ed?" Allison's eyes snapped with
excitement. "Sir, if I were in your place----"

"If you were in my place, you might not be censured for yielding to
your desire for revenge," returned Levy, very quietly. "But I--" his
voice took on a tinge of bitterness, "I am a Jew and these wretches,
no matter how criminal, would be pitied as the victim of a Jew's
vengeance. Even in America, my dear Allison, and in spite of the
liberal influence of men like Thomas Jefferson, it is not always easy
to be a Jew."

The civil authorities, however, were entirely on Levy's side at the
trial and the mutineers were duly tried and condemned to death. The
young sailor was about to put out to sea again, for he longed for
further adventure, when the outbreak of the war of 1812 set him
a-dreaming once more of serving his country upon the sea. In spite of
his youth, he was commissioned sailing master in the United States
Navy, serving on the ship, "Alert," and later on the brig, "Argus,"
which ran the blockade to France, Mr. Crawford, the American minister
to that country, being aboard. The "Argus" captured several English
vessels, one of which was placed at Levy's command; but his triumph
was short-lived; recaptured by the English, Levy and his crew were
kept prisoners of war in England for over a year.

Regaining his freedom, Levy returned to America to be promoted to the
rank of lieutenant. It was then that he realized how just had been his
complaint to Allison, for on every hand those who were envious of his
good fortune proved even more malicious because of his loyalty to his
faith. Levy suffered, too, from the hatred of those naval officers who
looked upon him as an intruder into their ranks. For, with the
exception of a year's attendance at the Naval School in Philadelphia,
he had had no naval training and had worked his way up from the ranks.
Perhaps his long fight against the practise of flogging unruly sailors
helped to add to the number of his enemies, for those in authority
were outraged that this Jewish upstart should criticise a custom so
deeply rooted in the traditions of the navy. Another man of quieter
temper might have tried to combat the prejudice and hatred which met
him at every turn; but Levy's nature was not a patient one. When
raised to the rank of captain, he felt that he could not allow the
slanders of one of his enemies to go unanswered; he challenged the
Jew-hater to a duel and caused his opponent to pay for his insult