he giant swung suddenly to starboard, and headed for the space
between the _Patrie_ and the _Republique_. The _Canada_, _Newfoundland_,
_New Zealand_ and _Hindustan_ put on speed, passed under her stern, and
headed in between the _Suffren_, _Liberte_, _Verite_ and _Patrie_, while
the _Edward VII._, _Dominion_ and _Commonwealth_ turned between the
_Justice_, _Democratie_, the _Aube_ and _Marseillaise_.

Within a thousand yards the British battleships opened fire. The first
gun from the _Britain_ was a signal which turned them all into so many
floating volcanoes. The _Britain_ herself ran between the _Patrie_ and
the _Republique_, vomiting storms of shell, first ahead, then on the
broadside and then astern. Her topworks were of course crumpled out of
all shape--that was expected, for the range was now only about five
hundred yards--but the incessant storm of thousand-pound shells from the
fourteen-inch guns, followed by an unceasing hail of three hundred and
fifty pound projectiles from the 9.2 quick-firers, reduced the two
French battleships to little better than wrecks. The _Britain_ steamed
through and turned, and again the awful hurricane burst out from her
sides and bow and stern. She swung round again, but now only a few
dropping shots greeted her from the crippled Frenchmen.

"I don't think those chaps have much more fight left in them," said the
Admiral to the Captain as they passed through the line for the third
time. "We'll just give them one more dose, and then see how the other
fellows are getting on."

Once more the monster swept in between the doomed ships; once more her
terrible artillery roared. Two torpedo boats, five hundred yards ahead,
were rushing towards her. A grey shape rose out of the water, flinging
up clouds of spray and foam, and in a moment they were ground down into
the water and sunk. The hastily-fired torpedoes diverged and struck the
two French battleships instead of the _Britain_. Two mountains of foam
rose up under their sterns, their bows went down and rose again, and
with a sternward lurch they slid down into the depths.

The _Britain_ swung round to port, and poured a broadside into the
_Liberte_, which had just crippled the _Hindustan_, and sunk her with a
torpedo. The _New Zealand_ was evidently in difficulties between the
_Liberte_ and the _Verite_. Her upper works were a mass of ruins, but
she was still blazing away merrily with her primary battery. The Admiral
slowed down to t