time of their inventions and theiroperations, had caused a great reaction in their favour. They had, sofar, successfully defended the American coast, and when they hadincreased the number of their vessels, they would have been relied uponto continue that defence. Even if a British armada had set out tocross the Atlantic, its movements must have been slow and cumbrous, andthe swift and sudden strokes with which the Syndicate waged war couldhave been given by night and by day over thousands of miles of ocean.

Whether or not these strokes would have been quick enough or hardenough to turn back an armada might be a question; but there could beno question of the suicidal policy of sending seven ships and twocannon to conquer England. It seemed as if the success of theSyndicate had so puffed up its members with pride and confidence intheir powers that they had come to believe that they had only to showthemselves to conquer, whatever might be the conditions of the contest.

The destruction of the Syndicate's fleet would now be a heavy blow tothe United States. It would produce an utter want of confidence in thecouncils and judgments of the Syndicate, which could not becounteracted by the strongest faith in the efficiency of their enginesof war; and it was feared it might become necessary, even at thiscritical juncture, to annul the contract with the Syndicate, and todepend upon the American navy for the defence of the American coast.

Even among the men on board the Syndicate's fleet there were signs ofdoubt and apprehensions of evil. It had all been very well so far, butfighting one ship at a time was a very different thing from steaminginto the midst of a hundred ships. On board the repeller there was nowan additional reason for fears and misgivings. The unlucky characterof the vessel when it had been the Tallapoosa was known, and not a fewof the men imagined that it must now be time for some new disaster tothis ill-starred craft, and if her evil genius had desired freshdisaster for her, it was certainly sending her into a good place tolook for it.

But the Syndicate neither doubted nor hesitated nor paid any attentionto the doubts and condemnations which they heard from every quarter.Four days after the news of the destruction of the Craglevin had beentelegraphed from Canada to London, the Syndicate's fleet entered theEnglish Channel. Owing to the power and speed of the crabs, RepellerNo. 11 had made a passage of the Atlantic which in her old naval careerwould have been considered miraculous.

Craft of various kinds were now passed, but none of them carried theBritish flag. In the expectation of the arrival of the enemy, Britishmerchantmen and fishing vessels had been advised to keep in thebackground until the British navy had concluded its business with thevessels of the American Syndicate.

As has been said before, the British Admiralty had adopted a new methodof defence for the rudders and screw-propellers of naval vesselsagainst the attacks of submerged craft. The work of constructing thenew appliances had been pushed forward as fast as possible, but so faronly one of these had been finished and attached to a man-of-war.

The Llangaron was a recently built ironclad of the same size and classas the Adamant; and to her had been attached the new stern-defence.This was an immense steel cylinder, entirely closed, and rounded at theends. It was about ten feet in diameter, and strongly braced inside.It was suspended by chains from two davits which projected over thestern of the vessel. When sailing this cylinder was hoisted up to thedavits, but when the ship was prepared for action it was lowered untilit lay, nearly submerged, abaft of the rudder. In this position itsends projected about fifteen feet on either side of thepropeller-blades.

It was believed that this cylinder would effectually prevent a crabfrom getting near enough to the propeller or the rudder to do anydamage. It could not be torn away as the stern-jacket had been, forthe rounded and smooth sides and ends of the massive cylinder wouldoffer no hold to the forceps of the crabs; and, approaching from anyquarter, it would be impossible for these forceps to reach rudder orscrew.

The Syndicate's little fleet arrived in British waters late in the day,and early the next morning it appeared about twenty miles to the southof the Isle of Wight, and headed to the north-east, as if it weremaking for Portsmouth. The course of these vessels greatly surprisedthe English Government and naval authorities. It was expected that anattack would probably be made upon some comparatively unprotected spoton the British seaboard, and therefore on the west coast of Ireland andin St. George's Channel preparations of the most formidable characterhad been made to defend British ports against Repeller No. 11 and herattendant crabs. Particularly was this the case in Bristol Channel,where a large number of ironclads were stationed, and which was to havebeen the destination of the Llangaron if the Syndicate's vessels haddelayed their coming long enough to allow her to get around there.That this little fleet should have sailed straight for England's greatnaval stronghold was something that the British Admiralty could notunderstand. The fact was not appreciated that it was the object of theSyndicate to measure its strength with the greatest strength of theenemy. Anything less than this would not avail its purpose.

Notwithstanding that so many vessels had been sent to different partsof the coast, there was still in Portsmouth harbour a large number ofwar vessels of various classes, all in commission and ready for action.The greater part of these had received orders to cruise that day in thechannel. Consequently, it was still early in the morning when, aroundthe eastern end of the Isle of Wight, there appeared a British fleetcomposed of fifteen of the finest ironclads, with several gunboats andcruisers, and a number of torpedo-boats.

It was a noble sight, for besides the warships there was another fleethanging upon the outskirts of the first, and composed of craft, largeand small, and from both sides of the channel, filled with those whowere anxious to witness from afar the sea-fight which was to take placeunder such novel conditions. Many of these observers were reportersand special correspondents for great newspapers. On some of thevessels which came up from the French coast were men with marineglasses of extraordinary power, whose business it was to send an earlyand accurate report of the affair to the office of the War Syndicate inNew York.

As soon as the British ships came in sight, the four crabs cast offfrom Repeller No. 11. Then with the other two they prepared foraction, moving considerably in advance of the repeller, which nowsteamed forward very slowly. The wind was strong from the north-west,and the sea high, the shining tops of the crabs frequently disappearingunder the waves.

The British fleet came steadily on, headed by the great Llangaron.This vessel was very much in advance of the others, for knowing thatwhen she was really in action and the great cylinder which formed herstern-guard was lowered into the water her speed would be muchretarded, she had put on all steam, and being the swiftest war-ship ofher class, she had distanced all her consorts. It was highly importantthat she should begin the fight, and engage the attention of as manycrabs as possible, while certain of the other ships attacked therepeller with their rams. Although it was now generally believed thatmotor-bombs from a repeller might destroy a man-of-war, it was alsoconsidered probable that the accurate calculations which appeared to benecessary to precision of aim could not be made when the object of theaim was in rapid motion.

But whether or not one or more motor-bombs did strike the mark, orwhether or not one or more vessels were blown into fine particles,there were a dozen ironclads in that fleet, each of whose commandersand officers were determined to run into that repeller and crush her,if so be they held together long enough to reach her.

