Qass. Book COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT HARBOR The Gallant Deeds of Our Naval Heroes TOLD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS Inclu ding the Adventures of Captain Paul Jones, Commodore Perry, C ommodore Decatur. Admiral Farragut, Admiral Dewey, and many others of America's Brav e Sailors who \A^on Glory in Battles at Home and Abroad ; also the Story of the Ships made Famous by Great Battles and Great Captains. THE THRILLING STOR.Y OF AMER^ICA'S NAVY \ -BY- CHARLES MORRIS, LL.D. Author of the "Child's History of the United States," "The Child's Story of the Nineteenth Century," "Life of William McKinley," Etc. One Hundred Beautiful Illustrations and Color Plates, every page Illustrated with Emblematic Designs. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, ■T>*o CowEB ReoBvtc OCT. 23 190? ^ CnfMJMHT WTHV duASS «- XX& Ho. 3 i. 1 1 5 COPY'S. Entered according to Act of Cort gress in tKe year 1902 by W. E. SC VLL, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. D. C. . All Rights Reserved i' PREFACE E live in a land of heroes. If there is any one thing for which a true son of America is always ready, it is for a deed of heroism. We have among us heroes of the workshop, of the railroad, of jfield, forest and city, heroes of land and heroes of water, heroes in war and heroes in peace. When the time comes for any deed of valor to be done the American ready and able to do it will not be found wanting. It is not glory the gallant son of our land is seeking. It is to do his duty in whatever situation he is placed, whether high or low, on quarter-deck or forecastle. He does not stop to think of fame. To act bravely for his fellows or his country is the thing for him to do, and he does it in face of every peril. The history of the United States is one full of the names of heroes. They stand out like the stars on our flag. It is not our purpose to boast. The world has had its heroes in all times and countries. But our land holds a high rank among heroic nations, and deeds of gallant daring have been done by Americans which no men upon the earth have surpassed. This book is the record of our heroes of the sea, of the men who have fought bravely upon the ocean for the honor of the stars and stripes, the noble tars who have carried their country's fame over all waters and through all wars. Look at Paul Jones, the most gal- lant sailor who ever trod deck ! He was not born on our soil, but he was a true-blue American for all that. Look at Perry, rowing from ship to ship amid the rain of British shot and shell ! Look at Farragut in the civil war, facing death in the rigging that he might see the enemy ! Look at Dewey in the war with Spain, on the bridge amid the hurtling Spanish shells ! These are but types of our gallant sailors. They have had their equals in every war. We have hundreds to-day as brave. All they wait for is opportunity. When the time comes they will be ready. If all our history is an inspiration, our naval history is specially so. It is full of thrilling tales, stories of desperate deeds and noble valor which no work of fic- tion can surpass. We are sure that all who take up this book will find it vital with interest and brimming with inspiration. Its tales deal with men who fought for their land with only a plank between them and death, and none among us can read the story of their deeds without a thrill in the nerves and a stir in the heart, and without a wish that some time they may be able to do as much for the land that gave them birth. This is a book for the American boy to read, and the American girl as well, a book to fill them with the spirit of emula- tion and make them resolve that when the time comes they will act their part bravely in the perilous work of the world. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. First Sea Fight of the Revoi^ution. The Burning of the '* Gaspee " in Narragansett Bay , . . . 17 CHAPTER II. A British Schooner Captured by Farmers. Captain Jerry O'Brien Leads the Patriots of 1775 24 •CHAPTER III. Benedict Arnoi,d the Soi.dier-Sailor. A Novel Fight on Lake Champlain CHAPTER IV. Captain Paui< Jones. The Greatest of America's Naval Heroes 31 #* * ^ * i 39 CHAPTER V. How Paui, Jones Won Renown. The First Great Fight of the American Navy . . ■^ -^^ 47 'is iSJlr— ^^4 4 CHAPTER VI. PAGE Captain Bushnell Scares the British. The Pioneer Torpedo Boat and the Battle of the Kegs ... 58 CHAPTER VII. Captain Barry and his Row Boats Win a Victory Over the British. A Gallant Naval Hero of Irish Blood 65 CHAPTER VIII. Captain Tucker Honored by George Washington. The Daring Adventures of the Hero of Marblehead 73 CHAPTER IX. The Last Navai. Battle of the Revolution. The Heroic Captain Barney in the " Hyder Ali " Captures 79 the ' ' General Monk " CHAPTER X. The Moorish Pirates of the Mediterranean. Our Navy Teaches them a Lesson in Honor 85 CHAPTER XI. The Young Decatur and his Brilliant Deeds at Tripoli. How our Navy Began and Ended a Foreign War 92 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER XII. vn The GalIvAnt Oi,d ' ' Ironsides ' ' and how She Whipped the "guerriere." A Famous Incident of the War of 1812 104 CHAPTER XIII. A Famous Vessei. Saved by a Poem. Old "Ironsides" Wins New Glory 114 .CHAPTER XIV. The Fight of Captain Jacob Jones. The Lively Little ' ' Wasp ' ' and how She Stung the ' ' Frolic. " 1 25 CHAPTER XV. Captain Lawrence Dies for the Flag. His words — ' ' Do not give up the ship ' ' — Become the Famous Motto of the American Navy . . . . ; 133 CHAPTER XVI. Commodore Perry Whips the British on Lake Erie. " We have met the enemy and they are ours." 140 D '<$ CHAPTER XVII. PACK Commodore Porter Gains Glory in the Pacific. The Gallant Fight of the " Essex " against Great Odds. . . 149 CHAPTER XVIII. Commodore MacDonough's Victory on LakeChamplain. How General Prevost and the British Ran Away 157 CHAPTER XIX. Four Naval Heroes in One Chapter. Fights with the Pirates of the Gulf and the Corsairs of the Mediterranean 163 CHAPTER XX. Commodore Perry Opens Japan to the World. A Heroic Deed without Bloodshed 170 CHAPER XXI. Captain Ingram Teaches Austria a Lesson. Our Navy Upholds the Rights of an American in a Foreign Land 178 CHAPTER XXII. The "Monitor" and the " Merrimac." A Fight which Changed all Naval Warfare 183 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ix CHAPTER XXIII. PACK Commodore Farragut wins Renown. .^*he Hero of Mobile Bay Lashes Himself to the Mast . . . .192 CHAPTER XXIV. A River Fleet in a Hail op Fire. Admiral Porter Disguises his Boat and Runs by the Forts . . 203 CHAPTER XXV. The Sinking of the "Albemarle." Gushing 's Torpedo Boat Performs the Most Gallant Deed of the Civil War 210 CHAPTER XXVI. How THE ' ' Gloucester ' ' Revenged the Sinking of THE "Maine" Deadly and Heroic Deeds in the War with Spain 217 CHAPTER XXVII. The Great Victory of Manila Bay. Dewey Destroys a Fleet Without Losing a Man 221 CHAPTER XXVIII. HoBSON and the Sinking of the " Merrimac." A Heroic Deed Worthy of the American Navy 228 CHAPTER XXIX. Sampson and Schley Win Renown. The Greatest Sea Fight of the Century 234 The "Chicago," one of the modern war ships of the United States Navy. CHAPTER I. The First 5ea Fight of the Revolution THE BURNING OF THE "GASPEE" IN NARRAGANSETT BAY D""^OES It not seem an odd fact that little Rhode Island, the smallest of all our States, should I ' have two capital cities, while all the others, some of which would make more than a thousand Rhode Islands, have only one apiece ? It is like the old story of the dwarf beating the giants. The tale we have to tell has to do with these two cities. Providence and Newport, whose story goes back far into the days when Rhode Island and all the others were British colonies. They were capitals then and they are capitals still. That is, they were places where the legislature met, and the laws were made. I need not tell you anything about the British Stamp Act, the Boston Tea-party, the fight at Lexing- ton, and the other things that led to the American Revolution, and brought freedom to the colonies. All this you have learned at school. But I am sure you will be interested in what we may call the "salt-water Lexington," the first fight between the British and the bold sons of the colonies. There was at that time a heavy tax on all goods brought into the country, and even on goods taken from one American town to another. It was what we now call a revenue duty, or tariff. This tax the Ameri- cans did not like to pay. They were so angry at the 17 ^ ^v I \ ^^***1*^ e^^' v v ■i:?c?c? ^x^-^** But in some way Captain Moore discovered their purpose. What bird in the air whispered to him the secret we do not know, but he suddenly sprang to his feet, called to his officers to follow him, and leaped like a cat through the church window, without waiting to go round by the door. We maybe sure the old-fashioned preacher and the pious people in the pews looked on with wide-open eyes. Down the street like a deer sped the captain. After him came his officers. In their rear rushed the patriots, some carrying old muskets, some with scythes and reaping-hooks. It was a hot flight and a hot chase. Luckily foi Captain Moore the guard on the schooner was wide- awake. He saw the countrymen chasing his captain, and at once loaded and fired a gun, whose ball went whistling over the heads of the men of Maine. This was more than they looked for ; they held back in doubt; some of them sought hiding places; before they could gain fresh courage a boat put off from the schooner and took the captain and his officers on board. Captain Moore did not know what was wrong, but he thought he would frighten the people, at any rate. So his cannon thundered and balls came hurtling- over the town. Then he drew up his anchor and sailed sev- eral miles down the bay, letting the anchor fall again near a high bank. Some of the townsmen followed, and a man named Foster called from the bank, bidding him surrender. But the captain laughed at him, raised his anchor once more and ran farther out into the bay. 26 A BRITISH SCHOONER CAPTURED 27 It looked as if the whole affair was at an end and the Margaretta safe. But the men of Machias were not yet at the end of their rope. There lay the lumber sloops, and where a schooner could go a sloop could follow. Early Monday morning four young men climbed to the deck of one of the sloops and cheered in a way that soon brought a crowd to the wharf. One of these was a bold, gallant fellow, named Jeremiah O'Brien. . "What is in the wind ?" he asked. "We are going for the King's ship," said Wheaton, one of the men. " We can outsail her, and all we want is guns enough and men enough to take her." "My boys, we can do it," cried O'Brien, in lusty tones, after hearing the plan. Everybody ran off for arms, but all they could find in the town were twenty guns, with enough powder and balls to make three shots for , „, . , IseSTRUCTION OT THE, each, i heir other weapons fr-tt;:a.te.ek. pet^-eli. , . . , - , 1 SY THE 5T-I.AUa?,ENCE. were thirteen pitchiorks and twelve axes. Jerry O'Brien was chosen captain, thirty- five of the most athletic men were selected, and the sloop put off before a fresh breeze for the first naval battle of the Revolution. It is likely that there were a few sailors among- them, and no doubt their captain knew how to handle a sloop. But the most of i^W^^ them were landsmen, chiefly haymakers, for Machias lay amid grassy meadows and the making of hay was its chief business. And there were some woodsmen, who knew well how to swing an axe. They were all bold men and true, who cared more for their country than for the King. When Captain Moore saw the sloop coming with Its deck crowded with men he must have wondered what all this meant. What ailed these countrymen ? Anyhow, he would not fight without knowing what he was fighting for, so he raised his anchor, set his sails and made for the open sea. But he had hardly started when, in going about in the strong wind, the main boom swung across so sharply that it struck the backstays and broke short off. I fancy if any of us had been close by then we would have heard ringing cheers from the Yankee crew. They felt sure now of their prize, though we cannot see why, for the Margaretta had twenty-four cannon, four throwing six-pound balls and the rest one-pound balls. Muskets and pitchforks did not seem of much use against these. It had also more men than the sloop. We cannot see why Captain Moore showed his heels instead of his fists, for he soon proved that he was no coward. But he still seemed to want to get away, so he drew up beside a schooner that lay at an- chor, robbed it of its boom, lashed it to his own mast and once more took to flight. But the sloop was now not far behind, and soon showed that it was the better sailer of the two. In the end it came so close that Captain Moore was forced to fight or yield. 28 A BRITISH SCHOONER CAPTURED One of the swivel guns was fired, and then came a whole broadside, sending its balls hurtling over the crowded deck of the sloop. One man fell dead, but no other harm was done. Only a single shot was fired back, but this came from a heavy gun and was aimed by an old hunter. It struck the man at the helm of the schooner. He fell dead, lettino^ the rudder swinor loose. The Margaretta, with no hand at her helm, broached to, and in a minute more the sloop came crashing against her. At once there beo^an a fierce battle between the British tars and the haymakers of Maine, who sprang wildly and with ringing cheers for the schooner's deck. Weapons of all sorts now came into play. Cut- lasses, hand-grenades, pistols and boarding pikes were used by the schooner's men, muskets, pitchforks and axes were deftly handled by the crew of the sloop. Men fast fell dead and wounded; the decks grew red with blood; both sides fought fiercely; the men of Machias striving like tigers to gain a footing on the schooner's deck, the British tars meeting and driving them back. Captain Moore showed that it was not fear that made him run away. He now fought bravely at the head of his men, cheering them on, and hurling hand- grenades at the foe. But in a few minutes the end came. A bullet struck the gallant captain and he fell dead on his deck. When they saw him fall the crew lost heart and drew back. The Yankees swarmed over the bulwarks. In a minute more the Margaretta was theirs. JOHN PAUL JONES, The first great Captain of the American Navy who won renown in foreign waters. The battle, though short, had been desperate, for twenty men lay killed and wounded, more than a fourth of the whole number engaged. As Bunker Hill showed British soldiers that the Yankees could fight on land, so the capture of the Mar- garetta, the first naval victory of the Americans, showed that they could fight at sea. The Margaretta was very much the stronger, in men, in guns, and in her trained officers and skilled crew. Yet she had been taken by a party of landsmen, with muskets against cannon and pitchforks against pistols. It was a victory of which the colonists could well be proud. But Captain O'Brien was not yet satisfied. He had now a good sloop under his feet, a good crew at his back, and the arms and ammunition of his prize. He determined to go a-privateering on his own account. Taking the Margaretta to the town, he handed over his prisoners and put the cannon and swivels of the schooner on his swifter sloop, together with the muskets, pistols, powder and shot which he found on board. Then away he went, with a bold and daring crew, in search for prizes and glory. He soon found both. When the news of what he had done reached Halifax the British there sent out two schooners with orders to capture the insolent Yan- kee and bring him to port and to prison. But Captain O'Brien showed that he knew how to handle a sloop as well as a pitchfork. He met the schooners sent to cap- ture him and by skillful sailing managed to separate them. Then he made a bold dash on each of them and and in a little time captured them both. 30 w CHAPTER III. Benedict Arnold, the Soldier-Sailor, A NOVEL FIGHT ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. AS it not a dreadful pity that Benedict Arnold