ly settled already, and he's sending
someone to help here. Well, I think we've done our share and we'd better
get along to Dover and London."

He flashed the signal: "Good-bye and good luck!" to the shore, and
shaped his course for Dover.

So far, in spite of the terrible losses that had been sustained by the
Reserve Fleet and the Channel Fleet, the odds of battle were still a
long way in favour of Britain, in spite of the enormous forces ranged
against her. At least so thought both Erskine and Castellan until they
got within about three miles of Dover harbour, and Castellan, looking on
sea and land and sky, exclaimed:

"Great Heaven help us! This looks like the other place let loose!"

CHAPTER XX

THE NIGHT OF TERROR BEGINS--

Denis Castellan had put the situation tersely, but with a considerable
amount of accuracy. Earth and sea and sky were ablaze with swarms of
shooting, shifting lights, which kept crossing each other and making
ever-changing patterns of a magnificent embroidery, and amidst these,
huge shells and star-rockets were bursting in clouds of smoke and
many-coloured flame. The thunder of the big guns, the grinding rattle of
the quick-firers, and the hoarse, whistling shrieks of the shells,
completed the awful pandemonium of destruction and death that was raging
round Dover.

The truth was that the main naval attack of the Allies was being
directed on the south-eastern stronghold. I am aware that this is not
the usual plan followed by those who have written romantic forecasts of
the invasion of England. It seems at first sight, provided that the
enemy could pass the sentinels of the sea unnoticed, easy to land troops
on unprotected portions of our shores; but, in actual warfare, this
would be the most fatal policy that could be pursued, simply because,
whatever the point selected, the invaders would always find themselves
between two strong places, with one or more ahead of them. They would
thus be outflanked on all sides, with no retreat open but the sea, which
is the most easily closed of all retreats.

From their point of view, then, the Allies were perfectly right in their
project of reducing the great strongholds of southern and eastern
England, before advancing with their concentrated forces upon London.
It would, of course, be a costly operation. In fact Britain's long
immunity from invasion went far to prove that, to enemies possessing
only the ordinary means of warfare, it would h