Seeing the mob coming the Englishman’s face paled with anger. “They are coming to kill you,” he said to the American lieutenant. “You take my horse and you can escape them, and we will settle this affair at another time.” Convinced by both the English principal and his second that the mob was really bent on murder, the American accepted the horse, and by hard riding did escape. But after that he did not have the heart to kill the one who had shown himself so much of a man. The Englishman was willing to apologize, and so was the remaining one who had been challenged, and the American, with hearty good-will, accepted their explanations. There were personal combats of another kind growing out of the European dislike for the American Republic. Decatur was once on shore at night with Midshipman Macdonough, in Naples, when a gang of three armed ruffians attacked them. Decatur promptly cut down two of them with his sword, when the third, who had attacked Macdonough especially, fled. Macdonough pursued him. Running into an open door, the fellow fled to the roof of the house with Macdonough close on his heels. On reaching the roof and finding the Yankee still after him, he jumped from it, and was instantly killed by the fall. Of a very different nature from a moralist’s point of view at the present time were the duels the American naval officers fought among themselves. The story of the first--probably the only one--fought by the lamented Somers, who lost his life before Tripoli, will serve better than any other to show the spirit of the naval officers of the day. As related in the “United States Naval Chronicle,” Somers and Decatur, who were intimate friends, were one day chaffing one another in the presence of some other young officers, and in the course of the remarks Decatur called Somers a fool. Somers, of course, paid no attention to the epithet, for it was said in mere play. But the other youngsters, five in number, took the matter seriously, and the next day refused to accept Somers’s invitation to join him in a bottle of wine. Somers, very greatly astonished, asked why, and they explained frankly that they thought he had failed to show a spirit proper for a naval officer when he was called a fool. Immediately Somers went to Decatur and related the facts. Decatur said at once that he would give a dinner at which he would explain the whole matter, and place Somers right before his fellow-officers, but Somers said: “They have allowed themselves to suspect my courage. I must convince them that they are mistaken; and my only course is to fight them all.” Decatur acted as second for Somers, delivered the five challenges, and it was arranged that Somers should meet them in succession during one hour. So they gathered at a convenient place and Somers faced his first man. At the word both fired, and Somers missed, but got his own right arm pierced with the bullet of his antagonist.