"Thou art far away from the king of the lower regions, my poor Chow," said Nicholas. "By the social relations, I am alive and on earth--no, on water--and ungrateful to the benevolent stranger," said the boy, holding his head with both hands, as if the better to comprehend his situation. "Satisfy thy hunger and say how it happened that Chow came to be perched like a wild goose on a masthead," said Nicholas, giving the boy some of the rice cakes, which he devoured as ravenously as if he had not tasted food for a week. The lad, who had so unexpectedly made the acquaintance of Nicholas, was a tall, bony youth of about sixteen, with a broad forehead, sparkling black eyes, and covered with a coarse robe, so torn and tattered, that he might have passed for a beggar of the lowest class. When he had satisfied his hunger, Chow clasped the knees of his new friend, and with tears of gratitude flowing down his cheek, said, "Chow will be thy slave, O generous stranger, for truly it could be for no other purpose that the gods have saved his life." "Tush! talk not of slavery or gods, Chow, but say what is thy name, surname, and the rank of thy family," said Nicholas. "Truly, the story of Chow is as miserable as his own mean person. I am from Tun-Hien, in Ching-Foo, in the province of Tche-Kiang. My father was a mandarin of the fifth rank, who having taken a good degree, held office under the governor of the fort, till one moon since, when the terrible rebel, Li-Kong, took possession of the city in defiance of the Son of Heaven himself, and massacred all who would not submit; my father being one of the first to acknowledge the traitor, became the first to be punished for his disloyalty to our holy Emperor, which happened as thy servant will relate. "One day, my mother, who was accounted very handsome, so far forgot the social regulations laid down for women, as to stand gazing from a window while a body of soldiers passed through the street. For that unbecoming act, both my venerable father and myself suffered, for the officer clattered at the door, when the servants not daring to refuse so powerful a personage, admitted him to the house, when he ran into the inner apartment of my mother, who was so alarmed at such barbarian behavior, that she rose to leave, when the villain would have carried her away but for thy insignificant servant, who clutched his throat and so gashed his cheek that the waters even of the yellow stream will never wash them out.