\"Ifwecouldstopthemanotherhour!\"criedthemaninyellow。
\"Nothingcanstopthemnow,\"saidtheoldman。
theyhavenearahundredaeroplanesinthefirstfleet。\"
\"Anotherhour?\"askedGraham。
\"Tobesonear!\"saidtheWardLeader。\"Nowthatwehavefoundthoseguns。Tobesonear——。
Ifoncewecouldgetthemoutupontheroofspaces。\"
\"Howlongwouldthattake?\"askedGrahamsuddenly。
\"Anhour——certainly。\"
\"Toolate,\"criedtheWardLeader,\"toolate。\"
\"Isittoolate?\"saidGraham。\"Evennow——。
Anhour!\"
Hehadsuddenlyperceivedapossibility。Hetriedtospeakcalmly,buthisfacewaswhite。\"Thereisonechance。Yousaidtherewasanaeropile——?\"
\"OntheRoehamptonstage,Sire。\"
\"Smashed?\"
\"No。ItisIyingcrosswaystothecarrier。Itmightbegotupontheguides——easily。Butthereisnoaeronaut——。\"
GrahamglancedatthetwomenandthenatHelen。
Hespokeafteralongpause。\"Wehavenoaeronauts?\"
\"None。\"
\"Theaeroplanesareclumsy,\"hesaidthoughtfully,\"comparedwiththeaeropiles。\"
HeturnedsuddenlytoHelen。Hisdecisionwasmade。\"Imustdoit。\"
\"Dowhat?\"
\"Gotothisflyingstage——tothisaeropile。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean?\"
\"Iamanaeronaut。Afterall——。Thosedaysforwhichyoureproachedmewerewasted。\"
Heturnedtotheoldmaninyellow。
puttheaeropileupontheguides。\"
Themaninyellowhesitated。
\"Whatdoyoumeantodo?\"criedHelen。
\"Thisaeropile——itisachance——。\"
\"Youdon’tmean——?\"
\"Tofight——yes。Tofightintheair。Ihavethoughtbefore——。Anaeroplaneisaclumsything。
Aresoluteman——!\"
\"But——neversinceflyingbegan——\"criedthemaninyellow。
\"Therehasbeennoneed。Butnowthetimehascome。Tellthemnow——sendthemmymessage——toputitupontheguides。\"
Theoldmandumblyinterrogatedthemaninyellow,nodded,andhurriedout。
HelenmadeasteptowardsGraham。Herfacewaswhite。\"But——Howcanonefight?Youwillbekilled。\"
\"Perhaps。Yet,nottodoit——ortoletsomeoneelseattemptit——。\"
Hestopped,hecouldspeaknomore,hesweptthealternativeasidebyagesture,andtheystoodlookingatoneanother。
\"Youareright,\"shesaidatlastinalowtone。
\"Youareright。Ifitcanbedone……
mustgo。\"
ThosedaysfornotaltogetherHemovedasteptowardsher,andshesteppedback,herwhitefacestruggledagainsthimandresistedhim。
\"No,\"shegasped。\"Icannotbear——。Gonow。\"
Heextendedhishandsstupidly。Sheclenchedherfists。\"Gonow,\"shecried。\"Gonow。\"
Hehesitatedandunderstood。Hethrewhishandsupinaqueerhalf—theatricalgesture。Hehadnowordtosay。Heturnedfromher。
Themaninyellowmovedtowardsthedoorwithclumsybelatedtact。ButGrahamsteppedpasthim。
HewentstridingthroughtheroomwheretheWardLeaderbawledatatelephonedirectingthattheaeropileshouldbeputupontheguides。
ThemaninyellowglancedatHelen’sstillfigure,hesitatedandhurriedafterhim。Grahamdidnotoncelookback,hedidnotspeakuntilthecurtainoftheante—chamberofthegreathallfellbehindhim。Thenheturnedhisheadwithcurtswiftdirectionsuponhisbloodlesslips。
CHAPTERXIV
THECOMINGOFTHEAEROPLANES
