I stared forth tensely with Macklin and Hilliard in a vain attempt to see through those masses, heard the thunder of guns still going off blindly somewhere in the great cloud-mass behind us, knew that in the wild heat of pursuit the European fleet had rushed after us into that great cloud-bank. Then came a swift order of "All ships halt!" from the distance-phone, and as we came swiftly to a halt there in the blinding, fleecy masses, motors droning still, we heard the crash of ship on ship behind us in the cloud-bank as the foremost cruisers of the European fleet drove blindly into our own, then halted fearfully themselves, milling confusedly about in fear of further collisions and with neither fleet firing now in the absolute blindness that held each ship. Thus the two mighty fleets hung there for the moment blind and helpless in the huge cloud-bank, and in that moment there came again the First Air Chief's voice from before us in a swift, shouted command. "All American Federation ships--_drop_!" Before the order had ceased to echo Macklin's hand had flashed to the power-stud, and as the great drone of our motors suddenly lessened our cruiser dropped downward like a falling stone, plunged downward until in a moment more it had ripped through the great fleecy mass of the cloud-bank and into the open clear air beneath it, leaving the great European fleet for the moment still in it. And in that moment, even as our cruisers halted their plunging downward fall, there came a great hissing sound from above as of the hissing of terrific jets of air, and at the same instant we saw the mighty cloud-bank above breaking up, disintegrating, its great fleecy masses whirling suddenly away in all directions, driven away in a moment as though by mighty winds, breaking away in formless flying vapors! Breaking away to leave clear air where they had been, to leave the European fleet hanging there, appearing to our sight suddenly as a confusedly milling mass of numberless ships above us! And coming to----? on either side of that confused mass of ships was _the great double line of our giant air-forts_! "The air-forts!" My cry was echoed in that moment by Macklin and Hilliard beside me, by all in our cruiser, in our fleet. The air-forts! On either side of the disorganized European fleet they hung, in their mighty double line, and as that fleet saw them now for the first time with the sudden disappearance of the cloud-bank that had hidden them, it seemed to hang motionless still as though stunned with astonishment. Then the great heat-guns of the air-forts had swung toward them, were thundering in swift chorus, were loosing storm upon storm of heat-shells upon the confused, astounded ships that swung between them! Were pouring forth in that awful moment all the concentrated fire of their mighty batteries upon the European ships caught between them.