The Rival Crusoes

o accompany him. The sight I had witnessed on board our own ship was bad enough, for we had upwards of twenty men killed and wounded, the former still lying in their blood where they fell; but on stepping on the Frenchman's deck, it seemed literally covered with dead men, for the rest of the crew had been too busy to throw any of them overboard, while the cockpit below was filled with wounded, many of whom were too much hurt to recover. "The French captain, who came to the gangway to present his sword to the first lieutenant, informed us that the ship was the Reynard, when we found that she was not only of larger size and carried four more guns than we had, but had commenced the action with upwards of two hundred men more than we mustered. The French captain, Monsieur Brunet, who had really fought his ship very gallantly, shrugged his shoulders, exclaiming, 'It is the fortune of war!' as he delivered up his sword, and was requested, having packed up his personal effects, to go on board the Wolf, in a boat sent for the purpose. The boats of the French frigate were too much knocked about to float, and it took us some time to remove the prisoners and send a prize crew on board. It was night, therefore, before we were ready to make sail, when we steered a course for the north-west, to Escape from the French Fleet. 33 avoid the French fleet, which was supposed to be off the coast of Spain or Portugal. "The scene on board the prize made me very glad to get back... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.