A few seconds later he was inside the ship, when the de-atomising current was instantly connected outside the whole casing, and not a second too soon, for the military was now out. So well organised were the soldiers, that scarcely had protection been secured than the ground was alive with them, and the martial Martians were hurling a fusillade of shells, containing electric shot, deadly liquids, corrosive and explosive gases confined under enormous pressures, and many other death-dealing missiles in a heavy shower, any one of which would have blown the ship to atoms but for the electric invisible shield which de-atomised everything hurled against it. Right amongst the fighters swooped the _Regina_ like a terrible avenging spirit. “We’ll let them see what the old ship has in her, and pay them out for their treachery,” said Gilbert, vindictively. “Right, oh!” cried Godfrey, “serve them as you did me, and scatter them to the four winds of heaven. Hallo!” he broke off to exclaim, catching sight of the Martian who was lying full-length, white and motionless, beside one of the windows. “Is he dead?” “No,” replied Gilbert, “we had to use a little gentle persuasion before he’d tell us where you were.” “He’s not far off being dead, though!” “Not very, but we couldn’t help it, and we want a man, so he’ll do.” “He’s watching his folks, and the sight will make him respect us as long as he lives. He can tell all we say, I believe, from his face. Look outside!” said Dennis. Never before had such a fight been witnessed by Earthians. As the _Regina_ settled on the very arms that were projecting deadly missiles, they became de-atomised into vapour and hundreds of the armed fighting men flung themselves bodily on the ship to climb her, instantly to disappear. Slowly she moved along, mowing down the army in battalions; causing the flower of the Martian army to melt away like smoke. From all directions fresh supplies of men and armaments came pouring up like a flood. This time the _Regina_ ascended and sailed above them, reducing their gravity till they rose about three feet above the ground, where they floated about unstable as straw—a mass of raging, impotent humanity, at the mercy of every breeze that blew. “Let’s leave them at that,” said Ross, “they’ve only got it temporarily this time, and the effect will wear off in a day or two.” “Won’t they be able to touch the ground till then?” asked Godfrey, concerned. “No,” replied Gilbert; “they’ll get gradually heavier as the effect wears off, but if they had got it strong, they would have remained like that so long as they lived, or till we took it off again, and they would have had to be weighted down.” “It’s a pretty stiff lesson,” commented Godfrey, “but I think they deserved it.” “They’ll think twice before they act treacherously again,” said Dennis, “and if they or any other people want to fight the _Regina_ she’s ready.”