even with salt water, was the usual hot drink provided, but coffee was for some time available once a day.  We owe a great debt to one of our fellow-prisoners, a ship’s cook, captured from one of the other ships, who in return for his offer to work as baker was promised his liberty, which fortunately he has now secured, though no thanks to the Germans.  He baked, under the most difficult conditions, extraordinarily good bread, and over and over again we should have gone without food but for this.  We were often very hungry, for there was nothing to eat between “supper” at 5.30 and breakfast next morning at 8.30.  The Captain had given each lady a large box of biscuits from the Hitachi, and my wife and I used to eat a quarter of a biscuit each before turning in for the night.  We could not afford more—­the box might have to last us for many months.

We could not buy much on board.  The only thing of which there seemed to be plenty was whisky, all stolen from the captured ships.  When our ship ran short of this, more was sent over from the Wolf.  We could buy this at reasonable rates, but the supply was always supposed to be rationed.  Soap and toilet requisites became very scarce or failed altogether as time went on.  We could buy an infinitesimal piece of stolen toilet soap for a not infinitesimal price, and were rationed as to washing soap and matches.  The currency on board was a very mixed one, consisting of Japanese yen, both in silver and paper money, English, Spanish, and German silver, and German canteen tokens—­all marked S.M.S. Victoria Louise—­ranging in value from 2 marks to 5 pfennig.

Mention has been made of the ship’s rolling.  Her capacity for this was incredible—­in the smoothest sea, whether stopped or under steam, she rolled heavily from side to side, and caused great discomfort, inconvenience, and often alarm to all on board.  The remark, “The Mendi roll, fresh every day for every meal, for breakfast, dinner, and tea,” was made by some one at almost every mealtime, as we clutched at our food, gliding or jumping from end to end of the saloon table, accompanied by the smashing of crockery and upsetting of liquids and soup.  We were hardly ever able to sit still at mealtimes, but were always rocking and rolling about, usually with our plates in our hands, as leaving them on the table meant we might lose the contents.  Even the Captain was astonished at the rolling of the ship, as he well might have been, when one night he, in common with most of us, was flung out of his berth.  No ship ever rolled like it—­the bath in the bathroom even got loose and slid about in its socket, adding to the great din on board.

As may be imagined, there was not much to do on board.  The few books we had between us were passed round and read over and over again.  Some were also sent over from the Wolf for us.  Card games of various kinds also helped to pass the time, and the Captain and some of the prisoners held a “poker school” morning, afternoon, and evening in the saloon.  But time, nevertheless, dragged very heavily.  Some of us had occasionally to carry our mattresses and beds out on to the deck, to hunt for bugs, which were very numerous in some cabins.  But the pastime was hardly one to be recommended!  And, it must regretfully be admitted, we all managed to do nothing quite comfortably!