So severe was the damage done the Ariel, that she was not able to leave port again for America until the 18th of December. As she carried a very valuable cargo of arms, besides important dispatches, and was weakly armed, Paul Jones was directed by Dr. Franklin, who was still the representative of America in France, to avoid rather than seek a conflict with the enemy. To a man of Paul Jones’s temperament these directions were almost impossible to follow. But fortunately for Dr. Franklin, and perhaps fortunately for Paul Jones’s enemies, he had no serious encounter until he was near the Island of Barbadoes. He had chosen the southern passage, because his enemies expected him to take the usual northern passage.
On a warm afternoon in the latter part of January, as the Ariel was proceeding under a fair wind, a remarkably fast sailing frigate was observed approaching on the opposite tack. The Ariel was deep in the water with her heavy stores, and as Paul Jones appreciated the necessity for prudence, he rather wished to avoid speaking the stranger, as she was tolerably certain to be a British ship.
The officers were all on deck examining the frigate, when Paul Jones, who had his glass to his eye, turned to them and said, smiling:
“I am sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen, but I don’t think we can ‘see’ her. She is too heavy for us, and sails too well. It is not our own lives and fortunes that we would stake, but the arms for the soldiers of Washington, and that would be an irreparable loss if we were captured. So we must cut and run for it.”
The officers at once saw the wisdom of this, although they would have dearly liked a brush with the beautiful frigate. Dale, however, in turning around, caught sight of Bill Green, with Danny Dixon by his side, and both of them on the broad grin. Bill’s mouth was literally stretched from ear to ear.
“What is it, Green?” asked Dale, who was a great favorite with the veteran quartermaster, “what are you smiling at?”
“I ain’t a-smilin’, sir,” replied Bill, showing every tooth in his mouth in a perfectly phenomenal grin, while Danny openly “snickered” behind his hand.
“What are you doing then?” inquired Dale, smiling in spite of himself.
“Well, then, sir, since you axes me,” replied Bill, trying to look very solemn, and putting up his hand to conceal his laughter, “the cap’n says as he ain’t got no notion o’ fightin’ that ’ere craft. I reckon he thinks he ain’t, but if Cap’n Paul Jones kin come within range o’ a British ship without takin’ a shot at her, why, sir, my name ain’t Bill Green, and I ain’t never see Cap’n Paul Jones. That’s all, sir.” At which Bill ended with a suppressed guffaw, and Dale himself winked knowingly.
“Be careful what you say of the captain,” said Dale, with another wink; “he’s got no notion of fighting. She’s too heavy for us, and you know the captain never tackles a ship that’s too heavy for him,” and Dale winked prodigiously at every word he uttered.