"Among the first lieutenants appointed was John Paul Jones, who became a famous commander before the war was over,—a great naval hero. But you have all heard of him I think."
"Oh, yes," said Rosie. "It was he who commanded the 'Bonhomme Richard' in that hard-fought battle with the British ship 'Serapis.'"
"Yes," replied the Captain. "It was one of the most desperate conflicts on record, and resulted in victory for Jones and the 'Bonhomme Richard,' though she was so badly damaged,—'counters and quarters driven in, all her lower-deck guns dismounted, on fire in two places, and six or seven feet of water in the hold'—that she had to be abandoned, and sank the next morning.
"Pearson the captain of the 'Serapis,' though defeated, had made so gallant a fight that he was knighted by the king. When Jones heard of it he said, 'He deserves it; and if I fall in with him again I'll make a lord of him.'
"I think he—Pearson—was more gallant than polite or generous; for on offering his sword to Jones after his surrender he said, 'I cannot, sir, but feel much mortification at the idea of surrendering my sword to a man who has fought me with a rope round his neck.'"
"Just like an Englishman!" exclaimed Max, hotly; "but what did Jones say in reply, Papa?"
"He returned the sword, saying, 'You have fought gallantly, sir, and I hope your king will give you a better ship.'"
"That was a gentlemanly reply," said Lulu, "and I hope Jones got the credit he deserved for his splendid victory."
"Europe and America rang with his praises," said her father. "The Empress of Russia gave him the ribbon of St. Ann, the King of Denmark a pension, and the King of France a gold-mounted sword with the words engraved upon its blade, 'Louis XVI., rewarder of the valiant assertor of the freedom of the sea.' He also made him a Knight of the Order of Merit.
"Nothing ever occurred afterward to dim his fame, and he is known in history as the Chevalier John Paul Jones."