back, timidly, from the fearful engine of destruction.

Kennedy smiled. "No, it isn't dangerous," he said reassuringly.
"I've removed its charge and put in a percussion cap. Let me show
you, on a small scale, how it works," he added, winding up the
battleship and placing it in the fountain.

Next he placed the torpedo in the water at the other end of the
tank. "Come over here," he said, indicating to us to follow him
into the palms.

There he had placed the strange wireless apparatus which
controlled the torpedo. He pressed a lever. We peered out through
the fronds of the palms. That uncanny little cigar-shaped thing
actually started to move over the surface of the water.

"Of course I could make it dive," explained Craig, "but I want you
to see it work."

Around the tank it went, turned, cut a figure eight, as Kennedy
manipulated the levers. Then it headed straight toward the
battleship. It struck. There was a loud report, a spurt of water.
One of the skeleton masts fell over. The battleship heeled over,
and slowly sank, bow first.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Elaine. "That was very realistic."

We brushed our way out through the thick palms, congratulating
Kennedy on the perfect success of his demonstration.