CHAPTER THREE.
WAR!
On the morning of the day which witnessed my arrival in the Land of theRising Sun, the berth-room steward who brought me my early cup of coffeeinformed me, with a broad grin of satisfaction, that we were in SagamiBay; that it was a beautiful morning, but very cold; and that he wouldadvise me to turn out at once if I desired to obtain the best possibleview of Fujiyama, or Fujisan, as the Japanese love to call it. I tookhis advice, bathed and dressed with seamanlike celerity, and, donning athick, warm ulster, made my way to the navigating bridge, catching myfirst glimpses of Japan--Shimoda, on the port, and the island of Oshimaon the starboard quarter, as I went. And when I reached the bridge andtook my stand beside Sadakiyo, the chief officer, I mentally returnedthanks to that steward for his advice, and was glad that I had actedupon it, for the sight which met my gaze was beautiful beyond all powerof description, and such as I shall never forget.
The air was clear as crystal, there was no wind, and the water wasmirror-smooth, its surface dotted with fishing-boats, the unpaintedhulls and white sails of which floated double, with nothing to show thejunction of substance with reflection. Reflected, too, were theserrated ridges of Awa's and Kasusa's mountain-peaks and their ravines,dark and mysterious, with little villages of grey huts surmounted byhigh-pitched roofs of thatch clustering here and there along the beachto starboard, while, to port, dominating all else, towered high in airthe majestic, snow-crowned peak of Fujisan, its summit blushing adelicate rosy pink in the first light of dawn. And, as I gazed, thatbeautiful rosy tint suddenly changed to gold as it caught the first raysof the rising sun, invisible to us, as yet, behind the high land tostarboard, and as speedy as thought the light flashed down themountain-side, revealing its matchless perfection of form, and bathingit in the glory of a hundred varied and beautiful tints.
Moving forward at reduced speed, to avoid the destruction of a few ofthe fishing-boats or junks that were ever becoming more numerous as theland closed in upon us on either side, we at length sighted and passed alightship with, somewhat to my surprise, the words "Treaty Point"painted in large letters upon her red sides. If I had thought upon thematter at all, I should naturally have expected to see the name of theship set forth in, to me, unintelligible hieroglyphics, but instead,there it was in plain homely English, and I comforted myself with thereflection that if the Japanese used British characters and words todistinguish their lightships, my as yet very imperfect knowledge oftheir tongue was not going to handicap me as heavily as I had feared.
In due time we arrived in the roadstead of Yokohama--not so very longago a small fishing village, but now an important city--and made fast toour buoy. Instantly the ship was surrounded by sampans, and theoccupants, not a few of whom were Chinese, swarmed aboard, eager to findbuyers for the fruit, _sake_, and other articles which they had forsale. The jabber of tongues was incessant and deafening, and theimportunities of the salesmen a trifle annoying; but Nakamura quicklysent them to the right-about, and inviting me to go up on the bridgewith him--we were staying aboard to lunch with the skipper--we amusedourselves by watching the debarkation of the other passengers, mycompanion, between whiles, pointing out the various objects of interestvisible from our standpoint.
I must confess that I was not very greatly impressed by Yokohama, asviewed from the roadstead. The most prominent object was the "Bund," orwater-front, which is a wide wharf or esplanade, backed by gardens,hotels, and well-built dwelling-houses. Then there is the "Bluff,"covered with fine villas and dwelling-houses, large and small, and ofpleasing varieties of architecture; and, finally, there are the"Settlement" and the native town, about which I need say nothing.
After luncheon, by which time all the passengers but ourselves had goneashore, we engaged a sampan, bade Kusumoto and the ship's officersfarewell, and landed in the English "hatoba," which is a sort offloating basin, the shore end of which consists of landing-stepsalongside which a whole fleet of boats can be accommodated at once. Aword from Nakamura caused our baggage to be at once passed through theCustoms with only the merest pretence at examination, and then, engagingrickshas, or "kurumas," as the Japanese call them, we wended our way tothe railway station, and took train for Tokio.
