ght."

While he was speaking the _Ithuriel_ got up to full speed again. Lennard
shut his eyes. He felt a slight shock, and then a dull grinding. A crash
of guns and a roar of escaping steam, and when he looked out again, the
destroyer had disappeared. The next moment a blinding glare of light
streamed across the water from the direction of Selsey.

"A big cruiser, or battleship," said Erskine. "French or German. Now
we'll see what those shells of yours are made of."

CHAPTER IX

THE "FLYING FISH" APPEARS

A huge, black shape loomed up into the moonlight. As she came nearer
Lennard could see that the vessel carried a big mast forward with a
fighting-top, two funnels a little aft of it, and two other funnels a
few feet forward of the after mast.

Erskine put his glasses up to his eyes and said:

"That's the _Dupleix_, one of the improved _Desaix_ class. Steams
twenty-four knots. I suppose she's been shepherding those destroyers
that we've just finished with. I hope she hasn't seen what happened. If
she thinks that they've got in all right, we've got her. She has a heavy
fore and aft and broadside gunfire, two 6.4 guns ahead and astern and
amidships, in pairs, and as I suppose they'll be using melinite shells,
we shall get fits unless we take them unawares."

"And what does that mean?" asked Lennard.

"Show you in a minute," answered Erskine, touching three or four of the
buttons on the right-hand side as he spoke.

Another shudder ran through the frame of the _Ithuriel_ and Lennard felt
the deck sink under his feet. If he hadn't had as good a head on him as
he had, he would have said something, for the _Ithuriel_ sank until her
decks were almost awash. She jumped forward again now almost invisible,
and circled round to the south eastward. A big cloud drifted across the
moon and Erskine said:

"Thank God for that! We shall get her now."

Another quarter turn of the wheel brought the _Ithuriel's_ head at
right angles to the French cruiser's broadside. He took the transmitter
of the telephone down from the hooks and said:

"Are you there, Castellan?"

"Yes. What's that big thing ahead there?"

"It's the _Dupleix_. Ready with your forward guns. I'm going to fire
first, then ram. Stand by, centre first, then starboard and port, and
keep your eye on them. These are Mr Lennard's shells and we want to see
what they'll do. Are you ready?"

"Yes. When you like."

"Half speed, then, and tell Mackenzie t