The rapid withdrawal of the German raiders shows a curious
nervousness on their part. In spite of its great inferiority, the local British squadron, which at once pluckily attacked the enemy, managed to drive them off the scene. A German wireless report alleges that in the course of the action one destroyer and two enemy patrol boats were sunk, and that a big fire was observed on one cruiser. It also declares that the Germalm sank the trawler King Stephen' and took its crew prisoners. The' King Stephen,' it will be remembered, was the trawler which refused to save the crew of the German airship 'L19,' owing to the fact that the prisoners would have so greatly outnumbered their captors. We presume that the Germans would hardly have ventured to say that they had sunk the trawler 'King Stephen' if such had not been the ease, but the vague talk about their sinking and setting fire to our ships is
probably without any foundation. No reliance whatever can be placed upon German official statements of this nature.
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