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'^ifiK'iiWBK..^' .ft;' \- * '■infill l> . isi liii' Kii'»- linj'ii J'n^gratior'':,) 'mm Th( World's Discoverers The Story of Bold Voyages by Brave Navigators during a Thousand Tears BY WILLIAM HI-.NRY JOHNSON Author of" The King's Henchman," etc. IVith Maps and Illustrations BOSTON LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY Copyright, igoo, By Little, Brown, and Company ^11 rights reserved Printtra S. J. PAnKiiiLL A Co., Boston, U. S. A. » . . . •* [■W PREFACE The following work is not a niisccllancous collection of voyages of discovery. It includes only such as were made with a view to finding a sea-route to the Indies; and its purpose is to trace in outline that preat impulse which, starting early in tlie lifteenth cent. uy, with the awakening of Europe, has reached its tin.d achievement in our own time. It is helieved to bo the only book gi\ '^1 J, as a whole, a connected account of the search for a route to the Indies, Various expeditions sent out from different countries and coveritig several centuries are here shown in their relation to a single aim and as parts of a common movement ; so that we witness, in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the final con- summation of the purpose that inspired Columbus. The several voyages: sketched here have therefore been selected not only with a view to their popular interest as narratives of adventure, but still more to their vnlue as contributions to the accomplishment of the com- mon end. While the primary object of the book is instruction, an end which the publishers have greatly advanced by the liberal use of woU-chosen illustrations and maps, ^'^.^.IQ \ VI Preface and historicai accuracy has been the foremost consider- ation, the author has hoped that these sketches may prove sulliciently interesting to draw the attention of young people to the literature of discovery, which abounds in examples of high courage, heroic endurance, and unwavering faith. It would gratify him to know that soiiie of his readere have been incited to explore for themselves a range of books singularly combining picturesqueness of incident with human and historic interest. To students of this kind the Ilakluyt Society has rendered an invaluable service by its numerous reprints of old narratives. Since, however, the style of the most of these is too antiquated and diffuse to ai)peal to the ordinary reader, it may be interesting to know of other books treating of the same subjects in a manner more adapted to modern taste. A list is api)eiided of some of those which the author has used and which he would recommend. That this little work may have value as a reference- book, a short index is included. The author would express his grateful acknowledg- ments to the staff of the Boston Athenajum and that of the Cambridge Public Library for unvarying courtesy and most cheerful and ellicient aid. Cambridge, Mass., August 13, 1900. CONTENTS part ifirsft OLD VOYAGES CHAPTER I Of Marco Polo and his Influence in Stimulating Exi'LOl. ..TION Wlio Marco Polo was. His travels and adventures in various parts of Asia. Some of the .strauKe tliinf,'s he relates that have since hecn proved true. Columbus was a great reader of Alano Tolo. Another old traveler, fir Jolin Maundeville, wliose marvelous tales delighted thousands of readers. How these writers kindled an eager desire to visit the mysterious East. CHAPTER II TlIK EXTEUPRLSE AND THE HvRLY DISCOVERIES OF THE Portuguese Somctliing about Prime Henry the Navigator and his brave ciiiitaiiiH, tiie pioneers of e.\ploratiou. How one o'" '..m, Har- tliulouiew D'vM, discovered and rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Page 3 14 CHAPTER III The Youth and the Surroundings of Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus's birth in Genoa naturally inclined him to follow tiie sea and to visit foreign countries. His parents' 18 Vlll Contents Pagb poverty and his own perseverance in seeking knowledge. Did he ever visit Iceland and hear the story of the Norsemen's dis- covery of America 1 How he came to believe in the ronndness of the Earth. Some of the old, old stories about isluntls in tlio Western Ocean. Why Columbus expected to find Asia wiiere America is. His struggles to convince peojde of the truth of his ideas. His first great dLsappointinent. The King of Por- tugal's mean trick, t'olumbus's long years of waiting in Spain at last crowned with success. CHAPTER IV The First Voyage and the Discovery of America 28 The sailing of Columbus's little fleet. Why he cho.se the course which he sailed. About the " trades." The terrors of the sailors, and how Columbus dispelled them. Frequent false alarms of " Land ! " Signs that encouraged the voyagers to go on. Land ! The natives very unlike what Columbus expected. The discovery of Cuba and Haiti. A native girl in tailor-made clothes. Tiie flagship wrecked. Generous aid of natives. Gold ! Columbus and his shipwrecked men bosspitably entertained. Mermaids in sight! Frightful hardships and perils of the homeward voyage. Almost wrecked at its very close. Joy in Palos over the discoverers' return. Sensation throughout Spain. Triumphant reception at court and honors showered on Columbus. CHAPTER V The Second Voyage, in which he explores Cuba 56 Columbus's second voyage. Terrible experience of a party who wandered away and were lost on a nowly discovered island. Encounter with fierce savages and with women who fought like heroes. Appalling discovery when Columb.is readied Navidad, where he had left a colony. Choice of a new location. The first enslavement of natives. Discovery of Jamaica. Colum- bus's strange conduct. Cruelty of certain Spaniards brings on a bloody insurrection in Hispaniola. The daring Ojeda cunningly seizes the head chief of the natives. The latter's tragic end. Bloody battle and slaughter of the Indians. Colnmbns returns to Spain. He is royally received and meanly treiitod bv bis sovereigns. Contents IX CHAPTER VI The Third Voyage and the Discovery of South America Columl)U»'s third voyage. The fleet gets into the doldrums and has a fearful time. First sight of South America. Shock- ing state of affairs in Ilispaniola. Colunibus's efforts to restore order rewarded by his being sent home in chains. Indignation in Spain. Unworthy conduct of Ferdinand and Isabella in not keeping their word with him. CHAPTER VII The Fourth Voyage, with Terrible Experiences on the Coast of Central A»ierica, and the Death of Columbus Columbus's fourth voyage. He predicts a hurricane. It comes, and his enemies are overwiielmed by it. Fearful storms on the Mosquito coast. Gold at last, and plenty of it. The chief, Quibian, i' supposed to he dead, but shows himself very much alive. '^ nigic fate of Diego Tristan and his crew. The Span- iards on the shore in a desperate strait. Ledesma, the bold swimmer. Savages who prized their freedom more than their lives. Columbus shipwrecked on the coast of Jamaica. A brave proposal of Diego Mendez is heroically carried out. He succeeds in rescuing his castaway comrades. Columbus returns to Spain and dies poor and neglected. CHAPTER VIII Vasco da Gama's Voyage Begun The story of Vasco da Gama, The great importance of his voyage. He boldly strikes out a new cour.«e. Fernao Villoso comes near paying very dearly for his curiosity. Page 73 81 93 CHA1»TER IX Rounding the Cape of Good Hope Gama rounds Good Hope Seal Island. The Portuguese begin to realize that they are coming to the East. Tidings of Prester John. A fight abont water. Gama's cheerful way of getting secrets out of people. 98 Contents CHAPTER X Paok Arrival in India and Varied Experiences there . 107 Gama arrives in India. Ludicrous mistake of the Portuguese when they see images of Hindoo deities, (jaina niajics a big bluff in talking to tlio Indian king and is treated with great contempt. CHAPTER XI Return to Portugal 112 Gama indulges in some outrages before leaving the coast of India. His frightful experience in re-crossing tlio Arabian Sea. Welcome hospitality of the African King of Malindi. Burning of the Sao Raphael. Death of Paulo da Gama and his brother's grief. Triumphal return to Lisbon. CHAPTER XII Magellan's Youth and Training 119 Ferdinand Magellan's youth. How his environment inspired him. His service in India. An incident siimving his ready mastery of men. How the King of Portugal treated liiin, on his return home, and liow he revenged himself. His j)roposi- tion to the King of Spain accepted. What it implied. The Portuguese monarch strives to defeat the objects of the expedition. CHAPTER XIII The Voyage Begun 131 Magellan's voyage begun. The seed of the Portuguese King's sowing begins to bear fruit. I'laying-eards at a premium in Kio harbor. Strange kind of covering for shelterless men. Mutiny, and how Magellan's strong hand crushed it. Fate of the ringleaders. CHAPTER XIV Ihe Strait Discovered 139 a- Shipwreck of one of Magollan'.s vessels. Her captain's good management saves every life. The giant Patagonians. Ma- Contents xi Page gellan's device for capturing specimens of tliem. Did ho know of the existeiu'o of a strait { Tlie passage discovered. Pilot (joiiies gives good ruu.soiis against goiug fartiier. Magellan overrules tlieui. Gomes deserts with the largesi ship. The Pacific ! ClIAPTEll XV Plague, Pestilence, anl» Famine 153 Horrible sufferings of the first navigators that ever crossed the Pacific. ciiaptb:r XVI Discovery ob^ the Piiiliitines and Death of Magellan 156 How the Ladrones got tlieir name. Skilful canoemen and more skilful thieves. The gentler side of Magellan. Some of the strange creatures the voyagers saw. How a bullying king was brougiit to terms. Clhristians made by wholesale, and what sort of Christians they proved to be. Magellan's ill- advised attack on the Island of Mactan. Bloody encounter. Death of Magellan. CHAPTER XVII The Circumnavigation Completed 166 Magellan's followers push on. Treachery of the King of Sebu. Massacre of the Spaniards. Carvalho abandons Serrao to his fate. The Spaniards fight for their lives in the harbor o. Brunei. The Spice Islands reached at last. Wealth pouring in with every canoe. Deep-laden with treasure, the ships start for home. Tragic fate of Magellan's flagship. Vasco da Gama again, cruel as ever. Perilous adventures of the " Vittoria," the sole survivor of Magellan's fleet. Narrow escape from tlie Portuguese almost at the end of her voynge. She .sails into the harbor of Seville, having circumnavigated the globe. CHAPTER XVIII Verrazano explores the Coast op the United States 177 Verrazano makes his land-fall on the coast of Carolina. His singularly good description of the Southern seaboard. How Paok 189 204 xii Contents the natives treated a sailor whom the waves threw into their hands, and how Frenchmen requited it. Verrazano in New York harbor. Ilia delightful stay in Narragansett Bay. A dis- tant view of the White Mountains. How beautiful Penobscot bay inipredsud tlio first European visitors. Norumbegaand the Northmen. CHAPTER XIX The Earlikst Seekers of a Northeast Passage . King Alfred's great work. Otliere and his daring cruise into tlie Arctic Ocean, a thousand years ago. How the Finns and Lapps lived in those old days. Some queer "travelers' tales" from old times. Sir Hugh Willoughby and his company meet tlieir doom on the coast of Laplaud. Kichard Chancelor makes a great hit and becomes the guest of the Russian Emperor. His entertaining account of the Russians. CHAPTER XX The Earliest Seekers of a Northwest Passage . Terrible experiences of explorers in Newfoundland. Fed by a fish-hawk. Cannibalism. Sir Humphrey Gilbert's mis- fortunes and heroic death. CHAPTER XXI Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 209 Martin Frobisber sails in quest of a northwest pa.ssage to China. He fixncies that he has found it. He loses a boat's crew, but captures a native. He makes a discovery that seta England wild when he returns. On his second voyage he schemos to seize two of the natives, but " catches a Tartar." Desperate affray at Bloody Point. Queen Elizabeth loses her head and louses her purse-strings. A great fleet sails to bring back uncounted treasure. Pitiful outcome of it all. CHAPTER XXII John Davis's Explorations 224 Brave John Davis, another famous seeker of a northwest pas- sage to China The Land of Desolation. Friendly natives. Enormous bears. Eskimo dogs that cannot bark. A "flie that is called muskeeta." The passage not yet found. Contents CHAPTER XXIII The Sea-Kings of Queen Elizabeth's Time . . . Something about Queen Elizabeth's great captains. General ignorance of geography up to their time. iSources of their inspiration. Some of their great achievemeuta. Xlll Page 228 CHAPTER XXIV The E^nglish Dkagon 235 Francis Drake's boyhood and early experiences. Hot time for Protestants under Queen Mary. Hangings in Kent. The Drakes escape to Plymouth. Young Francis's early home in an old hulk. The pirates who frequented Plymouth harbor, and their secret friend, Queen Elizabeth. How Dr. Story was cauglit and hanged. Francis apprenticed on a little coaster. He becomes its owner. He makes a foreign voyage and is plundered by the Spanish. CHAPTER XXV The Dragon sails on Magellan's Track .... Drake, the " English Dragon," spreads his wings for a long and bold flight. Beginning of his mysterious voyage. His daring purpose. Its appalling dangers. Strange sights on the Atlantic. Birds that never touch land and fish that rarely touch water. Was John Doughty a wizard ? The " giants " of Patagonia. Trouble with Thomas Doughty, and how it ended with his losing his head. Fight with some of the "giants." The Dragon Cathay , CHAPTER XXVI REOPENS THE SoUTHWEST PASSAGE TO Drake passes the Strait of Magellan. One vessel goes dow i and anotlier deserts him. Left alone, he pushes on undis- mayed and makes a splendid discovery. Great slaughter of penguins to victual the ship. Drake and every man in his boat wounded by natives. He sails up the Pacific coast, loading his vessel with gold and silver taken from Spaniards. The crew of the " Grand Captain of the South " have a merry night 247 257 XIV Contents Pagk with Drake's men, old Tom Moore at their head. More prizes and more l)ooty. Kxcitlng ehaso of tlie Cacafiiego. A royal prize. The wliole west coast of South America in arms ajjainst Drake, lie skirls N'orth America, declines to he made a king in California, and .striivcs out acro.ss tiic I'acific. lie runs upon a reef and narrowly e.scapes losing liis vessel and its priceless cargo. lie startles all Kngland hy suddenly reappearing at 1 lymoi'.tii, loaded to the water witii plundered treasure. He is honored and is knighted hy Klizaheth's own hand. CHAPTER XXVII Dutch Explorers visit Nova Zkmhla William Biirents is jiilot of a Dutch ship sailing to find a northeast j)assage. The midnight sun. Two hours' figlit with a hear. Dead whales. Another fight witli a hear. Curious story ahout a certain kind of geese. More fights with bears. Around the northern end of Nova Zemhla. Fa.st in the ice. They resign themselves to spending the winter there. 272 CHAPTER XXVIII Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla Barents and his men prepare for a hard winter. They find a great store of driftwood and begin to build a house. More fighting with bears. First deatli in the party. Tlie hou.se is finished. They begin to trap foxes. The sun disappears, to be seen no more for months. Cold so bitter that fire conld not warm them. A doleful Chri.stmas. The new year brings keener cold. A (piiet sort of jollification. Another death. The sun reappears. Signs of spring. Golf ou the ice. Preparations for starting homeward iu boats. 281 CHAPTER XXIX In Open Boats from Nova Zemhla to Lapland Barents and his men start for home. Mucli hindered by ice. Ice-bound for days together. Death of Barents. More trouble with bears. The voyagers begin to get birds and eggs. An exciting time with walruses. They encounter Ru.ssians, who treat them kindly. They reach the Russian shore. Coasting along, tliey still endure great privations, but are helped by 300 Contents fisliortiioii wliDiii tlioy inoet. Comiiij^ to Laiiliiiid, tlioy cncoiin- t<;r ill! (lid coinriKli", who takoM tlioiii in cliargo. Arrival in Amsteidaiu. I'rido of the Dutch in preserving relic., of the expeditiun. XV PA(iK CHAPTER XXX IIkNHY IIidson's V(>YA(iKS TOWARDS TIIK NoKTIIDAST Henry Hudson not a niitchnian, imt a friend of Barents. His bold attciiiiii, to reach Asia liy sailin„' across the Nortii Pole, Its iiicvitaliic failure. In a second voyage a mermaid is seen. He attempts to pass through the Kostiu Shar, but finds it imi)racticaMc. 321 CHAPTER XXXI HuDSOn'.S Exi'LOHATION OK TIIK IIl'D.SON RiVEU . . 328 Hudson sails on his ever-memorable voyage. He heads for North America. His relations with Captain John Smith. He reaches Penobscot Hay. Hl-treatmont of natives. He touche.s at Cape Cod, stretches down as far as the Virginia coast, turns northward, and explores Delaware Hay. He enters New York harbor. Delightful experiences there, followed by a fight, in which one of ids men is killed. He begins to ascend the Ilud.son Hiver. He comes near to the site of Ali>any. De- scending, lie has a bloody affray near the Island of Manna- hatta. Return to England. Results of the voyage. CHAPTER XXXII Hudson kxplorks IIinsoN Bay 330 Hudson again seeks a northwest j)assage. Ilis men enjoy a natural hot bath on the shore of Iceland. Signs of insubordi- nation among the crew. He explores Hudson I3ay. Com- pelled to winter there. Bitter ex))eriences. Famine averted by the immense number of ptarmigan. How an honest man barters. Free from the ice. Mutiny. Hudson is set adrift with a few companions. The mutineers have a bloody encoun- ter with Eskimo. Horrible sufferings of •\e survivors. They reach England. Dr. John Fiske's tribute to Hudson. 8 i| XVI Contents pare ^rconD BE CENT VOYAGES CHAPTER XXXIII A Northwest Passace Uiscoveked Paob 349 The loss of Sir Joliii Franklin and his crews. Sorrow iu England and the I'nited States. Numerous search expedi- tious. Fate of the lost men ascertained. Did I'ranklin find the northwest passaj^e ? Caj»taiu McClure sails iu the " Inves- tigator." Indoniitaliie Yankees at Port F'amiue. McClure enters tlie Arctic Ocean. Merry F^skimo thieves. The sea of eternal ice. F'rozen in. 'i"he northwest pas.sage discovered. F'rozen in again. Aliundance of game. Fearless wolves. Condition of the crew hocomes alarming. Unexpected relief. The "Investigator" abandoned. Honors to her crew in England. CHAPTER XXXIV The "Veoa" nE(iiN.s her Famous Voyage. . . . 364 Professor Nordenskiilld sails in the "Vega." Summer appear- ance of Nova Zcmtiia. A Samoyed village. Stick-idols, Gnilloinot-fclis. lOider ducks, ptarmigan, and snowy owls. Reindeer, polar hears, and foxes. How the walrus is hunted. The plague of mosquitoes. CHAPTER XXXV Through the Kara Sea to the Northernmost Point OF Asia The "Vega" enters tlie dreaded Kara Sea. A bear and a reindeer are shot. Winter in this region. Gloomy desolation of the northernmost point of Asia. A solitary bear on guard. The Lena Delta ; its mournful associations for Americans. 377 Contents xvii CIIAITKIl XXXVI Tin; " VKCiA's" iNTKUfoiKSK WITH Nativks ok Sibkkia Umlevelopct! wealth of Silicria. " Noah's wood." How the tuiitira waH forined Fohh!! elephaiitH aiitl rliiiioceroHea. I'roflt- uIpK' trailu in fossil ivon-. Aiitii|iiily of tho liiiiuaii race sliowu hv caiviiijjs on ivory. 'I'hc " Vt'j;a " ciiconnters natives of the I'liast. Keen traders! Their lionies and their iiuine life, "(live a dog a hud name and hang hiiu." Vestiges uf a vaa< isiied race. Ice-bouud. PAtlK 381 CHAPTER XXXVII In Wintkk Qlautkks on the Sujeuian Coast . . 398 Life in winter (|uarters. Chukchis will cheat in trade, hut won't steal. Alternate gorging and starving. The shamans. Their terrible iutluence. How the aged are sometimes disposed of. CHAPTER XXXVIII TllUOlfiH BEIIRIN2 31 The Landfall of Columbus 30 ColiMubtis at Ilispaniola 69 Karliest Ueprescntation of South American Natives, 1190- 1501 77 House in which Columbus died 91 Vasco da Gama 94 Hindu Deities, Krishna nursed by Devaki 108 The Figure-llead of the Sao Raphael 115 The Harbor of Lisbon 117 Alfonso d'Albufiuoniue 120 Ferdinand Magellan 123 Majfellan Passing his Strait 141 Sc'.oner's Globe, 1520 145 .Map of Magellan Strait 147 "Hauslab" Gh.be 151 Chart of the Pacific Ocean, showing the Track of Magellan's Ships, 1519-1522 101 A Scene in Sebu 167 Statue of Sebastian Del Cano 175 The Verrazano Map ••... 