soften their hard luck. Then they and their empty treasure
ship were allowed to sail for Panama.

Throwing the Spaniards off the scent by steering crooked courses Drake
at last landed at what is now Drake's Bay, near the modern San
Francisco, where the Indians, who had never even heard of any craft
bigger than canoes, were lost in wonder at the _Golden Hind_ and none
the less at the big fair-haired strangers, whom they took for gods.
Drake, as always, was very kind to them, gave them rich presents,
promised them the protection of his Queen, whose coins he showed them,
and, pointing to the sky while his men were praying, tried to make them
understand that the one true God was there and not on earth. They then
crowned him with a head-dress of eagle's feathers, while he made them a
speech, saying that he would call their country New Albion. California
thus became the counterpart of Cape Breton, over which John Cabot had
raised St. George's Cross eighty-two years before.

Leaving the Indians in tears at his departure Drake crossed the Pacific
to the Moluccas, where a vile Portuguese, with the suitable name of
Lopez de Mosquito, had just killed the Sultan, who was then his guest,
chopped up the body, and thrown the pieces into the sea, to show his
contempt for the natives. Drake would have gladly helped the Sultan's
son, Baber, if he had only had a few more men. But having no more than
fifty-six left he could not risk war with the Portuguese among their
own possessions. He did, however, make a treaty with Baber which was
the foundation of all the English Far-Eastern trade. And here, as
everywhere, he won the hearty good-will of the natives.

After a narrow escape from being wrecked on an unknown reef, and other
escapes from dangers which alone would fill a story book, the gallant
_Golden Hind_ sailed into Plymouth Sound with ballast of silver and
cargo of gold. "Is Her Majesty alive and well?" asked Drake of a
fishing smack. "Ay, ay, that she is, my Master." So Drake wrote off
to her at once and came to anchor beside what is now Drake's Island.
He wished to know how things were going at Court before he went to
London. The Queen wrote back to say she wished to see him, and that
she would "view" some of the wonderful things he had brought back from
foreign parts. Straight on this hint he went to town with jewels
enough to soften any woman's heart. The Spanish ambassador was beside
himself with rage; but in Londo