Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/121

Rh the metal sheathing was pierced in several places. Then Captain Mainton shouted into a telephone. The vessel was wrapped in sheets of flame and clouds of vapour. A terrible roar resounded through every compartment, and the hull quivered from stem to stern as a double broadside was discharged.

'Excellent!' he muttered.

But a moment later his face clouded, and he hastily turned a wheel. The vessel swung round, but there was a shock at the bows that knocked nearly everyone down and made the ship rock from side to side.

'A nasty one that!' remarked the captain; 'nearly had us that time. Now for revenge!'

He gripped the steering-wheel and shouted into another telephone. The vessel swung round, and then dashed forward at a terrific pace. Two minutes later both broadsides were again discharged, and then there was a frightful