Великий военный синдикат

           IthadbeensupposedthattheSyndicate,throughitsagentsscatteredallovertheworld,wouldimmediatelyacquire,bypurchaseorlease,afleetoffineironcladsculledfromvariousmaritimepowers.ButtheSyndicatehavingnointentionofinvolving,orattemptingtoinvolve,othercountriesinthisquarrel,paidnoattentiontopublicopinion,andwenttoworkinitsownway.Itsvessels,eightofwhichwereontheAtlanticcoastandtwoonthePacific,wererapidlypreparedforthepeculiarserviceinwhichtheyweretobeengaged.TheresourcesoftheSyndicateweregreat,andinaveryshorttimeseveraloftheirvessels,alreadyheavilyplatedwithsteel,werefurnishedwithanadditionaloutsidearmour,formedofstripsofelasticsteel,eachreachingfromthegunwalesnearlytothesurfaceofthewater.Thesestrips,aboutafootwide,andplacedaninchortwoapart,wereeachbackedbyseveralpowerfulair-buffers,sothataballstrikingoneormoreofthemwouldbedeprivedofmuchofitsmomentum.TheexperimentsuponthesteelspringandbuffersadoptedbytheSyndicateshowedthattheforceoftheheaviestcannonadingwasalmostdeadenedbythepowerfulelasticityofthisarmour.Thearmamentofeachvesselconsistedofbutonegun,oflargecalibre,placedontheforwarddeck,andprotectedbyabomb-proofcovering.Eachvesselwasmannedbyacaptainandcrewfromthemerchantservice,fromwhomnowarlikedutieswereexpected.Thefightingoperationswereinchargeofasmallbodyofmen,composedoftwoorthreescientificspecialists,andsomepracticalgunnersandtheirassistants.