“Perhaps, or a magazine at one of the forts blew up.”
The first blow in this great contest had been struck, and it had proved telling in the extreme. As soon as the war was a certainty, Admiral Togo of the Japanese navy left Sasebo with a squadron of sixteen vessels and some torpedo boats, and steamed directly for Port Arthur. The vicinity of the port was gained on the afternoon of February 8 and at once orders went forth to torpedo every Russian warship that showed itself.
Among the Russian ships in the port at the time were the cruiser Pallada, and the two battleships, Czarevitch and Retvizan. The battleships were the pride of the Czar’s navy, each being about thirteen thousand tons displacement, and each having a broadside fire of thirty-five hundred pounds.
The plans of the Japanese were kept carefully concealed from the enemy, and before the Russians could realize that anything was wrong that night, the three ships mentioned were torpedoed,—the torpedoes tearing great holes in their sides and bottoms.
The torpedoing of the three ships occurred while the Russian fleet, under Admiral Stark, were doing their best to keep the Japanese warships from coming too close to the city. The forts of Port Arthur also opened fire, and it was in this din and confusion that the Japanese torpedo boat destroyers slipped close in and did their deadly work. Soon after this Admiral Togo signaled his fleet to withdraw, which they did, the darkness of the sea speedily swallowing them up.
“Well, the war has opened at last, that is certain,” said Gilbert, after the excitement had somewhat subsided.
His own soldier blood was beginning to be aroused, and he half wished he could get into the fray himself.
“I rather guess Larry Russell would enjoy this,” he mused, remembering how his friend had taken part in the great naval battle of Manila Bay under Admiral Dewey.
Further sleep was out of the question for the ex-lieutenant, and at early dawn he swallowed a light breakfast, and hastened once more to the water front, which was now lined everywhere with people. The excitement was at a fever heat, and it was reported that the Japanese were going to return, to bombard the city.
In his travels around Port Arthur Gilbert had stumbled across an old stone building which, in years gone by, had been used as a sort of storehouse by the Manchu rulers. The building was now practically deserted and he had no difficulty in getting inside. There was small stone tower to the structure, and he ascended this until he reached a point where he could go outside.