The English officer in command of the boats received the swords of the French officers, and the noncommissioned officers were all sent below into the hold.  All sail was at once got on to the vessel again, and she followed in the wake of the fleet.  The English lieutenant then took the names of the prisoners.

“You are all Irish,” he said, seriously.  “I am sorry, gentlemen, that this should be so, for I fear that it will go harder with you than if you were French, when, of course, you would be merely prisoners of war.”

“We should be prisoners of war, now,” Colonel Wauchop said.  “We are in the service of the King of France, and were but obeying his orders, along with our French comrades.”

“I hope they may see it in that light, in London,” the officer said courteously; “but I doubt whether, at the present moment, they will take a calm view of the subject.  However, I hope they will do so, especially as no shot has been fired by you, and they cannot charge you with resisting capture.  At any rate, gentlemen, I will do my best to make you comfortable while you are under my charge.  I must ask a few of you to shift your quarters, so as to make room for me and the three officers with me; beyond that you will continue, as before, to use the ship as passengers.”

When darkness set in, the pursuit was discontinued.  The French fleet was fully ten miles ahead, and it was evident that there was no chance, whatever, of overtaking it; while there was a risk of its doubling back during the night, and again making its way north.  The greater part of the sails of the men-of-war were therefore furled, while the frigates and corvettes made off, on either hand, to establish themselves as sentries during the night, and to give warning should the French fleet be seen returning.  An hour and a half after the pursuit had ceased, the Salisbury joined the fleet, and the officer in command went on board the admiral’s ship, to report the number of prisoners taken and the nature of her cargo.

The officers had, at his invitation, dined with him and his officers in the cabin.  All political topics had been avoided, and no one who had looked in would have supposed that the majority of those present were the prisoners of the others.  The Irish temperament quickly shakes off a feeling of depression, and the meal was as lively as it had been during the voyage north.

The lieutenant, however, omitted no precaution.  A dozen men kept guard over the prisoners below, and as many more, with loaded muskets, were always stationed on deck.  The Irish officers saw that, among many of the sailors, there was a strong feeling of sympathy with them.  The fleet had been largely recruited by impressment; and by the handing over, to the naval authorities, of numbers of men imprisoned for comparatively slight offences; and, as was natural, these had but small feeling of kindness towards the government who had so seized them; while many shared in the feeling of loyalty towards the house of Stuart, which was still so prevalent among the population.