The journey of eighteen miles was performed in an hour, in anexceedingly comfortable first-class carriage, upholstered in redmorocco; and I noticed that the guard and engine-driver of the trainwere Englishmen--another good sign for me, I thought. Although thespeed of the train was nothing to boast of, I found the journeyinteresting, for the scenery, with its little grey villages of thatched,wooden houses, and the temples with their quaintly shaped roofs on theone hand, and the sea on the other, with its islands, wooded gardens,and hundreds of fishing-boats, with Fujisan always dominating everythingelse, were all novelties to me.
The railway does not run right into the city of Tokio, but has itsterminus at the village of Shimbashi, on the outskirts; here, therefore,we left the train and, engaging kurumas for ourselves and our baggage,drove to the Imperial Hotel, where Nakamura advised me to take up myquarters _pro tem_, and where he also intended to stay, that night. Itwas then six o'clock in the evening, and too late to transact ourbusiness, so, after a wash and brush-up, we sallied forth to seesomething of the city.
On the following morning, at ten o'clock, I presented myself beforeVice-Admiral Baron Yamamoto, the Minister of the Navy, and handed him mycredentials. He received me with great politeness, read a privateletter from Viscount Hayashi, of which I was the bearer, asked me a goodmany questions as to the length and nature of my service in the BritishNavy, and my experiences therein, and finally handed me my commission asLieutenant, together with a letter to Admiral Togo, which I was todeliver to him at Sasebo, without delay.
Now, Sasebo is situated on the north-western extremity of the island ofKiushiu, and is nearer seven than six hundred miles from Tokio;moreover, I found that during my voyage out to Japan, events had beenprogressing by leaps and bounds--so far at least as Japan was concerned.In diplomatic circles war with Russia was regarded as not onlyinevitable but imminent, and preparations for the struggle were beingbreathlessly pushed forward day and night. Of the evacuation ofManchuria by Russia, which should have been _completed_ on the 8th ofthe preceding October, there was still no sign; on the contrary,everything pointed to a determination on the part of Russia to make heroccupation permanent. Actions, it is said, speak louder than words, andwhile the diplomats on both sides were still engaged in an apparentendeavour to settle matters amicably, the action of those on the Russianside was characterised by systematic procrastination and delay whichadmitted of but one interpretation, namely, that Russia had no intentionto quit Manchuria until she was compelled to do so by force.
This being the state of affairs, I interpreted Baron Yamamoto's orderliterally, leaving Tokio by the first available train. This took meback to Yokohama, where I only quitted it because I found I couldproceed no farther until nine o'clock that night. At that hour, then, Imade a fresh start and, not to dwell unduly upon this part of my story,reached Sasebo late in the evening of 26th January, having been delayedupon the road owing to the congestion of traffic caused by the warpreparations.
Sasebo was a very hive of activity, to such an extent indeed that I hadthe greatest difficulty in finding quarters. All the hotels were packedto their utmost limit, and indeed I do not know how I should eventuallyhave fared had I not luckily encountered an unmistakable Briton, whom Ihalted, and to whom I confided my plight, asking if he could direct meto some place where I could find accommodation for the night. He turnedout to be a Scotsman named Boyd, in business at Sasebo, and no soonerhad I made my situation plain to him than he took me by the arm in themost friendly manner and exclaimed:
"Come awa' hame wi' me, laddie. I'll pit ye up wi' the greatest ofpleasure, and the gude-wife 'll be gey an' pleased to meet a body freshfrae the auld country."
It was easy to see that the fine fellow was absolutely sincere in hisinvitation; I the
refore gladly accepted it, and, half an hour later,found myself comfortably housed in the bosom of a typically hospitableScottish family, whom I found most delightfully genial, and from whom Isubsequently received much kindness.
By my friend Boyd's advice I sallied forth early the next morning insearch of Admiral Togo, who was of course up to his eyes in business,and who would be difficult to find unless I could catch him before heleft his hotel. I was fortunate enough to arrive while he was still atbreakfast, and, having sent in my card, was at once admitted.
I found him still seated at the table, in company with several otherofficers, all of them dressed in a naval uniform almost identical in cutand appearance with our own. Like every other Japanese I ever met, hereceived me with the utmost politeness, and, having read BaronYamamoto's letter of introduction, again shook hands with me mostheartily, expressed the pleasure it afforded him to welcome anotherEnglishman into Japan's naval service, and forthwith proceeded tointroduce me to the other officers present, one of whom, I remember, wasCaptain Ijichi, of the _Mikasa_, Togo's flagship. They all spokeEnglish, more or less, Togo perfectly, for he had served as a boy aboardthe British training ship _Worcester_, and later in our own navy. Alsohe had taken a course of study at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.He was a typical Japanese, short and thick-set, with black eyes thatseemed to pierce one through and through and read one's innermostthoughts. His hair, beard, and moustache were black, lightly touchedhere and there with grey, and though it is a little difficult tocorrectly estimate the age of a Japanese, I set him down at about fifty,which I subsequently learned was not far out.
