There is an officer in the fleet who was in the _Cesarevitch_ on the 28th--that is, on the day on which Witgift[16] was killed, and when our ships fled so disgracefully wherever they could. From what he says it is evident that the morale in the ships was bad, and that they were all convinced that they would return to Port Arthur; that the Japanese suffered heavily, and if our ships had held out for half an hour more the enemy's fleet would have run. He related a good deal. Obviously, we might easily have been the victors. The pity was that the spirit of despair reigned. The _Cesarevitch_ hardly suffered at all. Wirenius did much harm to the fleet. All these disgraceful stories will come to light after the war is over. Many heroes will then be taken down from their pedestals. If we only had had clever and daring leaders the Port Arthur fleet might easily have destroyed the Japanese. What a number of mistakes we made! How little we valued our strength. When one recalls it all one cannot account for the fatal errors. We have to pay very dearly for them. What follies they have perpetrated on land! How many young lives have been lost! How much will all this cost Russia! The weather is becoming better. The ships are going very slowly, keeping near Kamranh Bay with lights covered. As usual, I stayed a long while on the bridge. The rainy season will begin here soon, as well as typhoons. How will the smaller vessels, like torpedo-boats, get on? _April 10th._--After lunch I am going to the _Tamboff_; she is shortly going to Saigon. I shall post this letter by her. One of the staff-officers should have gone to the _Tamboff_, but they are nearly all lying ill. I myself feel well, thank God! Yesterday the _Oslyabya_ buried another sailor. There was mass to-day. It is Palm Sunday. How time has flown! All night the ships remained at sea. The night passed quietly. The _Isumrud_ fouled her screws with a chain. Divers were sent down. A steamer flying the Norwegian flag passed by. She was examined, but nothing suspicious was found. She was coming from Japan, and not going there. I took my last letter and gave it to the captain of the _Tamboff_. I handed him a franc for the stamp, but he was offended and would not take it. I tried to obtain cigarettes, but was unsuccessful. The wardroom wanted to buy vodky from her, but that too was a failure. The Norwegian steamer which we examined this morning gave us the latest papers. They are all English.