77
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forced them to huddle up like sheep. This is to my mind not only ex- pressive of the Japanese sense of proportion but his innate nature.
AN UNFORTUNATE
ADVENTURE
BUY
The famous Burma Road is not without its dangers, especially with reckless drivers. y experience commenced when I left Kweiyang for Chungking. Just before the well-known 72 curves, over-loaded N.R.C. truck, with its paraphernalia of wolfram sacks, mercury bottles and passengers, was trailing behind another truck which found itself stopping half-way up a steep slope. Our driver put on the brakes, but with no success. The truck slipped backwards and crashed on to a rock. Nothing serious happened on this occasion, but this was the prelude to the main disaster and illustrates the dangerous situation we were constantly in. Miraculously, the truck managed the 72 curves safely. But, while coming down a small hill about two kilometres from Chuchiang, the left brake failed; the driver lost his presence of mind and headed the truck straight for a rock, then jammed on the brakes. The truck was completely overturned, two men killed instantaneously, two sustained serious in- juries, one miraculously escaped and, for myself, I am at present recuperating from a compound Colles' Fracture and a dislocated elbow.
THREE
VOLUNTEERS ESCAPE
I cannot vouchsafe that our escape from the Japanese intern- ment camp at Sham-shui-po was anything dramatic, but it was nevertheless quite a thrilling adventure for us. Undoubtedly it was an enterprise worth undertaking, however great the risk, and it was prompted not by a desire to escape from a life of rice and beans, for 'man does not live by bread alone", but by a rebellious hatred of our captors and all that they stood for.
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The camp borders the sea and the old wooden jetty was a favour- ite rendezvous of soldier, sailor, regular and volunteer alike. Everyone was a philosopher resigned to his fate. You could see a Canadian fish- ing with a common hook and line, a weather-beaten old sailor watching the ships not far off, a Royal Scot snoring in an afternoon siesta and a Kiddlesex corporal reading Shakespeare. I was thinking of Kasefield's "Call of the Sea" one day, when I met a sergeant of the Royal Grenadiers, a short and stout, young man, who looked typically a soldier and a Scot. ▲ tete-a-tate ensued, in the course of which he asked me why I had not thought of "making a break". I was planning, I told him, but the time was still inopportune. "Oh," he said, "it is easy, " and he divulged to me what was supposed to be a secret.
In the small hours, every morning, a boatman used to bring quantities of food-stuffs to the side of the jetty to sell to those internees who could still afford to buy. Sugar, sardines, pork and beans these were sold like hot-cakes at colossal prices. This petty business done in the dark must have brought the fisherman a fortune. Surely a bargain could be struck with the man. It was a happy piece of news and it greatly revived the spirit that was slowly being sapped within me.
I was at the jetty the next morning with two friends. We were there only to watch, not to act. De saw a lot. We saw officers and pri- vates lined up in two queues down the gangway, waiting for the boat to arrive. It was pitch dark, and one and all were mute and quiet. No one desired to wake up the Japanese sentry! We had not long to wait. The boat drew near, quietly, very quietly indeed, and stopped next to the jetty. It was an ordinary fisherman's boat, so ecuaton along the coast of China. business soon began, with a Volunteer named "Charlie" acting as the middleman. Everything had to be transacted promptly and fast tiny packet of sugar, 10 for a tin of sardines, and so forth.
5 for a
It was "Charlie" who bargained with the boatman for us the next day, and the two friends and I were carried to the boat by friendly hands. There were more than a hundred of them that morning and they were y glad to see us making a bid for freedom. In their heart of hearts, they wished they could join us, and they raised a soft cheer for us as the boat moved away, se did not expect such a send-off and we felt it augured well for the voyage.
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