d not, of course, know at the time what was the nature of that
report, which was for the Admiral's ear alone; but, later on, it leaked
out that it was to the effect that the Russian fleet at Port Arthur had
begun to move on the last day of January, by warping and towing certain
of the ships out of harbour. This movement had continued on the first
and second days of February, by the end of which time the entire fleet
was anchored in the roadstead; and it seemed pretty evident that Admiral
Alexieff was preparing to vigorously carry the war into the enemy's
country, which was the great fear that had been haunting Togo from the
moment when he received his instructions to put to sea. His dread was
that the Russian fleet would forestall him by getting to sea first,
steam to the southward, and, getting into touch with one or more of the
craft which were certain to be watching the Japanese fleet, would lie
_perdu_ until that fleet had passed to the northward, and then fall upon
and ravage the unprotected Japanese coast. And, at first sight, this
seemed to be the Russian Admiral's intention, for, on the 4th of
February, the fleet, having coaled, weighed and steamed out to sea,
leaving only two battleships--the _Sevastopol_ and _Peresviet_--in the
harbour, where they had perversely stuck on the mud and refused to be
got afloat again, for the moment at least. The Russians, twenty-six
ships strong, inclusive of eleven destroyers, having cleared the
roadstead, steamed slowly to the eastward, and were, that same day,
sighted in the offing from Wei-hai-wei, apparently practising
evolutions. But on the following day they all returned to Port Arthur,
and anchored in the roadstead, under the guns of the batteries. The
pith of the _Akashi's_ report, therefore, was that there were two
Russian ships--the new cruiser _Variag_, and the gunboat _Korietz_--at
Chemulpo, four cruisers and an armed merchantman at Vladivostock, while
the remainder of the Russian fleet was at Port Arthur.

Possessed of this knowledge, Togo issued orders to Rear-Admiral Uriu, in
the _Takachiho_, to take command of a squadron consisting of, in
addition to his own ship, the _Asatna_, _Chiyoda_, _Niitaka_, and
_Miyako_, with eight destroyers, and with them to convoy the transports
to Chemulpo, taking measures upon his arrival, to insure that the
Russian ships should not interfere with the landing of the troops.
Those were the only orders of which we were aware, but