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182 THE SIEGE OF PORT ARTHUR
double the size of any in this section. With very
tall, massive walls, built of earth of a reddish hue,
it stood out clearly against the green surrounding
country, looking overwhelmingly powerful. In
front and on each side of it were several smaller
advanced defence works which had to be taken
before the saps could be carried right up to the
fort. Some of these were built to defend the
water reservoir of the city, situated close to the
railway bank ;
others were more to the west, in
front of Sungshuh fort, and finally there was the
fortified hill to the east of Erhlung, which the
Japanese call Hachimaki-yama, and which is
separated from the Erhlung hill by a deep, narrow
gorge.
By about October loth the Japanese had
carried their saps close up to the railway embank-
ment, and during the following week a series of
assaults were made on these earthworks, which
in most cases were taken at the point of the
bayonet. If ever Napoleon’s famous remark,
“ Dans la guerre comme dans I’ amour on vient
toujours au corps,” has proved true, it has
certainly been during this siege.
The different smaller attacks and counter-
attacks, though often fought with great fierceness
and bravery on both sides, are of no particular
interest in the history of the siege or from a
military standpoint, so I shall confine myself to
giving the following bare facts.
From October 9th the bombardment, especially
the shelling from the big howitzers, became more
and more heavy. The fire was directed against
the forts and positions along the whole eastern
fort-ridge, particularly against Erhlung and North
Kikuan forts.
On October 10th some small trenches in front
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