ishman discover how he had been tricked.

Having thus secured the safety of his prizes, it only remained for
Jones to escape with the privateer. Unluckily, however, the officer
put in charge of the privateer proved incapable, and his craft fell
into hands of the British. Jones, however, safely carried the "Alfred"
clear of the "Milford's" guns, and, a heavy storm coming up, soon
eluded his foe in the snow and darkness. Thereupon he shaped his
course for Boston, where he arrived on the 5th of December, 1776. Had
he been delayed two days longer, both his provisions and his water
would have been exhausted.

For the ensuing six months Jones remained on shore, not by any means
inactive, for his brain was teeming with great projects for his
country's service. He had been deprived of the command of the
"Alfred," and another ship was not easily to be found: so he turned
his attention to questions of naval organization, and the results of
many of his suggestions are observable in the United States navy
to-day. It was not until June 14, 1777, that a command was found for
him. This was the eighteen-gun ship "Ranger," built to carry a
frigate's battery of twenty-six guns. She had been built for the
revolutionary government, at Portsmouth, and was a stanch-built, solid
craft, though miserably slow and somewhat crank. Jones, though
disappointed with the sailing qualities of the craft, was nevertheless
vastly delighted to be again in command of a man-of-war, and wasted no
time in getting her ready for sea.

It so happened, that, on the very day Paul Jones received his
commission as commander of the "Ranger," the Continental Congress
adopted the Stars and Stripes for the national flag. Jones,
anticipating this action, had prepared a flag in accordance with the
proposed designs, and, upon hearing of the action of Congress, had it
run to the masthead, while the cannon of the "Ranger" thundered out
their deep-mouthed greetings to the starry banner destined to wave
over the most glorious nation of the earth. Thus it happened that the
same hand that had given the pine-tree banner to the winds was the
first to fling out to the breezes the bright folds of the Stars and
Stripes.

Early in October the "Ranger" left Portsmouth, and made for the coast
of France. Astute agents of the Americans in that country were having
a fleet, powerful frigate built there for Jones, which he was to take,
leaving the sluggish "Ranger" to be sold. But, on hi