Ireland_, _Scotland_ and _Wales_--and two nineteen thousand ton
monsters which had just been completed for Japan, these were the fastest
and most heavily-armed battleships afloat.

The second line was composed of the armoured cruisers, _Duke of
Edinburgh_, _Black Prince_, _Henry the Fourth_, _Warwick_, _Edward the
Third_, _Cromwell_, all of over thirteen thousand tons, and twenty-two
knots speed; the _Drake_, _King Alfred_, _Leviathan_ and _Good Hope_, of
over fourteen thousand tons and twenty-four knots speed; and the
reconstructed _Powerful_, and _Terrible_, of fourteen thousand tons and
twenty-two knots. There was, of course, the usual swarm of destroyers
and torpedo boats; and in addition must be counted the ten cruisers, ten
destroyers, and fifteen torpedo boats, which had escaped from Spithead
and the Solent. These had already formed a junction with the left wing
of the British force.

For nearly two hours the two great fleets slowly approached each other
almost at a right angle. As the grey dawn of the November morning began
to steal over the calm blue-grey water, they came in plain sight of each
other, and at once the signal flew from the foreyard of the _Britain_,
"Prepare for action--battleships will cross front column of line
ahead--cruisers will engage cruisers individually at discretion of
Commanders--destroyers will do their worst."

CHAPTER XV

THE STRIFE OF GIANTS

As it happened, it was a fine, cold wintry day that dawned as the two
great fleets drew towards each other. As Denis Castellan said, "It was a
perfect jewel of a day for a holy fight," and so it was. The French
fleet was advancing at twelve knots. Admiral Beresford made his fifteen,
and led the line in the _Britain_. Erskine had been ordered to go to the
rear of the French line and sink any destroyer or torpedo boat that he
could get hold of, but to let the battleships and cruisers alone, unless
he saw a British warship hard pressed, in which case he was to ram and
sink the enemy if he could.

One division of cruisers, consisting of the fastest and most powerful
armoured vessels, was to make a half-circle two miles in the rear of the
French Fleet. The ships selected for this service were the _Duke of
Edinburgh_, _Warwick_, _Edward III._, _Cromwell_ and _King Alfred_.
Outside them, two miles again to the rear, the _Leviathan_, _Good Hope_,
_Powerful_ and _Terrible_, the fastest ships in the Fleet, were to take
their station to ke