The commanders of the torpedo-boats had orders to direct their swiftmessengers of destruction first against the crabs, for these vesselswere far in advance of the repeller, and coming on with a rapiditywhich showed that they were determined upon mischief. If a torpedo,shot from a torpedo-boat, and speeding swiftly by its own powersbeneath the waves, should strike the submerged hull of a crab, therewould be one crab the less in the English Channel.

As has been said, the Llangaron came rushing on, distancing everything,even the torpedo-boats. If, before she was obliged to lower hercylinder, she could get near enough to the almost stationary repellerto take part in the attack on her, she would then be content to slackenspeed and let the crabs nibble awhile at her stern.

Two of the latest constructed and largest crabs, Q and R, headed atfull speed to meet the Llangaron, who, as she came on, opened the ballby sending a "rattler" in the shape of a five-hundred-pound shot intothe ribs of the repeller, then at least four miles distant, andimmediately after began firing her dynamite guns, which were of limitedrange at the roofs of the advancing crabs.

There were some on board the repeller who, at the moment the great shotstruck her, with a ringing and clangour of steel springs, such as neverwas heard before, wished that in her former state of existence she hadbeen some other vessel than the Tallapoosa.

But every spring sprang back to its place as the great mass of ironglanced off into the sea. The dynamite bombs flew over the tops of thecrabs, whose rapid motions and slightly exposed surfaces gave littlechance for accurate aim, and in a short time they were too close to theLlangaron for this class of gun to be used upon them.

As the crabs came nearer, the Llangaron lowered the great steelcylinder which hung across her stern, until it lay almost entirelyunder water, and abaft of her rudder and propeller-blades. She nowmoved slowly through the water, and her men greeted the advancing crabswith yells of defiance, and a shower of shot from machine guns.

The character of the new defence which had been fitted to the Llangaronwas known to the Syndicate, and the directors of the two new crabsunderstood the heavy piece of work which lay before them. But theirplans of action had been well considered, and they made straight forthe stern of the British ship.

It was, of course, impossible to endeavour to grasp that great cylinderwith its rounded ends; their forceps would slip from any portion of itssmooth surface on which they should endeavour to lay hold, and no suchattempt was made. Keeping near the cylinder, one at each end of it,the two moved slowly after the Llangaron, apparently discouraged.

In a short time, however, it was perceived by those on board the shipthat a change had taken place in the appearance of the crabs; thevisible portion of their backs was growing larger and larger; they wererising in the water. Their mailed roofs became visible from end toend, and the crowd of observers looking down from the ship were amazedto see what large vessels they were.

Higher and higher the crabs arose, their powerful air-pumps working attheir greatest capacity, until their ponderous pincers became visibleabove the water. Then into the minds of the officers of the Llangaronflashed the true object of this uprising, which to the crew had seemedan intention on the part of the sea-devils to clamber on board.

If the cylinder were left in its present position the crab might seizethe chains by which it was suspended, while if it were raised it wouldcease to be a defence. Notwithstanding this latter contingency, theorder was quickly given to raise the cylinder; but before the hoistingengine had been set in motion, Crab Q thrust forward her forceps overthe top of the cylinder and held it down. Another thrust, and the ironjaws had grasped one of the two ponderous chains by which the cylinderwas suspended.

The other end of the cylinder began to rise, but at this moment Crab R,apparently by a single effort, lifted herself a foot higher out of thesea; her pincers flashed forward, and the other chain was grasped.

The two crabs were now placed in the most extraordinary position. Theoverhang of their roofs prevented an attack on their hulls by theLlangaron, but their unmailed hulls were so greatly exposed that a fewshot from another ship could easily have destroyed them. But as anyship firing at them would be very likely to hit the Llangaron, theirdirectors felt safe on this point.

Three of the foremost ironclads, less than two miles away, were headingdirectly for them, and their rams might be used with but little dangerto the Llangaron; but, on the other hand, three swift crabs wereheading directly for these ironclads.

It was impossible for Crabs Q and R to operate in the usual way. Theirmassive forceps, lying flat against the top of the cylinder, could notbe twisted. The enormous chains they held could not be severed by thegreatest pressure, and if both crabs backed at once they would probablydo no more than tow the Llangaron stern foremost. There was, moreover,no time to waste in experiments, for other rams would be coming on, andthere were not crabs enough to attend to them all.

No time was wasted. Q signalled to R, and R back again, and instantlythe two crabs, each still grasping a chain of the cylinder, began tosink. On board the Llangaron an order was shouted to let out thecylinder chains; but as these chains had only been made long enough toallow the top of the cylinder to hang at or a little below the surfaceof the water, a foot or two of length was all that could be gained.

The davits from which the cylinder hung were thick and strong, and theiron windlasses to which the chains were attached were large andponderous; but these were not strong enough to withstand the weight oftwo crabs with steel-armoured roofs, enormous engines, and iron hull.In less than a minute one davit snapped like a pipe-stem under thetremendous strain, and immediately afterward the windlass to which thechain was attached was torn from its bolts, and went crashingoverboard, tearing away a portion of the stern-rail in its descent.

Crab Q instantly released the chain it had held, and in a moment thegreat cylinder hung almost perpendicularly from one chain. But onlyfor a moment. The nippers of Crab R still firmly held the chain, andthe tremendous leverage exerted by the falling of one end of thecylinder wrenched it from the rigidly held end of its chain, and, in aflash, the enormous stern-guard of the Llangaron sunk, end foremost, tothe bottom of the channel.

In ten minutes afterward, the Llangaron, rudderless, and with theblades of her propellers shivered and crushed, was slowly turning herstarboard to the wind and the sea, and beginning to roll like a log ofeight thousand tons.

Besides the Llangaron, three ironclads were now drifting broadside tothe sea. But there was no time to succour disabled vessels, for therest of the fleet was coming on, and there was great work for the crabs.

Against these enemies, swift of motion and sudden in action, thetorpedo-boats found it almost impossible to operate, for the Britishships and the crabs were so rapidly nearing each other that a torpedosent out against an enemy was more than likely to run against the hullof a friend. Each crab sped at the top of its speed for a ship, notonly to attack, but also to protect itself.

