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NAl^SHAN TO PORT ARTHUR 19
During the day the Russians advanced, with
machine guns in their skirmishing line, and with
bands playing, to within 800—1,000 yards of the
positions, but were unable to drive their attack
further home. In the night they tried to take the
hill by surprise. In spite of the difficult climbing
amongst the loose boulders, they succeeded in
creeping up quite noiselessly, and nearly reached
the summit unobserved. A fierce hand-to-hand
fight ensued on the wild mountain in the darkness,
many falling on both sides ;
but the Russians,
exhausted with their hard climb, were finally
driven back. The attack was resumed on the
morning of the 4th, and continued the whole day
but the Japanese, who could draw reserves from
their entire nth Division, proved too strong, so all
the Russian bravery, which the Japanese praise
highly, was of no avail. Recognizing the futility
of further efforts, the Russians fell back, on the
morning of July 5th, to the hills opposite Kensan,
where they had already started throwing up earth-
works.
Here I must be allowed a short digression.
Since the siege of Sebastopol, the Russians have
been credited with having the cleverest sappers in
the world ;
but it seems that since the days of
Todleben the Russians have neglected the art of
fortification. They fully understand the value of
field fortifications, and use them at every oppor-
tunity, but of the more modern development of
this art they appear to have learnt nothing. Their
fieldworks are of much the same type as was in use
about the middle of last century, giving defenders
no fair chance against an enemy equipped with
modern long-range arms of precision. They throw
up most of their trenches on the crest of the hills,
where they stand out clearly against the sky,
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