early and late to get his ship into proper fighting trim; and being
thoroughly tired out by the time that the fleet anchored, he had turned
in for a few hours' well-earned repose. He seemed, however, to have
been asleep only a few short minutes, instead of some four or five
hours, when he was aroused by a gentle but persistent knocking on his
door.
In a moment he was broad awake, out of his bunk, and across to the door,
being too cautious, in face of the stealthy character of the summons, to
call a question as to who was there.
Opening the cabin door, he found Drake, who, with a worried and
mysterious air, proffered the request that the captain would come up on
deck for a few minutes, if convenient.
"Why, what's the matter, Drake?" asked Frobisher. "Are there any signs
of the storm bursting?"
"Well," was the reply, "it certainly does not look any too healthy. But
it is not on that account that I have disturbed you. I believe there is
some hanky-panky work going on, sir, and that's why I want you to come
on deck and see for yourself."
"I'll be up in a minute," replied the captain; and in less than the time
specified he had pulled on his trousers, flung a greatcoat over his
shoulders, and was standing by Drake's side at the taffrail. "Now, what
is the business?" he said.
"It's got something to do with that Prince chap, or I'm a Dutchman," was
Drake's reply. "I was leaning over the rail here, a little while ago,
thinking of nothing in particular--for Lieutenant Sing is on duty until
midnight--when I saw a light appear suddenly away in that direction,"
pointing. "There was nothing out of the way in that, you'll say; but
this light was a red one, and, what's more, somebody was holding it in
his hand, and was waving it about. That lantern, to my mind, was a
signal; for after waving it for a few minutes, the man who held it began
to open and close the slide rapidly, as though sending a message by
flash-light. I don't know the Morse code of flash telegraphy, and for
aught I know it may not have been Morse; but it certainly was a signal,
and when I tell you that it came from the _Ting Yuen_, and from the same
cabin, so far as I can judge, as the `helio' message was sent from at
Tien-tsin, you will see why I thought it best to call you."
"You were quite right, Drake," replied the captain. "There was
something very queer about that business at Tien-tsin; and from what you
say, it would seem that the same man is playing the same trick here. I
only wish I could catch him at his dirty work. It seems strange to me
that nobody on board the flagship has got an inkling of--well, we will
say, the unknown man's game. Or perhaps it is that they do suspect, but
dare not speak? Did you by any chance catch sight of an answering light
of any sort?"
"I was just coming to that," replied Drake. "I did. When the first set
of signals was finished, the red light disappeared, and away in the
offing another red light showed. That's what really made me come down
and rouse you."
"Perhaps it may have come from our own torpedo-boats," suggested
Frobisher.
"No," replied Drake, "it came from a spot beyond them, and--there you
are, sir; look there! There's the light again on the _Ting Yuen_. Now,
watch for the light from seaward in reply."
Frobisher did not do so, however. Without even answering, he darted
forward, gave a few low-voiced orders, and then came back to Drake.
Immediately afterwards could be heard the sound of bare-footed seamen
running about, carrying out some duty, and then a man stepped up to the
captain and announced that all was ready.
"Very well; wait for the signal," was Frobisher's reply, and he turned
his eyes seaward, watching for the answering flash. A second later it
came; and as it winked out, the captain placed a whistle in his mouth
and blew three short calls.
In an instant the _Chih' Yuen's_ great search-light blazed out, to the
astonishment of Drake and sundry other folk, and began to sweep slowly
and steadily back and forth across the horizon. The light on the _Ting
Yuen_ vanished instantly, Frobisher noticed, and the one to seaward went
out immediately afterward. But the vessel from which it had been shown
could not put herself out of sight so easily.
The beam of the search-light hesitated a moment, and then settled
unwaveringly upon a little vessel about five miles away. She circled
and dodged, but all to no purpose; she could not escape that unblinking
ray, which followed her, relentless as fate, revealing every detail on
board her as distinctly as though she were under the light of day.
