could not seem to do enough to attest her regard for him. She gave a
wonderful banquet, with him as the chief guest. As the evening waned he
asked her if she remembered his promise to lay an English frigate at her
dainty feet. On hearing her assent, he turned to an attendant, who had
been holding the sword surrendered by Captain Pearson, and taking this
he dropped gracefully on one knee and presented it to the beautiful
Duchesse with these words: "While I am unable to lay so large a thing as
a frigate at the feet of your Royal Highness, I nevertheless am able to
surrender to the loveliest of women the sword surrendered by one of the
bravest of men on such a frigate."
Of course the petite Aimée De Telusson was present at this meeting, and
to her, as usual, Paul Jones gallantly paid the most marked attention.
His gayety was contagious. His wit was the wonder of all those
assembled. With one and all he was a favorite, this son of a poor Scotch
gardener.
XV
AND THE LAST
For some time Benjamin Franklin, knowing the need of supplies for
Washington's army, had been soliciting Paul Jones to take command of the
_Ariel_ and transport such goods from France to America. But the Scotch
commodore, dissatisfied with the humbleness of a command on such a small
sloop, had held off stubbornly, hoping that in the meantime a ship of
greater caliber and importance would be presented to him. Honors
bestowed upon him by the King of France, wherein he had been presented
with the Royal Order of Military Merit and a beautiful gold sword,
seemed to have increased his native unbounded ambitions and to have
almost spoiled him for anything but the most exalted of offices.
But on October 8, 1780, he finally sailed away in the _Ariel_, having a
goodly number of his old crew with him, including his valiant young
Indian friend Wannashego, who was now eager to see his home country and
people, from whom he had been away just one month short of three years.
The young Narragansett's muscles were like steel bands now, and not a
member of the _Ariel's_ crew could throw him. This had been amply
attested in the wrestling bouts which took place on the eve of the
ship's departure from L'Orient, when Commodore Jones had given an
elaborate farewell party. On this occasion the little _Ariel_ had been
bewitchingly decorated from stern to bow, the finest people of France
had been in attendance, and a wonderful mimic sham battle had been
shown, a replica of that terrible fight between the _Bon Homme Richard_
and the _Serapis_.
The little _Ariel_ arrived in Philadelphia the 18th of February, 1781,
and there her commander took affectionate leave of Wannashego. For five
years the young Narragansett Indian had fought at Paul Jones's side,
never once flinching, and therefore he seemed more like a younger
brother than a friend. At this time the Scotchman himself was
thirty-three years old.
Upon his arrival the commodore called on many of his friends, and then
proposed having an investigation of the doings of his enemy, Arthur Lee.
But his friends dissuaded him from this. With the whole country ringing
his praises, as had been the case when he left France, it was easy for
him to forgive his enemies. Congress passed resolutions in which they
complimented him for his victories and service to the States, and a most
appreciative letter was written him by the great George Washington
himself.
It now seemed to Paul Jones a favorable time to improve his rank--an
object he never lost sight of!--and on May 28 he sent a memorial to
Congress reiterating his claims to stand above the captains who had been
unjustly put ahead of him. He failed, probably on account of the
political influence of the aforesaid captains; but he was rewarded with
the command of the _America_, a fine new 74-gun ship-of-the-line then
building at Portsmouth. He at once went to Portsmouth, and worked for
weeks getting her ready for sea--only to have her turned over to the
King of France!
With undaunted energy he now attempted to get hold of the _South
Carolina_, formerly the _Indien_. But the plan failed, and he remained
without a vessel. Unable to rest, although his health had for some time
been failing, he was given consent to go off with the French fleet under
Marquis De Vaudreuil, "in pursuit of military marine knowledge," as he
termed his object. Then, in the summer of 1783, came an attack of fever.
On his recovery, he was appointed by Congress as agent to collect all
moneys due from the sale of prizes taken in European waters under his
command. In this work he showed unusual business tact and ability.
When the war closed, he began a profitable business in illuminating
oils, and continued his activities in securing prize money until all
accounts had been settled. Then Paul Jones set off for Copenhagen to
collect indemnity from the Danish government for the prizes the mad
Landais had delivered to Bergen, and which that country had turned over
to England before the declaration of hostilities between the two. He
arrived in January, 1788, and was magnificently entertained by the
court, being given a pension of 1500 crowns a year "for respect shown
to the Danish flag" while he commanded in the European seas. The
negotiations for indemnity were suspended and transferred, with his
agreement, to Paris.
When Paul Jones was in Paris, the Russian ambassador to France made a
proposition to him, through Mr. Jefferson, to take a position in the
Russian navy. Russia was then at war with Turkey, and the clever Simolin
so impressed the Scotch captain with the great deeds he might do for
the benefit of the Russian empire and the distress of the Turks, that
he at once began to maneuver for the highest command possible. He
demurred at the rank of captain-commandant, a rank equal to that of
brigadier-general in the present United States army--and maintained that
nothing less than that of rear-admiral was fitting. This was allowed.
Our hero left Copenhagen on his ill-fated Russian mission, April 11, and
made a flying and perilous trip to St. Petersburg. The Baltic was filled
with ice blocks, but at the muzzle of his pistols the intrepid Scotchman
forced two frightened and unwilling boatmen to row him across the
turbulent stream. On April 23 he was presented to the Empress, and she
conferred upon him the coveted rank of rear-admiral, to the profound
disgust of many of the English officers in the service of Russia, who
looked upon the newcomer as a red-handed and infamous pirate.
