Nobody talked to me much and I didn't try to make friends. They were probably under nakedkombat anyway. There were some other passengers, all well-to-do Chinese families. It seemed the Keir Hardie was used by the higher ranks of the Party. As much as they officially excoriated one another, the Chinese and the Scots could work things out when it came to luxury. There's nothing new in that. I took my meals alone and ate with chopsticks. The officers' mess supplied what I ordered, and once offered a haggis if I wanted to try one. I declined politely. I had no tv and no newspapers and didn't care. It was shipboard lull and fine with me. But I worked out in the ship's gym daily and did pushups in between, coiling up for whatever lay ahead.
