38 to 5.50 P.M._
Commodore Goodenough's splendid light cruisers went scouting ahead till
they met Scheer racing north. Then they turned north themselves, under
a tremendous outburst of fire, to rejoin Beatty, who now, changing from
pursuer to pursued, also turned north to join Jellicoe. The Germans,
with their twenty-two dreadnoughts, now hoped _Der Tag_ had really come
for Beatty's eight. But Beatty hit hard and drove a German battle
cruiser out of the line very badly mauled. Shortly afterwards the
destroyer _Moresby_ fired a torpedo which hit a German battleship.
There was a tremendous burst of steam and smoke; and, when this had
cleared off, the German was seen to be on fire. But Beatty's strong
point was speed. His battle cruisers and four fast _Queen Elizabeth_
battleships could do a good bit more than the slowest Germans; and as
the Germans now had to keep together, in case Jellicoe came up, their
whole line could go no faster than its slowest ship. Starting with a
lead and putting on a spurt Beatty turned gradually more to the
eastward, that is, toward the German line, which then had to turn and
keep parallel or else let him cross its T.
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