and
through all wars. Look at Paul Jones, the most gallant sailor who ever
trod deck! He was not born on our soil, but he was a true-blue American
for all that. Look at Perry, rowing from ship to ship amid the rain of
British shot and shell! Look at Farragut in the Civil War, facing death
in the rigging that he might see the enemy! Look at Dewey in the war
with Spain, on the bridge amid the hurtling Spanish shells! These are
but types of our gallant sailors. They have had their equals in every
war. We have hundreds to-day as brave. All they wait for is opportunity.
When the time comes they will be ready.

If all our history is an inspiration, our naval history is specially so.
It is full of thrilling tales, stories of desperate deeds and noble
valor which no work of fiction can surpass. We are sure that all who
take up this book will find it vital with interest and brimming with
inspiration. Its tales deal with men who fought for their land with only
a plank between them and death, and none among us can read the story of
their deeds without a thrill in the nerves and a stir in the heart, and
without a wish that sometime they may be able to do as much for the land
that gave them birth. This is a book for the American boy to read, and
the American girl as well; a book to fill them with the spirit of
emulation and make them resolve that when the time comes they will act
their part bravely in the perilous work of the world.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
PAGE
FIRST SEA FIGHT OF THE REVOLUTION.
The Burning of the "Gaspee" in Narragansett Bay 1

CHAPTER II
A BRITISH SCHOONER CAPTURED BY FARMERS.
Captain Jerry O'Brien Leads the Patriots of 1775 11

CHAPTER III
BENEDICT ARNOLD, THE SOLDIER-SAILOR.
A Novel Fight on Lake Champlain 21

CHAPTER IV
CAPTAIN PAUL JONES.
The Greatest of America's Naval Heroes 32

CHAPTER V
HOW PAUL JONES WON RENOWN.
The First Great Fight of the American Navy 44

CHAPTER VI
CAPTAIN BUSHNELL SCARES THE BRITISH.
The Pioneer Torpedo Boat and the Battle of the Kegs 60

CHAPTER VII
CAPTAIN BARRY AND HIS ROWBOATS WIN A VICTORY OVER
THE BRITISH.
A Gallant Naval Hero of Irish Blood 70

CHAPTER VIII
CAPTAIN TUCKER HONORED BY GEORGE WASHINGTON.
The Daring Adventures of the Hero of Marbleh