Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/71

Rh to the fleet was either engaged in his duties or in taking leave of his friends. The great flag-ship of the Admiral-in-Chief was floating high in the air above, casting a cold shadow on the fleet as it moved along.

At last the signal came to haul up the gangways. Alec pressed Flora to his breast while his lips met hers in one last kiss. Then he handed her over to her father and leapt on to the gangway just as it was being drawn up. He ran nimbly up the side of the Lightning, and then clung on to one of the projecting cannon, eager to speak a few last words to her. But a minute later there was a blinding flash from the flag-ship above, followed by a deafening report. It was the signal to start. Hundreds of captains saw the flash as they stood at their posts within their metal spheres, and they laid their hands on the levers before them. The engineers obeyed the call and let loose the pent-up power. The whole fleet undulated and