TwomeninpalebluewereIyingintheirregularlinethatstretchedalongtheedgeofthecapturedRoehamptonstagefromendtoend,graspingtheircarbinesandpeeringintotheshadowsofthestagecalledWimbledonPark。Nowandthentheyspoketooneanother。TheyspokethemutilatedEnglishoftheirclassandperiod。ThefireoftheOstrogiteshaddwindledandceased,andfewoftheenemyhadbeenseenforsometime。Buttheechoesofthefightthatwasgoingonnowfarbelowinthelowergalleriesofthatstage,cameeverynowandthenbetweenthestaccatoofshotsfromthepopularside。Oneofthesemenwasdescribingtotheotherhowhehadseenamandownbelowtheredodgebehindagirder,andhadaimedataguessandhithimcleanlyashedodgedtoofar\"He’sdowntherestill,\"saidthemarksman。
\"Seethatlittlepatch。Yes。Betweenthosebars。\"
Afewyardsbehindthemlayadeadstranger,faceupwardtothesky,withthebluecanvasofhisjacketsmolderinginacircleabouttheneatbulletholeonhischest。Closebesidehimawoundedman,withalegswathedabout,satwithanexpressionlessfaceandwatchedtheprogressofthatburning。Giganticbehindthem,athwartthecarrierlaythecapturedaeropile。
\"Ican’tseehimnow,\"saidthesecondmaninatonofprovocation。
Themarksmanbecamefoul—mouthedandhigh—
voicedinhisearnestendeavourtomakethingsplainAndsuddenly,interruptinghim,cameanoisyshoutingfromthesubstage。
\"What’sgoingonnow,\"hesaid,andraisedhimselfononearmtostareatthestairheadsinthecentralgrooveofthestage。Anumberofbluefigureswerecomingupthese,andswarmingacrossthestagetotheaeropile。
\"Wedon’twantallthesefools,\"saidhisfriend。
\"Theyonlycrowdupandspoilshots。Whataretheyafter?\"
\"Ssh!——they’reshoutingsomething。\"
Thetwomenlistened。Theswarmingnew—comershadcrowdeddenselyabouttheaeropile。ThreeWardLeaders,conspicuousbytheirblackmantlesandbadges,clamberedintothebodyandappearedaboveit。Therankandfileflungthemselvesuponthevans,grippingholdoftheedges,untiltheentireoutlineofthethingwasmanned,insomeplacesthreedeep。Oneofthemarksmenkneltup。\"They’reputtingitonthecarrier——that’swhatthey’reafter。\"
Herosetohisfeet,hisfriendrosealso。\"What’sthegood?\"saidhisfriend。\"We’vegotnoaeronauts。\"
\"That’swhatthey’redoinganyhow。\"Helookedathisrifle,lookedatthestrugglingcrowd,andsuddenlyturningtothewoundedman。\"Mindthese,mate,\"hesaid,handinghiscarbineandcartridgebelt;andinamomenthewasrunningtowardstheaeropile。ForaquarterofanhourhewasaperspiringTitan,lugging,thrusting,shoutingandheedingshouts,andthenthethingwasdone,andhestoodwithamultitudeofotherscheeringtheirownachievement。Bythistimeheknew,whatindeedeveryoneinthecityknew,thattheMaster,rawlearnerthoughhewas,intendedtoflythismachinehimself,wascomingevennowtotakecontrolofit,wouldletnoothermanattemptit。\"Hewhotakesthegreatestdanger,hewhobearstheheaviestburden,thatmanisKing,\"sotheMasterwasreportedtohavespoken。Andevenasthismancheered,andwhilethebeadsofsweatstillchasedoneanotherfromthedisorderofhishair,heheardthethunderofagreatertumult,andinfitfulsnatchesthebeatandimpulseoftherevolutionarysong。Hesawthroughagapinthepeoplethatathickstreamofheadsstillpouredupthestairway。\"TheMasteriscoming,\"shoutedvoices,\"theMasteriscoming,\"andthecrowdabouthimgrewdenseranddenser。Hebegantothrusthimselftowardsthecentralgroove。\"TheMasteriscoming!\"\"TheSleeper,theMaster!\"\"GodandtheMaster!\"roaredtheVoices。