That she was a destroyer was at once apparent; there could be no
mistaking the long, low, clean-cut black hull, with the four squat
funnels and the short signal-mast. Nor could there be any doubt as to
her nationality. Chinese she was not, China possessing no boats of that
description; and since she was lurking in that particular spot under the
cover of night, there was only one thing she could possibly be--a
Japanese scout. The locality of the Chinese fleet had been discovered,
thanks to the traitor in their midst, and the destroyer would now return
to her parent fleet with her report; and, unless the Chinese were very
careful, they would be caught in the roadstead, like rats in a trap.
Frobisher watched the flying shape of the destroyer, undecided whether
or not to try a shot from his heavy guns; but he soon realised that, by
the time that the gun could be loaded and trained, the chances of making
a hit would be small indeed. He therefore ordered the search-light to
be kept going in case any other similar craft should be lurking in the
offing, and, after a few words to Drake, went below and dressed himself
fully. Then, late as it was, he ordered his gig, and had himself pulled
across with all speed to the _Ting Yuen_. He smiled grimly as he
pictured Admiral Ting's face when he should hear what he was about to
tell him.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
THE BATTLE OF THE YALU.
Directly he got on board the flagship, Frobisher, through his
interpreter, sent a message to the admiral, asking whether he would see
the captain of the _Chih' Yuen_ immediately, upon urgent business, and
alone; for the Englishman had no mind to have the interview interrupted
by the presence of Prince Hsi. Whatever happened, that individual must
be kept in ignorance of the fact that his treachery was so strongly
suspected as to be almost a certainty, otherwise he would be on his
guard; and it was Frobisher's intention, if Admiral Ting agreed, to
leave the man in ignorance of the suspicions he had aroused, until he
should grow careless and over-bold, and then to pounce suddenly upon him
and catch him red-handed. The Englishman knew that unless the man were
actually caught in the act, so that there could be no possible doubt as
to his treachery, he possessed sufficient money and influence to worm
himself out of almost any predicament, however strong appearances might
be against him.
Fortunately the admiral was still awake, and, what was more to the
point, was alone; and he immediately sent back word by the messenger
that if Captain Frobisher would kindly step down into the cabin, he
would grant him the interview, with pleasure.
Frobisher descended to the admiral's private quarters, dispensing with
the services of the interpreter--since Ting spoke English--thereby
ensuring that the conversation should be strictly private. Then he
proceeded to give as succinct an account as possible of the occurrence
that had just happened, not hesitating to express the opinion that
Prince Hsi was playing the role of traitor.
Admiral Ting was much alarmed at hearing that a Japanese destroyer had
been detected prowling about in the offing, but did not express any
surprise when Frobisher mentioned his suspicions about the Prince.
Indeed, he admitted that, although he had nothing definite to go upon,
he had for some time past been extremely doubtful as to Hsi's loyalty to
his country. The man was so highly connected, however, and had so much
influence at the Chinese Court, that all the efforts that Ting had made
to get him transferred had been unsuccessful; and he had only succeeded
in making of his Highness a bitter enemy. What reason the fellow could
have for wishing to betray his country it was impossible to say, and
Ting could only surmise that he must have lost a great deal of money at
play, of which he was inordinately fond, and was looking to Japan to
fill his coffers again in return for services rendered.
Ting averred that all he could do would be to have the Prince watched
closely; but, if he were actually detected in the act of attempting any
treachery, the admiral vowed that he should be punished, happen what
might.
As there could be no longer any doubt that the Japanese fleet was in the
neighbourhood--or, if not near at the moment, very soon would be, when
the destroyer had delivered her report--it had become necessary to act
at once. There were no facilities for disembarkation at night, as has
already been mentioned; but under the new circumstances it was
imperative that the troops should be landed immediately, so that the
fleet might be free to go out and fight without being obliged to leave
any ships behind to cover the landing. Ting therefore ordered a gun to
be fired, and the signal to be made for all captains to come aboard; and
he announced that the disembarkation was to take place at once, the
process to be facilitated as much as possible by the various ships'
search-lights, which would give enough illumination to prevent
accidents. Consequently, about midnight the work commenced, much to the
annoyance of the soldiers, who did not, of course, know the reason, and
had been looking forward to another comfortable night on board.
