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60 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
Russian silence, and so, I hasten to say, were
many of the Japanese officers. What was the
reason ? Were all the Japanese batteries so well
masked that not one of them could be located
from any part of the Russian lines ? Were
the Russians short of ammunition ? Was the
Japanese fire so strong that the Russian gunners
could not stand to their guns ? Whatever may
have been the reason, the Japanese felt much
elated over the state of affairs, and their goal
seemed within easier reach than even they had
anticipated.
The firing slackened down considerably during
the night, but at the first peep of dawn it was
resumed in all its former intensity, and continued
interruptedly the whole of the 20th. On this day
the Russians did not answer at all ;
the Japanese
gunners could stand as quietly and safely to their
guns as if they were at target practice. Their
shooting was good, but, considering the large
targets, the comparatively short range, and the
complete safety of the gunners, it was nothing out
of the common, nothing like it became later, after
weeks of steady practice.
While the artillery had thus borne the burden
of the first two days’ work, the infantry had not
been completely idle. On the 19th, about two
o’clock in the afternoon, we heard the rattling of
rifles far away to the west, and through our
glasses we could see the Japanese infantry ad-
vancing along the range of isolated hills—in
front of the western section of the fortress. The
lower northern hills of this range had already
been captured on August i5tb ;
but it was
essential to the Japanese plan that, if possible,
the well-fortified 174 Metre Hill should also be
taken before the grand assault, because it was in
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