"AND ON EARTH, PEACE!"

On the morning of the thirtieth of April, the interest of the whole
world was centred generally upon Bolton, and particularly upon the
little spot of black earth enclosed by a ring of Bessemer furnaces in
the midst of which lay another ring, a ring of metal, the mouth of the
great cannon, whose one and only shot was to save or lose the world. At
a height of two thousand feet, twenty airships circled at varying
distances round the mouth of the gun, watching for the one _Flying Fish_
which had not been accounted for in the final fight.

The good town of Bolton itself was depopulated. For days past the comet
had been blazing brighter and brighter, even in the broad daylight, and
the reports which came pouring in every day from the observatories of
the world made it perfectly clear that Lennard's calculations would be
verified at midnight.

Mr Parmenter and his brother capitalists had guaranteed two millions
sterling as compensation for such destruction of property as might be
brought about by the discharge of the cannon, and, coupled with this
guarantee, was a request that everyone living within five miles of what
had been the Great Lever pit should leave, and this was authorised by a
Royal Proclamation. There was no confusion, because, when faced with
great issues, the Lancashire intellect does not become confused. It just
gets down to business and does it. So it came about that the people of
Bolton, rich and poor, millionaire and artisan, made during that
momentous week a general flitting, taking with them just such of their
possessions as would be most precious to them if the Fates permitted
them to witness the dawn of the first of May.

The weather, strangely enough, had been warm and sunny for the last
fortnight, despite the fact that the ever-brightening Invader from Space
gradually outshone the sun itself, and so on all the moors round Bolton
there sprang up a vast town of tents and ready-made bungalows from
Chorley round by Darwen to Bury. Thousands of people had come from all
parts of the kingdom to see the fate of the world decided. What was left
of the armies of the Allies were also brought up by train, and all the
British forces were there as well. They were all friends now for there
was no more need for fighting, since the events of the next few hours
would decide the fate of the human race.

As the sun set over the western moors a vast concourse of men and women,
representing a