Every boat belonging to the fleet, as well as the pontoons and rafts
carried on board the transports for the purpose, was called into
requisition, and very soon a long procession of craft of all shapes and
sizes was seen plying to and fro between transports and shore, guided by
the powerful rays of the search-lights. The horses were simply slung by
means of broad straps to the end of a whip, hoisted out of the ships,
and swung overboard, the straps being released as soon as they were in
the water, when they swam ashore of their own accord, being caught upon
their arrival by the soldiers who had already landed, and picketed.
So rapidly and methodically was the work carried out--due principally,
it must be acknowledged, to the efforts of the British officers
belonging to the Navy ships--that when daylight broke, about four
o'clock, the disembarkation was already half completed.
Meanwhile Ting had issued orders for a full head of steam to be kept up
on board every ship, transport as well as man-of-war, for he intended to
put to sea the instant that the last man was ashore. He had no desire
to be caught where he was by the Japanese fleet, especially since he
would then be seriously hampered in his movements by the helpless,
unarmed transports. Anxious eyes were often turned seaward to where the
torpedo-boats were still carrying out their patrol duty in the offing;
and more than one brave man heaved a sigh of relief as hour after hour
passed without one of them steaming in at full speed to give notice that
the enemy were in sight.
At length, about ten o'clock in the morning, the last horse had swum
ashore, and the last boatload of soldiers was on its way. The rafts and
pontoons were hoisted in and secured, and the boats, as they returned,
were run up and swung inboard; the various captains hied them to the
bridges of their respective ships, from the steam-pipes of which white
feathers of steam were escaping; and at midday, just twelve hours after
Frobisher's midnight visit to the admiral, the signal for departure
floated up to the yard of the _Ting Yuen_. The fleet steamed slowly and
majestically out of the roadstead, in two columns, with the transports
well away to starboard, on the opposite side from which the enemy might
be expected to appear; the torpedo-boats spread themselves out fan-wise,
carrying out their office as scouts; and the course was shaped for
Wei-hai-wei, under the guns of which the transports would be safe from
capture.
They had been steaming for about five hours, and had covered a little
more than a quarter of the distance to Wei-hai-wei, when a puff of smoke
burst out on board one of the torpedo-boats, the one farthest away to
port, or toward the north-east, followed by the sharp, ringing sound of
one of her twelve-pound quick-firers. This was the signal agreed upon,
should the enemy heave in sight; and the fact that the little craft had
already turned and was steaming at full speed toward the flagship gave
sufficient proof that the long-expected moment had at last arrived. In
fact, by the time the torpedo-boat reached the _Ting Yuen_ it was
possible to make out no fewer than thirteen coils of smoke away on the
eastern horizon, showing that the enemy's fleet was arriving in force,
steaming in line abreast, and that it outnumbered the Chinese squadron
by three ships. Thus, as two of the latter were not fit to take their
place in the fighting line, the ratio was about one and a half to one in
favour of the Japanese, so far as numbers were concerned.
Judging from the numbers that nearly, if not quite, the whole of the
Japanese fleet was present, Ting immediately ordered the transports to
break away and make for Wei-hai-wei at full speed, the men-of-war
undertaking the duty of preventing any of the enemy getting past and
going in pursuit--in itself an unlikely contingency, since the Japanese
admiral would need all his ships if he was to gain a victory over
China--the transports consequently quickened their pace, being all fast
steamers, and gradually began to draw away from the slower and more
unwieldy battle squadron. And here it may be stated that they were not
pursued, and all arrived safely at Wei-hai-wei without any mishap
whatever.
