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244 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
“ The object of our detachment is to cut the
Port Arthur fortress into two. No man must
hope to return alive. Should I fall, Colonel
Watanabe will take my place, and should a
similar fate befall him, Lieutenant-Colonel Okuno
will take charge. Every officer of whatever rank
shall appoint his successor. The attack shall
be chiefly effected with the bayonet. However
severe the enemy’s fire, our men must not return
a single shot until we have established a footing.
The officers are authorized to kill those men who,
without proper reason, straggle behind or separate
themselves from the ranks, or retreat.” (Trans.
Japan Times)
At nine o’clock, just as the moon was rising,
the detachment started on its adventurous under-
taking towards the enemy’s positions. The
Russian forts and batteries loomed up, large and
black and threatening in the faint, fantastic light,
in front and on both flanks. To the left the
battle was raging, and over the heads of the
detachment shells and shrapnel from the western
batteries sped zishing past. The column wended
its way forward in the deepest silence. It reached
the valley below unobserved ;
then suddenly it
was struck by the rays of a searchlight, which
slowly passed backwards and forwards, exploring
the field. For a few moments the light remained
immovably fixed on the troops, as if paralyzed ;
then, as the glimmering of the bayonets revealed
a large force of the enemy close to their own
lines, it became frantic, sending its mute cry of
distress, in short, rapid gleams, all over the
horizon. Its appeal was seen and read. A
tremendous artillery fire opened from all sides
upon the detachment, and when it ventured into
the gorge, and commenced climbing the steep
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