185 1: S XX List of Illustrations PAOB A Norse Ship of the Tenth Century 190 Sir Hugh Willoughby 195 Martin Frobisher 210 Map showing Frobisher's Strait 211 Queen Elizabeth and her Great Captains, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and Sir Thomas Cavendish 229 Sir Francis Drake 237 House-Building in the Arctic Regions 283 "How we shot a bear, wherefrom wc got a good hundred pounds' weight of grease " 297 " True portraiture of our boats " 309 A Russian Lodja ^^^ Gerrit de Veer's Map of Nova Zembla, showing the House in which his Party wintered 317 Henry Hudson ^23 Sir John Franklin 350 Boats in a Swell amongst Ice 353 Smoke issuing from Cliff at Cape Bathurst 358 Block of Stone with Parry's Inscription 361 Baron Adolph Eric Nordenskibld 365 Samoyed Sled and Idols 366 A Place of Sacrifice ^^^ Towing with Dogs ^^^ Winter Dress ^^^ Notii and his Wife ^^^ :ii BOOKS OP REFERENCE. TiiK VoYAGKs Axn Travkls of Marco Polo. Tin; VovAGKs and Travels of Sir Joiix MArxoKviLLE. \ TiiK SroRY ok Collmrus. l{y Mrs. E. Ejrgleston Seclye. Tim: Lific of Christoi-hkr Colusiius. By Sir Clements 11. iMarkliatn. CiiRisToniKii Columbus. By Dr. Justin Winsor. Thi; Dlscovkry of Amfrica. By Dr. John Fiske. Thk Liff, of Fkrduvaxd Magellan and the First Circum- navigation OF THE Globe, 1480-1521, By F. II. II. Guillcniard. Tin: Voyages of Martix Froihsher (Ilakhiyt Society). The Voyages of John Davis (Ilakliiyt Society). Kn<;i.isii Seamen. By James A. Fronde. Siu FitAxcis Drake. By Julian Corbett. TiiUEE Voyages by the Northeast. By Gcrrit De A'eer (Ilakluyt Society). The Discovery of the Xorthavest Passage. By Sherard Osborn. The Voyage of the Vega. By Prof. A. E. Nordenskiuld. W'. ffi PART FIRST OLD VOYAGES ( 1 i t ll a f( THE WORLD'S DISCOVERERS part i?!r0t OLD VOYAGES CHAPTER I OF MARCO POLO AND HIS INFLUKNCK IN STIMULATING EXPLORATION Once a monk's preaching set Europe aflame, put a million of men on the march, and started a move- ment that had not spent its force when nearly two hun- ''red years had gone by. Of the great armies and the mobs of pilgrims that tramped wearily or sailed tedi- ously to the EasL, the most perished. But the survivors brought back seeds of learning and art that sprouted and grew until they changed the face of Europe from a weedy lot into a fair garden. Two centuries after Peter the Hermit set the Crusades in motion, a prisoner telling the story of his travels to a fellow-captive gave a new impulse to human energy, an impulse that brought a world to the knowledge of civilized men. Like the other, it had the East for its goal. His name was Marco Polo, and the movement which, all unknowingly, he set on foot was the effort to reach by water the marvelous f^ h 4 The World's Discoverers lands and splendid cities of the far East which he described. It never ceased until no accessible portion of the globe remained unexplored. When Europe be- gan to shake off the sleep of ages, in the fifteenth cen- tury, long after he was dead, one of the first signs of its awakening was an increased activity in trade. This prompted voyages of discovery. The movement of ex- ploration was sure to be started in one way or another, for the time was rij)o. The message of INIarco Polo was MEDALLIONS OP MARCO POLO AND KUBLA KHAN then heard by a generation eager to heed it, and more than that of any other one person it was the influence that sent forth the world's discoverers on their perilous voyages. At the time in which he lived there was much com- mercial intercourse between Europe and China, — by overland travel, of course. Later this ceased, wdth the fall of the Mongol dynasty. When, after two centu- ries, the spirit of exploration w'as aroused, and Euro- peans again reached the wonderful countries which he had described, so great was their ignorance of them it was almost a new discovery. Old Voyages Mcirco Polo's roniiiutic iianative litis liad the sjime ex- perience as many another ohl liook. First, it was swal- lowed eagerly. The greater the marvel, the more ea.sily it was helieved. Then came a time of greater knowledge. Men fonnd incredible statements in the book. At onet; they rejected it altogether. It became fashionable to sneer at him as a mere romancer, an inventor of fal»U's. Finally there has come a time of still gi-eater knowledge. A closer acqnaintance with the langnages and the histo- lies of China and otlier Eastern lands establishes the trnthfnlness and accnracy of Polo in a great inunber of particnlars. It is no longer possible to donbt that he ever visited China, when the annals of that country show that he was really appointed to a high position under the Chinese em[)eror in the year 1277. 1'he more China is ex[)lored and known, the more firmly Polo's credit is established as to the substance of his story. At the same time, there are many incredible things related by him. The truth seems to be that he embellished the facts of his actual experience with many fanciful additions, mainly, perhaps, things that he had heard from others. We must remember, too, that his book was handed ilown for almost two hundred years in written copies, before the invention of the art of printing. The old copyists sometimes took strange liberties with the text before them and introduced many of their own notions. It is impossible to know how many of the fabulous stories contained in Marco Polo's book, as we have it to-day, originated in the fertile fancy of a scribe. The famous traveler was born in Venice, in 1254, of a well-known family of merchants. He was a well- I W', h ¥ 6 The World's Discoverers grown lad when tlie last army of Crusaders started for the Holy Land. While he was a child his father and his uncle went to the Crimea on a trading enter- prise. Thence they journeyed to Bokhara. Various inducements led them on until they finally reached tlie court of the great em[)eror, Kubla Khan, who ruled the wide dominions conquered by the famous Tartar, Gen- ghis Khan. Kubla Khan had established his capital at Cambaluc, now called Pekin. He had also at Shangtu a magnificent summer-palace, which Coleridge describes in his poem : — " In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree ; Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright witii sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree ; And here were forests ancient as the hills. Enfolding sunny spots of greenery." The great Khan was so much pleased with the two Venetian merchants and with what he learned from them of the civilization and religion of the West that he despatched them back with a message to the Pope, requesting him to send out a body of men who should instruct his people in the arts of Europe and in Chris- tianity. Had this petition been fully complied with, we can scarcely guess how greatly the history of China might have been changed. But only two monks were sent, and even these had not the courage to complete their journey into China. Old Voyages After staying two years in Venice, the two brothers .stiirted again for the East, taking with tiieni young Marco, tlien a bright youth of sevenlien. They trav- eled through Persia to the hill country of Badakshan, in Central Asia, and thence through many regions not described again until our own days, over the great des- ert of Gobi, to the northwest provinces of China. So, tour years after leaving Venice, they found themselves once more at the court of Kubla Khan. The emperor was greatly pleiioed with young Marco, who was very observant and quick-witted and had an iiinuzing faculty of learning the languages and ways of [)eo[)le. lie was soon employed on various missions in (lilYcrent parts of the empire. Having observed the Ivliau's interest in all that was novel, he took pains to aciiuaint himself with everything that was worth noting in tiie manners and customs of the strange peoples iiinousjj whom he traveled. Thus he accumulated a vast store of information, and what he had gathered he re[)eated to his master, on his return. Finally he was established for three years as governor of the city of Yaugchow. All this time the elder Polos were enjoy- ing the emperor's favor and assisting him with their advice. In 1292 a great occasion arose. A Mongol bride was to be sent to Tabreez, in Persia, to be married to a l»riiice who was a near kinsman of Kubla Khan. The three Venetians were selected, as experienced travelers, to accompany the party. The long overland journey was considered too formidable for a delicately reared young woman, and it was determined to go by sea. No 11 hi > J! * I 8 'riie World's Discoverers less tliaii two yi'iirs were coiisniiicd oil tli(^ NViiy, and tlic put}' ciicomitoivd luaiiy perils and !iard8hi[)s in consc- (pionuo of which more tlian half died. • In this way, howcvi!!', Marco gained a knowledge of tlie Mahiy IN'ninsula and of the great islands of tiie Arcliipelago. I'^inally they reacluid their destination with the hride. Her intended liushand in tlic mean time had died, and she was actnally married to his son. The P()h)s, having come so far to the west, followed their hearts' desire and traveled on to Venice. Fonr years after their return, war broke out between their city and the rival republic of Cicnoa. In a sea-fight the Venetians were defeated and Marco Polo was captured. This proved a happy circumstance for the world. Dur- ing the year which he spent in a Genoese prison, a fellow-capti\e named Rusticiano prevailed on him to give an account of his travels and a description of the countries which he had visited, that he might write it down. The whole narrative was dictated from memory. Under these circumstances we could not expect great exactness. The extent and variety of geographical information contained in Polo are astounding, if we consider the dense ignorance of Europe in his times. Travelers {)enetrating to-day into obscure regions of the Chinese Empire find themselves forestalled by this old voyager and encounter names and customs which confirm his statements. No part of the vast region extending from the frozen shores of the Arctic Ocean to the burning islands lying beneath the Equator escaped his notice. What he did not know from personal knowledge he dili- Old Voyages j^tMitly iiKiuiivd about from tnivcliiig iiu'rchiints. From liiiii I'iUroiu' heard Tor tlu' lirst. time of the wilds of NorLlu'rii Silx'ria, with their fur iK'ariiit,'' animals and ''groat white bears, twenty palms long." He says: "The '^M'eat lakes, whieh are frozen, exeejjt for a few months in the year, an; the eause that in the sunnner it is scarce to Ik! traveled foi- mire, and therefore the merijhants, in going to hny their furs for fourteen days' journey through the descul, have set U[) for each day a house of wood, where they barter with the inhabitants, and in winter they use sledges, which are drawn on the ice by JK'asts lik(! great (h)gs, by c()U[)les, the sledge-man only with his merchant and furs sitting therein. At the extremity of the region of these Tartars is a country reaching to the farthest north, called the obscure land, because the most part of tlu; wintcn- months the sun ap[)ears not, and the air is thick and darkish as betimes in the morning with us. The men there are pale and squat, have no prince, and live like beasts." This descri''ion he clearly got from traders who visited the shores of the Polar Sea for furs, as they do to-day. From him Euiope first heard of Magaster (Madagas- car), "one of the greatest and richest islands in the world, three thousand miles in circuit, inhabited by Saracens " (Mohannuedans). lie says: "The [)eople live by mer- chandise and sell vast quantities of elephants' teeth. The currents in these parts are of exceeding force." Two hundred years later, the first Portuguese naviga- tors were baffled by the strong current sweeping down through Mozambique Channel and along the East Afri- can coast. Such particulars as these Polo must have / ; .! •' ' i ( -ft ' lO The World's Discoverers got from those who had actually .sailed in those parts. S|i('iiUiii,t,' of a lar<,M' island which he calls Caniari, per- haps jionico or Sumatra, he says, "Here are apes so iarye that they seem to he men." It is well known that the home; of the; gniat nian-like apes is in these islands, lie describes the people of those regions as "continually chewing a leaf called tembnl, with sjjices and linu'." The betel-nut (Arabic, tambur) is still in(Hfssantly chew(Ml by the natives, with an admixture of lime and catechu. It is evident from his account that the business of exhibiting " freaks " is not new. He says, "There are certain small apes, in their faces like men, whicdi they put in boxes and preserve with spices [end)alm], and sell them to the merchants, who carry them through the world, showing them for pigmies or little men." The modern exhibitor prefers to have his specimens alive. Hut it was Polo's description of the grandeur and wealth of the Great Khan's empire, with its cities of bewildering si)lendor, that (ired the imagination of tlie western world. Who can wonder at this effect, when we. read of "Quinsai, the City of Heaven, which for the excellency thereof hath that name; for in the world there is not the like, or a place in whicli are found so many pleasures, that a man woukl think that he were in Paradise "? A hundred miles Ip. circuit; with ten great market-places; with a clear lalie of fresh water on one side and on the other a great river, which carries away all the sewerage ; with wide thoroughfares and numerous canals, tlie latter s[)anned by thousands of bridges, those on the chief channels so high that vessels may pass under Old Voyages I I with tlu'ir iniistn staiuliiijjf, wliilc liorsos luul cliarlots ci'dss ovcrlu'iul ; with givat stoiThdUscs of sloiic, in uiiicli iiicrcliiiiits from liidiu and oilier comiliit's liiv iH)tiu'ii' mcrchaiidisi!; with vast (luaiitilics of lish, ^amr, meats, {)oiiltry, veg«'tahU!s, and fruits daily [)ouriiig in, (o feed tlie iimneiisi! jjopidation ; with thousands of arti- liieis plying tlu'ir busy trades; — such is the city which lie describes. 'I'lm gorgeous splendor of the (ircat Klian's palace and the [)erfeet organization of his emiiire correspond with this magnili(.'ent ea[)ital. L'n- doiihtcdly there! is nuich exaggeration in all this. lUit it is far from lu'iiig wholly lletion. '''he out-worn and tottering Cliina of to-day gives us scarcely a hint of her grandeur under the Mongol emperors. Wliy, it may he asked, did the harvest of I'olo's hook ripen after the seed luul lain inert two hundred years? Undoubtedly because of the invention of print- ing. The immediate consequence of this discovery was a revival of learning. Hooks which had lain dormant, as it were, like seed ke[)t in a dark place, the knowledge of them being confined to the few persous who could afford to buy hand-written copies, suddenly acquired a living interest, like seed dropped into warm, moist earth, by being scattered far and wide in printed form, and stimulated a great mental activity. Thus the three greatest events of the fifteenth century, the invention of printing, the opening of a sea-route around the Cape of (iood Hope to India, and the discovery of America, were closely connected one with another. Marco Polo's hook, under the influence of this revived interest, be- came very popular, especially in Portugal, where the ) t ' I '\ ' i« 12 The World's Discoverers spirit of exploration was very active. Her navigators voyaging down the African coast had always in mind the fabled wealth of the far East. C'olunibus was famil- iar with Polo. There is even a Latin copy in existence, with numerous notes in his handwriting. He is said to have taken a copy with him on hi;i voyage, and we know that when he steered west, Cipango (Japan) was liis goal. We can easily picture the great discoverer poring over passages like this, during the long weeks of his voyage : " Zipangu is an island on the east, one thousand live hundred miles distant from thu shores of Mangi, very great, the people ot white complexion, of gentle be- havior, in religion idolaters. They have gold in great plenty ; and they which have carried on commerce there speak of the king's^ house covered with gold, as churches here with lead, gilded windows, and floors of gold." Mangi was the name for the southern provinces of China; Cathay, for the northern. One other traveler we must mention whose influence was of the same kind. Two or three years before Marco Polo died, that is, about 1322, an English knight, Sir John Maundeville, set out for the East. When he re- turned, after many years, he nublis'hed a book which is a most entertaining collection of ingenious fancies min- gled with a small proportion of facts. There is no doubt that he stole his account of Cathay and the Indies from Friar Odoric, a reputable but little-known traveler. The marvelous splendor of Quinsay, as described by Polo, paled before the inconceivable magnificence of Prester John, as depicted by Maundeville. At the same time, many of his inventions are so amusing and Old Voyages 13 are told witli so much apparent sincerity, that one can- not read them without a smile. His work has scared}' any value. Yet it became the most popular book of travels for many generations; and we are expressly told that Columbus was a reader of it. Such influences as these started the great movement to which the world (>'ves so much. [ :i I !■::. > ± H The World's Discoverers CHAPTER II THE ENTEKJ'KJSE AND THE EAJILY DISCOVEIIIES Ol!" THE PORTUGUESE The niotlier of modern cx[)loration was Portugal, and its father was Iier Prin'^e Henry the Navigator. Begin- ning early in the fifteenth centnry, Portngal slowly pnslied her way down the African coast. In this work Prince Henry was untiring. Ilei.ouncing the pleasures of court life, he devoted himself to the encouragement of foreign discovery and trade. Progress was slow. A'i each [)romontory was reached, some other beyond it was deemed impassable. In 1418 the Madeira Islands were discovered. Not until 1432 was Cape Bojador reached. And still another period of fourteen yeai-s elapsed before C'a[)e Verde was passed. Thus, little by little, the coast became known and charted. As the Equator was a[)proached, the old stories of the impossibility of exist- ence under its heat were revived. Still the navigators [)ressed on. After the Cuinea coast was reached, Por- tugal l)egan to reap substantial rewards in the shape of a moL^t profitable trade in ivory and gold. Thus the way was gradually prepared for those splen- did discoveries which gave new worlds to the knowledge of civilized man. In geography, as in all science, a discoverv is rarelv sudden. Hack of the Inilliant achieve- ment we find the long line of patient toilers whose Early Discoveries of the Portuguese i 5 liil)ors have led up to the crowninj^ foat. So, ths suc- ci'ssioii of advcutiirons Portuguese seamen, for nearly a liuiulred yearsgrophig their _-jifr^ way down the African coast, hattling with the supersti- tious terrors of ages, and ;'^ ('(piipped with only the 0^ rudest instruments -^nd the scantiest {knowledge of nav- igation, prepared the way ^<^* for the famous discoverers wliose achievements are among the greatest facts of history. They r.iade the expedition of Columbus possible. We shall find the Portu- guese king sneering at the views of the great Genoese as the dreams of a boastful Italian. But it was his very devotion to the idea of ea 'li g the Indies around ti. ' . , r.^mity of Africa that (iiocyjo i>':: mind to the pos- sibility i.1 another route. That India lay beyond Africa was ' crtain. The only (question was whether it was possible to get around Africa !\<3ved that it was, and on this belief he was F r STATUK OK rUIXCK HKNHY OF I'OKTUGAL King Joao ])e- i puttin* i6 The World's Discoverers forth liis efforts. 'J'liero was something tangiljle ahoiit what lie was doing: Cohunbiis's plan looked chimerical. Thus the real puri)()se of the Portuguese explorations of Africa looked beyond iuHnediate results, 'i'hey had in view the same object that animated Columbus. The wealth of the Indies, especially the spice trade, was the coveted i)ri7X'. For centuries the splendid Asiatic connnerce had been controlled by Genoa and Venice. Each had a route of its own, one up the Persian Gulf and by caravan overland to Constantinople; the other, up the Red Sea i"^^ '-T^ross the Isthmus of Suez. Hut after the Turks U, Jonstantinoi)le, in 1453, one of the outlets of Asia's wealth was closed. To open a sea-route, under Portuguese control, for this splendid ti'ade was Joao's enlightened [)urpose. At last, in 1487, Bartholomew Diaz sailed, with the express purpose of solving the great problem. After having gone as far as Cape Negro, and finding the coast still trending southeast, he was swept away from the land and to the south for thirteen days by a gale, until he eneountjred severe cold. He turned east for a con- siderable distance and then headed north. When he next sighted land, it trended northeast. He followed it as far as Didagoa Bay and found the land always inclining in the same direction. There was scarcely any room for doubt that he had solved the long-vexed prol)lem of rounding the southern extremity of Africa. liut his men were loth to venture further into the unknown. Therefore he hastened back, to carry to his master the joyful news. Following the coast south- ward, he had great difficulty in passing a majestic prom- Early Discoveries of the Portuguese 1 7 (iiitory which, for tliat reason, he calleil Stormy Cape. After rounding it he knew surely that he liad achieved success. When liis royal master received the glad tid- ings, with his mind full of splendid visions, he drew his pen tlirough the name Cabo Tormentosoon Diaz's chart and wrote one that means Cape of Good Hope. He was right. TJie route which the bold Diaz had laid oi)en was for Portugal the road to the zenith of her power and to almost fabulous wealth. One of his com- panions was Bartholomew Columbus, and there is every I'eason to believe that the success of this voyage stimu- lated his illustrious brother to make his great venture. Yet, strange as it may seem, no step was taken to follow up this magnificent advance for ten years. Per- lia[)s tliis was due to the discovery of America, which had taken place in the mean while. > i i- i8 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER III ii i THE YOUTH AND THK SUIIKOUNDINGS OF CHUISTOPHEK COLUMBUS The birtlipliice of Cliristopher Columbus was singu- Iiirly favorable to a nautical life. Ileniiued in by mountains wliicli, as it were, pushed her young men out on the ocean to seek their living, Genoa was a great commercial city. She and Venice controlled almost wholly the trade of the jMediterranean, and there was great rivalry between them. Marco Polo, the Vene- tian, wrote his famous book while he was a prisoner of war a^. Genoa. These two cities held in their hands the trade of the far East, which came in caravans to le eastern end of the JMediterranean, where it met thoir ships. This circumstance would naturally turn the thoughts of an inquiring mind very much to those niys- terious lands of far Asia, from which came the precious spices and silks which Europe coveted. We have seen liow the capture of Constantinople by the Turks, wliich occurred when Columbus was a little boy, closed one of the caravan-routes and made the discovery of an all- water way to India, such as the Portuguese king was seeking around Africa, very desirable. All these things combined to form the atmosphere in which the great project of Columbus was conceived. Youth of Christopher Columbus 1 9 Of iiis early life we know very little, except that lie was l)orii al)out the year 14-4(5, of a i)Oor family f)f weavers, and received only such education as jjcople of that class could give their children. He himself worked as an apprentice to his father. About the ary craftily towards Cobunbus. Tl 'y did nut wish to see him cany his project to another court; there might be something in it, and they wished to hold it ill reser\'e. liiit absorbingly occupied as they were with pushing the war against the !