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200 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
and, panting and knocked-out, they reached the
crest and swerved round to the right to get up to
the neck between the batteries, as it was out of
the question to try to attack over the breast-
works.
Here they were met in the same way as had
been their comrades of the 44th, with bayonets
and hand grenades. The encounter was short,
the Japanese having no possible chance. We
saw them for a short time silhouetted on the sky-
line, fencing and sparring. Then they suddenly
broke down. Some fled in wild disorder down hill
towards Kobu fort, most of them dropping under
the merciless fire that poured in over them from
all sides. Another party retreated the same way
they had come up, but they had not gone far
before they found their retreat cut off. The
Russians had sent a force down from positions
more to the east along the “Tragedy Trench,”
and these hapless Japanese found themselves
taken between two fires. By chance they lighted
upon some dead ground, where they were fairly
sheltered both from the fort and from the trench,
and here, at a small place on the bare hill-side, a
force of some 100 to 150 men assembled, carrying
with them two small white flags.
Round about them the hill-side was strewn with
the bodies of their dead and wounded comrades.
The wind had freshened, and blew icily cold, and
they had no overcoats and very little food. Many
of the men were wounded, and from far off
Russian sharpshooters were sniping at them the
whole time. They knew it would be some time
before they were relieved. It was out of the
question to send up stretcher-bearers, and the
reception the first assault had met with was not
calculated to spur on the Japanese to make
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