for the British gunners to take
aim and note effect. But the superior speed of the two British
battle cruisers stood them in good stead, and their commanders
brought them up south of the enemy--on their other side. It was
now the German gunners who found the smoke in their faces, and
the advantage was with the British.

By three o'clock in the afternoon fire had broken out on the
_Scharnhorst_ and Von Spee replied to Sturdee's inquiry that he
would not quit fighting, though some of his guns were out of action
and those which still replied to the Britisher did now only at
intervals. There was evidently something wrong with the machinery
that brought shells and ammunition to her guns from out of her
hold, the fire probably interfering with it. A 12-inch shell cut
right through her third funnel and carried it completely off the
ship. She turned so that she could bring her starboard guns into
action, and they did so feebly. The fire on board her grew worse
and worse, and it could be seen blood-red through holes made by
the shells from the _Invincible_ whenever her hull showed through
the dense clouds of escaping steam that enveloped her. Just at
four o'clock she began to list to port, thus having her starboard
guns put out of action, for they pointed toward the sky, and the
shells which came from them described parabolas, dropping into
the water at safe distance from the English ship. More and more
she listed, till her port beam ends were in the cold waters of the
South Atlantic, and while in that position she sank some fifteen
minutes later.

Meanwhile the duel between the _Gneisenau_ and _Inflexible_ had
been going on. A 12-inch shell from one of the British cruisers
struck one of the after gun turrets of the _Gneisenau_ and swept
it overboard. The German ship used the sinking _Scharnhorst_ as a
screen and tried to take on both British ships. Still she was able
to plant some effective shells against the _Invincible_ as a final
reply. By half-past five she was listing heavily to starboard and
her engines had stopped. The British ship, thinking she was surely
done for, ceased firing at her and watched her for ten minutes,
while a single gun on board of her fired at intervals. The three
ships _Carnarvon, Inflexible_, and _Invincible_ now closed in on
her and punished her till the flag at her stern was hauled down.
But the ensign at her peak continued to fly. Just at six o'clock,
with this color still in position, she sud