about one thousand people.

With his little vessel, and her puny battery of four-pounders, Capt.
Rathburne determined to undertake the capture of New Providence. Only
the highest daring, approaching even recklessness, could have
conceived such a plan. The harbor was defended by a fort of no mean
power. There was always one British armed vessel, and often more,
lying at anchor under the guns of the fort. Two hundred of the people
of the town were able-bodied men, able to bear arms. How, then, were
the Yankees, with their puny force, to hope for success? This query
Rathburne answered, "By dash and daring."

It was about eleven o'clock on the night of the 27th of January, 1778,
that the "Providence" cast anchor in a sheltered cove near the
entrance to the harbor of New Providence. Twenty-five of her crew were
put ashore, and being re-enforced by a few American prisoners kept
upon the island, made a descent upon Fort Nassau from its landward
side. The sentries dozing at their posts were easily overpowered, and
the garrison was aroused from its peaceful slumbers by the cheers of
the Yankee blue-jackets as they came tumbling in over the ramparts. A
rocket sent up from the fort announced the victory to the
"Providence," and she came in and cast anchor near the fort.

When morning broke, the Americans saw a large sixteen-gun ship lying
at anchor in the harbor, together with five sail that looked
suspiciously like captured American merchantmen. The proceedings of
the night had been quietly carried on, and the crew of the armed
vessel had no reason to suspect that the condition of affairs on shore
had been changed in any way during the night. But at daybreak a boat
carrying four men put off from the shore, and made for the armed ship;
and at the same time a flag was flung out from the flagstaff of the
fort,--not the familiar scarlet flag of Great Britain, but the almost
unknown stars and stripes of the United States.

The sleepy sailors on the armed vessel rubbed their eyes; and while
they were staring at the strange piece of bunting, there came a hail
from a boat alongside, and an American officer clambered over the
rail. He curtly told the captain of the privateer that the fort was in
the hands of the Americans, and called upon him to surrender his
vessel forthwith. Resistance was useless; for the heavy guns of Fort
Nassau were trained upon the British ship, and could blow her out of
the water. The visitor's arguments prove