Once only did the crabs give the torpedo-boats a chance. A mile or twonorth of the scene of action, a large cruiser was making her wayrapidly toward the repeller, which was still lying almost motionless,four miles to the westward. As it was highly probable that this vesselcarried dynamite guns, Crab Q, which was the fastest of her class, wassignalled to go after her. She had scarcely begun her course acrossthe open space of sea before a torpedo-boat was in pursuit. Fast aswas the latter, the crab was faster, and quite as easily managed. Shewas in a position of great danger, and her only safety lay in keepingherself on a line between the torpedo-boat and the gun-boat, and toshorten as quickly as possible the distance between herself and thatvessel.

If the torpedo-boat shot to one side in order to get the crab out ofline, the crab, its back sometimes hidden by the tossing waves, spedalso to the same side. When the torpedo-boat could aim a gun at thecrab and not at the gun-boat, a deadly torpedo flew into the sea; but atossing sea and a shifting target were unfavourable to the gunner'saim. It was not long, however, before the crab had run the chase whichmight so readily have been fatal to it, and was so near the gun-boatthat no more torpedoes could be fired at it.

Of course the officers and crew of the gun-boat had watched with mostanxious interest the chase of the crab. The vessel was one which hadbeen fitted out for service with dynamite guns, of which she carriedsome of very long range for this class of artillery, and she had beenordered to get astern of the repeller and to do her best to put a fewdynamite bombs on board of her.

The dynamite gun-boat therefore had kept ahead at full speed,determined to carry out her instructions if she should be allowed to doso; but her speed was not as great as that of a crab, and when thetorpedo-boat had given up the chase, and the dreaded crab was drawingswiftly near, the captain thought it time for bravery to give place toprudence. With the large amount of explosive material of the mosttremendous and terrific character which he had on board, it would bethe insanity of courage for him to allow his comparatively small vesselto be racked, shaken, and partially shivered by the powerful jaws ofthe on-coming foe. As he could neither fly nor fight, he hauled downhis flag in token of surrender, the first instance of the kind whichhad occurred in this war.

When the director of Crab Q, through his lookout-glass, beheld thisaction on the part of the gun-boat, he was a little perplexed as towhat he should next do. To accept the surrender of the British vessel,and to assume control of her, it was necessary to communicate with her.The communications of the crabs were made entirely by black-smokesignals, and these the captain of the gun-boat could not understand.The heavy hatches in the mailed roof which could be put in use when thecrab was cruising, could not be opened when she was at her fightingdepth, and in a tossing sea.

A means was soon devised of communicating with the gun-boat. Aspeaking-tube was run up through one of the air-pipes of the crab,which pipe was then elevated some distance above the surface. Throughthis the director hailed the other vessel, and as the air-pipe was nearthe stern of the crab, and therefore at a distance from the onlyvisible portion of the turtle-back roof, his voice seemed to come outof the depths of the ocean.

The surrender was accepted, and the captain of the gun-boat was orderedto stop his engines and prepare to be towed. When this order had beengiven, the crab moved round to the bow of the gun-boat, and graspingthe cut-water with its forceps, reversed its engines and began to backrapidly toward the British fleet, taking with it the captured vessel asa protection against torpedoes while in transit.

The crab slowed up not far from one of the foremost of the Britishships, and coming round to the quarter of the gun-boat, the astonishedcaptain of that vessel was informed, through the speaking-tube, that ifhe would give his parole to keep out of this fight, he would be allowedto proceed to his anchorage in Portsmouth harbour. The parole wasgiven, and the dynamite gun-boat, after reporting to the flag-ship,steamed away to Portsmouth.

The situation now became one which was unparalleled in the history ofnaval warfare. On the side of the British, seven war-ships weredisabled and drifting slowly to the south-east. For half an hour noadvance had been made by the British fleet, for whenever one of thelarge vessels had steamed ahead, such vessel had become the victim of acrab, and the Vice-Admiral commanding the fleet had signalled not toadvance until farther orders.

The crabs were also lying-to, each to the windward of, and not farfrom, one of the British ships. They had ceased to make any attacks,and were resting quietly under protection of the enemy. This, with thefact that the repeller still lay four miles away, without any apparentintention of taking part in the battle, gave the situation its peculiarcharacter.

The British Vice-Admiral did not intend to remain in this quiescentcondition. It was, of course, useless to order forth his ironclads,simply to see them disabled and set adrift. There was another arm ofthe service which evidently could be used with better effect upon thispeculiar foe than could the great battle-ships.

But before doing anything else, he must provide for the safety of thoseof his vessels which had been rendered helpless by the crabs, and someof which were now drifting dangerously near to each other. Despatcheshad been sent to Portsmouth for tugs, but it would not do to wait untilthese arrived, and a sufficient number of ironclads were detailed totow their injured consorts into port.

When this order had been given, the Vice-Admiral immediately preparedto renew the fight, and this time his efforts were to be directedentirely against the repeller. It would be useless to devote anyfurther attention to the crabs, especially in their present positions.But if the chief vessel of the Syndicate's fleet, with its springarmour and its terrible earthquake bombs, could be destroyed, it wasquite possible that those sea-parasites, the crabs, could also bedisposed of.

Every torpedo-boat was now ordered to the front, and in a long line,almost abreast of each other, these swift vessels—the light-infantryof the sea—advanced upon the solitary and distant foe. If one torpedocould but reach her hull, the Vice-Admiral, in spite of seven disabledironclads and a captured gun-boat, might yet gaze proudly at hisfloating flag, even if his own ship should be drifting broadside to thesea.

The line of torpedo-boats, slightly curving inward, had advanced abouta mile, when Repeller No. 11 awoke from her seeming sleep, and began toact. The two great guns at her bow were trained upward, so that a bombdischarged from them would fall into the sea a mile and a half ahead.Slowly turning her bow from side to side, so that the guns would covera range of nearly half a circle, the instantaneous motor-bombs of therepeller were discharged, one every half minute.

One of the most appalling characteristics of the motor-bombs was thesilence which accompanied their discharge and action. No noise washeard, except the flash of sound occasioned by the removal of theparticles of the object aimed at, and the subsequent roar of wind orfall of water.

