Immediately after, the field-gun on the quarterdeck was fired, and the report reverberated over the water and across the island on the one side, and through the streets of the town on the other, with sufficient volume to call every belated and idle citizen to the river-front at once.
Immediately after, a small boat was dropped into the water and manned by four stout seamen, into which two officers rapidly descended,--one in the uniform of a soldier, and the other in naval attire.

When they reached the wharf at the foot of High Street, they found themselves confronted by an excited, shouting mass of anxious men, eager to hear the news they were without doubt bringing.
"It's Lieutenant Seymour!" cried one.
"Yes, he went off in the Ranger about two weeks ago," answered another.
"So he did.

I wonder where the Ranger is now ?" "Who is the one next to him ?" said a third.
"That's the young Continental from General Washington's staff, who went with them," answered a fourth voice.
"Back, gentlemen, back!" "Way for the general commanding the town!" "Here, men, don't crowd this way on the honorable committee of Congress!" cried one and another, as a stout, burly, red-faced, honest, genial-looking man, whose uniform of a general officer could not disguise his plain farmer-like appearance, attended by two or three staff-officers and followed by several white-wigged gentlemen of great dignity, the rich attire and the evident respect in which they were held proclaiming them the committee of Congress, slowly forced their way through the crowd.
"Now, sir," cried the general officer to the two men who had stepped out on the wharf, "what ship is that?
We are prepared for good news, seeing those two flags, and the Lord knows we need it." "That is the transport Mellish, sir; a prize of the American Continental ship Ranger, Captain John Paul Jones." "Hurrah! hurrah!" cried the crowd, which had eagerly pressed near to hear the news.
"Good, good!" replied the general.

"I congratulate you.

How is the Ranger ?" "We left her about one hundred leagues off Cape Sable about a week ago; she had just sunk the British sloop of war Juno, twenty-two guns, after a night action of about forty minutes.