"By chartering a merchant vessel and sending her into the harbor with men secreted, and steering directly on board the frigate, it might be effected without any or a trifling loss. It would not be possible to carry the frigate out, owing to the difficulty of the channel."
The main object was to get the Philadelphia out of the possession of Tripoli. This Decatur did without risking the success of his enterprise.
CHAPTER XIII THE AMERICAN EAGLE ENTERS THE AFRICAN DESERT
Hotter and hotter grew our campaign. Thicker and faster adventures came. I could not be in the center of all of them, but I had reason to be glad that I had been with Captain Eaton in Tunis, because now he was returning to the seat of war to launch an attack, and I, because of his friendship for me, was granted the chance to go along. This new enterprise came about in this way.
Captain Bainbridge, I was told by Captain Eaton, while a prisoner in Tripoli, observed in the Bashaw's court three forlorn children. He inquired who they were.
"They are the children of Hamet Bashaw," a guard informed him. "Hamet Bashaw is the elder brother of our ruler, Joseph Bashaw. Hamet occupied this throne, until Joseph set on foot a rebellion and drove him out. Hamet fled to Egypt, and his children were captured by our monarch's troops. They are now held here as hostages, to insure that Hamet will make no attempts to regain the kingdom."
"That gives me an idea," Captain Bainbridge remarked to his officers, and he set to work to plan to unite against Joseph the forces of Hamet and the United States.