Human Bullets: A Soldier's Story of Port ArthurSakurai, Tadayoshi
History
Human Bullets: A Soldier's Story of Port Arthur
Sakurai, Tadayoshi
Lüshun (China) -- History -- Siege, 1904-1905
As I was faintly smiling over this poetic sight of the battle-field, I
saw the most brutal act committed that I could have imagined. Ah, men
and women of a civilization of justice and mercy, please remember this
fact! I have already told you of a savage Russian who butchered Captain
Yanagawa wantonly. Here again, before my very eyes, I saw a Russian
commit a most deliberate act of cruelty and barbarism. I had noticed
a Russian officer repeatedly pointing to his wounded leg and making
signs with his hands for help. Later I saw a Japanese hospital orderly,
himself wounded, go up to the Russian. Without attending to his own
wound, he took out bandages from a bag at his waist and bandaged the
Russian. He did his duty of love and mercy faithfully, thinking that
the wounded foe was not a foe any more, only a hero who had toiled for
his own country. His kindness in dressing the wound of the Russian was
so beautiful and holy that tearful gratitude was due to him even from a
hard-hearted savage. But how did this Russian return the kindness of
this hospital orderly? Tears of gratitude? No! A hand-shake of thanks?
No! Indeed, no! Lo, this beastly Russian officer bestowed a pistol shot
upon his Japanese benefactor! Do not forget this, you people of justice
and humanity! As soon as the orderly had finished bandaging, the
Russian pulled out his revolver from his hip and took the life of the
good Samaritan with one shot! My heart was bursting with indignation at
the sight of this atrocious outrage!
But my indignation, my exasperation, could not be translated into
action. I simply shut my eyes and gnashed my teeth; soon my breathing
became difficult. I felt that my life was fast ebbing, when some one
caught hold of my coat and raised me; after a minute I was let alone.
I slightly opened my eyes and dimly saw two or three Russians going up
the hill. I had been on the point of being made a prisoner! That very
moment when I was raised and laid down was the boundary-line between my
life and death, between my honor and disgrace! The enemy caught hold
of me once, but soon let me go; probably they thought I was dead. No
wonder they thought so, for I was covered with blood.
Then some one came running stealthily to my side and fell down without
a word. Was he dead? No, he was simply feigning death. After a while he
whispered in my ear: “Let us go back. I will help you.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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