"There," said Erskine, "they've knocked some of our nice new paint off. Now they're going to pay for it."
"Couldn't you give them a shot back?" said Lennard.
"Not worth it, my dear sir," said Erskine. "We keep our guns for bigger game. We haven't an angle that a shell would hit. You might just as well fire boiled peas at a hippopotamus as those little things at us. Of course a big shell square amidships would hurt us, but then she's so handy that I think I could stop it hitting her straight."
While he was speaking the Ithuriel got up to full speed again. Lennard shut his eyes. He felt a slight shock, and then a dull grinding. A crash of guns and a roar of escaping steam, and when he looked out again, the destroyer had disappeared. The next moment a blinding glare of light streamed across the water from the direction of Selsey.
"A big cruiser, or battleship," said Erskine. "French or German. Now we'll see what those shells of yours are made of."