go properly stowed, and the bunkers trimmed by
the German crew, aided by some neutrals who had been taken prisoner
from other ships. Some of the sailors among the prize crew were good
enough to give us some pieces of the _Wolf's_ shrapnel found on the
_Hitachi_, relics which were eagerly sought after by the passengers.

The passengers were now under armed guards, but were at perfect liberty
to do as they pleased, and the relations between them and the German
officers and crew were quite friendly. Deck games were indulged in as
before our capture, and the German Captain took part in them. Time,
nevertheless, hung very heavily on our hands, but many a pleasant hour
was spent in the saloon with music and singing. One of the Australian
prisoners was a very good singer and pianist, and provided very
enjoyable entertainment for us. The Captain, knowing that I had some
songs with me, one afternoon asked me to sing. I was not feeling like
singing, so I declined. "Shot at dawn!" he said. "Ready now," I replied.
"No!" said he. "I can't oblige you now. Either at dawn, for disobedience
to Captain's orders, or not at all." So it was made the latter! On
Sunday evenings, after the six o'clock "supper," a small party met in
the saloon to sing a few favourite hymns, each one choosing the ones he
or she liked best. This little gathering was looked forward to by those
who took part in it, as it formed a welcome break in the ordinary
monotonous life on board.

The only Japanese left on board were some stewards, cooks, and the
stewardess. A German chief mate and chief engineer replaced the
Japanese, and other posts previously held by the Japanese were filled by
Germans and neutrals. The times of meals were changed, and we no longer
enjoyed the good meals we had had before our capture, as most of the
good food had been transferred to the _Wolf_. _Chota-hazri_ was done
away with, except for the ladies; the meals became much simpler, menus
were no longer necessary, and the Japanese cooks took no more trouble
with the preparation of the food.

However, on the whole we were not so badly off, though on a few
occasions there was really not enough to eat, and some of the meat was
tainted, as the freezing apparatus had got out of order soon after the
ship was captured.

There was no longer any laundry on board, as the dhobi had been killed.
Amateur efforts by some Japanese stewards were not successful, so the
passengers had to do their own washi