. "You get your wish. That bird is coming
out, with at least twice the acceleration we could get with both motors
full on. He saw us all the time, and was waiting for us."

"Go on--get away if you can. You can stand a higher acceleration than we
can. We'll hold him as long as possible."

"I would, if it would do any good, but it won't. He's so much faster
than we are that he could catch us anyway, if he wanted to, no matter
how much of a start we had--and it looks now as though he wanted us. Two
of us stand a lot better chance than one of licking him if he's looking
for trouble. Spread out a mile or two, and pretend this is all the speed
we've got. What'll we give him first?"

"Give him everything at once. Rays six, seven, eight, nine, and ten...."
Crane, with Seaton, began making contacts, rapidly but with precision.
"Heat wave two-seven. Induction, five-eight. Oscillation, everything
under point oh six three. All the explosive copper we can get in.
Right?"

"Right--and if worse comes to worst, remember the zone of force. Let him
shoot first, because he may be peaceable--but it doesn't look like olive
branches to me."

"Got both your screens out?"

"Yes. Mart, you might take number two visiplate and work the guns--I'll
handle the rest of this stuff. Better strap yourselves in solid,
folks--this may develop into a kind of rough party, by the looks of
things right now."

* * * * *

As he spoke, a pyrotechnic display enveloped the entire ship as a
radiation from the foreign vessel struck the other neutralizing screen
and dissipated its force harmlessly in the ether. Instantly Seaton threw
on the full power of his refrigerating system and shot in the master
switch that actuated the complex offensive armament of his dreadnought
of the skies. An intense, livid violet glow hid completely main and
auxiliary power bars, and long flashes leaped between metallic objects
in all parts of the vessel. The passengers felt each hair striving to
stand on end as the very air became more and more highly charged--and
this was but the slight corona-loss of the frightful stream of
destruction being hurled at the other space-cruiser, now scarcely a mile
away!

Seaton stared into number one visiplate, manipulating levers and dials
as he drove the _Skylark_ hither and yon, dodging frantically, the while
the automatic focusing devices remained centered upon the enemy and the
enormous generators continue