The Great War Syndicate | Page 9

same time, but it was determined to take
the risks and do this, if possible; for the destruction of the repeller was
obviously the first duty in hand.
As the two men-of-war rapidly approached Repeller No. 1, they kept up
a steady fire upon her; for if in this way they could damage her, the
easier would be their task. With a firm reliance upon the efficacy of the
steel-spring armour, the Director-in-chief felt no fear of the enemy's
shot and shell; but he was not at all willing that his vessel should be
rammed, for the consequences would probably be disastrous.
Accordingly he did not wait for the approach of the two vessels, but
steering seaward, he signalled for the other crab. When Crab B made its
appearance, puffing its little black jets of smoke, as it answered the
signals of the Director-in-chief, the commanders of the two British
vessels were surprised. They had imagined that there was only one of
these strange and terrible enemies, and had supposed that she would be
afraid to make her peculiar attack upon one of them, because while
doing so she would expose herself to the danger of being run down by
the other. But the presence of two of these almost submerged engines
of destruction entirely changed the situation.
But the commanders of the British ships were brave men. They had
started to run down the strangely armoured American craft, and run her
down they would, if they could. They put on more steam, and went
ahead at greater speed. In such a furious onslaught the crabs might not

dare to 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 the
men-of-war, and Crab B of the other. The rudders of both were
shattered and torn away; and while the blades of one propeller were
crushed to pieces, the other, with nearly half its shaft, was drawn out
and dropped into the ocean. Helplessly the two men-of-war rose and
fell upon the waves.
In obedience to orders from the repeller, each crab took hold of one of
the disabled vessels, and towed it near the mouth of the harbour, where
it was left.
The city was now in a state of feverish excitement, which was
intensified by the fact that a majority of the people did not understand
what had happened, while those to whom this had been made plain
could not comprehend why such a thing should have been allowed to
happen. Three of Her Majesty's ships of war, equipped and ready for
action, had sailed out of the harbour, and an apparently insignificant
enemy, without firing a gun, had put them into such a condition that
they were utterly unfit for service, and must be towed into a dry dock.
How could the Government, the municipality, the army, or the navy
explain this?
The anxiety, the excitement, the nervous desire to know what had
happened, and what might be expected next, spread that evening to
every part of the Dominion reached by telegraph.
The military authorities in charge of the defences of the city were as
much disturbed and amazed by what had happened as any civilian
could possibly be, but they had no fears for the safety of the place, for
the enemy's vessels could not possibly enter, nor even approach, the
harbour. The fortifications on the heights mounted guns much heavier
than those on the men-of-war, and shots from these fired from an
elevation might sink even those "underwater devils." But, more than on
the forts, they relied upon their admirable system of torpedoes and
submarine batteries. With these in position and ready for action, as they

now were, it was impossible for an enemy's vessel, floating on the
water or under it, to enter the harbour without certain destruction.
Bulletins to this effect were posted in the city, and somewhat allayed
the popular anxiety, although many people, who were fearful of what
might happen next, left by the evening trains for the interior. That night
the news of this extraordinary affair was cabled to Europe, and thence
back to the United States, and all over the world. In many quarters the
account was disbelieved, and in no quarter was it thoroughly
understood, for it must be borne in mind that the methods of operation
employed by the crabs were not evident to those on board the disabled
vessels. But everywhere there was the greatest desire to know what
would be done next.
It was the general opinion that the two armoured vessels were merely
tenders to the submerged machines which had done the mischief.
Having fired no guns, nor taken any active part in the combat, there
was every