As each motor-bomb dropped into the channel, a dense cloud appearedhigh in the air, above a roaring, seething cauldron, hollowed out ofthe waters and out of the very bottom of the channel. Into this chasmthe cloud quickly came down, condensed into a vast body of water, whichfell, with the roar of a cyclone, into the dreadful abyss from which ithad been torn, before the hissing walls of the great hollow had halffilled it with their sweeping surges. The piled-up mass of theredundant water was still sending its maddened billows tossing andwrithing in every direction toward their normal level, when anotherbomb was discharged; another surging abyss appeared, another roar ofwind and water was heard, and another mountain of furious billowsuplifted itself in a storm of spray and foam, raging that it had foundits place usurped.

Slowly turning, the repeller discharged bomb after bomb, building upout of the very sea itself a barrier against its enemies. Under thesethundering cataracts, born in an instant, and coming down all at oncein a plunging storm; into these abysses, with walls of water and floorsof cleft and shivered rocks; through this wide belt of raging turmoil,thrown into new frenzy after the discharge of every bomb,—no vessel,no torpedo, could pass.

The air driven off in every direction by tremendous and successiveconcussions came rushing back in shrieking gales, which tore up thewaves into blinding foam. For miles in every direction the sea swelledand upheaved into great peaked waves, the repeller rising upon thesealmost high enough to look down into the awful chasms which her bombswere making. A torpedo-boat caught in one of the returning gales washurled forward almost on her beam ends until she was under the edge ofone of the vast masses of descending water. The flood which, from eventhe outer limits of this falling-sea, poured upon and into the unluckyvessel nearly swamped her, and when she was swept back by the rushingwaves into less stormy waters, her officers and crew leaped into theirboats and deserted her. By rare good-fortune their boats were keptafloat in the turbulent sea until they reached the nearesttorpedo-vessel.

Five minutes afterward a small but carefully aimed motor-bomb struckthe nearly swamped vessel, and with the roar of all her own torpedoesshe passed into nothing.

The British Vice-Admiral had carefully watched the repeller through hisglass, and he noticed that simultaneously with the appearance of thecloud in the air produced by the action of the motor-bombs there weretwo puffs of black smoke from the repeller. These were signals to thecrabs to notify them that a motor-gun had been discharged, and thus toprovide against accidents in case a bomb should fail to act. One puffsignified that a bomb had been discharged to the north; two, that ithad gone eastward; and so on. If, therefore, a crab should see asignal of this kind, and perceive no signs of the action of a bomb, itwould be careful not to approach the repeller from the quarterindicated. It is true that in case of the failure of a bomb to act,another bomb would be dropped upon the same spot, but the instructionsof the War Syndicate provided that every possible precaution should betaken against accidents.

Of course the Vice-Admiral did not understand these signals, nor did heknow that they were signals, but he knew that they accompanied thedischarge of a motor-gun. Once he noticed that there was a shortcessation in the hitherto constant succession of water avalanches, andduring this lull he had seen two puffs from the repeller, and thedestruction, at the same moment, of the deserted torpedo-boat. It was,therefore, plain enough to him that if a motor-bomb could be placed soaccurately upon one torpedo-boat, and with such terrible result, otherbombs could quite as easily be discharged upon the other torpedo-boatswhich formed the advanced line of the fleet. When the barrier of stormand cataract again began to stretch itself in front of the repeller, heknew that not only was it impossible for the torpedo-boats to sendtheir missives through this raging turmoil, but that each of thesevessels was itself in danger of instantaneous destruction.

Unwilling, therefore, to expose his vessels to profitless danger, theVice-Admiral ordered the torpedo-boats to retire from the front, andthe whole line of them proceeded to a point north of the fleet, wherethey lay to.

When this had been done, the repeller ceased the discharge of bombs;but the sea was still heaving and tossing after the storm, when adespatch-boat brought orders from the British Admiralty to theflagship. Communication between the British fleet and the shore, andconsequently London, had been constant, and all that had occurred hadbeen quickly made known to the Admiralty and the Government. Theorders now received by the Vice-Admiral were to the effect that it wasconsidered judicious to discontinue the conflict for the day, and thathe and his whole fleet should return to Portsmouth to receive furtherorders.

In issuing these commands the British Government was actuated simply bymotives of humanity and common sense. The British fleet was thoroughlyprepared for ordinary naval warfare, but an enemy had inauguratedanother kind of naval warfare, for which it was not prepared. It was,therefore, decided to withdraw the ships until they should be preparedfor the new kind of warfare. To allow ironclad after ironclad to bedisabled and set adrift, to subject every ship in the fleet to thedanger of instantaneous destruction, and all this without thepossibility of inflicting injury upon the enemy, would not be bravery;it would be stupidity. It was surely possible to devise a means fordestroying the seven hostile ships now in British waters. Until actionfor this end could be taken, it was the part of wisdom for the Britishnavy to confine itself to the protection of British ports.

When the fleet began to move toward the Isle of Wight, the six crabs,which had been lying quietly among and under the protection of theirenemies, withdrew southward, and, making a slight circuit, joined therepeller.

Each of the disabled ironclads was now in tow of a sister vessel, or oftugs, except the Llangaron. This great ship had been disabled so earlyin the contest, and her broadside had presented such a vast surface tothe north-west wind, that she had drifted much farther to the souththan any other vessel. Consequently, before the arrival of the tugswhich had been sent for to tow her into harbour, the Llangaron was wellon her way across the channel. A foggy night came on, and the nextmorning she was ashore on the coast of France, with a mile of waterbetween her and dry land. Fast-rooted in a great sand-bank, she layweek after week, with the storms that came in from the Atlantic, andthe storms that came in from the German Ocean, beating upon her tallside of solid iron, with no more effect than if it had been a precipiceof rock. Against waves and winds she formed a massive breakwater, witha wide stretch of smooth sea between her and the land. There she lay,proof against all the artillery of Europe, and all the artillery of thesea and the storm, until a fleet of small vessels had taken from herher ponderous armament, her coal and stores, and she had been lightenedenough to float upon a high tide, and to follow three tugs toPortsmouth.

When night came on, Repeller No. 11 and the crabs dropped down with thetide, and lay to some miles west of the scene of battle. The fog shutthem in fairly well, but, fearful that torpedoes might be sent outagainst them, they showed no lights. There was little danger ofcollision with passing merchantmen, for the English Channel, atpresent, was deserted by this class of vessels.