Andsuddenlyquiteclosetohimweretheblackuniformsoftherevolutionaryguard,andforthefirstandlasttimeinhislifehesawGraham,sawhimquitenearly。Atall,darkmaninaflowingblackrobe,withawhite,resolutefaceandeyesfixedsteadfastlybeforehim;amanwhoforallthelittlethingsabouthimheldneitherearsnoreyesnorthoughts……ForallhisdaysthatmanrememberedthepassingofGraham’sbloodlessface。Inamomentithadgoneandhewasfightingintheswayingcrowd。Aladweepingwithterrorthrustagainsthim,pressingtowardsthestairways,yelling\"Clearfortheaeropile!\"Thebellthatclearstheflyingstagebecamealoudunmelodiousclanging。
WiththatclanginginhisearsGrahamdrewneartheaeropile,marchedintotheshadowofitstiltingwing。Hebecameawarethatanumberofpeopleabouthimwereofferingtoaccompanyhim,andwavedtheiroffersaside。Hewantedtothinkhowonestartedtheengine。Thebellclangedfasterandfaster,andthefeetoftheretreatingpeopleroaredfasterandlouder。Themaninyellowwasassistinghimtomountthroughtheribsofthebody。Heclamberedintotheaeronaut’splace,fixinghimselfverycarefullyanddeliberately。Whatwasit?Themaninyellowwaspointingtotwoaeropilesdrivingupwardinthesouthernsky。Nodoubttheywerelookingforthecomingaeroplanes。That——presently——thethingtodonowwastostart。Thingswerebeingshoutedathim,questions,warnings。Theybotheredhim。Hewantedtothinkabouttheaeropile,torecalleveryitemofhispreviousexperience。Hewavedthepeoplefromhim,sawthemaninyellowdroppingoffthroughtheribs,sawthecrowdcleftdownthelineofthegirdersbyhisgesture。
Foramomenthewasmotionless,staringatthelevers,thewheelbywhichtheengineshifted,andallthedelicateappliancesofwhichheknewsolittle。Hiseyecaughtaspiritlevelwiththebubbletowardshim,andherememberedsomething,spentadozensecondsinswingingtheengineforwarduntilthebubblefloatedinthecentreofthetube。Henotedthatthepeoplewerenotshouting,knewtheywatchedhisdeliberation。
Abulletsmashedonthebarabovehishead。Whofired?Wasthelineclearofpeople?Hestooduptoseeandsatdownagain。
Inanothersecondthepropellerwasspinning,andhewasrushingdowntheguides。Hegrippedthewheelandswungtheenginebacktoliftthestem。
Thenitwasthepeopleshouted。Inamomenthewasthrobbingwiththequiveroftheengine,andtheshoutsdwindledswiftlybehind,rusheddowntosilence。
Thewindwhistledovertheedgesofthescreen,andtheworldsankawayfromhimveryswiftly。
Throb,throb,throb——throb,throb,throb;uphedrove。Hefanciedhimselffreeofallexcitement,feltcoolanddeliberate。Heliftedthestemstillmore,openedonevalveonhisleftwingandsweptroundandup。Helookeddownwithasteadyhead,andup。OneoftheOstrogiteaeropileswasdrivingacrosshiscourse,sothathedroveobliquelytowardsitandwouldpassbelowitatasteepangle。Itslittleaeronautswerepeeringdownathim。Whatdidtheymeantodo?
