fell calm. By the advice of
Mesty, he did not fire any more, or otherwise the _Harpy_ would not
obtain so much credit, and it was evident that the fire of the Spaniard
slackened fast. At three o'clock the Spanish colours were hauled down,
and the _Harpy_, sending a boat on board and taking possession, directed
her whole fire upon the battery, which was soon silenced.

The calm continued, and the _Harpy_ was busy enough with the prize,
shifting the prisoners and refitting both vessels, which had very much
suffered in the sails and rigging. There was an occasional wonder on
board the _Harpy_ what that strange vessel might be which had turned the
corvette and enabled them to capture her, but when people are all very
busy, there is not much time for surmise.

Jack's crew, with himself, consisted but of eight, one of whom was a
Spaniard, and two were wounded. It therefore left him but four, and he
had also some thing to do, which was to assist his wounded men, and
secure his guns. Moreover, Mesty did not think it prudent to leave the
vessel a mile from the _Harpy_ with only two on board; besides, as Jack
said, he had had no dinner, and was not quite sure that he should find
anything to eat when he went into the midshipmen's berth; he would
therefore have some dinner cooked, and eat it before he went on board in
the meantime, they would try and close with her. Jack took things
always very easy, and he said he should report himself at sunset. There
were other reasons which made Jack in no very great hurry to go on
board; he wanted to have time to consider a little what he should say to
excuse himself, and also how he should plead for the men. His natural
correctness of feeling decided him, in the first place, to tell the
whole truth, and in the next, his kind feelings determined him to tell
only part of it. Jack need not have given himself this trouble, for, as
far as regarded himself, he had fourteen thousand good excuses in the
bags which lay in the state-room; and as for the men, after an action
with the enemy, if they behave well, even mutiny is forgiven. At last
Jack, who was tired with excitement and the hard work of the day,
thought and thought till he fell fast asleep, and instead of waking at
sunset did not wake till two hours afterwards; and Mesty did not call
him, because he was in no hurry himself to go on board and _boil de
kettle for de young gentlemen_.

When Jack woke up he was astonished to find th