Meanwhile, having turned abruptly away from the Suvoroff, our fleet had steamed off, gradually inclining to starboard so as not to give the Japanese a chance of crossing its T, which they evidently were trying to do. The consequence was that both belligerents moved on the arcs of two concentric circles. Ours on the smaller—the Japanese on the larger.
About 4 p.m. it seemed as if fortune for the last time was endeavouring to smile upon us. In the midst of the thick smoke which was pouring from the137 damaged funnels, from the guns which were in action, and from the fires on board, and which mingled with the mist still lying on the water, the enemy’s main force seemed to separate from and lose sight of ours. Japanese reports, of which I have availed myself, comment very briefly and somewhat obscurely on this event. Nothing is clear save that Togo, believing our fleet was somehow breaking through to the north, went thither in search of it. Kamimura being of a different opinion proceeded with his cruisers in a south and south-westerly direction. At least, the above will alone explain the glowing panegyrics which I find in the reports entitled “The Prowess of Admiral Kamimura.” If it had not been for this “prowess,” possibly the fight would have ended on 27th May,138 and our fleet would have had time to close up and recover.
Steering on a south and afterwards south-westerly course, Kamimura heard a heavy cannonade proceeding to the west. He accordingly hastened there to find Admiral Kataoka attacking (till now with little success) our cruisers and transports. Kamimura, commencing to take an active part in the fight, then came upon our main body, which, having almost described a circle with a 5-mile diameter, was returning to the spot where the Alexander had made her abrupt turn, and round which the Suvoroff was so helplessly wandering.
It was about 5 p.m.
I was standing with Kursel in the lower battery smoking and talking of subjects, not in any way connected with139 the fight, when suddenly we seemed to be in the midst of the fleet, which, devoid of all formation, was moving northwards. Some ships passed to starboard—some to port—the Borodino—Captain Serebryanikoff—leading. The Alexander, badly battered and with a heavy list—lying so low that the water almost came into the portholes of the lower battery—was still fighting, firing with such of her guns as were serviceable. I did not see her, but was told that the whole of her bows, from the stem to the 12-inch turret, were torn open.
Having closed up to the main body, the cruisers and transports steamed astern and somewhat to port—attacked by detachments of Admiral Kataoko’s squadron. (In addition to Kataoko himself, Admirals Dewa, Uriu, and Togo140 junior were also there.) Kamimura remained further to starboard, i.e. to the east—also heading for the north.
“Portmanteaus” were still raining on us. Word had been received from the engine-room that the men were being suffocated and rapidly falling out, as the ventilators were bringing down smoke instead of air; soon there would be no men left to work the engines! Meanwhile, the electric light grew dim, and it was reported from the dynamo engines that steam was scarce.
“Torpedo-boats ahead!”
We rushed to our only gun (the other had been found to be past repair), but it turned out to be the Buiny, which happened to be passing us, and was on her own initiative coming alongside the crippled battleship to enquire if she could be of any assistance.
141 Kruijanoffsky was ordered by the flag-captain, who was standing on the embrasure, to semaphore to her (with his arms) to “take off the Admiral.”
I was watching the Buiny’s movements from the battery, when suddenly the Admiral’s messenger, Peter Poochkoff, hastened towards me.
“Please come to the turret, sir! a torpedo-boat has come alongside, but the Admiral won’t leave.”
I ought to mention here that Rozhdestvensky had not been to the dressing station, and none of us knew how badly he was wounded because, to all enquiries when he was hit, he angrily replied that it was only a trifle. He still remained sitting on the box in the turret, where he had been placed.
At times he would look up to ask how142 the battle was progressing, and then would again sit silently, with his eyes on the ground. Considering, however, the state the ship was in, what else could he do? His conduct seemed most natural, and it never occurred to us that these questions were merely momentary flashes of energy—short snatches of consciousness.
On the arrival of the torpedo-boat being reported, he pulled himself together, and gave the order to “Collect the staff,”26143 with perfect clearness, but afterwards, he only frowned, and would listen to nothing.
Assisted by Kursel I crept through the open half-port of the lower battery, out on to the starboard embrasure in front of the centre 6-inch turret. I was in need of help, as my right leg had become very painful, and I could only limp on the heel of my left.
The boatswain and some sailors were at work on the embrasure, sweeping144 overboard the burning débris which had fallen from the spar-deck above. Lying off our starboard bow, and some three or four cables distant, was the Kamchatka. Kamimura’s cruisers were pouring as heavy a fire into her as into us, but she was an easier victim.
The Buiny kept close alongside, dancing up and down. Her Captain, Kolomeytseff, shouting through his speaking trumpet, asked: “Have you a boat in which to take off the Admiral? We haven’t!” To this the flag Captain and Kruijanoffsky made some reply. I looked at the turret. Its armoured door was damaged and refused to open properly, so that it was very doubtful if anything as big as a man could get through. The Admiral was sitting huddled up, with his eyes on the145 ground; his head was bandaged in a blood-stained towel.
“Sir, the torpedo-boat is alongside! we must go,” I said.
“Call Filipinoffsky,” he replied, without moving.
Rozhdestvensky evidently intended to lead the fleet after hoisting his flag on another ship, and therefore wanted to have with him the flag navigating officer, who was responsible for the dead-reckoning and safety of man?uvres.
“He will be here in a minute; they have gone for him.” The Admiral merely shook his head.
I have not laid stress on the fact that before transferring him to another ship it was necessary to try and arrange some means of getting him there.
Kursel, with the boatswain and two146 or three sailors, had got hold of some half-burned hammocks and rope from the upper battery, and with these had begun to lash together something in the shape of a raft on which to lower the Admiral into the water and put him on board the torpedo-boat. It was risky, but nothing else was to hand.
The raft was ready. Filipinoffsky appeared, and I hurried to the turret.
“Come out, sir! Filipinoffsky is here.”
Rozhdestvensky gazed at us, shaking his head, and not uttering a syllable.
“I don’t want to. No.”
We were at a loss how to proceed.
“What are you staring at?” suddenly said Kursel. “Carry him; can’t you see he is badly wounded?”
147 It seemed as if it was only for these words and the impulse they supplied for which we were waiting. There was a hum of voices and much bustling about. Some forcing their way into the turret, took hold of the Admiral by his arms and raised him up, but no sooner had he put his left leg to the ground than he groaned and completely lost consciousness. It was the best thing that could have happened.
“Bring him along! Bring him along! Splendid! Easy now! the devil! Take him along the side! Get to the side, can’t you? Stop—something’s cracking! What? his coat is being torn! Carry him along!” were the anxious shouts one heard on all sides. Having taken off the Admiral’s coat, they dragged him with the greatest difficulty through the148 narrow opening of the jammed door out on to the after embrasure, and were just proceeding to fasten him to the raft, when Kolomeytseff did, what a man does only once in his life, and then when inspired. My readers who are landsmen will not realise all the danger of what we were to attempt, but sailors will easily understand the risk. Kolomeytseff brought his vessel alongside and to windward of the mutilated battleship, out of whose battered gun ports stuck her crippled guns, and from whose side projected the broken booms of her torpedo-nets.27 Dancing up and down on the waves the torpedo-boat at one moment rose till her deck was almost on a level with the embrasure,149 then rapidly sank away below; next moment she was carried away, and then again was seen struggling towards us, being momentarily in danger of staving in her thin side against one of the many projections from this motionless mass.
The Admiral was carried hurriedly from the after to the bow embrasure, along the narrow gangway between the turrets and the battered side of the upper battery. From here, off th............