Such was the first decisive naval battle of the war. It was a triumph not only for the officers and men of the British squadron, but also for the Admiralty, which had so skilfully and secretly planned the whole enterprise. The British victory was well-nigh complete; only one warship escaped, and our loss was small. The _Invincible_ had no casualties; the _Inflexible_ had one man killed. The _Kent_, which fought the most stubborn engagement, lost four men killed and twelve wounded; while the _Glasgow_ had nine killed and four wounded. The German loss was terrible. Some 3,000 men must have perished, including von Spee and two of his sons. Let us do honour to those of our foes who sank beneath the waves on that dread day. "The German admiral fought as Cradock had fought; the German sailors died as Cradock's men had died. There can be no higher praise." [Footnote 180: See Shakespeare's _Henry V._, Act iv., Scene 3.] [Footnote 181: King Peter was born in 1844.] [Footnote 182: She was afterwards interned at Newport News, on the northern shore of the estuary of the James River, Virginia.] [Footnote 183: Rocky island belonging to Chile, 400 miles off the coast of that country. Alexander Selkirk lived four years on this island, and his story formed the basis of De Foe's _Robinson Crusoe_.] CHAPTER XXXV. NAVAL RAIDS ON THE EAST COAST OF ENGLAND. Every British boy and girl remembers Campbell's stirring lines:--[184] "Britannia needs no bulwarks, No towers along the steep; Her march is o'er the mountain waves, Her home is on the deep." In these days of fast warships, aeroplanes, and airships, we can no longer say that "Britannia needs no bulwarks, no towers along the steep." While it is probably true that no invasion of Great Britain could be successful while the British Navy remains undefeated, it is likewise true that the Navy in war time cannot guarantee that an enemy with bases on the North Sea will not be able to make sudden swoops upon certain parts of the British coast. During the darkness of night or amidst the obscurity of fog, fast warships can dash across the North Sea, turn their guns on seaside towns for a short time, and then hurry back to the safety of their own waters before a British fleet can catch them. Aeroplanes and airships can also fly across by day and drop bombs on coast towns by night. Of course, such attacks can never decide the war. At the best they can only cause panic and spread dismay amongst the people. The British, however, are not easily frightened or dismayed. Those who know the British temper best will tell you that such naval raids and air attacks can only make our people more determined than ever to defeat the enemy.