{"id":"01KG8AKM4PC3FH61MVHAQJ7BVW","cid":"bafkreigrbrmdqvpkahnretcoz3536eszqfy3z3kbiz3ulmaqs4p4ksvina","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":5215,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:05.591Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 2","source_file":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","start_line":5139,"text":"shall we call her?”\r\n\r\n“Well, Captain Paul, don’t you like Doctor Franklin? Hasn’t he been the\r\nprime man to get this fleet together? Let’s call her the Doctor\r\nFranklin.”\r\n\r\n“Oh, no, that will too publicly declare him just at present; and Poor\r\nRichard wants to be a little shady in this business.”\r\n\r\n“Poor Richard!—call her Poor Richard, then,” cried Israel, suddenly\r\nstruck by the idea.\r\n\r\n“’Gad, you have it,” answered Paul, springing to his feet, as all trace\r\nof his former despondency left him;—“Poor Richard shall be the name, in\r\nhonor to the saying, that ‘God helps them that help themselves,’ as\r\nPoor Richard says.”\r\n\r\nNow this was the way the craft came to be called the _Bon Homme\r\nRichard_; for it being deemed advisable to have a French rendering of\r\nthe new title, it assumed the above form.\r\n\r\nA few days after, the force sailed. Ere long, they captured several\r\nvessels; but the captains of the squadron proving refractory, events\r\ntook so deplorable a turn, that Paul, for the present, was obliged to\r\nreturn to Groix. Luckily, however, at this junction a cartel arrived\r\nfrom England with upwards of a hundred exchanged American seamen, who\r\nalmost to a man enlisted under the flag of Paul.\r\n\r\nUpon the resailing of the force, the old troubles broke out afresh.\r\nMost of her consorts insubordinately separated from the Bon Homme\r\nRichard. At length Paul found himself in violent storms beating off the\r\nrugged southeastern coast of Scotland, with only two accompanying\r\nships. But neither the mutiny of his fleet, nor the chaos of the\r\nelements, made him falter in his purpose. Nay, at this crisis, he\r\nprojected the most daring of all his descents.\r\n\r\nThe Cheviot Hills were in sight. Sundry vessels had been described\r\nbound in for the Firth of Forth, on whose south shore, well up the\r\nFirth, stands Leith, the port of Edinburgh, distant but a mile or two\r\nfrom that capital. He resolved to dash at Leith, and lay it under\r\ncontribution or in ashes. He called the captains of his two remaining\r\nconsorts on board his own ship to arrange details. Those worthies had\r\nmuch of fastidious remark to make against the plan. After losing much\r\ntime in trying to bring to a conclusion their sage deliberations, Paul,\r\nby addressing their cupidity, achieved that which all appeals to their\r\ngallantry could not accomplish. He proclaimed the grand prize of the\r\nLeith lottery at no less a figure than £200,000, that being named as\r\nthe ransom. Enough: the three ships enter the Firth, boldly and freely,\r\nas if carrying Quakers to a Peace-Congress.\r\n\r\nAlong both startled shores the panic of their approach spread like the\r\ncholera. The three suspicious crafts had so long lain off and on, that\r\nnone doubted they were led by the audacious viking, Paul Jones. At five\r\no’clock, on the following morning, they were distinctly seen from the\r\ncapital of Scotland, quietly sailing up the bay. Batteries were hastily\r\nthrown up at Leith, arms were obtained from the castle at Edinburgh,\r\nalarm fires were kindled in all directions. Yet with such tranquillity\r\nof effrontery did Paul conduct his ships, concealing as much as\r\npossible their warlike character, that more than once his vessels were\r\nmistaken for merchantmen, and hailed by passing ships as such.\r\n\r\nIn the afternoon, Israel, at his station on the tower of Pisa, reported\r\na boat with five men coming off to the Richard from the coast of Fife.\r\n\r\n“They have hot oat-cakes for us,” said Paul; “let ’em come. To\r\nencourage them, show them the English ensign, Israel, my lad.”\r\n\r\nSoon the boat was alongside.\r\n\r\n“Well, my good fellows, what can I do for you this afternoon?” said\r\nPaul, leaning over the side with a patronizing air.\r\n\r\n“Why, captain, we come from the Laird of Crokarky, who wants some\r\npowder and ball for his money.”\r\n\r\n“What would you with powder and ball, pray?”\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 2"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJJRQ70FGB5WT6Z54FG38","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1DKC9HHJRKY25JZBEXW","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AKM4QKV111TRTZNTPVZYM","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AKM4VNEE7W8R6GYW09T44","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:10.390Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:16.519Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}