With John Paul Jones

by John T. McIntyre

When they reached France once more they discovered that a treaty of alliance between the colonies and that kingdom had been signed. The American ministers had been received at the French court; the French ambassador had left London, and the English envoy, Lord Stormont, had departed from France. War was on between these two great European powers, and in the heat of that great struggle the colonies at last had a chance to be free.

Once again Paul Jones, Ethan Carlyle and Longsword rode to Paris to consult with Dr. Franklin. They were warmly greeted by the sage, and he listened to their experiences with interest and appreciation.

“Captain Jones,” he said at the conclusion, “there is nothing in the gift of your country too great for your deserving. In the name of the colonies, I thank you.”

“I suppose,” remarked Ethan, after a time, “that the lost dispatch is now valueless, seeing that the alliance has already been accomplished.”

“On the contrary,” said Dr. Franklin, “it is now more important that it should be recovered than ever. I have communicated with Congress, and a duplicate of the dispatch has been sent me; it was by means of its contents that this treaty has been effected. But were the facts contained in the dispatch to come, even now, under the eyes of Lord North, such pressure would be brought upon France that she would drop all connection with us at once and again make a peace with England. Indeed, the fact that the information is in the way of being discovered, were the French aware of it, might be fatal. The dispatch must be recovered at all hazards.”

As they sat in their lodgings that night Ethan told Longsword of this: and the Irish dragoon wrinkled his brow and looked infinitely wise.

“Politics,” remarked he, sagely, “is a great thing, faith. Sure the statesmen are always burrowing under the ground and cutting it away from beneath each others’ feet. It wouldn’t surprise me if the loss of this dispatch should bring about the recall of the French fleets that have sailed for America, and the ruin of the hopes for liberty.”

“Don’t say that, Longsword,” said Ethan, a pained look in his eyes. “I hate to even think of such a thing.”

“If we could only come upon the bla’guard Lascar we might gain something by it. Oh, but it’s him that’s the fox; sure nobody can hold him, it seems.”

“The fact that the Earl of Selkirk went away upon a journey soon after his interview with the Lascar troubles me,” said Ethan. “It looks as though he had learned something of the paper and had set out to try to gain possession of it.”