rth.

Early the next morning, the little fleet of the Syndicate prepared to
carry out its further orders. The waters of the lower bay were now
entirely deserted, craft of every description having taken refuge in
the upper part of the harbour near and above the city. Therefore, as
soon as it was light enough to make observations, Repeller No. 1 did
not hesitate to discharge a motor-bomb into the harbour, a mile or more
above where the first one had fallen. This was done in order to
explode any torpedoes which might have been put into position since the
discharge of the first bomb.

There were very few people in the city and suburbs who were at that
hour out of doors where they could see the great cloud of water arise
toward the sky, and behold it descend like a mighty cataract upon the
harbour and adjacent shores; but the quick, sharp shock which ran under
the town made people spring from their beds; and although nothing was
then to be seen, nearly everybody felt sure that the Syndicate's forces
had begun their day's work by exploding another mine.

A lighthouse, the occupants of which had been ordered to leave when the
fort was evacuated, as they might be in danger in case of a
bombardment, was so shaken by the explosion of this motor-bomb that it
fell in ruins on the rocks upon which it had stood.

The two crabs now took the steel net from its moorings and carried it
up the harbour. This was rather difficult on account of the islands,
rocks, and sand-bars; but the leading crab had on board a pilot
acquainted with those waters. With the net hanging between them, the
two submerged vessels, one carefully following the other, reached a
point about two miles below the city, where the net was anchored across
the harbour. It did not reach from shore to shore, but in the course
of the morning two other nets, designed for shallower waters, were
brought from the repellers and anchored at each end of the main net,
thus forming a line of complete protection against submarine torpedoes
which might be sent down from the upper harbour.

Repeller No. 1 now steamed into the harbour, accompanied by Crab A, and
anchored about a quarter of a mile seaward of the net. The other
repeller, with her attendant crab, cruised about the mouth of the
harbour, watching a smaller entrance to the port as well as the larger
one, and thus maintaining an effective blockade. This was not a
difficult duty, for since the news of the extraordina