were seeking, the
Americans never succeeded in overhauling him. One day great quantities
of orange-peel, cocoanut-shells, and similar fragments of tropical
fruits gave the jackies assurance of the proximity of the long-sought
enemy, and urged them on to renewed energy and watchfulness. Then the
master of an English letter-of-marque, captured by the "Hornet,"
reported that the day before he had passed a fleet of eighty-five
sail, of which four were men-of-war. That night there was no room in
the minds of the sailors for any thoughts other than those of big
prize-money. But their golden dreams were never to be fulfilled; for,
although the chase was continued until within a day's run of the
English Channel, no sight of the Jamaica fleet was ever gained.
Abandoning this chase, the squadron returned to Boston by a Southern
route; and, although constantly in the very highway of commerce, few
sails were sighted. When port was reached, the results of a cruise
that had occupied seventy days amounted only to the capture of one
letter-of-marque, seven merchantmen, and the recapture of one American
ship. But Rodgers heard, that, while he had been scouring the ocean
with such meagre results, events of more importance had occurred
nearer home.

[Illustration: Explosion On The "President."]

The British ship "Belvidera," after her lucky escape from the
"President," had made her way to Halifax, the chief naval station of
Great Britain on the American coast. Her report was the first news of
the declaration of war, for at that day news travelled slowly. Once
alarmed, the British were prompt to act; and in a few days a squadron
left Halifax in search of Commodore Rodgers. The force thus hurriedly
gathered was quite formidable. The "Africa" of sixty-four guns, the
"Shannon," thirty-eight, the "Guerriere," thirty-eight, the
"Belvidera," thirty-six, and the "AEolus," thirty-two, made up the
fleet despatched to chastise the headstrong Americans for their
attempt to dispute with Great Britain the mastery of the ocean. Early
in July, this force made its appearance off New York, and quickly made
captures enough to convince the American merchantmen that a season in
port was preferable to the dangers of the high seas in war-times. To
this same fleet belongs the honor of the first capture of a war-vessel
during the war; for the American brig "Nautilus," fourteen guns, was
suddenly overhauled by the entire fleet, and captured after a plucky
but