erman
captain, Schoenberg, is reported, indeed, to have said at Honolulu, "The
_Nuernberg_ will very likely be our coffin. But we are ready to fight to
the last". He had fought and died true to his words. The German ship was
ordinarily more than a knot faster than the British. But the engineers
and stokers of the _Kent_ rose magnificently to the occasion. Fuel was
piled high. Her engines were strained to the utmost. Soon she was
speeding through the waves at twenty-five knots, a knot and a half more
than her registered speed. The _Nuernberg_ drew nearer. At five o'clock
she was within range, and firing was opened. A sharp action began which
lasted some two and a half hours. The _Kent_ was struck many times, and
lost several men. She had one narrow escape. A bursting shell ignited
some cordite charges, and a flash of flame went down the hoist into the
ammunition passage. Some empty shell bags began to burn. But a sergeant
picked up a cordite charge and hurled it out of danger. Seizing a fire
hose, he flooded the compartment and extinguished the fire. A disastrous
explosion, which might have proved fatal to the vessel, was thus
averted. Her silken ensign and jack, presented by the ladies of Kent,
were torn to ribbons. The gallant captain collected the pieces, some
being caught in the rigging, and carefully preserved them. The
_Nuernberg_, however, was soon in sore straits. Many shells struck her,
and she was set afire. Day drew into evening, and darkness deepened. The
Germans ceased firing, and the _Kent_, within about 3,000 yards,
followed suit upon the enemy's colours being hauled down. The _Nuernberg_
sank just before half-past seven. As she disappeared beneath the
surface, men upon her quarterdeck were waving the German ensign. The
_Kent_, after picking up some survivors, put about, and returned to
Stanley.

Here the rest of the squadron soon gathered. Congratulatory telegrams
began to pour in to Sir Doveton Sturdee. And the curtain closed, in the
flush of triumph, upon the most memorable and most dramatic episode in
the history of the Falklands.

[Sidenote: Exploits of the _Eitel Friedrich_.]

[Sidenote: The _Eitel Friedrich_ comes to Newport News.]

[Sidenote: The _Dresden_ sinks.]

One further episode remains to complete the story. The _Dresden_ and
the armed liner _Eitel Friedrich_, the sole survivors of the German
squadron, made once more for the Pacific. They were lost sight of for
many weeks. Suspicious m