the Japanese mind, that not a word of
grumbling passed any of our lips.

On the night of 21st March the tactics of the 9th of the same month were
repeated, including the laying of harmless mines off the mouth of the
harbour, and the high-angle bombardment of the fortress by the _Fuji_
and _Yashima_ from Pigeon Bay; but the affair was uneventful; it may
therefore be dismissed with the bare mention of it. The Russian ships
again came out of harbour and ranged themselves in battle formation in
the roadstead, but no wiles of ours could tempt them to leave the
protection of the forts, so we drew off and returned to our rendezvous
among the Elliot Islands.

During the night of 22nd March, four merchant steamers, purchased by the
Japanese Government, arrived at our rendezvous from Sasebo, in response
to a request from Togo; and the Admiral, with characteristic energy, at
once proceeded to prepare them for the task of making a second attempt
to bottle up the fleet in Port Arthur harbour.

They were the _Fukui Maru, Chiyo Maru, Yoneyama Maru_, and _Yahiko
Maru_--all old craft, practically worn-out, and of very little value.
These ships, like those used in the first attempt, were loaded with
stones and scrap iron consolidated into a mass by pouring liquid cement
over it, thus converting it into a sort of reinforced concrete,
underneath which was buried the explosion charges destined to blow out
the bottoms of the ships and sink them upon their arrival at their
destined stations.

Hirose, now promoted to the rank of Commander for the gallantry which he
displayed upon the occasion of the first attempt, was given the command
of the largest ship, the _Fukui Maru_, while, to my intense surprise and
gratification, I was given the command of the _Chiyo Maru_, a craft of
1746 tons. The expedition was in charge of Commander Arima, who went
with Hirose. The ships were armed with a few old Hotchkiss
quick-firers, for use against torpedo craft, should any attack us.

Our preparations were completed late in the afternoon of 26th March; and
we immediately weighed and proceeded to sea, escorted by a flotilla of
destroyers and torpedo-boats, among which was the _Kasanumi_,
temporarily under the command of my subordinate, young Hiraoka, who had
already proved himself to be a very capable, discreet, and courageous
lad.

The weather on this occasion was everything that could be desired,
perfectly clear, with no wind and a sea so calm that