while the double Chinese
column would prevent their ships in the port line from firing to port,
and those in the starboard line from firing to starboard. Likewise the
inner line of each of the Japanese divisions sheltered the outer line
from the fire of the Chinese port and starboard columns respectively.
This amounted, in plain language, to giving the Japanese four times the
volume of gunfire that the Chinese could bring to bear, and was a
masterly stroke of genius on the part of Nozu which Admiral Ting did not
comprehend until it was too late to remedy matters, and he found himself
hopelessly enveloped in the net.

As yet, however, the action had only commenced. Through the observation
slits in the walls of the _Chih' Yuen's_ conning-tower Frobisher saw, as
the Japanese fleet completed its evolution, several dazzling flashes of
flame dart out from the turrets of the _Yoshino_ and the _Fuji_, and
simultaneously it appeared as though the entire Japanese fleet had fired
at the same moment, so fierce and so continuous were the flashes of the
discharges. He felt his ship reel and stagger as no less than five
heavy shell, fortunately not armour-piercers, struck her almost
simultaneously, and he heard the shrieks and cries of men in mortal
agony as the deadly flying fragments scattered like shrapnel about the
decks.

This would never do, said Frobisher to himself; if this kind of thing
continued, his ship would be put out of action before she had an
opportunity of giving back as good as she received. So, without waiting
for the admiral's signal for "General action", he pressed one of the
electric buttons close to his hand in the wall of the conning-tower, and
the two 9.4's in the _Chih' Yuen's_ forward barbette roared out their
hoarse defiance, dropping their shells full upon the _Yoshino's_ after
turret, where they burst with an explosion like that of a small
powder-magazine, but without doing much damage. Had they fallen under
the muzzles of the guns, neither of the weapons would have been heard
from again.

But although the turret itself appeared uninjured, Frobisher would have
been quite satisfied with the execution wrought if he could but have
looked inside. The guns' crews within, while in the act of serving
their weapons, had, some of them, become aware that the after end of the
turret had suddenly glowed red-hot for a moment; after that, none of
them knew what had happened, for they had all been killed as by