It was now nearly nine o'clock; fighting had died down; and, when Commodore Tyrwhitt called his flotillas together, it was found that the First Flotilla had also been in action and sunk _V187_, the German commodore's destroyer. Unfortunately two boats' crews from the destroyers _Goshawk_ and _Defender_, lowered to pick up survivors from the sunk destroyer, had had to be left behind owing to an attack by a German cruiser during this work of mercy--a self-revealing act on the part of the second navy in the world. Apart from this, though many of our vessels, especially the _Laurel_ and _Arethusa_, had been heavily battered, all the flotillas were intact; while, unknown to Commodore Tyrwhitt and his command, even the abandoned boats' crews were being rescued. For, peeping through her periscope, Submarine _E4_ had witnessed the whole occurrence--the sinking of _V187_, the subsequent work of rescue, and the approach of the hostile cruiser. Under her resourceful captain, Commander E. W. Leir, she had at once proceeded to attack the enemy; and, though she had not managed to torpedo her, she had driven her from the scene of action, returning, at the greatest risk, to the two boats. Coming to the surface, she had taken on board the whole of the abandoned British crews, as {38} well as a German officer and two men. Being unable to embark the rest--eighteen wounded Germans--she had left them with a German officer and six unwounded men, provided them with water, biscuits, and a compass, and allowed them to navigate their way back to Heligoland. While this unique action was in progress, and while the _Arethusa_ was busy repairing her guns and replenishing her ammunition, let us return again to the _Lurcher_ and _Firedrake_, whom we had last seen heading for Heligoland in the wake of the decoy submarines. These also had been successful in getting into touch with the enemy forces, and, at ten o'clock, the _Arethusa_, with most of her guns now in working order again, received a message from them that they were being chased by light cruisers, and at once proceeded to their assistance.