Like Baron Yamamoto, the Admiral asked me quite a number of questions;and at length, when he found that I had qualified for gunnery, torpedo,and navigating duties, and had seen service in a destroyer, he said:
"You seem to have an exceptionally good record for a young man of youryears, Mr Swinburne; so good, indeed, that I feel disposed to availmyself to the utmost possible extent of your services. I foresee thatin the coming war the destroyer is destined to play a most importantpart, and while I anticipate that the service which that class of craftwill be called upon to perform will be of the most arduous description,and of course exceedingly dangerous, it will also afford its officersexceptional opportunities to distinguish themselves. Now, it happensthat I have one destroyer--the _Kasanumi_, one of our best boats--forwhich, thus far, I have been unable to find a suitable commander; yourarrival comes therefore at a most opportune moment, for the perusal ofyour record convinces me that you are the very man for whom I have beenlooking. I rather flatter myself that I am a good judge of character,and I believe that you will do as much credit to the ship as she will toyou. Now, what do you say? Will the command of a destroyer besatisfactory to you?"
"Indeed it will, sir," I replied, "and more than satisfactory. I havenot dared to hope for such a big slice of good fortune, and I know nothow to adequately express my thanks for the confidence you are reposingin me."
"Nay," answered Togo, "there is no need for thanks, at least in words.You can best show your appreciation by deeds, for which I promise youshall be afforded abundant opportunity. And now, if you are anythinglike what I take you to be, you will be all anxiety to see your ship; isit not so? Very well; you will find her in the small graving dock,where she is being scraped and repainted. Go down and have a good lookat her, inside and out; and if you can offer any suggestions forimprovements on board, I will give them my best consideration. Do youknow your way to the docks? If not, I will find somebody to act asguide for you."
"I am very much obliged, sir," I replied, "but I should prefer to findmy own way, if you please. I have been studying Japanese during thepassage out, and I am anxious to make the most of every opportunity toincrease my knowledge of the language."
"Good!" exclaimed Togo, in Japanese. "I believe you will do very well.Do you understand that?" he added, in English.
"Yes, sir," I replied, in Japanese; "and I am much obliged for your goodopinion." My speech was a bit halting and my pronunciation by no meansperfect, but it was evidently intelligible, for the whole partyapplauded me and shouted words of encouragement, some of which Iunderstood, while others puzzled me. Then, as I turned to leave theroom, the Admiral said:
"When you have had a good look at your ship, Mr Swinburne, come to meaboard the _Mikasa_, where I shall be all the morning."
I found the docks without difficulty, and in the smaller graving docklay the _Kasanumi_, my first command! Seen thus, out of water, shelooked a craft of quite important dimensions, as indeed she was, beingmore than two hundred feet in length. She had four funnels, the spacebetween the second and third being only about half that between numbersone and two, and three and four. She had beautiful lines, and looked asthough she ought to be an excellent sea boat. Her armament consisted ofone 12-pounder, mounted aft, and five 6-pounders, all quick-fire gunscapable of discharging ten shots per minute. She also mounted on theafter-deck two 18-inch torpedo tubes, firing Whiteheads of an effectiverange of eight hundred yards at a speed of thirty knots, and carrying acharge of one hundred and seventy-one pounds of gun-cotton--enough todestroy a battleship, if it happened to hit the right spot. The dockforeman, who happened to be an Englishman, told me that she was Britishbuilt--a Thorneycroft boat, he believed--and that, on trial, she hadsteamed as much as thirty-three knots! Here was a craft which anyreasonable man might be proud to command, and I there and thenregistered a vow that it should not be my fault if she did not make aname for herself during the coming war.
