[Illustration: SHOOTING TONGUES OF SMOKE FROM THEIR GREAT BLACK THROATS] Historic Adventures _Tales from American History_ By RUPERT S. HOLLAND _Author of "Historic Boyhoods," "Historic Girlhoods," "Historic Inventions," etc._ [Illustration] PHILADELPHIA GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1913, by GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY _Published October, 1913_ _All rights reserved_ Printed in U.S.A. _To Robert D. Jenks_ Contents I. THE LOST CHILDREN 9 II. THE GREAT JOURNEY OF LEWIS AND CLARK 21 III. THE CONSPIRACY OF AARON BURR 59 IV. HOW THE YOUNG REPUBLIC FOUGHT THE BARBARY PIRATES 80 V. THE FATE OF LOVEJOY'S PRINTING-PRESS 113 VI. HOW MARCUS WHITMAN SAVED OREGON 135 VII. HOW THE MORMONS CAME TO SETTLE UTAH 165 VIII. THE GOLDEN DAYS OF 'FORTY-NINE 181 IX. HOW THE UNITED STATES MADE FRIENDS WITH JAPAN 203 X. THE PIG THAT ALMOST CAUSED A WAR 222 XI. JOHN BROWN AT HARPER'S FERRY 229 XII. AN ARCTIC EXPLORER 254 XIII. THE STORY OF ALASKA 264 XIV. HOW THE "MERRIMAC" WAS SUNK IN SANTIAGO HARBOR 275 Illustrations Shooting tongues of smoke from their great black throats _Frontispiece_ _Facing page_ Sawquehanna seemed to remember the voice 18 Decatur caught the Moor's arm 90 The last six hundred miles were the hardest 152 Nauvoo had handsome houses and public buildings 166 Wherever there was a stream explorers began to dig 186 The teams, exhausted, began to fail 200 Spanish boats pulled close to them 282 I THE LOST CHILDREN