austere pinnacle to the opposite and light and airy pole of the Daintie. But this cheering metamorphosis worked no good in the long run. Once in South American waters, after some successful cruising, Hawkins found himself, on a June day in 1594, surrounded by an overwhelmingly superior Spanish fleet under Don Beltran de Castro.

Richard Hawkins made preparations for a most gallant defense, which lasted three days; "we hayled first with our noise of trumpets; then with our waytes, and after that with our Artillerie."

The English commander has a very great deal to say concerning the lessons that should be learned from this fight-of the best methods of employing ships, cannon, and leaders; of Spanish ideas of discipline and strategy; of the benefits of "glistering" armor compared with overindulgence in the alcoholic cup, and of the foolishness of mixing gunpowder with wine. He does not appear to have been over-sanguine concerning the merits of wine itself, a rare doubt in those days, for he complains: "Although I had a great preparation of Armours, as well of proofe as of light Corseletes, yet not a man would use them; but esteemed a pott of wine a better defense than an Armour of proofe."

But no armor or wine-whatever their respective claims -could hope to prevail against the immense superiority of the Spanish forces. The time came when the Spanish proposals of terms had to be considered seriously, though not until they had been frequently rejected: "Came wee into the South Sea to put out flagges of truce?" cries Sir Richard in gallant indignation. "And left we our pleasant England with all her contentments with intention and purpose to avail ourselves with white ragges and by banners of peace to deliver ourselves for slaves into our enemies' ranks?"

But what would you? Torn sails, perished masts, rent pumps, fourteen shots under water, eight feet of water in the hold, many slain men, and scarcely a whole one among

those that survived-these are not the factors with which to snatch a victory against overwhelming odds. Richard Hawkins, himself bleeding from six wounds ("one of them in the necke very perillous') found himself hesitating between two alternatives. In his hand was the glove sent to him as a guarantee of good faith by Don Beltran de Castro; in his memory was the broken Spanish pledge from which his father had suffered at San Juan de Ulloa.

In the end he struck his colors, the only alternative left him if he wished to preserve a man of his crew alive. In this instance at least he found that his confidence had not been misplaced. When the Spaniards came aboard it was with shouts of "Buena Guerra! Buena Guerra! Hoy por mi, manana por ti!" which may be translated thus: "Honorable Warfare! Honorable Warfare! To-day to me: to-morrow to thee!"

There is surely a most pleasant touch of true chivalry in this, as well as in the reception with which Richard Hawkins met at the hands of Don Beltran de Castro. For the latter nobleman received him with "great Courtessie and compassion, even with tears in his eyes, and words of great consolation," and "commanded mee to bee accomodated in his own cabbine where he sought to cure and comfort mee the best he could, the like he used with all our hurt men, sixe and thirtie at least."

Presently, at their leisure, the Spanish and the English leader appear to have discussed the exact definitions of pirates, corsairs, and legal and honorable enemies. Sir Richard "laboured to reforme the idea that the Generall in Peru and in all Spaine held (before our surrendry) of English Men-of-Warre to be pirats and corsarios."

In this, being as mighty a man in speech as in war (to say nothing of some outbreaks into what in a less gallant fellow would perilously have approached verbosity) he seems to have succeeded. And then, as the intimacy of the two ripened, Richard Hawkins abandoned generalities, and broached a topic of considerable personal im

portance. He strongly deprecated the custom of making officers (frequently needy) pay a heavy ransom, and excusing the common soldiers (frequently better off than the officers) with the payment of some mere trifle.

Considering his comparatively tender years, there is no doubt that Sir Richard was an all-round man, and no mean hand at finance! And here again Don Beltran de Castro reassured him, for he promised him that, if any ransom at all were exacted, he should ask no more than a couple of greyhounds for himself, and another couple for his brother.

There are other instances of Spanish courtesy in victory which afford equally agreeable reading. But the occasions were frequent enough when the Iberian mariners, even if they would, had no opportunity of displaying any magnanimity of the kind! Apart from any qualities of seamanship, it was only to be expected that victory should rest most often with the bold and predatory sea-dogs who, fully prepared, swept down like hawks across the blue waters, and disappeared again beneath the shimmering horizon like the greyhounds coveted by Don Beltran de Castro.