The next morning the repeller, preceded by two crabs, bearing betweenthem a submerged net similar to that used at the Canadian port,appeared off the eastern end of the Isle of Wight. The anchors of thenet were dropped, and behind it the repeller took her place, andshortly afterward she sent a flag-of-truce boat to Portsmouth harbour.This boat carried a note from the American War Syndicate to the BritishGovernment.

In this note it was stated that it was now the intention of theSyndicate to utterly destroy, by means of the instantaneous motor, afortified post upon the British coast. As this would be done solelyfor the purpose of demonstrating the irresistible destructive power ofthe motor-bombs, it was immaterial to the Syndicate what fortified postshould be destroyed, provided it should answer the requirements of theproposed demonstration. Consequently the British Government wasoffered the opportunity of naming the fortified place which should bedestroyed. If said Government should decline to do this, or delay theselection for twenty-four hours, the Syndicate would itself decide uponthe place to be operated upon.

Every one in every branch of the British Government, and, in fact,nearly every thinking person in the British islands, had been rackinghis brains, or her brains, that night, over the astounding situation;and the note of the Syndicate only added to the perturbation of theGovernment. There was a strong feeling in official circles that theinsolent little enemy must be crushed, if the whole British navy shouldhave to rush upon it, and all sink together in a common grave.

But there were cooler and more prudent brains at the head of affairs;and these had already decided that the contest between the old enginesof war and the new ones was entirely one-sided. The instincts of goodgovernment dictated to them that they should be extremely wary andcircumspect during the further continuance of this unexampled war.Therefore, when the note of the Syndicate was considered, it was agreedthat the time had come when good statesmanship and wise diplomacy wouldbe more valuable to the nation than torpedoes, armoured ships, or heavyguns.

There was not the slightest doubt that the country would disagree withthe Government, but on the latter lay the responsibility of thecountry's safety. There was nothing, in the opinion of the ablestnaval officers, to prevent the Syndicate's fleet from coming up theThames. Instantaneous motor-bombs could sweep away all forts andcitadels, and explode and destroy all torpedo defences, and Londonmight lie under the guns of the repeller.

In consequence of this view of the state of affairs, an answer was sentto the Syndicate's note, asking that further time be given for theconsideration of the situation, and suggesting that an exhibition ofthe power of the motor-bomb was not necessary, as sufficient proof ofthis had been given in the destruction of the Canadian forts, theannihilation of the Craglevin, and the extraordinary results of thedischarge of said bombs on the preceding day.

To this a reply was sent from the office of the Syndicate in New York,by means of a cable boat from the French coast, that on no accountcould their purpose be altered or their propositions modified.Although the British Government might be convinced of the power of theSyndicate's motor-bombs, it was not the case with the British people,for it was yet popularly disbelieved that motor-bombs existed. Thisdisbelief the Syndicate was determined to overcome, not only for thefurtherance of its own purposes, but to prevent the downfall of thepresent British Ministry, and a probable radical change in theGovernment. That such a political revolution, as undesirable to theSyndicate as to cool-headed and sensible Englishmen, was imminent,there could be no doubt. The growing feeling of disaffection, almostamounting to disloyalty, not only in the opposition party, but amongthose who had hitherto been firm adherents of the Government, wasmainly based upon the idea that the present British rulers had allowedthemselves to be frightened by mines and torpedoes, artfully placed andexploded. Therefore the Syndicate intended to set right the publicmind upon this subject. The note concluded by earnestly urging thedesignation, without loss of time, of a place of operations.

This answer was received in London in the evening, and all night it wasthe subject of earnest and anxious deliberation in the Governmentoffices. It was at last decided, amid great opposition, that theSyndicate's alternative must be accepted, for it would be the height offolly to allow the repeller to bombard any port she should choose.When this conclusion had been reached, the work of selecting a placefor the proposed demonstration of the American Syndicate occupied butlittle time. The task was not difficult. Nowhere in Great Britain wasthere a fortified spot of so little importance as Caerdaff, on the westcoast of Wales.

Caerdaff consisted of a large fort on a promontory, and an immensecastellated structure on the other side of a small bay, with a littlefishing village at the head of said bay. The castellated structure wasrather old, the fortress somewhat less so; and both had long beenconsidered useless, as there was no probability that an enemy wouldland at this point on the coast.

Caerdaff was therefore selected as the spot to be operated upon. Noone could for a moment imagine that the Syndicate had mined this place;and if it should be destroyed by motor-bombs, it would prove to thecountry that the Government had not been frightened by the tricks of acrafty enemy.

An hour after the receipt of the note in which it was stated thatCaerdaff had been selected, the Syndicate's fleet started for thatplace. The crabs were elevated to cruising height, the repeller takenin tow, and by the afternoon of the next day the fleet was lying offCaerdaff. A note was sent on shore to the officer in command, statingthat the bombardment would begin at ten o'clock in the morning of thenext day but one, and requesting that information of the hour appointedbe instantly transmitted to London. When this had been done, the fleetsteamed six or seven miles off shore, where it lay to or cruised aboutfor two nights and a day.

As soon as the Government had selected Caerdaff for bombardment,immediate measures were taken to remove the small garrisons and theinhabitants of the fishing village from possible danger. When theSyndicate's note was received by the commandant of the fort, he wasalready in receipt of orders from the War Office to evacuate thefortifications, and to superintend the removal of the fishermen andtheir families to a point of safety farther up the coast.

Caerdaff was a place difficult of access by land, the nearest railroadstations being fifteen or twenty miles away; but on the day after thearrival of the Syndicate's fleet in the offing, thousands of peoplemade their way to this part of the country, anxious to see—ifperchance they might find an opportunity to safely see—what mighthappen at ten o'clock the next morning. Officers of the army and navy,Government officials, press correspondents, in great numbers, andcurious and anxious observers of all classes, hastened to the Welshcoast.

The little towns where the visitors left the trains were crowded tooverflowing, and every possible conveyance, by which the mountainslying back of Caerdaff could be reached, was eagerly secured, manypersons, however, being obliged to depend upon their own legs. Soonafter sunrise of the appointed day the forts, the village, and thesurrounding lower country were entirely deserted, and every point ofvantage on the mountains lying some miles back from the coast wasoccupied by excited spectators, nearly every one armed with afield-glass.

