hurriedly by him.

"Drummer, beat to quarters!" was the quick, sharp command of the
captain. The drummer stopped short, and in a moment the resonant roll
of the drum rose above the shouts and the tramping of feet. As the
well-known call rose on the air, the men regained their self-control,
and went quietly to their stations at the guns, as though preparing to
give battle to an enemy.

When order had been restored, Capt. Chauncey commanded the boats to be
lowered; but the effect of this was to arouse the panic again. The
people rushed from the guns, and crowded out upon the bowsprit, the
spritsail-yard, and the knightheads. Some leaped into the sea, and
swam for the nearest vessel. All strove to get as far from the
magazine as possible. This poltroonery disgusted Chauncey.

"Volunteers, follow me," he cried. "Remember, lads, it's just as well
to be blown through three decks as one."

So saying he plunged down the smoky hatchway, followed by Lieut. David
Porter and some other officers. Blinded and almost stifled by the
smoke, they groped their way to the seat of the danger. With wet
blankets, and buckets of water, they began to fight the flames. As
their efforts began to meet with success, one of the officers went on
deck, and succeeded in rallying the men, and forming two lines of
water-carriers. After two hours' hard work, the ship was saved.

The explosion was a serious one, many of the bulkheads having been
blown down, and nineteen officers and men seriously injured, of whom
fourteen died. It came near leading to a still more serious blunder;
for, when the flames broke out, the quartermaster was ordered to hoist
the signal, "A fire on board." In his trepidation he mistook the
signal, and announced, "A mutiny on board." Seeing this, Capt. Rodgers
of the "John Adams" beat his crew to quarters, and with shotted guns
and open ports took up a raking position astern of the "New York,"
ready to quell the supposed mutiny. Luckily he discovered his error
without causing loss of life.

For a month after this incident, the ships were detained at Malta
making repairs; but, near the end of May, the "John Adams," "Adams,"
"New York," and "Enterprise" took up the blockade of Tripoli. One
afternoon a number of merchant vessels succeeded in evading the
blockaders, and though cut off from the chief harbor of the town, yet
took refuge in the port of Old Tripoli. They were small lanteen-rigged
feluccas of light draught; and they t