Hismindbecameactive。One,hesawheldaweaponpointing,seemedpreparedtofire。Whatdidtheythinkhemeanttodo?Inamomentheunderstoodtheirtactics,andhisresolutionwastaken。Hismomentarylethargywaspast。Heopenedtwomorevalvestohisleft,swunground,endontothishostilemachine,closedhisvalves,andshotstraightatit,stemandwind—screenshieldinghimfromtheshot。Theytiltedalittleasiftoclearhim。Heflunguphisstem。
Throb,throb,throb——pause——throb,throb——
hesethisteeth,hisfaceintoaninvoluntarygrimace,andcrash!Hestruckit!Hestruckupwardbeneaththenearerwing。
Veryslowlythewingofhisantagonistseemedtobroadenastheimpetusofhisblowturneditup。Hesawthefullbreadthofitandthenitsliddownwardoutofhissight。
Hefelthisstemgoingdown,hishandstightenedonthelevers,whirledandrammedtheengineback。Hefeltthejerkofaclearance,thenoseofthemachinejerkedupwardsteeply,andforamomentheseemedtobeIyingonhisback。Themachinewasreelingandstaggering,itseemedtobedancingonitsscrew。Hemadeahugeeffort,hungforamomentonthelevers,andslowlytheenginecameforwardagain。Hewasdrivingupwardbutnolongersosteeply。Hegaspedforamomentandflunghimselfattheleversagain。Thewindwhistledabouthim。Onefurthereffortandhewasalmostlevel。Hecouldbreathe。Heturnedhisheadforthefirsttimetoseewhathadbecomeofhisantagonists。Turnedbacktotheleversforamomentandlookedagain。Foramomenthecouldhavebelievedtheywereannihilated。
Andthenhesawbetweenthetwostagestotheeastwasachasm,anddownthissomething,aslenderedge,fellswiftlyandvanished,asasixpencefallsdownacrack。
Atfirsthedidnotunderstand,andthenawildjoypossessedhim。Heshoutedatthetopofhisvoice,aninarticulateshout,anddrovehigherandhigherupthesky。Throb,throb,throb,pause,throb,throb,throb。
\"Wherewastheotheraeropile?\"hethought。\"Theytoo——。\"Ashelookedroundtheemptyheavenshehadamomentaryfearthatthismachinehadrisenabovehim,andthenhesawitalightingontheNorwoodstage。Theyhadmeantshooting。Toriskbeingrammedheadlongtwothousandfeetintheairwasbeyondtheirlatter—daycourage。Thecombatwasdeclined。
Foralittlewhilehecircled,thenswoopedinasteepdescenttowardsthewestwardstage。Throbthrobthrob,throbthrobthrob。Thetwilightwascreepingonapace,thesmokefromtheStreathamstagethathadbeensodenseanddark,wasnowapillaroffire,andallthelacedcurvesofthemovingwaysandthetranslucentroofsanddomesandthechasmsbetweenthebuildingswereglowingsoftlynow,litbythetemperedradianceoftheelectriclightthattheglareofthewayoverpowered。ThethreeefficientstagesthattheOstrogitesheld——forWimbledonParkwasuselessbecauseofthefirefromRoehampton,andStreathamwasafurnace——wereglowingwithguidelightsforthecomingaeroplanes。AshesweptovertheRoehamptonstagehesawthedarkmassesofthepeoplethereon。Heheardaclapoffranticcheering,heardabulletfromtheWimbledonParkstagetweetthroughtheair,andwentbeatingupabovetheSurreywastes。
Hefeltabreathofwindfromthesouth—west,andliftedhiswestwardwingashehadlearnttodo,andsodroveupwardheelingintotherareswiftupperair。
Throbthrobthrob——throbthrobthrob。