\bK)rs, they thought they could not spare money to give it a trial. Their liolicy, therefore, was to feed his hopes with fair prom- ises, while they did not connnit themselves to anything. And they played their game so well that they succeeded ill keeping him in attendance until their own afYairs allowed them to take up his matter at their leisure. At last, with the eventful year 1402, the sun of ("itlumbus rose. Granada, the last stronghold of the •Moors, fell. Columbus witnessed the solemn ceremony, as lioabdil, the last of the Moorish kings, came forth from the famed Alhambra and delivered its keys to his T / '! I I i i 26 The World's Discoverers eoiKiuerors. Fordiiiiiud and Isabella had no longer any excuse for i)utting off Columbus. They took up his a|)[)lication. A short time before, a way-worn traveler, with a little boy, had stopi)ed at thu gate of the convent of La Kiibida and a.^ked a cup of water and a crust of bread for the child. It was Columbus. His wife and his eliildrcn were dead, excepu this little Diego and a younger brother, Ferdinand, the son of another mother. He was seeking his wife's sister, who lived not far away, intending to leave the child with her while he should go elsewhere. His patience was exhausted. He was quitting Spain. On wliat trivial incidei:ts do great results sometimes de[)end! His stopping at tue gate of La Ilabida proved to be the turiiingTpoint in the life of Columbus. The prior, Juan Perez de Marchena, a scholar and a man of warm and generous nature, was struck with the sliabl)y stranger's noble air and bearing, entered into conversation with him, listened, first with e-iriosity, then with deei)ening interest, to his views, and deter- mined to befriend him. He sent for some of his neigh- bors, men of knowledge in nautical matters, and they heard Columbus detail his ideas. They found much that was reasonable in them and that was confirmed by things that tliey knew or believed. One of these men was Martin .Vlonzo Pin/on, a pilot of Palos and a wealthy man, who later became Columbus's chief lieutenant. The result of the conference was that Marchena, who had fcmierly been Lsabella's confessor and still had M Youth of Christopher Columbus 27 i^n-t'iit iiifliienoe \vit)i her, lirst wrote, and then went in [icistin to ini[)h)ru her not to let Colnmbns go from S[)ain. His intervention was successtii^ She sent to ('i)hunhus money to enable him to travel decently to the conrt. Negotiations were resumed, and all went wvll, when a new dilliculty arose. Columbus's de- mands seemed extravagant. Nothing less would con- tent him than that he should be at once appointed Admiral, with the future title of Viceroy of any coun- tries lie might discover, and should receive one-tenth of all the gains, either by trade or conquest. The pride ol' Spanish nobles revolted at these demands from an indigent stranger, and they were indignantly refused. Columbus would not consent to abate them one par- ticle and actually mounted his mule and rode away, (liiitting Spain, as he thought, forever. When he had traveled some miles, a royd messenger, riding furiously, overtook him and bade him come back to court: his terms would be accepted. The first great victory was won ! ■ I u I 1 28 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER IV y !■ '"■ ■1 1. 1 THE FIRST VOYAGE AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA Theue was 11 poetic fitness in Columbus's starting from the point where he first received encouragenjent. To Pah)S the royal order sent him for his equipment. The agreement with Ferdinand and Isabella had been signed in April, and in May it was read in the church at Palos. It re(piired the town to furnish the Admiral, as lie now was by royal appointment, with two small vessels known as caravels. This was easy enough. But great difficulties arose as to securing crews. In spite of four months' wages to be paid in advance, sailors were loth to shi[) f(»r what seemed the maddest voyage that men ever sailed on. Again despotic power came to the res- cue. An officer was sent from the court with authority to seize shi^js and impress men. By this means and through the influf^nce of the thveo Pinzon brothers, who threw themselves heart and soul into the enterprise, the complement of sailors was obtained. A pitiful affair the little fleet seemed, if we consider the years spent in obtaining it and the vastness of tlie undertaking. Only one vessel was as large as one of our ordinary coasting schooners and was decked over. She was the admiral's flag -ship, was called the "Santa Mar'a," sometimes the " Marigalante, " was manned by fifty-two men, and carried an armament of small guns known as lombards. Her owner, Juan de la Cosa, went First Voyage and Discovery of America 29 along as pilot. He afterwards became a famous man. Tiic other two craft, which the town of Palos had been compelled to furnish, were mere cock-boats, open in the middle, with little cabins built at the bow and stern into which the crews were huddled. One of these, the "Piiitii," was commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, with his brother, Francis Martin Pinzon, as pilot. Among her crew were her two owners, men of Palos, will) wore reluctant to part with their vessel when she was forced into the service. The other caravel, the "Ninii," had a third member of the bold Pinzon family, Vicente Yanez Pinzon, as captain. Each of the smaller craft had on board eighteen men, and the united crews numbered eighty-eight. In this little bi .-d were some who, besides the renown of taking part in this immortal voyage, afterwards achieved fame on their own account. One of these was Bermudez, the discoverer of Bermuda. After the members of the expedition had received the Connnunion together, on the 3d of August, 14U2, just when the golden light of a summer morning was overspreading the purple sea, and in full sigh, >(' the liospitable walls of La Ilabida, the little squadron .uxl (Hit from the shore. This was lined with friends weep- in n' and wringing their hands for those whom they ilmuojit they should never see again. On the ships i!itiv was not much better cheer, many of the sailors filing very reluctantly and some having been forced. So fully did the thought of Asia fill the minds of all concerned, that the king and queen actually sent by (Columbus a letter addressed to the Grand Khan, or Emperor of China, and an interpreter who could speak 0:i I !i 1 ,.\ 30 The World's Discoverers many Eastern languages accompanied luni. Columbus steered soutli as far as the Canaries, "/^ore he was de- layed three weeks by certain unavoidable repairs. At last, on the 9th of September, the vessels lost sight of tlie most westerly of the Canaries, the last bit of the Old World, and steered forth on the broad Atlantic, heading a little to the south of west. Happily, we are able to ascertain [)recisely the reasons which determined Columbus's choice of a course. Martin Behaim was a scientific German, who was born in the same year and died in the same year with Colum- bus, [jike him, he had lived some time in one of the colonial islands of i'ortugal, had voyaged as far as the coast of Guinea, and was a stiulent of the science of navigation. There is every reason to believe that they were acquainted. He discovered no new world, but he helped to make it possible for Columbus to do so. \^j ida[)ting the astrolabe, an instrument for calculat- ing latitude by observing the heavenly bodies, to use at sea, he furnished the means by which a trained navi- gator, out on the broad ocean, with nothing in sight but sky and sea, can determine very closely the i)osition of his ship. T'.iis was one of his great services to the world. Another was the construction of his famous globe, which is still proudly cherished and shown in his native city of NurtMnberg. It is quite certain that Columbus never saw it, but it is t'(pially certain that he held the same views as those upon which it is based. The map which Toscanelli sent to Cohunbus is lost, but the liehaim globe gives us a very good idea what it was like. minis IS (le- . At rht of r)f the iiintic, easons lourse. s born 3oluin- of the as the 3nce of at they a, hut do so. ilculat- ) use at (1 iiavi- ght hut iition of to the famous n in liis ,in that that ho based, is lost, ea what v1i 1 ■ f i '• .~- — ^m ■ -, j First Voyage and Discovery of America 3 3 Any reader who wishes to have a clear notion of wliat the vvisest men of that day believed as to the distribu- tion of land on the earth's surface will do well to study this globe quite closely. It shows precisely the state of geographical knowledge in the year 1492, in which it was finished, and it will help him to understand the great error which led to the discoveiy of America. He will see tliat, starting from Teneriffe, in the Cana- ries, and hohling a steady course a little to the soutli of west, if that globe were correct, he would come to Cipango (Japan). IJy a happy cliance, Columbus, in making the first voyage to America, struck out for himself the very best route possible. The experience of centuries could not have guided him to a better. The intense heat of the sun at the Equator causes a constant column of hot air to rise. Other air coming to fill the vacuum thus created moving at a low velocity, while the earth re- volves swiftly toward the east, the effect is produced of a wind blowing always from the east. North of the line it is a northeast wind, south of the line a southeast wind. Year after year ind age after age these "con- stant trades " blow, so tliav a vessel once having set her sails may leave them undistur'neJ for days. A young niiui who once crossed the Atlantic on a sailing vessel has told the writer that for eleven days the crew did not need to touch a brace. Since Columbus's time this has been the great ocean higln\ay for vessels coming west. Even those destined to ports many hundreds of miles to the north of this belt go south, in order to get the benefit of the constant wind. 3 l« te HI 'tt hi 'I ^^F I- 34 The World's Discoverers Into this region of the northeast trade Columbns had unwittingly run. Day after day tlie vessels were driven steadily towards the western world over a sea as smooth, wrote Coknnbus, as "the Guadalquivir at Seville," while the air was as balmy as "April in Andalusia." But even this circumstance added to the terror of the superstitious sailors. The wind blowing day after day from the same quarter was contrary to all their experi- ence, and tl'cre seemed to be something uncanny in it. How, they asked, would it ever be possible to sail back to Spain if the wind blew always in the opposite direc- tion? And what was the meaning of this strangely smooth sea? They began to fancy that they were com- ing into a part of the world Avhere everything was to|)sy-turvy. It was a positive relief to Columbus wlien, one day, they had a light head wind, and when, a few days later, there came a stiff northwester and kicked up quite a swell. Another thing that alarmed the sailor^s was that the compass was seen to point no longer directly to the pole star. In this strange world that they were sailing into, was even the faithful compass becoming unreliable ? If so, what guide would they have on the vast, trackless deep? Even the experienced pilots were peri)lexed. Columbus studied over it some time. Then he called his people together and told them that there was not anything to be alarmed about, that the compass was as steady as ever, but the pole star, they must remember, was describing a circle in the heavens. This explana- tion did not really amount to anything. We can only say, so far as the matter is understood to-day, that the SJ ,:i First Voyage and Discovery of America 35 ponipjiss varies beciuise tlie earth's in ignetio pole, to wliicli the needle always jjoints, is n(»t [jrecisely at the north pole. Hut Cohunhus's reassuring words satisfied tlie men. Tlie great navigator., with all his dreaminess, had a large fund of shrewd cunning. We see an instance of tliis in his systematically misleading the men as to the distance sailed each day, by i)osting on the hullc- tin-board a smaller nund)er of miles than the actual one, while he kept a trv;e record in private. 1 1 is object in doing this was, that if they should sail the distance which he had predicted wouhl l»ring them to land, without (inding any, the men would not know it. Now came a new cause of alarm. The voyagers had run into the famed Sargasso Sea, that great tract of the Atlantic that is full of floating seaweed, so that in places it looks like a drowned meadow. This singular collection has been explained by Commodore j\Iaury, whose study of the ocean currents has made navigation much safer and quicker. Put a number of bits of cork into a bfisin of water, and then give it a whirling motion. The corks will crowd towards the centre, whei'c there is the least motion. "Just such a basin is the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Stream, and the Sargasso Sea is the contre of the whirl." Of course Columbus knew noth- ing of its cause, and we are not informed by what argu- ments he quieted the men, who had begun to fear that they were entering a sea of weeds which would giow denser and denser until the ships would be unable to go 'wards, and thev would liey pel 4 't lis , u I . 36 The World's Discoverers ■ i ■ 1 niiseraldy in niid-occan, as tliey liad heard of men dying a wrc'tclied death, frozen-in in icy seas. Except for the terror and angry discontent of tiie saihirs, whicii grew worse as, first, (hiys, tlien weeks, slipi)e(l ])y, and still nothing was seen bnt the watery waste, tlu! voyage wonld liavo been delightful. The weather was ex([uisite, and the sea so smooth and warm that the men often swam alongside. The sunrises were grand, and at evening the clouds sometimes piled them- selves into gorgeous masses gilded by the rays of the setting sun, sometimes lay low along the horizon in so cunning sinuilation of islands that the most experienced eyes were deceived. Everybody was on the alert. At any moment one of the fabled islands, very real to those early navigators, might rise from the sea, — St. Bran- dan, or Antilla, or the Islai.d of the Seven Cities, about which the story I'an that, seven centuries earlier, when the Moors overran Spain, seven bishops with their people took ship, sailed out into the Sea of Darkness, found an island, and on it built seven cities. It was natural that men in this state of eager expec- tation would often be mistaken. Several times the joyful cry of " Land I " was raised, when what was seen proved to be nothing but a sunset effect. Once the "Pinta," running ahead, fired a gun and hove-to, and Pinzon, when Columbus came up, shouted, "Land, Senor! I claim the reward." The king and queen had promised a pension for life, and Cohunbus a velvet cloak, to the man who should first see land. The crews manned the rigging. Everybody was convinced that land was in sight, and joy was universal. On each ship the anthem 11 First Voyage ami Discovery of America 37 filory 1)0 to (i(m1 1)11 lii repeated disa[)[)ointnients were disheartening the men. 'I'hey wei'e becoming convinced that theic was no land ahead, however far they might sail. 1 liey beeam*^ (([H'uly insubordinate. This foreignei", they said among themselves, cared nothing for their lives. If they should turn back to Spain, their united rejiort would weigh more than anything he could say. Or they might even get rid of liiin overboard, and nobody would ever be the wiser. The Admii'al tried to encourage them by assur- ances tliat land was close at hand; but in any case, he said, " whether they complained or not, he would go on until he found the Indies, with the help of God." Fortunately, there were by this time many signs of the nearness of land. Throughout the voyage eveiy in- dication had been carefully watched, such as an ocea- sior.al bird, a live crab, a floating weed, or fish such as eonunonly frequent rocks. Now ducks were sevtMal times seen flying overhead, and one morning some little birds lighted on the rigging and sang merrily. These little warblers put the sailors greatly in heart, foi' tliey observed that they were of a kind usuall}' seen about groves and orchards, and their singing showed that they were not exhausted, as they would have been by a long ilight. About the same time a bush, evidently (|uite I M 38 The World's Discoverers fresh, with hci-rios on il, was scrii lldiitiiijjf, and l)ir(l8 wcic ohscivcd ahont snnsct flying in a soutliwcstcrn (lircclidii, as if to thoir niostinj^f-phic*'. At the ur^'cnt rccjucst of IMiizon, Cohnubus changed Ids course to tlie same point, reniendK^ring that the Portuguese ex- j)h)rers liad often been led to the diseoveiy of ishmds hy foUowiiig the (light of Inrds. I Jut for this change of course, Cohnnhus would most likely have had a longer voyage, would have made land on the Florida coast, and so would have discovered the maiidand of North America, on which he never laid eyes. On October the 11th the A(bniral, standing at night on the poo[) of the Hag-ship, and gazing intently into the darkness, saw a light at some distance. It disai)peared, reai)peare(l, and then vanished. The lookout at the masthead also saw it and cried out, ''A light! Land! " That night not an eye was closed on the fleet, while the vessels held their course, under easy sail, the " Pinta" leading. The moon rose, and about two o'clock in the morning of the 12th the lookout-man on the "Pinta" shouted, "Land!" Soon it was plainly visible to all, the moon shining brightly on the white beach. The vessels hove-to until daylight. Karly in the morning Columbus went ashore, followed by the captains of the other two shij)S, and unfurling the royal banner of Spain, knelt and returned thanks to God, then solemnly took possession of the land in the name of the King and Queen, while a crowd of natives gazed in wonder at the pale strangers and their huge winged canoes. They soon overcame their awe, and some swam off to the shi[)s, while others pressed around First Voyage ami Discovery of America 39 llit'ir visitors mid coimnuirKMtrd with tliciii l>y siccus, (iiiaiialiiiiii WHS IIkmi* iiuinc tor this ishiiid. l>iU ('oliiiii- bus calh'd it Sum Sidvadni- ( I Inly Savioiii'). Cohiiidiiis sii|i[M)St'(| that he was near Cipiuigo; hut thcsf iiJikcd sava^f«'S, i»r(>\idt'd witii 110 hottrr wcaixtiis THK LANDFALL OF COLUMBUS than s[)cars tipi)e(l witli fish-hoiics and no more valuahle arti(!li's for barter than parrots and sl%oins of cotton, surely were very different from what the gor<,'eous descriptions of Marco Poh) had \v,d him to exi)ect. Ife ccmchidod that tliis was probably oidy an outlying island peo[)led by rude fishermen, and lie kept on his way to the southwest, heading for an island called by >r, %: VWl ^^HHsi w_i.x.i.nB ii iiu i ii i i™ni:Min M 40 The World's Discoverers tli(^ natives Sauioctc, wlii'io lu; uiKk'istoiKl tliem to say there was })lenty ol' gold, and i)il(>t(Ml hy six natives of (Juaiiahaiii, wlioin he took as guides. On tlie way lie })asse(l in sight of a niunher of islands and touehed at two or three. When Sanif)ete, which he called Isahella, was reached, he found it to be the most heautifnl land that he had yet seen, and a delicious scent of tlowei-s was wafted from the shore. He landed, and the natives came with their usual balls of cotton. Hut gold there was none. He heard, however, of eon?:t;ies called Cuba and Hohio, and there he hoped to find it in abundance. Sailing southwest, he entered the mouth of a fine river on the 28th of October, and gazed upon a land the most lovely his eyes had ever rested on. It was "the I'earl of the Antilles," Cuba. He called it Juana, in honor of the young [)rince of S[)ain. For days he followi'(l the const westward, sometimes landing and eagerly looking out for signs ot ap})roii;ii- ing the (irand Khan's dominions, for he was convinced that he was not very far from the cities of Zaiton and Quinsay, described by Marco Polo. Moreover, Pinzon h "ird something of a king in the interior named Cann, and hv. jumped at the conclusion that this was none other than the (Jrand Khan. Therefore Colum'jus decided to send a seaman and tiie man who was veised in East- ern languages to seek a city which he supposed to exist inland. The envoys returned after six days and re- ported that they had gone al)out thirt'-six miles and had reached .