h says so I guess he means it!"

But the boy would not stop weeping; and Seth, thinking that some harm
might result to his newly-awakened reason if he went on like that,
strode to the door and summoned help, with a stentorian hail that rang
through the valley as loudly as the cheer of the miners had done one
instant before.

"Ahoy there, all hands on deck!" he shouted, hardly knowing what he was
saying, adding a moment afterwards, "Wilton, you're wanted! Look
sharp."

"Here I am," cried Wilton, hurrying up, with Mr Rawlings after him.
"What is the matter now, Seth?"

"I can't make him do nothing" said that worthy hopelessly. "He takes me
to be some coon or other called Sam, an' then when I speaks he turns on
the water-power and goes on dreadful, that I'm afeard he'll do himself
harm. Can't you quiet him, Wilton; he kinder knowed you jest now?"

"I'll try," said Ernest; and kneeling by the boy's side, he drew his
hands away from his face and gently spoke to him.

"Frank! look at me: don't you know me?"

"Ye-e-es," sobbed he, "you--_you_ are Ernest. But how did you come
here? you weren't on board the ship. Oh, father! where are you, and all
the rest?"

And the boy burst out crying again, in an agony of grief which was quite
painful to witness.

Presently, however, he grew more composed; and, in a broken way, Ernest
managed to get his story from him--a terrible tale of mutiny, and
robbery, and murder on the high seas.

This was his story, as far as could be gathered from his disconnected
details.

Frank Lester, much against his mother's wishes, had persuaded his father
to take him with him in the early part of the previous year to the
diamond fields in South Africa, whither Mr Lester was going for the
purpose of purchasing some of the best stones he could get for a large
firm who intrusted him with the commission. The object of the journey
had been safely accomplished, and Mr Lester and Frank reached Cape
Town, where they took their return passage to England in a vessel called
the _Dragon King_.

Seth nudged Mr Rawlings at this point.

"Didn't I say that was the name of the desarted ship?" he asked in a
whisper.

And Mr Rawlings nodded his assent.

The _Dragon King_--to continue Frank's, or Sailor Bill's story--was
commanded by a rough sort of captain, who was continually swearing at
the men and ill-treating them; and, in the middle of the voyage a mutiny
broke out on board, started originally by