Page:The passing of Korea.djvu/244

 with the Koryetz and thus enjoy her protection, but the agent of the company which owned the steamship strongly objected to her leaving the neutral port at such a time. He evidently realised in part the acuteness of the situation. So the Sungari remained at her anchorage and the Koryetz steamed out of port at two o'clock in the afternoon. Now, the harbour of Chemulpo is a somewhat peculiar one, for in one sense it is landlocked and in another it is not. It is formed by islands between which there are many openings to the open sea, but most of these are so shallow that ships of medium draught do not dare attempt them.

There is but one recognised entrance, and that is from the southwest, or between that and the south. This entrance is several miles wide, and in the centre of it lies Round Island. When the Koryetz arrived at the exit of the harbour, she suddenly found herself surrounded by torpedo-boats. The only witnesses of what occurred at this point are the Japanese and the Russians, and we can only give their accounts. The Russians say that the Japanese launched four torpedoes at the Koryetz, and when within ten feet of her side they sank. Another statement is that a shot was fired on board the Koryetz, but it was a mere accident. The Japanese claim that the Koryetz fired first. If we try to weigh the probabilities it seems impossible that the torpedoes of the Japanese should have missed the Koryetz if the torpedo-boats were as near as the Russians claim. On the other hand, the admission on the part of a single Russian that the first gun was fired on the Koryetz, even though by accident, is rather damaging, for it is more than singular that an accident should have happened at that precise time. It is a tax on the credulity of the public to give this lame excuse.

In any case it makes little difference who began the firing. The Japanese had already seized the Russian steamer Mukden in the harbour of Fusan, and the war had begun. The Japanese doubtless held with Polonius, that if it is necessary to fight, the man who strikes first and hardest will have the advantage. The Koryetz turned back to her anchorage and the Russians became