should disgrace himself for ever by becoming a traitor to his country ? To think of his making himself the most despised of all Americans, when, if he had been true to his flag, he might have been ranked among our greatest heroes. For Arnold was one of the best and bravest fighters in Washington's army. And he could fisfht as hard and well on water as on land, as you will learn when you read of what he did on Lake Champlain. I am sure all my readers must know where this lake is, and how it stretches down in a long line from Canada far into New York State. Below Lake Cham- plain extends Lake George, and not very far from that is the Hudson River, which flows down to the city of New York. If the British could only have held that line of water they would have cut the colonies in two, and in that way they might soon have brought the war to an end. This was what they tried to do in the fall of 1776 ; but they did not count on Arnold and his men. Let us tell what brought this about. General Ar- nold and General Montgomery had marched through the wilderness to Quebec in the winter before. But there they met with bitter weather, and deadly disease, 31 and death from cold and cannon. The brave Mont- gomery was killed, the daring Arnold fought in vain, and in the end the invading army was forced to march back — all that was left of it. As the Americans went back Sir Guy Carleton, the British commander, followed, and made his camp at St. John's, at the north end of Lake Champlain. The nearest American post was at Crown Point, far down, towards the foot of the lake. Not far south of this, near the head of Lake George, was the famous old French fort Ticonderoga, which Arnold and Ethan' Allen had captured from the British the year before. I tell you all this that you may know how the land lay. A glance at a good map will help. I think it very likely that some of you may have visited those beautiful lakes, and seen the towns and villages on their shores, the handsome dwellings on their islands, and the broad roads along their banks ; everything gay and smiling. If you had been there in 1776 you would have seen a very different sight. Look right or left, east or west, nothing but a wilderness of trees would have met your eyes. As for roads, I fancy an Indian trail would have been the best to be found. And no man that wished to keep his scalp on his head would have thought of living on island or shore. The only good road southward was the liquid one made by nature, and this road Carleton decided to take. He would build a strong fleet and transport his army down the lake, while the Indians that came with him could paddle downward in their canoes. 32 THE SOLDIER-SAILOR 33 At this time there was not a vessel on the lakes, but Carleton workefd hard and soon had such a fleet as these waters had never seen. Three of his ships were built in England in such a way that they could be taken to pieces, carried through the wilderness to St. John's, and there put together again. The smaller vessels were built on the spot, soldiers, sailors, and farmers all work- ing on them. It was well on in October before he got done. Then he had a fleet of twenty-five vessels in all, twenty of them being gunboats, but some of them quite large. Their crews numbered a thousand men and they carried eighty-nine cannon. You may well suppose that the Americans knew what was going on, and that they did not fold their hands and wait. That is not, and never was, the American way. If the British could build so could the Yankees, and Benedict Arnold was ordered to build a fleet to fight the British fleet when it was done. Arnold had been at sea in his time and knew some- thing of what he was about. His men were farmers who had taken up arms for their country, but he got a few shipbuilders from the coast and went to work like a Trojan. When October came he had fifteen vessels afloat. There were two schooners and one sloop, the others being called galleys and gondolas — no better than large row-boats, with three to six guns each. Arnold had about as many guns as Carleton, but they were smaller, and he had not nearly so many men to handle them. And his men were farmers instead of "^^^^^^ r/ sailors, and knew no more about a cannon than about a king's crown. But the British ships were manned by picked seamen from the warships in the St. Lawrence River, and had trained naval officers. I fear if any of us had been in Arnold's place we would have wanted to go home. It looked like folly for him and his men to fight the British fleet with its skilled officers and sailors and its heavy guns. It was like meeting a raft of logs with one of chips. But Arnold was not a man who stopped to count the cost when fighting was to be had. As soon as he was ready he set sail boldly up the lake, and on the morning of October 1 1, 1776, he drew up his little fleet across a narrow channel between Valcour Island and the west shore of the lake. He knew the British would soon be down. It was a fine, clear, cool morning, with a strong wind from the north, just the kind of day Carleton had been waiting for. So, soon after sunrise, his fleet came sweeping on past Valcour Island. But all the sailors saw was a thicket of green trees, and they had got well south of the island before they looked back and saw the American fleet. Here was an ugly situation. It would never do to leave the Americans in their rear. Down went the helms, round swept the sails, out came the oars, and soon the British fleet was making a struggle against the wind which had seemed so fair a few minutes before. So strong was the breeze that ten o'clock had passed before they reached the channel in which the Ameri- cans lay. 34 THE SOLDIER-SAILOR 35 Arnold came eagerly to meet them, with the Royal Savage, his largest vessel, and three of his gondolas. One of these, the Coiig7'ess, he had made his flag-ship. Soon the waters of that quiet bay rang with the roar of cannon and the shouts of fighting men, and Arnold, having drawn the fire of the whole British fleet, was obliged to hurry back. In doing so he met with a serious loss. The Royal Savage, pierced by a dozen balls, ran ashore on the island. As she could not be got off, the crew set her on fire and escaped to the woods. They had better have leaped into the lake, for the woods were full of Indians whom Carleton had sent ashore, and to be a prisoner to Indians in those days was a terrible fate. When he got back to his fleet, Arnold formed his line to meet the British, who came steadily on until within musket shot. Then a furious battle began, broad- side meeting broadside, grape-shot and round-shot hurt- ling through the air, the thick smoke of the conflict drifting into the woodland, while from the forest came back flame and bullets as the Indians fought for their British friends. Arnold, on the deck of the Congress, led in the thickest of the fight, handling his fleet as if he had been an admiral born, cheering the men at the guns, aiming and firing a gun at intervals himself, and not yielding a foot to the foe. Now and then a gun was fired at the Indians, forcing them to skip nimbly behind the trees. For six long hours the battle kept up at close quarters. This is what Arnold says about it in few words : " At half-past twelve the engagement became general and very warm. Some of the enemy's ships o Q>' \\\ \ 1.1 ; /7 i5 c3 and all their gondolas beat and rowed up within musket shot of us. They continued a very hot fire with round and grape-shot until five o'clock, when they thought proper to retire to about six or seven hundred yards distance, and continued the fire till dark." Hot as their fire was, they must have found that of the Americans hotter, for they went back out of range of the Yankee guns, but kept within range of their own. Arnold's vessels were in a bad plight. Several of them were as full of holes as a pepper bottle, and one sank soon after the fight ended. But two of the British gunboats had been sunk and one blown up. The worst for the Americans was that nearly all their powder was gone. They could not fight an hour more. Perilous as was the situation. Admiral Arnold was equal to it. The night came on dark and stormy, with a hard gale from the north. This was just what he wanted. Up came the anchors and away went the boats, one after the other in a long line, each showing a light to the vessel that followed, but hiding it from British eyes. In this way they slipped unseen through the British line, Arnold in the Congress taking the post of danger in the rear. When morning dawned and the British lookouts gazed for the American fleet, it was nowhere to be seen. It had vanished in the night and now was ten miles down the lake, where it was drawn up near shore for repairs. Two of the gondolas proved to be past mending, and were sunk. The others were patched up to keep them afloat without too much pumping, and the fleet 36 THE SOLDIER-SAILOR Zl started on, hoping to gain the shelter of Crown Point or Ticonderoga. The wind had changed to the south and they had to take to their oars. This kept them back, but it gave the British quite as much trouble. That day passed away and the next day, Friday, dawned before the pursuers came in sight. And now a chase began, with oar and sail, and kept up till noon, when Crown Point was still some leagues away. By this time the British cannon balls began to reach the American boats and the tired rowers were forced to turn to their guns and fight. Never did sea-hero fight more gallantly than did the soldier Arnold that day. The first British broad- side ruined the gondola Washington and forced it to surrender. But Arnold in the little Congress drew up beside the Inflexible, a 300-ton ship with eighteen 12- pounder cannon and fought the ship with his little gun- boat as if they had been of equal strength. Inspired by his example the other boats fought as bravely. Not until a third of his men were dead and his boat a mere wreck did he give up the fight. But not to sur- render — no such thought came into his mind. By his order the galleys were run ashore in a creek nearby and there set on fire. With the three guns of the shattered Congress he covered their retreat until their crews were safe on shore. Then, reckless of the British shot, he ran the Congress ashore also and stood guard at her stern while the crew set her on fire. The men by his orders sought the shore, but Arnold stood by his flag to the last, not leaving until the flames had such hold that he was sure no Briton's hand could strike his flag. It would float until it went up in flames. Then he sprang into the water, waded ashore, and joined his men, who greeted him with cheers. The savages were swarming in the woods, eager for scalps, but Arnold was not troubled by fear of them. Forming his men into order, he marched them through the woods, and before night reached safety at Crown Point. Thus ended one of the noblest fights the inland waters of America ever saw. The British were victors, though at a heavy cost. Arnold had fought until his fleet was annihilated ; and not in vain. Carleton sailed back to St. John's and made his way to Canada. He had seen enough of Yankee pluck. Thus Arnold, though defeated, gained by his valor the fruit of victory, for the British gave up their plan of holding the lake. 38 CHAPTER IV. Captain Paul Jones, THE GREATEST OF AMERICA'S NAVAL HEROES. NCE upon a time there lived in Scotland a poor gardener named John Paul, who had a little son to whom he gave the same name. The rich man's garden that the father took care of was close by the sea, and little John Paul got to love blue water so much that he spent most of his time near it, and longed to be a sailor. He lived in his father's cottage near the sea until he was twelve years old. Then he was put to work in a big town, on the other side of the Solway Firth. This town was called Whitehaven. It was a very busy place, and ships and sailors were there in such numbers that the little fellow, who had been put in a store, greatly liked to go down to the docks and talk with the seamen, who had been in so many different lands and seas, and who could tell him all about the wonderful and curious places they had seen, and about their adventures on the great oceans they had sailed over. In the end the boy made up his mind to go to sea. He studied all about ships and how to sail them. He read all the books he could get, and often, when other boys were asleep or in mischief, he was learning from the books he read many things that helped him when he grew older. 39 At last he had his wish. When he was only thir- teen years old, he was put as a sailor boy on a ship called the Friendship. The vessel was bound to Virginia, in America, for a cargo of tobacco, and the young sailor greatly en- joyed the voyage, and was especially delighted with the new country across the sea. He wished he could live in America, and hoped some day to go there again. When this first voyage was over, he returned to Whitehaven^ and went back to the store. But soon after the merchant who owned the store failed in busi- ness, and the boy was out of a place and had to look out for himself. This time he became a real seaman. For many years he served as a common sailor. He proved such a good one that before he was twenty years old he was a captain. This is how he became one. While the ship in which he was sailing was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a terrible fever broke out. The captain died. The mate, who comes next to the captain, died ; all of the sailors were sick, and some of them died. There was no one who knew about sailing such a big vessel, except young John Paul. So he took command, and sailed the ship into port without an accident, and the owners were so glad that they made the young sailor captain of the ship which he had saved for them. John Paul was not the only one of his family who loved America. He had a brother who had crossed the ocean and was living in Virginia, on the banks of the Rappahannock River. This was the same river beside which George Washington lived when a boy. 40 i i I CAPTAIN PAUL JONES 41 The young captain visited his brother several times while he was sailing on his voyages and he liked the country so much that, when his brother died, he gave up being a sailor for a while, and went to live on his brother's farm. When he became a farmer, he changed his name to Jones. Why he did so nobody knows. But he ever after bore the name of John Paul Jones. He made this one of the best known names in the history of the seas. I doubt if he was a very good farmer. He was too much of a sailor for that. So when the American Revolution began, he was eager to fight the British on the seas. There was no nation at that time so power- ful on the sea as England. The King had a splendid lot of ships of war — almost a thousand. The United States had none. But soon the Americans got together five little ships, and sent them out as the beginning of the American navy, to fight the ships of England. John Paul Jones was made first lieutenant of a ship called the Alfred. He had the good fortune to hoist, for the first time on any ship, the earliest Ameri- can flag. This was a great yellow silk flag which had on it the picture of a pine tree, with a rattlesnake coiled around it, and underneath were the words : " Don't tread on me ! " Then the grand union flag of the colonies was set. This had thirteen red and white stripes, like our present flag, but, instead of the stars, in the corner it had the British "union jack". Thus there was a link on the flag between the colonies and England. They had not quite cut apart. #« \^ <^i\ lb^ ^a Jones had first been offered the command of the Providence, a brig that bore twelve guns and had a crew of one hundred men. But he showed the kind of man he was by saying that he did not know enough to be a captain, and was hardly fit to be a first lieutenant. That was how he came to be made first lieutenant of the Alfred. Congress took him at his own price. But Commodore Hopkins, who commanded the fleet, was wise enough to see that Jones knew more about his work than most of the captains in the service. So he ordered him to take command of the Providence, the snug little