he destroyer flotilla being this time told off to conduct
the attack. These divisions, consisting of eight boats, had not
participated in the previous attack, and Togo no doubt wished to give
them an opportunity to acquire _kudos_, and, at the same time, by
arousing their emulation, spur them on to outvie our performance.

Unfortunately, however, for the expedition, the weather was even worse
than that with which we had had to contend: the cold was intense, a gale
was blowing, a tremendously heavy sea was running, and, to cap it all, a
terrific snow blizzard was raging. The result of this combination of
adverse conditions was that the destroyers very soon lost touch with
each other, and only two of them succeeded in entering the harbour, the
_Asigiri_ preceding the _Hayatori_ by nearly two hours. The _Asigiri_
entered the harbour unseen, discharged two torpedoes--both of which her
captain, Commander Isakawa, believed had got home--and then fled,
encountering an enemy's launch on the way, and sinking her. The
explosion of the _Asigiri's_ torpedoes of course raised an alarm,
searchlights flashed wildly hither and thither, gunners blazed away
madly, and so great was the panic that several of the Russian destroyers
opened fire upon each other and did a lot of damage.

When Commander Takanouchi, in the _Hayatori_, arrived two hours later,
the confusion was still at its height, and taking advantage of it, he,
too, slipped in unnoticed and, as he believed, successfully torpedoed a
cruiser before he fled. But it seemed very doubtful whether, after all,
either of the Japanese boats did much damage; for when the Japanese
cruisers reconnoitred next day, none could be detected.

Then, on the night of 23rd February, all the Russian ships being inside
Port Arthur, Togo sent in five steamers, under Commander Arima, whose
instructions were that they were to be sunk across the harbour entrance,
in such positions as would effectually block the passage. But their
approach was prematurely discovered, and so terrific a fire was opened
upon them from the batteries that two were sunk, while the other three,
their steering gear being shot away, went ashore outside. The attempt
was consequently a failure, while ten men lost their lives in making it.

On the night of 24th February and the morning of the following day, the
Japanese fleet made a second attack upon Port Arthur, bombarding the
town and fleet for twenty-five minutes. The Ru