eater shocks occurring
every second as the direction of the vessel was changed; made sick and
dizzy by the nauseating swings and lurches as the Skylark spun about the
central chamber; Seaton's wonderful physique and his nerves of steel
stood him in good stead in this, the supreme battle of his life, as with
teeth tight-locked and eyes gray and hard as the fracture of high-carbon
steel, he urged the Skylark on to greater and greater efforts.

Though it was impossible for the eye to follow the flight of the
space-car, the mechanical sighting devices of the Mardonalian vessels
kept her in as perfect focus as though she were stationary, and the
great generators continued to hurl into her the full power of their
death-dealing waves. The enemy guns were still spitting forth their
streams of high-explosive shells, but unlike the waves, the shells moved
so slowly compared to their target that only a few found their mark, and
many of the vessels fell to the ground, riddled by the shells of their
sister-ships.

* * * * *

With anxious eyes Seaton watched the hull of his animated cannon-ball
change in color. From dull red it became cherry, and as the cherry red
gave place to bright red heat, Seaton threw even more power into the bar
as he muttered through his set teeth:

"Well, Seaton, old top, you've got to cut out this loafing on the job
and get busy!"

In spite of his utmost exertions and in spite of the powerful ammonia
plant, now exerting its full capacity, but sadly handicapped by the fact
that its cooling-water was now boiling, Seaton saw the arenak shell
continue to heat. The bright red was succeeded by orange, which slowly
changed, first to yellow, then to light yellow, and finally to a
dazzling white; through which, with the aid of his heavy red lenses, he
could still see the enemy ships. After a time he noted that the color
had gone down to yellow and he thrilled with exultation, knowing that he
had so reduced the numbers of the enemy fleet that their wave-generators
could no longer overcome his refrigerators. After a few minutes more of
the awful carnage there remained only a small fraction of the proud
fleet which, thousands strong, had invaded Kondal--a remnant that sought
safety in flight. But even in flight, they still fought with all their
weapons, and the streams of bombs dropped from their keel-batteries upon
the country beneath marked the path of their retreat with a wide swa