"All in good time, Kernel," said Jackie Tar, "Each man to his trade," and he began to look about.
"Gather all the sticks you see and bring them to me," said he, and they brought him pieces of wood, large and small, and he chose the largest, and having torn the lining of his jacket into strips, he spliced them into a rope and with this he tied the wood together until he had made a very good raft indeed.
And he set the biggest stick of all, which was a bamboo pole, into the raft and tying his jacket with one sleeve at the top, and the other at the bottom of the pole, he had a good sail made in a jiffy.
"All aboard," he sang out and they got upon the raft and sat "forward," as he told them, and grasping the tail of his coat in one hand, and the rudder with the other, for he had tied a flat board at the stern of the raft, they set sail.
"Where away?" he asked.
"I don't care," said Kernel Cob, "as long as we get away from this China place, for I don't like any place that isn't what it says it is."
"Aye, aye, sir," said Jackie Tar. "If you take my advice, we'll steer for India."
"Why?" asked the Villain.
"Because," said Jackie Tar, "from India there is always a ship bound for England and, once in England, we can easily get a ship for America."
"Goodie!" said Sweetclover.