«, place where there were about a thousand people. 1 liey had been vi'ry kindly treated »'vcrywhere, but had found neither any gri'at city iior a gold mine. v lU'C'd luul ii/.on 'ium, )tlier citled Kiist- i>xist (1 ro- ll had usiind mine. First Voyage and Discovery of America 41 One (Miridiis lialiil wlilch tlicy observed aas that Ihe men always had in tlu'ir months u roll of dried leaves li;^hted, the smoke of which they drew into their months. They called tiiese leaves ta])acos. I>y this tinu^ Colnmhus had iiad eonsidera])le ojipor- tnnity of oliservini^ the coniitry and the iieople. The former he fonnd to Ik; very fertile, ahonndinLif in frnits and vegetables; tie latter very simple and friendly, ready to be converted to Christianity, bnt wholly lack- ing in the precious metals lie was eagerly seeking. Their wants were vi'i-y few. Nature snp[)lied, without labor, the n.ost of their food; clothing they did not wear, though they had great (piantities of cotton; and they slept in nets suspended from the trees called hanunacas. Here the voyagers picked up six young natives and kept them on board as ca[)tives, with the object of tak- ing them home, teaching them the S[ianish language, and instructing them in the Christian faith. l)Ut the savages clearly dii(i-i>earin<' island first. Cohnnbns, kee[)ing his eastward course, soon came to I'oiut Maysi, t'.ic extremity of Cuba, lie ill L'f i!« Al 42 The World's Discoverers had not found Baboquo and its alleged gold. But stretching across the channel, ho made another niaguifi- v'eiit lind, — that of the splendid island of Haiti, which he callc'd Ilispaniola, or Ivittle Spain. When some of the voyagers landed, the natives fled and hid themselves. But the sailors ran down a native girl, ca.ight lier, and brought her on board. The Admiral treated her with great kindness and put clothes on her. She undoubtedly was the first woman dressed in " tailor-made " garments ever seen in Haiti. She was sent ashore loaded with presents. In consequence of her j)leasant experience, her countrymen took courage and soon surrounded the ship with their canoes. Colum- bus was deligbted with the sim[)le, friendly people and (lie beautilul country. Never, he wrote, in twenty- t.liree years that lie had sailed the sea, from England in tl\e nortb — this jiassage certaiidy does not encourage the notion that he once visited Iceland — to Guinea in the south, had he found so beautiful a country and so line harbors. A king who came to tlie shore to visit Columbus, borne in a litter by foui- of his subjects, greatly impi'cssed the Admiral with his dignity. He found liiin at his dinner and would not let him leave it, but sat bv, tasting the dishes offered to him and then p;issing them on to his attendants, who quickly de- voured them. The natives had now quite overcome their fear, and a great fleet of canoes, loaded with cassava bread, fish, and fresh water in earthen jars, surrounded the ships, while the wateis fairly swarmed with hundreds of m I First Voyage and Discovery of America 43 swiinuKU's, though the vessels hiy at some distance from tlie shore. A Uime canoe came ahiiifjsulc with an invitation from a neighboring cacicjue, Guacanagari, to visit his coun- tiy. By the time that Columbus reached it, it was ("liristmas-eve. Tin; sea was as calm as a null-pond, and the Admiral, who was worn out with watching, had lain down to sleep. Immediately the helmsman, con- trary to orders, put a boy in his })lace and went to sleep himself. Presently the ship went aground on a sand- bank very softly, so that tiiere was not any shock. The l)()y first became aware of it by hearing the water rush- ing -dong the ship's side and finding the rudder innnov- able. He cried out, and in an instant Cohnubus came rushing on deck. He ordered the master and some of the men to get into a boat and take an anchor some distance astern, in order to warp the ship off. Instead of doing this, the rascally master, who should have been on deck at the time of the disaster, rowed away to the "Nina," which was at some distance. Her crew would not let the cowards come on board, and they returned to their own shi[). liut it was now too late to do any good. The current was steadily setting her further on the bank, her seams were opening, and she was keeling over and becominn' imbedded in the sand. Evervthiiujf possible was done. The masts were cut away and the slii[) lightened, but all in vain. She was a wicck. It was a terrible disaster. The "Santa Maria" lost and the "I'inta" stolen away, Columbus found himself thousands of miles away from home, with oidy the little "Nina," and a far greater nundjcr of men than she hi; '■fT-"f ! 44 The World's Discoverers cDiild jxtssihly cany. TIutc was iiolliing to be done l)iit to leave some ol" tlieiii. Tlu'relore lie deteniiined to hiiild a I'ort and garrison it with all the men whom the "Nina" could not accommodate. In the mean time two ollicers had been sent to the cacicjue, (Juacanagari, to ask his hel[). lie i)rom[)tly res[)onded and showed himself a j^enerous and true friend of the Spaniards, as he always remained through the terrible trials of future years, lie not only sent a nund»er of his i)eople with canoes to help in saving the shi[)'s cargo, but he came himself to suiierintend the work, and as the goods were collected on the ])each, set some of his men to watch over them, so that not a single thing was missing. ('olund)us was greatly touched by the sympathy of this generous savage. He wrote to the King and (^ucen of Si)ain: "He and all his people wept for us. They are a loving race, free from covetousncss, and I do not i)elieve there is a better peo[)le or a better land in all the world. They love their neighbors as them- selves, and tlu'ir conversation is gentle and kind and always cheerful." It saddens one's heart to contrast this ex[)eriencc of their kindness with the pitiless cruelty by whicli the Spaniards exterminated this harmless and friendly race. (Juacanagari entertained the Admiral in his village, setting before him a feast of game, fish, cassava bread, and fruit. lie also sent abundant supplies to the "Nina," and declared that the Spaniards should not want for anything. Now something occurred which madt! Columbiis think that it was a lucky chance to have First Voyage and Discovery of America 45 been shipwrecked there. Some Indians from 11 distiuiee l)rought leaves of gokl which they exchanged for trilles. At the sight of the metal Colundms showed so nnuli delight that the chief noticed it and at once told him of a place called Cihao, where there was an ahnndance of it. At the najne, Colianhus\s eyes lighted up. Surely this was the Ci[)ango he had crossed the (jceau to lind. The chief promised to have a (piantity of gold brought from Cibao as soon as possihU', and in the mean time he hung some gold ornaments around the Admiral's neck, while the latter gave liim in return necklaces of beads, a thie mantle, and other articles. While the fort was being built out of the tind)ers of the "Santa Maria," Columbus dwelt in the largest house of the village, and he and his men had an abundance of native food. He learned that the only drawback to the happiness of his hosts were the attacks of a cruel race of savages called ('aribs. lie j)romised that on his return from Spain he would subdue and punish these invaders. In order to show his power to do this, he made his best bowman exhibit his skill. Then an arquebus was discharged, and a lond)ard lired a shot (lean through the hull of the wreck. The loud report so frightened the savages that they, king and all, fell on the ground. Hut their dread changed into delight when they learned that these unearthly terrors would be used only against their enemies. The fort Columbus called Navidad (Nativity), because the shi[)wreck had occurred on Christmas-day. In it lie left forty-four men, with all the arms, cannon, tools, and seeds, t* gether with all the goods intended for bar- w< ' t, ;i. il i. t MM 46 I'lic World's Discoverers ter and ilio sliip's })()iit. He expected, at liis return from Spain in the next year, to find a ton of gold awaiting liini. On tiie 4th of January, 1498, the "Nina "sailed on her return voyage. While she was working her way slowly alf)ng the northern coast of Ilispaniola against a head wind, the lookout descried the "Pinta" coming under full sail. Pinzon made certain lame excuses for liis virtual desertion of his commander. Put the simple fact was that he had yielded to the temptation of greed and had gone off on a cruise of his own. He had failed to get any gold, hut had captured some natives, whom he pro[)osed to sell as slaves in Spain. But, on reaching the river where they had been taken, Colund)US com- pelled him to release and send them ashore clothed. Hereabouts some mermaids were seen. Columbus was disappointed in them and frankly described them as not so beautifid as tliey liad been represented. Prob- ably what he saw were sea-calves, which are said to have very human-like movements. While some of the men were asiiore tilling the water-casks, they encountered some Indians, not such peaceful ones as those whom they had hitherto met, but fierce warriors, painted like those of North Anierica. Columbus concluded that these must be Caribs. One of them ciime aboard the "Nina" and told Columbus some monstrous yarns about a country to the east where gold could be found in huge chunks, and about an island inhabited oidy by women. At the least, so Columbus luiderstood liim, but it is quite likely that the explorer got a false notion because he was looking for sucli an island, for Marco I First Voyage and Discovery ot America 47 Polo mentions one peopled only by women. Some of the Indians who came aboard told Columbus some famous yarns about an island to the eastward. It proved to be costly fun for them, however, for he insisted on taking them with him as guides. Not finding the island, and the wind being favorable, the caravels bore away for home, carrying the poor savages with them. As the fleet on the way out liad experianeed a con- stant easterly wind, so now Cohimbus, by going north in order to escape it, fell into the belt of a prevailing westerly wind. This course is now the habitual route of vessels sailing to Europe. Nevertheless it was a hard passage. The caravels were leaky, and piovisions were running low. Little was left of the original ship-stores but some biscuit and wine, and the saihjrs were glad to eke out their scanty rations with some tunny-iish and even a huge shark. They made so rapid progress that in less than a month from the time of leaving the eastern end of Ilispaniola they were in the region of the Azores. They were yet to encounter, however, the greatest peril of the whole voyage. On the 12th of Fel)ruary they ran into a furious gale. The next day the storm increased, and that night the two little caravels scudded along under bare poles. The condition of the crews and of tiu* unfortunate Indians crowded into the little cabins at bow and stern, while the open waists were constantl}- drenched, was terrible. The caravels rolled frightful!}-, now lifted high on the crest of a huge billow, then plunging into an awful abyss, while other seas, mast- high, came racing on, as if to overwhelm them. The It:, ,, •'i w' ■- ■ mi I ' m 1 pi itl: s|| 1 i ^ It '.; i( r* 48 I'he World's Discoverers sli^''ht('st iiiiittcntion to tlio holm wouM liavo nio.int iiistiuit (IcHth to nil on hoard. The next day the gale ahated, antl tlu; vessels [)ut ont a rag of canvas. IJut before night the wind came aronnd to the south and blew a hurricane. All night they were driven before it, without an inch of sail, keeping each other's lights, however, in vi(^w. Then those of the "Pinta " disap- }»i'are(l and were seen no more. Morning broke over a furious wintry si'a, but there was no sign of the "I'inta." The men of the "Nina" believed that she had gone down and that they would soon follow her. So thought Columbus, too. To steady the vessel, he caused the em[)ty casks to be fdled with sea-water, for one of the troubles was that she was too light, the stores having been (Mtnsumed. Still, try as he might to persuade! himself that (lod would not let the ocean ■swallow up him and his men, and the knowledge of his great discovery [jcrish, his heart saidv within him, es- pecially at the thought of his two boys who would be left fatherless. Then he and the crew united in making certain vows, which were to be performed if God would only bring them safe to land. One was that they would all, oflicers and men, go barefoot and in their shirts only and return thanks in the nearest church dedicated to the X'irgin Mary. Then it occurred to Columbus that it might be [)ossible to preserve the knowledge of his great discovery, even though he and his men might perish. Amid the fury of the storm, he sat down and wrote an account of liis voyage, of the time it had occui)ieil, the lands and [)eoples he had seen, and the present extremity in which he was. This he addressed First Voyage and Discovery of America 49 to the King iiiul Qiu?en of Spain and sealed. Then he \vrai)ped it in a waxed cloth and put it in an cnii)ty hiinel, whieh he threw overboard. He did not tell the men what lie was doing, for fear of discouraging them, and they fancied that ho was engaged in some religious ceremony. The next day the gale abated, and land was sighted. Shortly afterwards the "Nina" came to anchor under shelter of St. Mary's, the southernmost of the Azores. Tiie islanders could hardly believe that the frail little ciiravel had come through the frightful storm. The Portuguese governor of the island sent off to the Admiral some fresh provisions, which must have been singularly welcome. Hut, apparently, this courtesy was only a blind; for when Cohunbus sent ashore half of his crew to perform their vow of going in their shirts to a shrine of the Virgin Mary, intending, after their ri'turn, to go himself with the other half, the governor surrounded the party with horse and foot-soldiers and ni.ide them all prisoners in their scant attire. Cohuubus witnessed the occurrence and soon saw his own boat coming out, full of armed men. The s^'overnor was on board. There was a parley in which ciioh stood on his dignity. Cohuubus informed the other that he was an ollicerof the Spanish crown, and warned him of the danger of [jrovoking the anger of his masters. Casteneda virtually replied that he did not care a fig for them, that he was there as the servant of the King of Portugal. He seems to have thought that since the Portuguese had been the sole discoverers in the world up to that time, anybody who had found new land nnist '1 ' It ' '4) n 'I i 'I, m ' 1 I 1 1 50 The World's Discoverers liavo efioroiiclKMl ui»()n liis master's rights. Aiiotlier diiy l)jiss(!(l, and still Cohimluis's men were held as pr'^oners oil shon;. Then his firm attitude produced its natural elTeet. A notary came from the shore and very politely asked to scu Colunihus's eommission. The Admiral replied with e(|ual courtesy and showed the document bearing tiie signature of Ferdinand and Isahella. There- upon his men were released, and he made sail for home. The trials of tiie voyage were, liowever, not yet ended. Another terrific gale came on from the west, and the little "Nina" was driven on lier way with frightful speed. The Spaniards furled their sails and made more vows. While they were driving along under bare poles night came on, and in the midst of the niglit came the terrible cry, " Land! " They were in imminent danger of being hurled on the rocky ( st and dashed to i)ieces. They were able, however, to get out a little scrap of sail and thus to keej) off the slK)re till morn- ing. Then Columbus saw that lie was off the famous promontory of ('intra, near Lisbon. He had no choice but to take refuge in the harbor and brave the jealous Portuguese in their very capital. When he had entered the Tagus, while crowds flocked to gaze at the little caravel that had come through a storm that had strewn the coast with wrecks, and heard with amazement the story of her marvelous voyage in the waters of "the Indies," the captain of a Portuguese man-of-war summoned Columbus to come aboard and give an account of himself. Hut when the latter stood on his dignity as a Castilian admiral, he changed his tone and came 10 visit him in great state with martial First \\)yage and DiNCovcry of America 5 i music. TIr' next two days tlio wjitcr swannetl with Ifoat-loads of peoplf, who came out to ga/.o at the won- derful littU? craft and the captive Indians. At liis fii-st entrance into the harbor, Colunihus had sent otT a Icttia- to liis sovereigns re[iorting liis arrival, and anotlier to tiie Ivingol' Portugal, stating liis cii'cuui- stanees and asking the hosjiitality of anchorage at Ijs- l),)n. Now came an invitation to visit the I'ortugiu'se monarch at his retreat, about twenty-seven miles from A royal olhcer was sent to escoi't him and Lisl)on. provide for his entertainment « before, had spurned his ofTer. John had an idea, howev r, that C'obunbus might have tres[)assed on his preroga- tives, lint the Admiral assured him that he had not touched the African coast, but had reached the Indies by sailing west. On the I'ith of March Cohunbus sailed for Si)ain, and two days later cast anchor in the port of I'alos. Imagine, if you can, the joy of the people there when they recognized the little " Nina." It was a day of sur- [U'ises, for a few i.ours after her afjpearance the " I'inta" came sailing in. An entire month had elapsed since her disappearance, and the "Nina's" [)eople did not (loul)t that she had gone down in the storm, while hers ecjually believed that the "Nina" was lost. She bad made a port in the far north of Spain, and Pinzon, who no doubt believed himself to be the onl}' surviving (ommaii(K'r of the expedition, had despatched a letter to I'^i ;t ■.: ■« \ 52 The World's Discoverers tln'ir IMiijcslics, iiskiii}^ Icjivc to coino to court and givo iiii iU'coiuit of tlic iivw (liscovcricH. I'lioy luid returned an answer rebnkini^ his presumption. Now he eanie into port at l*ah>s, ill and heart-siek, and found Colum- bus tiiere. Tlu; end of his life-voya<,'e was near. A few days later he died in his own house. Thus endey liis Indians and by porters carrying the birds and animals and other curiosities which he had brought home. The fame of his achievement had pre- ceded him, and bis journey through the country was an ovation. Crowds flocked to the road-side to see the strange procession pass; and every town heaped honors on the discoverer. It was a month from the tinie of his arrival in Palos before lie reached liarcelona. Then he a[»proached his sovereigns in splendid state. First walked the Indians, bedecked with barbaric gold. Next came the porters, carrying forty parrots and other birds of strange and brilliant i)lumage, with skins of various animals, and plants of supposed rare eflicacy. Then rode a brilliant cavidcade of Spanish nobh's, and in their midst tbe Admiral. The greeting of royalty was all that heart could desire. Wiien Cohunbus ai^proached the gilded canopy beneath which the sovereigns sat, both rose and received : I 'I; 54 The World's Discoverers ) i. jiiin stjiiidiMg, iis if he luid l)oen u royjil persoiiiigo, liftiMl iiiiii .IS he st()()|)(>(| to kiss their liuiids, and iiKidc Iiiin sit beside tlu'Mi. When lie liad eoiu'luded, illustnilins.j liis reeital hy poiiiliiij^ to tlic^ ea[)tives and the trophies of his voyaj^'e, all joined in ehanting tlie Te Denni in the iiiyal ('hai)el. Ilonois \ver(! now liea[»ed on Colu!id)ns. lie was planted a coat of arms, which made him "noble." The Kiiin' drove ont, with his son seated on one side of h'ltn and the A(hiiiral on the other. lie was given an income ont of the loyul treasnry and a snite of attendants, (ireat nohh's vied with each other in paying court to liini. Some who had des[)itefnlly used him in tlie days of his ohscuiity came cringing and asking his pardon. For tliis short i)eriod only in his whole life he seems to have enjoyed unalloyed ha[)i)iness, free from anxiety. Tlu! pension proiniseil to the lirst iuan who should see land was granted to Cohnnhus. He has been very justly criticised for taking this pension away from a poor sailor, 'i'iiere never had been any question as to the hater's having lirst ainiounced land from the mast- hea(^ of the '* I'inta," whereas the light v;hi(di Colnmbus (daii'U'd to have seen some hours earlier was, at the best, a somewhat uncertain thing, and may have been carried by a lisherman in a canoe. .\t all events, the taking of the pension by the great admiral under the circum- stances was .III instaiicc^ of the greed which was one of l.'is eons|iicuous faults. Scarcely had the tidings of the discovery rePA'lied Fe "dinand and Isabella than they began to plan for following it u[> vigorously. CoUunbus was ordered to ! wm First Voyage and Discovery of America 55 iiijilvc prcpiiriitions for tiiking out ii soroiid cxitcdition (111 ii far lai^i^cr scale. In the nu'aii tiiuc, as there was g.)