After a little parleying Lihoa let his nephew go.  Quickly he ran up the ladder, and when Gray had closed the trap-door he threw himself at his feet, and with outstretched hands begged to land, because he had been brought on board against his will.

“Land?” laughed Gray.  “Land on what?  We have been under sail for six hours or more and are now a goodly number of miles from Hongkong, and probably won’t see land again for weeks.  For good or for evil, for better or for worse, my little pigmy, you’ll have to go with us until we land those cousins of yours in Australia.  Get up.  I’ll take you to the kitchen, and there our cook will find so much for you to do, that you won’t have time for sad thoughts.”

With these words he seized Peppo by the arm and led him to the kitchen, where he gave him over to the cook.  The fat cook with the big white apron looked at the slender youth half angrily, half compassionately, and grumbled: 

“That little Chinaman is to give me the promised help?  How is he to lift the heavy kettles of rice off the fire, Mr. Gray?”

“Well now, Mr. Blue, it’s better to have a little help than none at all.  Why, indeed, you’ll have to lift the heavy kettles off the fire yourself.  The boy can peel potatoes and wash dishes.”

“Yes, and break more than his neck is worth in Brothers.  I understand.—­Now, little one, come here and get into this apron, and begin work.—­Oh, wait a moment.  You have not had any breakfast.  There, take that bowl of rice; you are more accustomed to that than to our bread and coffee.  When you have finished get at those dishes, and wash and wipe them quicker than scat, and for every one you break a precious good thump you’ll get.”

With tears in his eyes poor little Peppo choked down his rice, and went to work.  “Oh, dear,” he said to himself, as he dipped the plates in hot water and burned his fingers trying to get them out, “Oh, dear, how God is punishing me for my disobedience!  If I had only stayed where I was told.  Father Somazzo must have known what Lihoa was going to do.  This is what I get for running off and having my own way.  And who knows whether I’ll ever see Hongkong and the good Fathers again so long as I live?”

Poor little Peppo’s cup was full to overflowing.  As with trembling fingers he kept on fishing the hot plates out of the dishpan, he noticed that all the plates had on them the word “St. George”; then he recalled that that was the name of Willy’s father’s boat.  Just as it was dawning on him that he must be on the “St. George” the kitchen door opened and he heard a well-known voice say, “Give me some breakfast quicker than a wink, dear cook, for I’ve got to go to work as cabin-boy right away.”

Peppo was walking across the floor to the crockery chest to put away a dozen or more clean plates which he had in his hands, when at the sound of the voice he turned and saw Willy whom the Captain had given a push that sent him half across the kitchen.  The small Chinaman gave a cry of surprise and let the plates fall on the floor where they broke into a thousand rattling pieces.  Angrily the cook sprang at him, and would have struck him with the big wooden cooking spoon, if Willy had not come between them and received the blow meant for Peppo.