read throughout the Japanese
fleet, an almost audible sigh of relief escaped the breasts of officers
and men; the Russians were not only coming out, but actually meant to
fight; and the fateful hour which had been so long and so eagerly
awaited was now at last at hand. A great cheer arose, passing along the
line from ship to ship, and officers who had already assured themselves
that all preparations for meeting the enemy were complete once more went
the rounds, to make assurance doubly sure.

The Japanese blockading fleet gradually closed in behind the Russian
ships, compelling Vitgeft to send back his gunboats, mining craft, and
reserve destroyers, as our boats were threatening to cut them off; and
about eleven o'clock we got a message informing us that the fleet which
we should have to meet consisted of six battleships, four cruisers, and
seven destroyers, an eighth destroyer, believed to be the _Reshitelny_,
having contrived, by her superior speed, to give our boats the slip, and
steam away in the direction of Chifu. Meanwhile, the glass was falling,
great masses of cloud came driving up from the eastward, and a little
breeze from the same quarter sprang up, rapidly freshening and knocking
up a sea which soon set even our battleships rolling and pitching
ponderously. "Well, so much the better for us," we told each other.
Our gunners were by this time quite accustomed to shoot from a rolling
and pitching platform, while the Russians had had no such profitable
experience; and the heavier the sea, the greater would probably be the
superiority of our shooting.

It was nearing noon when at length, broad on our starboard bow, a great
cloud of black smoke began to show on the south-eastern horizon; and
shortly afterward a forest of masts, from the truck of each of which
flaunted a great white flag bearing a blue Saint Andrew's cross, began
to rise above the sea-line, followed by numerous funnels belching
immense volumes of black smoke. The two fleets were nearing each other
fast, it was therefore not long before the ponderous bulk of the
_Tsarevich_ topped the horizon, with the _Retvisan, Pobieda, Peresviet_
(flying Rear-Admiral Prince Ukhtomsky's flag), _Sevastopol_, and
_Poltava_ following. Then came our old friend of the five funnels, the
_Askold_, followed by the _Pallada_ and _Diana_, with a hospital ship,
flying a Red Cross flag, bringing up the rear but well astern. On the
port beam, but well to the rear of th