596 CHAPTER XI.

EVENTS AFTER THE FALL OF PORT ARTHUR THE losses of the Japanese army in the fight for Port Arthur amounted to a little over400 men. Of these, sixty-six were killed, 353 wounded,and eight missing and unaccounted for. The Chinese losses amounted to over 2,000 men, and, as the official narrative much to the delight of the Chinese, who, when it had been explained to them to whom they wereindebted, shed tears of gratitude and were profuse in their thanks. And this humane action proceeded, be it remembered, from a commander, some of whose soldiers had been ripped open as they laywounded on the battlefield, stones and rubbish being poured into their disembowelled bodies, perhaps by the verymen to whom he was extending his mercy— at all events,by Chinese soldiers."

Kindness like this represents theusual attitudeof the victorious Japanese towards the Chinese. They tended the enemy's woundedin their hospitals, they tookgood care of the prisoners, they distributed food from their own commissariat stores to the peasants and townsfolk in districts where the presence of hostile armies had caused a scarcity. More than a grimly adds," afew wounded." Thisrecorddoesnot, of course, include the civilians killed in the town.Marshal Oyama had celebrated his victorybygiving a banquet to the superior officers of the army. And although in the first days of Japanese possession at Port Arthur he hadbeen unable or unwilling to protect the unfortunate Chinese, as soon as things reverted to their normal course on the third day, he showed a genuine anxiety toallaythefearsandprotectthe lives andproperty of the fugitives,soldiersandcivilians,who begantosurrendertohis troops in the district orreturntimidly to their homes in the town.

GENERAL ICAWAKAMI, One oftheChiefs oftheJapaneseArmy Siajf.

thousand Chinese wounded were actually conveyed to Japan for more complete treatment than could be given to them in the field and base hospitals during the campaign. The outbreak at Port Arthur was the one solitaryblot upon the goodrecord of the Japanese armies.

While Oyama was driving the Chinese from the hill forts round Port Arthur, the small garrison he had left to hold Kin-chow was in serious peril. It was made up of about 1,500 men— infantry, with a few gunners. We have seen that General Sung, who commanded at Port Arthur at the beginning of the war,had gone northwards with part of the garrison, to assist in the defence of the borders ofManchuria against the Japanese. On receiving news of the Japanese invasion of the Liao-tung Peninsula, he resolved to return to his old district and endeavour to make a diversion in favour of the One instanceof hiskindnessto the vanquished may be noted here, asit isrelatedby Mr.Arthur Diosy in his most interesting book on " The NewFar East" :"On theevening of November 27th, 1894, six days after the capture of Port Arthur,MarshalOyama wasinspecting the lines in a heavy downpour that had soaked everything not under cover. Passing by a dismantled house,he noticed a groupof Chinese prisoners standing huddled together in shivering misery under the eaves, the raindripping from the roof on to their ill-clad bodies. Calling one of his aides-de-camp, the field-marshal said: 'Those, too, are men. Their lives are more valuable than those of my horses. Take these men quickly to my stables, turn my horses out— they must take their chance in the rain— and see that the prisoners are warmly sheltered.' The good count's orders wereimmediately executed,