“Dennis spent all the rest of his life trying to solve the mystery, and his son did the same, and for generations my ancestors have made electricity their life’s study, as I have made it mine, in the hope of elucidating the mysterious force that could defy time and the elements, even the blasting force of lightning—for many and many a time have I and other people, too, seen the vessel struck by lightning which has devastated the shed, but the flash has been met by an answering flash from the vessel; and often have the whole forces of heaven’s electricity been drawn to the magnificent ship, and there has started from the _Regina’s_ sides a series of incessant flashes—curtains of blinding flame—and her silver sides have seemed to ripple electric fluid, in sparkles and drops of rainbow-coloured fire, like the dripping of water from a salmon leaping through a sunbeam. And in the very centre of the storm the brave vessel has seemed to enjoy the uproar; wave after wave of crackling lightning pouring over her in a flood of livid fire, awful to see, and, always victorious and unharmed, she seems to take on her whole surface a smile of derision at nature’s puny and childish attempts at injury. So has she stood through all the years; defying time, apparently defying eternity, and not even her timber supports affected or disturbed. “Time after time have the authorities in succeeding generations made determined attempts to blow her up, notwithstanding the fact that she is private property, but all to no purpose. No one knows how many times the walls of the shed have been rebuilt, for storms, dynamite, gun-cotton, rystosol, scores of other explosives, lightning and what not, have levelled them to the ground, too often for record, but she still remains perfect as when last used and altogether unapproachable by person or thing. In her safe lies the greatest secret the earth has ever known, the secret that can play with gravity, and yet it is as far out of our reach as is the most distant star.” Here Dennis paused a moment to select a fresh cigar, but his listeners were too deeply interested to say a word which might break the thread of his story, so he resumed,— “Until this annihilating force can be cut off, any thing or person brought within twelve inches of any part of the vessel’s surface or projections is volatilised. As I have said, my ancestors have devoted their lives to the subject, and after all these years of toil and enormous expense, the mystery is as impenetrable to human minds as is the occupation of the dead—and yet what wonders have been, and still could be, opened out if this secret could but be found!