in
answer to calls for assistance from the destroyers _Lurcher_ and
_Firedrake_, which accompanied the submarines and which reported
that they were being chased by fast German cruisers. Suddenly the
light cruiser _Strassburg_ again came out of the mist and bore
down on the British cruisers. Her larger guns were too heavy and
had too long a range for those of the British craft, and the latter
immediately sent out calls which brought into action for the first
time certain ships belonging to the squadron of British light cruisers,
which had been stationed to the northwest--the upper left-hand
corner of the page.

The vessels which answered the calls were the light cruisers _Falmouth_
and _Nottingham_ with eight eight-inch and nine six-inch guns
respectively, but before arriving the _Strassburg_ still had time
to inflict more damage on the _Arethusa_. The cruisers _Koeln_ and
_Mainz_ joined the _Strassburg_, and the British vessels were having
a bad time of it when their commander ordered the _Fearless_ to
concentrate all fire on the _Strassburg_. This, and a concentrated
fire from the destroyers, proved too strong for her and she turned
eastward, disappearing in the mist off Helgoland. The _Mainz_ then
received the attention of all available British guns, including the
battle cruiser _Lion_, and soon fire broke out within her hold.
Next her foremast, slowly tottering and then inclining more and
more, crashed down upon her deck, a distorted mass. Following that
came down one of her funnels. The fire which was raging aboard her
was hampering her machinery, and her speed slackened; the moment to
strike with a torpedo had come, and one of these "steel fishes" was
sent against her hull below water. In the explosion which followed
one of her boilers came out through her deck, ascended some fifty
feet and dropped down near her bow; her engines stopped, and she
began to settle slowly, her bow going down first.

It was now noon. From behind the veil of the surrounding mist came
the _Falmouth_ and _Nottingham_, which with the guns in their turrets
completely finished the hapless _Mainz_, and their sailors openly
admired the bravery of her crew, which, while she sank, maintained
perfect order and sang the German national air.

There was yet the _Koeln_ with which the _Arethusa_ had to do battle.
But by now the heavy British battle cruisers _Lion_ and _Queen
Mary_ had also come down from the northwest to take part in the
fighting