Part 14 (2/2)

Then all at once the weather changed and Drake sailed rapidly up the coast

By this time only one shi+p remained to him, for storms had scattered his squadron and he had destroyed one of his own shi+ps, thinking he had too ether Another basely deserted hiland In the _Golden Hind_, however, he hilish keel had ever cut water before

Coiven word by the natives that a Spanish galleon with a cargo of treasure lay near at hand, and swooping down on the great vessel before the Spaniards were aware of his presence he captured it and transferred the treasure to the _Golden Hind_ He then got news of a second galleon which he pursued, and when he boarded her discovered that she too bore rich bars of gold and silver destined for the treasure house of the King of Spain He had now accomplished his purpose and sailed in the Pacific

He had beneath his hatches a treasure that would have gladdened the heart of Midas--a harvest of the yellowest gold and whitest silver--of sparkling gems, rich silks and spices, and e He believed, however, that the Spaniards would be watching the Strait and Cape Horn to intercept hie around the northern part of the continent In sailing north he dropped anchor at a harbor not far from the Golden Gate, and here he had his first experience with North Aes very different froreeted hiing hiuides, the English hunted and slew the deer hich the region abounded and shared the as When they finally took their departure the savagestheir farewells until the sails of Drake's little shi+p had sunk beneath the horizon

Drake had now altered his plan of sailing north and had conceived the bolder project of sailing directly across the Pacific Ocean to the Far East, from which he could proceed to the Cape of Good Hope and skirt the Coast of Africa So he resolutely turned his prow into an unknown sea, and after sixty-eight days sighted land

Again the savages crowded around his shi+p in their canoes, but they were far different from the Indians of California Thesethe shi+p not to their liking, they loosed a shower of stones, to which Drake responded by firing one of his cannon, which frightened them until they fell out of their canoes into the water, and remained there until the _Golden Hind_ had sailed away

Drake stopped at many islands and traded with the natives he met there

He visited the Philippines and an island called Terenate, where he received a native king who called on him with the utrave old ion, and they welco

At the court of the King of Terenate Drake discovered a Chinaave him a courteous invitation to visit the Eet hoe as quickly as possible He stopped at Java, and then made for the Cape of Good Hope--which his followers declared was the fairest and oodly cape in all the world, and thethe Cape, he directed his course for Sierra Leone and the Coast of Guinea, and, co into waters that he knew, he continued northward until the shores of England were sighted from his masthead And at last he dropped anchor triue that had lasted three years

He had suffered from tempest, battle and shi+pwreck, and on one occasion had run his vessel on the rocks while in Asiatic waters He had taken a princely fortune froed in fierce corapher and navigator than any English where it had never been seen before And as a result of these exploits all England rang with his fas were composed in his honor and he was considered to be ic could he have accoe so miraculous

Elizabeth did not receive hih within her at Drake's success At last she informed him that it was her pleasure to dine with him on the _Golden Hind_, which you arnished for the occasion as never before

In the shi+p's cabin Elizabeth and her courtiers feasted with Drake and his officers, and at the end of the dinner she asked the Captain for his sword--a sword that she herself had presented to hi hihted him, and left his shi+p, while Drake himself remained on board to rejoice at the honor that had been bestowed on him

The dauntless skipper had returned in the nick of tiland at last went openly to ith Spain, and Drake was put in command of a fleet to harry Spanish coathered by King Philip to invade England, but Drakeinto Spanish harbors inflicted such a blow on King Philip's navy that it took ain in such a condition that he could sail against English shores As we have already told you in the last chapter, the King of Spain did at last send a alleons to invade England and conquer the country It was the proudest array of shi+ps that the world had ever seen up to that tienerals in coht to be irresistible

Drake was at a gah and Martin Frobisher as brought to hihted The others quickly left their sport and were hurrying toward the harbor when Drake called after theht thea

He was as good as his word, and as one of the chief colish navy, he did reat fleet and weaken her power on the sea While the great Spanish galleons were huddled in confusion the swift English vessels bore down on them and raked the a greatthe entire fleet into hopeless disorder The English also deftly erous reefs, and shi+pwreck complete the havoc in the ranks of the hostile _Ar furnaces, bore down on the Spaniards under full sail, and the light of the flaalleons blew up and burned

A terrible gale coan and the Spanish shi+ps drove on the rocks by scores, where their creere dashed to pieces or were killed or captured after land was at an end and Spain's supreer rival

This was the crowning point of Drake's career and greatness He was,of the people and the court Later he engaged in further voyages, but did not meet with his earlier success, and in 1596 he died at sea not very far from the scene of his first victories and the location of the h honors, and his coffin was lowered into the sea draped in the English flag, while English guns thundered a salute in honor of the great naval hero

All England mourned when they heard of his fate, and the _Golden Hind_ was ordered by the Queen to be preserved with scrupulous care in rew old and had to be broken up, a chair was made from its planks and sent to Oxford University, where it can be seen to the present day as a hty achievements,--feats that stand in a class by themselves, and that will be hard to duplicate to the end of time

CHAPTER XVI

HENRY HUDSON

When Jaland, and four years after the death of the great Queen Elizabeth, there existed an English and Russian trading company of wealthy merchants which was known as the Muscovy Coreat influence that desired to extend its commerce to far-off China, whose wealth in those days was considered to be fabulous All the ain the China trade and to bring to their own ports the rich silks and spices of the Orient All of the vessels from Europe to China, and fortunate indeed would be that nation whose sailors first discovered such a passage! Therefore, in the year 1607, the Muscovy Company tried to find soe of discovery to find a quicker way to the Far East than around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa