The time to parley; therefore it will be well
They strike at once, for I am in great haste."
There, at the sound of that renowned name,
Without a word down came their blazoned flag!
Like a great fragment of the dawn it lay,
Crumpled upon their decks....
Alfred Noyes (Drake).
There is remarkably little to tell about this action, which concludes the exploits of our ships in these waters. The whole fight only lasted a few minutes altogether—a poor ending to a comparatively fruitless career, considering the time that the Dresden was at large. During the months of January and February, 1915, the search for her had been carried on unremittingly; but though she had managed successfully to evade us, she was so pressed that she was unable to harass or make attacks on our shipping. That she never once attempted to operate along the main trade routes shows the energy with which this quest was prosecuted. From the time of her escape on December 8th till the day on which she sank, the Dresden only destroyed two sailing vessels. She, however, made such thorough arrangements to cover her movements that no reliable information as to her whereabouts ever leaked through to our squadron. Rumours were legion, and there were "people who were prepared to swear that they had seen her." The two places they mentioned were practically uncharted and were found to be full of hidden dangers. Acting on this "reliable" information, the localities were examined by our cruisers early in March, but it was found out afterwards that the Dresden had never visited either of them.
The armed merchantman Prinz Eitel Friedrich had been much more successful, and had captured and destroyed ten ships during these two months. Many, it is true, were sailing vessels, but none the less anxiety began to make itself felt in local shipping circles, and the whole position once more became uneasy and disturbed. Early in March the Prinz Eitel Friedrich arrived at Newport News in the United States with a number of prisoners on board, which had been taken from these prizes. She was badly in need of refit, and her engines required repairs. On learning that one of her victims was an American vessel, public indignation was hotly aroused, and but little sympathy was shown for her wants. Her days of marauding were brought to an end, for the Americans resolutely interned her.
On March 8th the Kent, in the course of her patrol duties, sighted the Dresden in latitude 37 S., longitude 80 W. It was a calm, misty morning, which made it impossible to see any distance. During the afternoon the haze suddenly lifted, and there was the Dresden, only ten miles away. The Kent seems to have sighted the Dresden first, and steamed full speed towards her for a few minutes before being observed. This interval, however, did not allow her to get within gun range. Of course the Dresden, being a far newer and faster vessel, soon increased the distance between them, and after a five-hours' chase, finally escaped under cover of the darkness. This was the first time she had been sighted by a British warship since December 8th. It was noticed that she was standing well out of the water, and this chase must have used up a lot of coal. It was obvious, therefore, that she would require coal very shortly, and at a no very distant port.