ed of the Spaniards,
and built a fort on a small island of difficult access, at the mouth
of a river, where they remained from September 24 to February 3, 1573.
On the latter day, Drake set forth with one portion of his associates,
under the conduct of the Symerons, to cross the isthmus. On the fourth
day they reached a central hill, where stood a remarkable "goodly and
great high tree, in which the Indians had cut and made divers steps to
ascend up neere unto the top, where they had also made a convenient
bower, wherein ten or twelve men might easily sitt; and from thence
wee might without any difficulty plainly see the Atlantic Ocean,
whence now wee came, and the South Atlantic (_i.e._, Pacific), so much
desired. After our captain had ascended to this bower with the chief
Symeron, and having, as it pleased God at that time, by reason of the
brize, a very faire day, 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 sayle once in an English ship in that sea." We quote
from a tract entitled "Sir Francis Drake Revived," written by some of
Drake's companions, corrected, it is said, by himself, and published
by his nephew in 1626, which contains a full and interesting account
of this adventurous expedition. Drake's present object was to
intercept a convoy of treasure on the way from Panama to Nombre de
Dios. By this route the treasures of Peru and Chili, as well as
Mexico, were brought to Europe, for the passage round Cape Horn was
then unknown, and no ship but Magellan's had yet accomplished the
passage round the world to Europe. Guided by the Symerons, the English
approached Panama, learned that a valuable treasure was expected to
pass, and beset the lonely forest road which it had to travel. But the
haste of one drunken man gave a premature alarm, in consequence of
which the march of the caravan was stopped; and Drake with his party,
their golden hopes being thus defeated, forced their way through Venta
Cruz, and returned by a shorter route to their encampment, after a
toilsome and fruitless journey of three weeks. It was not till April
1st, that the long-desired opportunity presented itself, on which day
they took a caravan of mules laden with silver and a small quantity of
gold. They carried off part of the spoil, and buried about fifteen
tons of silver; but on returning for it, they found that it had been
recovered by the Spaniards.

Dr