Ting now hoisted the signal to clear for action, and a scene of bustle
and orderly confusion at once ensued. All the boats belonging to the
squadron were hoisted out and lowered, and the _San-chau_ went the
rounds, collecting them all. Having done this, she took them in tow and
steamed slowly away to the westward, so as to be out of the way when the
hostile fleets presently came to grips.
Stanchions were taken down and stowed away, the magazines were opened,
ammunition placed in the hoists, the guns loaded, and the fire-hose
connected and laid along the decks, which were thoroughly drenched to
lessen the possibility of fire. Buckets of fresh water for the use of
thirsty and wounded men were placed in convenient positions round the
decks; and lastly, all the lighter and loose furnishings in the cabins,
ward-rooms, and gun-rooms were taken down and put out of the way, to
avoid their being smashed through the terrific vibration when the great
guns began to fire.
The fire-control officers made their way with their range-finding
instruments into the fire-control tops, the captains went to their
conning-towers, and word was sent below to the engine-room staff warning
them of what was coming, so that steam might never be lacking. Finally,
the shell-proof gratings were slid over the engine-room hatches,
watertight doors were closed, and in grim silence the Chinese fleet
steamed ahead, waiting for the word which would start the mighty guns
roaring and the great, armour-piercing shells hurtling through the air
on their errand of destruction.
By the time these preparations were complete, the Japanese fleet had
approached closely enough to allow of its various units being easily
distinguished through a telescope from the level of the deck; and
Frobisher observed that the largest ships were placed at the starboard
extremity of the long line, the smallest and weakest being at the other
end. The size of the cruiser nearest the Chinese fleet he estimated at
about nine thousand tons; then came two of about seven thousand, then
two more, of six thousand or so, then three of four thousand; and next
five small cruisers and gunboats, ranging from one thousand to two
thousand tons. Besides these there were four destroyers of about three
hundred and fifty tons; and he guessed that the fighting speed of the
fleet would be about twelve or thirteen knots, against the Chinese ten--
a vast advantage, enabling the possessor practically to choose his own
time and position for fighting.
Comparing the two fleets, Frobisher came to the conclusion that, despite
the preponderance possessed by China in her two powerful battleships,
Japan's was the stronger, since she possessed more ships, while several
of her smaller cruisers were larger than China's largest. When to this
was added the fact of the extra three knots speed, it began to look as
though China would find all her work cut out to come off victor. But if
there is one thing more certain than another it is that, before the
beginning of this battle, there was not a single officer among the whole
Chinese fleet who did not feel convinced that China was going to win;
and after-events proved that, had the issue lain in their hands alone,
their stout hearts would have forced the victory, notwithstanding the
disparity between the two fleets.
The Japanese fleet had now approached to within about six miles, and the
gun-layers were beginning to fidget, and to wonder when the action was
to commence. Then a signal broke out on board the Chinese flagship, and
the two columns swung grandly to starboard in a wide sweep, until their
bows pointed full at the Japanese ships.
Suddenly a bugle shrilled forth its challenging order--"Commence
firing", and with a crash that made the very air vibrate, the great guns
on board the two battleships opened fire, sending their ranging shots so
truly that the announcement from the fire-control stations of "Range
correct" seemed superfluous. Fire had been opened with the guns laid to
eight thousand yards, and all four heavy, armour-piercing shells had
found their billets. The historic battle of the Yalu had commenced.
Nor were the Japanese behindhand in accepting the challenge. With what
appeared to be almost lightning speed, the Japanese admiral, Nozu,
changed his formation from column in line abreast to column of divisions
steaming in echelon, the starboard division being led to starboard by
the cruiser _Yoshino_, of nine thousand tons, and the division to port
being led by the _Fuji_, of about the same measurement, these two being
the most powerful ships possessed by the Japanese. This particular
formation enabled the Japanese to direct the whole of their fire against
the Chinese ships, since the two divisions of their fleet were to pass
on the inside of the Chinese double column, while the double Chinese
column would prevent their ships in the port line from firing to port,
and those in the starboard line from firing to starboard. Likewise the
inner line of each of the Japanese divisions sheltered the outer line
from the fire of the Chinese port and starboard columns respectively.
