smoke of the cannonade rose heavily and mingled
with the clouds, and the atmospheric concussions produced by the
discharge of hundreds of heavy guns, brought down the rain in
torrents. Almost continuous streams of lightning flashed from cloud
to cloud, and from heaven to earth, eclipsing the spouting fire of
the guns, while to the roar of the bombardment was added an almost
unbroken roll of thunder.

Above all this hideous turmoil of human and elemental strife, the
three air-ships floated for awhile in a serene and sunlit atmosphere.
But this was only for a time. Arnold had taken the position and
altitude of the _Lucifer_ very carefully by means of his sextant and
compass before he rose into the air, and as soon as his preparations
were complete he made another observation of the angle of the sun's
elevation, allowing, of course, for his own, and placed his three
ships as nearly perpendicular as he could over the _Lucifer_,
floating on the under side of the storm-cloud.

His preparations had been simple in the extreme. Four light strong
grappling-irons hung downwards from the _Ithuriel_, two at the bow
and two at the stern, by thin steel-wire rope; two similar ones hung
from the starboard side of the _Orion_, which was on his left hand,
and two from the port side of the _Ariel_, which was on his right
hand. As they gained the desired position, a man was stationed at
each of the ropes, with instructions how to act when the word was
given. Then the fan-wheels were slowed down, and the three vessels
sank swiftly through the cloud.

Through the mist and darkness underneath they saw the white shape of
the _Lucifer_ almost immediately below them, so accurately had the
position been determined. They sank a hundred feet farther, and then
Arnold shouted--

"Now is your time. Cast!"

Instantly the eight grappling-irons dropped and swung towards the
_Lucifer_, hooking themselves in the stays of her masts and the
railing that ran completely round her deck.

"Now, up again, and ahead!" shouted Arnold once more, and the
fan-wheels of the three ships revolved at their utmost speed; the
air-planes had already been inclined to the full, the nine propellers
whirled round, and the recaptured _Lucifer_ was dragged forward and
upwards through the mist and darkness of the thunder-cloud into the
bright sunshine above.

[Illustration: "Now is your time, cast!"

_See page 242._]

So suddenly had the strange manoeuvre been executed