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CANCAN 71
but was unable to carry the position. The soldiers
threw up trenches, and they kept up a lively
fusilade with the defenders, making it impossible
for them to take part against the assaults on East
Panlung.
Major-General Ichinobe had been watching the
fighting from a hill to the north of Wuchiafang
village. No report had reached him from the
attacking force, and although the sound of the
battle and the absence of the customary exultant
cries of Banzai may have given him an indication
of the state of affairs, the scene which revealed
itself when the day broke was more horrible than
his worst forebodings had anticipated. The hill-
side was thickly strewn with dead and dying, and
in front and around the gaps in the wire entangle-
ments the dead bodies were piled three or four
high. No progress had been made anywhere,
and the small surviving force of the gallant 7th
was cut off from retreat by the murderous fire of
the enemy.
There was only one thing to do under the
circumstances, continue the attack. General
Ichinobe ordered the 35th regiment to resume
the offensive under cover of a battery of
machine guns, which had been brought into
position close to the General’s observation post.
About 10 a.m. the ist battalion set out on its
perilous errand. The attack was preceded by
shrapnel fire, if possible more violent than ever,
over East Panlung and the neighbouring positions,
and the rattling of the Japanese machine guns
never ceased for a moment during the advance ;
but shrapnel and machine guns were of little avail
against the defenders in their bomb-proof trenches,
and contributed but little to make their fire less
deadly. In broad daylight the advance proved
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