ntmen had been already captured by fast British cruisers.

The members of the Syndicate well understood that if a war was to be
carried on as they desired, they must strike the first real blow.
Comparatively speaking, a very short time had elapsed since the
declaration of war, and the opportunity to take the initiative was
still open.

It was in order to take this initiative that, in the early hours of a
July morning, two of the Syndicate's armoured vessels, each accompanied
by a crab, steamed out of a New England port, and headed for the point
on the Canadian coast where it had been decided to open the campaign.

The vessels of the Syndicate had no individual names. The
spring-armoured ships were termed "repellers," and were numbered, and
the crabs were known by the letters of the alphabet. Each repeller was
in charge of a Director of Naval Operations; and the whole naval force
of the Syndicate was under the command of a Director-in-chief. On this
momentous occasion this officer was on board of Repeller No. 1, and
commanded the little fleet.

The repellers had never been vessels of great speed, and their present
armour of steel strips, the lower portion of which was frequently under
water, considerably retarded their progress; but each of them was taken
in tow by one of the swift and powerful crabs, and with this assistance
they made very good time, reaching their destination on the morning of
the second day.

It was on a breezy day, with a cloudy sky, and the sea moderately
smooth, that the little fleet of the Syndicate lay to off the harbour
of one of the principal Canadian seaports. About five miles away the
headlands on either side of the mouth of the harbour could be plainly
seen. It had been decided that Repeller No. 1 should begin operations.
Accordingly, that vessel steamed about a mile nearer the harbour,
accompanied by Crab A. The other repeller and crab remained in their
first position, ready to act in case they should be needed.

The approach of two vessels, evidently men-of-war, and carrying the
American flag, was perceived from the forts and redoubts at the mouth
of the harbour, and the news quickly spread to the city and to the
vessels in port. Intense excitement ensued on land and water, among
the citizens of the place as well as its defenders. Every man who had
a post of duty was instantly at it; and in less than half an hour the
British man-of-war Scarabaeus, which had been lying at anch