red deck. Yet another of our shells struck a train which happened
to be just entering Port Arthur station, destroying the locomotive and,
as we subsequently learned, killing the engine-driver and severely
wounding the fireman. Finally, the _Retvisan_ adopted our own tactics
and retaliated by firing her heavy guns over the intervening high
ground, while some of the forts did the same, a party of signallers
being stationed on the crest of the hill to direct their aim. As a
result of this, shells at length began to drop near our ships; whereupon
the Admiral, in obedience to his instructions not to risk his
battleships, hauled off; the fleet, as it went, observing three dense
columns of smoke rising from the city.

Seeing that our ships were retiring, the Russian Admiral led out to sea
such of his ships as were fit for service, with the evident intention of
luring our ships into the zone of fire of the forts; but he might as
well have saved his coal, for Togo was much too wary a bird to be caught
with that kind of chaff.

On the following day we learned by wireless, from one of our cruiser
scouts, that the Russian fleet was being cautiously taken out to sea
through our mine-field off the harbour's mouth, the innocuous character
of which they had already ascertained,--as intended by our Admiral,--
and, later on, the further information reached us that the fleet was at
sea and carrying out evolutions while cautiously working its way
southward. Later still, we were informed that the Russians, learning
from their scouts that none of our ships were in the vicinity, had
proceeded as far as the Miao-tao Islands, off the Shan-tung peninsula,
which they subjected to a careful examination, under the impression, as
we subsequently learned, that those islands were being used by our
destroyers as a hiding-place from which to make our raids. All hands of
us immediately made our preparations to weigh at a moment's notice,
fully expecting that the Admiral would seize what seemed such a splendid
opportunity to intercept the enemy and give him battle in the open sea.
But no orders were issued; and we were given to understand that there
were certain good and sufficient secret reasons why the opportunity must
be permitted to pass. A great deal of surprise, not to say
dissatisfaction, was caused by this strange decision; but discipline was
so strong, and the idea of implicit, unquestioning obedience had been so
thoroughly instilled into