Leaving orders that the fire be speedily kindled, Captain Jones took with him a few men, and scaled the walls of the batteries which protected the harbor. He locked the sleeping sentinels in the guardhouse and spiked the cannon.
Then, sending his men back to the harbor, he went, with one man only, to another fort, which was a quarter of a mile away. Here he also spiked the guns.
After all this had been done he returned to his boats to find that his sailors had done nothing. Not one ship was on fire!
The lieutenant in charge told Paul Jones that their torches had gone out. "Anyway," he said, "nothing can be gained by burning poor people"s property."
Determined that they should not leave the harbor until something was destroyed, Paul Jones ran to a neighboring house and got a light. With this he set fire to the largest ship.
By this time the people had been aroused, and hundreds were running to the sh.o.r.e.
There was no time to do more. The sailors hastened back to the _Ranger_, taking with them three prisoners, whom Paul Jones said he would show as "samples."
The soldiers tried to shoot the sailors from the forts; but they could do nothing with the spiked guns. The sailors amused themselves by firing back pistol shots.
On reaching the ship they found that a man was missing. Paul Jones was afraid that harm had befallen him. He need not have been troubled, however, for the man was a deserter. He spread the alarm for miles along the sh.o.r.e. The people afterward called him the "Savior of Whitehaven."
Paul Jones was greatly disappointed by the failure of his plans. He knew that if he had reached the harbor a few hours earlier he could have burned, not only all the ships, but the entire town.
Although the plan to destroy English property to aid the American cause, was a wise one, from a military point of view, yet we cannot understand why Paul Jones should have selected Whitehaven for this destruction.
There he had received kindness and employment when a boy. His mother and sisters lived just across the bay, and had he succeeded in burning Whitehaven, the people, in their anger, might have injured the family of the man who had so cruelly harmed them. We wonder if he thought of these things.
The Earl of Selkirk lived near Whitehaven, on St. Mary"s Isle. As the _Ranger_ sailed by this island, Paul Jones thought it would be well to take the earl prisoner.
There were many Americans held as prisoners, by the English, and the earl could be exchanged for some of these.
So, with a few men, Paul Jones rowed to the sh.o.r.e, where some fishermen told him that the earl was away from home. Paul Jones started to go back to his vessel. But his sailors were disappointed and asked his permission to go to the earl"s house and take away the silver.
Paul Jones did not like this plan, but at last consented. He did not go with the men, however, but walked up and down the sh.o.r.e until they returned.
The sailors found Lady Selkirk and her family at breakfast. They took all the silver from the table, put it into a bag, and returned to the ship.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MAP OF THE IRISH SEA, SHOWING THE CRUISE OF THE RANGER.]
Paul Jones was always troubled about this. He afterwards bought the silver for a large sum of money, and sent it back to Lady Selkirk with a letter of apology.
The people in the neighborhood were frightened when they heard of the earl"s silver being taken. They ran here and there, hiding their valuables. Some of them dragged a cannon to the sh.o.r.e, and spent a night firing at what they supposed in the darkness to be Paul Jones" vessel.
In the morning they found they had wasted all their powder on a rock!
The next day the alarm was carried to all the towns along the sh.o.r.e: "Beware of Paul Jones, the pirate!"
VIII.--THE RANGER AND THE DRAKE.
An English naval vessel called the _Drake_ was sent out to capture the _Ranger_. Every one felt sure that she would be successful, and five boatloads of men went out with her to see the fight.
When the _Drake_ came alongside of the _Ranger_, she hailed and asked what ship it was. Paul Jones replied: "The American Continental ship _Ranger_! Come on! We are waiting for you!"
After a battle of one hour, the _Drake_ surrendered. The captain and forty-two men had been killed, and the vessel was badly injured. Paul Jones lost only his lieutenant and one seaman. Six others were wounded, one of whom died.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE RANGER AND THE DRAKE.]
This was a great victory for Paul Jones. The _Drake_ not only mounted two more guns than the _Ranger_, but was manned by a crew that was much better drilled. The vessel belonged to the well-established English navy, which was accustomed to victory on the seas.
Towing the _Drake_, Paul Jones sailed northward in safety. Then, leaving the Irish Sea, he sailed around the north coast of Ireland and returned to the harbor at Brest, with the _Drake_ and two hundred prisoners. This was just a month from the day he had set out on his cruise.
The French government had now concluded an alliance with the American republic. War had been openly declared between France and England, and all the French people rejoiced over the victory of the _Ranger_.
Paul Jones was not sorry when Congress sent him an order to bring his vessel to America. It was needed to protect the coasts of New Jersey from the war ships of the British.
The French king did not like brave Paul Jones to return to America. He wished him to remain where he could be of more direct service to France.
He therefore caused letters to be sent to him, promising that if he would stay on that side of the Atlantic he should have command of the new frigate he had wished for so long.
Pleased with the prospect of this, he gave up the command of the _Ranger_, and it sailed to America under a new captain.
But promises are often more easily made than kept. The French navy was well supplied with ships and officers. These officers were jealous of the success of Paul Jones, and did all they could to prevent him from obtaining his commission.
The summer and most of the winter of 1778 pa.s.sed away, and Paul Jones was still waiting for his ship. He began to wish he had gone to America.
Some wealthy men offered him a ship if he would take charge of a trading expedition for them. To do this, he must give up his commission in the American navy, and so Paul Jones said, "As a servant of the republic of America, I cannot serve either myself or my best friends, unless the honor of America is the first object."
During these months of waiting, his only weapon was his pen. He wrote letters of appeal to all persons of influence, to Congress, and also to the king of France.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
IX.--THE BON HOMME RICHARD.
One day, when Paul Jones was reading "Poor Richard"s Almanac," written by Dr. Franklin, he found a paragraph which set him to thinking. It was: "_If you would have your business done, go; if not_, SEND."
He sent no more letters, but went at once to the French court and pleaded his case there in person. As a result, he was soon after made commander of a vessel which he named the _Bon Homme Richard_, which means _Poor Richard_. He did this out of grat.i.tude to Dr. Franklin.
The _Bon Homme Richard_ was an old trading vessel, poorly fitted out for war. But after his long months of waiting, Paul Jones was thankful even for this.
He was also given command of four smaller vessels. One of these, the _Alliance_, had, for captain, a Frenchman named Pierre Landais, who was afterwards the cause of much trouble. Paul Jones was ordered to cruise with his small squadron along the west coast of Ireland and to capture all the English merchant vessels he could find.
[Ill.u.s.tration: RICHARD DALE.]
The officer next in command to Paul Jones was Lieutenant Richard Dale, who has since been remembered not only for his bravery during that famous cruise, but for his service to the country at a later period.
On the 14th of August, 1779, the ships put to sea. When they reached the southern point of Ireland, one of the four small vessels was left behind and deserted.
Cruising northward, the squadron soon captured two valuable prizes.
Without asking the permission of Paul Jones, Captain Landais sent these captured vessels to Norway.
On the way, they were taken by the Danes, who returned them to England.
The value of these prizes, thus lost through Captain Landais, was about 40,000, or nearly $200,000.
The squadron sailed round the north of Scotland, and down the eastern coast until it came to the Firth of Forth. Here was the town of Leith, and in its harbor lay some English war vessels.