At the time of this outrage the United States frigate _President_, of forty-four guns, commanded by Captain John Rodgers, was lying off Fort Severn, at Annapolis, Maryland. Captain Rodgers was at Havre de Grace, her chaplain and purser were at Washington, and her sailing-master was at Baltimore. That was in the days of stage coaches, as the reader will recall, but in spite of the slowness with which mails travelled--especially official mails--the _President_ tripped her anchor at dawn on the morning of May 12th, and headed away for the ocean, with her name painted on each of her three topsails. As a poker-player might say, Captain Rodgers was holding three of a kind to Captain Pechell’s ace high. That he had been sent to sea to look for the _Guerrière_ and get John Deguyo from her does not admit of a doubt, although he had not been specifically ordered to do so. He had been ordered to cruise up and down the coast to “protect American commerce,” and the facts of the _Guerrière’s_ assault upon the liberty of John Deguyo had been communicated to him. The proper proceedings in the matter should he fall in with the _Guerrière_ were left to his discretion. That he assumed the responsibility gladly may be inferred from what he said before sailing. He said that if he fell in with the _Guerrière_ “he hoped he might prevail upon her commander to release the impressed young man.” Four days after leaving Annapolis (on May 16, 1811) the look-out saw a man-of-war approaching, and the looked-for _Guerrière_ was supposed to be at hand. But while yet too far away for her name to be distinguished, the stranger wore around and headed away south. Still supposing it was the _Guerrière_, Captain Rodgers made sail after her. This was soon after the noonday meal. The _President_ steadily gained on the stranger, but the wind was light, and a stern chase is a long one. As night came on the stranger hauled to the wind and tacked, and did various things, manifestly in the hope of evading the Yankee, but all in vain, even though night and thick weather came on to help. [Illustration: John Rodgers. _From the portrait by Jarvis at the Naval Academy._] Finally, at 8.20 o’clock the _President_, with her crew at quarters, drew up close on the weather bow of the stranger, and Captain Rodgers hailed from the lee rail: “What ship is that?” Instead of an answer, the stranger replied by hailing in turn: “What ship is that?”