he lives of what remain of our brave fellows. If this is
scientific warfare, I, for one, will fight no more!"

"Well spoken, General!" said Tremayne, laying his hand upon his
shoulder. "Those words of yours have saved two millions of human
lives, and by this time to-morrow war will have ceased, I hope for
ever, among the nations of the West."

The _Ariel_ now swerved southward again, crossed London at full
speed, and within half an hour General le Gallifet was once more
standing in front of the Crystal Palace Hotel. As it was now getting
dusk the searchlights of the air-ships were turned on, and they swept
along the southern line of battle flashing the signal, "Victory!
Cease firing!" to the triumphant hosts of the Federation, while at
the same time the French and Italian commanders set the field
telegraph to work and despatched messengers into London with the news
of the terms of peace. By nightfall all fighting south of the Thames
had ceased, and victors and vanquished were fraternising as though
they had never struck a blow at each other, for war is a matter of
diplomacy and Court intrigue, and not of personal animosity. The
peoples of the world would be good enough friends if their rulers and
politicians would let them.

Meanwhile the battle raged with unabated fury round the headquarters
of the Tsar. Here despotism was making its last stand, and making it
bravely, in spite of the tremendous odds against it. But as twilight
deepened into night the numbers of the assailants of the last of the
Russian positions seemed to multiply miraculously.

A never-ceasing flood of grey-clad soldiery surged up from the south,
overflowed the barricades to the north, and swept the last of the
Russians out of the streets like so much chaff. All the hundred
streams converged upon Muswell Hill, and joined the ranks of the
attacking force, and so the night fell upon the last struggle of the
world-war. Even the Tsar himself now saw that the gigantic game was
virtually over, and that the stake of world-empire had been played
for--and lost.

[Illustration: "A vision which no one who saw it forgot to the day of
his death."

_See page 353._]

A powerful field searchlight had been fixed on the roof of the
Palace, and, as it flashed hither and thither round the area of the
battle, he saw fresh hosts of the British and Federation soldiers
pouring in upon the scene of action, while his own men were being
mown down by thousands under th