Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps‘pollution.No refuge could save the hireling and slaveFrom the terror of flight，or the gloom of the grave；And the starspangled banner in triumph doth wave O’er the land of the free，and the home of the brave.O！thus be it ever，when freemen shall standBetween their loved homes and war‘s desolation！
Blest with victory and peace，may the heav’n rescued land①The song is taken as it appears in Stedman and Hutchinson‘s Library of American Literature，vol.iv.，p.419.The text，slightly different from the common one，corresponds to the facsimile of a copy made by Mr.Key in 1840.
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must，when our cause it is just，And this be our motto“In God is our trust “：And the starspangled banner in triumph shall waveO’er the land of the free，and the home of the brave.
13.The Storm at Samoa.In the spring of 1889there was trouble at the island of Samoa，in the South Pacific，and warships were sent there by Germany，Great Britain，and the United States.These vessels lay at anchor in the harbor of Apia.The harbor is a small semicircular bay，with shoal water extending far from the shore and a coral reef running nearly across the entrance.A narrow break in the reef allows ships to enter the bay.One day in March a heavy storm came up.So fierce was the wind and so tremendous the waves that the vessels dragged their anchors，and one after another four warships and ten other craft were driven on shore and wrecked.Nearly a hundred fifty of the seamen lost their lives.In the fury of the hurricane the captain of the British ship Calliope decided to leave the harbor and force his way out to sea，as the only means of safety from shipwreck.All steam was put on，and inch by inch the gallant ship fought its way in the teeth of the howling wind and the crashing waves.“This manoeuver of the British ship is regarded as one of the most daring in naval annals.It was the one desperate chance offered her commander to save his vessel and the three hundred lives aboard.An accident to the machinery at this critical moment would have meant certain death to all.To clear the harbor the Calliope had to pass between the Trenton （the American flagship）and the reef，and it required the most skilful seamanship to avoid collision with the Trenton，on the one hand，or total destruction upon the reef，on the other.The Trenton‘s fires had gone out by that time，and she lay helpless almost in the path of the Calliope.The doom of the American flagship seemed but a question of a few hours.Nearly every man aboard felt that his vessel must soon be dashed to pieces，and that he would find a grave under the coral reef.The decks of the flagship were swarming with men，but，facing death as they were，they recognized the heroicstruggle of the British ship，and as the latter passed within a few yards of them a great shout went up from over four hundred men aboard the Trenton.’Three cheers for the Calliope！‘was the sound that reached the ears of the British tars as they passed out of the harbor in the teeth of the storm；and the heart of every Englishman went out to the brave American sailors who gave that parting tribute to the Queen’s ship.The English sailors returned the Trenton‘s cheer，and the Calliope passed safely out to sea，returning when the storm had abated.Captain Kane，her commander，in speaking of the incident，afterward said：’Those ringing cheers of the American flagship pierced deep into my heart，and I shall ever remember that mighty outburst of fellowf eeling which，I felt，came from the bottom of the hearts of the gallant admiral and his men.Every man on board the Calliope felt as I did；it made us work to win.
①I can only say，‘God bless America and her noble sailors！’
They were
thrilled with admiration for the dauntless courage of the brave British seamen on the Calliope；and in their own extremity they showed equal courage.Twice England has been our enemy in war.But，after all，in peace we cannot forget that Englishmen and Americans are of one blood.Late in the day，when ship after ship had been dashed to destruction，and the Trenton，shattered and helpless，seemed drifting to certain wreck，the anxious people on the beach heard music amid the roar of the hurricane.It was the band of the Trenton playing “The StarSpangled Banner.”The gallant sailors were facing death with the national music in their ears and its ringing words in their thoughts.It carried their minds back to the homeland which they loved and for which they were ready to die.
14.Another Poem About the Flag.Joseph Rodman Drake was a young American poet of great promise.His early death （he died in 1820，at the age of twentyfive）came before he had fully shown his rare powers.When he was only seven years old he had much literary knowledge，and at fourteen he had already written poetry of good quality.His principal poems were “The Culprit Fay”and the stirring stanzas on “The American Flag.”