"Somewheres about half an hour, sir. We couldn't do much for you, not having no surgeon aboard; but we tied up your head as well as we could."
"Oh, I'm all right. Just a little dizzy. Help me on deck; the fresh air will do me good."
He had lost a good deal of blood, and could scarcely have reached the deck unassisted. The Englishmen gave a cheer when they saw their young officer—a somewhat muffled cheer, for their mouths were full of the food prepared for the Frenchmen's breakfast. It was so long since they had had a square meal that they were making the most of their opportunity, and the prisoners sat glum and hungry, watching the disappearance of the soup intended for themselves.
"Find the cook and cast him loose," said Jack. "He can get something ready for them. Let 'em eat, forty at a time. Where's the captain?"
"Getting over his temper for'ard, sir."
Jack found the captain, and learned from him that the vessel, named the Glorieuse, had been cruising off Ushant, and three days before had captured an English merchantman, which she had sent to Brest with a prize crew. The Glorieuse was bound for Boulogne, and the Fury had been taken for a French despatch-boat bringing orders.
By midday the Glorieuse came within sight of Selsey Bill, and beating up against a westerly breeze made a slow passage to Spithead. It was almost dark before she ran into Portsmouth Harbor. Her signals had already informed the port officers that she was a prize, and she had hardly hove-to when a boat came alongside to make inquiries.
"I'll have to go and see the admiral and report," said Jack to Babbage. "Probably I shall not be back to-night. We'll see about the prisoners in the morning."
CHAPTER XIII
OFF LUSCOMBE