brig he had first been offered. The new captain was put to carrying troops and guarding merchant vessels along the shore, and he did this with wonderful skill. There were British men-of- war nearly everywhere, but Jones managed to keep clear of them. He darted up and down Long Island Sound, carrying soldiers and guns and food to General Washington. So well did he do his work that Congress made him a captain. This was on August 8, 1776, a month and more after the " Declaration of Independ- ence." He had a free country now to fight for, instead of rebel colonies. The Providence was a little vessel, but it was a fast sailer and was wonderfully quick to answer the helm. That is, it turned very quickly when the rudder was moved. And it had a captain who knew how to sail a ship. All this got the little brig out of more than one tight place. I must tell you about one of these escapes, in which Captain Jones showed himself a very cute 42 CAPTAIN PAUL JONES 43 sea-fox. He came across a fleet of vessels which he thought were merchant ships, and had a fancy he might capture the largest. But when he got close up he found that this was a big British frigate, the Solebay. Away went the Providence at full speed, and hot foot after her came the Solebay. For four hours the chase was kept up, the frigate steadily gaining. At last she was only a hundred yards away. Now was the time to surrender. Nearly any one but Paul Jones would have done so. A broadside from the great frigate would have torn his little brig to pieces. But he was one of the "never surrender" kind. What else could he do, you ask. Well, I will tell you what he did. He quietly made ready to set all his extra sails, and put a man with a lighted match at each cannon, and had another ready to hoist the union flag. Then, with a quick turn of the helm, the little brig swung round like a top across the frigate's bows. As she did so all the guns on that side sent their iron hail sweeping across the deck of the Solebay. In a minute more the studding sails were set on both sides, like broad white wings, and away went the Providence as swift as a racer, straight before the wind and with the American flag proudly flying. The officers and men of the frigate were so upset by the sudden dash and attack that they did not know what to do. Before they came to their senses the brig was out of reach of their shot. Off like a bird she went, now quite outsailing her pursuer. The Solebay fired more than a hundred iron balls after her, but they only scared the fishes. In the fighting top of a modern Man-of- War. It was not long before Captain Jones found an- other big British ship on his track. He was now off the coast of Nova Scotia, and as there was nothing else to do he let his men have a day's sport in fishing for codfish. Fish are plenty in those waters, and they were pulling them up in a lively fashion when a strange sail rose in sight. When it came well up Captain Jones saw it was a British frigate, and judged it time to pull in his fishing lines and set sail on his little craft. Away like a deer went the brig and after her like a hound came the ship. But it soon proved that the deer was faster than the hound, and so Captain Jones began to play with the big frigate. He took in some of his sails and kept just out of reach. The Milford, which was the name of the British ship, kept firing at the Providence, but all her shot plunged into the waves. It was like the hound barking at the deer. And every time the T^/z'^r^ sent a broad- side Paul J(5nes replied with a musket. After he had all the fun he wanted out of the lumbering frigate, he spread all sail again and soon left her out of sight. We cannot tell the whole story of the cruise of the Providence. In less than two months it captured sixteen vessels and burned some others. Soon after that Jones was made captain of the Alfred, the ship on which he had raised the first flag. With this he took a splendid prize, the brig Mellish, on which were ten thousand uniforms for the British soldiers. Many a ragged sol- dier in Washington's army thanked him that winter for. a fine suit of warm clothing. 44 CAPTAIN PAUL JONES 45 Now let us tell one more fine thing that Captain Jones did in American waters, before he crossed the ocean to the British seas. Sailing along the coast of Canada he came upon a fleet of coal vessels, with a British frigate to take care of them. But it was foggy and the coalers were scattered, and Jones picked up three of them while the frigate went on with her eyes shut and not knowing that anything was wrong. Two days afterward he came upon a British priva- teer, which was on the hunt for American vessels. But when the Alfred came up it hardly fired a shot before down came its flag. Captain Jones now thought it time to get home. His ship was crowded with prisoners, he was short of food and water, and he had four prizes to look after, which were manned with some of his crew. But he was not to eet home without another ad- venture, for, late one afternoon, there came in sight the frigate Milford, the one which he had saluted with musket balls. He could not play with her now, for he had his prizes to look after, and while he could outsail her, the prizes could not. So he told the captains of the prizes to keep on as they were, no matter what signals he made. Night soon came, and the Alfred sailed on, with two lanterns swinging in her tops. Soon she changed her course and the Milford followed. No doubt her captain thou^^ht that the Yankee had lost his wits, to sail on with lanterns blazing and make it easy to keep in his track. But when morning dawned the British captain found he had been tricked. The Alfred was in sight, the prizes were gone except the privateer, whose captain had not obeyed orders. The result was the privateer was recaptured. But the Alfred kept ahead. That afternoon a squall of snow pon the sea, and the Yankee craft, "amid clouds darkness and foaming surges, made her escape." a few days more the Alfred sailed into Boston. There his ship was given another captain, and for six months he had nothing to do. Congress was full of politicians who were looking out for their friends, and the best seaman in the American navy was left sitting at home biting his thumb nails and whistling for a ship. I have not told you here the whole story of our great- est naval hero. I have not told you even the best part of his story, that part which has made him famous in all history, and put him on a level with the most cele- brated sea fighters of all time. The exploits of Paul Jones cover two seas, those of America and those of England, and in both he proved himself a brilliant sailor and a daring fighter. I think you will say this from what you have already read. His deeds of skill and bravery on our own coast were wonderful, and if they had stood alone would have given him great fame. But it was in the waters and on the shores of England that he showed the whole world what a man he was ; and now, when men talk of the great heroes of the sea, the name of John Paul Jones always stands first. This is the story we have next to tell, how Captain Jones crossed the ocean and bearded the British lion in his den. CHAPTER V. How Paul Jones Won Renown. / THE FIRST GREAT FIGHT OF THE AMERICAN NAVY. -» Jrjou have been told how Captain Paul Jones lost his I ship. He was given another in June, 1777. This -J was the Ranger^ a frigate carrying twenty-six guns, but it was such a slow old tub that our captain was not well pleased with his new craft. He did not want to run away from the British, but he wanted a ship that was fit to chase an enemy. We have one thing very interesting to tell. On the very day that Jones got his new ship Congress adopted a new flag, the American standard with its thirteen stars and thirteen stripes. As soon as he heard of the new flag. Captain Jones had one made in all haste, and with his own hands he ran it up to the mast-head of the Ranger. So she was the first ship that ever carried the " Stars and Stripes." Is it not interesting that the man who first raised the pine-tree flag of the colonies was the first to fling out to the breeze the star-spangled flag of the American Union ? Captain Jones was ordered to sail for France, but it took so long to get the Rafiger ready for sea that it was winter before he reached there. Benjamin Frank- lin and other Americans were there in France and were having a fine new frigate built for Paul Jones. But when England heard of it such a protest was made that the French government stopped the work on the ship, 47 ■'h \ ^:i ^ r^ b^^ JC^ British Captain surrendering his sword to Pauljones. and our brave captain had to go to sea again in the slow-footed Rajiger. He had one satisfaction. He sailed through the French fleet at Quileron Bay and saluted the French flag. The French admiral could not well help return- ing his salute. That was the first time the Stars and Stripes were saluted by a foreign power. What Captain Jones proposed to do was the boldest thing any American captain could do. Eng- and was invading America. He proposed to invades England. That is, he would cruise along the British coast, burning ships and towns, and thus do there what the British had done along the American coast. He wanted to let them see how they liked it themselves. It was a daring plan. The British Channel was full of war-vessels. If they got on the track of his slow ship he could not run away. He would never think of running from one ship, but there might be a fleet. But Paul Jones was the last man in the world to think of danger, so he put boldly out to sea, and took his chances. It was not long before he had all England in a stew. News came that this daring American war-ship was taking prize after prize, burning some and sending ' their crews ashore. He would hide along the English coast from the men-of-war that went out in search, and then suddenly dart out and seize some merchant ship. The English called Captain Jones a pirate, and all sorts of hard names. But they were very much afraid of him and his stout ship. And this voyage of his, along the shores of England, taught them to respect and fear 48 HOW PAUL JONES WON RENOWN 49 the American sailors more than they had ever done before. After he had captured many British vessels almost in sight of their homes, he boldly sailed to the north and into the very port of Whitehaven, where he had " tended store," as a boy, and from which he had first gone to sea. Heknewallabout the place. He knew how many vessels were there, and what a splendid victory he could win for the American navy, if he could sail into Whitehaven harbor and capture or destroy the two hundred vessels that were anchored within sight of the town he remembered so well. With two row-boats and thirty men he landed at Whitehaven, locked up the soldiers in the forts, fixed the cannon so that they could not be fired, set fire to one of the vessels that were in the harbor, and so frightened all the people that, though the gardener's son stood alone on the wharf, waiting for a boat to take him ofT, not a man dared to lay a hand on him. With a single pistol he kept back a thousand men. Then he sailed across the bay to the house of the great lord for whom his father had worked as a gard- ener. He meant to run away with this nobleman, and keep him prisoner until the British promised to treat better the Americans whom they had taken prisoners. But the lord whom he went for was " not at home," so all that Captain Jones' men could do was to carry off from the big house the silver ware of the earl. Captain Jones did not like this ; so he got the things back and returned them to Earl Selkirk, with a letter asking him to excuse his men. ^ > ♦ * * ^ • * • -^^^^ r Not long afterward one of the British men-of-war which were in the hunt for Captain Jones found him. This was the Drake, a larger ship than the Raiiger and carrying more men. But that did not trouble Paul Jones, and soon there was a terrible fight. The sails - of the Drake were cut to pieces, her decks were red with blood, and then her captain fell dead. In an hour after the fight began, just as the sun was going down behind the Irish hills, there came a cry for quarter from the Drake and the battle was at an end. Off went Captain Jones with his ship and his prize for the friendly shores of France, where he was received with great praise. Soon after this the French decided to help the Americans in their war for independence. After some time Captain Jones was put in command of five ships, and back he sailed to England to fight the British ships again. The vessel in which he sailed was the biggest of the five ships. It had forty guns and a crew of three hundred sailors. Captain Jones thought so much of the great Dr. Benjamin Franklin, who had written a book of good advice, under the name of " Poor Rich- ard," that he named his big ship for Dr. Franklin. He called it the Bon Hoynme Richard, which is French for "STOod man Richard." But the Bon Hom7ne Richard was not a good boat, if it was a big one. It was old and rotten and cranky, and not fit for a war-ship, but its new commander made the best he could of it. The little fleet sailed up and down the English coasts, capturing a few prizes, and greatly frightening 50 HO W PA UL JONES WON RENO WN 51 the people by saying that they had come to burn some of the big Enghsh sea towns. Then, just as they were about saiHng back to France, they came — near an Eng- lish Cape, called Flamborough Head — upon an English fleet of forty merchant vessels and two war ships. One of the war ships was a great English frigate, called the Serapis, finer and stronger every way than the Bon Homme Richard. But Captain Jones would not run away. "What ship is that?" called out the Englishman. "Come a little nearer, and we'll tell you," answered plucky Captain Jones. The British ships did come a little nearer. The forty merchant vessels sailed as fast as they could to the nearest harbor, and then the war ships had a terri- ble battle. At seven o'clock in the evening the British frigate and the Bon Ho77ime Richard began to fight. They banged and hammered away for hours, and then, when the British captain thought he must have beaten the Americans, and it was so dark and smoky that they could only see each other by the fire flashes, he called out to the American captain : 'Are you beaten? Have you hauled down your flag?" And back came the answer of Captain John Paul Jones: "I haven't begun to fight yet!" So they went at it again. The two ships were now lashed together, and they tore each other like savage dogs in a fight. The rotten old Richard suffered terribly. Two of her great guns had burst at the first fire, and she was shot through and through by the Serapis until most of o 6 her timbers above the water-Hne were shot away. The British rushed on board with pistols and cutlasses, but the Americans drove them back. But the Richard was fire : water was pouring in through a dozen shot on holes; it looked as if she must surrender, brave as were her captain and crew. There were nearly two hundred prisoners on board the old ship who had been taken from captured vessels, and so pitiful were their cries that one of the officers set them free, thinking that the ship was going to sink and that they ought to have a chance for their lives. These men came running up on deck, adding greatly to the trouble of Captain Jones, for he had now a crowd of enemies on his own ship. But the prisoners were so scared that they did not know what to do. They saw the ship burning around them and heard the water pouring into the hold, and thought they would be car- ried to the bottom. So to keep them from mischief they were set at work, some of them at the pumps, others at putting out the fire. And to keep the ship from blowing up, if the fire should reach the magazine, Captain Jones set men at bringing up the kegs of powder and throwing them into the sea. Never was there a ship in so desperate a strait, and there was hardly a man on board except Captain Jones who did not want to surrender. But the British were not having it all their own way. The American tars had climbed the masts and were firing down with muskets and flinging down