in a few words; we will have it in detail by-and-bye."

"If you please, sir," said Jack, "we captured that ship with the cutter
the night after we went away--I'm not a first-rate navigator, and I was
blown to the Zaffarine Islands, where I remained two months for want of
hands: as soon as I procured them I made sail again--I have lost three
men by sharks, and I have two wounded in to-day's fight--the ship mounts
twelve guns, is half laden with lead and cotton prints, has fourteen
thousand dollars in the cabin, and three shot-holes right through her--
and the sooner you send some people on board of her the better."

This was not very intelligible, but that there were fourteen thousand
dollars, and that she required hands sent on board, was very
satisfactorily explained. Captain Wilson rang the bell, sent for Mr
Asper, who started back at the sight of our hero--desired him to order
Mr Jolliffe to go on board with one of the cutters, send the wounded
men on board, and take charge of the vessel, and then told Jack to
accompany Mr Jolliffe, and to give him every information; telling him
that he would hear his story to-morrow, when they were not so very busy.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

IN WHICH OUR HERO FINDS OUT THAT TRIGONOMETRY IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY TO
NAVIGATION, BUT MAY BE REQUIRED IN SETTLING AFFAIRS OF HONOUR.

As Captain Wilson truly said, he was too busy even to hear Jack's story
that night, for they were anxious to have both vessels ready to make
sail as soon as a breeze should spring up, for the Spaniards had vessels
of war at Carthagena, which was not ten miles off, and had known the
result of the action: it was therefore necessary to change their
position as soon as possible. Mr Sawbridge was on board the prize,
which was a corvette mounting two guns more than the _Harpy_, and called
the _Cacafuogo_.

She had escaped from Cadiz, run through the straits in the night, and
was three miles from Carthagena when she was captured, which she
certainly never would have been but for Jack's fortunately blundering
against the cape with his armed vessel, so that Captain Wilson and Mr
Sawbridge (both of whom were promoted, the first to the rank of
post-captain, the second to that of commander), may be said to be
indebted to Jack for their good fortune. The _Harpy_ had lost nineteen
men, killed and wounded, and the Spanish corvette forty-seven.
Altogether, it was a very creditable affair.

At two o'clock in the morning,