noon
Whoever and whatever you are , you are well named the Master of the Terror . '' As soon as the captive war-balloons had been released , the _ Ithuriel _ and her consorts , without any further delay or concern for the issue of the decisive battle which would probably prove to be the death-struggle of the German Empire , headed away to the northward at the utmost speed of the two smaller vessels . Their objective point was Copenhagen , and the distance rather more than two hundred and sixty miles in a straight line . This was covered in under two hours and a half , and by noon they had reached the Danish capital . In crossing the water from Stralsund they had sighted several war-vessels , all flying British , German , or Danish colours , and all making a northerly course like themselves . They had not attempted to speak to any of these , because , as they were all apparently bound for the same point , and , as the speed of the air-ships was more than five times as great as that of the swiftest cruiser , to do so would have been a waste of time , when every moment might be of the utmost consequence . Off Copenhagen the aërial travellers saw the first signs of the terrible night 's work , with the details of which the reader has already been made acquainted .