part on the main-deck. Then we quickly
surveyed her stock of spare spars, and came to the conclusion that all
her damages in that direction might be made good, except so far as her
mizenmast was concerned; she would consequently have to go home
brig-rigged, or at best as a barque.

Meanwhile, from the moment when our people first set foot upon her deck
they had fallen to upon the work of clearing away the wreckage, saving
all that was worth saving, and knotting and splicing rigging, leaving
the Dutch crew to look after their wounded comrades and convey them
below to the surgeon. At length, after I had been aboard about
half-an-hour, I was ready to return to our own ship; I therefore ordered
two hands down into the boat alongside, and shoved off for the _Europa_,
noting, with great satisfaction as I did so, that the breeze was fast
dropping, and that the two Indiamen were still hull-up, not having made
very much progress to windward during the time that I had been aboard
the prize.

Upon regaining the _Europa's_ deck I found it a scene of feverish yet
perfectly ordered activity. Everybody was busily engaged in one way or
another upon the task of making good the damage to our spars and rigging
by the enemy's shot; a strong gang upon the forecastle had already
cleared away the wreck of the fore-topmast, having removed from it,
practically uninjured, everything that had been attached to it in the
shape of other spars, rigging, and so on--such, for example, as the
topgallant-masts and royal-masts, with their sails, yards, and rigging,
the topsail-yard and topsail, the cap, crosstrees, and topmast rigging;
and the carpenter and his mates had already got the new spar fitted and
ready for pointing; while practically all our cut gear had been either
knotted or spliced. As for our casualties, I was delighted to learn
that they were very light, taking into consideration the determination
with which our adversary had fought, our loss in killed and wounded
amounting to eight of the former and twenty-two of the latter, of which
only seven cases were regarded by the surgeon as really serious.

Captain Vavassour was up on the poop, talking to the master, when I
passed in through the gangway. I, therefore, at once made my way to him
and, having reported myself in due form as "Come on board, sir,"
proceeded forthwith to make my report, referring from time to time to my
pocket-book in order to assure myself that I was omitting not