()(l reason to fear tliat the KiiiL,' <»f l*oitu<,Ml mijj'ht atti'inpt to fiiul ;um1 aj>i»ro[)riate huuls in the new re- irion, Ferdinand and Isiihelhi sent ti dutiful letter to 11k I V OIX infoi'niin^j him o f th i,'r at d iscovei y- and pi-aviiij^ iiiin to eoniirni them forever in exclusive p (ssession of the countries and islands which Colunihus had discovered. Then Alexander the Si' il\ in onh'r to prevent any collision between these two great Cath- olic powers, issued his famous hull (so called from the leadt'ii hall, Latin, Imilit^ attached to the decrees of the [topes), hy which lu' divided the non-Christian lands of the glolnj between tlu'ui, assignin^^ to Portugal all tliat lay east of an imaginary line running north and south in the AtlaiUic, to Sitain all that lay west. This divi- sion was int«;nded to give' to Spain all of the New World, hut, as subscfjuently appeared, Portugal ac()uii'ed a largo slice of South America. Thus she ac(iuired her title to Brazil. I: i I M mi n I 56 'I'he World's Discoverers CHAPTEIl V TIIK SKCON'I) VOVAGIC, IN WIIKH 111': HXI'LOllKS crilA Of the rcnmining voyuf^cs of ('((linuhus wo ciui ^ivo only tho merest outliiK', hut it is honied tliiit the reader will not be satistied with anythiiit( less than tin; full story. Kvery American ought to he familiar with the incidents of the great discoverer's romantic career. They an; related In a singularly interesting way for young readers in Mrs. Seelye's *' Story of Colund)Us." The second expe(lition was notabU^ for the size and costliness of the outlit. Only live months had "lapsed Bin(U! CoUunbus cast anchor in the oort of Palos when he sailed from Cadi/, with no less than seventeen ves- sels, havinir on board fifteen hundred souls, nianv of them men of high rank who were anxious to try their fortunes in tlie wonderful Indies. Iiere were besid es. horses, cattle, seeds, vines, and everything necessary to the establishment of a colony, together with a great su|)[)ly of trinkets and trilles for bartering with the natives. The [)assage was a quick one. Only twenty days out from the Canaries land was made, further south than Columbus had gone in the former voyage. It was an island which he called Dominica. Almost imme- diately he found himself sailing among islands, all delightfully green and fragiant, while flocks of gorgeous Second V Dyiit^t; — I^xploratiDii of Cuba 57 [(iirrots Ih'W from one ti> aimthcr. IIi- touched at (Uic Jiiid railed it Murij,jahiiite, at'lei' his shi|). The natives had all lied, hut their houses were seen to ])e like tlufse with which C'oluinhus was already laiuiliar. Here for the first time white men tasted ]iineap[ilcs, and they accounted it a delicious ex[ierienee. Hero the S[)aniards ea[.'tarcd some Indians, and some women fled to them. They had heen [)ris()ners, kid- napiied from some other island, and the fact 01 their j)utting themselves undei" the protection of the Span- iards made the latter think that thev drea(h'd heinu^ eaten hy their Indian masters. This was a hasty conclusion. Cannihals rarcdy eat women. I'licy ari' too valuahle as slaves to he used for food. One of the islands which C'ohunhus visited was (••'adalou[)e. Here an ollicer and eiL,dit men had a terri- hle experience. Having gone ashore without leave, they wt'ut ramhliiiLj and became losi in the dense troj)i- cal junt^le. A search-jiarty, after traversiuL,^ miles of forest, hlowint^ trum[tets and liring Cfuns, I'eturned without havinnr found a trace of tliem. hut with a ^low- int; account of the ['•oiireons birds lhc\ had seen and the: fi'aL,n'ant woods and spices they had smelt. This was to b exiK'ctt'd in Asia, from which JJii'o nad tunc iH'cn sniii) ilied with s|»ices aiK I it lol' ccll- eonlirmcd Coliunbus in his mistal \t' I ie waited four da\s more fttr the stragu'lers. When he had cnucluded that they had been eaten, they apjicared, ne.uiy di ad witli fatii^nie and huiii^^er. After they liad become lost in the dense forest, one man climbed a tall tree, to L;et the points of tl le compass b\' (tbsi 'rviuLi' the stars, but the mass o fii! '''1 i ! il,;f. I i * » '% The World's Discoverers foliage pivventcd him from getting a siglit. Columbus gave them an opportunity of cooling Lheir thirst for ad- venture in irons, on half-rations. Sailing along, Columbus saw and named many ])eau- tiful islands. Hut he was anxious to reach the littl(3 colony he iiad left at Ilispaniola and tried to catcli some of the natives, that ho might get information from them how to lind it. Uut they always iled at the sight of the white men. At last an armed boat intercepted a canoe, by ereej)ing along the shore of a river, until it had cut off retreat, 'riu-n it dashed out towards th|» canov 'I'he Indians strained every nerve to get away, but the canoe was heavily laden, and the long, strong pull of the oars gained on the paddles. When they found that they could not get away, the savages, women as w(.'ll as nu'ii, seized their bows and used them ^:o well that they wounded two of the S[)aniards, in spite of their shields. The boat I'aii down the canoe and upset it; bnt its oeeupants continued their light in the water, wadiu'' in the sh.illows anci shooting arrows. The assailants had nnich ad(» to capture some of them. T/ne brave fellow would not yield until he was mortally Wounded. One of the injured Spaniards also died. These Itrave defenders of lluur liberty belonged to the supjjoscd cainiibal race; and the [)risonei's, when they were sent to Spain, were gazed at with horror and aveision. After passing islands studding the sea so tliickly that Colundius groU[)ed them all t;!g'>ther mider the com- j)rehensive title, the I-'levcn Thousand Virgins, lie dis- covered the magnilicent island of Porto Uico. Shortly Second Voyage — Exploration of Cuba 59 iiftcrwards lie ioMiid liimsclf at tlir rastciii cik] of Ilis- ].iiiiiola. ill Saii'.aiia \V,i\. Now tliiii;;s looked faiiiiliai'. m COLl'MIUH AT IIISI'AMOLA rAC-8IMII.E III' RNUItAVINa IN HKHKBHA, WHO FOLLOWS tIK BHY (From Wins'jr'n .\ut no light iii)[icarf(l on the shore, as he cxpt'ctt'd. Ahout nii(hiight a canoe canu' stealthily out to the lleet. 'I'he occupants asked for Colundtus and hiduglit him a gift from the caciipie (Juacanagari, togelJH'r with the news that not one of the men h'ft at Navichid was alive. Afti^r some had died (tf si(dd them all. At th(^ same time the liouses of the Indians had l)een hurned aiul Guacanagari himself woun( h-d. The next day Colundms landed. Where the fort had stood wen; only charred ruins. After a time he was shown the s[)ot where eleven Spaniards lay huried. lie- tore sailing away, he had instructed the garrison, in the event of Iteing surprised, to hury their gold. Therefore he caused careful seai'ch to he made by digghig for any that might have lieeii conc^t ale(l. None was found. So his fond «lr»'aiu of a ton of gold vanished into thin air. The native houses also had l»cen hurned, and the caci(iue was suffeiing from a wound received in the light with ( 'aonaho. The natives complained thai IIk; white men had treaLectiied also very tlouhtful. Hut Columbus was fain to acci'pt his stor}, with the ajipeur- Second Voyage — Exploration of Cuba 6 1 ance of believin New o World. Lawk'ss rulliaiis, left to themselvos, fell inl (lel)aueheiy, outnij^'ed the natives, quarreled among themselves, and linally fell under the first stnmg as- sault. In spite of thi' suspicious eircumstanees, it after- wiii'ds appeared that (iuacanagari's story was true. The calamity at Navidad determined ('olund)us to seek another location htr his colony. He cihose one and proceeded to lay out a little city which lie called Isabella. Socmi tla; [jlaee was full of the; liusy hum of ini I us try, as a c hurel 1, a s torel louse, a ml a rt'suieiice tor f. the Admiral, all of stone, went U[), and smaller dwell- ings, like those of the Indians, for the iH'o[)le generally. It was not long, however, before malarial fevers and the lU-etTeets of a heavy iMiropean diet began to sa|» the health and spirits of tht^ colonists, and discontent showed itself in the form of a plot to seize the ships in the harbor and sail for Spain. Coliiiabus, though ill of malarial fever, so soon as he got wind of it, took vigor- ous stej)s and su[)presse(l it. A short time before, he liad sent back twelve ships to S|)aiii with some sj)ecimens of gold secured by a dare- devil captain named Ojeda and a i)arty who had peiie trated the mountain region. This little show of gold spi'cimens, together with rose-colored reports of trees whose biil'l( HMM'lletl like cinnamon, and of others which bore somelhing like wool (cotton), was a sony fieight for twcKc ships to take home to pc(»|»le who expected to see them return laden to the water-line with precious nielals, pearls, and the costly spices of the Indies. m I •i .:■ 'l 'Ji { 7^¥ I !l : i '' .". 62 The World's Discoverers To (((Tit sninctliiii*:^ tJiiiglhle and iiiiniediately aviiil- alfU', Cohmilms proitoscd to capture as many as [)ossil)le of the natives of the Carihbee Islands and send them to Spain as shives, to be exehanyed for cattle, which the (;oh)nists of Ilispaniohi greatly needed. This would Im) doing a great service, he argued, to the captives, since they would become Christians. A little later we find him carrying this idea into execution by sending five Imndred Indian prisoners to S[)ain. The i)onr creatures were sold at Seville, but they bore their new kind of lifn vcfy ill and soon were all dead. IMiis is one of the pcmts for which Colinnbus has Itccii most severely cen- sured. And it was indeed a cruel thing to sow in these beautiful islands the seeds of a ruthless slavery which was destined in time to exterminate the aborigines. The native j)()i)ulation has long since become extinct, an^ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation ^.1 V ':ST MAIN STREET WASTER, NY. 14580 ;7?6) 877-4 50i A iV ^ ^i 6^ 66 The World's Discoverers During tlie Admiral's absence things had come to a frightful pass in Ilispaniola. Ojecia had relieved Margarite in command of the fort in the mountains, in order that the latter might lead his troops on an ex- ploring expedition. Instead of carrying out his part of the programme, Margarite established himself with his men in the richest part of the island, where they lived the lives of brigands, plundering the natives and indulg- ing themselves in ceaseless riot. Then they marched to Isabella, overpowered all opposition, seized the caravels that had come out with Bartholomew, and sailed for Spain, along with other malcontents, to spread cal- umnies against the Admiral. The cruelty of these ruffians had driven the inhabi- tants to desperation, and the whole country was rising in arms. One cacique fell upon a party of ten soldiers near Isabella and butchered them. Thus Columbus found himself forced into a nati\o war. He was not yet sufficiently recovered to take the field in person, but the Adelantado acted with vigor, and Guacanagari came and offered his assistance. Hostilities were opened by tb*^. redoubtable Caonabo. He came and attacked the fort which Ojeda commanded, but his naked warriors stood a poor chance against the mail-clad Spaniards using firearms and protected by a strong fortification. They were repulsed, and when they retired Ojeda followed up their retreat with his mailed horsemen, inflicting frightful slaughter. Then Ojeda performed an extraordinary exploit. He determined to take advantage of the superstitious awe which the Indians felt for the church-bells at Isabella, Second Voyage — Exploration of Cuba 67 wliich they culled turey, meaning something from he.iven. When they heard the bells ringing and saw the Spaniards hastening to church, they fancied that through the metal a voice was speaking from the skies. Ojeda prepared highly polished handcuffs. Then, with nine men, all well mounted, he rode boldly to the chief's mountain fastness and told him that he had come from the cacique of the Christians with presents of marvelous virtue that had come from heaven. Thereupon he showed the bright manacles, which he called turey de Viscaya, and invited him to get on his own liorsc and show himself before his people adorned and mounted. The simple savage was delighted with the gift of the heavenly turey and the opportunity of a^jpearing l)efore his people riding like a Spaniard. He bathed, and then let himself be put on Ojeda's horse and the shining handcuffs secured on his wrists. Ojeda sprang up be- hind him and guided liis horse around the admiring natives in widening circles. Suddenly he galloped away, followed by his men. At a safe distance they stopped and fastened their prisoner with ropes. After two or three days of hard riding, they brought him into the Admiral's presence. While he was kept at Isabella, Caonabo confessed the slaughter of the garrison at Navidad. His pride never deserted him. Wl'cn the Admiral entered the guard-room, he kept his seat; but when the sturdy little captain Ojeda came in, he rose and remained standing. Columbus, he said, had not come to his mountains and seized him, as tlie other had done. lie respected prowess more than rank. Later this indorai- ;v t'H •M u iff .:] 68 The World's Discoverers ! table warrior was put on a caravel in which Columhus sailed for Spain. A captive princess from Guadalonpu was also on board. She was offered her freedom, but she had heard his story from Caonabo and was touched by his misfoi'tunes. Pity and admiration grew into love, and, woman-like, she sacrificed her liberty and home to share his captivity as his wife. IJut her devo- tion did not avail. The proud warrior's heart was broken, and he soon died at sea. What countless tragedies would the story of those lovely islands reveal, from the time tlie hapless natives first saw the great winged canoes of the sup[)osed heavenly visitors! The Carib stock to which Caonabo belonged is thought to have come over from Florida or from South America. It was a far hardier and more savage race than the original population of tlie islands. Tlie ca[)ture of Caonabo had, however, not broken up the native leaijue. His brother led his tribe into the field. They were joined by others, and soon the beau- tiful Vega ileal swarmed with thousands of warriors. Tlie Admiral, now recovered from his illness, led out his little force of two hundred infantry and twenty horsemen, with the strange addition of a trained mas- tift' to every ten men. At the first encounter the deadly arquebuses mowed down the crowded ranks, and Oje(hi (lashed among them with his mailed horsemen. The naked wretches could offer no resistance with their clubs and wooden spears. A sickening butchery fol- lowed, while the fierce dogs ravened like wolves in a sheep-fold. It was from the prisoners taken on that day that Columbus sent five hundred slaves to Spain. Second Voyage — Exploration of Cuba 69 This disaster broke tlio licarts of natives. Now begins a story of pitiless exaction, in wliieli Colunihns began what a h)ng line of liard masters continned. The [)H, Columbus got uiulcr way on his third t'X[)0(litioii. He had heard from the natives of tlie islands he had visited of a great body of land far to the south. Besides, a learned jeweler had written to him that the most valuable commodities come from hot countries, where the [)eople are black. For these reasons he determined to follow a far more southerly course than ever l)efore. Passing the Canaries, he hugged the African shore as far as the Cape Verde Islands, before he turned away to the broad Atlantic. Still heading southwest, until lir was but a few degrees above the Equator, he found himself shortly in the region of equatorial calms. The heat was terrilic. The tar melted and bubbled in the seams, the salt meat turned })utrid, and the hoops shrank from the barrels of wine and water. The holds of the vessels were like furnaces, so that the men could not endure to stay in them long; and amid this fierce heat the crews were on short allowance of water. After several days of intense suffering, light l)reezes sprang up, the weather grew cooler, and the fleet was wafted slowly toward the western world. On the 31st of July, two months out from Spain, three peaks were descried, and Columbus, on account of |i M ^4 ilM &■ fl ^ 1 «; I ■ V 74 The World's Discoverers tlicir Munibcr, iiiinicd tlio pfi'oiit isliiiul which camo in sinlii Triiiiihid (Trinity). Piissinjj; to the; sonth of it, he siiw ;i stretch of hind on liis h'ft, and caUcd it the isle of (iiacia. lie little dreamed that this was a great con- tinent, lint when the men chanced to draw u\) some WiiU'V and fonnd it ([uito fresh, lie rightly concluded that h(! nnist he off the mouth of a great river. It was, in fact, the Orinoco. Rut time i)ressed, and he was anxious to reach IIisi)aniola, to deliver the provisions for which the colonists were probably suffering. There- fore he sailed away, but was carried far to the westward by the great current which sweeps over from the Afri- can coast, and which, in its later course, we call tlie (julf Stream. Thus lie made land far from the point for which lie was heading. But his brother, hearing of his arrival on the coast, came out in a caravel to meet him and escorted him to the new city which he had foun(^" in account of the sickliness of Isabella, and whic^ had named Santo Domingo, in memory of their old father, Domenico Colombo. It would require a volume to tell of the cruelties, the treacheries, the mutinies, the murders, and the general disorder in llispaniola, in spite of the energetic, some- times very severe, measures of Hartholomew. Such has lieen the history of many another Spanish possession. Now we come to an instance of royal perfidy. Two years after Columbus's return to llispaniola, when he had, he thought, brought its affairs into some kind of order, he received a rude shock in the coming of an oflficial who had been sent out from Spain with extraordinary powers to investigate the Admiral's ad- Third Voyage — South America j ^ iiiinistriition and, if he (Icoiiu'd it lu'ccssiii'v, to sii|h'is(mK' liim. This ucliou was tlic rrsult of an iiut'ssanl sticain of conqjiaints jjicicned l)y disconLrnti'd advuntnrcrs rctnrniHl from tiio colony. At onu tiniu a band of lifty needy rajjfainnlilins freqnented the conrt of the Alluinihra and slionted their demands for pay, of which they said they had been defrauded, whenever tlio ICinj^ ap[)eared. Their malice was especially directed ai^ainst (-ohnnbns, whom they [)rofes.sed to regaril as tlu; author of their misfortunes and of all the troubles in IIis[)aniola. They hooted his sons, who were i)ages at court, when they saw them [jassing. This movement against the Admiral was ably backed by his steadfast and powerful enemy, I>ish()[) Fonseca, who encouraged Ferdinand in granting permission for voyages of discovery, in direct violation of his pledges to ColuniiUS. In truth, the powers conferred on the latter as viceroy were very great. Ferdinand would never have granted them, if ho had believed that Colundnis would find anytliing of note. Now that he realized the enormous value of the discoveries made, he would have liked to recall his concession. Finally he (U^cided on the dishonorable step of superseding him without a trial or hearing, and Isabella was won over to consent to this breach of faith. The envoy who was sent out on this extraordinary mission, Francisco liobadilla, was not a man who would temper justice with kindness; quite the reverse. On his arrival in ITispaniohi, he set to work in the most violent manner to undo all that had been done there. He broke open doors where there was no resistance if' Ik 76 The \W)rlcl's Discoverers It I irt.i (tlTcivd; seized llie Adliiil'iir.s house, in his iihseliec, iilid ii|i|il'ii|H'iiited his |)ri\;ite piijiers uiid liis<;(»ld; liheiated ill! Ihc j;ul-l)ir(ls; and. mi (loliiiulms's retiii'ii, thic^w him and his hrotluns, in irons, on .shi[)hoaray. There he remained a week, cleaning the ships, mending the sails, and taking in wood. The voyagers made many interesting observations on the country and its inhabitants. One of the natives was captured by surrounding him as he walked along in- tently scanning the ground ct the foot of bushes for wild honey. lie was taken on board and was at first much frightened. But Gama handed him over to two ship's boys, one of whom was a negro, with orJers to treat him kindly, and he soon was at his ease. The next day he WIS sent ashore loaded with presents. As was ex- pected, troops of natives now visited the strangers. Gama showed them a variety of articles, such as spices, gold, and pearls, to see whether, they recognized them. They evidently knew nothing of them and had not anything for barter. One Fernao Velloso asked permission of the captain- major to accompany some of these friendly natives to their dwelling, to see how they lived and what they ate. Leave was given him, and he went away with a party of the blacks. After going some distance, they told him by signs that he should not go further. On his returning to the shore, the natives kept skulking near . Vasco da Gama's Voyage Begun 97 in the bushes. This indication of treachery alarmed Velloso, and he sliouted to the vessels to come for him. Gama himself lieard his