The ship which carried Franklin to France soon busied herself as a privateer and reaped for her crew a great harvest of prize money.

In a single week of June, 1777, this ship captured a score of British merchantmen, of which more than two thousand were taken by Americans during the war.

France allowed the American privateers to come and go as they liked, and gave England smooth words, but no redress.

There is little wonder that England threatened to hang captured American sailors as pirates.
It was the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga which brought decision to France.

That was the victory which Vergennes had demanded before he would take open action.