ere, all three of them: the _Oslabia_
about three miles away, broad on our starboard quarter; the _Suvaroff_
about half a mile astern of her; and the _Alexander Third_ about a mile
astern of the _Suvaroff_, all astern of their own line, and all being
vigorously attacked by our protected cruisers. The _Oslabia_ was low in
the water and had a heavy list to port; the _Suvaroff_, still apparently
on fire, had lost both her funnels and her foremast; and the _Alexander
Third_, from which clouds of smoke, were still rising, also had a heavy
list and was steaming ahead very slowly, although she, like her sisters
in misfortune, still replied with the utmost gallantry to our fire.

But, so far as the _Oslabia_ was concerned, her race was evidently run,
for even as I watched her it became apparent that she was fast settling
in the water, while with every roll her list to port became stronger,
until at last I found myself holding my breath in momentary expectation
to see her roll right over. The catastrophe was not long delayed.
There came a moment when, having rolled heavily to port, she failed to
lift again, but heeled steadily more and more until, watching her
through my powerful glasses, I saw a number of objects go sliding away
off her decks into the water with a heavy splash; over she went until
her masts and funnels lay along on the water, her two after-turret guns
spoke out defiantly for the last time; and down she went in a great
swirl of foam, while the Russian destroyers closed in upon the spot to
save such of her crew as might contrive to remain afloat.

I now turned my attention to the _Suvaroff_, and was just in time to
witness a very plucky attack upon her by a squadron of our destroyers,
which, notwithstanding her disabled condition, she beat off in most
gallant fashion.

Next, I turned to have a look at the _Alexander Third_. Her crew
appeared to have extinguished the fire aboard her and got her back into
something like her former trim. She was now heading to rejoin the
Russian line--which was re-forming after a fashion, and presently I saw
her drop into third place in the line, between the _Orel_ and the
_Sissoi Veliki_, which latter also seemed to have extinguished her fire.
Meanwhile the mist had thickened into fog, which rapidly became so
dense that we presently lost sight of the enemy altogether.

Shrewdly suspecting that the Russians would seize this opportunity to
effect their escape, Togo now led his