She was painted white, with a lead-colour bottom, and her four funnelswere white with black tops. But they were burning and scraping off allher outside paint, from the sheer-strake downward, and I asked theforeman what colour they were going to repaint her. He answered thatthis had not yet been decided, whereupon I requested him to provide mewith three small pots of paint, white, black, and blue, and with thesethree I compounded a smoky-grey tint of medium depth which I believedwould be practically invisible by day and quite invisible at night, andthis tint I applied to a small piece of board which I requested theforeman to take care of for me.
Then I went aboard and had a look at the _Kasanumi's_ interiorarrangements. The engine and boiler-rooms, the torpedo room, andmagazine naturally absorbed a large proportion of the interior space,but the accommodation for officers and crew, though a trifle cramped,was sufficient to ensure quite a reasonable amount of comfort.Everything of course was done to economise space, and the fittings wereall quite plain, but the cabin which would be mine was a compact, cosy,little cubbyhole, with a tiny stove to warm it in cold weather, and Ibelieved I could make myself very happy and comfortable in it, althoughthe beams were so low that I should never be able to stand upright. Theengines were superb pieces of machinery, as of course they had need tobe, to drive the boat at a speed of thirty-three knots, and the workingparts shone like burnished silver and gold, while the rest was paintedgreen. I spent two hours aboard, making a few notes referring tosuggestions which I proposed to make to the Admiral, and then startedoff to find the _Mikasa_.
This was not difficult, for the whole fleet--excepting one battleshipand two cruisers in dry dock--were lying off the dockyard, while the_Mikasa_ was easily distinguishable, even to a stranger, from the factthat she was flying the Admiral's flag. I noticed also that herstem-head was decorated with a gilded conventional representation of theopen chrysanthemum, the Imperial crest. The Admiral was in his cabin, Iwas informed, when I got aboard, but I was kept waiting nearly an hourbefore I was admitted to his presence, for he was holding something verymuch like a council of war with the officers of his fleet when Iarrived. But when at length--the council coming to an end--I wasushered into the cabin, I could not avoid being surprised at thewonderful courtesy and politeness which everybody exhibited to everybodyelse, notwithstanding that they were all evidently so full of businessthat they seemed scarcely to know which job to tackle first. As soon asTogo caught sight of me he be
ckoned me forward and introduced me to asmany of those present as I had not already met, and, this done, hehanded me my appointment to the _Kasanumi_, and requested me to at oncetake up my command. Then he asked me if I had any suggestions to make;and upon my answering that I had, he opened a notebook which lay uponthe table, and jotted them down as I read them out to him, and promisedto give them early consideration. As I bowed myself out of the cabin hecalled after me, advising me to see to the ordering of my uniforms atonce, as events were progressing rapidly, and there was no knowing howsoon it might be necessary for us all to go to sea. Stepping out ondeck, I encountered Captain Ijichi, the skipper of the ship, in earnestconverse with several of his officers, to whom he at once introduced me,whereupon the First Lieutenant invited me to dine that night, aboard theship, as his guest, which invitation I naturally accepted.
A week of feverish activity now ensued, by the end of which time everydock in Sasebo was empty, and every ship in the harbour ready, down tothe last ropeyarn, bunkers and magazines full, and even the fires laidunder the boilers ready to light at a second's notice. War was by thistime an absolute certainty, and the only question was when would itbreak out. The Japanese plan of campaign was ready cut and dried, andTogo, resolved to be in a position to act upon the instant of thereceipt of his orders, had already dispatched the cruiser _Akashi_ tosea, with instructions to ascertain the whereabouts of the Russian fleetand, after securing this information, to rendezvous at Mokpo, a portsituate at the south-western extremity of the Korean peninsula. I hadsaid farewell to my very kind friends, the Boyds, some days before, andhad taken up my abode aboard the _Kasanumi_, which, with the _Asashio,Shirakumo_, and _Akatsuki_, constituted the 1st Division of thedestroyer flotilla. Admiral Togo had approved my suggestion to paintthe entire exterior of the boat a medium smoky-grey tint, and the effecthad proved so satisfactory that the skippers of several other destroyershad followed my example.
