A number of powerful British frigates were searching for the Essex, which had wrought such prodigious mischief.  Porter sailed for the Marquesas Islands, reaching them in the latter part of October.  There he landed, built a fort and made the repairs of which his vessel stood in sore need.

The work accomplished by Captain Porter was almost beyond computation.  He literally destroyed English commerce in the Pacific, for none of the vessels not captured dared leave port, and the American merchant ships were protected.  The play being over, he craved more serious business.  He therefore set out to hunt up some of the British cruisers that were trying to hunt him up.

In February, 1814, the Essex and the Essex Junior, as one of the newly manned prizes had been christened, entered Valparaiso, where they learned that the 36-gun frigate Phoebe was in the neighborhood searching for them.  Captain Porter gave a reception to the officials of Valparaiso, and the next morning, while half of the crew were ashore, the Essex Junior signalled from the offing that two British frigates were in sight.  They came into port, the captain of the Phoebe exchanging, compliments with Porter, they being old acquaintances; but, all the same, each was distrustful of the other, and both maintained what may be termed a position of armed neutrality.

For six weeks the two frigates blockaded Porter.  Learning then that other ships were expected, Porter determined to get to sea.  In the attempt, his vessel was completely disabled by a storm.  Despite the neutrality of the port, the two British frigates attacked him, keeping beyond range of the Essex’s short guns and thus rendering her perfectly powerless to help herself.  The Essex was pounded at long range until 58 of her men were killed and 66 wounded, when, to save her officers and crew from annihilation, she surrendered.

CHAPTER XVI.

Oliver Hazard Perry—­Prompt and Effective Work—­“We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Ours”—­Death of Perry.

Oliver Hazard Perry was born in Rhode Island in 1785, and entered the American navy as midshipman when fourteen years old, under his father, Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, who commanded the 28-gun ship General Greene, which did good service in the war against France.  The son also served on the Constellation in the Tripolitan war, and afterward gave his attention to ordnance.

The surrender of Detroit by General William Hull at the opening of the war gave the British control of the Territory of Michigan and Lake Erie.  They had formed the formidable plan of extending the Dominion of Canada along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to the Gulf of Mexico, thus inserting an immense wedge between the United States and the great West, which has since become so important a part of our country.  The only way of blocking this far-reaching and dangerous scheme was for the Americans to regain control of Lake Erie, and to young Perry was assigned the seemingly almost impossible task.