From Libau to Tsushima A narrative of the voyage of Admiral Rojdestvensky's fleet to eastern seas, including a detailed account of the Dogger Bank incident

CHAPTER VIII

Chapter 865 wordsPublic domain

ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN

Leaving Nosi Be--Confusion on the _Kamchatka_--Preparations--The _Regina_ and the Japanese--A Grand Armada--Fearful Heat--Various Breakdowns--Steaming without Lights--A Star mistaken for a Ship--Cattle on Board--Chagos Archipelago--Artificer Krimmer--More Mishaps--Coaling at Sea--Look-out Boxes--Night Alarms--General Mismanagement--Success Unlikely--More Deaths--The Admiral's Weak Nerves--Guarding Divers from Sharks--Lights Ahead--Reflections on the Outlook--A Favourable Current--Opportunities of Attack--Life on Torpedo-boats--An "Iconoclast"--An Unjust Reprimand--Across the Equator--Japan's Advantages--Towing Torpedo-boats--Preparations for Fighting--Officers Drunk--Opium Cigarettes--Rats 183