isers--superior in size to the saucy American--but inferior in
alertness and resources of her commander and her crew. She captured
sixteen vessels--of which eight were sent to port and eight were
destroyed at sea. Twice she was chased by British frigates, and, on
one of these occasions, narrowly escaped capture.

As the little sloop was running into one of the many harbors of the
coast, a fast-sailing frigate bore down upon her from the starboard
quarter.

_Whang!_

Her bow-guns spoke and said "Heave to!"

But Captain Jones had heard this call before, and kept on upon his
course.

"She's got me," said he. "But, as the breeze is fresh I may run away.
Stand ready, Boys, and let go your tackle immediate, when I give the
command!"

The helm was now put hard-up and the _Providence_ crept into the wind.
Closer and closer came the brig--now her bow-guns sputtered--and a
shot ricochetted near the lean prow of the _Providence_. But the sloop
kept on.

Suddenly--just as the brig drew alongside--Paul Jones swung his rudder
over, wore around in the wind, and ran dead to leeward.

"Watch her sniffle!" cried the gallant Captain, as the brig
_chug-chugged_ on the dancing waves, and, endeavoring to box short
about, came up into the wind. But fortune favored the American
skipper. Just then a squall struck the Englishman; she lost steering
way; and hung upon the waves like a huge rubber ball, while her
Captain said things that cannot be printed.

When in this condition, Jones ran his boat within half gun-shot, gave
her a dose of iron from one of his stern-guns, and--before the
frigate could get squared away--was pounding off before the wind,
which was the sloop's best point of sailing.

"Well," said the crafty John Paul, his face wreathed in smiles. "If
the frigate had simply followed my manoeuver of wearing around under
easy helm and trimming her sails as the wind bore, I could not have
distanced her much in the alteration of the course, and she must have
come off the wind very nearly with me, and before I could get out of
range.

"I do not take to myself too great credit for getting away. I did the
best that I could, but there was more luck than sense to it. A good or
bad puff of wind foils all kinds of skill one way or the other--and
this time when I saw the little squall cat's-pawing to windward--I
thought that I would ware ship and see if the Britisher wouldn't get
taken aback. The old saying that 'Discretion is the