nt occurred at the close of this destroyer action.
Another of our destroyer divisions had engaged and sunk an enemy
destroyer. The British destroyer _Defender_ had lowered a boat to save
the survivors, who were struggling in the water. The boat had picked
up several of the men, when a German light cruiser opened fire both
upon our destroyers and upon the boat. The order came to the
_Defender_ and the other destroyers to retire at once, and this they
had to do, leaving the boat behind. To the men in the boat the outlook
was not a cheerful one. Imprisonment in Germany for the duration of
the war seemed their probable fate. But the retirement of the enemy
had by this time commenced, and the German light cruiser which had
been shelling them now steamed away without stopping to pick them up.
At this juncture, while the enemy light cruiser was still in sight,
there popped up close to the boat the periscope of a submarine. The
submarine rose to the surface, and to the delight of our men proved to
be British--the E4, under the command of Captain E.W. Leir. She took
off the British sailors and a few sample Huns, and, not having
accommodation for more, left the other Germans in the boat, having
first provided them with biscuit, water, and a compass.

It was ascertained afterwards that this boat never reached Heligoland,
though that island was but a few miles distant and the weather
remained fine. The probable explanation is that the Germans,
recognising the English build of the boat, concluded that she
contained British sailors, so sank it with gunfire and left the men to
drown, as is the custom of the Huns.

And now to turn back to the flagship and the _Fearless_ and the main
force of destroyers, which were engaging the enemy destroyers and
torpedo-boats. Shortly before 8 a.m. a German light cruiser was
sighted on the _Arethusa's_ port bow. The _Arethusa_ at once attacked
her; but the German was apparently unwilling to continue the fight
and made away to the eastward.

But while the _Arethusa_ was engaging her yet another German light
cruiser, identified as the _Frauenlob_, appeared on the scene, and she
was quite ready for a duel with her opposite number. The _Arethusa_
engaged her closely, the two ships for a while steering on converging
courses. The _Arethusa_ at last closed the range to 3500 yards. The
_Frauenlob's_ fire was remarkably accurate. Within ten minutes the
_Arethusa_ was hit thirty-five times, with a loss of t