This was the last blow struck in the first aërial battle in the history of warfare. The Russians had no stomach for this kind of fighting. It was all very well to sail over armies and fortresses on the earth and drop shells upon them without danger of retaliation; but this was an entirely different matter. Three of the aerostats had been destroyed in little more than as many minutes, so utterly destroyed that not a vestige of them remained, and the whole squadron had not been able to strike a blow in self-defence. They carried no guns, not even small arms, for they had no use for them in the work that they had to do. There were only two alternatives before them--surrender or piecemeal destruction. As soon as she had destroyed the third aerostat, the _Orion_ swerved round again, and began flying round the squadron as before in an opposite direction to the _Ariel_. None of the aerostats made an attempt to break the strange blockage again. As the circles narrowed they crowded closer and closer together, like a flock of sheep surrounded by wolves. Meanwhile the _Ithuriel_, floating above the centre of the disordered squadron, descended slowly until she hung a hundred feet above the highest of them. Then Arnold with his searchlight flashed a signal to the _Ariel_ which at once slowed down, the _Orion_ continuing on her circular course as before. As soon as the _Ariel_ was going slowly enough for him to make himself heard, Mazanoff shouted through a speaking-trumpet-- "Will you surrender, or fight it out?" "_Nu vot_! how can we fight with those devil-ships of yours? What is your pleasure?" The answering hail came from one of the aerostats in the centre of the squadron. Mazanoff at once replied-- "Unconditional surrender for the present, under guarantee of safety to every one who surrenders. Who are you?" "Colonel Alexei Alexandrovitch, in command of the squadron. I surrender on those terms. Who are you?" "The captain of the Terrorist air-ship _Ariel_. Be good enough to come out here, Colonel Alexei Alexandrovitch." One of the aerostats moved out of the midst of the Russian squadron and made its way towards the _Ariel_. As she approached Mazanoff swung his bow round and brought it level with the car of the aerostat, at the same time training one of his guns full on it. Then, with his arm resting on the breach of the gun, he said,-- "Come on board, Colonel, and bid your balloon follow me. No nonsense, mind, or I'll blow you into eternity and all your squadron after you." The Russian did as he was bidden, and the _Ariel_, followed by the aerostat, ascended to the _Ithuriel_, while the _Orion_ kept up her patrol round the captive war-balloons. "Colonel Alexandrovitch, in command of the Tsar's aërial squadron, surrenders unconditionally, save for guarantee of personal safety to himself and his men," reported Mazanoff, as he came within earshot of the flagship.