Chapter 29 - The March to Nantao by Katie Rees

In this chapter the prisoners being kept at Lunghua Camp are forced to march to the dockyards at Nantao. Before they even start to march the prisoners are exhausted and it is clear that some of them will die on the way. They are all carrying one suitcase and Jim is bemused by the fact that so many of the prisoners have packed objects for recreational activities such as: tennis rackets and cricket bats. However, once they start walking these objects along with their suitcases are slowly dropped as the prisoners get tireder and tireder in their malnourised condition. There are new Japanese soldiers looking after them and to Jim these are the strongest men he has ever seen during the war. As they walk Jim tries to stay near the Japanese trucks and he is annoyed when Mr Maxsted catches up with him and he realises that he is going to have to look after Mr Maxsted on the way and he knows it will be hard enough to keep himself going. It gets harder and harder the further they walk and Jim is relieved when they stop by a river. Kindly, Mrs Philips gives Jim a potato to eat and in return Jim talks to her about God. After resting for so long Jim is tempted to stay lying in the sun and die where he his, but Mr Maxsted pulls him to his feet and they continue on their journey to Nantao and Jim reflects on how death nearly had him.