Великий военный синдикат

           ThecharacterofthenewdefencewhichhadbeenfittedtotheLlangaronwasknowntotheSyndicate,andthedirectorsofthetwonewcrabsunderstoodtheheavypieceofworkwhichlaybeforethem.Buttheirplansofactionhadbeenwellconsidered,andtheymadestraightforthesternoftheBritishship.Itwas,ofcourse,impossibletoendeavourtograspthatgreatcylinderwithitsroundedends;theirforcepswouldslipfromanyportionofitssmoothsurfaceonwhichtheyshouldendeavourtolayhold,andnosuchattemptwasmade.Keepingnearthecylinder,oneateachendofit,thetwomovedslowlyaftertheLlangaron,apparentlydiscouraged.Inashorttime,however,itwasperceivedbythoseonboardtheshipthatachangehadtakenplaceintheappearanceofthecrabs;thevisibleportionoftheirbackswasgrowinglargerandlarger;theywererisinginthewater.Theirmailedroofsbecamevisiblefromendtoend,andthecrowdofobserverslookingdownfromtheshipwereamazedtoseewhatlargevesselstheywere.Higherandhigherthecrabsarose,theirpowerfulair-pumpsworkingattheirgreatestcapacity,untiltheirponderouspincersbecamevisibleabovethewater.ThenintothemindsoftheofficersoftheLlangaronflashedthetrueobjectofthisuprising,whichtothecrewhadseemedanintentiononthepartofthesea-devilstoclamberonboard.Ifthecylinderwereleftinitspresentpositionthecrabmightseizethechainsbywhichitwassuspended,whileifitwereraiseditwouldceasetobeadefence.