run.

The plan that had been adopted by Britain for keeping the Atlantic
route open was briefly as follows:--All along the 3000 miles of the
steamer track a battleship was stationed at the end of every day's
run, that is to say, at intervals of about 500 miles, and patrolled
within a radius of 100 miles. Each of these was attended by two
heavily-armed cruisers and four torpedo-boats, while between these
points swifter cruisers were constantly running to and fro convoying
the liners.

Thus, when the _Aurania_ left New York, she was picked up on the
limit of the American water by two cruisers, which would keep pace
with her as well as they could until she reached the first
battleship. As she passed the ironclad these two would leave her, and
the next two would take up the running, and so on until she reached
the range of operations of the Irish Squadron.

No other Power in the world could have maintained such a system of
ocean police, but Britain was putting forth the whole of her mighty
naval strength, and so she spared neither ships nor money to keep
open the American and Canadian routes, for on them nearly half her
food-supply depended, as well as her chief line of communication with
the far East.

On the other hand, her enemies were making desperate efforts to break
the chain of steel that was thus stretched across the hemisphere, for
they well knew that, this once broken, the first real triumph of the
war would have been won.

Five hundred miles out from New York the _Aurania_ was joined by the
_Oceana_, the largest vessel on the Canadian Pacific line from
Halifax to Liverpool. So far no enemy had been seen. The two great
liners reached the first battleship together, and were joined by the
second pair of cruisers. Before sunset the Cunarder had drawn ahead
of her companions, and by nightfall was racing away alone over the
water with every light carefully concealed, and keeping an eager
look-out for friend or foe.

There was no moon, and the sky was so heavily overcast with clouds,
that, under any other circumstances, it would have been the height of
rashness to go rushing through the darkness at such a headlong speed.
But the captain of the _Aurania_ was aware of the state of the road,
and he knew that in speed and secrecy lay his only chances of getting
his magnificent vessel through in safety.

Soon after ten o'clock lights were sighted dead ahead. The course was
slightly altered, and the great liner swep