hand grenades until all the British had to run from the upper deck. A hand grenade is a small, hollow iron ball filled 52 HO W PA UL JONES WON RENO WN 53 with powder, which explodes when thrown down and sends the bits of iron flying all around, like so many bullets. One sailor took a bucketful of these and crept far out on the yard-arm of the ship, and began to fling them down on the gun-deck of the Serapis, where they did much damage. At last one of them went through the open hatchway to the main deck, where a crowd of men were busy working the great guns, and cartridges lay all about and loose powder was scattered on the floor. The grenade set fire to this powder, and in a sec- ond there was a terrible explosion. A great sheet of flame burst up through the hatchway and frightful cries came from below. In that dreadful moment more than twenty men were killed and many more were wounded. All the guns on that deck had to be abandoned. There were no men left to work them. Where was Captain Jones all the time, and what was he doing ? You may be sure he was busy. He had taken a gun and loaded it with double headed shot, and kept firing at the mainmast of the Serapis. Every shot cut a piece out of the mast, and after a while it came tumbling upon the deck, with all its spars and rigging. The tarred ropes quickly caught fire and the ship was in flames. At this moment up came the Alliance, one of Cap- tain Jones's fleet. He now thought that the battle was at an end, but to his horror the Alliance, instead of fir- ing at the British ship, began to pour its broadsides into his own. He called to them for God's sake to quit firing, but they kept on, killing some of his best men, and making several holes under water, through which new floods poured into the ship. The Alliance had a French captain who hated Paul Jones and wanted to sink his ship. Both ships were now in flames, and water rushed into the Richard faster than the pumps could keep it out. Some of the officers begged Captain Jones to pull down his flag and surrender, but he would not give up. He thought there was always a chance while he had a deck under his feet. Soon the cowardly French traitor quit firing and sailed off, and Paul Jones began his old work again, firing at the Serapis as if the battle had just begun. This was more than the British captain could bear. His ship was a mere wreck and was blazing around him, so he ran on deck and pulled down his flag with his own hands. The terrible battle was at an end. The British ship had given up the fight. Lieutenant Dale sprang on board the Serapis, went up to Captain Pearson, the British commander, and asked him if he surrendered. The Englishman replied that he had, and then he and his chief ofiicer went aboard the battered Richard, which was sinking even in its hour of victory. But Captain Jones stood on the deck of his sink- ing vessel, proud and triumphant. He had shown what 54 HO W PA UL JONES WON RENO WN 55 an American captain and American sailors could do, even when everything was against them. The English captain gave up his sword to the American, which is the way all sailors and soldiers do when they surrender their ships or their armies. The fight had been a brave one, and the English King knew that his captain had made a bold and des- perate resistance, even if he had been whipped. So he rewarded Captain Pearson, when he at last returned to England, by making him a Knight, thus giving him the title of "Sir". When Captain Jones heard of this he laughed, and said : '* Well, if I can meet Captain Pearson again in a sea fight, I'll make him a lord." The poor Bon Homme Richard was such an utter wreck that she soon sunk beneath the waves. But, even as she went down, the stars and stripes floated proudly from the masthead, in token of victory. Captain Jones, after the surrender, put all his men aboard the captured Serapis, and then off he sailed to the nearest friendly port, with his great prize and all his prisoners. This victory made him the greatest sailor in the whole American war, and the most famous of all American seaman. Captain Jones took his prize into the Dutch port of Texel, closely followed by a British squadron. The country of Holland was not friendly to the Americans, and though they let him come in, he was told that he could not stay there. So he sailed again ; in a howl- ing gale, straight through the British squadron, with the American flag flying at his peak. Down through the narrow Straits of Dover he passed, coming so near the English shore that he could count the warships at N/ anchor In the Downs. That was his way of showing how little he feared them. The English were so angry at Holland because it would not give up the Americans and their prizes that they declared war against that country. When Captain Jones reached Paris he was received with the greatest honor, and greeted as one of the ablest and bravest of sea-fighters. Everybody wished to see such a hero. He went to the King's court, and the King and Queen and French lords and ladies made much of him and gave him receptions, and said so many fine things about him that, if he had been at all vain, it might have " turned his head," as people say. But John Paul Jones was not vain. He was a brave sailor, and he was in France to get help and not compliments. He wished a new ship to take the place of the old Richard, which had gone to the bottom after its great victory. So, though the King of France honored him and receive him splendidly and made him presents, he kept on working to get another ship. At last he was made captain of a new ship, called the Ariel, and sailed from France. He had a fierce battle with an English ship called the T^numph, and defeated her. But she escaped before surrendering, and Captain Jones sailed across the sea to America. He was received at home with g-reat honor and applause. Congress gave him a vote of thanks " for the zeal, prudence and intrepidity with which he had sup- ported the honor of the American flag " — that is what the vote said. 56 HO W PA UL /ONES WON RENO WN 57 People everywhere crowded to see him, and called him hero and conqueror. Lafayette, the brave young Frenchman who came over to fight for America, called him "my dear Paul Jones," and Washington and the other leaders in America said, " Well done, Captain Jones !" The King of France sent him a splendid reward of merit called the " Cross of Honor," and Congress set about building a fine ship for him to command. But before it was finished, the war was over, and he was sent back to France on some important business for the United States. Here he was received with new honor, for the French knew how to meet and treat a brave man, and above all they loved a man who had humbled the Eng- lish, their ancient foes. Captain Jones had sailed from a French port and in a French ship, and they looked on him almost as one of their own. But all this did not make him proud or boastful, for he was not that kind of man. In later years Paul Jones served in Russia in the wars with the Turks. But the British officers who were in the Russian service refused to fight under him, say- ing that he was a rebel, a pirate and a traitor. This was because he had fought for America after being born in Scotland. So, after some hard fighting, he left Russia and went back to France, where he died in 1 792. In all the history of sea fighting we hear of no braver man, and the United States, so long as it is a nation, will be proud of and honor the memory of the gallant sailor, John Paul Jones. h'^M fi 1t§ X ■^^^1 ^.V'*!*' ^^'^^'^X^, <:?c?c? \ ^^. CHAPTER VI. Captain Bushnell Scares the British. THE PIONEER TORPEDO BOAT AND THE BATTLE OF THE KEQS. ANY of US all our lives have seen vessels of every size and shape darting to and fro over the water, some with sails spread to the wind, others with M puffing pipes and whirling wheels. And that is not all. Men have tried to go under water as well as on top. Some of you may have read Jules Verne's famous story, '* Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas." That, of course, is all fiction ; but now-a-days there are vessels which can go miles under the water without once coming to the top. We call these submarine boats and look upon them as something very new. You may be surprised to learn that there was a submarine boat as long ago as the war of the Revolution. It was not a very good one, and did not do the work it was built for, but it was the first of its kind, and that is something worth while. Those of you who have studied history will know that after the British were driven out of Boston they came to New York with a large army, and took posses- sion of that city. Washington and his men could not keep them out, and had to leave. There the British lay, with their army in the city and their fleet in the bay and river, and there they stayed for years. There was an American who did not like to see British vessels floating in American waters. He knew 58 CAPTIAN BUSHNELL SCARES THE BRITISH 59 he could not drive them away, but he thought he might give them some trouble. This was a Connecticut man named David Bushnell, a chap as smart as a steeltrap and one of the first American inventors. What Bushnell did was to invent a boat that would move under water and might be made to blow up an enemy's ship. As it was the first of this kind ever made, I am sure you will want to know what it was like and how it was worked. He called it The American Turtle, for it looked much like a great swimming turtle, big enough to hold (3^\ a man and also to carry a torpedo loaded with 150 pounds of gunpowder. This was to be fastened to the wooden bottom of a ship and then fired off. It was expected to blow a great hole in the bottom and sink the vessel. Of course, the boat was air-tight and water-tight, but it had a supply of fresh air that would last half an hour for one man. There was an oar for rowing and a rud- der for steering. A valve in the bottom let in the water when the one-man crew wanted to sink his turtle-like boat, and there were two pumps to force the water out again when he wanted to rise. There were windows in the top shell of the turtle, and air pipes to let out the foul air and take in fresh air, and small doors that could be opened when at the surface, and heavy lead ballast to keep the turtle level. In fact, the affair was very ingenious and complete. A very important part of it was the torpedo, with its 150 pounds of powder. This was carried outside, above the rudder. It was so made that when the boat JOSHUA BARNEY, Who commanded the " Hyder AH " in the last naval battle of the Revolution. HI III i came under a vessel the man inside could fasten it with a screw to the vessel's bottom, and row away and leave it there. Inside it was a clock, which could be set to run a certain time and then loosen a sort of eun-lock. This struck a spark and set fire to the powder, and up — or down — went the vessel. You can see that Dave Bushnell's invention was a very neat one ; but, for all that, luck went against it. He first tried his machine with only two pounds of powder on a hogshead loaded with stones. The pow der was set on fire, and up went the stones and the boards of the hogshead and a body of water, many feet into the air. If two pounds of powder would do all this, what would one hundred and fifty pounds do? In 1776 the Turtle was sent out against a big British ship named the Eagle, anchored in New York Bay. The man inside rowed his boat very well under water, and after some time found himself beneath the King's ship. He now tried to fasten the torpedo to the bottom, but the screw struck an iron bar and would not go in. Then he moved to another place, but now he lost the ship altogether. He could not find her again, and he had to row away, for he could not stay much longer under water. There is a funny story told about the man in the Turtle. He was a queer fellow named Abijah Ship- man, but called by his companions *' Long Bige". As he entered the craft and was about to screw down its cover, he opened it again and asked for a chew of tobacco. All those present felt in their pockets, but none of the weed was on hand. 60 I CAPTAIN BUSH NELL SCARES THE BRITISH 6i " You will have to go without it, old chap," said General Putman, who was present. " We Continental officers can't afford even a plug of tobacco. To-mor- row, after you have sent the Eagle on her last flight, we will try and raise you a whole keg of the weed." "That's too bad," growled Bige. "Tell you what, gineral, if the old Turtle don't do her duty, it's all along of me goin' out without tobacco." After he had eone Putnam and his officers watched anxiously for results. Time passed. Morning was at hand. The Eagle rode unharmed. Evidently some- thing had gone wrong. Had the torpedo failed, and was " Long Bige" resting in his wrecked machine on the bottom of the bay ? Putnam swept the waters near the Eagle with his glass. Suddenly he exclaimed, "There, he is." The top of the Turtle had just emerged, some distance from the ship. Abijah, fearing that he might be seen, had cast off the torpedo that he might go the faster. The clock had been set to run an hour, and at the end of that time there was a thundering explosion near the fleet, hurling up great volumes of water into the air. Soon there were signs of fright in the ships. The anchors were raised, sails were set, and off they went to safer quarters down the bay. They did not care to be too near such dangerous affairs as that. Boats were sent out to the aid of the Ttirtle and it was brought ashore at a safe place. On landing Abi- jah gave, in his queer way, the reasons for his failure. " It's just as I said, gineral ; it went to pot for want o that cud of tobacco. You see, I'm mighty narvous JOHN BARRY, A gallant naval hero of Irish blood. without my tobacco. When I got under the ship's bottom, somehow the screw struck the iron bar that passes from the rudder pintle, and wouldn't hold on anyhow I could fix it. Just then I let go the oar to feel for a cud, to steady my narves, and I hadn't any. The tide swept me under her counter, and away I slipped top o' water. I couldn't manage to get back, so I pulled the lock and let the thunder-box slide. That's what comes of sailing short of supplies. Say, can you raise a cud among you now?'' Later on, after the British had taken the city of New York, two more attempts were made to blow up vessels in the river above the city. But they both failed, and in the end the British fired upon and sunk the Turtle. Bushnell's work was lost. The best he had been able to do was to give them a good scare. But he was not yet at the end of his schemes. He next tried to blow up the Cerberus, a British frigate that lay at anchor in Long Island Sound. This time a schooner saved the frigate. A powder magazine was set afloat, but it struck the schooner, which lay at an- chor near the frigate. The schooner went to pieces, but the Cerberus was saved. The most famous of Bushnell's exploits took place at Philadelphia, after the British had taken possession and brought their ships up into the Delaware River. One fine morning a number of kegs were seen floating down among the shipping. What they meant nobody knew. The sailors grew curious, and a boat set out from a vessel and picked one of them up. In a 62 'A\ CAPTAIN BUSHNELL SCARES THE BRITISH 63 minute it went off, with the noise of a cannon, sinking the boat and badly hurting the man. This filled the British with a panic. Those terri- I ble kegs might do frightful damage. They must be some dreadful invention of the rebels. The sailors ran out their guns, great and small, and began to batter I every keg they saw with cannon balls, until there was a rattle and roar as if a mighty battle was going on. Such was the famous " Battle of the Kegs." This was more of Dave Bushnell's work. He had made and set adrift those powder kegs, fixing them so that they would explode on touching anything. But he did not understand the river and its tides. He intended to have them get among the ships at night, but it was broad day when they came down, and by that time the eddying waters had scattered them far and wide. So the powder kegs were of no more account than the tor- pedoes. All they did was to give the British a scare. Philadelphia had a poet named Francis Hopkinson, who wrote a poem making fun of the British, called "The Battle of the Kegs." We give a few verses of this humorous poem : 'Twas early day, as poets say, Just as the sun was rising ; A soldier stood on a log of wood And saw the sun a-rising. As in amaze he stood to gaze (The truth can't he denied, sir) He spied a score of kegs, or more. Come floating down the tide, sir. A sailor, too, in jerkin blue, The strange appearance viewing. .J^ ^^? 