estroyer Division completed its task
before daylight, and quietly steamed off round to the westward of
Liau-ti-shan, where we remained snugly concealed, close in under the
cliffs.

My idea was that if our 2nd Division were discovered--as it was
necessary it should be, the Russians would probably send out a few
destroyers to attack it; and the event proved that my surmise was
correct. Six Russian destroyers were dispatched from the harbour,
presumably with instructions to wipe the _Akebono_ and _Sazanami_ off
the face of the waters; and as soon as the latter saw the enemy
approaching, on a course intended to cut off their retreat to the
eastward, the two boats swerved sharply away to the westward, with their
funnels belching great clouds of smoke, and every indication that their
crews were in a terrible state of fright--but with their engines working
at only about three-quarter speed. The Russians, stimulated by our 2nd
Division's apparent terror, and finding also that they were steadily
gaining upon the chase, strained every nerve to overtake them, and at
length came pounding round the point in great style.

Meanwhile, the two retreating Japanese destroyers had already swept past
us--thus giving us the signal to be on the lookout--and, veering round,
in a wide semi-circle, formed up in our rear, we of the 1st Division
having already started our engines as soon as they hove in sight.

On came the Russian destroyers, rolling and pitching on the long swell,
with the water spouting and curling under their sharp bows to the height
of their bridges; and the moment that the first of them swung round the
point, over went the indicators of our engine-room telegraphs to "Full
speed ahead!" Our gun crews had been standing to their guns for some
time past, all ready for action, and as we swept out to seaward,
crossing the Russians' bows, we let fly at them with our twelve-pounders
and as many of our six-pounders as could be brought to bear,
concentrating our fire as much as possible upon the enemy's guns,
several of which we succeeded in dismounting.

I feel bound to admit that, taken by surprise though they were, the
Russians put up a splendid fight; but although they were superior to us
in numbers, our men would not be denied, they worked their guns as
coolly and with as deadly precision as though they had been at target
practice, and the Russian boats were hulled again and again, clouds of
steam arose from them, fires bro