Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/126

114 There was an awful shock, but their huge assailant lay helpless in front of them. More than four hundred of its men had perished in a few seconds.

Another vast battleship came charging along and cut the Lightning completely in half. The captain's metal sphere was fastened on to the stern, but the bow part was totally wrecked. Their assailant made a signal to them to surrender, but Captain Mainton replied by ordering the remaining guns to be fired. The stern part was gradually shot away piece by piece until nothing was left but the captain's sphere and a quantity of wreckage hanging round it.

Then the air inside began to get very oppressive. Alec felt his head beginning to spin round, while he hardly knew what was going on around him. Captain Mainton gradually sank down on to the ground, still holding the lever in his hands, and died murmuring the words 'No surrender' with his last breath. Darkness