5<'^. an end. But the Raleigh could not shake off the British bull- dogs. At about 9 o'clock the next morning they' came in sight again and the chase was renewed. It was kept up till late in the day. At first the Raleigh went so fast that her pursuers dropped out of sight. Then the wind failed her, and the British ships came up with a strong breeze. At 5 o'clock the fastest British frigate was close at hand, and Barry thought he would try what she was good for before the other came up. In a few minutes more the two ships were hurling iron balls into each other's sides, while the smoke of the conflict filled the skies. Then the fore-topmast and mizzen-topgallantmast of the Raleigh were shot away, leaving her in a crippled state. The British ship had now much the best of it. Barry tried his best to reach and board her, but she sailed too fast. And up from the south came the other ship, at swift speed. To fight them both with a crippled craft would have been madness, and, as he could not get away, Barry decided to run his ship ashore on the coast of Maine, which was close at hand. Night soon fell, and with it fell the wind. Till midnight the two ships drifted along, with red fire spurting from their sides and the thunder of cannon echoing from the hills. In the end the Raleigh ran ashore on an island near the coast. Here Barry fought for some time longer, and then set his ship on fire and went ashore with his men. But the British were quickly on board, put out the fire, and carried off their prize. Barry and his men made their way through the Maine woods till the settlements were reached. In 1 78 1 Captain Barry was sent across the ocean in the Alliance, a vessel which had taken part in the famous battle of the Bo7i Hojnme Richard and the Serapis. Here the gallant fellow fought one of his best battles, this time also against two British ships. 70 CAPTAIN BARRY AND HIS ROW BOATS 71 When he came upon them there was not a breath of wind. All sail was set, but the canvas flapped against the yards, and the vessel lay " As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean." The British vessels were a brig and a sloop-of-war. They wanted to fight as badly as did Captain Barry, and as they could not sail they got out sweeps and rowed up to the American frigate. It was weary work, and it took them six hours to do It. Then came the hails of the captains and the roar of cannon, and soon there was a very pretty fight, with the Alliance in a dangerous situation. She was too heavy to be moved with sweeps, like the light British vessels, so they got on her quarters and poured in broadsides, while she could reply only with a few guns. Barry raged like a wild bull, bidding his men fight, and begging for a wind. As he did so a grape-shot struck him in the shoulder and felled him to the deck. As he was carried below, a shot carried away the Ameri- can flag. A lusty cheer came from the British ships ; they thought the flag down and the victory theirs. They soon saw it flying again. But the Allia?ice was in sore straits. She was getting far more than she could give, and had done little harm to her foes. At length a lieutenant came down to the wounded captain. " We cannot handle the ship and are being cut to pieces," he said. " The rigging is in tatters and the foretopmast in danger, and the carpenter reports two serious leaks. Eight or ten of our people are killed and more wounded. The case seems hopeless, sir ; shall we strike the colors ?" *' No !" roared Barry, sitting bolt upright. " Not on your life ! If the ship can't be fought without me, then carry me on deck." The lieutenant went up and reported, and the story soon got to the men. " Good for Captain Barry," they shouted. " We'll stand by the old man." A minute later a change came. A ripple of water was seen. Soon a breeze rose, the sails filled out, and the Alliance slipped forward and yielded to her helm. This was what the brave Barry had been waiting for. It was not a case of whistling for a wind, as sailors often do, but of hoping and praying for a wind. It came just in time to save the Alliance from lowering her proud flag, or from going to the bottom with it still flying, as would have suited her bold captain the better. Now she was able to give her foes broadside for broadside, and you may be sure that her gunners, who had been like dogs wild to get at the game, now poured in shot so fast and furious that they soon drove the foe in terror from his guns. In a short time, just as Captain Barry was brought on deck with his wound dressed, their flags came down. The prizes proved to be the Atlanta and the Tre- passy. That fight was near the last in the war. At a later date Captain Barry had the honor of carrying General Lafayette home to France in his ship. 72 CHAPTER VIII. Captain Tucker Honored by George Washington. THE DARING ADVENTURES OF THE HERO OF MARBLEHEAD. C''"~1aptain Samuel Tucker was a Yankee boy who began his career by running away from home i— J and shipping as a cabin-boy on the British sloop-of-war Royal George. It was a good school for a seaman, and when his time was up he knew his busi- ness well. There was no war then and he shipped as second- mate on a merchant vessel sailing from Salem. Here he soon had a taste of warlike life and showed what kind of metal was in him. The Mediterranean Sea in those days was infested by pirates sailing from the Moorish ports. It was the work of these to "capture merchant ships, take them into port and sell their crews as slaves. On Tucker's first voyage from Salem two of these piratical craft, swift corsairs from Algiers, came in sight and began a chase of the merchantman. What could be done ? There was no hope to run away from those fleet-footed sea-hounds. There was no hope to beat them off in a fight. The men were in a panic and the captain sought courage in rum, and was soon too drunk to handle his ship. Tucker came to the rescue. Taking the helm, he put it hard down and headed straight for the pirates. It looked as if he was sailing straight for destruction, 73 ''^VVv ^Vv ^*^^V.i ( r^'^^N^ j»»^^1*^%. •Hv '^S % ■CT'CsO but he knew what he was about. The Yankee schooner, if It could not sail as fast, could be handled easier than the Algerines, with their lateen sails, and by skillful steering he got her into such a position that the pirates could not fire into him without hurting one another. Try as they would, Mate Tucker kept his vessel in this position, and held her there until the shades of night fell. Then he slipped away, and by daylight was safe in port. You may see from this that Samuel Tucker was a bold and a smart man and an able seaman. After that he was at one time an officer in the Brit- ish navy and at another a merchant captain. He was in London when the Revolution began. His courage and skill were so well known that he was offered a commis- sion in either the army or the navy, if he was willing to serve " his gracious Majesty." Tucker forgot where he was, and rudely replied, " Hang his gracious Majesty! Do you think I am the sort of man to fight against my country?" Those were rash words to be spoken in London. A charge of treason was brought against him and he had to seek safety in flight. For a time he hid in the house of a country inn-keeper who was his friend. Then a chance came to get on shipboard and escape from the country. In this way he got back to his native land. It was not only the English who knew Captain Tucker's ability. He was known in America as well No doubt there were many who had heard how he had served the pirate Moors. He had not long been home when General Washington sent him a commission as 74 CAPTAIN TUCKER HONORED 75 captain of the ship Franklin and ordered him to get to sea at once. The messenger with the commission made his way to the straggling old town of Marblehead, where Tucker lived. Inquiring for him in the town, he was directed to a certain house. Reaching this, the messenger saw a roughly-dressed and weather-beaten person working in the yard, with an old tarpaulin hat on his head and a red bandanna hand- kerchief tied loosely round his neck. The man, thinking him an ordinary laborer, called out from his horse : "Say, good fellow, can you tell if the Honorable Samuel Tucker lives here or hereabouts ?" The workman looked up with a quizzical glance from under the brim of his tarpaulin and replied : " Honorable, honorable ! There's none of that name in Marblehead. He must be one of the Salem Tuckers. I'm the only Samuel Tucker in this town." "Anyhow, this is where I was told to stop. A house standing alone, with its gable-end to the sea. This is the only place I've seen that looks like that." "Then I must be the Tucker you want, honorable or not. What is it you have got to say to him ?" He soon learned, and was glad to receive the news. Early the next morning he had left home for the port where the Franklin lay, and not many days passed be- fore he was out at sea. The Franklin, under his command, proved one of the most active ships afloat. She sent in prizes in numbers. More than thirty were taken in 1776 — ships, THE PRESS GANG. This was a means of forcing men into the Navy, practiced in the early part of the igth Century. '^f^ brigs and smaller vessels, including "a brigantine from Scotland worth fifteen thousand pounds." These were not all captured without fighting. Two British brigs were taken so near to Marblehead that the captain's wife and sister, hearing the sound of can- non, went up on a high hill close by and saw the fight through a spy-glass. m The next year Captain Tucker was put in com- ■ mand of the frigate Boston, and in 1778 he took John Adams to France as envoy from the United States. It was a voyage full of incidents. They passed through days of storm, which nearly wrecked the ship. Many vessels were seen, and the Boston was chased by three men-of-war. She ran away from these, and soon after came across a large armed vessel, which Captain Tucker de- cided to fight. When the drum called the men to quar- ters, Mr. Adams seized a musket and joined the marines. The captain requested him to go below. Finding that he was not going to obey, Tucker laid a hand on his shoulder and said firmly : " Mr. Adams, I am commanded by the Continental Congress to deliver you safe in France. You must go below." Mr. Adams smiled and complied. The next min- ute there came a broadside from the stranger. There was no response from the Boston. Other shots came, and still no reply. At length the blue-jackets began to grumble. Looking them in the eyes. Tucker said, in quizzical tones : "Hold on, lads. I want to get that ^^ hurry, so eight gun-ports were cut on each side, and the ship was mounted with sixteen six-pounder cannon. Then she set sail from Philadelphia in charge of a fleet of merchant vessels. On they went, down the Delaware river and bay, until Cape May was reached. Here Captain Barney saw that there was trouble ahead. Three British vessels came in sight. One of these was the frigate Quebec. The others were a brig, the Fair American^ and a sloop-of-war, the General Monk. Before such a fleet the Hyder All was like a spar- row before a hawk. Captain Barney at once signalled 80 THE LAST NAVAL BATTLE 8i his merchant ships to make all haste up the bay. Away they flew like a flock of frightened birds, except one, whose captain thought he would slip round the cape and, get to sea. But the British soon swallowed up him and his ship, so he paid well for his smartness. On up the bay went the other merchantmen, with the Hyder AH in the rear and the British squadron hot on their track. The frigate sailed into a side channel, thinking it would find a short-cut and so head them ofl". Captain Barney watched this movement with keen eyes. The big ship had put herself out of reach for a time. He knew well that she could not get through that way, and laid his plans to have some sport with the small fish while the big fish was away. The brig Fair American was a privateer and a fast one. It came up with a fair breeze, soon reaching the Hyder Ali, which expected a fight. But the privateer wanted prizes more than cannon balls, and went straight on, firing a broadside that did no harm. Captain Bar- ney let her go. The sloop-of-war was coming fast behind, and this was enough for him to attend to. It had more guns than his ship and they were double the weight — twelve-pounders to his six-pounders. As the war sloop came near, Barney turned to his helmsman, and said : *' I want you to go opposite to my orders. If I tell you to port your helm, you are to put it hard-a- starboard. Do you understand ?" "Aye, aye!" answered the tar. Up came the General Monk, its captain thinking to make an easy prize, as the Fair American had been 6 ♦ ♦**■* ■^i^r^ *£;Si- -^ let go past without a shot. When about a dozen yards away the British captain hailed : " Strilce your colors, or I will fire !" " Hard-a-port your helm," roared Barney to the man at the wheel. " Do you want her to run aboard ?M The order was heard on board the enemy, and the captain gave orders to meet the expected movement. But hard-a-starboard went the helm, and the Hydei' AH swung round in front of the enemy, whose bowsprit caught and became entangled in her fore-rigging. This gave the American ship a raking position, and in a moment the grim tars were hard at work with their guns. Broadsides were poured in as fast as they could load and fire, and every shot swept from bow to stern. The Englishman, though he had double the weight of metal, could not get out of the awkward position in which Barney had caught him, and his guns did little harm. In less than half an hour down went his flag. It was none too soon. The frigrate had seen the fight from a distance, and was making all haste to get out of its awkward position and take a hand in the game. Barney did not even wait to ask the name of his prize, but put a crew on board and bade them make all haste to Philadelphia. He followed, steering now for the Fair American, But the privateer captain had seen the fate of the Gen- eral Monk and concluded that he had business else- where. So he ran away instead of fighting, and soon ran ashore. The Hyder AH left him there and made all haste up stream. The frigate had by this time got 82 THE LAST NAVAL BATTLE 83 ' out of her side channel, and was coming up under full sail. So Captain Barney crowded on all sail also and fled away after his prize. If the frigate had got within gunshot it would soon have settled the question, for it could have sunk the Hyder AH with a broadside. But it was not fast enough, and after a speedy run the victor and her prize drew up beside a Philadelphia wharf. Never had the good people of the Quaker City gazed on such a sight as now met their eyes. Nothing had been done to remove the marks of battle. The ships came in as they had left the fight. Shattered bulwarks, ragged rents in the hulls, sails in tatters and drooping cordage told the story of the desperate battle. And the decks presented a terrible picture. Blood was everywhere. On the General Monk were stretched the dead bodies of twenty men, while twenty-six wounded lay groaning below. The Hyder AH had suffered much less, having but four killed and eleven wounded. In all the Revolutionary war there have been few more brilliant actions, and his victory gave Joshua Bar- ney a high standing among the naval commanders of the young Republic. Shall we take up the story of the gallant Barney at a later date ? Thirty years after his victory over the General Monk there was war as^ain between Americans and Britons, and Commodore Barney, now an old man, took an active part. He started out in the early days of the