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208 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
which all Japanese officers are taught in the mili-
tary schools now stood him in good stead. He
succeeded in extricating himself and stabbing his
enemy through the heart. The men on both
sides fired their rifles and threw their hand
grenades, but as they could see nothing and the
alarm was now given, both parties swiftly returned
to their quarters without succeeding in their
purpose.
On the morning of October 30th, just before
the second general attack, the sappers had every-
thing ready for an attempt to capture the moat
defences of North Kikuan. They had chiselled a
hole in the hard concrete, and placed and exploded
a dynamite charge in it, making a wide rent at
the bottom of the back wall of the caponier
gallery (at “i”). Waiting troops at once rushed
to the opening and crept through into the dark
compartment, heedless of what might befall them.
They never came out again. The explosion had
taken place near the doorway between the cham-
bers “ b ” and “ c.” While the Japanese crept
into “ b,” the Russians from “ c ” blew them to
pieces with hand grenades. The next move of
the Japanese was to place another and larger
dynamite charge in the opening made by the first
half the wall of the chamber “ b ” was blown in,
and the Russians, fearing that their assailants
would be able to rush the whole gallery, promptly
closed the doorway to the next chamber with
sandbags.
The Japanese had thus gained a foothold in the
moat itself, and they immediately set to work to
follow up their advantage. They broke through
tricks it teaches, all based on a thorough anatomical know-
ledge, even a comparatively weak man has a good chance
against a much more powerful opponent.
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