At length dawned the eventful 6th of February 1904. A freshnorth-easter was blowing, the sky was heavy and louring, and a fiercesquall of snow and sleet was sweeping the harbour when a gun from the_Mikasa_ caused all eyes to turn toward her, and the next moment therefluttered from her yardarms the signals commanding the fleet to lightfires and prepare to weigh! So it had come then, that fateful momentfor which we had all been waiting with bated breath, for a full week;and as the purport of the signals became known, a frenzied roar of"Banzai Nippon!" went up from ships and shore, a roar that sent a shiverof excitement thrilling through me, so deep, so intense, so indicativeof indomitable determination, of courage, and of intense patriotism wasit. Peal after peal of "Banzais" swept over the sullen, turbulentwaters of the harbour, to be taken up and repeated by the thousands whothronged the wharves ashore, and who seemed to have sprung from nowherein an instant; and before the shouts died away thin curls of light brownsmoke were already rising from the funnels of the fleet and six fasttransport steamers which were lying a little nearer the shore. Half anhour later, the blare of bands was heard ashore, one of the wharves washurriedly cleared of people, and presently soldiers were seen marchingdown on to that wharf and aboard a whole fleet of lighters that werelying alongside. It was indicative of the thoroughness with which theJapanese authorities had thought out every minutest detail, that withinthree hours, three thousand troops, horse, foot, and artillery, with alltheir kit and camp equipment complete, were transferred from the shoreto the transports, and the latter had signalled that they were ready toget under way.
It was not, however, until shortly before two o'clock in the afternoonthat the signal was made for the fleet to weigh and proceed to sea, bywhich time every ship was under a full head of steam; and then thefleet, which up to then had lain quiescent, burst into strenuous butorderly activity. Officers on the several bridges seized megaphones andshouted orders through them; boatswain's whistles shrilled andboatswain's lungs bellowed, "Clear lower deck! Hands up anchor, ahoy!"the massive cables began to quiver and clank as they were hove in; theflagship became a very rainbow of rapidly changing signal flags;answering pennants appeared like magic and vanished again; hundreds ofsampans and craft of every description--anything and everything thatwould float, apparently--loaded with men and women, all frantic withpatriotic excitement, put off from the shore and formed a sort of lanefor the fleet to steam through, the men yelling "Banzai!" until itseemed as though their throats would crack, while the women--many ofwhom were very pretty, while all looked charmingly demure--urged theboatmen to pull in as close as possible to the ships, that they mightstrew with artificial flowers the water through which we were about topass. The military bands aboard the transports were playing what Isupposed to be patriotic airs, from the applause which they evoked,steam was roaring from the safety valves, fussy little tugs were rushinghither and thither, and at the precise moment when the water under the_Mikasa's_ counter broke into a sudden swirl and the ship began to move,a transient gleam of wintry sunshine burst through the clouds and fellfull upon her! It was the finishing touch; everybody unquestioninglyaccepted it as an omen of victory and triumph, and the thousands afloatand ashore incontinently went mad with joy. And indeed there was everyexcuse for so much enthusiasm, for we presented a truly imposing sightas we swept out to sea, a fleet consisting of six battleships, sixarmoured cruisers, four 23-knot light cruisers, six protected cruisers,and eighteen destroyers, surrounding the six transports. The primaryobject of the expedition was to escort the transports to Chemulpo, wherethe troops were to be landed to effect the seizure of Seoul, the capitalof Korea; and, this accomplished, Togo was to find and defeat theRussian fleet, which, so long as it existed and was free to roam theseas, constituted a most formidable menace to Japan.
Twelve knots was the steaming speed ordered for the fleet; and thecourse was due west for the passage between the islands of Gotoshima andUkushima. As soon as we were clear of the harbour the destroyers, infive divisions, were ordered to take up scouting duty, which we did byarranging ourselves in a complete circle round the fleet, the boatsbeing about a mile apart, thus forming a circle of eighteen miles incircumference.
The weather was vile, for after that transient gleam of sunshine whichhad marked the moment of our departure, the clouds had closed over usagain in a compact mass, and pelted us with sleet and snow so thicklythat it was only with the utmost difficulty we were able to see the nextboat ahead and astern; also it was so piercingly cold that even the longlamb's-wool coat, with which I had taken the precaution to providemyself, seemed utterly inadequate. Fortunately, excitement and the joyof finding myself not only once more under a pennant but actually incommand, with a war before me in which I felt convinced I should haveample opportunity to prove my mettle, helped to keep me warm. And therewas pride, too; pride in my ship and pride in my crew; for there was nota better or faster little ship in the fleet than the _Kasanumi_, whilemy crew, officers, and men alike, were splendid fellows, fine sturdymen, with the courage of lions, the lithe, light-footed activity ofcats, and respectfully and promptly obedient to an extent which leftnothing to be desired. My "sub," a merry, light-hearted little fellow,named Ito, although more than a year my senior, displayed not an atom ofjealousy, but carried out my every order with the same prompt,unquestioning alacrity as the men; he was keen as mustard, and hischief, indeed his only, recreation seemed to be the working out ofbattle problems.
