Page:Robert William Cole - The Struggle for Empire; A Story of the Year 2236 (1900).djvu/134

The battle had now lasted six days, and only five ships remained to the Anglo-Saxons. These were destroyed one by one, until the Sirian fleet rode over the scene of the battle without an enemy to hinder it. They had now about 800 ships remaining, but they had lost many more than the Anglo-Saxons. For a long time they were busily employed in collecting the spoils of the victory and in succouring those of their own ships that had been more severely handled. Chains were thrown across many of the larger wrecks, and they were attached to the Sirian ships, to be towed back to Kairet as trophies of the fight. But the victorious fleet had to pick its way carefully through the wrecks, for the battle area was full of unexploded shells and wandering torpedoes. A few days afterwards they were joined by another fleet more vast than the one that had been fighting. This had been hovering in the rear during the battle, and had been kept constantly informed of