war with no better vessel than the schooner Rossie, of fourteen guns and 120 men. He soon had lively times. The h 'W / / */ 1 1 1 D 'a^' Rossie was a clipper, and he could run away from an enemy too strong to fight, though running away was not much to his taste. In his first cruise he was out forty-five days, and in that time he captured fourteen vessels and i66 prisoners. In a month's time he was at sea again. Now he got among British frigates and had to trust to the heels of his little craft. But in spite of the great ships that haunted the seas, new prizes fell into his hands, one being taken after an hour's fight. In all, the vessels and car- goes taken by him were worth nearly $3,000,000, though most of this wealth went to the bottom of the sea. The next year (18 13) he was made Commodore of! a fleet of gun-boats in Chesapeake Bay. Here for a year he had very little to do. Then the British sailed up the Chesapeake intending to capture Washington and Baltimore. Barney did not hesitate to attack them, and did considerable damage, though they were much too strong for his small fleet. At length there came from the frightened people at Washington the order to burn his fleet, and, much against his will, he was forced to consign his gunboats to the flames. With his men, about 400 in all, he joined, the army assembled to defend the capital. These sailor-soldiers made the best fight of any of the troops that sought to save Washington from cap- ture, but during the fight Commodore Barney received a wound that brought his fighting days to an end. Fortunately there was little more fighting to do, and peace reigned over his few remaining years of life. 84 CHAPTER X. The Moorish Pirates of the Mediterranean. OUR NAVY TEACHES THEM A LESSON IN HONOR. SUPPOSE all the readers of this book know what a pirate is. For those who may not know, I would say that a pirate is a sea-robber. They are terri- I ble fellows, these pirates, who live by murder and plunder. In old times there were many ship-loads of them upon the seas, who captured every merchant vessel they met with and often killed all on board. There have been whole nations of pirates, and that as late as a hundred years ago. By looking at an atlas you will see at the north of Africa the nations of Al- giers, Tunis and Tripoli. The people of these nations are called Moors, and they used to be great sea-rob bers. They sent out fast vessels in the Mediterranean Sea and no merchant ship there was safe. Hundreds of such ships were taken and robbed. Their crews were not killed, but they were sold as slaves, which was nearly as bad. Would you not think that the powerful nations of Europe would soon put a stop to this ? They could have sent fleets and armies there and conquered the Moors. But instead of that they paid them to let their ships alone. Not long after the Revolution these sea-robbers began to make trouble for the United States. The new nation, you should know, had no navy. After it was done 85 fighting with the British it was so poor that it sold all its ships. But it soon had many merchant ships, sail- ing to all seas, which were left to take care of them- selves the best way they could. What did the pirates of Algiers care for this young nation across the Atlantic, that had rich merchant ships and not a war vessel to protect them ? Very little, I fancy. It is certain that they soon began to capture American ships and sell their sailors for slaves. In a short time nearly two hundred American sailors were workinof as slaves In the Moorish states. The United States did not act very bravely. In- stead of sending out a fleet of war-ships, it made ai treaty with Algiers and agreed to pay a certain sum of money every year to have its vessels let alone. While the treaty lasted more than a million dollars were paid to the Dey of Algiers. If that much had been spent for strong frigates the United States would not have had the disgrace of paying tribute to the Moors. But the natives of Europe were doing the same, so the disgrace belonged to them also. The trouble with the Moors got worse and worse, and the Dey of Algiers became very insolent to Ameri- cans. "You are my slaves, for you pay me tribute," he said to the captain of an American frigate. " I have a right to order you as I please." When the other pirate nations, Tunis and Tripoli, found that Algiers was being paid, they asked for trib- ute too. And they began to capture American ships and sell their crews into slavery. And their monarchs were as insolent as the Dey. 86 THE MOORISH PIRATES 87 The United States at that time was young and poor. It had not been twenty years free from British armies. But it was proud, if it was poor, and did not Hke to have its captains and consuls ordered about like servants. So the President and Congrress thought it was time to teach the Moors a lesson. This was in 1801. By that time a fleet of war vessels had been built, and a squadron of these was sent to the Mediterranean under Commodore Richard Dale. This was the man who had been in Paul Jones's great fight and had received the surrender of the captain of the Serapis. He was a bold, brave officer, but Con- gress had ordered him not to fight if he could help it, and therefore very little was done. But there was one battle the story of which we must tell. Commodore Dale had three frigates and one little schooner, the Enterprise. All the honor of the cruise came to this little craft. She was on her way to Malta when she came in sight of a low, long vessel at whose mast-head floated the flag of Tripoli. When this came near it was seen to be a corsair which had long waged war on American merchantmen. Before Captain Sterrett of the E?iterprise, had time to hail, the Moors began to fire at his ship. He was I>ECAar cfK. t^jtp^tke;: -A-t C-e. b^x/kjct '"'^^^Xl V ^9^X^ v ■vs / p / \ **%vxJk 'QOt^ told not to fight if he could help it, but Sterrett decided that he could not help it. He brought his schooner within pistol shot of the Moor, and poured broadsides into the pirate ship as fast as the men could load and fire. The Moors replied. For two hours the battle con- tinued, with roar of cannon and rattle of muskets and dense clouds of smoke. The vessels were small and their guns were light, so that the battle was long drawn out. At last the fire of the corsair ceased, and a whiff of air carried away the smoke. Looking across the waves, the sailors saw that the flag of Tripoli no longer waved, and three hearty American cheers rang out. The tars left their guns and were getting ready to board their prize, when up again went the flag of Tripoli and another broadside was fired into their vessel. Their cheers of triumph turned to cries of rage. Back to their guns they rushed, and fought more fiercely than before. They did not care now to take the prize ; they wished to send her, with her crew of villains, to the bottom of the sea. The Moors fought as fiercely as the Americans. Running their vessel against the Enterprise, they tried again and again to leap on board and finish the battle with pistol and cutlass ; but each time they were driven back. The men at the guns meanwhile poured in two more broadsides, and once more down came the flag of' Tripoli. Captain Sterrett did not trust the traitors this time. He bade his men keep to their guns, and ordered the Tripolitans to bring their vessel under the quarter of 88 i I THE MOORISH PIRATES the Enterprise. They had no sooner done so than a throng of the Moorish pirates tried to board the schooner. '* No quarter for the treacherous dogs !" was the cry of the furious sailors. " Pour it into them ; send the thieves to the bottom !" The E^iterprise now drew off to a good position and raked the foe with repeated broadsides. The Moors were bitterly punished for their treachery. Their deck ran red with blood, men and officers lay bleeding in throngs, the cries of the wounded rose above the noise of the cannon. The flag was down again, but no heed was paid to that. The infuriated sailors were bent on sending the pirate craft to the bottom. At length the corsair captain, an old man with a flowing white beard, appeared at the side of his ship, sorely wounded, and, with a low bow, cast his flag into the sea. Then Captain Sterrett, though he still felt like sinking the corsair, ordered the firing to stop. The prize proved to be named the Tripoli. What was to be done with it ? Captain Sterrett had no authority to take prizes. At length he concluded that he would teach the Bashaw of Tripoli a lesson. He sent Lieutenant David Porter, a daring young officer who was yet to make his mark, on the prize, telling him to make a wreck of her. Porter was glad to obey those orders. He made the captive Tripolitans cut down their masts, throw all their cannon and small arms into the sea, cut their sails to pieces, and fling all their powder overboard. He left them only a jury-mast and a small sail. ♦♦# ^Jrvjrfcip Vp^ ijr ^1^14) u 'See here," said Porter to the Moorish captain, " we have not lost a man, while fifty of your men are killed or wounded. You may go home now and tell this to your Bashaw, and say to him that in the time to come the only tribute he will get from the United States will be a tribute of powder and balls," Away drifted the wrecked hulk, followed by the jeers of the American sailors, who were only sorry that the treacherous pirate had not been scuttled and sent to the bottom of the sea. When it reached Tripoli the Bashaw was mad with rage. Instead of the plunder and the white slaves he had looked for, he had only a dismantled hulk. The old captain showed him his wounds and told him how hard he had fought. But his fury was not to be appeased. He had the white bearded commander led through the streets tied to a jackass — the greatest disgrace he could have inflicted on any Moor. This was followed by five hundred blows with a stick. The Moorish sailors declared that the Americans had fired enchanted shot. This, and the severe punish- ment of the captain of the Tripoli, so scared the sailors of the city that for a year after the fierce Bashaw found it next to impossible to muster a ship's crew. They did not care to be treated as the men on the Tripoli had been. Such was the first lesson which the sailors of the new nation gave to the pirates of the Mediterranean. It was the beginning of a policy which was to put an end to the piracy which had prevailed for centuries on those waters. 90 CHAPTER XL The Young Decatur and His Brilliant Deeds at Tripoli. HOW OUR NAVY BEGAN AND ENDED A FOREIGN WAR. I"" N the ship Essex, one of the fleet that was sent to the Mediterranean to deal with the Moorish —J pirates, there was a brave young officer named Stephen Decatur. He was Httle more than a boy, for he was just past twenty-one years of age, but he had been in the fight between the EnterpiHse and the Tj'ipoli, and was so bold and daring that he was sure to make his mark. I must tell you how he first showed himself a true American. It was when the Essex was lying in the harbor at Barcelona, a seaport of Spain. The Essex was a handsome little vessel, and there was much praise of her in the town, and -people of fashion came to see her and invited her officers to their houses and treated them with great respect. Now there was a Spanish war-ship lying in the port, of the kind called a xebec, a sort of three-masted vessel common in the Mediterranean Sea. The officers of this ship did not like to see so much respect given to the Americans and so little to them- selves. They grew jealous and angry, and did all they could to annoy and insult the officers of the Essex. Every time one of her boats rowed past the xebec it would be challenged and ugly things said. 91 ^^^^ The Americans bore all this quietly for a while. One day Captain Bainbridge of the Essex was talked to In an abusive way, and said little back. Another time a boat, under command of Lieutenant Decatur, came under the guns of the xebec, and the Spaniards on the deck hailed him with insulting words. This was more than young blood could stand, and he called to the officer of the deck and asked him what that meant, but the haughty Spaniard would give him no satisfaction. "Very well," said Decatur. "I will call to see you in the morning. Pull off, lads." The next morning Decatur had himself rowed over to the xebec, and went on board. He asked for the officer who was in charge the night before. "He has gone ashore," was the reply. " Well, then," said Decatur, in tones that every one on board could hear, " tell him that Lieutenant Decatur of the frigate Essex calls him a cowardly scoundrel, and when he meets him on shore he will cut his ears off." There were no more insults after that. Decatur spoke as if he meant what he said, and the officers of the xebec did not want to lose their ears. But the United States Minister to Spain took up the matter, and did not rest until he got a full apology for the insults to the Americans. I have told this little story to let you see what kind of a man Stephen Decatur was. But this was only a minor affair. He was soon to make himself famous by one of the most brilliant deeds in the history of the American navy. 92 DECATUR AT TRIPOLI 93 In October, 1802, a serious disaster came to the American fleet. The frigate Philadelphia was chasing ^ a runaway vessel into the harbor of TripoH when she ^ got in shoal water and suddenly ran fast aground on a shelf of rock. Here was an awkward position. Captain Bain- bridofe threw overboard most of his cannon and his anchors and everything that would lighten the ship, even cutting down his foremast, but all to no purpose. She still clunor fast to the rock. Soon a flock of gunboats came down the harbor and saw the bad fix the Americans were in. Bainbridge (<^^i was quite unable to fight them, for they could have kept out of the way of his guns and made kindling wood of his vessel. There was nothing to do but to surren- der. So he flooded the powder magazine, threw all the small arms overboard, and knocked holes in the bottom of the ship. Then he hauled down his flag. The gunboats now came up like a flock of hawks, and soon the Moors were clambering over the rails. In a minute more they were in every part of the ship, breaking open chests and store rooms and plundering officers and men. Two of them would hold an officer and a third rob him of his watch and purse, his sword, and everything of value he possessed. The plunder- ing did not stop till the captain knocked down one of the Moors for trying fro rob him of an ivory miniature of his wife. Then the Americans were made to get into the gunboats and taken ashore. They were marched in triumph through the streets and the men were thrown into prison. The officers were invited to supper by the COMMODORE M. C. PERRY, Who made a treaty with Japan, and opened up that country. Ill Mi V ( ^^*^-%-%m*^, L.