For the first four hours of our voyage, while we were still well underthe lee of the land, the water was moderately smooth; but when, aboutseven o'clock that evening, the negotiation of the passage between theislands had been successfully accomplished, and we found ourselvesfairly out at sea, and shifted our helms to pass to the northward ofQuelpart Island, we soon found that we were in for a regular "dusting."For we presently ran into a high, steep sea, which our shift of helmbrought almost square abeam, yet just enough on our starboard quarter toset us all rolling and squirming most atrociously, particularly the"mosquito" division. Our every roll, whether to port or starboard, sentus gunw
ale under, so that it was only with the utmost difficulty wemanaged to retain our footing, while more than half my complement, ondeck as well as below, suffered agonies of sea-sickness; yet they stuckto their work like heroes. The spray swept us continually from end toend, flying high over the tops of our low funnels, and freezing as itfell, so that the watch on deck were kept busy chipping the ice off ourdecks and shovelling it overboard; yet, wretchedly uncomfortable as wasthe weather, the destroyers, running at less than half-speed, rode thesea like gulls, and kept station with the utmost ease.
Shortly after eight bells in the middle watch, the weather cleared andthe stars shone out with piercing brilliancy, enabling us to see thewhole of the big ships and the transports, although we were all steamingwith lights out, except for a solitary shrouded lantern carried by eachship right aft, to enable her next astern to keep station.
The night passed without incident, but shortly after sunrise, smoke wassighted broad on our port bow, the ship from which it proceededevidently steering to the northward. We all seemed to see it at thesame instant, for in less than half a minute the signal reporting thecircumstance was flying aboard nearly every craft in the fleet. But thelookouts aboard the _Mikasa_ were evidently as wide awake as any of us,for our flags were scarcely aloft when the flagship signalled thearmoured cruiser _Asama_ to chase in the south-western board; and inlittle more than an hour afterward she rejoined the fleet, accompaniedby the Russian steamer _Argun_, as a prize. We flattered ourselves thatthe honour of capturing the first prize of the war had fallen to us;but, later on, we learned, to our disgust, that when the _Argun_ wastaken into Sasebo, there were already three more prizes there to keepher company.
We arrived off Mokpo about ten o'clock that morning, when the _Akashi_came out to meet us and make her report. We of the rank and file, so tospeak, did not, of course, know at the time what was the nature of thatreport, which was for the Admiral's ear alone; but, later on, it leakedout that it was to the effect that the Russian fleet at Port Arthur hadbegun to move on the last day of January, by warping and towing certainof the ships out of harbour. This movement had continued on the firstand second days of February, by the end of which time the entire fleetwas anchored in the roadstead; and it seemed pretty evident that AdmiralAlexieff was preparing to vigorously carry the war into the enemy'scountry, which was the great fear that had been haunting Togo from themoment when he received his instructions to put to sea. His dread wasthat the Russian fleet would forestall him by getting to sea first,steam to the southward, and, getting into touch with one or more of thecraft which were certain to be watching the Japanese fleet, would lie_perdu_ until that fleet had passed to the northward, and then fall uponand ravage the unprotected Japanese coast. And, at first sight, thisseemed to be the Russian Admiral's intention, for, on the 4th ofFebruary, the fleet, having coaled, weighed and steamed out to sea,leaving only two battleships--the _Sevastopol_ and _Peresviet_--in theharbour, where they had perversely stuck on the mud and refused to begot afloat again, for the moment at least. The Russians, twenty-sixships strong, inclusive of eleven destroyers, having cleared theroadstead, steamed slowly to the eastward, and were, that same day,sighted in the offing from Wei-hai-wei, apparently practisingevolutions. But on the following day they all returned to Port Arthur,and anchored in the roadstead, under the guns of the batteries. Thepith of the _Akashi's_ report, therefore, was that there were twoRussian ships--the new cruiser _Variag_, and the gunboat _Korietz_--atChemulpo, four cruisers and an armed merchantman at Vladivostock, whilethe remainder of the Russian fleet was at Port Arthur.
