Captain Jones was a different kind of man.  Although day had fully dawned, he kept his men rowing rapidly.  Reaching the south side of the harbor, he came upon a small fort garrisoned by a few soldiers.  Leaping out of the boat, the American dashed forward, bounded over the walls and captured the sentinels before they knew their danger.  The guns were spiked and the garrison made prisoners.

“Set fire to the shipping!” he commanded to his men, while he, with only a single companion, ran for a second fort some distance away and spiked the guns in that.  Then he hurried back to the first fort and found to his surprise that the fire had not been started.

“The candles have given out,” was the reply to his angry inquiry.

It being broad daylight, his men expected him to jump into the boat and order them to return with all haste to the ship; but, instead of doing so, he darted into one of the nearest houses, procured some tinder and candles and began himself the work of destruction.  Fixing his attention upon a large vessel, he climbed quickly aboard and started a fire in her steerage.  To help matters, he flung a barrel of tar over the flames and in a few minutes they were roaring fiercely.  It meant prodigious damage, for the vessel was surrounded by more than a hundred others, none of which could move, since they were aground and the tide was out.

As may be supposed, there was great excitement by that time.  The alarm had been given.  Men were running to and fro, and a number hurried toward the burning ship with the purpose of extinguishing the flames.  All the Americans had entered the small boat and were impatiently awaiting their commander.  Instead of joining them, Jones drew his pistol, and, standing alone in front of the crowd, kept them back until the fire burst out of the steerage and began running up the rigging.  Backing slowly with drawn pistol, he stepped into the boat and told his men to row with might and main for the vessel.

The instant this was done the crowd rushed forward and by desperate efforts succeeded in putting out the blaze before it had done much damage.  Then the forts attempted to fire on the Americans, but their guns were spiked.  Some cannon on the ships were discharged at the boats, but their shots went wild.  When the Ranger was reached Captain Jones made the discovery that one of his men was missing.  The reason was clear.  He was a deserter and had been seen by his former comrades running from house to house and giving the alarm.  Such was the narrow chance by which one of the most destructive conflagrations of British shipping was averted.

As may be supposed, this daring act caused alarm throughout England.  Jones was denounced as a freebooter and pirate, and every effort was made to capture him.  Had his enemies succeeded, little mercy would have been shown the dauntless hero.