This amounted, in plain language, to giving the Japanese four times the
volume of gunfire that the Chinese could bring to bear, and was a
masterly stroke of genius on the part of Nozu which Admiral Ting did not
comprehend until it was too late to remedy matters, and he found himself
hopelessly enveloped in the net.
As yet, however, the action had only commenced. Through the observation
slits in the walls of the _Chih' Yuen's_ conning-tower Frobisher saw, as
the Japanese fleet completed its evolution, several dazzling flashes of
flame dart out from the turrets of the _Yoshino_ and the _Fuji_, and
simultaneously it appeared as though the entire Japanese fleet had fired
at the same moment, so fierce and so continuous were the flashes of the
discharges. He felt his ship reel and stagger as no less than five
heavy shell, fortunately not armour-piercers, struck her almost
simultaneously, and he heard the shrieks and cries of men in mortal
agony as the deadly flying fragments scattered like shrapnel about the
decks.
This would never do, said Frobisher to himself; if this kind of thing
continued, his ship would be put out of action before she had an
opportunity of giving back as good as she received. So, without waiting
for the admiral's signal for "General action", he pressed one of the
electric buttons close to his hand in the wall of the conning-tower, and
the two 9.4's in the _Chih' Yuen's_ forward barbette roared out their
hoarse defiance, dropping their shells full upon the _Yoshino's_ after
turret, where they burst with an explosion like that of a small
powder-magazine, but without doing much damage. Had they fallen under
the muzzles of the guns, neither of the weapons would have been heard
from again.
But although the turret itself appeared uninjured, Frobisher would have
been quite satisfied with the execution wrought if he could but have
looked inside. The guns' crews within, while in the act of serving
their weapons, had, some of them, become aware that the after end of the
turret had suddenly glowed red-hot for a moment; after that, none of
them knew what had happened, for they had all been killed as by a
lightning stroke, by the terrific concussion of the two shells striking
together; and had a man been foolish enough to place his hand on that
spot even five minutes afterward, he would have left the skin behind, so
intense was the heat generated by the impact.
Frobisher, however, could not know this, and he sent word to the
lieutenant in charge of the barbette to plant his shells, if possible,
on or near the guns of the enemy which were already in action, leaving
the after guns until later. And presently he had the satisfaction of
seeing one shell after another crash down on the very spot where the
_Hakodate's_ single gun protruded from her turret. When the flash of
the explosion and the yellow fumes of the bursting charge had cleared
away, there became visible a black, ragged hole where the gun-port had
been, and the gun itself, blown from its mountings, was pointing its
muzzle upward to the sky, useless for the rest of the action.
Both fleets had now broken their formation to a large extent, and the
fight had resolved itself more or less into a series of individual
actions between ship and ship. The Chinese flagship was close alongside
the _Fuji_, giving her a most unmerciful hammering with her eighty-ton
monster guns, which sent their high-explosive shells crashing through
her sides as through match-boarding, these subsequently bursting inside,
between decks, carrying death and horrible mutilation in their train.
The plucky _Chen Yuen_ and her gallant British captain, who, with
Frobisher, most distinguished himself that day, had been laid in between
the already severely punished _Yoshino_ and the celebrated _Matsushima_,
which, so far, had not received a single injury, although she had
entirely disabled and very nearly sunk the little Chinese unarmoured
_Hai-yen_. The latter, with only one boiler available, and a very low
pressure of steam in that, most of her guns disabled, her captain
killed, and all her officers wounded, could do no more; and when the
_Chen Yuen_ came up and drew the _Matsushima's_ fire upon herself, a
quartermaster, one of the few surviving petty officers, steered her
slowly and painfully, like a crippled-animal, out of the press, when,
unpursued--being too small fry to trouble about--she turned her bows in
the direction of Wei-hai-wei, and hobbled into port some twenty hours
later, the dismal forerunner of the shattered and broken remnant that
was so soon to follow her.