Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/161

Rh a mass of flame. Wave after wave of Ednogen was sent rolling through space, followed by showers of shot and shell. Neither side could use torpedo-boats now on account of the waves of Ednogen, for they would have burnt up smaller craft in a moment. There were blinding sheets of light, columns of smoke, and tongues of flame. The Sirian ships quivered and rolled backwards and forwards. The strain was terrific. Wave met wave; crests of flame leapt up as they dashed together. Sometimes it seemed almost as if the Sirian formation must break up, but it opened out more and relieved some of the strain. Intense anxiety was felt on board all the ships. The gunners redoubled their efforts, and fired so quickly that many of the guns were damaged by the heat.

Soon a signal flashed from the admiral's ship in the centre of the sphere. Simultaneously every captain pulled over the starting lever of his ship, and the great