Possessed of this knowledge, Togo issued orders to Rear-Admiral Uriu, inthe _Takachiho_, to take command of a squadron consisting of, inaddition to his own ship, the _Asatna_, _Chiyoda_, _Niitaka_, and_Miyako_, with eight destroyers, and with them to convoy the transportsto Chemulpo, taking measures upon his arrival, to insure that theRussian ships should not interfere with the landing of the troops.Those were the only orders of which we were aware, but in the light ofwhat occurred after Uriu's arrival at Chemulpo, it is probable that theVice-Admiral was given a considerable amount of latitude with regard tohis further proceedings.
It was about seven o'clock in the evening when the two fleets partedcompany, the _Mikasa_ signalling: "I congratulate you in anticipation ofyour success," to which the _Takachiho_ replied: "Thanks for yourkindness." Then the signal was given by wireless for the main fleet toproceed on a north-westerly course, in an extended formation of lineabreast, with the destroyers scouting on both wings, and a great shoutof "Banzai Nippon!" went up, for everybody knew that north-west was theroad to Port Arthur, where Togo fervently hoped and prayed he might findthe Russian fleet still at anchor.
For, if not, it would certainly mean that Alexieff had proved himselfthe better strategist of the two, and had contrived in some subtlemanner to slip past us to the westward, when any one or two of threeterrible things might happen. He might realise Togo's original terriblefear of an attack on the undefended coast of Japan; or he might make forChemulpo and destroy the Japanese squadron and transports upon theirarrival there; or he might pass through the Korean Strait northward toVladivostock and there unite his two forces, when he would be strongenough to give no end of trouble, if not indeed to defeat us out of handand so decide the war at one fell stroke. It was exceedingly difficultto know what to do for the best, and our gallant little Admiral felt tothe full the responsibility attaching to his momentous decision, as wasmade manifest when, about two bells in the first watch, the order waswirelessed to the fleet to alter the course twenty-two degrees to thenorthward, evidently with the object of falling in with the Russians,should they by any chance be making for Chemulpo. Our next order was toclear for action.
To further increase our difficulties and embarrassments, the weather hadagain changed for the worse. The sun had set in a wrack of wild,storm-riven cloud painted with the hues of fire and smoke, which,louring threateningly, had overspread the sky with incredible rapidity,completely obscuring the light of the stars; the wind, still icy cold,had breezed up again savagely, kicking up a tremendous sea, the sprayfrom which quickly drenched us in the destroyers to the skin, despiteour "oilies," sou'-westers, and sea boots; yet the staunch littlevessels, though rolling and pitching in the most distracting manner,rode like gulls the seas which, to us, seemed to be literally running"mountains high." True, our speed was only about twelve knots; what the_Kasanumi's_ behaviour would probably have been at double that speed, insuch a sea, I shuddered to think. But I was destined to _know_, in thenot-far-distant future.
When Ito, my lieutenant, called me at midnight to relieve him, heinformed me that a wireless message had just been received from theflagship, ordering a shift of helm for the Elliot group of islands,distant some sixty miles from Port Arthur, and for the speed to beincreased to sixteen knots, which order he had acknowledged andexecuted, as I discovered, the moment I tumbled out of my hammock; forthe boat was kicking up her heels more madly than ever, while every fewseconds there resounded a heavy thud on the deck overhead, and the craftshivered from stem to stern as she drove her sharp nose into the heartof a great comber, throwing the water in tons over herself. This wasthe rough side of work aboard a destroyer, with a vengeance, and I spentfour miserable hours on the navigating bridge, drenched to the skin, andpierced to the marrow by the bitter cold. All things come to an end,however, sooner or later; and about two o'clock next day we steamed intothe sheltered waters of the Elliot Islands and came to an anchor. Thiswas the spot which the Admiral had selected to serve as a rendezvous andlurking-place from which he could sally forth with a good chance ofcutting off the Port Arthur fleet, should it venture to stray far fromthe shelter of the fortress; and subsequently it was often referred toin his dispatches as "a certain place."