is fellow-officers saw the flames from their prison
window and hailed them with lusty cheers. The officers of the _Siren_
saw them also, and sent their boats into the harbor to aid the
fugitives, if necessary. But it was not necessary. Not a man had been
hurt. In an hour after the flames were seen, Decatur and his daring crew
came in triumph out of the bay of Tripoli.

Never had been known a more perfect and successful naval exploit. All
Europe talked of it with admiration when the news was received. Lord
Nelson, the greatest of England's sailors, said, "It was the boldest and
most daring act of the ages." When the tidings reached the United
States, Decatur, young as he was, was rewarded by Congress with the
title of captain.

We are not yet done with the _Intrepid_, in which Decatur played so
brilliant a part. She was tried again in work of the same kind, but with
a more tragic end.

A room was built in her and filled with powder, shot, and shells.
Combustibles of various kinds were piled around it, so that it could not
fail to go off, if set on fire. Then, one dark night, the fire-ship was
sent into the harbor of Tripoli, with a picked crew under another
gallant young officer, Lieutenant Richard Somers.

They were told to take it into the midst of the Moorish squadron, set it
on fire and escape in their boats. It was expected to blow up and rend
to atoms the war vessels of Tripoli.

But the forts and ships began to fire on it, and before it reached its
goal a frightful disaster occurred. Suddenly a great jet of fire was
seen to shoot up into the sky. Then came a roar like that of a volcano.
The distant spectators saw the mast of the _Intrepid_, with blazing
sail, flung like a rocket into the air. Bombs flew in all directions.
Then all grew dark and still.

In some way the magazine had been exploded, perhaps by a shot from the
enemy. Nothing was ever seen again of Somers and his men. It was the
great tragedy of the war. They had all perished in that fearful
explosion.

* * * * *

Now let us turn back to the story of Decatur, of whom we have some more
famous work to tell.

In August, 1804, the American fleet entered the harbor of Tripoli and
made a daring attack on the fleet, the batteries, and the city of the
Bashaw. In addition to the war vessels of the fleet, there were six
gunboats and two bomb vessels, all pouring shot and shell into the city
which had so long defied them.