ing itself visible."

"It is visible every night now, your Majesty," said Lennard; "that is,
if you know where to look for it."

"Ah, that sounds interesting," said the Tsar, moving towards the door.
"Suppose we go back into the Council Room and hear something about it."

As they went in the _Auriole_ rose from the ground, and began making a
series of slow, graceful curves over the two camps at the height of
about a thousand feet. Neither Mr Parmenter, nor his friend the Admiral,
knew exactly how far the flag of truce would be respected, and,
moreover, a little display of the _Auriole's_ powers of flight might
possibly help along negotiations, and, as a matter of fact, they did;
for the sight of this huge fabric circling above them, with her long
wicked-looking guns pointing in all directions, formed a spectacle which
to the officers and men of the various regiments and battalions
scattered about the vast plain was a good deal more interesting than it
was pleasant. The Staff officers knew, too, that the strange craft
possessed two very great advantages over the _Flying Fishes_; she was
much faster, and she could rise direct from the ground--whereas the
_Fishes_, like their namesakes, could only rise from the water. In
short, it did not need a soldier's eye to see that all their stores and
magazines, to say nothing of their own persons, were absolutely at the
mercy of the British aerial flagship. The _Flying Fishes_ were down in
the Solent refitting and filling up with motive power and ammunition
preparatory to the general advance on London.

As soon as they were seated in the Council Chamber it did not take Lord
Kitchener and Lennard very long to convince their Majesties and General
Henriot that they were very much in earnest about the matter of
surrender. In fact, the only terms offered were immediate retirement
behind the line of the North Downs, cessation of hostilities and
surrender of the _Flying Fishes_, and all British subjects, including
John Castellan, who might be on board them.

"The reason for that condition," said Lord Kitchener, "Mr Lennard will
be able to make plain to your Majesties."

Then Lennard handed Castellan's letter to the Kaiser, and explained the
change of calculations necessitated by the diversion of the planet from
its orbit.

"That is not the letter of an honest fighting man. I am sure that your
Majesties will agree with me in that. I may say that I have talked the
matter over with M