that those on
board her had not time to grasp what had really happened to them
before they found themselves captured and utterly helpless. As she
hung below her three captors it was impossible to bring one of the
_Lucifer's_ guns to bear upon them, while four guns, two from the
_Ariel_ and two from the _Orion_, grinned down upon her ready to blow
her into fragments at the least sign of resistance.

Added to this, a dozen magazine rifles covered her deck, threatening
sudden death to the six bewildered men who were still staring
helplessly about them in wonderment at the strange thing that had
happened to them.

"Who are the Russian officers in command of that air-ship?" hailed
Mazanoff from the _Ariel_.

Two men in Russian uniform raised their hands in reply, and Mazanoff
hailed again--

"Which will you have--surrender or death? If you surrender your lives
are safe, and we will put you on to the land as soon as possible; if
not you will be shot."

"We surrender!" exclaimed one of the officers, drawing his sword and
dropping it on the deck. The other followed suit, and Mazanoff
continued--

"Very good. Remain where you are. The first man that moves will be
shot down."

Almost before the last words had left his lips half a dozen men had
slid down the wire ropes and landed on the deck of the _Lucifer_. The
moment their feet had touched the deck each whipped a magazine pistol
out of his belt and covered his man.

Within a couple of minutes the captives were all disarmed; indeed,
most of them had thrown their weapons down on the first summons. The
arms were tossed overboard, and all but the two Russian officers were
rapidly bound hand and foot. Then three of the six men descended to
the engine-room, and one went to the wheel-house. In another minute
the fan-wheels of the _Lucifer_ began to spin round faster, and
quickly raised her to the level of the other three ships, and so the
recapture of the deserter was completed.

The two officers were at once summoned on board the _Ithuriel_ and
shut up under guard in separate cabins. The rest of the crew of the
_Lucifer_ was found to consist of the four traitors who had carried
her away, and two Russian engineers who had been put on board to
assist in the working of the vessel.

As soon as these had been replaced by a crew drafted from the
_Ithuriel_ and her consorts under the command of Lieutenant Marston,
Arnold gave the order to go ahead at fifty miles an hour to th