rm. Its beam was about twenty inches wide, its effective radius
something like a thousand feet.

We did not expect to encounter the very large projectors. We had some in
the Great City with a range of something like ten miles, and others of
lesser range that spread the ray out fan shape. But these were extremely
heavy, and we were confident it would not be practical to mount them in
the boats.

We sighted the enemy in the Narrow Sea just before the Twilight shore was
reached. The first intimation we had was the sight of one of the narrow
beams of red-green light flashing about in the twilight. As we crept
closer, at an altitude of some two thousand feet, we saw the dim outlines
of the boats in the water below.

There were, I made out, some ten or fifteen in sight. They were heading
out into the sea in single file. Miela and I had carefully discussed the
tactics we were to employ. Mercer understood our plans, and we had three
or four girls detailed to fly close to the platforms and carry our orders
about to the leaders of the various little squads.

We sighted the boats when we were about a mile away, and, as I have said,
at an altitude of some two thousand feet. They must have seen us soon
afterward, for many light-rays now began flashing up from them.

So far as I could determine, each boat seemed armed only with one mounted
projector; these I believed to be of somewhat similar power to our own.
Our first move was to poise directly over the enemy, rising to an altitude
of twenty-five hundred feet. The boats kept straight on their way, and we
followed them, circling overhead in lengthening spirals, but keeping well
out of range.

I had ordered that none of the rays be flashed at this time, and it must
have been difficult for the men in the boats below to see us in the dusk,
shrouded as we were in black. They sent up a rocket once; it mounted above
us in a slow flaming arc, hung poised an instant, and then descended,
plunging into the sea a mile or so away. We heard distinctly the hiss of
its contact with the water, and saw, like a quickly dissipating mist, the
cloud of steam that arose.

We were not armed with these rockets, for to discharge them from the
platforms would have been impractical. But we did not fear them being used
against us. Even if true aim had been possible, we could easily avoid
their slow flight.

The protecting canopy below the sides of our platform made it difficult to
see what was going o