It was now a quarter past twelve, and, by this time, Admiral Beatty was himself on the spot. From the reports received by him from the various squadron and flotilla commanders, and the obvious presence now of many enemy ships, he had come to the conclusion that, in an action where speed was essential--the main German bases being so close at hand--the lighter forces might not be able to deal with the situation sufficiently rapidly. Bearing in mind the possibilities of a concerted submarine attack, and the conceivable sortie in force of a German battle squadron, he decided that his speed would probably baffle the first, and that the latter, if he were prompt enough, could not arrive in time; while, for anything less in the way of enemy attack, he had ample forces at his disposal. Working up his engines, therefore, to full speed, he overtook the light cruisers just as they were finishing the _Mainz_, and, a quarter of an hour afterward, sighted the _Arethusa_ fighting a rearguard action with a cruiser of the _Kolberg_ class--recognized as the _Köln_. Following the general plan, he at once steered to cut the latter off from Heligoland, and, seven minutes later, opened fire, chasing her at full speed out to sea. While pursuing the _Köln_, another German cruiser, apparently the _Ariadne_, was seen right ahead, steering at high speed and at right angles to the _Lion_, who was herself now travelling at 28 knots. In spite of {41} this, and that, before losing her in the mist, the _Lion_ had only time for a couple of salvoes, she was set on fire, reduced to a sinking condition, and was soon afterward lost, as the Germans themselves admitted. This was just before one; mines had been reported eastward; it was essential that the squadrons should not be too far dispersed; and therefore Admiral Beatty, desisting from pursuit, ordered a withdrawal, and returned to the _Köln_. She was sighted at 1:25, with her ensign still flying; the _Lion_ opened fire upon her from two turrets; a couple of salvoes sufficed to sink her; and, within ten minutes, she had disappeared. By this time, the _Arethusa_, the _Fearless_, and the advanced destroyer flotillas had been in action almost continuously for more than six hours; the _Arethusa's_ speed, owing to her injuries, was slowly diminishing knot by knot; upon the bridge of the little _Laurel_, Commander Frank Rose, with both his legs crippled, still kept his post; three German cruisers and two destroyers, including the commodore in command, were known to have been sunk; and, behind the mists in the Bight, nothing was more likely than that overwhelming reinforcements were hurrying to the spot. Under these circumstances, Admiral Beatty decided to withdraw his forces, covering their retirement with his powerful battle-cruisers; and it was while doing so that Captain Reginald Hall of the _Queen Mary_ executed one of the smartest manoeuvres of the day. Watching