Journal No. 8 (18th Week): The Unlucky Prisoner-of-War

A group of Chinese soldiers were captured by the Japanese in the battlefield. They were then sent to work in a coal mine in Hokkaido in the northern part of Japan. The cells were they were locked up at night were small, and eight to ten inmates were often accommodated in one cell. They decided to escape by digging a tunnel under the cell. At night, when two of the prisoners were digging the tunnel, the rest were vigilantly watching out for signs of Japanese guards. Whenever a Japanese guard appeared, they would spontaneously sing songs to distract the guard. When the tunnel they dug came close to their escape point, water started to rush in, and they scheme became abortive. They decided to modify their plan by digging another tunnel which led them to a nearby river. However, before they finish digging the alternative tunnel, the war ended and they were released.