anied by the fast cruiser squadron, the duty of which was to
support us in the event of our being attacked, and cover our escape.

By 11:30 p.m. we were within ten miles of the roadstead; and at this
point we parted company with the cruisers, who now hove-to for half an
hour, to allow us time to reach our destination. At the expiration of
that time, a light or two were "accidentally" revealed on board the
cruisers for a few seconds, just long enough to give the Port Arthur
lookouts an opportunity to detect them, when they were extinguished.
But the ruse was successful, the attention of the lookouts had been
attracted, and instantly the searchlights from the station on the cliff
to the eastward of the harbour were turned upon the cruisers and kept
steadily bearing upon them. They were, of course, so far away that they
were only dimly descried, and too far distant to make it worth while to
open fire upon them, but their movements were--of set purpose--of so
suspicious a character that, having once detected them, the Russians
were determined not to lose sight of them again. The attention of the
lookouts having thus been attracted to our cruisers in the offing, we in
the destroyers were able to slip into the roadstead undetected.

Arrived there, we lost no time in sowing our mine-field right athwart
the harbour's mouth, and, had we been so minded, could have finished our
work and retired before daylight. But to render the Admiral's scheme
successful, it was necessary that we should be seen, and the nature of
our work recognised; the 2nd Division therefore reserved a few mines to
be dropped after daylight, and when that came they were at once
discovered dropping mines, in a state of apparently feverish haste. The
forts, of course, at once opened fire upon them; but before they could
get the range, our destroyers launched their remaining mines overboard,
and took to their heels, their task being accomplished. And now, all
that remained was to patiently await the course of events, and thus see
how far this part of Togo's plan had been successful.

The game, however, was not yet finished. While we had been busily
dropping our mines, what I thought a rather brilliant idea had occurred
to me; and, ceasing work for a while, I steamed up alongside the
_Akebono_, of our 2nd Division, and imparted my idea to Commander
Tsuchiya, who was pleased to very heartily approve of it. In accordance
with my scheme, therefore, the 1st D