ss. Most of her
officers and men were concealed.

The _Intrepid_ went alongside the _Philadelphia_, when Decatur,
followed by his men, who sprang from their hiding-places, boarded the
frigate, slew many of her defenders and drove the rest into the sea, set
her on fire, and escaped with only four men wounded. This daring act
produced great commotion in the harbor. The _Philadelphia_ was soon in
flames; the great guns of the castle and of the corsairs lying near
thundered incessantly; and to this roar of artillery was added that of
the cannons of the frigate as the flames reached them. The heroes of
this exploit were received at Syracuse with demonstrations of great joy,
and Decatur was promoted to Captain. The ruler of Tripoli was abashed by
this display of American energy and valor.

[Illustration: DECATUR AND HIS MEN BOARDING THE GUN-BOAT.]

The harbor of Tripoli was guarded by batteries mounting more than a
hundred heavy guns, by numerous gun-boats and other vessels, by
twenty-five thousand soldiers, and a sheltering reef. Undismayed by
these, Preble entered the harbor in the summer of 1804, with the
_Constitution_ and several gun-boats, and opened fire on the formidable
defenses. In that engagement Decatur again displayed his valor. He
captured one gun-boat, and boarded another, on which he had a fierce
hand-to-hand fight with its powerful commander, but triumphed. The
Americans withdrew, but renewed the struggle a few days afterward, when
a hot shot exploded the magazine of one of the American gun-boats,
killing two officers and eight of the crew. When the smoke cleared away,
Midshipman Spence and eleven others were seen on the sinking vessel
working her great gun. Giving three cheers, and firing it at the enemy,
they were picked from the water a few minutes later, for the vessel had
gone to the bottom.

In a fourth attack on Tripoli by the gallant Preble a sad accident
occurred. It was determined to blow up the cruisers in the harbor by a
floating mine or huge torpedo. The _Intrepid_ was laden with a hundred
barrels of gunpowder, over which were laid shot, shell, and irregular
pieces of iron. In charge of Captain Somers, she was towed into the
harbor on a very dark night (September 4, 1804), when all eyes were
strained to observe the result. Suddenly a fierce and lurid light shot
up from the dark bosom of the waters, like a volcanic fire, and was
instantly followed by an explosion that shook earth and air for m