‘Not a dangerous form of madness,’ replied Edgar; ‘but I have no doubt he is not in his right mind. We must humour him, and question him. He has a strange story to relate, if he can be persuaded to tell it, and if he remembers all he has gone through.’
Edgar took the unfortunate man by the hand, and persuaded him to sit down.
Meri looked on, his curiosity evidently being excited.
Edgar tried as gently and simply as possible to lead the wandering mind of the captain back to the wreck of the Distant Shore, and found, to his delight, that he succeeded in rousing his dormant memory.
Captain Manton began to talk in a strange, monotonous way. He was evidently recapitulating what had happened to him after the wreck of the Distant Shore, and he seemed almost unconscious of anyone being present.
From time to time during the course of the strange tale he related Edgar refreshed his weak memory.
‘If we can lead him on to tell us everything,’ said Edgar, ‘he may recognise us in the end.’
‘I hope so,’ said Wal; ‘it is terrible to see him like this, but it may be caused through not having any white men to converse with.’
Captain Manton—for, indeed, it was that unfortunate seaman—commenced by telling them, in a somewhat incoherent way, that he was on a big ship when it went on to the rocks and crashed to pieces.
‘It was the captain’s fault,’ he said; ‘he ought to have made for a harbour; he is responsible for all our deaths.’