ps and rose into the serene starlit atmosphere above them.

When the airship had gained a height of a thousand feet, and was heading
south-west towards Aldershot at a speed of about a hundred miles an
hour, the Admiral noticed a shape not unlike that of his own vessel, on
his port quarter, making almost the same direction as he was. The Tsar
and Lord Kitchener were sitting one on either side of him, as he stood
at the steering-wheel, as the ominous shape came into view.

"I'm afraid that's one of your _Flying Fishes_, your Majesty, taking
news from the Continent to Aldershot. Yes, there goes her searchlight.
She's found us out by now. She knows we're not one of her crowd, and so
I suppose we shall have to fight her. Yes, I thought so, she means
fight. She's trying to get above us, which means dropping a few of those
torpedoes on us, and sending us across the edge of eternity before we
know we've got there."

"You will, of course, do your duty, Admiral," replied the Tsar very
quietly, but with a quick tightening of the lips. "It is a most
unfortunate occurrence, but we must all take the fortune of war as it
comes. I hope you will not consider my presence here for a moment.
Remember that I asked myself."

"There won't be any danger to us, your Majesty," replied the Admiral,
with a marked emphasis on the "us." "Still, we have too many valuable
lives on board to let him get the drop on us."

As he spoke he thrust one lever on the right hand forward, and pulled
another back; then he took the telephone receiver down from the wall,
and said:

"See that thing? She's trying to get the drop on us. Full speed ahead:
I'm going to rise. Hold on, gentlemen."

They held on. The Tsar saw the jumping searchlights, which flashed up
from the little grey shape to the southward, suddenly fall away and
below them. The Admiral touched the wheel with his left hand, and the
_Auriole_ sprang forward. The other tried to do the same, but she seemed
to droop and fall behind. Admiral Hingeston took down the receiver again
and said:

"Ready--starboard guns--now: fire!"

Of course, there was no report; only a brilliant blaze of light to the
southward, and an atmospheric shock which made the _Auriole_ shudder as
she passed on her way. The Tsar looked out to the spot where the blaze
of flame had burst out. The other airship had vanished.

"She has gone. That is awful," he said, with a shake in his voice.

"As I said before, I'm sorry, your