and slightly up and down. The effect was at once
apparent. The wall showed spatter-marks of the bullets over a wider
area, and had a body of Teutons been before the factory, or even inside
it, many of them would have been accounted for, since there were
several holes in the wall through which Ned's bullets sped, carrying
potential death with them.

"That's better!" shouted Tom. "That'll do the business! Now I'm going
to open her up, Ned!"

"Open her up?" cried the young bank clerk, as he ceased firing.

"Yes; crack the wall of that factory as I would a nut! Watch me take
it on high--that is, if the old tank doesn't go back on me!"

"You mean you're going to ride right over that building, Tom?"

"I mean I'm going to try! If Tank A does as I expect her to, she'll
butt into that wall, crush it down by force and weight, and then waddle
over the ruins. Watch!"

Tom sent some signals to the motor room. At once there was noticed an
increase in the vibrations of the ponderous machine.

"They're giving her more speed," said Tom. "And I guess we'll need it."

Straight for the old factory went Tank A. In spite of its ruined
condition, some of the walls were still firm, and seemed to offer a big
obstacle to even so powerful an engine of war as this monstrous tank.

"Get ready now, Ned," Tom advised. "And when I crack her open for you
cut loose with the machine gun again. This gun is supposed to fire
straight ahead and a little to either side. There are other guns at
left and right, amidships, as I might say, and there's also one in the
stern, to take care of any attack from that direction.

"The men in charge of them will fire at the same time you do, and it
will be as near like a real attack as we can make it--with the
exception of not being fired back at. And I wouldn't mind if such were
the case, for I don't believe anything, outside of heavy artillery,
will have any effect on this tank."

Tank A was now almost at her maximum speed as she approached closer to
the deserted factory. Ned and Tom, in the conning tower, saw the
largest of the remaining walls looming before them. Straight at it
rushed the ponderous machine, and the next moment there came a shock
which almost threw Ned away from his gun and back against the steel
wall behind him.

"Hold fast!" cried Tom. "Here we go! Fire. Ned! Fire!"

There was a crash as the blunt nose of the great war tank hit the wall
and crumpled it up.

A great hole was made i