Chapter Twenty-FiveThis was no meeting of armies drawn up in rows to kill one another like civilised people. This was three unsanctioned ships, and a night-time scuffle between two unlawful gangs. Even Queen Victoria would approve of our actions this time. Probably. More or less. If she ever found out what had happened.
We knew when and where the ships would appear, stealthily, thinking no one could possibly know what they were about. They mistrusted the citizens of Australia, but they trusted the lighthouses. We would literally steer them wrong.
A notable characteristic of metal was that it tended to sink. My own experimentation had recently led to the use of activated aluminium in stabilising British ships, especially if they carried a heavy load. One thing I hadn’t ever shared officia