-^ Bashaw, and treated as if they were guests. But as soon as the supper was over, they, too, were taken to the prison rooms in which they were to stay till the end of the war. The Tripolitans afterwards got the Philadelphia off the rocks during a high tide, plugged up the holes in her bottom, fished up her guns and anchors, and fitted her up for war. The Bashaw was proud enough of his fine prize, which had not cost him a man or a shot, and was a better ship than he had ever seen before. When the American commodore learned of the loss of the PhiladelpJiia he was in a bad state of mind. To lose one of his best ships in this way was not at all to his liking, for he was a man who did not enjoy losing a ship. And to know that the Moors had it and were making a war-ship of it was a hard thing to bear. From his prison Captain Bainbridge wrote letters to Commodore Preble, which the Moors read and then sent out to the fleet. They did not know that the letters had postscripts written in lemon-juice which only came out when the sheet of paper was held to the heat of a fire. In these the captain asked the commodore to try and destroy the captured ship. Commodore Preble was a daring officer, and was \ ready enough for this, if he only knew how it could be done. Lieutenant Decatur was then in command of the Enterprise, the schooner which had fought with the Tripoli. He asked the commodore to let him take the EiiterpiHse into the harbor and try and destroy the cap-~ tured ship. He knew he could do it, he said, if he only had a chance. At any rate he wanted to try. 94 DECATUR AT TRIPOLI Commodore Preble shook his head. It could not be done that way. He would only lose his own vessel and his men. But there was a way it might be done. The Moors might be taken by surprise and their prize burned under their eyes. It was a desperate enterprise. Every man who took part in it would be in great dan- ger of death. But that danger did not give much trouble to bold young Decatur, who was as ready to fight as he was to eat. What was the commodore's plan, do you ask ? Well, it was this. Some time earlier the Enterprise had captured the Mastico, a vessel from Tripoli. Preble gave this craft the new name of the Intrepid and pro- posed to send it into the harbor. The Moors did not know of its capture and would not suspect it, and thus it might get up close to the Philadelphia. Decatur was made commander and called for vol- unteers. Every man and boy on the Enterprise wanted to go, and he picked out over seventy of them. As he was about to leave the deck a boy came up and asked if he couldn't go, too. " Why do you want to go. Jack ?" "Well, Captain, you see, I'd kind o' like to see the country." This was such a queer reason that Decatur laughed and told him he might go. One dark night, on February 3, 1804, the Intrepid left the rest of the fleet and set sail for the harbor of Tripoli. The little Siren went with her for company. But the weather proved stormy, and it was not until the 15th that they were able to carry out their plan. COM. THOMAS MACDONOUGH, In command of the American fleet at the Battle of Plattsburgh, won a victory over the British. /^4 ^^ About noon they came in sight of the spires of the city of Tripoli. Decatur did not wish to reach the Philadelphia until nightfall, but he was afraid to take in sail, for fear of being suspected, so he dragged a cable and a number of buckets behind to lessen his speed. After a time the Philadelphia came in sight. She was anchored well in the harbor, under the guns of two heavy batteries. Two cruisers and a number of gun- boats lay near by. It was a desperate and dangerous business which Decatur and his tars had taken in hand, but they did not let that trouble them. It was about ten o'clock at night when the Intrepid ' came into the harbor's mouth. The wind had fallen and she crept slowly along over the smooth sea. The Siren stayed behind. Her work was that of rescue in case of trouble. Straight for the frigate went the de-. voted crew. A new moon sent its soft lustre over the waves. All was still in city and fleet. Soon the Intrepid came near the frigate. Only twelve men were visible on her deck. The others were lying flat in the shadow on the bulwarks, each with cut- lass tightly clutched in hand. " What vessel is that ?" was asked in Moorish words from the frigate. " The Mastico, from Malta," answered the pilot in the same tongue. " We lost our anchors . in the gale and were nearly wrecked. Can we ride by your ship for the night ?" The permission asked was granted, and a boat from the Intrepid made a line fast to the frigate, while the 96 FRONT VIEW OF THE "OLYMPIC „ .„. .... -„,.„. B..,v_.,o. ..» - -^- .'•,";n,.=r;-.2r.riS"'.,?-s'" '"""■ ''" ready.'' The great gu DECATUR AT TRIPOLI 97 men on the latter threw a Hne aboard. The ropes were passed to the hidden men on the deck, who pulled on them lustily. As the little craft came up, the men on the frigate saw her anchors hanging in place. " You have lied to us!" came a sharp hail. " Keep off ! Cut those fasts !" Others had seen the concealed men, and the cry of "Americanos !" was raised. The alarm came too late. The little craft was now close up and a hearty pull brought her against the hull of the large ship. " Boarders away!" came the stirring order. " Follow me, lads," cried Decatur, springing for the chain-plates of the frigate. Men and officers were after him hot foot. Midshipman Charles Morris was the first to reach the deck, with Decatur close behind. The surprise was complete. There was no resist- ance. Few of the Moors had weapons, and they fled from the Americans like frightened sheep. On all sides the splashing of water could be heard as they leaped overboard. In a few minutes they were all gone and Decatur and his men were masters of the ship. They would have given much to be able to take the noble frieate out of the harbor. But that could not | be done and every minute made their danger greater. ' All they could do was to set her on fire and retreat with all speed. Not a moment was lost. Quick-burning material was brought from the Intrepid, put in good spots and set on fire. So rapidly did the flames spread that the ] 7 ■ J , -^^37^ L^ff^"-^' ^ ^^ i men who were lighting fires on the lower decks had scarcely time to escape from the fast-spreading con flagration. Flames poured from the port-holes, and sparks fe on the deck of the smaller vessel. If it should toucli the powder that was stored amidships death would come to them all. With nervous haste they cut the ropes: and the Intrepid was pushed off. Then the sweeps were thrust out and the little craft rowed away. "Now, lads, give them three good cheers," cried! Decatur. Up sprang the jack-tars, and three ringing cheers were given, sounding above the roar of the flames anc of the cannon that were now playing on the little vesse from the batteries and gun-boats. Then to their sweep went the tars again, and drove their vessel every minutej farther away. As they went they saw the flames catch the rig; ging and run up the masts of the doomed frigate. Ther great bursts of flame shot out from the open hatch ways. The loaded guns went off one after anotherj some of them firing into the town. It was a lurid ano striking spectacle, such as is seldom seen. Bainbridcre and his fellow-officers saw the flames o i from their prison window and hailed them with lustl cheers. The officers of the Siren saw them also, an sent their boats into the harbor to aid the fugitives, i necessary. But it was not necessary. Not a man hai been hurt. In an hour after the flames were seei Decatur and his daring crew came in triumph out 0| the bay of Tripoli. 98 DECATUR AT TRIPOLI 99 Never had been known a more perfect and success- ful naval exploit. All Europe talked of it with admira- tion when the news was received. Lord Nelson, the greatest of England's sailors, said, " It was the most bold and daring act of the ages." When the tidings reached the United States, Decatur, young as he was, was rewarded by Congress with the title of captain. We are not yet done with the Intrepid, in which Decatur played so brilliant a part. She was tried again in work of the same kind, but with a more tragic end. A room was built in her and filled with powder, shot and shells. Combustibles of various kinds were piled around it, so that it could not fail to go off, if set on fire. Then, one dark night, the fire-ship was sent into the harbor of Tripoli, with a picked crew under another gallant young officer, Lieutenant Richard Somers. They were told to take it into the midst of the Moorish squadron, set it on fire and escape in their boats. It was expected to blow up and rend to atoms the war vessels of Tripoli. But the forts and ships began to fire on it, and before it reached its goal a frightful disaster occurred. Suddenly a great jet of fire was seen to shoot up into the sky. Then came a roar like that of a volcano. The distant spectators saw the mast of the Intrepid, with blazing sail, flung like a rocket into the air. Bombs flew in all directions. Then all g-rew dark and still. In some way the magazine had been exploded, per- haps by a shot from the enemy. Nothing was ever seen again of Somers and his men. It was the great trag- edy of the war. They had all perished in that fearful explosion. D LofC. Now let us turn back to the story of Decatur, of whom we have some more famous work to tell. In August, 1804, the American fleet entered the harbor of Tripoli and made a daring attack on the fleet, the batteries, and the city of the Bashaw. In addition! to the war vessels of the fleet, there were six gunboats i and two bomb vessels, and all of these poured shot and i shell into the city which had so long defied them. The batteries on shore returned the fire and the": gunboats of the Bashaw advanced to the attack. On these the fleet now turned its fire, sweeping their decks with grape and canister shot. Decatur, with three gun- boats, advanced on the eastern division of the Moorish gunboats, nine in all. Decatur, you will see, was outnumbered three to one, but he did not stop for odds like that. He dashed boldly in, laid his vessel alongside the nearest gunboat of the enemy, poured in a volley, and gave the order to board. In an instant the Americans were over the bul- warks and on the foe. The contest was short and sharp. The captain of the Tripolitans fell dead. Most of his officers were wounded. The men, overcome by the fierce attack, soon threw down their arms and begged for quarter. Decatur secured them below decks and started for the' next gunboat. On his way he was hailed from one of his own j boats, which had been commanded by his brother James. The men told him that his brother had cap- tured one of the gunboats of the enemy, but, on going on board after her flag had fallen, he had been shot dead by the treacherous commander. The murderer ¥ DECATUR AT TRIPOLI lOI had then driven the Americans back and carried his boat out of the fight. On hearing this sad news, Decatur was filled with grief and rage. Bent on revenge, he turned his boat's prow and swiftly sped towards the craft of the assassin. The instant the two boats came together the furious Decatur sprang upon the deck of the enemy. At his back came Lieutenant McDonough and nine sturdy sailors. Nearly forty of the Moors faced them, at their head a man of gigantic size, his face half covered with a thick black beard, a scarlet cap on his head, the true type of a pirate captain. Sure that this was his brother's murderer, Decatur rushed fiercely at the giant Moor. The latter thrust at him with a heavy boarding pike. Decatur parried the blow, and made a fierce stroke at the weapon, hoping to cut off its point. He failed in this and his cutlass broke off at the hilt, leaving him with empty hands. With a lusty yell the Moor thrust again. Decatur bent aside, so that he received only a slight wound. Then he seized the weapon, wrested it from the hands of the Moor, and thrust fiercely at him. In an instant more the two enemies had clinched in a wrestle for life and death, and fell struggling to the EEKB.IWC deck. While they lay there one of the Tripolitan offi- cers raised his scimetar and aimed a deadly blow at the head of Decatur. It seemed now as if nothing could save the strug- gling American. Only one of his men was near by. This was a sailor named Reuben James, who had been wounded in both arms. But he was a man of noble heart. He could not lift a hand to save his captain, but his head was free, and with a sublime devotion he thrust it in the way of the descending weapon. Down it came with a terrible blow on his head, and he fell bleeding to the deck, but before the Tripolitan could lift his weapon again to strike Decatur, a pistol shot laid him low. Decatur was left to fight it out with the giant Moor. With one hand the huge wrestler held him tightly and with the other he drew a dagger from his belt. The fatal moment had arrived. Decatur caught the Moor's wrist just as the blow was about to fall, and at the same instant pressed against his side a small pis- tol he had drawn from his pocket. A touch of the trigger, a sharp report, and the body of the giant relaxed. The bullet had pierced him through and he fell back dead. Flinging off the heavy weight, Decatur rose to his feet. Meanwhile his few men had been fiercely fighting the Tripolitan crew. Greatly as they outnumbered the Americans, the Moors had been driven back. They lost heart on seeing their leader fall and threw down their arms. Another gunboat was captured and then the battle ended. The attack on Tripoli had proved a failure and the fleet drew off. I02 DECATUR AT TRIPOLI I know you will ask what became of brave Reuben James, who offered his life for his captain. Was he killed? No, I am glad to say he was not. He had an ugly cut, but he soon got well. One day Decatur asked him what reward he should give him for saving his life. The worthy sailor did not know what to say. He scratched his head and looked puzzled. "Ask him for double pay, Rube," suggested one of his shipmates. "A pocket full of dollars and shore leave," whis- pered another. "No," said the modest tar. "Just let somebody else hand out the hammocks to the men when they are piped down. That's something I don't like." Decatur consented ; and afterwards, when the crew were piped down to stow hammocks, Reuben walked among them as free and independent as a millionaire. That is all we have here to say about the Tripoli- tan war. The next year a treaty of peace was signed and Captain Bainbridge and the men of the Philadelphia were set free from their prison cells. In 1812, when war broke out with England, the gallant Decatur was given the command of the frigate United States, and with it he captured the British frigate Macedonian, after a hard fight. Poor Decatur, was shot dead in a duel in 1820, by a hot-headed officer whom he had offended. It was a sad end to a brilliant career, for the American Navy never had a more gallant commander. CHAPTER XII. The Gallant Old "Ironsides" and How She Whipped the '' Querriere." A FAMOUS INCIDENT OF THE WAR OF 1812. HEN did our country win its greatest fame upon the sea ? I think, when you have read the story of the war of 1812, you will say it was in that war. It is true, we did not do very well on land in that war ; but the glory we lost on the shore we made up on the sea. You should know that in 181 2 England was the greatest sea-power in the world. For years she had been fighting with Napoleon, and every fleet he set afloat was badly whipped by British ships. Is it any wonder that the people of that little island were proud of their fleets ? Is it any wonder they proudly sang — " Britannia needs no bulwarks, No towers along the steep ; Her march is o'er the mountain waves, Her home is on the deep ' ' ? They grew so vain of their lordship of the sea that they needed a lesson, and they were to get one from the Yankee tars. As soon as war began betweenil England and the United States in 18 12, a flock 01^ British war-hawks came flying bravely across the seas,' thinking they would soon gobble up the Yankee spar-^i rows. But long before the war was over they quil^' singing their proud song of " Britannia rules the GALLANT OLD IRONSIDES 105 waves," and found that what they thought was a Yankee sparrow was the American eagle. There were too many great things done on the ocean in this war for me to tell them all, so I will have to tell only the most famous. And first of all I must give you the story of the noble old Constitution, or, as she came to be called, Old Ironsides. The Constitution was a noble ship of the old kind. The royal old craft is still afloat, after more than a hun- dred years of service, and after all her companions have long since sunk in the waves or rotted away. She was built to fight the French in 1798. She was Commodore Preble's flagship in the war with the Moorish pirates. And she won undying fame in the war of 181 2. So the story,of the Constitution comes first in our list of the naval conquerors of that war. I fancy, if any of you had been living at that time, you would have wanted to fight the British as bad as the Americans then did. For the British had for years been taking sailors off of American ships and making them serve in their own men-of-war, and they had often insulted our officers upon the seas, and acted in a very insolent and overbearing way when they had the oppor- tunity. This made the Americans very angry and it was the main cause of the war. I must tell you some things that took place before the war. In 181 1 a British frigate named the Guerriere made herself very busy at this kind of work, sailing up and down our coast and carrying off American sailors on pretence that they were British. Just remember the name of the GuerriereT You will soon learn how the Constitution paid her for this shabby work. ^*\^ w r'Tij ^-^x^, ^^vx ^^^Vi X. v^^ \ K ii^^'^^^^K ^'^'^^^W ^>vS *^^Vx%S-" iC3 ^1 <:?Os^ I have also a story to tell about the Constitution in 1811. She had to cross the Atlantic in that year, and stopped on some business in the harbor of Portsmouth, an English seaport. One night a British officer came on board and said there was an American deserter on his ship, the Havana, and that the Americans could have him if they sent for him. Captain Hull, of the Constitution, was then in Lon- don, so Lieutenant Morris, who had charge of the ship, sent for the man, but when his messenger got there he was told that the man said he was a British subject, and therefore he should not be given up. They were very sorry, and all that, but they had to take the man's word for it. Morris thought this very shabby treatment ; but he soon had his revenge. For that very night a British sailor came on board the Constitution, who said he was a deserter from the Havana. " Of what nation are you ?" he was asked. " I'm an American, sor," said the man, with a strong Irish accent. Lieutenant Morris sent word to the Havana that a deserter from his ship was on the Co7istitutio7i. But when an officer from the Havana came to get the deserter, Morris politely told him that the man said he was an American, and therefore he could not give him up. He was very sorry, he said, but really the man ought to know to what country he belonged. You may be inter- ested to learn that Lieutenant Morris was the man who had been first to board the Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripoli. 