Later on, from some of the officers that had been on shore at Sunday Island, I found out there had formerly been a family living there, but at this particular time they were away on a visit, probably to New Zealand, as they had left their house fully furnished and with quite a supply of provisions on hand. Everything indicated that they intended returning at a later date. A calendar hanging on the wall indicated that this family had left there between April 17th and 23d. When the loss of the prisoners was finally discovered there was a great rumpus, and as a punishment all the prisoners were kept below for twenty-eight days, being allowed on deck for only one hour each day, weather permitting, for exercise. The British captain said that those were the most awful days he ever experienced in his life and that each day he and the rest were getting perceptibly thinner. Just about this time I got the sign from the sentry that the prisoner officer was coming and I had to beat a retreat. Afterwards I found out that it was not the prisoner officer but the mine officer, Lieutenant Dedrick, who proved to be a humane officer and a champion of the prisoners. Dedrick came down below into the hell hole and got one good lungful of the rotten atmosphere and went immediately to the Commander and reported conditions. Commander Nerger at once called both doctors and accompanied them aft on a tour of inspection. The next day everybody was chased on deck and the "Hell Hole" below was cleaned out and better ventilation arranged for; it was also painted; also the captured captains and ships' officers were given quarters to themselves, while the whites and blacks were separated. On the whole the conditions for these two hundred men were improved one hundred per cent. The prisoner officer was confined to his room for five days for allowing such conditions to exist. Nerger had inspected these quarters before, but only when the men were on deck and the place freshly cleaned out. Personally I do not think he knew how bad conditions were. Along in the first part of January I learned by wireless that of the two men who swam for shore at Sunday Island the first assistant engineer was drowned, while the other reached shore in an exhausted condition. He and his companion while swimming ashore became separated in the dark and the mate did not know for a certainty whether his chum was taken by a shark or drowned from exhaustion. He stayed on the island for somewhat over two months, living on the provisions that were left in the house and on fruit, of which there was a great abundance. He was finally taken off by a Japanese cruiser whose attention was attracted by his signal fire, which he kept burning day and night. The cruiser finally landed him in New Zealand.