so great a distance.

But it was soon perceived that Repeller No. 11 had no intention of
running away, nor of going over to Ireland. From slowly cruising about
four or five miles off shore, she had steamed westward until she had
reached a point which, according to the calculations of her scientific
corps, was nine marine miles from Caerdaff. There she lay to against a
strong breeze from the east.

It was not yet ten o'clock when the officer in charge of the starboard
gun remarked to the director that he suppose that it would not be
necessary to give the smoke signals, as had been done in the channel,
as now all the crabs were lying near them. The director reflected a
moment, and then ordered that the signals should be given at every
discharge of the gun, and that the columns of black smoke should be
shot up to their greatest height.

At precisely ten o'clock, up rose from Repeller No. 11 two tall jets
of black smoke. Up rose from the promontory of Caerdaff, a heavy gray
cloud, like an immense balloon, and then the people on the hill-tops
and highlands felt a sharp shock of the ground and rocks beneath them,
and heard the sound of a terrible but momentary grinding crush.

As the cloud began to settle, it was borne out to sea by the wind, and
then it was revealed that the fortifications of Caerdaff had
disappeared.

In ten minutes there was another smoke signal, and a great cloud over
the castellated structure on the other side of the bay. The cloud
passed away, leaving a vacant space on the other side of the bay.

The second shock sent a panic through the crowd of spectators. The
next earthquake bomb might strike among them. Down the eastern slopes
ran hundreds of them, leaving only a few of the bravest civilians, the
reporters of the press, and the naval and military men.

The next motor-bomb descended into the fishing village, the comminuted
particles of which, being mostly of light material, floated far out to
sea.

The detachment of artillerists who had been deputed to man the guns on
the heights which commanded the bay had been ordered to fall back to
the mountains as soon as it had been seen that it was not the intention
of the repeller to send boats on shore. The most courageous of the
spectators trembled a little when the fourth bomb was discharged, for
it came farther inland, and struck the height on which the battery had
been placed, removing all vestiges of the guns, caissons, and the ledge