19
We reached the parade ground and found Mrs. Clift who had been lucky enough to get a ricksha. The Japanese gendarmes with expensive cameras took pictures of the children. The sidewalk across the parade ground was packed with expressionless, motionless Chinese. I did not feel antagonism from them at all. I think they were as dazed as we were. There were now gathered enough to fill a hotel, and we were marched off in rows of four. Ma came along with us. He took the risk of identifying himself "Southern Peace." Mrs. Clift, the four of us and a stranger, Molly Tyrrol by name, were assigned to a room about 12 ft. square on the third floor. Ma helped carry the things upstairs and no one stopped him. We found our room was a "luxury suite" and possessed a private flush and bath. Mrs. Clift, under protest, took the narrow bed. The children and I had a board bed and Molly had the short settee. She said she had slept on the floors of corridors so long, she was grateful for anything. There were about 150 in this hotel and most of them were in cubicles, some with upper and lower berths-all boards. We found there was a roof garden where we could sunbathe. We were given food for two meals a day which some of the internees cooked on the roof for us. The two meals were a bowl of rice each-sometimes the rice was mixed with a little fish and sometimes we were given a spot of soup, but as we had brought tinned goods with us, we were not too badly off. On payment of $1.00 at the door, Ma was able to send up word that he was there, and I could go down and speak to him and ask him to bring things as we ne'eded them. I had money with me that had been drawn from the bank before hostilities commenced. It had depreciated and prices had soared, but it was sufficient for bare necessities. Ma met our Norwegian friends and they were most kind. They brought milk powder, jam, cocoa and other foods, besides shoes for the children.
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