ously contemplating
the advisability of doubling round Encounter Rock and retreating back to
Port Arthur. It was a moment when everything seemed to be hanging in
the balance, when a single false move would ruin everything, and the
chance that we had been so long waiting for would be lost. Port Arthur
was still close enough under the lee of the Russians to permit of their
reaching the shelter of its batteries without very serious loss, should
they elect to make the attempt. It was a moment demanding both boldness
and astuteness of action, and, gambler-like, Togo resolved to risk
everything upon a single throw. Instead of making the signal to close
with the enemy and immediately bring him to battle, the Admiral
signalled, "Change course sixteen points east," which meant that the
whole fleet, now steaming in line ahead, parallel to the Russian's
course, and heading in the same direction, must swerve round upon a port
helm and go back over the ground which it had just traversed, that in
fact it must turn tail and run away from the Russians! The manoeuvre
was executed in splendid style, and two minutes later the Japanese fleet
was heading south-west, while the Russian fleet, now some nine miles
distant, bore about two points abaft our starboard beam.

The object of the manoeuvre was of course to impress the Russian Admiral
with the conviction that we were as little anxious to put our fortunes
to the touch as he was; and apparently the ruse was successful, for
almost immediately the Russians shifted helm, heading about south-east
and standing across our wake, with all their funnels belching great
volumes of smoke, showing that a tremendous effort was going to be made
to give us the slip.

For what seemed to us all an interminable half-hour, the astute little
Japanese "Nelson" permitted them to lay the flattering unction to their
souls that they were going to succeed, for during that half-hour the
Japanese fleet plugged steadily away to the south-west, every moment
increasing the distance between themselves and the enemy. Then, at
last, judging from the respective positions of the two fleets that our
superior speed must certainly frustrate any further attempt at escape on
the part of the enemy, up went the longed-for signal for us to swerve
round and give chase.

This manoeuvre of ours was the signal for another shift of helm on the
part of the Russians. They had been heading about south-east, but now,
seeing us comi