de off to the northward at
top speed, those of us whose speed permitted, following them and keeping
up a brisk fire with our forward guns.

Suddenly, as we pursued, two ships were sighted ahead, evidently in
difficulties, and a few minutes later we identified them as the Russian
battleship _Suvaroff_ and the repair ship _Kamschatka_. Immediately,
Kamimura signalled, ordering their destruction. Then, while we were in
the very act of training our guns upon them, another battleship was
sighted in the distance. She, too, was evidently in a parlous state, so
much so, indeed, that we scarcely had time to identify her as the
_Alexander Third_ when she capsized and sank!

Then we opened fire vigorously upon the other two ships, while our
destroyers closed in upon the _Suvaroff_, now listing so heavily that
she was almost on her beam-ends. But although she was in such a sorry
plight her crew displayed the utmost gallantry, defending themselves
from the torpedo craft with the only gun which they could bring to bear.
It was a hopeless fight, however; our boats dashed in, time after time,
discharging torpedoes at her, and at length two of the missiles got
home, one under her stern, and the other in the wake of her engine-room,
blowing a great hole in her side. This last finished her; the water
poured into her in torrents, and a few minutes later she rolled right
over and disappeared. The _Kamschatka_ followed a few minutes later.

Meanwhile, the ships which we had been pursuing had disappeared in the
fog, heading northward, _in which direction we knew our battleships had
preceded them_. Therefore, since the hour had now arrived when,
according to arrangements, our torpedo flotillas were to take up the
game, Kamimura signalled us to reduce speed to ten knots and to shape a
course for our appointed rendezvous near Matsushima Island.

The night which followed was an anxious one for all hands, for we were
steaming through a dark and foggy night, with all lights out. Nothing
untoward happened, however, and with the appearance of dawn on the
following morning a little air of wind sprang up and swept the fog away.

It was shortly before three bells in the morning watch (half-past five
o'clock a.m.) of 28th May, and the six ships of the Japanese armoured
cruiser division were steaming northward in line abreast, when the
_Tokiwa_, which was the easternmost ship, reported smoke low down on the
eastern horizon. At once the course