[Sidenote: =The "Richard" and the "Serapis"=] =102. A Great Sea Fight and a Great Victory.= As Paul Jones sailed along the British coasts he captured many trading ships and frightened the people. At last he came upon two British war ships. Just at dark the _Richard_ attacked a larger English ship, the _Serapis_. At the first fire two of Jones' cannon burst, tearing up the deck and killing a dozen of his own men. [Sidenote: =The great sea fight=] The fight went on for an hour, when the _Serapis_ came near, and Jones ran the _Richard_ into her. "Have you struck your colors?" called out the English captain. "I have not yet begun to fight!" replied Captain Jones. When the ships came together again Paul Jones himself seized a great rope and tied them together. Now the fighting was terrific. The cannon tore huge holes in the sides of the ships. [Illustration: NAVAL PITCHER _This was made in commemoration of the American Navy, 1795_] A great explosion on the _Serapis_ killed twenty of her men. Both ships were on fire, and the _Richard_ began to fill with water. The men on each ship had to fight fire. It was ten o'clock at night. [Illustration: THE CAPTURE OF THE SERAPIS _Because of this victory three nations, France, Russia, and Denmark, bestowed special honors upon John Paul Jones as "the valiant assertor of the freedom of the sea"_] The British prisoners on the _Richard_ had to help pump out water to keep the ship from sinking. [Sidenote: =A great victory=] Only a few cannon on each ship could be fired. The decks of both ships were covered with dead and wounded, but neither captain would give up. Finally Paul Jones, with his own hands, pointed two cannon at the great mast of the _Serapis_. Just as it was about to fall, the English captain surrendered. [Sidenote: =A great naval hero=] All night Jones and his men were kept busy fighting fire and pumping water, while the wounded were removed to the _Serapis_. The _Good Man Richard_ sank the next day at ten o'clock. Paul Jones sailed to France with his two English ships, where he was praised and rewarded by the King of France. He was a great hero in the eyes of the French people, and in the eyes of the Americans, too. [Sidenote: =Finally buried in America=] After the war Paul Jones was an officer in the Russian navy. He died in France in 1792. His grave was forgotten for many years, but was discovered in 1905, and his bones were brought to America with great honor, and buried at Annapolis, Maryland. JOHN BARRY, WHO WON MORE SEA FIGHTS IN THE REVOLUTION THAN ANY OTHER CAPTAIN [Sidenote: =Barry visits America=]