A few of the guns from the fortifications were transported to anoverlooking height, in order that they might be brought into action incase the repeller, instead of bombarding, should send men in boats totake possession of the evacuated fortifications, or should attempt anymining operations. The gunners for this battery were stationed at asafe place to the rear, whence they could readily reach their guns ifnecessary.

The next day was one of supreme importance to the Syndicate. On thisday it must make plain to the world, not only what the motor-bomb coulddo, but that the motor-bomb did what was done. Before leaving theEnglish Channel the director of Repeller No. 11 had receivedtelegraphic advices from both Europe and America, indicating thegeneral drift of public opinion in regard to the recent sea-fight; and,besides these, many English and continental papers had been brought tohim from the French coast.

From all these the director perceived that the cause of the Syndicatehad in a certain way suffered from the manner in which the battle inthe channel had been conducted. Every newspaper urged that if therepeller carried guns capable of throwing the bombs which the Syndicateprofessed to use, there was no reason why every ship in the Britishfleet should not have been destroyed. But as the repeller had notfired a single shot at the fleet, and as the battle had been foughtentirely by the crabs, there was every reason to believe that if therewere such things as motor-guns, their range was very short, not asgreat as that of the ordinary dynamite cannon. The great risk run byone of the crabs in order to disable a dynamite gun-boat seemed anadditional proof of this.

It was urged that the explosions in the water might have been producedby torpedoes; that the torpedo-boat which had been destroyed was sonear the repeller that an ordinary shell was sufficient to accomplishthe damage that had been done.

To gainsay these assumptions was imperative on the Syndicate's forces.To firmly establish the prestige of the instantaneous motor was theobject of the war. Crabs were of but temporary service. Any nationcould build vessels like them, and there were many means of destroyingthem. The spring armour was a complete defence against ordinaryartillery, but it was not a defence against submarine torpedoes. Theclaims of the Syndicate could be firmly based on nothing but the powersof absolute annihilation possessed by the instantaneous motor-bomb.

About nine o'clock on the appointed morning, Repeller No. 11, much tothe surprise of the spectators on the high grounds with field-glassesand telescopes, steamed away from Caerdaff. What this meant nobodyknew, but the naval military observers immediately suspected that theSyndicate's vessel had concentrated attention upon Caerdaff in order togo over to Ireland to do some sort of mischief there. It was presumedthat the crabs accompanied her, but as they were now at their fightingdepth it was impossible to see them at so great a distance.

But it was soon perceived that Repeller No. 11 had no intention ofrunning away, nor of going over to Ireland. From slowly cruising aboutfour or five miles off shore, she had steamed westward until she hadreached a point which, according to the calculations of her scientificcorps, was nine marine miles from Caerdaff. There she lay to against astrong breeze from the east.

It was not yet ten o'clock when the officer in charge of the starboardgun remarked to the director that he suppose that it would not benecessary to give the smoke signals, as had been done in the channel,as now all the crabs were lying near them. The director reflected amoment, and then ordered that the signals should be given at everydischarge of the gun, and that the columns of black smoke should beshot up to their greatest height.

At precisely ten o'clock, up rose from Repeller No. 11 two tall jetsof black smoke. Up rose from the promontory of Caerdaff, a heavy graycloud, like an immense balloon, and then the people on the hill-topsand highlands felt a sharp shock of the ground and rocks beneath them,and heard the sound of a terrible but momentary grinding crush.

As the cloud began to settle, it was borne out to sea by the wind, andthen it was revealed that the fortifications of Caerdaff haddisappeared.

In ten minutes there was another smoke signal, and a great cloud overthe castellated structure on the other side of the bay. The cloudpassed away, leaving a vacant space on the other side of the bay.

The second shock sent a panic through the crowd of spectators. Thenext earthquake bomb might strike among them. Down the eastern slopesran hundreds of them, leaving only a few of the bravest civilians, thereporters of the press, and the naval and military men.

The next motor-bomb descended into the fishing village, the comminutedparticles of which, being mostly of light material, floated far out tosea.

The detachment of artillerists who had been deputed to man the guns onthe heights which commanded the bay had been ordered to fall back tothe mountains as soon as it had been seen that it was not the intentionof the repeller to send boats on shore. The most courageous of thespectators trembled a little when the fourth bomb was discharged, forit came farther inland, and struck the height on which the battery hadbeen placed, removing all vestiges of the guns, caissons, and the ledgeof rock on which they had stood.

The motor-bombs which the repeller was now discharging were of thelargest size and greatest power, and a dozen more of them weredischarged at intervals of a few minutes. The promontory on which thefortifications had stood was annihilated, and the waters of the bayswept over its foundations. Soon afterward the head of the bay seemedmadly rushing out to sea, but quickly surged back to fill the chasmwhich yawned at the spot where the village had been.

The dense clouds were now upheaved at such short intervals that thescene of devastation was completely shut out from the observers on thehills; but every few minutes they felt a sickening shock, and heard amomentary and horrible crash and hiss which seemed to fill all the air.The instantaneous motor-bombs were tearing up the sea-board, andgrinding it to atoms.

It was not yet noon when the bombardment ceased. No more puffs ofblack smoke came up from the distant repeller, and the vast spreadingmass of clouds moved seaward, dropping down upon St. George's Channelin a rain of stone dust. Then the repeller steamed shoreward, and whenshe was within three or four miles of the coast she ran up a largewhite flag in token that her task was ended.

This sign that the bombardment had ceased was accepted in good faith;and as some of the military and naval men had carefully noted that eachpuff from the repeller was accompanied by a shock, it was consideredcertain that all the bombs which had been discharged had acted, andthat, consequently, no further danger was to be apprehended from them.In spite of this announcement many of the spectators would not leavetheir position on the hills, but a hundred or more of curious andcourageous men ventured down into the plain.

That part of the sea-coast where Caerdaff had been was a new country,about which men wandered slowly and cautiously with suddenexclamations, of amazement and awe. There were no longer promontoriesjutting out into the sea; there were no hillocks and rocky terracesrising inland. In a vast plain, shaven and shorn down to a commonlevel of scarred and pallid rock, there lay an immense chasm two milesand a half long, half a mile wide, and so deep that shuddering mencould stand and look down upon the rent and riven rocks upon which hadrested that portion of the Welsh coast which had now blown out to sea.

