midnight
The laying down of the positions above referred to was a task demanding a considerable amount of thought and care , for it was important that the ships should approach the shore as nearly as possible , otherwise their guns might be out-ranged , while , on the other hand , they must not be permitted to approach too near , or they would be exposed to the risk of being left aground on a falling tide . Also it was imperative that the berths chosen for them should be so situated as to enable them to afford the maximum amount of possible assistance . I devoted the entire afternoon to the consideration of this question , and at length fixed upon a series of positions which seemed to me to answer all requirements as nearly as the tidal conditions would allow . My next task was to accurately fix these several positions by as complete a series of cross bearings as possible ; having accomplished which , there was nothing more to be done until after midnight . Meanwhile , the _ Kasanumi _ , with her engines stopped , was lying hove-to some sixty miles to the westward of Kinchau , in the Gulf of Liaotung , waiting for nightfall . At four bells in the first watch we got under way and started to run east at a speed of twenty knots , for I had now to complete my entire plan by placing the buoys , or triangular rafts which I had provided for the purpose , in the positions in Kinchau Bay which I had already selected for them and marked upon the chart . Too anxious for the complete success of my scheme to be able to sleep , I had ordered a deck chair to be brought up from below , and was sitting in this on our little navigating bridge , with a midshipman named Uchida , who had been detailed for service with me , pacing softly to and fro from port to starboard , keeping the lookout ; and the cold night air was beginning to produce a pleasantly drowsy effect upon me when , as the boy halted for a moment in turning on his march , he suddenly stiffened , and stared intently out upon our starboard beam .