106 GALLANT OLD IRONSIDES 107 This was paying John Bull in his own coin. The officers in the harbor were in a great stew when they got this answer. They next tried to play a trick on the Americans. Two of their war-ships came up and anchored in the way of the Constitution. But Lieu- tenant Morris got up anchor and slipped away to a new berth. Then the two frigates sailed up and anchored in his way again. That was the way matters stood when Captain Hull came on board in the evening. When the captain was told what had taken place he saw that the British were trying to make trouble about the Irish deserter. But he was not the man to be caught in a hole. He loaded his guns and cleared the ship for action. Then he got up anchor, slipped round the British frigates, and put to sea. He had not gone far before the two frigates were after him. They came on under full sail, but one of them was slow and fell far behind, so that the other came up alone. *' If that fellow wants to fight he can have his chance," said Captain Hull, and he bade his men to make ready. Up came the Englishman, but when he saw the ports open and the guns ready to bark at him across the waves, and everything in shape for a good fight, he had a sudden change ot mind. Round he turned like a scared dog, and ran back as fast as he had come. That was a clear case of tit for tat, and tat had it. No doubt, the Englishman knew that he was in the wrong, for English seaman are not afraid to fight. Home from Plymouth came the Constitution and got herself put in shape for the war that was soon to CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE, Who commanded the " Chesapeake" in the engagement with the "Shan- non." He received a mortal wound, and dying said, " Don't give up the ship." Ill III come. It had not long begun before she was off to sea, and now she had a remarkable adventure with the' Guerriere and some other British ships. In fact she made a wonderful escape from a whole squadron of war vessels. She left the Chesapeake on July 12, 181 2, and for five days sailed up the coast. The winds were light and progress was very slow. Then, on the 1 7th, the lookout aloft saw four war-ships sailing along close in to the Jersey coast. Two hours afterward another was seen. This proved to be the frigate Guerriere, and it was soon found that the others were British ships also. One of them was a great ship-of-the-line. It would have been madness to think of fighting such a force as this, more than six times as strong as the Constitution, and there was nothing to do but to run away. Then began the most famous race in American naval history. There was hardly a breath of wind, the sails hung flapping to the masts, so Captain Hull got out his boats and sent them ahead with a line to tow the ship. When the British saw this they did the same, and by putting all their boats to two ships they got ahead faster. I cannot tell the whole story of this race, but it lasted for nearly three days, from Friday afternoon till Monday morning. Now there was a light breeze and now a dead calm. Now they pulled the ships by boats and now by kedging. That is, an anchor was carried out a long way ahead and let sink, and then the men pulled on the line until the ship was brought up over it. Then 108 GALLANT OLD IRONSIDES 109 the anchor would be drawn up and carried and dropped ahead again. For two long days and nights the chase kept up, during which the Constitution was kept, by weary labor, just out of gunshot ahead. At 4 o'clock Sunday morn- ing the British ships had got on both sides of the Con- stitution and it looked as if she was in a tight corner. But Captain Hull now turned and steered out to sea, across the bows of the Eolus, and soon had them astern again. The same old game went on until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when they saw signs of a coming squall. Captain Hull knew how to deal with an American squall, but the Englishmen did not. He kept his men towing until he saw the sea ruffled by the wind about a mile away. Then he called the boats in and in a mo- ment let fall all his sails. Looking at the British, he saw them hard at work furling their sails. They had let all their boats go adrift. But Captain Hull had not furled a sail, and the minute a vapor hid his ship from the enemy all his sails were spread to the winds and away went the Yankee ship in rapid flight. He had taught his foes a lesson in American seamanship. When the squall cleared away the British ships were far astern. But the wind fell again and all that night the chase kept up. Captain Hull threw water on his sails and made every rag of canvas draw. When daylight came only the top sails of the enemy could be seen. At 8 o'clock they gave up the chase and turned on their heels. Thus ended that wonderful three days' chase, one of the most remarkable in naval history. And now we come to the greatest story in the his- tory of the " Old Ironsides." In less than a month after the Guerriere had helped to chase her off the Jersey coast she had given that proud ship a lesson which the British nation did not soon forget. Here is the story of that famous fight, by which Captain Hull won high fame. In the early morning of August 19th, while the old ship was bowling along easily off the New England coast, a cheery cry of " Sail-ho !" came from the look- out at the mast-head. Soon a large vessel was seen from the deck. On went the Yankee ship with flying flag and bellying sails. The strange ship waited as if ready for a fight. When t\\Q Constitution drew near the stranger hoisted the British flag and began to fire her great guns. It was the Guerriere. When he saw the stars and stripes Captain Dacres said to his men : " That is a Yankee frigate. She will be ours in forty-five minutes. If you take her in fifteen I promise you four months' pay." It is never best to be too sure, as Captain Dacres was to find. The Guerriere kept on firing at a distance, but Captain Hull continued to take in sail and get his ship j in fighting trim, without firing a gun. After a time' Lieutenant Morris came up and said to him : "The British have killed two of our men. Shall we return their fire ?" GALLANT OLD IRONSIDES III " Not yet," said Captain Hull. " Wait a while." He waited until the ships were almost touching, and then he roared out : " Now, boys ; pour it into them !" Then came a roaring broadside that went splinter- ing through the British hull, doing more damage than all the Guerrieres fire. Now the battle was on in earnest. The two ships lay side by side, and for fifteen minutes the roar of cannon and the rattle of musketry filled the air, while cannon balls tore their way through solid timber and human flesh. Down came the mizzen mast of the Guerriere, cut through by a big iron shot. " Hurrah, boys !" cried Hull, swinging his hat like a schoolboy; "we've made a brig of her." The mast dragged by its ropes and brought the ship round, so that the next broadside from the Co7i- stttution raked her from stem to stern. The bowsprit of the Gtierriere caught fast in the rigging of the Constitution, and the sailors on both ships tried to board. But soon the winds pulled the Consti- tution clear, and as she forged ahead down with a crash came the other masts of the British ship. They had been cut into splinters by the Yankee guns. A few minutes before she had been a stately three-masted frigate ; now she was a helpless hulk. Not half an hour had passed since the Co7istitution fired her first shot, and already the Guerriere was a wreck, while the Yankee ship rode the waters as proudly as ever. Off in triumph went the "Old Ironsides" and hasty repairs to her rigging was made. Then she came ^^^ CAPTAIN JACOB JONES, ■Who commanded the " Wasp," which defeated and destroyed the British ship " Frolic " in a desperate battle. up with loaded guns. The Guerriere lay rolling like a log in the water, without a flag in sight. Not only her masts were gone, but her hull was like a sieve. It had more than thirty cannon-ball holes below the water- line. There was no need to fire again. Lieutenant Reed went off in a boat. " Have you surrendered ? " he asked Captain Dacllj res, who was looking, with a very long face, over the rail. " It would not be prudent to continue the engage- ment any longer," said Dacres, in gloomy tones. " Do you mean that you have struck your flag? ' "Not precisely. But I do not know that it will be worth while to fight any more." "If you cannot make up your mind I will go back and we will do something to help you." "I don't see that I can keep up the fight," said the dejected British captain. " I have hardly any men left and my ship is ready to sink." " What I want to know is," cried Lieutenant Read, " whether you are a prisoner of war or an enemy. And I must know without further parley." ' If I could fight longer I would," said Captain Dacres. Then with faltering words he continued, "but- I-must-surrender." " Then accept from me Captain Hull's compliments. He wishes to know if you need the aid of a surgeon or surgeon's mate." " Have you not business enough on your own ship for all your doctors ?" asked Dacres. 112 GALLANT OLD IRONSIDES 113 " Oh, no ! " said Read. " We have only seven men wounded, and their wounds are all dressed." i Captain Dacres was obliged to enter Read's boat iand be rowed to the CoiistitiUion. He had been wounded, and could not climb very well, so Captain Hull helped him to the deck. " Give me your hand, Dacres," he said, " I know you are hurt." Captain Dacres offered his sword, but the Amer ican captain would not take It. " No, no," he said, " I will not take a sword from one who knows so well how to use it. But I'll trouble you for that hat." What did he mean by that, you ask ? Well, the two captains had met sometime before the war, and Dacres had offered to bet a hat that the Guerriere would whip the Constitution. Hull accepted the bet, and he had won. All day and night the boats were kept busy in car- rying the prisoners, well and hurt, to the Constitution. When daylight came again it was reported that the Guerriere was filling with water and ready to sink. She could not be saved, so she was set on fire. Rapidly the flames spread until they reached her mag- azine. Then came a fearful explosion and a black cloud of smoke hung over the place where the ship had floated. When it moved away only some floating planks were to be seen. The proud Guerriere would never trouble Yankee sailors again. "^ ^^^ ^^^^^ -^rA %. W AX ^ ^^ CHAPTER XIII. A Famous Vessel Saved by a Poem. OLD "IRONSIDES" WINS NEW GLORY. 0"^ LD Ironsides was a noble old ship, and a noble old ship was she." Come, I know you have not —J heard enough about this grand old ship, so let us go on with her story. And the first thing to tell is how she served another British ship as she had served the Guerjnere. Four months after Captain Hull's great victory, the Constitution was in another sea and had another captain. She had sailed south and was now off the coast of Brazil. And William Bainbridge had suo- ceeded Isaac Hull in command. It was almost the last day of the year. Chilly weather, no doubt, in Boston from which she had sailed ; but mid-summer warmth in those southern waters. It certainly felt warm enough to the men on deck, who were "spoiling for a fight," when the look- out aloft announced two sails. The sailors who had been lounging about the deck sprang up and looked eagerly across the waves, as the cheerful "Sail ho !" reached their ears. Soon they saw that one of the vessels was coming^ their way as fast as her sails could carry her. The other had sailed away on the other tack. 114 VESSEL SAVED BY A POEM 115 The vessel that was coming was the yciva, a fine iritish frigate. As she drew near she showed signals, hat is, she spread out a number of small flags each of hich had some meaning, and by which British ships Duld talk with each other. Captain Bainbridge could ot answer these, for he did not know what they meant, o he showed American signals, which the captain of le yava could not understand any better. Then, as they came nearer, they hoisted their na- onal flags, and both sides saw that they were enemies nd that a fight was on hand. Captain Bainbridge was not like Captain Hull. He id not wait till the ships were side by side, but began ring when the yava was half a mile away. That was nly wasting powder and balls, but they kept on firing ntil they were close at hand, and then the shots began D tell. A brave old fellow was the captain of the Constitu- '■on. A musket ball struck him in the thigh as he was acing the deck. He stopped his pacing, but would ot go below. Then a copper bolt went deep into his ^g. But he had it cut out and the leg tied up, and he till kept on deck. He wanted to see the fight. Hot and fierce came the cannon balls, hurtling hrough sails and rigging, rending through thick tim- bers, and sending splinters flying right and left. Men ell dead and blood ran in streams, but still came the leralds of death. We must tell the same story of this fight as of the ight with the Guerriere. The British did not know how o aim their guns and the Americans did. The British D c>' - ff I ^ '•• '•♦. ^•. V •• 'L t ,\\\ \\ \\jj_iif ? G had no sights on their cannon and the Americans had That was why, all through the war, the British lost s* - heavily and the Americans so little. The British shol went wild and the American balls flew straight to thei mark. You know what must come from that. Afte while off went the Java's bowsprit, as if it had beei chopped off with a great knife. Five minutes late her foremast was cut in two and came tumbling down Then the main topmast crashed down .from above Last of all, her mizzen-mast was cut short off by th( plunging shot, and fell over the side. The well-aimec American balls had cut through her great spars, as yoi might cut through a willow stick, and she was disman tied as the Guerriere had been. The loud "hurrahs" of the Yankee sailors prove* enough to call the dead to life. At any rate awoundec man, whom everyone thought dead, opened his eye and asked what they were cheering about. " The enemy has struck," he was told. The dying tar lifted himself on one arm, and wavec the other round his head, and gave three feeble cheers With the last one he fell back dead. But the Javas flag was not down for good. At> »1 **!