Then the Japanese Staff put its foot down and declared that both hills _must_ be taken, at all costs! The cruisers _Sai-yen_ and _Akagi_ were ordered round to Pigeon Bay to co-operate with the troops by covering the assault with their fire; but, unfortunately, as the _Sai-yen_ was getting into position on the 30th, she struck a mine and sank, not far from where the old _Hei-yen_ disappeared some two months earlier. This put an end to the plan for naval assistance, and the land forces were obliged to rely entirely upon themselves. Fighting of the most desperate and sanguinary character proceeded all through the afternoon and night of 30th November, but it was not until the next day that the indomitable courage and persistence of the Japanese were rewarded with success; the western summit of 203 Metre Hill being taken by them and held all day, despite the most desperate efforts on the part of the Russians to retake it. This was the beginning of the end, so far as Port Arthur was concerned. On 5th December the eastern summit of the hill also fell into the hands of the Japanese, and next day they secured possession of Akasakayama, thus obtaining command of the entire Metre range. These important positions in their possession, the tide of war at once turned in favour of the Japanese, for the heights commanded not only the town but the harbour of Port Arthur; and the big 11-inch howitzers, as well as a battery of naval 6-inch and 47-inch guns, were at once brought up, and the bombardment of the Russian warships was begun. On 6th December the _Poltava_ was sunk by the Russians to save her from destruction by the Japanese fire. Next day the _Retvisan_ met a like fate, while a fire broke out aboard the _Peresviet_, and on the 8th she and the _Pobieda_ were at the bottom of the harbour, while the _Pallada_ was obviously following them. On the following day the _Bayan_ was hit no less than twenty-two times, bursting into flame shortly before noon and burning until shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon, while the _Sevastopol_ was seriously damaged. The mine-laying ship _Amur_ was also hit and sunk. The dockyard sustained serious damage, yet, strangely enough, all through this bombardment the Russians did little by way of reply; they seemed overwhelmed and paralysed at the misfortunes which were now befalling them--or else, as some of us began to shrewdly suspect, their ammunition was at last exhausted. On the 9th of the month the _Sevastopol_--the only Russian battleship still remaining afloat in the harbour--moved from her moorings and sought refuge behind a big boom under the guns of Mantushan fort, on the Tiger peninsula, where, a few nights later, she was energetically attacked by our destroyers. These attacks were repeated nightly, with considerable loss to our side, until the night of 15th-16th, when the ship was successfully torpedoed. Her end was so evidently near now that we