An officer of the Royal Engineers stood on the seaward edge of thisyawning abyss; then he walked over to the almost circular body of waterwhich occupied the place where the fishing village had been, and intowhich the waters of the bay had flowed. When this officer returned toLondon he wrote a report to the effect that a ship canal, less than aneighth of a mile long, leading from the newly formed lake at the headof the bay, would make of this chasm, when filled by the sea, thefinest and most thoroughly protected inland basin for ships of allsizes on the British coast. But before this report received dueofficial consideration the idea had been suggested and elaborated in adozen newspapers.

Accounts and reports of all kinds describing the destruction ofCaerdaff, and of the place in which it had stood, filled the newspapersof the world. Photographs and pictures of Caerdaff as it had been andas it then was were produced with marvellous rapidity, and theearthquake bomb of the American War Syndicate was the subject ofexcited conversation in every civilized country.

The British Ministry was now the calmest body of men in Europe. Thegreat opposition storm had died away, the great war storm had ceased,and the wisest British statesmen saw the unmistakable path of nationalpolicy lying plain and open before them. There was no longer time forarguments and struggles with opponents or enemies, internal orexternal. There was even no longer time for the discussion ofmeasures. It was the time for the adoption of a measure whichindicated itself, and which did not need discussion.

On the afternoon of the day of the bombardment of Caerdaff, RepellerNo. 11, accompanied by her crabs, steamed for the English Channel. Twodays afterward there lay off the coast at Brighton, with a white flagfloating high above her, the old Tallapoosa, now naval mistress of theworld.

Near by lay a cable boat, and constant communication by way of Francewas kept up between the officers of the American Syndicate and therepeller. In a very short time communications were opened between therepeller and London.

When this last step became known to the public of America, almost asmuch excited by the recent events as the public of England, a greatdisturbance arose in certain political circles. It was argued that theSyndicate had no right to negotiate in any way with the Government ofEngland; that it had been empowered to carry on a war; and that, if itsduties in this regard had been satisfactorily executed, it must nowretire, and allow the United States Government to attend to its foreignrelations.

But the Syndicate was firm. It had contracted to bring the war to asatisfactory conclusion. When it considered that this had been done,it would retire and allow the American Government, with whom thecontract had been made, to decide whether or not it had been properlyperformed.

The unmistakable path of national policy which had shown itself to thewisest British statesmen appeared broader and plainer when theovertures of the American War Syndicate had been received by theBritish Government. The Ministry now perceived that the Syndicate hadnot waged war; it had been simply exhibiting the uselessness of war asat present waged. Who now could deny that it would be folly to opposethe resources of ordinary warfare to those of what might be calledprohibitive warfare.

Another idea arose in the minds of the wisest British statesmen. Ifprohibitive warfare were a good thing for America, it would be anequally good thing for England. More than that, it would be a betterthing if only these two countries possessed the power of wagingprohibitive warfare.

In three days a convention of peace was concluded between Great Britainand the American Syndicate acting for the United States, its provisionsbeing made subject to such future treaties and alliances as thegovernments of the two nations might make with each other. In six daysafter the affair at Caerdaff, a committee of the American War Syndicatewas in London, making arrangements, under the favourable auspices ofthe British Government, for the formation of an Anglo-AmericanSyndicate of War.

The Atlantic Ocean now sprang into new life. It seemed impossible toimagine whence had come the multitude of vessels which now steamed andsailed upon its surface. Among these, going westward, were six crabs,and the spring-armoured vessel, once the Tallapoosa, going home to atriumphant reception, such as had never before been accorded to anyvessel, whether of war or peace.

The blockade of the Canadian port, which had been effectivelymaintained without incident, was now raised, and the Syndicate'svessels proceeded to an American port.

The British ironclad, Adamant, at the conclusion of peace was still intow of Crab C, and off the coast of Florida. A vessel was sent downthe coast by the Syndicate to notify Crab C of what had occurred, andto order it to tow the Adamant to the Bermudas, and there deliver herto the British authorities. The vessel sent by the Syndicate, whichwas a fast coast-steamer, had scarcely hove in sight of the objects ofher search when she was saluted by a ten-inch shell from the Adamant,followed almost immediately by two others. The commander of theAdamant had no idea that the war was at an end, and had never failed,during his involuntary cruise, to fire at anything which bore theAmerican flag, or looked like an American craft.

Fortunately the coast steamer was not struck, and at the top of herspeed retired to a greater distance, whence the Syndicate officer onboard communicated with the crab by smoke signals.

During the time in which Crab C had had charge of the Adamant nocommunication had taken place between the two vessels. Whenever anair-pipe had been elevated for the purpose of using therein aspeaking-tube, a volley from a machine-gun on the Adamant was pouredupon it, and after several pipes had been shot away the director of thecrab ceased his efforts to confer with those on the ironclad. It hadbeen necessary to place the outlets of the ventilating apparatus of thecrab under the forward ends of some of the upper roof-plates.

When Crab C had received her orders, she put about the prow of thegreat warship, and proceeded to tow her north-eastward, the commanderof the Adamant taking a parting crack with his heaviest stern-gun atthe vessel which had brought the order for his release.

All the way from the American coast to the Bermuda Islands, the greatAdamant blazed, thundered, and roared, not only because her commandersaw, or fancied he saw, an American vessel, but to notify all crabs,repellers, and any other vile invention of the enemy that may have beenrecently put forth to blemish the sacred surface of the sea, that theAdamant still floated, with the heaviest coat of mail and the finestand most complete armament in the world, ready to sink anything hostilewhich came near enough—but not too near.

When the commander found that he was bound for the Bermudas, he did notunderstand it, unless, indeed, those islands had been captured by theenemy. But he did not stop firing. Indeed, should he find theBermudas under the American flag, he would fire at that flag andwhatever carried it, as long as a shot or a shell or a charge of powderremained to him.

But when he reached British waters, and slowly entering St. George'sharbour, saw around him the British flag floating as proudly as itfloated above his own great ship, he confessed himself utterlybewildered; but he ordered the men at every gun to stand by their pieceuntil he was boarded by a boat from the fort, and informed of the truestate of affairs.

But even then, when weary Crab C raised herself from her fightingdepth, and steamed to a dock, the commander of the Adamant couldscarcely refrain from sending a couple of tons of iron into the beastlysea-devil which had had the impertinence to tow him about against hiswill.

