Getting off the ship and inhaling the clean, fresh air, they thought their miseries had come to an end. But they were sadly mistaken, for an even worse plight awaited them.

Penang was a major distribution centre for the coolie trade. The group from the junk was taken straight to the coolie depot, which was nothing but a row of low window-less shacks that looked like cages. The cages were already full. After the men and women were shoved inside, the doors clanged shut. Ho Han and his companions found themselves in yet another prison. It was unimaginably filthy. Some people cried, others banged their heads on the walls to be let out. Those that shouted the most were taken out and given a whipping. They came back, their bodies covered in blood. Others, dead from the torture, were taken away to be thrown into the sea.

But Ho Han and Ho Yen and a few others survived this harrowing plight. And then one day, the doors of the cages opened. They were taken to the auction centre where labour agents with bags of silver hanging from their wrists were waiting for them.

Ho Han and Ho Yen were bought by the agent of a well-known family of Penang who owned tin mines. They were then taken to Phuket to work as coolies in the mines.

The coolies were housed in rows of shacks. There was a roll call every morning and then again in the afternoon. The shacks were watched over by guards armed with whips and muskets. The barracks were divided into small rooms without any ventilation. In each of these, two to three families were kept together.

Ho Han and Ho Yen worked alternately as tin-mine coolies, or under Cantonese blacksmiths and carpenters. They had no scope for rest, happiness or hope. They had no dreams for the future. Like animals, their day began and ended with work. Sleep came instantly to their fatigued bodies. Countless days and nights passed by in this manner. In utter despair, many of the coolies committed suicide. Many took to opium and destroyed themselves. When Ho Han started thinking that his life would end in the tin mine, Yi Kan arrived. He chose Ho Han and his companions from amongst the Chinese coolies and made a new agreement with them to take them to Calcutta. In the last few years they had become proficient in wood and iron work. On what terms the owner of the tin mine agreed to hand them over, they did not know.

Of the people that were picked by Yi Kan, some were ordinary coolies, some were good at wood and iron work, while others were proficient in tea cultivation. They were told that they would have to go to Calcutta, and would be better off than the other coolies. They got an advance of three months’ salary from which Yi Kan deducted the cost of their food, although this was against the rules.

As soon as the transaction was complete, the coolies disembarked. Besides Lum Kwa and the manager of the coolie depot, there were others who waited to receive them. These included the field assistant of the gardens in Assam, Daffield, and the third assistant Powell. Yi Kan was also with them. These were important and expensive coolies. Losing even one would be a loss for the company as well as for Yi Kan.