report to our owner, and take his further orders.  We had, however, to deal with the Chinese supercargo, if I may so term him, Lin Wong, who still remained on board, and wanted to be re-conveyed to the Gulf of Pechili.  We proposed to put him on board one of the warships, but as they were already under weigh when we steamed down, there was no immediate opportunity of doing so.  They were following in the wake of the main squadron towards Port Arthur, steering south by west from the mouth of the river.  We held on with them, only one other transport ship doing the same.

For three hours we steamed on thus, at about twelve knots.  Towards noon we saw dense smoke all along the horizon ahead, and a heavy, dull, rumbling sound reached us which soon made itself unmistakable as the roar of artillery.  We immediately guessed that the squadron preceding us had been attacked by the enemy.  Our escort, if I may so term it, drew inshore, and I at first thought from their demeanour that they were going to shirk entering the engagement.  If such was their intention, however, they changed it, and stood boldly on with the torpedo-boats.  We came to a stop, undecided how to proceed.  The other transport which had accompanied us was already in full retreat, and Lin Wong, in whom discretion seemed very unduly proportioned to valour, advised a similar course on our part.  Chubb and I, however, felt a strong desire to see the fight, and as we were not now under the Chinese flag, there seemed no reason why we should not stay to witness it, particularly as there was no need to let the Columbia be seen.

We therefore, in spite of the unintelligible protests of Lin Wong, cast anchor, having hoisted American colours, in one of the numerous bays that indent the rocky coast of the Liaotung.  Then Chubb and myself, leaving Webster in charge, pulled off in a small boat towards the scene of action.  We kept close to the shore, and had about a mile and a half to pull before we came abreast of the conflict.  With its deepening thunders bellowing in our deafened ears, we landed where the ground was high, and ascending the most elevated point we could perceive, had, with the aid of powerful glasses, a good view of the scene.  Terrific indeed it was—­a wide, dense pall of smoke, which there was little wind to carry off; through the haze the huge reeling shapes of the fighting vessels, looming indistinctly, vomiting flame like so many angry dragons, and several of them burning in addition, having been set on fire by shells; and above all the appalling concussion of the great guns, like the bursting of incessant thunder-bolts.