I determined to see, if possible, something of the fighting next day.  All the ground around Port Arthur is, as I have before remarked, very hilly.  Outside the town, and between it and the north-western forts, is a lofty elevation named White Boulders, for an obvious reason—­the ground is full of chalk.  This spot I determined upon as my point of observation.  Most of the front face had been covered with trenches, but the rear was easy of attainment, and I was struggling up the steep ascent at day-break.  The summit is very uneven, covered with huge crags and deep indentations, and there were any number of secure enough nooks to pick and choose from.

The field of action seen from White Boulders is very simple and may be described in a few words.  Behind me was the West Port; on my left the north-western fortifications, called the Table Mountain forts; on my right the East Port and the sea, and in front the greater part of the town, with the north-eastern forts beyond.  Of these latter there are, I think, eight, all connected by a wall.  I had only a partial view of them.  Between the elevations on which stand the north-eastern and north-western forts, the ground sinks deeply, and there is a wide space comparatively level, part of it occupied by a village.  This tract is defended by redoubts and earthworks, and can be swept by the fire of the higher fortifications, particularly by those of the north-east, but still it is a weak point in the defence, though capable, it seemed to me, of being greatly strengthened.

The day broke with a frosty clearness, and though I had no glass, it was possible to see for miles on every hand.  The dragon flag waved everywhere on the Chinese forts, but I could see at first no sign of the Japanese, and it was not until they began to fire that their positions were indicated.  It was about half-past seven when, far to the north-west, their guns began to boom.  All their preparations had apparently been made over-night, and they were only waiting for daylight to begin.  The Chinese opened fire in reply on both sides; battery after battery joined in, and soon there was a thundering roar of artillery, and a dense volume of white smoke, through which glanced the flash of the cannon, all round the great semi-circle.  The scream of shells, and the blaze and detonation with which they burst, were incessant.  Away on the right the sea was covered with warships, which seemed to have nothing to do, and certainly were not assailing the coast defences.  Some of the seaward forts were able to get their guns to bear on the positions of the Japanese armies, and were blazing away, though I don’t think they could do much damage.