ne of
forts, and, planting heavy guns on the top of a high hill, they were
able to throw plunging shot into the bosom of the harbour. No longer
safe at their inner anchorage, the Russian naval officers resolved
to attempt to reach Vladivostok, where the combined squadrons might
assume the offensive or at least be secure from blockade. Scarcely
had they gained the open sea when (on August 10) the Japanese fell on
them like a whirlwind and scattered their ships in all directions.
A few reentered the harbour to await their doom; two or three found
their way to Vladivostok; two sought refuge at the German port of
Tsing-tao; two put into Shanghai; and one continued its flight
as far south as Saigon.

[Page 186]
One gunboat sought shelter at Chefoo, where I was passing my summer
vacation. The Japanese, in hot pursuit, showed no more respect to
the neutrality of China than they had shown to Korea. Boarding
the fugitive vessel, they summoned the captain to surrender. He
replied by seizing the Japanese officer in his arms and throwing
himself into the sea. They were rescued; and the Japanese then
carried off the boat under the guns of a Chinese admiral. Of this
incident in its main features I was an eye-witness. I may add that
we were near enough to bear witness to the fact of the siege; for,
in the words of Helen Sterling:

"We heard the boom of guns by day
And saw their flash by night,
And almost thought, tho' miles away,
That we were in the fight.

The Chinese admiral, feeling the affront to the Dragon flag and
fearing that he would be called to account, promptly tendered his
resignation. He was told to keep his place; and, by way of consoling
him for his inaction, the Minister of Marine added, "You are not
to blame for not firing on the Japanese. They are fighting our
battles--we can't do anything against them." So much for Chinese
neutrality in theory and in practice.

Kuropatkin, like the Parthian, "most dreaded when in flight," renouncing
any further attempt to break through the cordon which the Japanese
had drawn around the doomed fortress, intrenched his forces in
and around Liaoyang. His position was strong by
[Page 187]
nature, and he strengthened it by every device known to a military
engineer; yet he was driven from it in a battle which lasted nine
days.

The Japanese, though not slow to close around his outposts, were
too cautious to deliver their main attack until they could be certain
of succes