cries and immediately put off in a boat to his rescue. At the same time the negroes, seeing the boat coming, ran along the beach towards Ve]l()s », and it was a race between them and his friends. Tlie Europeans won and got Velloso into the boat. But the savages threw their assegais and wounded Gama and three or four others. The Portu- guese would no doubt have taken a bloody revenge, had they not left their arms, in their haste to rescue Velloso. m 98 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER IX i 1 i 1 ! u- ROUNDING THE CAPE OB" GOOD HOPE t Setting sail again on the 6th of November, Gania soon made the cape. But doubling it was no easy matter. At last, on the 22d, with a change of wind, it was passed. At a point some distance beyond, the voyagers had some friendly intercourse with the natives. They began to realize that they were a[)proaching the East when they saw signs of elephants at a watering- place near the shore. A troop of natives came down, driving cows anr^ sheep, and seemed to be very merry, for they danced on the beach, to the accompaniment of their rude instruments. Then the Portuguese, in their turn, showed a dance of their country, to the music of a trumpet. After this there was some lively trading, and the Europeans bought a fat black ox for three bracelets. These people had plenty of cattle, all very fat and tame, and used them for riding by placing on their backs a species of packsaddle made of reeds. In the ba}^ at a distance of three bow-shots from the shore, was an island on which was seen a great number of seals, some very formidable in appearance, with great tusks. The chronicler says quaintly, "while the big ones roar like lions, the little ones cry like goats." This island is still called Seal Island, though its former visitors no longer appear where once they flocked. There was, Rounding the Cape of Good Hope 99 also, a great number of penguins, of which the saik)rs killed as many as they wanted. The Portuguese were not long in getting into diiri- cnlties with the natives, as they did in most eases. The negroes seemed incensed with the foreigneis on account of their taking their water. They stop[)e(l trading and drove their cattle oil into the hush, (lama, in order to overawe them, landed an armed force and lircd a bom- bard from the bow of the long-boat. The negroes there- upon scami)ered away and were soon seen driving their cattle to the tt)p of a hill. On the IGtli of December the Portuguese j/assed the furthest point reached by Hartholomew Diaz, what is now known as the (Jreat Fish River. Thenceforward all was a fn'ra incotjnila^ which no European had ever visited, so far as is known historically. The voyagers noted that the country im- proved in appearance and the trees increased in size. By Christmas Day they sighted new land, which, on account of the date of its discovery, they called Natal. They now spent many days at sea without touching. In consequence, their drinking-w^ater ran very low, and they were put on short allowance. They were therefore compelled to seek a harbor. On January 11 they put into the mouth of a small river and anchored. The next day they went close in-shore in boats and saw a crowd of negroes, both men and women. They w^ere tall and well-formed people and seemed very friendly. Gama sent ashore one of the sailors who had been a long time in the Congo country, with a present for the chief of a jacket, a pair of red pantaloons, a Moorish cap, and a bracelet. The sable king received I' ■' If ' I oo The World's Discoverers 1 'ii' the messenger very warmly, made him wek;ome to what- ever his countrymen needed, and, immediately putting on the garments, marched him off to his village. IMicre his Majesty paraded in his new finery and ordered his guest to be well entertained. The latter was served with a fowl and a j)onidge of millet, which must have been a feast to one who had been living on ship fare cooked in sea-water. All the night througli numbers of men and women came to have a look at the first white man that had ever visited their country. No doubt the swarthy Portuguese did not startle them. J5ut what would they have thonght, if their visitor had been a blue-eyed Scandinavian? In the morning the sailor started for the shore with a present of fowls from the chief and a following of quite two hundred curious folk. The people of the country seemed to have an abundance of cop[)er, which they bartered freely for shirts. Among these kindly natives for whom the Portuguese called the country Terra da Boa Gente (Land of Good People), five days were spent in watering the vessels. Then they sailed on, though with a still inadequate suppl3% l)ccause the wind was favorable. r»y January 22 a low, thickly wooded coast was reached, and the vessels anchored in the mouth of a broad river. They found the people very friendly and were snpi)lied with whatever they needed. The natives were naked, with the exception of a breech-cloth, and had their lips pierced, wearing in them bits of twisted tin. After a few days two chiefs came down the river to see the strangers. They were very haughty in their manner and cared nothing for what was given them. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope loi Oii(> of ilifiii wore ji cup Avilli ii fiiiif^*' ciiildoidorcd in silk', and they liad with tliciii u }<»iiiin' man who cv- phiini'd by wigns that lio had conic IVoin u far country and hud already seen bi;^ shi[).s, liki; those of the Por- tuyncso. These signs of their aitproaching a connner- cial rci^'ion olathh'ned the licai'ts of the voyan'crs, Vov this reason they called the river Hio dos IJons Signaes (River of Good Tokens). Jlere they s})ent thirty-two days in taking in water and in careening and repairing the vessels. Here, too, they had a melancholy experience of the disease so fatal to the early navigators, the scurvy. Paulo da Gania, who has left on the records the iin[)ress of a singularly sweet and humane nature, devoted himself to relieving the poor fellows, visiting them day and night and freely dis[)ensing the medicines which he had brought for his own use. On the 24tli of February the expedition put to sea again and on the 2d of Marcli arrived at Mozand)ique. Several boat-loads of natives came out to greet the strangers with nuisic and welcome them cordially. They boarded the ships without hesitation and ate and drank freely of whatever was offered them. Evidently they mistook their visitors for IMolunumedans, like them- selves. The leading people of the East being of that faith, they naturally supposed these superior strangers to be of the same. In the port the Europeans found four vessels "laden with gold, silver, cloves, pepper, ginger, and silver rings, as also with pearls, jewels, and rubies.'' Such cargoes must indeed have encouraged the Westerners i- i i ' if?; I 'M :' .1 \\4 .1: I02 The World's Discoverers with thi! tlioiij^'ht of iK'iiriiij^ the storied woiiltli of the lOiist. No woiuU'i' tliat iiimu'diatcly \\c begin to hear of I'rcH tor John. The ehroiiieler says, "'I'he residence of I'rester John was said to be far in the interior, and coukl be reached only on the back of camels. This in- formation and many other things which we heard ren- dered us so hapi)y that we cried with joy, and prayed God to grant us health, so that we might behold what we so much desired." It was no doubt the Emperor of Ethiopia or Abyssinia of whom the I'ortuguese heard. The chronicler, himself a sailoi, gives interesting information about the vessels of the country, built with- out nails, of planks fastened togot)ier with coir-rope, and having sails made of palm-matting. They used navigating instruments and charts superior to those pos- sessed by Europeans of that day. They had also "Gen- oese needles," or compasses. This instrument, then but recently introduced into Europe, is said to have been long known to the Chinese. At first the Sultan and people of Mozambique treated their visitors with great courtesy. But the chronicler says, " when they learnt that we were Christians, they arranged to seize and kill us by treachery." The first trouble grew out of the escape of one of two pilots whom Gama had hired, with the approval of the Sultan. Two boats going in search of him were met by several boats filled with armed men. The Portuguese routed them quickly by firing their bombards. The next trouble had reference to obtaining water. The Portuguese landed at night and searched until daylight for water, under the guidance of a native pilot. But lie either could '1!l Rounding the Cape of Good Hope 103 nut or would not lead tlu;in to it iiiid seeiiied to tliiiik nitlicr ol" milking his osciipi'. Wiitcr they must luivi'. Tlicivt'orc, ou tlu! next cvenini^s iittt'udud by the siime man, they iiyiiin iiijproiiched th<3 hmding. Some men armed with assegiiis were drawn up on tlie beaeh to ()l»p()S{! them. Tliese the bombards sent seam[)ering into ilie bush, and the Portuguese got all the water they wanted. The next day a native threatened the Portu- guese, in case they should dare to land again. On hearing this menace, Gama sent two armed boats to tlie shore. The natives made some resistance with bows and slings, then fled behind a palisade. The Christums bombarded the town for three hours and saw at least two men killed, while the people fled with their chattels to a neighboring village. This needless barbarity was one of a series of high-handed aggressions of which Gama was guilty at different places. He was a ruth- less man by nature, and had brought with him the old hatred of the Moors which was common to the Portu- guese and Spaniards. These people of Mozambique the voyagers called Moors, because they were Mohammedans and spoke Arabic. " When we were weary of this work," says the chron- icler, "we retired to our ships to dine." After dinner they renewed their warfare on the terrified inhabitants, seizing boats in which they were carrying away their goods, and making prisoners. Another day was spent in watering and more bombardment. Then they with- drew to some islets near by, where they waited three days, " in the hope that God would grant us a favorable wind," the chronicle piously adds. ■n m jf-^ -4 ■ 1 %> 9H^ . itmiAi&miHff0lK ! 'i i i:] > 1 p r 1 . 1 i'' s 1 1 1 ii , 1 1 1 i . , 1 ' : I'li 104 The World's Di.scovcrers A few (liiys later tlic} I'oiiiid lliciiischi's off some islands, oiic (tf wliicli tlicy called Illui di> A(,'(Mitad(», "because of tlie tloggiiiLj' iiillieted upon our Moorish pilot, who had lied to the captain liy statiuj,^ that tiu!se islands were? the niainlaiul." Ih; was suspected of wish iuy to lead the vessels into shallow water, where they would he wrecked. Uunnin}^ up the coast for S(»nio days, tlu! fhig-ship one nigiit grouncU'd on a reef about two leagues from the laud. 'I'he crew warned the other V(!ssel8 by shouts, and theses saved themselves by promptly throwing out their anchors. When the tide fell, the ''Raphael" lay high and dry; but by getting out many anchors, with the high tide she was floated. The next st(ip was niade at M()nd)asa. A nundjcr of vessels were in the harbor, "all dressed in flags." Not to be outdone, the Portuguese made themselves gay with bunting; but they could make only a poor show of men, for i\\v. most of theirs were sick. So confident were they of fuuling Christians, that they fully exi)ected to go ashore the next day "and hear mass jointly with them." Instead, a dhow approached them at midnight with about a hundred men, all armed with cutlasses and shields. They were halted, and only a few of the most distinjruished were allowed to come aboard. The next day the king despatched a present of a sheep and a large quantity of oranges and lemons, with a ring, as a pledge of safety, and a friendl}' message. Gama, in return, sent a small gift by two of his men, "with peaceful assurances." The messengers were hospitably entertained and shown through the city. "At the house of two Christian merchants " they saw a paper Roumliiu!; the Cape of Ciood Hope 105 (•(iiitaiiiiiiif "11 sketch of tlif Holy (iliost "! It piolialily was 11 I't'iircsciitalitiiMil' a I liiidiMt (Icily, That \U'j;\\\ the I'tirtMi;iU'Sc, I'oi Sdiuc icasmi siisjiccliiij^ tlic natives of treachery, toitiired two of th(3 Mozambique lueii whom they had l)roiit,dit ahmy, Ity (lro[)i)iiit; hoiliiiL;' oil u|ioii their skins, to extort u confession. 'J'he poor w retches said tliat or(h'i-s had hecn j^iven toeaptui'c the vi-ssids as soon as they shouhl enter tlie inner harhor, to aven<^(! the wrongs (h)Me at Mozamhi(|Ue. Wiien th(! torture was ahout to he applied again, the mist'rahh' ereatuics threw themselves into the water, though their hands wej'e tied. Ahout midnight a swarm of men were dls- co\-ei'cd swinnning around the vessels, some trying to cut the eahles, others to elnnh aboard. When tl:o alarm was given, they quickly disapj)eared. '''riiesc and other wi(!ked tricks Avere praetis'd u[Hm us by these dogs, but our Lord did not allow them to succeed, l)ecause they wen; unbelievers," tlui chronicler piously says. The expedition remained several days jit Mom- basa, in the bo[)e of securing a })ilot for C'alecut. Tlie city was linely situated on an eminence and had a huge trade. Its fine air soon nnived the sick. In it were seen many persons in irons. These the Portuguese concluded must be oppressed Cliristiaus. They went on up the coast, })lundei'ing tbe craft which they found and seizing tbe crews and passengers. In one were sevcnt(;en men. When these were overtaken, they threw themselves into tbe sea, but the Portuguese boats i)ieked them up. All these iidiumanities were considered justifiable because they were practised on unbelievers. At Malindi the Portuguese spent several is i ■■ i'i J 4 ■ i it: ^MiPPiilMIIIIIIIII ■ i mi W ii m 1 06 The World's Discoverers days. The king had no doubt heard of the violence done by them elsewhere. He therefore showed great caution and would not venture on board the vessels. (Jama responded in the same spirit by declining his invi- tation to visit him, assigning as a pretext that his orders from his master did not allow him to go ashore. The two, however, met in small boats which lay side by side, and had a long conference. Gama then released his captives, which gratified the king very much. After this some of the Portuguese and some of the prominent Malindiai.s exchanged v jits. The people of the town, during the nine days' stay of the strangers in their harbor, gave a succession of fetes, sham-fights, and nuisical performances. The lofty houses, well white- washed and ligiited with many windows, must have made a very pretty show amid their palm-groves and vegetal)le gai'dens. No wonder that the Portuguese Inigored in this pleasant si)ot. But they still lacked a pilot for the coast of India. Thcefore Gama, after his usual method, seized a confi- dential servant of ihe king who was visiting him and demanded a pilot in exchange for him. Thereupon a "Christian pilot," a native ot India, was sent, to Gania's great delight; and on the 24th of Ajuil the fleet sailed for Calecut. Da Gama in India 107 CHAPTER X ARRIVAL IX i:,DIA AND VAi;ii:i) EXPERIENCES THERE For tlie first few days llio vessels kept the African coast in siglit. Tlien they struck ont IxjUlly across the Arabian Sea. For twenty-three (kiys no hiiul was seen. Then lofty mountains h)omed up on the horizon : India, the hind of enchantment! On the 20th of May tlie vessels anchored two leagues from the city of Calecut. Just two hundred years after Marco I'olo wrote liis stoiy in a Genoese prison, Euro- peans ai)peared in a })ort of India. One of the men was sent ashore and met two ]\Ioors from Turis who could speak Spanish. "The Devil take thee! Wliat brought you hither?" they asked. The man answered that his countiymen had come "in search of Christians and spices." One of them came to the vessels with him. His first v/ords were : " A lucky venture ! Plenty of rubies, plenty of emeralds! You owe great thanks to (lod for having brought you to a countr}' of sucli riches." The Portu- guese were overjoyed to hear their tongue spoken in this strange land. "The city of Calecut is inhabited by Christians," Fays the chronicle. Of course tliis was an error, l*^ was one which the Portuguese easily fell into, on account of their confident expectation of meeting Christians. ■ i- -V ■ Sill io8 The World's Discoverers Another tiling tlia^ contributed to their mistake wjis ihat the Ilinchn) images wliieli they saw in the temi)k^s were not unlike those to which they wei-e accustomed in their churches, wherciis the Moluunmedan abhorrence of images, which they consider idolatrous, deepened the X [. I KRISHNA NURSED BY DEVAKI enmity between them and tlie Christians. No\, we shall see our explorers constantly making ludicrous mis- takes, under the influence of this delusion. For in- stance, the writer gives us an elaborate description of a church, with an image of " Our Lady " ! In this pagoda or teniple some of the I'ortuguese said their prayers. Da Gama in India 109 (fi Still it is quite possible thiit some of them luul doubts, for one of them, kneeling' by the side of Viiseo da Gama, wl)is[)cred, "If these l)e devils, 1 worship the true God." The chronicler verj' innocently writes: "The saints pic- tured on the walls of the church were painted variously, with teeth protruding an inch from the mouth, and four or live arms." iSuch grotesque figures of Hindoo deities are W''ll known to us from illustrations in books. It would be a long story if we should tell all the ex- periences of the Portuguese in this land of their dreams. They were no longer dealing with barbarians, as on the African coast; they were surrounded by the monuments of an ancient civilizatio'i. The accunuilateil wealth of ages was about theni. They were on the skirt of a vast and populous country, and they dared not take that high-handed course which they had followed so insolently in the African ports. The throng of boats crowding about their vessels and the denso crowds packing the streets as they passetl through, constantly reminded them that it behooved them to be careful, since their lives dci)ended on it. It even ])efell the haughty captain-major to find himself treated very nnich as if he had been a prisoner in the hands of a •'ictorious foe. In an audience with the sovereign "the king was in a small court, reclining upon a couch covered with a cloth of green velvet, above which was a good mattress, and upon this again a sheet of cotton stuff, very white and fine, more so than any linen. The cushions were after the same fashion.' He was chewing betel-nut incessantly, using a large golden cup as a spittoon. V. I, • "J, ! ! ::J J-lli HU lilll I I li ip W isHiia I' I \ 1 ■ i B^Bi 1 1 ■ ii I lO The World's Discoverers Ganiii approiiclicd the Oriental potentate with a salu« tation "in the manner of the country, putting tlie hands together, tlien raising them towards heaven, as is done by Christians when addressing God, and immediately afterwards opening them and shutting the fists quickly." He was courteously received, and the king ordered water for his visitors' hands and fruit for them to cat. Two or three kinds, including bananas, were prepared for them by attendants, and while they ate tlie king looked on smiling, all the while chewing betel-nut. After thit. M'^^ king, lying on a couch covered with stuffs endjroidv. In gold, listened to an address from Gama through an interpreter. The Portuguese did not fail to extol the greatness of his own monarch. He was sent, he said, by a king who was "lord of many countries and the possessor of great wealth, exceeding that of any king of these parts," to seek the Christians of India. He had not come, he declared, for gold and silver, "for of this they had such abundance that they needed not to seek it in foreign countries." He was under o .xlers from his master " not to return to Portugal until he should have discovered this king of the Chris- tians, on pain of having his head cut off." He was further instructed to say to his Majesty that the King of Portugal desired to be his friend and brother. It is likely that the Indian monarch saw through this plausible pretence of pious zeal. If he could have fore- seen the career of bloody conquest and ruthless plunder of which this alleged embassy was the entering wedge, he would not have let one of the Portuguese leave the country alive. As it Avas, he treated them with cour- Da Gama in India 1 1 1 tesy, but with marked suspicion. Wlien Gania exhib- ited certain articles which he proposed sending to the king as a present, the hitter's olhcers hiughed at them and said that tliey wouhl not dare to take them to tlieir master; that tlie poorest merchant from Mecca or any part of India would send something more valuable; and that the only acceptable offering would be gold. After Gama's loud boasting of his master's wealth, his pro- posed gift must have seemed paltry indeed. He was terribly mortiiied at this rebuff. Tlien followed days of per[)lexity. Gama was kept waiting four hours in an ante-room, as if he were a com- mon suitor for royal favor. He and his comrades were taken hither and thither, made to spend the night away from their vessels, and kept under restraint, as if they were prisoners. They were suspected, watched, and, without open violence, made to feel that they were not welcome. The Portuguese attempts to land and barter their goods were evaded, under various i)rctexts. 