Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/191

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THE BOMBARDMENT OF LONDON
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the shattered remains of their torpedo-boats with no other living man on board and not an ounce of ammunition or a torpedo left. The ships of Kairet could bear witness of the mischief the latter had done.

But the final act of the great drama was fast approaching. The Anglo-Saxon fleet, again heavily outnumbered by the Sirians, was rapidly dwindling down on account of the number of vessels that had either been destroyed or sent to the docks for repairs. The rest of the fleet was engaged with a detachment of the Sirians, while the main body of the latter, under the eye of the Admiral-in-Chief, began to mass itself over London. Although invisible to the eye, the government was soon informed of this concentration by their indicators. No one now had any doubt as to what was to follow. The hostile fleets might begin at any moment to rain their deadly showers on to the capital of the Anglo-Saxon Empire.

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