Великий военный синдикат

           Therewas,moreover,notimetowasteinexperiments,forotherramswouldbecomingon,andtherewerenotcrabsenoughtoattendtothemall.Notimewaswasted.QsignalledtoR,andRbackagain,andinstantlythetwocrabs,eachstillgraspingachainofthecylinder,begantosink.OnboardtheLlangaronanorderwasshoutedtoletoutthecylinderchains;butasthesechainshadonlybeenmadelongenoughtoallowthetopofthecylindertohangatoralittlebelowthesurfaceofthewater,afootortwooflengthwasallthatcouldbegained.Thedavitsfromwhichthecylinderhungwerethickandstrong,andtheironwindlassestowhichthechainswereattachedwerelargeandponderous;butthesewerenotstrongenoughtowithstandtheweightoftwocrabswithsteel-armouredroofs,enormousengines,andironhull.Inlessthanaminuteonedavitsnappedlikeapipe-stemunderthetremendousstrain,andimmediatelyafterwardthewindlasstowhichthechainwasattachedwastornfromitsbolts,andwentcrashingoverboard,tearingawayaportionofthestern-railinitsdescent.CrabQinstantlyreleasedthechainithadheld,andinamomentthegreatcylinderhungalmostperpendicularlyfromonechain.Butonlyforamoment.ThenippersofCrabRstillfirmlyheldthechain,andthetremendousleverageexertedbythefallingofoneendofthecylinderwrencheditfromtherigidlyheldendofitschain,and,inaflash,theenormousstern-guardoftheLlangaronsunk,endforemost,tothebottomofthechannel.