welve killed,
including the flag lieutenant, who was on the bridge, and twenty
wounded. The _Arethusa_ all the while was pouring in a deadly fire
with her six-inch guns, and the _Frauenlob_ must have been in a sorry
plight. At last a six-inch shell, striking her on her bridge, knocked
her out. For she at once turned and steamed away to the eastward as
fast as she was able. A curious incident occurred in the course of
this duel between the two ships. The _Arethusa's_ cook, who at the
time was in the galley preparing the men's breakfast--for a ship's
domestic arrangements cannot be disturbed by battle--had one of his
arms shot away. He might have bled to death, but, seeing an empty
cigarette tin, promptly clapped it on the stump and so saved his life.

Heligoland, only five miles distant, now became visible, looming large
through the mist. The _Arethusa_ and the destroyers had accomplished
their work, for the enemy light cruisers, destroyers, and
torpedo-boats were all seen to be hurrying home. The Harwich Force,
its object achieved, turned round and steered westward for England,
for with crippled vessels the danger of remaining longer in enemy
waters was, of course, very great. The _Arethusa_ had been severely
knocked about. All her torpedo tubes had been smashed. Her feed tank
had been holed, and the engineer commander reported that he could now
only get twelve knots instead of thirty out of her. The enemy had also
employed shrapnel against her with such effect that her bridge and
upper works were as indented as a nutmeg-grater; and on almost any
part of her decks one could stoop and pick up a handful of shrapnel
fragments, so thick they lay. But in a short time the ship had been
cleared up, disabled guns had been repaired, and the casualties had
been replaced by other men.

About one hour after the Harwich Force had turned and started for
home, the _Arethusa_, limping along, picked up a wireless message from
the destroyer _Lurcher_, attached to the Harwich submarine flotilla,
reporting that she was being pursued by five enemy light cruisers off
Heligoland. On receiving this message Commodore Tyrwhitt immediately
turned back to support the _Lurcher_. The peril of taking such a
course with a crippled flagship needs no explaining, but the old
traditions of the sea make a commander very loth, in any
circumstances, to refrain from going to the aid of a friend in
difficulties. In the course of this war our ships have often