There is no hint of piracy about that; but Jones came to be a sort
of bogeyman to the coast towns of the British Isles, who never knew when
to expect an attack from him, and no name was too hard for their
frightened inhabitants to apply to him.
But it was some time before Jones was able to strike another blow. He
realized that he must have a more effective squadron for his second
cruise, and more than a year was spent in getting it together. Finally,
on August 14, 1779, he got to sea again with a squadron of four
vessels--not a very effective one, but the best that could be had. The
flagship was an unwieldy old Indiaman which Jones had named the Bon
Homme Richard, in honor of his good friend, Benjamin Franklin, whose
Poor Richard was almost as famous in France as in America. The other
three ships were commanded by Frenchmen, and all the crews were of the
most motley description. On September 23, the squadron sighted a great
fleet of English merchantmen, under convoy of the Serapis, a powerful
frigate mounting forty-four guns, and the Countess of Scarborough,
mounting twenty-eight. Jones signalled his squadron to give chase and
himself closed with the Serapis.
Captain Pearson, of the Serapis, was very willing for the contest, since
his ship was greatly superior to Jones's old boat in fighting
qualities; but Jones succeeded in depriving the Serapis of some of this
advantage by running his vessel into her and lashing fast.
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