er after the news had been received by the Syndicate that
the Adamant would carry a perpendicular cannon over her stern, but
there had not been time enough to fit out another crab in the same way.

When the director in charge of Repeller No. 7 first caught sight of the
Adamant, and scanned through his glass the vast proportions of the
mighty ship which was rapidly steaming towards the coast, he felt that
a responsibility rested upon him heavier than any which had yet been
borne by an officer of the Syndicate; but he did not hesitate in the
duty which he had been sent to perform, and immediately ordered the two
crabs to advance to meet the Adamant, and to proceed to action
according to the instructions which they had previously received. His
own ship was kept, in pursuance of orders, several miles distant from
the British ship.

As soon as the repeller had been sighted from the Adamant, a strict
lookout had been kept for the approach of crabs; and when the small
exposed portions of the backs of two of these were perceived glistening
in the sunlight, the speed of the great ship slackened. The ability of
the Syndicate's submerged vessels to move suddenly and quickly in any
direction had been clearly demonstrated, and although a great ironclad
with a ram could run down and sink a crab without feeling the
concussion, it was known that it would be perfectly easy for the
smaller craft to keep out of the way of its bulky antagonist.
Therefore the Adamant did not try to ram the crabs, nor to get away
from them. Her commander intended, if possible, to run down one or
both of them; but he did not propose to do this in the usual way.

As the crabs approached, the stern-jacket of the Adamant was let down,
and the engines were slowed. This stern-jacket, when protecting the
rudder and propellers, looked very much like the cowcatcher of a
locomotive, and was capable of being put to a somewhat similar use. It
was the intention of the captain of the Adamant, should the crabs
attempt to attach themselves to his stern, to suddenly put on all
steam, reverse his engines, and back upon them, the stern-jacket
answering as a ram.

The commander of the Adamant had no doubt that in this way he could run
into a crab, roll it over in the water, and when it was lying bottom
upward, like a floating cask, he could move his ship to a distance, and
make a target of it. So desirous was this brave and somewhat facetious
captain to try his new pl