Великий военный синдикат

           ThisinvitationstruckthecaptainoftheCraglevinwithsurprise,butalittlereflectionshowedhimthatitwouldbewisetoacceptit.Inthefirstplace,itwasinthenatureofacommand,which,inthepresenceofsixcrabsandarepeller,itwouldberidiculoustodisobey;and,moreover,hewasmovedbyadesiretoknowsomethingabouttheSyndicate’smysteriousengineofdestruction,if,indeed,suchathingreallyexisted.Accordingly,whenalltheothershadlefttheship,thecaptainoftheCraglevinandhisfirstofficercameonboardtherepeller,curiouslyobservingthespringarmouroverwhichtheypassedbymeansofalightgang-boardwithhandrail.Theywerereceivedbythedirectoratoneofthehatchesofthesteeldeck,whichwerenowallopen,andconductedbyhimtothebomb-proofcompartmentinthebow.Therewasnoreasonwhythenatureoftherepeller’sdefencesshouldnotbeknowntotheworldnoradoptedbyothernations.Theywereintendedasaprotectionagainstordinaryshotandshell;theywouldavailnothingagainsttheinstantaneousmotor-bomb.TheBritishofficerswereshownthemotor-bombtobedischarged,which,externally,wasverymuchlikeanordinaryshell,exceptthatitwasnearlyaslongastheboreofthecannon;andthedirectorstatedthatalthough,ofcourse,theprincipleofthemotor-bombwastheSyndicate’ssecret,itwashighlydesirablethatitseffectsanditsmethodsofoperationshouldbegenerallyknown.Therepeller,accompaniedbythemailsteamerandallthecrabs,nowmovedtoabouttwomilestotheleewardoftheCraglevin,andlayto.