I must now tell you something about another gallant young officer who
entered the American navy at the close of the century, when he was
hardly thirty years old. He was Jacob Jones, who lived until 1850. He
was a lieutenant on the _Philadelphia_ for two years, and was with that
frigate when she ran on the rocks in the harbor of Tripoli. He was given
command of the 18-gun sloop of war _Wasp_, which sailed from the
Delaware in October, 1812, and headed eastward, with the intention of
intercepting some of the enemy's merchantmen plying between Great
Britain and the West Indies.

About a week after sailing he sighted five merchantmen, several of which
were well armed, while all were convoyed by a brig of war. Jones stood
toward them, when the brig signalled to her companions to make all sail
before the wind, while she dropped back to attend to the stranger. The
American came up quite close, and hailing, demanded the name of the
other. For a reply, the brig lowered the Spanish colors, ran up the
British flag, and let fly with a broadside and volley of musketry.

The _Wasp_ was expecting something of that nature and returned the
compliment, the vessels working nearer each other and firing as rapidly
as possible. The action had hardly begun when the _Wasp_ lost her main
topmast, and a few minutes later the mizzen topgallant mast and the gaff
were shot away. These mishaps so crippled her that she became almost
unmanageable. The _Frolic_, as the enemy was named, was also damaged,
but not so badly as the _Wasp_, but, unfortunately for the _Frolic_, the
heavy sea and the twisting about of the hull threw her into position to
be raked by the _Wasp_, and Captain Jones was quick to seize the
advantage, the vessels being so close that the ramrods were pushed