Uphedroveandup,tothatpulsatingrhythm,untilthecountrybeneathwasblueandindistinct,andLondonspreadlikealittlemaptracedinlight,likethemeremodelofacitynearthebrimofthehorizon。
Thesouth—westwasaskyofsapphireovertheshadowyrimoftheworld,andeverashedroveupwardthemultitudeofstarsincreased。
Andbehold!Inthesouthward,lowdownandglitteringswiftlynearer,weretwolittlepatchesofnebulouslight。Andthentwomore,andthenanebulousglowofswiftlydrivingshapes。Presentlyhecouldcountthem。Therewerefourandtwenty。Thefirstfleetofaeroplaneshadcome!Beyondappearedayetgreaterglow。
Hesweptroundinahalfcircle,staringatthisadvancingfleet。Itflewinawedge—likeshape,atriangularflightofgiganticphosphorescentshapessweepingnearerthroughthelowerair。Hemadeaswiftcalculationoftheirpace,andspunthelittlewheelthatbroughttheengineforward。Hetouchedaleverandthethrobbingeffortoftheengineceased。Hebegantofall,fellswifterandswifter。Heaimedattheapexofthewedge。Hedroppedlikeastonethroughthewhistlingair。Itseemedscarceasecondfromthatsoaringmomentbeforehestrucktheforemostaeroplane。
Nomanofallthatblackmultitudesawthecomingofhisfate,nomanamongthemdreamtofthehawkthatstruckdownwarduponhimoutofthesky。Thosewhowerenotlimpintheagoniesofair—sickness,werecraningtheirblacknecksandstaringtoseethefilmycitythatwasrisingoutofthehaze,therichandsplendidcitytowhich\"MassaBoss\"hadbroughttheirobedientmuscles。Brightteethgleamedandtheglossyfacesshone。TheyhadheardofParis。Theyknewtheyweretohavelordlytimesamongthe\"poorwhite\"trash。AndsuddenlyGrahamstruckthem。
Hehadaimedatthebodyoftheaeroplane,butattheverylastinstantabetterideahadflashedintohismind。Hetwistedaboutandstruckneartheedgeofthestarboardwingwithallhisaccumulatedweight。
Hewasjerkedbackashestruck。Hisprowwentglidingacrossitssmoothexpansetowardstherim。
Hefelttheforwardrushofthehugefabricsweepinghimandhisaeropilealongwithit,andforamomentthatseemedanagehecouldnottellwhatwashappening。
Heheardathousandthroatsyelling,andperceivedthathismachinewasbalancedontheedgeofthegiganticfloat,anddrivingdown,down;glancedoverhisshoulderandsawthebackboneoftheaeroplaneandtheoppositefloatswayingup。Hehadavisionthroughtheribsofslidingchairs,staringfaces,andhandsclutchingatthetiltingguidebars。
Thefenestrationsinthefurtherfloatflashedopenastheaeronauttriedtorighther。Beyond,hesawasecondaeroplaneleapingsteeplytoescapethewhirlofitsheelingfellow。Thebroadareaofswayingwingsseemedtojerkupward。Hefelthisaeropilehaddroppedclear,thatthemonstrousfabric,cleanoverturned,hunglikeaslopingwallabovehim。
Hedidnotclearlyunderstandthathehadstruckthesidefloatoftheaeroplaneandslippedoff,butheperceivedthathewasflyingfreeonthedownglideandrapidlynearingearth。Whathadhedone?Hisheartthrobbedlikeanoisyengineinhisthroatandforaperilousinstanthecouldnotmovehisleversbecauseoftheparalysisofhishands。Hewrenchedtheleverstothrowhisengineback,foughtfortwosecondsagainsttheweightofit,felthimselfrightingdrivinghorizontally,settheenginebeatingagain。
Helookedupwardandsawtwoaeroplanesglideshoutingfaroverhead,lookedback,andsawthemainbodyofthefleetopeningoutandrushingupwardand……
