Arizona republican., 1905-05-15

ther advances and planted themselves along a line two miles long facing the Russian trenches and in few places only Q few yards distant. They got little further in the next four days but they held their line and under difficulties which made it seem impossible. In the first night the Russians made four at tacks to drive them back, with a fusil
 Jade of continuous rifle fire supported much of the time by shelling The fighting continued in this character for three successive nights, beginning be- fore midnight and lasting until day break and it was continuous although not so heavy during the days. All the advantages lay with the Russians. Their guns could fire upon the Japan ese lines at closer distances and with greater effect than could the Japan csc guns across the river upon the Rus sians, their trenches ran at angles which commanded the approaching
 slopes in which the soldiers could find rest and warmth. On their side the Japanese had only such protection as they could improvise under great dis
 advantages, digging the frozen ground | in the face of a rifle fire, and turning the face of some of the smaller Rus | sian trenches. Going into action each man carried on his shoulders a pair of
 small sand bags and for many these
 bags were the only shelter for hours and days To raise a head or even an
 arm drew fire.
 FROST AND HUNGER.
 l For the first day they got no warm
 food only the rations carried in their
 haversacks. All of this time the nights
 were several degrees below freezing
 and the days the temperature hardly
 rOoa ahoua Y1oiy+ IoCSav
 of this contingent, most of them, in
 the first nights work, reached fifteen hundred including sixty officers. The non- com mbatants gave q splendid exhi- bition of their devotion to duty, with
 almost the same risks and without the opportunities for glory of the men in the fighting line. All supplies of ra- tions and ammunition had to be taken
 across the river and the open fields un- der fire from the Russian batteries and during the last stage of the trip before the Russian rifles. South of the river bed was a plain at least a mile wide
 with no shelter and over this went pack trains, carts and hospital men
 bringing back the wounded, the
 stretcher bearers carrying bodies to the
 cremating fire behind Witesan. For
 two days this zone was swept by an almost constant artillery fire and for
 three days the roads and approaches were shelled at intervals for several
 hours, Yet on the plain the engineers
 were calmly repairing the telephone
 lines, while the men of the hospital , corps plodded back and forth on their journeys. One of the base hospitals
 was situated in a Chinese hamlet back , of low hill on the border of the plain
 and was frequently struck by shells. The road from this hospital to the headquarters of the division which
 were on the reverse of a smal slope further to the front. ran for several 3 hundred yards in sight of a Russian
 battery. The Russian guns were send l ing a shell every few minutes during the night as well as the day. Carts l and horsemen were sent across the road singly and at ful speed to pre- ! sent the least possible target. One of l the roads to the river led from the ! headquarters village down the farther side Of the slope and this road was shelled frequently. The shrapnel burst l in a corn field so near that frequently ? they kicked up clouds of dust almost at t the back wall of the generals house 3 but never quite reached it. In this vil- 5 lage there were Chinese stolidly going 9 about their work and children playing 5 in the fields during the most incessant 2 fire. Four soldiers came across the field to the village bearing the body of f an officer while shapnel were dropping
 all about them. but although they D shufied along as fast a gait as theiI |. burden would permit they did not droI g it.
 CROSSING THE SHAKHE.
 Two days after the contingents of
 General Kurokis left division had se-
 cured their foothold across the Shakhe