Now that the war was over, and there was no more fighting to be done, Paul Jones thought that the best thing for him to do was to get the prize money still due from the French government for the vessels he had captured. For this purpose, he soon returned to France. After many delays the money, amounting to nearly $30,000, was paid to him. It was to be divided among the officers and crews of the ships which he had commanded. Paul Jones came again to America in 1787 to attend to the final division of this money. [Illustration] While in this country, Congress ordered a gold medal to be presented to him for his services during the war. XIII.--AMBITIOUS HOPES. You remember that, during the war, Captain Landais had sent two valuable ships to Norway, and so caused the loss of much prize money. Denmark had taken these ships, by force, and given them back to England. Paul Jones determined to go to Denmark to try to induce that country to pay for these ships. In November, 1787, he left America for the last time. On the way to Denmark, he stopped in Paris. Here he heard some news which pleased him very much. For some time Russia had been at war with Turkey, and the Russian navy had lately met with several disasters on the Black Sea. The Russian minister in Paris had heard a great deal about the hero, Paul Jones. So he sent word to the Empress Catherine, who was then the ruler of Russia, that if she would give Paul Jones the command of the Russian fleet, "all Constantinople would tremble in less than a year." When Paul Jones heard that this message had gone to Russia, he was sure that a chance would come to win still more glory and fame. He was more anxious than before to go to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. He would then be nearer to Russia and could more quickly answer the summons of the empress. He was not disappointed in this. He was in Copenhagen but a few weeks, when he received the offer of a position in the Russian navy, with the rank of rear-admiral. He gave up the hope of the prize money, and started in April, 1788, for St. Petersburg. The story of his trip to Russia shows what a fearless man he was. No danger was too great for him to brave, in order to accomplish any purpose he had in mind. In order to reach St. Petersburg with the least delay, he went to Stockholm, Sweden. Here he took an open boat and crossed the Baltic Sea, which was full of floating ice. He did not let the boatmen know of his intentions until they were well out at sea. Then, pistol in hand, he compelled the unwilling men to steer for the Russian shore. For four days and nights they were out in the open boats, carefully steering through the ice, and many times barely escaping death.