It was at daybreak about the middle of July, 1812, off the New Jersey coast. Not a breath ruffled the ocean. Captain Isaac Hull, every inch of him a sailor, was in command. A British fleet of five frigates and some smaller vessels, which had been sighted the day before, had crept up during the night, and at daylight almost surrounded "Old Ironsides." [Illustration: Isaac Hull] Hull knew his ship and his men. Not for one moment did he think of giving up his vessel. Of course he could not fight his powerful foe with his single ship. He must get away. But how? One of the British frigates, the Shannon, had furled her sails, and was being towed by all the boats of the fleet. "This," said Lieutenant Morris, "seemed to decide our fate." A moment later, however, a puff of wind carried our frigate out of gunshot. "How deep is the water?" shouts Captain Hull. "Twenty fathoms," is the reply. "Out with the kedge anchor!" cries Hull. All the spare ropes and cables are fastened together and payed out to an anchor, which is dropped into the sea a mile ahead. The sailors on the frigate go round {175} the windlass on the run, and the vessel is slowly drawn ahead to the anchor, which is now quickly taken up and carried out once more. This is called kedging. Our sailor boys give cheer on cheer as they whirl the windlass and pull at the oars. The captain of one of the enemy's frigates now sees the game, and tries kedging, but does not get near enough to throw a shot. Three of the pursuing frigates open fire at long range, without doing any damage. All day long this pursuit is kept up. Every gun is loaded, ready to fire. The men rest by the cannon, with their rammers and their sponges beside them. All the next day the chase goes on. At last, slowly but surely, the American frigate gains on her pursuers. At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Shannon is four miles astern. Two hours later, a squall gave Hull a chance to play a trick on his pursuers. Sail was shortened the moment the squall struck. The British captain, seeing the apparent confusion on board the Yankee frigate, also shortened sail. The moment his vessel was hidden by {176} the rain, Hull quickly made sail again. When the weather cleared, his nearest pursuer was far astern. At daylight the next morning, the British fleet was almost out of sight, and, after a chase of three nights and two days, gave up the contest. Six days later, the good people of Boston went wild with delight, as their favorite frigate ran the blockade and came to anchor in the harbor. Captain Hull was not the man to be shut up in Boston harbor if he could help it. In less than two weeks he ran the blockade and sailed out upon the broad ocean. A powerful British fleet was off the coast. Hull knew it, but out he sailed with his single ship to battle for his country.