No time was lost by the respective Governments of Great Britain and theUnited States in ratifying the peace made through the Syndicate, and inconcluding a military and naval alliance, the basis of which should bethe use by these two nations, and by no other nations, of theinstantaneous motor. The treaty was made and adopted with much moredespatch than generally accompanies such agreements between nations,for both Governments felt the importance of placing themselves, withoutdelay, in that position from which, by means of their united control ofparamount methods of warfare, they might become the arbiters of peace.

The desire to evolve that power which should render opposition uselesshad long led men from one warlike invention to another. Every one whohad constructed a new kind of gun, a new kind of armour, or a newexplosive, thought that he had solved the problem, or was on his way todo so. The inventor of the instantaneous motor had done it.

The treaty provided that all subjects concerning hostilities betweeneither or both of the contracting powers and other nations should bereferred to a Joint High Commission, appointed by the two powers; andif war should be considered necessary, it should be prosecuted andconducted by the Anglo-American War Syndicate, within limitationsprescribed by the High Commission.

The contract made with the new Syndicate was of the most stringentorder, and contained every provision that ingenuity or foresight of mancould invent or suggest to make it impossible for the Syndicate totransfer to any other nation the use of the instantaneous motor.

Throughout all classes in sympathy with the Administrative parties ofGreat Britain and the United States there was a feeling of jubilantelation on account of the alliance and the adoption by the two nationsof the means of prohibitive warfare. This public sentiment acted evenupon the opposition; and the majority of army and navy officers in thetwo countries felt bound to admit that the arts of war in which theyhad been educated were things of the past. Of course there weremembers of the army and navy in both countries who deprecated the newstate of things. But there were also men, still living, who deprecatedthe abolition of the old wooden seventy-four gun ship.

A British artillery officer conversing with a member of the AmericanSyndicate at a London club, said to him:—

"Do you know that you made a great mistake in the beginning of youroperations with the motor-guns? If you had contrived an attachment tothe motor which should have made an infernal thunder-clap and a stormof smoke at the moment of discharge it would have saved you a lot ofmoney and time and trouble. The work of the motor on the Canadiancoast was terrible enough, but people could see no connection betweenthat and the guns on your vessels. If you could have sooner shown thatconnection you might have saved yourselves the trouble of crossing theAtlantic. And, to prove this, one of the most satisfactory pointsconnected with your work on the Welsh coast was the jet of smoke whichcame from the repeller every time she discharged a motor. If it hadnot been for those jets, I believe there would be people now in theopposition who would swear that Caerdaff had been mined, and that theMinistry were a party to it."

"Your point is well taken," said the American, "and should it ever benecessary to discharge any more bombs,—which I hope it may not be,—weshall take care to show a visible and audible connection between causeand effect."

"The devil take it, sir!" cried an old captain of an Englishship-of-the-line, who was sitting near by. "What you are talking aboutis not war! We might as well send out a Codfish Trust to settlenational disputes. In the next sea-fight we'll save ourselves thetrouble of gnawing and crunching at the sterns of the enemy. We'llsimply send a note aboard requesting the foreigner to be so good as tosend us his rudder by bearer, which, if properly marked and numbered,will be returned to him on the conclusion of peace. This would do justas well as twisting it off, and save expense. No, sir, I will not joinyou in a julep! Ihave made no alliance over new-fangled inventions!Waiter, fetch me some rum and hot water!"

In the midst of the profound satisfaction with which the members of theAmerican War Syndicate regarded the success of their labours,—laboursalike profitable to themselves and to the recently contendingnations,—and in the gratified pride with which they received thepopular and official congratulations which were showered upon them,there was but one little cloud, one regret.

In the course of the great Syndicate War a life had been lost. ThomasHutchins, while assisting in the loading of coal on one of therepellers, was accidentally killed by the falling of a derrick.

The Syndicate gave a generous sum to the family of the unfortunate man,and throughout the United States the occurrence occasioned a deepfeeling of sympathetic regret. A popular subscription was started tobuild a monument to the memory of Hutchins, and contributions came, notonly from all parts of the United States, but from many persons inGreat Britain who wished to assist in the erection of this tribute tothe man who had fallen in the contest which had been of as much benefitto their country as to his own.

Some weeks after the conclusion of the treaty, a public question wasraised, which at first threatened to annoy the American Government; butit proved to be of little moment. An anti-Administration paper inPeakville, Arkansas, asserted that in the whole of the published treatythere was not one word in regard to the fisheries question, thecomplications arising from which had been the cause of the war. Otherpapers took up the matter, and the Government then discovered that indrawing up the treaty the fisheries business had been entirelyoverlooked. There was a good deal of surprise in official circles whenthis discovery was announced; but as it was considered that thefisheries question was one which would take care of itself, or bereadily disposed of in connection with a number of other minor pointswhich remained to be settled between the two countries, it was decidedto take no notice of the implied charge of neglect, and to let thematter drop. And as the opposition party took no real interest in thequestion, but little more was said about it.

Both countries were too well satisfied with the general result to wastetime or discussion over small matters. Great Britain had lost someforts and some ships; but these would have been comparatively uselessin the new system of warfare. On the other hand, she had gained, notonly the incalculable advantage of the alliance, but a magnificent andunsurpassed landlocked basin on the coast of Wales.

The United States had been obliged to pay an immense sum on account ofthe contract with the War Syndicate, but this was considered money sowell spent, and so much less than an ordinary war would have cost, thatonly the most violent anti-Administration journals ever alluded to it.

Reduction of military and naval forces, and gradual disarmament, wasnow the policy of the allied nations. Such forces and such vessels asmight be demanded for the future operations of the War Syndicate wereretained. A few field batteries of motor-guns were all that would beneeded on land, and a comparatively small number of armoured shipswould suffice to carry the motor-guns that would be required at sea.

Now there would be no more mere exhibitions of the powers of theinstantaneous motor-bomb. Hereafter, if battles must be fought, theywould be battles of annihilation.

This is the history of the Great Syndicate War. Whether or not theAnglo-American Syndicate was ever called upon to make war, it is not tobe stated here. But certain it is that after the formation of thisSyndicate all the nations of the world began to teach English in theirschools, and the Spirit of Civilization raised her head with aconfident smile.

Related articles