We now entered a long narrow gully along both lips of which, Japanese soldiers were ranged. The Russian privates were told to accommodate themselves as best they could in the flat bottom of the gully, while their superiors were requested to sit down on an upward break in the side of the glen, at the top of which stood a group of Japanese officers, one of whose horses was held by a Chinese soldier in uniform. I seated myself on the ground and began to write up my notes, when suddenly a youthful Japanese lieutenant appeared before me, and said winningly in English:
" You are an English newspaper man, I understand. May I ask if you represent the London Times? "
I had at first a wild idea of saying that I did represent the Times, judging that a correspondent of that paper would be more favourably received in Japanese circles than a correspondent of the New York Herald. But I sternly repressed this inclination and told the truth. It made no difference, however. The young officer professed to be delighted.
" Perhaps you are an officer in your own country? " he asked. " Ah, no! But no matter. Come here and sit with the Russian officers. We shall treat you as an officer." And the young man scurried up to the top of the hill to report.
Next came the leader of the detachment, Captain Takashima, adjutant of the Imperial Guard. He introduced himself to me gracefully, and began filling a large beer glass for me.
" Oh, thank you! " said I; " but you are giving me too much. It's white wine, I suppose? "
" No," said he, " brandy. You'll need it all after your fatigues in Manchuria."
The Russian officers also got plenty of brandy, and they did immediate justice to it. I am certain that, just then, they would have preferred cold water or tea, but the Japanese is firmly convinced that at no hour of the day or night will a Russian object to brandy neat, and plenty of it.
Then came Lieutenant Shibouya, also an adjutant of the Imperial Guard — a young man who speaks French, and who inquired very particularly after a Russian officer called Ecke, an acquaintance of mine — in fact, we had been together on the Novi Krai in Port Arthur — whom he had met under a flag of truce just before the battle, and with whom he had, soldier-like, exchanged vows of eternal friendship on that occasion. Several of these meetings occurred just before the battle of Mukden. One took place in the centre of the line, and General ZarubaiefPs son was one of the Russian delegates. The other took place on the right flank on February 20, and most of the Russian representatives — there were three officers and three soldiers on each side — were Cossacks. Both parties had brought white wine, cooked chicken, and champagne with them, and, as the Japanese spoke Russian very well, a most enjoyable hour was spent, and everybody on both sides got impartially drunk and was photographed in that condition.
It was the Japanese who had suggested these social meetings, and I think that they had no ulterior object in view. They simply wanted to show that they, too, could glory and drink deep even with the men whom they were going in a few days to attack with unparalleled fierceness. They wanted to demonstrate that, despite the disgraceful stories that had been circulated anent their prudishness and their Sunday-school sobriety, they, too, were human and could sin as heinously as anybody. #
# Since the above was written I find that, writing in a military periodical published in the United States, an American military attache takes a diametrically opposite view. He regards these meetings as instances of supreme Japanese craft.
Next came to me a number of Japanese war correspondents. Mr. Ota, of the Jiji; Mr. Konishi, of the Asahi; Mr. Saito, of the Nippon, and others. Several of them I had known in Japan, and one I had met at the annual manoeuvres there. He explained to me how much Japan had profited by the observations she had made of European troops and their arrangements during the Boxer troubles, and was, as usual with Japanese, almost apologetic in speaking of his country's successes. A Japanese who boasts of his country's warlike prowess is to me inconceivable.