One of the bitterest pills that the Empire of Spain had to swallow was the fact that at its mightiest it could not always prevent its great galleons from suffering capture practically at the end of their voyage. This occurred with an irritating frequency at the hands of even the Barbary pirates, who, athirst to avenge their fathers' and forefathers' expulsion from Spain, would boldly sally out from time to time, and would strain the bleeding backs of their galley-slaves at the oars to board, almost within sight of its port, many a treasure ship that had toilfully sailed its voyage from Puerto Bello or Mexico.

It was not only in American waters, moreover, that the English made their prizes. Many a one of these was snapped up off the Spanish coast itself, and occasionally even an outward vessel proved to be laden with a more

valuable cargo than might reasonably have been expected by the fortunate captor. Of this kind were the two ships captured in 1592 by Master Thomas White in the Amity of London on his homeward voyage from Barbary, after an action in which the Amity's crew of more than fortytwo men and a boy used their guns with such accuracy upon the enemy that they "slew divers of their men; so that we might see the blood run out at the scupper holes." Hakluyt gives the following account of their contents: "These two rich prizes were laden with 1400 chests of quicksilver with the armes of Castile and Leon fastened upon them, and with a great quantity of bulles of indulgences.. . . The loss in money to the King of Spain from the capture of these bulles was (in hard cash) two millions and 72 thousand for living and dead persons for the provinces of Nova Hispania, Iucatan, Guatimala, the Honduras, and the Phillipinas, taxed at two reals the piece. And more for eighteene thousand bulles taxed at foure reals, amounteth all to 107,700 pounds."

CHAPTER III

THE BEGINNINGS OF BRITISH TRADE WITH SOUTH AMERICA

Trade between England and the Early Portuguese settlements in BrazilFriendly relations at Santos-A burial incident-Liberal spirit displayed by the clergy-John Whitall-The first English resident in Santos-His letter to his friends in London-Matters of business and marriage Instructions concerning the first consignment of goods-How local difficulties of pronunciation were overcome-Arrival of the Minion with merchandise, and a present for Whitall-Edward Fenton's voyage He is accompanied by John Drake, a young cousin of Sir Francis Tidings of a great Spanish fleet in the Straits of Magellan alter the plans of the expedition-Richard Carter, an Englishman, found on board a captured ship-Fenton sails to Santos-He is visited by the inhabitants of the port, including Whitall-Entertainments and negotiations-Appearance on the scene of three Spanish vessels, who engage Fenton's squadron-Victory of the English-Fenton's irresolution -Suspicions concerning him-End of the English peaceful relations with Brazil, now under Spanish rule-Fate of John Drake-Curious circumstances concerning a man of his name in an auto-da-fé of 1650— Robert Withrington's expedition-English and Irish on board the captured ships-Some curious circumstances of the voyage-Trading ventures-Edward Cotton's instructions to his shipmaster-Disastrous voyage of the Delight-Sufferings in the Straits of Magellan and on the Brazilian coast-A tragic home-coming-Thomas Cavendish—His voyage round the world-Aspect of the ruined Spanish settlement in the Straits of Magellan-Cavendish's methods compared with those of Drake-His second voyage-Mismanagement of the attack on SantosA town empty of booty-Misfortunes of the expedition-Death of Cavendish-Adventures of the Desire-Privations of the crew-An able captain Sufferings in the Magellan Straits-Disease, death, and hostile attack on the Brazilian coast-Result of the decay of many thousands of dried penguins-How the Desire was brought to the coast of Ireland-James Lancaster-How his previous residence in Portugal assisted him in his voyage to Brazil-His squadron joins company with that of Captain Venner-Capture of Recife and Olinda-Lancaster obtains the assistance of Dutch and French vessels-Methods by which he avoided a discussion with the Portuguese-Conclusion of a successful voyage Sir Walter Raleigh-His navigation of the Orinoco-The legend of El Dorado-Effects of the landscape and of the Spaniard Berreo's theories upon a poetic imagination-Raleigh's impressions