CHAPTER XVI
PORT ARTHUR—THE MASSACRE IN THE TOWN—RELEASE
When the Japanese officer had retired so modestly from my outburst of gratitude, I made up my mind to see all I could of the affairs of the war, and to reach a place of safety. I soon found that I was premature in this, because, though an engagement was actually taking place then, I had no chance of seeing it. The afternoon was advancing, and, as a matter of fact, the fight lasted in all only a couple of hours altogether—chiefly a matter of artillery.
During the same evening, and part of the night, the rumbling of the heavy guns was audible. These had been actually dragged by bands of coolies across the hill-paths and tracks for two successive days and nights incessantly; and when these fellows, whose pay is infinitesimal, were regaled with little bags of rice and some fish rations, wrapped carefully in paper, they waited in the most disciplined manner patiently, until their turns came. Their dress was not uniform, but here again, I must say, the Japanese are wonderfully amenable to discipline in all services.
I had already made some observations about Port Arthur, and subsequently I was enabled to supplement them. The defences of the place were, and are now, doubtless, almost impossible to surmount. It is the "Gibraltar of the East." Around, and high above the harbour, which has a narrow and difficult entrance, are forts, on the mutual assistance principle of chained defence, on the hills from west to east on the northern shore there are, in all, thirteen forts of heavy guns, including the two near the shore. Again, at the west, is Huang-chin-shan, or Golden Hill, a fort which can sweep its guns in all directions. "Shan" is "hill," so Chi-huan-shan is Cock's-comb Hill, and I-tzee-shan, Chair Hill. The first three by the west (northern side at Chair Hill) are very important forts.
If we cross the strip of water at the mouth we reach the Tiger's Tail,—a piece of land, long and narrow, just opposite the West Port (the East Port is the dock-basin, or harbour, as contrasted with the ordinary harbour, West Port). On this Tail of the Tiger stand eight more forts, and all these twenty-two important defences were armed with large and quick-firing guns, perhaps more than three hundred in all, with an army behind them of twenty thousand Chinese nominally, but most likely many thousands less in fact, perhaps not more than twelve thousand or fifteen thousand effectives—if one may describe the Chinese as "effective."
The Japanese had one hundred cannon, and these were quietly placed in position during the evening and night of 20th November, on high ground. The forts to be assaulted were those by Chair Hill on the land side (north of harbour), and then those more eastward—Pine Hill, Dragon and Cock's-comb Hills. These forts were really the most important from the land side assault, and when we consider that the elevation of the land is great,—from 350 to 1500 feet, though, of course, less a great deal near the shore,—the difficulties of the assault can be imagined.
I awoke early, about midnight, and "dressed," which means wrapped myself up, and stepped out to listen to the tramping of the battalions, which were already taking up positions for the assault. As the morning advanced, the moon rose up, and shone clearly. The Japanese soldiers had no doubt of results, and the forts were to be attacked in a specified order, while a counter demonstration was threatened at the farther side.
It was impossible to rest, so I staggered to the limits of the camp in the darkness, the lanterns shining like fireflies as the troops advanced. They were all in readiness at two o'clock a.m., and just as dawn was due the artillery opened the attack, and awoke the slumbering Chinese in the town. If the men in the forts were asleep, they quickly arose, and replied in kind from all directions, and the flashing of the guns indicated the fearful fire which was being directed at the Japanese artillery, the camp, and the troops,—the last now just seen climbing up the hills, or crawling in the grass, to the attack, by ravines and slopes and gullies.