The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-07-28
special duty, belongs to the Second
Company, Second Cavalry Regiment,

special duty, belongs to the Second
Company, Second Cavalry Regiment,
Second Division. On dark night in
early April, soon after his regiment had
reached the Yalu River, he and Lance
Corporal Shinobu Watanabe were sent
out with third man to ascertain the
width and depth Of the main stream
of the river where it flows between two
large islands opposite Wiju. They
crossed the first channel in a boat
which the Sergeant-majOr and the
corporal left on the first island IN
charge of the third man. Then the
two worked across the island to the
main stream. The Russians occupied
a little village on the opposite side,
directly across from the place where
TakanO and Watanabe struck the river.
Takano saw that it would be very diff
cult to get across without attracting
their attention. Ice was running In
the river, and the water was bitterly
cold. Takano thought that if he tried
to swim he would surely arouse the
Russians. So he determined to walk
across on the bottom of the river, ris-
ing occasionally for breath. They had
coil of light rope with them. Takano
end of the line TO his body: Then
he picked up a stone to help him keep
on the bottom, and waded ia, 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,
Takano struggled on. The water rose
over his head but the heavy stone be
carried enabled him to keep on the
bottom. Now he could walk little
60 f1y In froa fr0v hot a =.
ing ice; but as he neared the center OF
the stream the current grew SWifter
and Swifer, until, if it had not been fol
the stone he carried, it would have
swept him down. He grew numb from
the cold and it took all his strength,
stout swimmer as he was, to rise to the
surface and stay there long enough tx
| breathe. Yet he dared not drop the
! weight, for be knew he could not gel
down to the bottom again. So he
worked, with Watanabe paying out the
rope until he felt the bottom rising
and knew be was beyond the middle
CT the stream. Almost SenSeleSS,
Takano stumbled along, trying tx
carry out the letter of his orders and
reach the opposite bank. But not ever
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 sOor
had the unconcious sergeant-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
I for it but to swim, so in the two men
plunged. The floating ice hammered
them and the cold water numbed them
so that they could not make Roadway
against the current and were carried
down stream. But fortune had not
deserted them, and they drifted against
the boat in which their comrade was
trying to scull back to shore. He, too,
had been swept down stream by the
swift water and the ice which hindered
his sculling. He hauled them in, and
soon they were landed on the Win
side, to be commended by their captain
for showing the real spirit Of Yamato
DamaShli.