'AH the wiles of the East were employed to discourage them and induce them to depart. This untoward result they attributed wholly to tlie influence of "the Moors of the place, who were mer- chants from Mecca and elsewhere, and who knew us and could ill digest us." They told the king that the Por- tuguese were thieves, and that if he encouraged their visits, his country would be ruined. At last the Portu- guese were warned by two "Christians " that if the cap- tains went ashore, their heads would be cut off. * p mm'--' I II '"^ I;-'!; .iii I 12 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER XI KETUUN TO I'OKTUCJAL "Finally, at tlie end of August," says tlie chroni- cle, " tlio ca[)tuin-niajoi' and other captains agreed that, inasmuch as we had discovered tlie country we had coine in search of, as also s[)ices and precious stones, and it appeared impossible to establish cordial relations with the people, it would be well to take our departure. We th(;refore set sail and left for Portugal, greatly re- joiced at our good fortune in having made so great a discovery." It was quite in Vasco da Gama's usual manner to kidnap some of the natives of the Malabar coast and carry them off with him. We are not surprised, tl'f ve- fore, when we read tiiat, while the fleet lay becali ed, shortly after sailing, about sixty small boats crowded with armed men approached them. These were kept at a distance by firing the bombards. Then a thunder- storm came up, and carried the lawless strangers out to sea and beyond the pursuit of the small boats. Three weeks later the fleet was still hovering off the Malabar coast and was at the little Anjediva Islands, the largest of which is less than a mile long. While it lingered here, taking in wood and water and such sup- plies as were to be had, two suspicious vessels were ob- served near, wliile six or eight w^ere at a distance in the open sea. The captain-major immediately gave orders Da Gama's Return to Portugal 1 1 3 for sinking tlie former. One csca[)e(l, but the other was taken after tlio crew had got away. Nothing was found in her but provisions, coooanuts, and arms. Tlit; next day some men who visited the vessels said that tliis lleet had come out from Calecut to capture the Portuguese. Here the vessels remained twelve days, chictly occu- pied in careening the "Herrio." The ski[)per ol' the captured craft came to Gama and olfered to buy it, but he was told that it was not for sale, and as it l)elonged to an enemv, it would be burned. About the same time Gama gave another sample of his quality. A well- dressed man had come to the fleet with friendly speech and overtures, saying that he was in the service of a powerful lord who had heard of the Portuguese and had sent him to invite them to visit him, with the assurance that he would give them anything in his country and would make them welcome if they wished to remain permanently. This plausible speech impressed Gama favorably. But in the mean time his brother had made inquiiy of the "Christians" who had come with the stranger, as to who he was. They said that he was a pirate, whose ships and people were on the coast, and that his real })ur- pose was to attack the Portuguese. On this infoniiu- tion, Gama caused the man to be thrashed, to extoi-t a confession from him. lie even proceeded to torture him repeatedly. He could not, however, elicit anything such as he expected. He then sailed away, carrying the stranger with him. When the vessels were several hundred miles at sea, "the Moor" said that ho would not try to disseml)le any longer, and that he had been 8 1 I i ' i;k l:i il I 114 The World's Discoverers st'iit l»y liis uiiistcr to entice them to liis country, in order tliiit, having tlieni in his jjower, he might emph)y tliem in his wars with ncighhoring kings. The passage across the Arahian Sea proNXMl to he a terrihle and liideous experience. Owing to cahns and foul winds, it was three months from land to land. Think what that meant! The scurvy hrokc; out in its most horrihle form. The men's swollen gums grew over their teeth, so that they could not eat. Their legs and bodies swelled also until death brought release. In this way thirty died. As many had died in the voyage to India. So many others were ill that only seven or eight remained fit for duty on each ship. In this extremity the usual vows to the saints did not fail to be made. At last, on the 2d of January, 1490, the African coast w.is sighted. It was not less eagerly welcomed than if it had been the native shore of the wretched mariners. They did not know where they were, however, for there WAS not a pilot on board and, of course, not a chart. They saw before them "a large town, with houses of several stories, big palaces in its centre, and four towers around it.'' They ascertained that it was Magadoxo, in the territory now known as Somauli, about two degrees north of the Equator. The place belonged to the Moors. For this reason, no doubt, they did not ven- ture in their enfeebled state to enter the harbor, but sailed on down the coast. A few days more, with a favorable wind, brought the sea-worn mariners to the friendly port of Alalindi. Its hospitable king hastened ^o send off a present of sheep, with a message of wel- Da Gama's Return to Portugal i i 5 conio. Gaina sent ashore for a sn[)ply of oranges, which the siek esi)eeially craved. But the gratefnl fruit came too hite for many. A nunil)er died in this port. '"Five (hiys were si)ent in tliis agreeahlc haven in re- [)osing," says the clironieler, " f rom tlie hardships of a passage in which all of us had heen face to face with death." When the fleet sailed away, it carried a tusk of ivory, as a present from the; native ruler to the King of Portugal, and a young Moor as an envoy. The latter lived to return, two years later, with Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil. A few days later Gania, find- ing it impossible to handle three vessels with the small number of men remaining, burned the "Sao Raphael." lie, however, took off her figure-head, an image of the archangel ciirved in oak, and carried it Avith him the figure-head of the _, , _ - SAO RAPHAEL to 1 ortugal. Jt was preserved for generations as an heirloom in the Gama family, and finally found a \)Vm:o. of honor in the church at liclem which commemorates the famous voyage. There it may be seen to-day. Little more needs to be said of the return voyage. At Sao Braz the vessels lay some time, while the crews caught and salted stores of ancliovics, seals, and pen- guins, in preparation for the long stretch beyond the 11 Sf!| -« '*?.r I *H >.i V :•'■' i ! i;5 116 The World's Discoverers Cape, ill wliicli no stop would lie iiiiuli'. On IIki 20tli of A[)iil (J(i(.(l Ilopt! was roiindi'd without «lisasti'i', and tlie wvaiy sliii)nu'n tni'iicd tlu'ir |)i'ows stniiglit for lionii.'. A sad incident marked the hist stage of the voyage. Pauh) da Ciania hail hiiig been iU. lie lived to reach the Azori'S. There, almost Avithin sight of home, he sueeumbed to the hardships he had suffered. 'I'he loss of this gentle brother so alllieted the hard Vaseo that lu! kept himself in retirement nine days before his tri- um[»hal entry into Lisbon. Somewhat more than two years had been consumed in this voyage, the intluence of which ujjon all modern life has been so great. If the fortitude with which its privations were endured, had l)een equaled by Innuanity in dealing Avith inferior and often inoffensive peoples, we could read its story with unqualilien admiration. IJut it was, alas! a lit introduction to a course of high- handed and ruthless measures by which Portugal estab- lished her supremac}^ on the coasts and Avaters of East Africa and the Indies. lietrihutiou came in due time. Little remains to Portugal to-day of the vant Oriental possessions which she once held. The wealth which she wrung from them served chiefly to corrupt and enfeeble her own people. Then the s})oiler was spoiled. The fabric reared by violence and cemented with blood tottered to its fall, and strong hands seized the fragments. Portugal, to- day a decrepit, fifth-rate i)ower, may serve as a w^arn- ing to the nations that crime surely reacts upon the doer, and that the oidy foundations of an enduring social order are justice and humanity. ppl : I t .■ I i^' ;/,i ! 'i, ■! li li Magellan's Youth and Training 1 19 CIIArTEU XII MAOKLLAN'S YOUTir Axn tuainino Aftkii Vasoo da riainii's voyat,'o, Portugal's strides in opouing tho l^astcrn lands to European eonuneree were simply marvelous. Within ten years slie had ex- plored East Afriea, had taken and fortified jjosts on the Malahar coast, and had penetrated Farther India as far as ^Malacca, the gate of China and the East Indies. Her successes in India were not lightly won. Her great viceroys, Almeida and Albucpieniue, did not encou!iter, as did ('ortez and Pizarro in the Western World, |)opulations ignorant of lirearnis and overawed at the mere sight of white men. All the power of the East, with her knowledge and skill, was put forth to repel the invaders who had come to usurp the trade wliich Arab merchants had held in their exclusive con- trol for ages. Even the Sultan of Egypt sent a fleet down the lied Sea to fight the intruding Franks. There were bloody battles by sea and land in which the Por- tuguese lost heavily, and desperate straits from which nothing short of heroic courage could liave rescued them. The story of the Portuguese conquest reads like a romance, so full is it of thrilling incidents. In this school of adventure Fernao Magalhaes was trained. He was born about 1480, of one of the oldest families of Portugal, in a wild mountain region. lie served ■! ■: : • ' # V '■[■: m 1 '•' * #yi 120 The World's Discoverers V. !; 1 for sonic yvixvs as a pngo at court. 'I'liis circuinstaiioo Avas imiiKMiscly inqxirtaiit in its licai-iiiL"' on tlic l)oy"s career. 'V\\". new kiniv was deeply interested and very aoti\G in promoting navigation and discovery. Tiie recent voyage of Columbus, with its Ijrilliant results, liad opened a new era, and all maritime P^uro[)C was awal,Iagaiiiaes to see the heroes of exploration go forth on their mission, and to hear tliLUi report to tlieir master the marvels they had seen, — Vasco da Gama, crowned with the glory of his achievement; Cabral, fresh from the discovery of lirazil; the Cortereals sailing for Labrador, from which they never returned; and the AKFONSO D'ALBUQUERQUE Miigelliin's Youth and Training 121 All)U(|\U'r(iues leading a gicat aniuula to the Indies' There is no doul)t that he reueatetUv saw these w"- tiies and probably eonverse^ with them as the^ '"j- qiiented the court. It would have been a marvel had he beei'. content with the dull ceremonial of couit life. Jn ir)()4 he ol)tained leave of absence from his sovereign and sailed for India as a volunteer in the great armada of Dom Francisco d' Almeida. For seven years he served his country loyally and bravely under Almeida and the still more renownetl Albucjuerque. lie took part in many a bl ody fray by sea and land. He fought at the capture of (jloa and in the desperate liattle which gave ^Malacca, the key of the East, to Portugal. Again and again he was wounded. Other men were making fortunes in the loot of ca})tured cities. One of his friends, after a series of romantic adventures, had established himself in one of the Moluccas, and wrote him that there was about him wealtli beyond his utmost dreams; for the spices t)f those islands were even more coveted than afold. 15ut for pelf the hero never cared. One incident is worth relatintj because it shows the character of the man. Two Portuguese vessels, on one of whicli he was. had run ay-round in the nitrht on a reef off the Indian coast and had filled. The crews were landed safely on an islet near by. It was resolved to seek the mainland, about a hundr< d miles distant, in boats. Hut these were not enough to carry all hands. Then there arose a great contention as to who should go. The ofTicers and men of rank insisted on their ll { : M I , 1 22 The World's Discoverers piivilogo. lint the men protested tliiit they would not let themselves he left on a haiTen island. Magulhaes solved the dil'lieulty hy offering to stay with the men, [)rovided that the oflieers would swear that they would send relief at the earliest possible opportunity. This sat- islit'd the seamen. The oilicers reached the shore, after several days, and bought a vessel which they despatched, and whieh brought off the shipwrecked crews. After all his years of faithful service he returned to his native land a luonzed and scarred veteran, still poor comparatively, and was coldly received by his sovereign. Once ipore he took service, this time to fight the Moors in Morocco; and again he received a wound, fi'oni the elfects of which he limped the rest of his life. The Moors beaten, he returned to Portugal to clear himr?clf of a charge, the triviality of which is evident in the fact tliat those who made it never pressed it. The King would not listen to him, refused a trifling advance ill dignity which he asked, and peremjitorily ordered Ilim back to Africa. A short time after his return to Lisbon, he encountered one Ruy Faleiro, an expert astronomer and geograiiher. The two had common tastes and interests and soon became intimate. The one was e(juij)ped with scientific theories and knowl- edge; the olhcr combined keen insight with wide v\\)0- rieuce and a character of amazing strength. Together, they conceived a brilliant scheme which they proposed to the King. It was, to take a lleet to the Spice Islands, claimed as I'oitugnese ])ossessions, by a soutliwestern route; in other words, to follow Columbus's example of reaching the Ea.^t by sailing westward. !ii i FERDINAND MAGELLAN ^m Magellan's Youth and Training 125 Magalhaes and his friend met with treatment like that wliich the famous Genoese had received in Portu- gah They were huighed at as crazy visionaries. With all her activity, Portugal was bigoted to the hist degree. She ridiculed the idea that there could be any other route to the Moluccas than that which lay through her own hemisphere. The American continent was assumed to stretch an impassable barrier all the way to the South Pole. Moreover, if there was an opening, her interest lay in keeping it unknown, and she would rather have paid men to conceal than to explore it. The King of Portugal's later conduct shows his jealous fear of open- ing to the world those precious Spice Islands which were the envy of Euro})e. In view of such a rebuff, who can wonder at the course which Magalhaes took? He publicly renounced his country, even changed his name from its Portuguese to a Spanish form, Magellan, and betook himself, with his hopes and plans and his friend Faleiro, to the court of Spain. Portugal had rejected her great opportunity. But no sooner did she hear of Magellan's offering his services to Spain than she was furious. He was de- nounced as a renegade and traitor. By the King's order, his coat-of-arms was torn from the door of his house. His nej»hew was stoned in the streets. Yet he had done nothing hut what we recognize as his natural right. He had, also, the example of Columbus, Vespucci, and Cabot, who had made their great discoveries under an adopted flag. But Dom Manoel's fear that Magellan would make to the Spanish king the same proposition that he had rejected, robbed him of all reason. ■ , hi I „ mmmmmmmm^m Wr I 26 The World's Discoverers 'Die intending explorer did jii8t as his former master dreaded. He offered, first, to show Spain tlie shortest route to the Spice Islands, and, secondly, to prove that they belonged to her. 'J'he king, Charles the Fifth, better known as the Em- [jcror of (iermany, had just come to the throne, at the age of eighteen. He was desii'ous of preserving for Spain the prest'ge which she had gained by Columbus's discovery. The plan pr()[)osed in this case was in fact the very thing which the (Jenoese navigator had in mind, namely, to reach the East Indies by sailing westward. And, moreover, there was a good })rospect of enormous prolits, if the venture should succeed, since it would open to Spain the door of the far Eastern world, with its \ast wealth, and l)y a route which would be wholly her own. Charles referred the matter to his council, and tlie two .applicants formally presented their case. Magellan argued that since Juan de Solis had coasted South America as far as the 40th degree and had found the land always trending westward, there was every reason to believe that it ended in a capo corres})onding to that of Good Hope. He showed letters from his friend Seriao telling of the wealth of the iMoluccas, and he also displayed a globe which he had brought with him from Portuffid, showing the continent as he conceived it to be and his [)roposcd route. When he had tinished, Faleiro took up the argument and proved to the audience that the coveted islands lay on Spain's side of the line of demarcation. This view we now know to have been erroneous. But it Magellan's Youth and Training i 27 might easily have been liehl in all good faith. The science of navigation was in its infancy. The instru- ments for determining longitude were (^f the rudest, and accurate results were impossible. It was oidy known in a general way that the islands in question lay in a certain region of the globe. If the 130th degree of longitude fell cast of them, they belonged to Portugal ; if west, to Spain. Portugal had reached them in the course of her eastern explorations, was trading there, and undoubtedly believed them hers. On the other hand, the councilors of Spain were very ready to believe that they belonged to her. Happily for Magellan, the most influential member of the council was the Bishop of Burgos, Fonseca, who had been a bigoted opponent of Cohuubus and his undertaking. Now he saw an opportunity of regaining his lost prestige. Besides, the proposition appealed powerfully to his avarice. He became warmly inter- ested, seconded Magellan's proposal with enthusiasm, and succeeded in carrying the council with him. A favorable report was made to Charles, which was equivalent to a formal adoption of the enterprise. The news of Magellan's preliminary success was immediately sent to Lisbon by the Portuguese ambas- sador and kindled the wrath of Dom Manoel. Apart from the formal division, there had been a tacit under- standing that Spain should explore and exploit the West, Portugal the East. Now Charles was about to violate this implied compact. All the resources of diplomacy were brought into play, but to no [)urpose. III a 128 The World's Discoverers |jii+-, 'riicii ii foriiiiil protest ui,^aiiist tlic voyage was sent to C'liiirles. He contented liiniseH' with i'ej)lying that lie liad no thought of intruding into his royal brother's possessions. It hud indeed been specially stipulated in tlie agreement between Charles and the intending ex- l)lorers that the latter should not encroach upon I'ortu- guesc dominions. Still tliere was no concealment of the fact that the objective point was the Spice Islands; and Charles's assurance did not go far towards quieting Dom Ma'-ioel's api)rehensions. All this while the fleet was being prepared. Five vessels, old, small, and, at the best, liardly seaworthy, had been bought and were being equipped. Into this task ^Magellan threw himself with all his wonied energy and a will which no dithculties could bend. jNIilder measures and public remonstrance having failed, Portugal resorted to intrigue. Her agent at Seville constantly watched Magellan's proceedings, and reported to his master what he was doing to thwart them. One day Magellan found himself confronted by a howling mob at the dock-yard. They had been incited by a rumor industriously circulated that he had hoisted the Portuguese flag over one of the vessels. It was his own personal standard bearing his coat-of-arms. His habitual coolness alone averted serious trouble. Magel- lan had, like Colundjus, great difticulty in securing crews. Tie caused a trumpet to be blown and the ex- pedition publicly proclaimed. lie sent oflicers to scour every seaport. And still very few men were obtained. It was objected that the pay was too small, in view of the extraordinary hazards to be met. Therefore he was Magellan's Youth and Iraliiing 129 compellod to accept ii iMinibci' of foreigners, iiinoiig whom were several l*ortulity men, there were S[)aniards, Italians, French, Flemings, (Jermans, Greeks, Portuguese, Negroes, and .Malays. In the end the Portuguese proved to be the most rclial)le element on the fleet. They held several of the most important posts, all the [)ilots being of that nationality. This circumstance goes to show the feeble interest of the Spanish people in the expedition or their lack of faith in its success. The curious read(>r may be interesti3d to know what kinds of stores were cari-ied on those (plaint, uncouth, high-pooped craft which l)ore the brave voyagers of the sixteenth century. The list surprises us by its variety. There were biscuit, flour, beans, i)eas, lentils, olive-oil, anchovies, dried iish, dried pork, seven cows, three pigs, hundreds of cheeses, vinegar, sugar, garlic, onions, rice, mustard, and capers. Dainties there were, too, in tlie shape of raisins, figs, currants, almonds, and honey. And there was a good sup[)ly of medicines and salves. The entire cost of the fleet, equipment, and stores was about !