Richard, who refused to listen to their reasoning, one of them had himself taken on board a Spanish ship, and told the Spaniards what Sir Richard meant to do. Then they, fearing lest more harm should be done to their ships if the "Revenge' were blown up, promised that if the English would yield, they would spare the lives of all and send them to England.

When the rest of the English heard what the Spaniards offered, they loved life too well to refuse to yield, and stole away to the Spanish ships. The gunner would have slain himself rather than yield, but his sword was taken from him and he was locked into a cabin. With the honour due to such a valiant enemy, one of the Spanish commanders sent to beg Sir Richard to come out of the "Revenge," for its deck was swimming in blood and covered with dead bodies. Sir Richard answered that they might do as they pleased with his body, for he cared not for it. As they carried him from the ship he fainted, and when he came round again he begged them to pray for him. The Spaniards treated their brave foe with great courtesy and kindliness; they could not but admire him for the way in which he had fought, and did all they could for him whilst he lingered amongst them for four days. in grievous pain from his wounds. He was brave and cheerful

to the last, and said to those who stood around him, "Here die I, Richard Grenville, with a joyful and a quiet mind, for that I ended my life as a good soldier ought to do, who has fought for his country and his Queen, for honour and religion. Wherefore my soul joyfully departeth out of this body, leaving behind it an everlasting fame, as a true soldier who hath done

his duty as he was bound to do. But the others of my company have done as traitors and dogs, for which they shall be reproached all their lives, and have a shameful name for ever.”

He could not forgive the other English ships for not having joined him in the unequal fight. In truth, seeing how much harm he alone was able to do to the Spanish fleet, it seems that if the other English ships had fought like the "Revenge," they might have scattered the Spanish fleet, and then captured the treasure ships which came up a few days afterwards and got home safe under their care.

XXXVI.

SIR WALTER RALEGH'S FIRST EXPEDITION

TO GUIANA.

A.D. 1595.

SIR WALTER RALEGH was the first Englishman who clearly understood how much England might gain in wealth and power by colonising some part of those wonderful new lands across the Atlantic from which the Spaniards brought home such great riches. He had first tried to plant a colony in a fertile part of North America which he called Virginia, after the virgin Queen Elizabeth. But this had not succeeded, and the tales he heard about Guiana in South America made hi turn his attention there.

Guiana is the country which lies round the great river Orinoco. It was said to be richer in gold even than Peru, from whence the Spaniards gained most of their treasure. Marvellous stories were told of its chief city Manoa. Gold was so plentiful there that even boxes and troughs were made of it. Great bars of gold lay about in heaps, and the natives adorned their bodies with gold dust. The Spaniards had long been eager to gain this rich land for themselves. In the course of thirty years they made seven or eight expeditions in the hopes of reaching Manoa, but always failed, and great numbers of Spaniards perished in the attempt. All that they had done was to provoke by their cruelties the hatred of the native peoples who dwelt about the Orinoco. Ralegh thought that if he could only gain these rich lands for England he would not only enrich his own country, but harm Spain.

His wife was terrified when he told her his plans and his hopes, for she knew how full of dangers from winds and waves, as well as from Spaniards and natives, the expedition would be. But her prayers could not persuade him to give up his plan. Several gentlemen helped him with money to fit out ships for the expedition, and others volunteered to go with him. At last all was ready, and on the 5th February 1595 he sailed from Plymouth with five ships. They sailed first to the Island of Trinidad, which lies at the mouth of the Orinoco, and on which there was a little Spanish town. This town Ralegh took, and made its governor prisoner, for he did not wish to leave enemies behind him when he sailed up the Orinoco. Then he began to try and make friends with the