Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-11-26
Gales aud Sketthes.
AROUNDrHE WORLD.
Continued from yesterday. }

return to England with the Minion. crowd
ed with those who had escaped slaughter,
many of them wounded.
/ Hawkins says the Judith forsook him IN
/ his distress, but as they parted company
| in the night and the separation may have
/ been unintentional. we will give Drake
! the benefit of the doubt Certain 1t is
that in this expedition he lost his whole
/ fortune. and laid the foundation for that
! hatred and distrust of the Spaniards which
/ possessed him through life, and seemed to
I him to Justify whatever harm it was in his
power TO infiict upon nation or indi-
! viduals. So much harder is it to see our
own injustice than the Derfidy of another.
The code of morality for seamen and sol
! diers in those times was.
"That they should take who have the power,
And those should keep who can"
I After one or two adventures by which
/ Drake improved his fortune and his ac-
auaintance with the islands and coasts
of South America, be made his first dar-
ing attempt at reprisal in 1872. His object
was a certain rich city, the entrepot be-
tween the commodities of old Spain and
the wealth of India and Peru. This city
being mere stage in the transmission OF
[
deserted. Here he was thwarted by the
courage of the Spaniards and the small
ness of his own force. Nevertheless the
expedition proved an ever memorable one
to him.
For leaving his small squadron moored
within the sound of Darien, he bethought
him with his hundred men. to waylay the
caravan. as it transported the treasures
across the isthmus.
After travelling certain days, it is said,
1--WE came to the height of hill dying
east and west like ridge between the
two seas) about ten of the clock; where
the chiefest of the Cimarones took our
captain by the hand, and prayed him to
follow him. Here was that goodly and
great high tree, in which they had cut
and made divers steps to ascend to the
top, where they had made "a convenient
bower, wherein 10 or II might easily sit !;
and from thence we might see the Allan
tic ocean we came from. and the other I'M
known ocean TO the west. South and
north of this tree they had felled certain
trees that the prospect might be clearer.
After our captain had assembled to
| this bower with the chief Cimarrone, and
having. as it pleased God at this time, by
reason of the breeze, a very fair dav, had
seen that sea of which he had heard such
golden reports; he besought Almighty
God of his goodness to give him life and
leave to sail once in an English ship on
that sea-" This enthusiasm and noble
ambition did not divert him. however,
from the original object of this trip. for,
surprising string of treasure-laden mules
they obtained as much gold as they were
able to transport back to their ships.
In the first burst of enthusiasm, he had
uttered aloud in the hearing OF his COM
panions, his hearts desire embodied in
this prayer. From that time it is said he
rarely if ever spoke of it, yet we can not
doubt that it dwelt continually in his
heart and that he bent every energy OF
mind and body to its fufillment. II
we all were but as much in ear
nest in bringing the answers to our
prayers, not so often would we have
cause to doubt and murmur on that sub
ject And now the time and opportunity
had come. Three years had passed since
one burning desire had been born in his
heart and registered there like vow
and bv it, ever since, his whole life had
as it were, been shaped. He was now in
the prime of his strength, 81 years old, OIL
middle height. with crisp brown hair, q
broad, high forehead; gray, steady eyes
unusually long; mouth and chin slightly
concealed by moustache and beard, but
hard, intlexible, and fierce He knew
well how to exact the respect Of those
who served under him and to win theil
enthusiastic confidence.
In 1877, with the sanction of Queen
Elizabeth he began to fit out small
squadron. Only five ships. and they
scarce large enough to deserve the name,
vet in them lay the germ of the ocean EN-.
pire of Great Britain.
Nobody knew the destination of the
expedition. this had been kept profound
secret even from the crews themselves.
Some of the party thought they were only
going to the Mediterranean. Others sup
posed it to be a voyage of discovery into
the southern hemisphere. 1t was mani
fest that danger of some kind was antici-
pated from the unusual warlike prepare
tons that had been made. We may well
ask did the young commander himself
know whittier he was going, as he stood
on the deck of his vessel and sailed ont of
Plymouth harbor? Out into the charities
ocean they went, ostensibly in search of
new openings tor English commerce, and
in brakes own breast was still glowing
that great longing to sail the first English
ship on the great Pacific. But would they
reach it? and how?
The arbitrary claim of Spain to all the
lands and wealth of the newly-discovered
continent was by no means acknowl-
edged by other nations, and, although
the young seaman knew that if he en-
countered the Spaniards he must fight. and
woe would be his fate if taken, vet he was
in nowise averse to meeting them.
The goal of the little fleet wa. clearly
not the West Indies. They stopped at the
Cape Verd islands and traded some with
the natives. vet that could not be their sole
object, for they did not then turn home
ward. They made themselves little
richer by picking up and rifling a few
small Spanish and Portuguese vessels. but
if this was their object they were still to
seek large booty, for they sailed on across
I the Atlantic now.
II was the 18th of December when they
/ had sailed out from Plymouth 1t was
/ April now, and still wide waste of water
stretched ont on every side of them. But
mirage like visions Of land anon appear.
and they know they have reached the new
world. Do they shout with JOY, and offer
i dpy0ut Thanh Suivincr NJ +ha s;srht - III q