f_--most of the members
with the minimum of clothing and nearly all with faces and bodies black
with coal-dust--lined up and gave a musical performance of German
patriotic airs.

Every day we looked, but in vain, for signs of help in the shape of a
friendly cruiser, but the Germans proceeded with their high-seas robbery
undisturbed and unalarmed. The _Hitachi_ had a valuable cargo of rubber,
silk, tea, tin, copper, antimony, hides, cocoa-nut, and general stores,
and it was indeed maddening to see all these cases marked for Liverpool
and London being transferred to the capacious maw of the _Wolf_ for the
use of our enemies. The silk came in very handy--the Germans used a
great deal of it to make new wings for their "bird." The seaplane did
not, of course, take off from the _Wolf's_ deck, which was far too
crowded. She was lowered over the side by means of the winch, and towed
a little distance by the motor launch before rising. On her return she
was taken in tow again by the launch and then lifted aboard to her
quarters. She made some beautiful flights. The Germans told us that when
the _Wolf_ was mine-laying in Australian waters the seaplane made a
flight over Sydney. What a commotion there would have been in the
southern hemisphere if she had launched some of her bolts from the blue
on the beautiful Australian city!

On October 28th a Japanese sailor, wounded at the time of the
_Hitachi's_ capture, died on the _Wolf_. This was the last death from
wounds inflicted on that day. His body was brought over to the
_Hitachi_--once again all the German officers, from the Commander
downwards, including the two doctors, appeared in full uniform to attend
the funeral service. The Japanese Captain and officers also came over
from the _Wolf_, and the body was committed to the sea from the poop of
the _Hitachi_.

We had now been prisoners more than a month, and various rumours came
into circulation about this time as to what was to happen to us. The
most likely thing was, if the _Wolf_ did not secure another prize, that
the _Hitachi_ would be sunk and all of us transferred to the _Wolf_ once
more. It was certain, however, that the Germans did not want us on the
_Wolf_ again, and still more certain that we did not want to go. They
regarded us, especially the women, as a nuisance on board their ship,
which was already more than comfortably full. In addition, some of the
German officers who had before given up their cabins to some o