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_, in that order. They thought that this
would entice what they believed to be the whole of the British
force present into coming out for a running fight, and in which
the old _Canopus_ would be left behind to be finished after the
lighter vessels were done for. But all this time the _Invincible_
and _Inflexible_ were silent with their guns, though there was
bustle enough aboard them while their coaling was being hurried.
By ten o'clock these two larger ships were ready with steam up
and decks cleared, and they came out from behind the hills. Von
Spee saw that discretion was the better part of valor and gave
orders for his ships to make off at full speed.
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