In one of these ships they found fifteen hundred bars of filver; in another a cheft of money; and very rich lading in many of the reft, of which the Spaniards tamely fuffered them to carry the most valuable part away, and would have permitted them no less peaceably to burn their fhips; but Drake never made war with a fpirit of cruelty or revenge, or carried hoftilities further than was neceffary for his own advantage or defence.

They fet fail the next morning towards Panama, in queft of the Caca Fuego, a very rich ship, which had failed fourteen days before, bound thither from Lima, which they overtook on the first of March, near Cape Francifco, and, boarding it, found not only a quantity of jewels, and twelve chefts of ryals of plate, but eighty pounds weight of gold, and twenty-fix tuns of uncoined filver, with pieces of wrought plate to a great value. In unlading this prize, they spent fix days, and then, difmiffing the Spaniards, ftood off to fea,

Being now fufficiently enriched, and having lost all hopes of finding their affociates, and perhaps beginning to be infected with that defire of ease and pleasure which is the natural confequence of wealth obtained by dangers and fatigues, they began to confult about their return home, and, in pursuance of Drake's advice, refolved firft to find out fome convenient harbour, where they might fupply themselves with wood and water, and then endeavour to discover a paffage from the South-fea into the Atlantic ocean; a discovery which would not only enable them to return home with lefs danger, and in a fhorter time, but would much facilitate the navigation in those parts of the world.

For this purpose they had recourse to a port in the

ifland

island of Caines, where they met with fish, wood, and fresh water, and in their courfe took a fhip laden with filk and linen, which was the last that they met with on the coaft of America.

But being defirous of ftoring themfelves for a long courfe, they touched, April the 15th, at Guatulco, a Spanish island, where they fupplied themfelves with provisions, and feized a bufhel of ryals of filver.

From Guatulco, which lies in 15 deg. 40 min. they stood out to fea, and, without approaching any land, failed forward, till on the night following, the 3d of June, being then in the latitude of 38 degrees, they were fuddenly benumbed with fuch cold blafts, that they were fcarcely able to handle the ropes. This cold increafed upon them, as they proceeded, to fuch a degree, that the failors were discouraged from mounting upon the deck; nor were the effects of the climate to be imputed to the warmth of the regions to which they had been lately accustomed, for the ropes were stiff with froft, and the meat could fcarcely be conveyed warm to the table.

On June 17th they came to anchor in 38 deg. 30 min. where they faw the land naked, and the trees without leaves, and in a fhort time had opportunities of obferving, that the natives of that country were not lefs fenfible of the cold than themselves; for the next day came a man rowing in his canoe towards the ship, and at a distance from it made a long oration, with very extraordinary gefticulations, and great appearance of vehemence, and a little time afterwards made a fecond vifit in the fame manner, and then returning a third time, he prefented them, after his harangue was finished, with a kind of crown of black feathers, fuch

as

as their kings wear upon their heads, and a basket of rufhes filled with a particular herb, both which he faftened to a fhort stick, and threw into the boat; nor could he be prevailed upon to receive any thing in return, though pushed towards him upon a board; only he took up a hat, which was flung into the water.

Three days afterwards, their fhip, having received some damage at sea, was brought nearer to land, that the lading might be taken out. In order to which, the English, who had now learned not too negligently to commit their lives to the mercy of favage nations, raised a kind of fortification with ftones, and built their tents within it. All this was not beheld by the inhabitants without the utmost astonishment, which incited them to come down in crowds to the coaft, with no other view, as it appeared, than to worship the new divinities that had condefcended to touch upon their country.

Drake was far from countenancing their errors, or taking advantage of their weakness to injure or molest them; and therefore, having directed them to lay afide their bows and arrows, he prefented them with linen, and other neceffaries, of which he fhewed them the use. They then returned to their habitations, about three quarters of a mile from the English camp, where they made fuch loud and violent outcries, that they were heard by the English, who found that they ftill per fifted in their first notions, and were paying them their kind of melancholy adoration.

Two days afterwards, they perceived the approach of a far more numerous company, who ftopped at the top of a hill which overlooked the English fettlement, while one of them made a long oration, at the end of

which

which all the affembly bowed their bodies, and pronounced the fyllable Ob with a folemn tone, as by way of confirmation of what had been faid by the orator, Then the men, laying down their bows, and leaving the women and children on the top of the hill, came down towards the tents, and feemed transported in the higheft degree at the kindness of the general, who received their gifts, and admitted them to his prefence. The women at a distance appeared feized with a kind of frenzy, fuch as that of old among the Pagans in fome of their religious ceremonies, and in honour, as it feemed, of their guests, tore their cheeks and bofoms with their nails, and threw themselves upon the stones with their naked bodies till they were covered with blood.

Thefe cruel rites, and mistaken honours, were by no means agreeable to Drake, whose predominant fentiments were notions of piety; and therefore, not to make that criminal in himself by his concurrence, which, perhaps, ignorance might make guiltless in them, he ordered his whole company to fall upon their knees, and, with their eyes lifted up to heaven, that the savages might obferve that their worship was addreffed to a Being refiding there, they all joined in praying that this harmless and deluded people might be brought to the knowledge of the true religion, and the doctrines of our bleffed Saviour; after which they fung pfalms, a performance so pleasing to their wild audience, that in all their vifits they generally first accofted them with a request that they would fing. They then returned all the presents which they had received, and retired.

Three days after this, on June 25, 1579, our general received two embaffadors from the Hioh, or king of

the

the country, who, intending to vifit the camp, required that fome token might be fent him of friendship and peace; this requeft was readily complied with, and foon after came the king, attended by a guard of about an hundred tall men, and preceded by an officer of ftate, who carried a fcepter made of black wood, adorned with chains of a kind of bone or horn, which are marks of the higheft honour among them, and having two crowns, made as before, with feathers fastened to it, with a bag of the fame herb which was prefented to Drake at his firft arrival.

Behind him was the king himself, dreffed in a coat of coney-fkins, with a cawl woven with feathers upon his head, an ornament fo much in eftimation there, that none but the domefticks of the king are allowed to wear it; his attendants followed him, adorned nearly in the fame manner; and after them came the common people, with baskets plaited fo artificially that they held water, in which, by way of facrifice, they brought roots and fish.

Drake, not lulled into fecurity, ranged his men in order of battle, and waited their approach, who coming nearer ftood still while the fcepter-bearer made an oration, at the conclufion of which they again came forward to the foot of the hill, and then the fcepter-bearer began a fong, which he accompanied with a dance, in both which the men joined, but the women danced without finging.

Drake now, diftrufting them no longer, admitted them into his fortification, where they continued their fong and dance a fhort time; and then both the king, and fome others of the company, made long harangues, in which it appeared, by the rest of their behaviour,

that