a calm, and offering a promising
chance for capture.

Hastily getting ready two Spanish ships and manning them heavily from his
forces, he sent them out, favored by a land-breeze which had not reached
Drake's sails. But before they had gone far the "Golden Hind" felt the
welcome wind and was soon gliding through the water. With his small force
it was hopeless for the English captain to face the strongly armed
Spaniards, and his only hope for safety lay in flight.

The pursuit went on hour after hour, the Spaniards at times coming near
enough to reach the "Golden Hind" with their shots. As the wind varied in
strength, now the chase, now the pursuers, gained in speed. The Spanish
ships proved fair sailers and might in the end have overhauled the
Englishman but for a precaution the governor had neglected in his haste.
Expecting to capture the English ship in a short run, he had not thought
of provisioning his vessels, and as the chase went on their small food
supply gave out and the soldiers were nearly famished. In the end the
governor, who was on board, was reluctantly forced to order a return to
port.

Yet he did not give up hope of capturing the English rovers. On reaching
Lima he sent out three more ships, this time fully provisioned. But Drake
and his men had won too good a start to be overtaken, and the new pursuers
never came within sight of him.

Homeward bound with an abundant treasure, the rovers pressed merrily on.
To return by the Straits of Magellan seemed too risky a venture with the
Spaniards keenly on the alert, and the adventurous Englishman decided to
sail north, expecting to be able to find a passage through the seas north
of the American continent. The icy and impassable character of these seas
was at that early date quite unknown.

Onward through the Spanish waters they went, taking new prizes and adding
to their store of treasure as they advanced. The coastwise towns were also
visited and booty obtained from them. At length the South American
continent was left behind and the "Golden Hind" was off the coast of
Central America. About mid April they left the shore and stood out to sea,
at last bound definitely for home.

Drake fancied that the Pacific coast stretched due northward to the limit
of the continent, where he hoped to find an easy passage back to the
Atlantic, but after more than five weeks of a north-westward course,
gradually verging to due north, he was surprised to see land again t