outward;sawtheonehehadstruckfalledgewiseonandstrikelikeagiganticknife—bladealongthewind—
wheelsbelowit。
Heputdownhissternandlookedagain。Hedroveupheedlessofhisdirectionashewatched。Hesawthewind—vanesgive,sawthehugefabricstriketheearth,sawitsdownwardvanscrumplewiththeweightofitsdescent,andthenthewholemassturnedoverandsmashed,upsidedown,upontheslopingwheels。
Throb,throb,throb,pause。Suddenlyfromtheheavingwreckageathintongueofwhitefirelickeduptowardsthezenith。Andthenhewasawareofahugemassflyingthroughtheairtowardshim,andturnedupwardsjustintimetoescapethecharge——ifitwasacharge——ofasecondaeroplane。Itwhirledbybelow,suckedhimdownafathom,andnearlyturnedhimoverinthegustofitsclosepassage。
Hebecameawareofthreeothersrushingtowardshim,awareoftheurgentnecessityofbeatingabovethem。Aeroplaneswereallabouthim,circlingwildlytoavoidhim,asitseemed。Theydrovepasthim,above,below,eastwardandwestward。Farawaytothewestwardwasthesoundofacollision,andtwofallingflares。Farawaytothesouthwardasecondsquadronwascoming。Steadilyhebeatupward。
Presentlyalltheaeroplaneswerebelowhim,butforamomenthedoubtedtheheighthehadofthem,anddidnotswoopagain。Andthenhecamedownuponasecondvictimandallitsloadofsoldierssawhimcoming。
Thebigmachineheeledandswayedasthefearmaddenedmenscrambledtothesternfortheirweapons。Ascoreofbulletssungthroughtheair,andthereflashedastarinthethickglasswind—screenthatprotectedhim。Theaeroplaneslowedanddroppedtofoilhisstroke,anddroppedtoolow。Justintimehesawthewind—wheelsofBromleyhillrushinguptowardshim,andspunaboutandupastheaeroplanehehadchasedcrashedamongthem。Allitsvoiceswoveintoafeltofyelling。Thegreatfabricseemedtobestandingonendforasecondamongtheheelingandsplinteringvans,andthenitflewtopieces。
Hugesplinterscameflyingthroughtheair,itsenginesburstlikeshells。Ahotrushofflameshotoverheadintothedarklingsky。
\"__Two!__\"hecried,withabombfromoverheadburstingasitfell,andforthwithhewasbeatingupagain。
Agloriousexhilarationpossessedhimnow,agiantactivity。Histroublesabouthumanity,abouthisinadaquacy,weregoneforever。Hewasamaninbattlerejoicinginhispower。Aeroplanesseemedradiatingfromhimineverydirection,intentonlyuponavoidinghim,theyellingoftheirpackedpassengerscameinshortgustsastheysweptby。Hechosehisthirdquarry,struckhastilyanddidbutturnitonedge。Itescapedhim,tosmashagainstthetallcliffofLondonwall。FIyingfromthatimpactheskimmedthedarklinggroundsonearlyhecouldseeafrightenedrabbitboltingupaslope。Hejerkedupsteeply,andfoundhimselfdrivingoversouthLondonwiththeairabouthimvacant。TotherightofhimawildriotofsignalrocketsfromtheOstrogitesbangedtumultuouslyinthesky。Tothesouththewreckageofhalfadozenairshipsflamed,andeastandwestandnorththeairshipsfledbeforehim。Theydroveawaytotheeastandnorth,andwentaboutinthesouth,fortheycouldnotpauseintheair。Intheirpresentconfusionanyattemptatevolutionwouldhavemeantdisastrouscollisions。Hecouldscarcelyrealizethethinghehaddone。Ineveryquarteraeroplaneswerereceding。
Theywerereceding。Theydwindledsmallerandsmaller。Theywereinflight!
