The wisdom of Admiral Sturdee's orders to the _Carnarvon_ to keep out of range of the Germans was brought home by an officer survivor of the _Gneisenau_, who said that they knew they were done and had orders "to concentrate on the _little_ ship and sink her if she came within range!" Upwards of 600 men had been killed or wounded when the _Gneisenau's_ ammunition was finally expended. The German captain "fell-in" the remainder and told them to provide themselves with hammocks or any woodwork they could find, in order to support themselves in the water. A certain number of the German sailors that were rescued from the icy ocean succumbed to exposure and shock, though the proportion was very small. They were given a naval funeral with full military honours and were buried at sea the day after the battle. When the funeral service was about to take place on the quarter-deck of one of our warships, the German prisoners were told to come aft to attend it. On rounding the superstructure, however, the leading men suddenly halted dead, brought up aghast with fright at the sight of the guard of armed marines falling in across the deck, who were about to pay the last tributes of military honours to the dead. When ordered on, these terrified Huns point blank refused to move, being convinced that the Marine Guard was there in order to shoot them! CHAPTER XII THE END OF THE "LEIPZIG" "War raged in heaven that day ... ... Light against darkness, Liberty Against all dark old despotism, unsheathed The sword in that great hour." --ALFRED NOYES (_Drake_). It will be recollected that during the chase the battle-cruisers were firing at the _Leipzig_ before the main battle with Admiral von Spee took place. This compelled the Germans to divide into two separate squadrons, since a direct hit from a 12-inch gun might easily prove fatal to one of their light-cruisers. Foreseeing that this manœuvre was likely to occur, Admiral Sturdee had directed the _Cornwall_, _Kent_, and _Glasgow_ to follow in pursuit. No time was lost, therefore, in giving chase to the enemy light-cruisers when they turned off to the S.S.E. at 1.20 P.M., the _Glasgow_ leading the way at 26 knots, followed by the _Kent_ and the _Cornwall_ keeping neck and neck and going about 23½ knots. The _Dresden_ led the enemy light-cruisers with the _Leipzig_ and _Nürnberg_ on her starboard and port quarter respectively. In the ever-increasing distance between our two squadrons, the main battle could still be seen through field glasses, which made the necessity for turning away from a spectacle of such absorbing and compelling interest all the more tantalising. But there was solid work to be done, requiring concentration, thought, and cool judgment.