Four American Naval Heroes Part 5

This battle had lasted for three hours and a half. It has since been known in history as one of the greatest victories ever won upon the seas. The _Serapis_ and the _Countess_ were both new ships, one of forty guns and the other of twenty. The crews were well-drilled Englishmen.

Everything was against the _Richard_, and the victory was due alone to the great courage and will of its commander. When the fight was over, Paul Jones separated the ships and set the sails of the _Richard_. All night every sailor was busy fighting the fire which raged on both ships.

When daylight showed to Captain Pearson the wreck of the _Richard_, he was sorry he had surrendered. Her rudder was gone and her rotten timbers were split into pieces. Some of the shots had pa.s.sed entirely through her.

Paul Jones wished to take her into port to show how desperately he had fought, but this was out of the question. By nine o'clock the sailors abandoned her, and at ten she suddenly went down.

Repairing the _Serapis_ as best he could, Paul Jones took her and the _Countess of Scarborough_, with his unfaithful fleet, to Holland.

XI.--HONOR TO THE HERO.

After this great victory, Paul Jones was everywhere received as a hero.

The king of France presented him with a gold sword.

He also sent word, through his minister, that, with the consent of Congress, he would make Paul Jones a Knight of the Order of Military Merit. To avoid delay, the gold cross of the order had been sent to the French minister in America, who would present it to Paul Jones when permission to accept it had been received from Congress.

The hero traveled about in Holland and France, from city to city, enjoying his great triumph. Crowds of people were everywhere eager to see him, and a word with him was thought to be a great honor.

The most serious fault in the character of Paul Jones was his vanity. He had always been very fond of praise and glory, and now his longings were partly satisfied by all this homage.

Dr. Franklin wrote him a letter, praising him for his bravery. He thanked him, most of all, for the prisoners he had captured. There were so many of them that, by exchange, every American, held by the English, could be set at liberty.

While Paul Jones was enjoying this praise, Captain Landais was going about also, claiming for himself the glory for the capture of the _Serapis_, and trying to make people believe that he was the real hero.

When Dr. Franklin heard from the sailors how he had fired upon the _Richard_, he ordered him to Paris to be tried.

During the next year, Paul Jones made a few short cruises, but accomplished nothing more than the taking of a few prizes.

At this time the army of George Washington was sorely in need of clothing and military supplies. Word was sent to Dr. Franklin to buy them in France and send them to America by Paul Jones.

Fifteen thousand muskets, with powder, and one hundred and twenty bales of cloth, were bought and stored in the _Alliance_ and the _Ariel_. Dr.

Franklin told Paul Jones to sail with these goods at once. This was early in the year 1780.

The summer came and pa.s.sed away, and the ships were still anch.o.r.ed in the French harbor. Paul Jones gave excuse after excuse until the patience of Dr. Franklin was about gone.

Captain Landais had been one cause of the delay. Instead of going to Paris for trial, as Franklin had ordered, he had gone back to the _Alliance_ to stir up mutiny against Paul Jones. He caused one trouble after another and disobeyed every order. Finally, by intrigue, he took command of the _Alliance_ and sailed to America.

But Captain Landais never again troubled Paul Jones. His reception in America was not what he had expected. Instead of being regarded as a hero, he was judged insane, and dismissed from the navy. A small share of prize money was afterward paid to him. On this he lived until eighty-seven years of age, when he died in Brooklyn, New York.

Another reason Paul Jones gave for his delay in France was that he wished to get the prize money due for the capture of the _Serapis_, and pay the sailors. This gave him an excuse to linger about the courts where he could receive more of the homage he loved so well.

Then, too, he spent much time in getting letters and certificates of his bravery from the king and the ministers. He wished to show these to Congress when he should arrive in America.

Finally, one day in October, he set sail in the _Ariel_. He had not gone far when a furious gale forced him to return to port for safety.

For three months longer he waited, hoping still for the prize money that was due. One day he gave a grand fete on his ship. Flags floated from every mast. Pink silk curtains hung from awnings to the decks. These were decorated with mirrors, pictures, and flowers.

The company invited were men and women of high rank. When all was ready, Paul Jones sent his boats ash.o.r.e to bring them on board.

He, himself, dressed in full uniform, received them and conducted them to their seats on the deck. At three o'clock they sat down to an elaborate dinner which lasted until sunset.

At eight o'clock, as the moon rose, a mock battle of the _Richard_ and the _Serapis_ was given. There was much noise from the firing of guns, and a great blaze of light from the rockets that were sent up. The effect was beautiful, but the din was such that the ladies were frightened. At the end of an hour this display was ended.

After a dance on the deck, the officers rowed the company back to the sh.o.r.e.

XII.--THE RETURN TO AMERICA.

On the 18th of December, 1780, nearly a year after he had received his orders, Jones sailed for America. He arrived in Philadelphia on February 18th, 1781. When Congress inquired into the cause of his long delay, he gave explanations which seemed to be satisfactory. Resolutions of thanks were pa.s.sed, and permission given to the French minister to present the Cross of Military Merit, which had been sent by the French king.

This cross was presented with great ceremony, and it was ever after a source of much pride to Paul Jones. He wore it upon all occasions and loved to be called Chevalier.

During the following year Paul Jones superintended the construction of a new war ship, the _America_, which was being built by Congress.

This was the largest seventy-four gun ship in the world, and he was to be her captain.

Once more Paul Jones was disappointed. Before the _America_ was finished, Congress decided to give her to France. She was to replace a French vessel, which had been lost while in the American service.

Paul Jones was again without a ship. As he could not bear to be idle, he spent the time until the close of the war, with a French fleet, cruising among the West Indies.

As soon as he heard that peace was declared between England and America, he left the French fleet and returned to America. He arrived in Philadelphia in May, 1783.

Now that the war was over, and there was no more fighting to be done, Paul Jones thought that the best thing for him to do was to get the prize money still due from the French government for the vessels he had captured.

For this purpose, he soon returned to France. After many delays the money, amounting to nearly $30,000, was paid to him. It was to be divided among the officers and crews of the ships which he had commanded.

Paul Jones came again to America in 1787 to attend to the final division of this money.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

While in this country, Congress ordered a gold medal to be presented to him for his services during the war.

XIII.--AMBITIOUS HOPES.

You remember that, during the war, Captain Landais had sent two valuable ships to Norway, and so caused the loss of much prize money. Denmark had taken these ships, by force, and given them back to England.

Paul Jones determined to go to Denmark to try to induce that country to pay for these ships. In November, 1787, he left America for the last time.

On the way to Denmark, he stopped in Paris. Here he heard some news which pleased him very much.

For some time Russia had been at war with Turkey, and the Russian navy had lately met with several disasters on the Black Sea.

The Russian minister in Paris had heard a great deal about the hero, Paul Jones. So he sent word to the Empress Catherine, who was then the ruler of Russia, that if she would give Paul Jones the command of the Russian fleet, "all Constantinople would tremble in less than a year."

When Paul Jones heard that this message had gone to Russia, he was sure that a chance would come to win still more glory and fame.

He was more anxious than before to go to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. He would then be nearer to Russia and could more quickly answer the summons of the empress.