f they wish to, and in that way they could
easily escape us; therefore, if one of them attempts to rise through
those clouds, I shall send him back to earth in little bits."

"And what are the other two air-ships doing?"

"They are below the clouds, heading the balloons off from the Russian
camp, which is about fifty miles to the north-westward. Ha! look,
there go the searchlights!"

As he spoke, two long converging beams of light darted across a broad
space of sky that was free from cloud. They came from the _Ariel_ and
the _Orion_, which thus suddenly revealed themselves to the
astonished and disgusted Russians, one at each end of their long
line, and only a little more than half a mile ahead of it.

The searchlights flashed to and fro along the line, plainly showing
the great masses of the aerostats' gas-holders, with their long
slender cars beneath them. A blue light was burnt on the largest of
the war-balloons, and at once the whole flotilla began to ascend
towards the clouds, followed by the two air-ships.

"Here they come!" said Arnold, as he saw them rising through a
cloud-rift. "Come out and watch what happens to the first one that
shows herself."

He went out on deck, followed by Natasha, and took his place by one
of the broadside guns. At the same time he gave the order for the
_Ithuriel's_ searchlight to be turned on, and to sweep the
cloud-field below her. Presently a black rounded object appeared
rising through the clouds like a whale coming to the surface of the
sea.

He trained the gun on to it as it came distinctly into view, and said
to Natasha--

"Come, now, and fire the first shot in the warfare of the future. Put
your finger on the button, and press when I tell you."

Natasha did as he told her, and at the word "Fire!" pressed the
little ivory button down. The shell struck the upper envelope of the
balloon, passed through, and exploded. A broad sheet of flame shot
up, brilliantly illuminating the sea of cloud for an instant, and all
was darkness again. A few seconds later there came another blaze, and
the report of a much greater explosion from below the clouds.

"What was that?" asked Natasha.

"That was the car full of explosives striking the earth and going off
promiscuously," replied Arnold. "There isn't as much of that aerostat
left as would make a pocket-handkerchief or a walking-stick."

"And the crew?"

"Never knew what happened to them. In the new warfare people will not
b