Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-11-04
JAPANESE HERDS DEED
Perilous Exploit CT a Sergeant
Major at WIZ.
NOVEL PLAN TO FCRD TIE YALU

sanLo TaLano's Gallant Attenrt tn
walk Across on the Rivers Hot
tom when Ordered To- Ascertain
Main stseam's Villa and Depth.
Why ID Was Dangerous 10 swim
Across the River.
The heroic deed OF a Japanese sol
der I'm the present war is thus describ-
ell by Oscar King Davis in his article
on japanese Devotion and Courage
in the November Century:
Sanko Takano, sergeant major, spe-
clal duty. belongs To tie Second COM
pany. Second cavalry regiment, See
ond division. on a dark night I'm early
April. soon after his regiment had
reached the Yalu river, he and Lance
Corporal Shinobu NatanJbe We're sent
out with n third man TO ascertain the
width and depth of the main stream of
the river where il flows between two
large islands opposite Win. They
crossed the first channel in boat,
which tile sergeant major and the cor
poral left ON the first island in charge
of the third man. Then the two work
ed across the island TO the main
stream. The Russians occupied little
village on the opposite side, directly
across from the place Where Takano
and Watanabe struck the river. Taxa
no saw that it would be very difficult
to ret across without attracting their
attention. Ice was running in the rlv-
er, and the water was bitterly cold.
Takano thought that if he tried to
swim he would surely arouse the Rus
SLAMS. So he determined to walk across
on the bottom of the river, rising occa-
sonally for breath. They had coil of
light rope with them. Takano took off
his uniform and fastened one end of
the line TO his body. Then he picked
up stone to help him keep on the
bottom and waded in, leaving the
lance corporal to hold the rope by
which he was to be dragged back
whenever he gave signal of two
sharp pulls.
Pounded by the ice and chilled to the
marrow by the cold water, TakanG
struggled on. The water rose over his
head. but the heavy stone he carried
enabled him to keep on the bottom.
Now he could walk little faster, for
he was free from the battering ice but
as he neared the center of the stream
the current grew swifter and swifter
until if it had not been for the stone
he carried, it would have swept him
down. lie grew numb from the cold
and it took all his strength. stout swim
mer as he was, to rise to the surface
and stay there long enough to breathe
Yet he dared not drop the weight. for
he knew he could not get down to til,
bottom again. So he worked, witt
Watanabe paying OUT the rope, unit.
he felt the bottom rising and knew he
was beyond the middle of the stream
Almost senseless, Takan3 stumbled
along, striving to carry out the letter
of his orders and reach the opposite
bank. But not even japanese nature
could stand such test, and Watanabe
waiting on the bank, felt the long
steady pull on the rope that told him
Takano had lost consciousness. With
all his might the corporal hauled in the
line and soon had the unconscious ser
geant major out of the water.
A brisk rubbing and the contents of
his flask finally revived Takano, who
got into his warm, dry uniform again
and started back with the corporal
across the island. But when they
reached the place where they had left
the boat it was gone The third man.
concluding that they had been captured
! by the Russians, had started back
There was nothing for IT but to swim.
50 in the two men plunged. The float
ing ice hammered them. and the cold
water numbed them, 50 that they could
not make Roadway against the current
and were carried downstream. But
fortune had not deserted them. and
they drfted against the boat in which
their comrade was trying to scull back
to shore. He, too had been swept
downstream by the swift water and
the ice, which hindered his scullinp.
He hauled them in, and soon they were
landed on the WIFI side, to be COM
mendcd by their captain for showing
the real spirit Of Yamato Damashii 1.-THE
ancestor worship of the Japanese).