At the moment when the confusion created by the erratic movements of the _Tsarevich_ was at its height, the _Peresviet_ displayed a signal from her bridge and, sheering out of the melee, headed away back in the direction of Port Arthur, followed by the _Sevastopol_ and _Poltava_, while the _Askold_, Admiral Reitsenstein's flagship, followed by the cruisers _Diana, Pallada_, and _Novik_, broke away from the rest of the fleet and, under every ounce of steam that they could raise, headed away in a south-easterly direction, followed by the _Asama_ and six other cruisers. As for the _Pobieda_ and _Retvisan_, apparently animated by the same desperate resolve, they suddenly shifted their helms and steamed straight for our battle-line, as the mortally wounded lion will sometimes turn upon the hunter and, with the last remains of his fast-ebbing strength, slay his foe before perishing himself. It looked as though both meant to use the ram, the successful employment of which might cost us the loss of at least two of our treasured battleships; and they were accordingly received with a terrific fire from every Japanese ship present. The _Retvisan_, being slightly in advance of her companion, received the heaviest of our fire, and under it she seemed to crumple up into an almost shapeless mass of wreckage. It was not possible for mere mortals to continue to face such a devastating hail of shells, and as suddenly as she had started toward us she now swerved away, instantly followed by the _Pobieda_, both steaming hard in the wake of Prince Ukhtomsky's division, which they rejoined just as the dusk of evening was turning to darkness. With the flight of those two ships the battle came to an end; because for some reason, known only to himself, Togo failed to follow up his advantage and complete the destruction of the Russian fleet. Some of us were of opinion that he felt himself handicapped by the stringent orders which he had received not to risk the loss of any of our precious battleships, one or more of which might easily have been destroyed in the darkness by mines dropped by the flying enemy, or by torpedoes launched from the decks of daring and enterprising destroyers. And if he was influenced by such considerations as these who shall blame him, or say that he was wrong?