demanding more pay. Rebuffed they would disappear
with their camels into the fastnesses of the desert, only to reappear
unexpectedly with new importunities. Between Hamet, who was in constant
terror of his life and quite ready to abandon the expedition, and these
mutinous Arabs, Eaton was in a position to appreciate the vicissitudes
of Xenophon and his Ten Thousand. No ordinary person, indeed, could have
surmounted all obstacles and brought his balky forces within sight of
Derne.

Supported by the American fleet which had rendezvoused as agreed in the
Bay of Bomba, the four hundred advanced upon the city. Again the Arab
contingent would have made off into the desert but for the promise of
more money. Hamet was torn by conflicting emotions, in which a desire
to retreat was uppermost. Eaton was, as ever, indefatigable and
indomitable. When his forces were faltering at the crucial moment, he
boldly ordered an assault and carried the defenses of the city. The guns
of the ships in the harbor completed the discomfiture of the enemy,
and the international army took possession of the citadel. Derne won,
however, had to be resolutely defended. Twice within the next four
weeks, Tripolitan forces were beaten back only with the greatest
difficulty. The day after the second assault (June 10th) the frigate
Constellation arrived off Derne with orders which rang down the curtain
on this interlude in the Tripolitan War. Derne was to be evacuated!
Peace had been concluded!

Just what considerations moved the Administration to conclude peace at
a moment when the largest and most powerful American fleet ever placed
under a single command was assembling in the Mediterranean and when the
land expedition was approaching its objective, has never been adequately
explained. Had the President's belligerent spirit oozed away as the
punitive expeditions against Tripoli lost their merely defensive
character and took on the proportions of offensive naval operations? Had
the Administration become alarmed at the drain upon the treasury? Or
did the President wish to have his hands free to deal with those
depredations upon American commerce committed by British and French
cruisers which were becoming far more frequent and serious than ever
the attacks of the Corsairs of the Mediterranean had been? Certain it is
that overtures of peace from the Pasha were welcomed by the very naval
commanders who had been most eager to wrest a victory from the Corsairs.