Castellan smiled, and began to play the keys. The grey shape of the _Flying Fish_ dropped to the bottom of the tank, rose, and seemed all at once to become endowed with human reason, or a likeness of it, which was so horrible that even the Kaiser and his two chiefs could hardly repress a shudder. It rose very slowly, circled among the floating models about two feet under the surface and then, like an animal smelling out its prey, it made a dart at the ship which the Kaiser had indicated, and struck it from underneath. They saw a green flash stream through the water, and the next moment the model had crumbled to pieces and sank. "Donner-Wetter!" exclaimed the Chancellor, forgetting in his wonder that he was in the presence of His Majesty, "that is wonderful, horrible!" "Can there be anything too horrible for the enemies of the Fatherland, Herr Kanztler," said the Kaiser, looking across the tank at him, with a glint in his eyes, which no man in Germany cares to see. "I must ask pardon, your Majesty," replied the Chancellor. "I was astonished, indeed, almost frightened--frightened, if your Majesty will allow me to say so, for the sake of Humanity, if such an awful invention as that becomes realised." "And what is your opinion, Field Marshal?" asked the Kaiser with a laugh. "A most excellent invention, your Majesty, provided always that it belongs to the Fatherland." "Exactly," said the Kaiser. "As that very intelligent American officer, Admiral Mahan, has told us, the sea-power is world-power, and there you have sea-power; but that is not the limit of the capabilities of Mr Castellan's invention, according to the specifications which I have read, and on the strength of which I have asked him to give us this demonstration of its powers. He calls it, as you know, the _Flying Fish_. So far you have seen it as a fish. Now, Mr Castellan, perhaps you will be kind enough to let us see it fly." "With pleasure, your Majesty," replied the Irishman, "but, in case of accident, I must ask you and the Chancellor and the Field Marshal to stand against the wall by the door there. With your Majesty's permission, I am now going to destroy the rest of the fleet." "The rest of the fleet!" exclaimed the Field Marshal. "It is impossible." "We shall see, Feldherr!" laughed the Kaiser. "Meanwhile, suppose we come out of the danger zone."