The young lieutenant was now twenty-nine years old. His health was
excellent and he could endure great fatigue. His figure was light,
graceful, and active. His face was stern and his manner was soldierly.
He was a fine seaman and familiar with armed vessels.
He knew that the men placed above him in the navy had had less
experience than he. But he took the position given him without
complaint.
[Illustration: THE PINE TREE FLAG.]
When the commander of the _Alfred_ came on board, Paul Jones hoisted the
American flag. This was the first time a flag of our own had ever been
raised.
We do not know just what this flag was like, but some of the earliest
naval flags bore the picture of a pine tree; others had a rattlesnake
stretched across the stripes, and the words, "Don't tread on me." Our
present flag was not adopted until two years later.
On the 17th of February, 1776, the first American squadron sailed for
the Bahama Islands.
On the way, two British sloops were captured. The English sailors told
the Americans that on the island of New Providence were forts, which
contained a large amount of military supplies. They said that these
forts could easily be taken.
The soldiers on a vessel are called marines. A plan was made to hide the
American marines in the British sloops. In that way it was thought they
could go safely into the harbor of New Providence. Then they could land
and take possession of the forts.
[Illustration: THE RATTLESNAKE FLAG.]
This plan would have been successful, but for one foolish mistake. The
squadron sailed so close to the harbor during the night that in the
morning all the ships could be seen from the shore. The war vessels
should have remained out of sight until the marines had been safely
landed from the sloops. The alarm was spread, and the sloops were not
allowed to cross the bar.
The commander of the squadron then planned to land on the opposite side
of the island and take the forts from the rear, but Paul Jones told him
he could not do this. There was no place to anchor the squadron, and no
road to the forts.
However, he had learned from the pilots of a good landing not far from
the harbor. When he told the commander of this, he was only rebuked for
confiding in pilots.
So Paul Jones undertook, alone, to conduct the _Alfred_ to the landing
he had found. He succeeded in doing this and the whole squadron
afterwards followed.
The English soldiers abandoned the forts, and the squadron sailed away
the same day, carrying a hundred cannon and other military stores.