He went to work upon a large picture.
It was a picture of the "Dying Hercules."
He first modeled his picture in clay.
This he did so well that he received a gold medal for it. This was on May 13, 1813.
His picture, too, was given great praise.
It was counted as one of the twelve best among the two thousand pictures.
So Mr. Morse went on patiently and carefully in this work.
He made many good friends in London.
One of these friends was the poet, Coleridge.
Mr. Morse was a great comfort to his parents.
He was careful with his money.
He and a young Mr. Leslie, lived and painted together.
He spent all his money to get helps in his work.
He visited all the picture galleries, and spent days in the study of pictures.
At this time England and America were at war.
Americans were sometimes made prisoners and kept in the prisons of England.
Mr. Morse tried to help some of them.
You have heard of the great French general, Napoleon.
You know of the many wars he had.
In 1815, Napoleon met his enemies, the English and Prussians.
They had a battle at Waterloo.
Napoleon was defeated.
The people of England were anxious for news.
But how slowly news came in those days!
It took many days to carry the good tidings.
The battle was fought on the 18th day of June.
It was not until July that the news came of the victory of the English general.
Mr. Morse wrote about it to his parents.
He told how anxiously the people had waited.
Finally the people heard the booming of cannon.
The bells were rung.
People laughed and cried for joy.
Would it not seem strange to us now to wait for our news so long?
Yet the inventor of the telegraph had to wait often very long.
But at last the time came for Mr. Morse to return to America.
He sailed in August, 1815.
He bore with him the good wishes of his many friends in London.
He had a stormy voyage.
A ship signaled his ship for help.
The captain did not wish to send help.
He said he had all he could do to attend to his own ship.
Mr. Morse told him that, if he did not help them, he would publish the facts when they reached America.
So the captain thought better of it.
He helped to save the ship.
When he landed on his return Mr. Morse found that the people of America had heard of him.
They knew of the fine pictures he had painted.
He was now but twenty-four years of age.
He set up a studio in Boston.
But the people of America were not as interested in art then as now.
He waited many months for something to do.