FOR FLAG DAY 253 



A white flag means : " I am not coming here 

 to fight you. I only want to say something to 

 you." 



But the captain of the ship took Key with 

 him to Baltimore. 



Then Key watched the battle from the ship. 

 He was afraid that the little fort would give up. 



Every night the British fired off rockets. 



In their light Key could see the American 

 flag still on the fort. 



At last the British ships were tired of firing. 



Now it was all dark again. 



Key could not tell whether our flag was still 

 flying. 



He kept thinking, as he says in his song : 



" Oh, say, does the star spangled banner still 



wave 

 O'er the land of the free and the home of the 



brave?" 



At last daylight came. Key looked eagerly 

 to the fort. A flag was flying from the top. It 

 was our own stars and stripes. 



He took from his pocket an old letter. On 

 its back he wrote the famous song. 



y . L<^ M 

 / OF THE A 



i iiKiiwFW.SlTY 