With many a jealous eye on him, Paul Jones departed from St. Petersburg
on May 7, to take command of the Russian squadron in the Black Sea. But
even while he was leaving envy and hate behind him, he was going forward
into feeling even more bitter. His fortune put him in co-command with an
arrogant adventurer, the Prince of Nassau, who at once became extremely
jealous of the American. Nassau advised him to allow Prince Potemkin, in
charge of the fleet, to take the credit for any success which might
result from an engagement, and to hold his tongue--two things which Paul
Jones's nature would not allow him to do.
It is not advisable to enter into the details of this campaign, but
enough may be given to explain some of the difficulties the man from
across the sea encountered. Following some unimportant engagements,
Captain Pacha, whose fleet lay before Oczakow, protecting that
Turk-infested town from the Russian ships, attempted to attack the
Russian fleet. But one of his ships ran aground, and the others anchored
in much confusion. Paul Jones then made such a fierce attack that the
Turkish ships cut anchor and fled, with him in pursuit. He signaled
Nassau to join him, but the latter paid no attention, and continued to
fire inhumanely into two others of the enemy which were aground and
ablaze. Paul Jones then continued on after the fleeing Turkish ships,
many of which he captured or ran aground. Later on, the cowardly Nassau
came up and proceeded to rake the helpless enemy fore and aft, killing
most of their crews while they pleaded for quarter.
Paul Jones was so disgusted and incensed at this conduct that he
publicly upbraided Prince Nassau, gaining his further ill-will, and
bringing down upon his head a rebuke from the crafty Prince Potemkin. To
add to his anger, when the Empress made her awards of bravery for this
battle, Nassau received the warmest praise and a valuable estate,
while Paul received only the mediocre award of the Order of St. Anne.
A little later the despotic Potemkin had made up his mind that he could
not get along with the independent and fiery American seaman, and
secured an order which sent him into the northern seas. This was
practically a dismissal for Paul Jones, who returned to St. Petersburg
in virtual disgrace. By this time, too, Empress Catherine had had her
ears so filled with the lies of his enemies, who seemed to take delight
in besmirching his character and causing him every annoyance possible,
even to the extent of intercepting his mail, that she was sincerely
anxious to get rid of the man whom she had only a little while before
admired so greatly. She did not dare to do this openly, however, owing
to his powerful influence in France, which she feared; so promised him
an important command in the Baltic seas, a command which she secretly
made up her mind should never come his way.
Patiently Paul Jones waited in his humble lodgings in St. Petersburg for
this commission. Days rolled by. Weeks rolled by. Months began to
multiply. While he waited, he was falsely accused, in March, 1789, of
an atrocious crime, and forbidden to approach the palace of the Empress.
But for the French ambassador, M. De Ségur, who had a strong influence
with the Empress, and who proved that Paul Jones was the victim of a
plot, it is hard to tell how he would have come out of this difficulty.
As it was, Catherine once more received him graciously, with profuse
apologies.
But Paul Jones's health, largely owing to the indignities heaped upon
him in Russia, was now fast failing; he asked for two years' leave of
absence, and it was granted. His services to that country were
considerable, yet they have never to this day been recognized. As an
instance of the ridiculous reports circulated about him, we will state
that he was said to have murdered his nephew--a person who had never
existed! Can we wonder that the sensitive soul of this brave man was
shattered after his harrowing experiences? Can we wonder that his
iron-clad constitution, which should have held life in him not less than
four-score years, began to go to pieces when he was still a young man?
On August 18, 1789, Paul Jones left St. Petersburg, never to return, and
never again to fight a battle for any nation. He was only forty-two
years old, but though still brave in spirit, so undermined in physical
strength that he remained in Paris and became a spectator rather than an
actor in the great French Revolution, then taking place.
Acquainted with men of all nationalities and in the highest and most
influential positions, Paul Jones, now that he could do little else,
settled down to entertaining his friends and being entertained himself.
Always he seemed happiest when with the charming Aimée De Telusson, who
to the very end of his last hours remained ever with him, a faithful and
devoted nurse. Had he continued to live in health and strength there is
little doubt but that he would have taken this beautiful, unselfish, and
loving girl, the daughter of a king, to be his wife, for of all his many
warm women friends, with her he was ever the most tender and
considerate.
A stranger to illness, a conqueror of troubles which had seemed far more
formidable to him, Paul Jones never doubted his recovery. Even when the
doctors shook their heads and said his left lung was entirely gone and
the other affected, he smiled and did not give up. His wonderful Scotch
constitution held out amazingly. A number of times it looked as if he
would win his battle with Death, for he would rise from his bed and seem
his old energetic self again.
But gradually his strength was sapped. On the afternoon of the 18th of
July, 1792, when forty-five years old, he consigned himself to the
inevitable, and, assisted by Gouverneur Morris, drew up his will. A few
hours afterward, while he lay in bed, his great spirit quietly departed.
[Illustration: PAUL JONES'S LAST BURIAL
_Midshipman escorting the casket to its final resting place, in
Annapolis, April 24th, 1906_]
In 1905, the American Embassy in Paris exhumed the body of America's
glorious hero, after it had lain hidden for one hundred and thirteen
years in the abandoned Cemetery of St. Louis. Under escort of one of our
finest naval squadrons the body was brought to the United States and
buried with much ceremony in Arlington, the National Cemetery at
Washington.
* * * * *
_FAMOUS AMERICANS FOR YOUNG READERS_
_Titles Ready_
GEORGE WASHINGTON By Joseph Walker
JOHN PAUL JONES By C. C. Fraser
THOMAS JEFFERSON By Gene Stone
ABRAHAM LINCOLN By J. Walker McSpadden
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN By Clare Tree Major
DAVID CROCKETT By Jane Corby
ROBERT FULTON By I. N. McFee
THOMAS A. EDISON By I. N. McFee
HARRIET B. STOWE By R. B. MacArthur
MARY LYON By H. O. Stengel
_Other Titles in Preparation_