I
am an absolutely dead shot. I fire. You will now
advance, and satisfy yourself that the bullet is
flattened upon the end of the magnet, after which you
will apologise to me for that grin."
I looked, and it certainly was as he had said.
"I'll tell you what I would do," he cried. "I am
prepared to put that magnet in Hetty's bonnet, and to let
you fire six shots straight at her face. How's that for
a test? You wouldn't mind, Hetty? Eh, what!"
"I don't think she would have objected, but I
hastened to disclaim any share in such an experiment.
"Of course, you see that the whole thing is to
scale. My warship of the future carries at her prow and
stern a magnet which shall be as much larger than that as
the big shell will be larger than this tiny bullet. Or
I might have a separate raft, possibly, to carry my
apparatus. My ship goes into action. What happens then,
Munro? Eh, what! Every shot fired at her goes smack on
to the magnet. There's a reservoir below into which they
drop when the electric circuit is broken. After every
action they are sold by auction for old metal, and the
result divided as prize money among the crew. But think
of it, man! I tell you it is an absolute impossibility
for a shot to strike any ship which is provided with my
apparatus. And then look at the cheapness. You don't
want armour. You want nothing. Any ship that floats
becomes invulnerable with one of these.
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