Under cover of night, the little vessel sailed into the harbor, and, as if by accident, ran into the Philadelphia. Before the Tripolitans realized what had happened, Decatur and his men were climbing over the sides of the vessel and through the port holes.
BURNING OF THE PHILADELPHIA.
Decatur had ordered his men to use no firearms. He did not wish to attract the attention of the Tripolitans who were in the fort and on the other vessels in the harbor.
A desperate hand to hand fight ensued. In a few minutes the Americans were in possession of the vessel. Some of the Tripolitan crew had been killed; others had jumped into the sea.
The Americans then set the Philadelphia on fire and jumped into their boat to escape. Lieutenant Decatur was the last one to leave the burning ship.
The situation of the little band was now desperate. The Philadelphia was a mass of flames, lighting up the harbor for miles around.
Decatur's little boat could be plainly seen, and all the vessels and forts opened fire on it. But the Tripolitans were too much excited to do serious damage.
In a short time the fire reached the magazine of the Philadelphia and she blew up with a tremendous crash, leaving the harbor in darkness. Decatur and his men escaped with but one man wounded.
This is only one of many deeds of bravery done in this war, but we can not tell of them in this story. Lieutenant Perry, in his home in America, heard of them, and longed to be on the scene of action.