Three hours later, as the two vessels steamed down the river, "Preston" was attacked again. This time, the two ships were in between Silver Island and Fort Hsing-Shan. Rifle fire was first heard, and "Preston"′s crew were preparing their machine gun when guns at the fort suddenly engaged them. Several shots missed the ships, but one eventually hit "Preston"′s fire control platform, causing no casualties. A gun was then aimed at the fort, and after a few rounds the Chinese guns were silenced.