but his courage was so great that
he revenged his own death ere he died, by slaying a Spaniard who
opposed him.

At sunrise the land pirates continued their journey, carrying some
plunder from Vera Cruz. Some of the men fainted with weakness, but two
Maroons would carry them along until they could again walk, and
thus--struggling, cursing and singing--the party of weary and
disappointed marauders neared the place where they had left their
ship. A messenger was sent forward with a golden toothpick to those
left behind upon the vessel and a request that the ship be brought
into the narrow channel of a certain river. It was done, and when at
last the weary plunderers reached the shore, they gave a mighty cheer
as they saw the white, bellying sails of their staunch, English
vessel. Their journey for pelf and jewels had been a failure.

This did not discourage the lion-hearted Drake, who declared, with a
smile, "We'll yet catch a mule train, boys, and one in which the
panniers are filled with sufficient gold to sink our good ship. Keep
your hearts bright and I'll gain you enough of treasure to house you
in peace and comfort in your old age. Remember--'Fortune favors the
brave!'" He had spoken with truth.

Not long afterwards a French captain appeared, whose men were only too
eager for a little journey ashore after golden mule trains and battle.
So a party was made up of twenty Frenchmen, fifteen Englishmen, and
some Maroons, who sailed with a frigate and two pinnaces, towards a
river called Rio Francisco--to the west of Nombre de Dios. They
landed, struck inland, and were soon near the high road from Panama to
Nombre de Dios, where mule trains passed daily--some with food and
merchandise--a few with golden ingots and bars of silver.

In silence they marched along and spent the night about a mile from
the road, where they could plainly hear the carpenters working on
their ships--which they did at night because of the fierce, torrid sun
during the day. Next morning--the first of April, but not an April
Fool's day by any means--they heard such a number of bells that the
Maroons began to chuckle and say, "You will have much gold. Yo Peho!
Yo Peho! This time we will all be rich!"

Suddenly three mule trains came to view, one of fifty long-eared
beasts of burden; two of seventy each, with every animal carrying
three hundred pounds weight of silver, amounting to nearly thirty
tons. The sight seemed almost too good to be true