HepassedtwohundredfeetorsoabovetheRoehamptonstage。Itwasblackwithpeopleandnoisywiththeirfranticshouting。ButwhywastheWimbledonParkstageblackandcheering,too?ThesmokeandflameofStreathamnowhidthethreefurtherstages。Hecurvedaboutandrosetoseethemandthenorthernquarters。FirstcamethesquaremassesofShooter’sHillintosightfrombehindthesmoke,litandorderlywiththeaeroplanethathadlandedanditsdisembarkingnegroes。ThencameBlackheath,andthenunderthecornerofthereektheNorwoodstage。OnBlackheathnoaeroplanehadlandedbutanaeropilelayupontheguides。Norwoodwascoveredbyaswarmoflittlefiguresrunningtoandfroinapassionateconfusion。Why?Abruptlyheunderstood。Thestubborndefenceoftheflyingstageswasover,thepeoplewerepouringintotheunder—waysoftheselaststrongholdsofOstrog’susurpation。Andthen,fromfarawayonthenorthernborderofthecity,fullofgloriousimporttohim,cameasound,asignal,anoteoftriumph,theleadenthudofagun。Hislipsfellapart,hisfacewasdisturbedwithemotion。
Hedrewanimmensebreath。\"Theywin,\"heshoutedtotheemptyair;\"thepeoplewin!\"Thesoundofasecondguncamelikeananswer。AndthenhesawtheaeropileonBlackheathwasrunningdownitsguidestolaunch。Itliftedcleanandrose。
Itshotupintotheair,drivingstraightsouthwardandawayfromhim。
Inaninstantitcametohimwhatthismeant。ItmustneedsbeOstroginflight。Heshoutedanddroppedtowardsit。Hehadthemomentumofhiselevationandfellslantingdowntheairandveryswiftly。Itrosesteeplyathisapproach。Heallowedforitsvelocityanddrovestraightuponit。
Itsuddenlybecameamereflatedge,andbehold!hewaspastit,anddrivingheadlongdownwithalltheforceofhisfutileblow。
Hewasfuriouslyangry。Hereeledtheenginebackalongitsshaftandwentcirclingup。HesawOstrog’smachinebeatingupaspiralbeforehim。Herosestraighttowardsit,wonaboveitbyvirtueoftheimpetusofhisswoopandbytheadvantageandweightofaman。Hedroppedheadlong——droppedandmissedagain!AsherushedpasthesawthefaceofOstrog’saeronautconfidentandcoolandinOstrog’sattitudeawincingresolution。Ostrogwaslookingsteadfastlyawayfromhim——tothesouth。
Herealizedwithagleamofwrathhowbunglinghisflightmustbe。BelowhesawtheCroydenhills。Hejerkedupwardandoncemorehegainedonhisenemy。
Heglancedoverhisshoulderandhisattentionwasarrestedbyastrangething。Theeastwardstage,theoneonShooter’sHill,appearedtolift;aflashchangingtoatallgreyshape,acowledfigureofsmokeandduct,jerkedintotheair。Foramomentthiscowledfigurestoodmotionless,droppinghugemassesofmetalfromitsshoulders,andthenitbegantouncoiladenseheadofsmoke。Thepeoplehadblownitup,aeroplaneandall!AssuddenlyasecondflashandgreyshapesprangupfromtheNorwoodstage。Andevenashestaredatthiscameadeadreport,andtheairwaveofthefirstexplosionstruckhim。Hewasflungupandsideways。
Foramomenttheaeropilefellnearlyedgewisewithhernosedown,andseemedtohesitatewhethertooversetaltogether。Hestoodonhiswind—shieldwrenchingthewheelthatswayedupoverhishead。
Andthentheshockofthesecondexplosiontookhismachinesideways。
Hefoundhimselfclingingtooneoftheribsofhismachine,andtheairwasblowingpasthimandupward。Heseemedtobehangingquitestillintheair,withthewindblowinguppasthim。Itoccurredtohimthathewasfalling。Thenhewassurethathewasfalling。Hecouldnotlookdown。
Hefoundhimselfrecapitulatingwithincredibleswiftnessallthathadhappenedsincehisawakening,thedaysofdoubtthedaysofEmpire,andatlastthetumultuousdiscoveryofOstrog’scalculatedtreachery。
hewasbeatenbutLondonwassaved。Londonwassaved!
Thethoughthadaqualityofutterunreality。Whowashe?Whywasheholdingsotightlywithhishands?Whycouldhenotleavego?Insuchafallasthiscountlessdreamshaveended。Butinamomenthewouldwake……
Histhoughtsranswifterandswifter。HewonderedifheshouldseeHelenagain。Itseemedsounreasonablethatheshouldnotseeheragain。It__must__beadream!Yetsurelyhewouldmeether。Sheatleastwasreal。Shewasreal。Hewouldwakeandmeether。
Althoughhecouldnotlookatit,hewassuddenlyawarethattheearthwasverynear。
End