midday
However , it was not until the next morning that the weather had moderated sufficiently to enable us to take possession of our prize , when we found that we had captured a very smart vessel of two hundred and sixty-five tons measurement , with a cargo of three hundred slaves on board , bound for Havana . I lost no time in turning her over to Jack Keene , with a prize crew of twelve men , with instructions to take her into Port Royal for adjudication , and to await there the arrival of the schooner . Before parting company I seized the opportunity to question the crew of the _ San Antonio _ as to the brig of which I was in search , but they professed to know nothing whatever of her . By midday all signs of the hurricane had disappeared , the sea had gone down , and the trade wind had returned , blowing briskly out from about east-north-east . It was therefore a fair wind for the prize , and half an hour after I had secured a meridian altitude of the sun for the determination of our latitude Master Jack bore up , dipped his colours , and squared away . Now ensued a fortnight of uneventful and wearisome cruising along the parallel of 21 ° north latitude , and between the meridians of 62 ° and 74 ° west longitude , that being the line upon which I thought it most likely that I might encounter the pirate , or at least gather some news of him . During that period we sighted and spoke not far short of forty sail , of one sort and another , both outward and homeward bound , but learned not a word that would furnish us with a clue to the whereabouts of the craft that we were so anxiously seeking .