ked
up others. The _Nuernberg_ had cut communication between Banfield
and Fanning Islands. Two British trading ships had fallen victims
to the _Dresden_, and four more had met the same end at the hands
of the _Leipzig_. For coal and other supplies Von Spee had been
relying on the Chilean ports, but now came trouble between him and
the port authorities, for England was accusing the South American
nation of acting without regard to neutrality. It was for this
reason that Von Spee turned southward to take the Falkland Islands.
The world at large, and of course Von Spee, had no knowledge of
the ships which had set out from Plymouth for the Falklands on
the eleventh of the month, so he approached in full expectation of
making not only a raid but for occupation. He knew that he would
have to exchange shots with the _Glasgow_ and perhaps some small
ships, and he believed the islands weakly defended by forts, but
there was nothing in that to defer his attack. The result--the
lookout near Stanley had reported the oncoming warships _Gneisenau_
and _Scharnhorst_, followed by the rest of the German squadron.
German guns were trained on the wireless station, and great was
the surprise of the unfortunate Von Spee and his officers when
there was heard the booming of guns which they knew immediately
must be mounted on warships larger than their own. Their scouting
had been defective, and the presence of the _Inflexible_ and
_Invincible_ had till then not been discovered. They then reasoned
that these were the guns of the _Canopus_--a critical and fatal
error.

The _Canopus_ from behind the hills fired on the German ships in
an endeavor to protect the wireless station. Beyond the range of
her guns hovered the lighter German cruisers _Dresden, Leipzig_,
and _Nuernberg_ to await the outcoming of the _Glasgow_. Both the
_Gneisenau_ and _Scharnhorst_ concentrated their fire on the _Canopus_,
and when the _Glasgow_, accompanied by the _Carnarvon, Cornwall_, and
_Kent_, made her appearance it did not change the battle formation
of the Germans, for the _Canopus_ was still the only large vessel
they were aware of. Now the _Leipzig_ came nearer in order to take
up the fight with the lighter British ships. By nine in the morning
the German ships were drawn out in single file, running parallel
with the shore in a northeasterly direction. At the head of the
line was the _Gneisenau_, followed by the _Dresden, Scharnhorst,
Nuernberg_, and _Leipzig