It makes us feel less self-important, sometimes, when
we stop to consider that about one half the human race, even at the
present day, have no idea of our existence.
Well, Bainbridge delivered his cargo, and then sailed back to Algiers
with orders from the Sultan to the Dey. He delivered these to the Dey,
and in accordance with them, the Dey immediately declared war on France,
and notified all the French in Algiers that if they had not left his
dominions within forty-eight hours, they would be sold into slavery.
There was no French ship in the harbor, and it looked, for a time, as
though, the French would not be able to get away, but as soon as he
learned of their predicament, Bainbridge gathered them together and took
them over to Spain--an act for which he received the personal thanks of
Napoleon Bonaparte.
Bainbridge was, of course, glad to get away from Algiers, but he had by
no means seen the last of the Barbary pirates. Returning to the United
States, he was given command of the Philadelphia, and sent back to the
Mediterranean with Commodore Preble's squadron to give the pirates a
lesson. The Philadelphia went on ahead to Tripoli and began a vigorous
blockade of that port, but, in chasing a Tripolitan vessel which was
trying to enter the harbor, ran hard and fast on an uncharted reef, and
keeled over so far that her guns were useless.
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