$2."),000 of our money, efpiivalent, perhaps, to S200,000 at the }>resent day. There was an ample su[)i)ly of munitions of war, such as arquebuses, hal- bei'ds, spears, lances, bows and arrows, and armor, with culverins, or long cannon, to be used on shij)- board, and bond)ards, which might be carried in boats, like modern boat-howitzers. The conunercial jjurpose of the enterprise was shown by the great supply of goods for barter, such as bright-colored cloths, brass 9 ^ if iiff M I '! -ht 130 The World's Discoverers trinkets, mirrors, beads, luid not less than twenty thonsand l)ells. The vessels were the "Trinidad," which Magellan took for his flag-ship, as she was in Ine best condition; the "San Antonio," the largest, commanded by Juan de Cartagena, whom the king had appointed to take the place belonging to Faleiro, whose conduct had raised suspicions of insanity; the "Victoria," captained by Luis de Mendoza; the "Conccpcion," by Gaspar Quesada; and the little "Santiago," by Joao Scniio, the only Portuguese captain, and the only one who remained loyal. The largest vessel was of only 120, and the smallest of 75 tons. This little armada, it is true, far exceeded Columbus's fleet in strength and equipment, but it was also destined to encounter a task vastlv more difT.cult and dangerous than his. As the preparations neared completion, the enmity of Dom Manoel and his councilors knew no bounds. One advised that Magellan be put out of the way. This was an eminent bishop, who afterwards became Arch- bishop of Lisbon. Dom Manoel preferred an indirect course which was well adapted to accomplish the same end. His secret emissaries sedulously cultivated the national jealousy of the Spanish captains and sowed seeds of discord which, in time, yielded an ample hai- vest of blood. Magellan's Voyage Begun 1^1 CHAPTER Xiri THE VOVAdE UECJUN IJkfoiik Stiiling, a solemn service, at wliicli all tlio Ulcers and crews were [)re.sent, was held in the Cathe- dral of Seville. After High Mass, the banner of Si)ain was [)laced in Magellan's hands, and he swore to defend it in every extremity. Then, in turn, tije captains swore allegiance to him. Among those who hound themselves by this sacred pledge were some who ali'eady meditated mutiny. On the eve of sailing, Magellan received as a gift from Faleiro his manuscript direc- tions for taking observations. In the dearth of books on that little-understood subject, such a volume was •ilmost priceless. Magellan's written orders were that he should proceed straight to " the Spicery." Though he had instructions not to intrude within Portuguese waters, one cannot help suspecting that, had he come home with a full freight of the coveted merchandise, he would not have been held to a very strict account of the longitude in which he obtained it. At hut, on the 20th of September, 1519, the little fleet sailed from the mouth of the Guadalquivir. It ran down the African coast as far as the Cape Verde Islands. Meanwhile Dom Manoel, having failed in G\GTy effort to hinder the sailing of the fleet, sent vesr Is both to the Cape of Good Hoi)e and to the Rio de la V 'il 1! A : ■M *'i !!i i' fii'fif m A ■'. r f 1 ] \ 'i'"\ t M- \ i ii'- . 132 The World's Discoverers IMiitii, with ii view to intercepting' it, wliieliover roiito it niiylit take. IJiiiof this (liini;ei' Miiu'ellaii knew nothin<^'. Fioni tli(^ (,'a[ie Venlus u courstj was .shaped for the coast of South Anieii -a. 'I'he (Uniciilties whieli niadt; tlio exixulition so peri- h»iis very early hej^an to he i\-\{. ( !ahiis and heavy rains in the nciglihorhood of the Liiu^ nia(Ui [)rogress so sh»w that it was neeessaiy to diminish the aUowanee of food and water. At hist, on Novcndjer 29, the coast of Brazil was sighted. ^■Vlrcady the s[>irit of insuhordination had shown itself. On one occasion Cartagena renewed a series of insidts which he had olVcred to his conniiander. To his sur[)rise, l;c was seized hy tho Captain-general in [)erson. " Voii are my [)risoner," cried Magellan. In vain th(! offender a[)[)ealed to the other olliccrs for aid. Nobody stirred, and he was led away to tlie stocks, to be kei)t a prisoner on board the "Victoria." The command of his vessel was given to Antonio de Coca, whom the Emperor had ap[)ointed to kee[) the accounts of the fleet. On December Vi\ the adventurers were in Rio harbor. Here they enjoyt'fl a welcome change from their meagre sea fare, in an abundance of fruits and fresh meat, which they obtained from the natives at great bargains in the way of barter. The chronicler, Pigafetta, an Italian nobleman, relates with great glee that he exchanged a king from a pack of cards for six fowls. Kai'ly in the new year the ex})edition reached the mouth of the great river known to-day as the Uio de la Plata. Here the explorer Juan do Solis had lost his life at the hands of cannibals. IJearing his fate in mind i. Magclhurs Voyage begun 3, and s('('in;j^ iiutivcs uiiillicriiiin' in caiKics, .Mii;L^n'Il;iii ordered out several Ixials lilicd \\ I'.li armed men. riiereii|M)n tlu; siivay;t'S lied a:sliori^ and outran the S[)aniards who iitt('m[)t(.'d to overtake them. Magellan's (direful ox- [doration of the river ended, tlu! Ih'ct sailed on. On (hey went, workini,' their way down lh«' coast, leaving' siunmer and smooth seas hehind (hem and en- coiinLerinij: always 'n-eater cold and more Itoisteroi IS weather. By the end oi" Fehruary, when tho autunni ol' th(! southern hemisphere was well advanced, they experienced terrific storms and hitter cold. At one place they found an island so covered with seals and penguins that the whole fleet could hav(( heen laden with them. A boat was scut ashore for wood and water. Neither wiis found, Imt the sailoi's loaded it with [u-n- guins. lioforc they could return a furious gale sprang U[), and th(! men were com[)ell(!d to six'iid the night on the 1 )cky islet, without fire or sladter. In the morn- ing, wh(!n their conn-ades came to their relief, they were found buried beneath the ...als they had killed and lialf-dead from cold and exposure. Storm after storm burst u[)on them as they went fur- ther down the inhos[)itable shore of Patagonia. The ex[)lorers supplicated the aid of the snjnts and vowed a pilgrimage to this or that shrine, and always succeeded in extricating themselves from their peril, though the ships were sadl}- worsted. At the end of IMarch, with winter at hand, they dropped anchor in iMrt St. Julian, witli tlie [)urpose of wintering tliere. Ahis for the hope of finding lest! The phice was destined to be the scene of a crisis in i:| •r ... ■ r II i U ' t : I I li fi ^34 The World's Discoverers wliit'li tlu; c'X|)(Mliti()n cimio nigli to an imtiiiu'ly end. On rciiciiiiig the expected liaveu of rest, with ii long winter I)el"oie them, the crews had been put on diniin* ished rations. The saik)rs grumbled, and the jealous S[)anish captains probably made little effort to (juiet them. Mattel's rapidly grew worse. The cold was bitter. Storms came almost daily. There were few in the fleet who believed in the existence of a strait. Why should they lemain in that place, they argued, to perish with cold? Why jJcr.'-ri.^L in chasing the it/nis /((tints of a strait, when everything showed that the land stretched without a break to the Antarctic Pole? This foolhardy enterprise should be abandoned at once. It was absurd to seek tlie tropical Spice Islands through regions of ice and snow. They had done enough to satisfy the Emperor that there was not any passage that way. To go further would be simply to court destruc- tion on some icy shore. Then the Emperor not only would get no sjiices, but wo'ild lose his ships and men. All this was rei)resei>led to Magellan, together with a peremi)tory de'nand for full rations or for an inunediate departure homeward. His reply was, for a man of his masterful spirit, full of conciliation, but without a sign of yielding. He urged the certainty of a strait and that it could bo readied in the spring. He appealed to the Castilian pride of the Spaniards and expresi'.ed his amazement at their showing such weakness. There was no reason, he urged, for ai prehension as to their suppPes. Around them in their snug harbor was an abutid.iJice of wood and water, of birds and fish, besides the ship-stores. In short, since he had no notion of Magellan's Voyage Begun 135 giving up Ukj iindeitukiug, lie counseled them to exer- cise pjiiience until the s[ning, wlu-n they would he rewiirded by a inugnidcent discovery which would bring weulth to every man concerned in it. For a time the men were (piietetl, but the treachery of the captains was all the while insidiously at w(»rk. The inevitable rupture i)erhaps was precipitated by an appointment of Magellan's. For some reason, he re- moved Antonio de Coca from the command of the "San Antonio "' and conferred that position on Alvaro de Mes(piita, a (irst cousin. "Another Portuguese captain, and his kinsman, tool " the Spanish oHicers exclaimed. They were furious, and from that time some outbreak was certiun. One night, (jas[»ar Quesacla, ca[)tain of the "Concej)- cion," with the disgraced Cartagena, Juan Sebastian del Cano, and thirty armed men, boarded the "San Ante aio," seized Mcs(piita, and put him in iroiis. A loyal Basque, Loriiaga, the master, ordered the mutinrers to leave Llie ship. " What I Shall we suffer this fool to balk u,"?" cried (^uesada and himself stabbed the faitliful oflicer almost to death. The whole affair happened so quickly that the sur- l>rised crew were overpowered and disarmed before they could offer resistance. Juan Sebastian del Cano, wliose name will hereafter appear in a more honoral)le connection, was put in command of the shij). The guns were mounted, the decks cleared, aiid every [)reparation made for holding her. For Masr.'Uan t'.ic situation looked black. Three f ^MH; 1 'yiV. ? '^f f ;■ .'J it 'I& 136 The World's Discoverers vessels wiTe ill tlii^ '.laiids of i\\v. imitiiioers. Yet so (luiekly lnul t!!<'ii' woik bi-eii doiio uiily from each of the three revolted vessels. Only the little "Santiago" was loyal. 'I'hen (»)uesada sent a letter to Magellan saying that he had seized the ships to protect the ollicers and men from the Captain-general's ill-treatment, hnt if he would accede to their demands, they would return to their obedience. INIagellan replied that he would meet the mutineers on his shi[) and hear their com[)laints. Hut they would not trust themselves there. Still less would he put himself in their power by going to them. Clearly there was no hope in conciliation. The nuitiny must be i)Ut down by the strong hand. l>ut how? To attack the three revolti'd vessels openly, with only the aid of the "Santiago," would be folly. A little later a skilf rowed from the flagship carrying Ivsjiinosa, the provost-marshal of the fleet, and live men with concealed arms, to the " Victoi'ia." Magellan had selected this vessel for his attemi)t liC'Ciiuse he knew the large luunber of foreigners in her crew to Ik; loyal to him. I'.spinosa delivered 11 letter sunnnoning the cap- tain, Mendoza, to the flagship. The nuuinous oflicer laughed a disdainful refusal. In an instant the provost- niarshal leai)ed upon him and j.lanted his (higger in his throat. At the sam(» moment a ])icked boat's crew from the "Trinidad," headed by Magellan's l)rother-in- Magellan's Voyage Begun i 37 law, Diiarto Riirbosa, swarmed over the " Vi(;toria's " side and curried her with a rush. In a trice the ship was won. IIow ([uickly the situation had been changed ! liar- liosa hoisted MageUan's ensign on tlie " Mctoria," raised the anchor, and [)hiced iier ah)ngside the " Trinichid "' and tlie "Santiaijfo" in the entrance of the harbor. Still the mutineers refused to surrender. Certainly tl>ey would not dare to (ijxht aLjainst such otlds. Would they attempt to slip out under cover of darkness ? That seemed their likeliest course. MageUan had cleared his ship for action. Now he doubled the watch, gave the men a l)ountifid meal, and took every precaution to <;uard against an escape. At midnight the "San Antonio '' loomed up ui the darkness. She was sup- posed to be l)earing down on the llagshi[), l)ut was really dragging her anchors. The mutineer Quesada, seeing a collision innninent, called his men to arms. None came. In an instant a sheet of tlame leaped from the side of the "Trinidad," and her shot raked the deck. Then came a rush of boarders. "For whom are you?" tlicy cried. "For the King and Magellan," the men answered. Happily, not a man had been killed. The mutinous ollic'M's were quickly seized and ironed and the impris- oned ones released. By this time Magellan had the situation well in liand. His indomitable will had mas- tered a crisis which to a weaker man would have seemed des[)erate. The "Concepcion's " position in revolt was now hopeless. Cartagena surrendered and was placed in irons. - ) > Ki . M m m 13^ The World's Discoverers The mutiny was over, but the task of dealing witli the leaders remained. The next day Menduza's body was brought ashore and received tiie revolting treat- ment connnonly accorded to traitors, in being drawn and quartered. Quesada had added to mutiny the crime of a brutal attempt at murder. He was sentenced to death and beheaded by his own servant, who was par- doned on that condition. Cartagena and a priest who had been active in stirring up sedition were doomed to a diliferent fate. When the ships sailed away, they were left alone, marooned, on that desolate spot; and nothing more was ever heard of them. Forty men who had been found guilty of treason and sentenced to death Magellan pardoned, partly, no doubt, because he needed their services, and still more, probably, because he made allowance for their having been led in crime by their superiors. From the first the sympathy of the men was prcponderatingly with Magellan. Otherwise, he would have failed to overcome the mutiny. In the punishment meted out to the offenders he was strictly within his rights. A man's life counted for little in those days, and the Emperor had expressly given him power "of lope and knife " over every person in the fleet. From this time forward liis authority nevei was questioned. m l\ The Strait Discovered 139 CHAPTER XIV THE STItAIT DISCOVEKED The sojourn at Port St. Julian was full of work and incident. While the men were kei)t husj in careening and calking the other vessels, the "Santiago" was sent southward to explore the coast. She found a considerahle river, Avhich was named the Kio de Santa Cruz, and spent some days there in laying in a supply of fish, which were very ahnndant, as weie also seals, or sea-wolves, as the sailors called them. Shortly after resuming her voyage, she encoiuitered a violent storm, became unmanageahle, owing to a hroken rudder, and was driven ashore. Scarcely had the crew escaped by dropping from the end of the jib-hoom, when she went to pieces. What a situation for the castaways, thrown without food or shelter on a bleak coast, in inclement weather, many leagues away from their comrades! But Serriio showed his usual courage and good judgment. Carry- ing some planks which they had rescued from the waves, to make a raft for crossing the mouth of the wide river they had passed, the forlorn party staited northward. IJy the time that they reached tlu; Kio de Santa Cruz, so exhausted were the n)en from exposure and want oi nourishment, tliat it was decided to send forward two of their number to make their uay to the tleet, while .(,.:« f.'l ■■ lit- I ! 140 The World's Discoverers I- •} tlio rest sliould nMrniiii where they were, snstiiiiiiiijif themselves (tii lish. 'I'he two messeiii^ers ferried them- selves over the hroad esttiuiy on their litth' rut't iind, after eleven days of horrihle snfferint,', durinL,^ whieh they lived S(jmetimes on roots and leaves, sometimes on raw shell-lisli, reached the harlioi', so altered in ai)[tear- ance liy their hardshi[ts that they wvw scarcely recog- nized by their comrades. Magellan promptly sent a relief-party to snecor the shi[)\vrecked mariners. These, too, enco\nitered lerri- hle privati»)ns, hnt arrived at their destination. Their distressed cunuades were l)rou<^ht over the river in par- lies of two or thi'ee on the little raft, and then the home- ward march began. So well had everything been managed that, in spite of the sufferings endured, not a life had lieen lost. The " Santiago's " crew were dis- tributed among the other ships, and Serrao was given conunand of the "Concepeion." Magellan was now in a stronger [)osition than befoie. Instead of three dis- affected ca[)tains, be had thre(( staunch I'ortuguese, Serrao. ^b'S([uita, and IJarbosa, in command. Since leaving the liio de la Plata no human being had been seen. IJut. wow they had a visit from a native whose lofty stature surju'ised them as nuich as their ships amazed him. The S[)aniai'ds came \\[) to his waist-belt, says the chronicler, cvidentl}' using the trav(dei"'s [)iivilcge of drawing a long bow. They conidudi'd that they had come U})oii a race of giants. 'I'hey made a great imjjression on the Spaniards by greedily devouiing, raw, the rats which were caught on shipboard, and seemed wvy [»roud of their ability to •; ■■■!■ a a p c 01 H R O v. •«; s. < o :3 t- I 'KffiVi J ;1 J .sr : K: 3Bi The Strait Discovered H3 thrust an arrow far down tlie throat, after the nuinnor of 8wor(l-«walh)wt'rs. An old engraving of the passing of tlio Strait represents one of them in tlie act of per- forming this feat. Wishing to secure siu-ciniens of lliesc "giants "to take home to his master, Magellan laid a trap ill this fashion. Two sturdy young fellows were invited aboard and were loaded with gilts. Wli'ii their hands were full, he presented them with a pair of irons and obligingly showed them how they fitted on the legs. In a moment the poor creatures found themselves piis- oners. In their helpless rage, they called on their great god, Setebos, for aid.^ One of the unfortunate cap- tives actually reached Spain in the "San Antonio; " the other died at sea. It is hardly necessary to say that, after this act of treachery, the natives would not trust themselves within reach of the Spaniards. When the latter pursued a party and tried to capture some by force, the savages stood their ground long enough to discharge a flight of arrows, one of which killed a man. For some reason, Magellan determined to resume his voyage. On the 24th of August, mid-winter in that region, the fleet sailed and came to the Rio de Santa Cruz. Here two months were spent, chiefly in storing wood on the ships and securing and m. ^! i 144 I'hc \V\)rld's Discoverers iiig llko 11 iKiy." I low tlic great iiiivij^iitor's lioart must liave leaped at (he thought that this was douhtless the Jong-sought sti'ait. Much has heeii writleJi on thi' (|Ues- tion whether Magelhiu had any actual knowledge of tiio r'xistcMice ol' such a passage. On tlm wliole, it seems fairly well estahlished that he had. it is certain that tlu-ri^ weri! charts, cs[)ccially thos(! ol" Martin IWihaim and .Johann Sehiiiier, on which such a passage was laid down, on the; anthority of sonic of the explorers who, early in the; centuiy, had followed the coast-line far to the south. It is a fair [iresumption, too, that Magellan, to secure the royal jiatronagc and aid for his undertak- ing, must have prestiuted aiguments more substantial than a mere theory (»f his own. Whatever knowledge existed, however, was vague and shadowy, and certainly nohody had yet penetrate' the strait to any distance, still less traversed it. One of the historians relates that it was Magellan himself who lirst perceived the entrance of the strait; that it was near midnight: and that the other captains believed it to be a mere indentation of the coast. J low easily we can picture the great navigator standing on tlu! lofty prow of the " 'J'rinidad,"' peering, with a beat- ing heart, into the gloom! Were the hopes and dreams of a lifetime abont to be realized, or was he on the eve of a bitter disapi)ointment? There was a s[)acious bay, which the vessels entered. Then the Admiral ordered the "San Antonio" and the "Concepciou" to explore the seeming strait and return within live days aiul report what they had observed. What if they shoidd come back and report that there The Strait Discovered H5 10 :'-F '^=-- 1^6 The World's Discoverers !' Wiis lu) piissiigo tlicic? Tluit siinu! iiij,Mit it furious sUuiii oaiho oM, und tlio two veH.sols in the uutniuco run out to sea for safoty. At the sanu! tiiuo thu two piourcis found tluMuselves in a perilous i)liglit. First they attempted to rtijoiu tiieir eoinrades, but were unable to weatlier tbe ca[)e wliieli shut them from the anehora.i:re. Then they put about and ran towards the end of the bay, ijxpeeting notliinj^ else than eertain destruetion, for there seemed to im no opening. Suddenly they found them- selves rounding a [Hjint, and a [)assage revealed itself. On they ran, mile after mile, thankful for their release from the jaws of death, until they came out into a broad bay. Still they pushed on through a series of narrows and wider reaches, until they had satisfied themselves that the opening led an innnense distance southward. Then they retraced their course.^ In the mean time there was consternation on the other vessels. Days had passed, and there was still no sign of the pioneers. Fear was growing into certainty that they had perished in the storm. Anxiously scanning the shore for some sign of the missing vessels, Magel- lan saw the smoke of distant fires. Undoubtedly, he thought, these must have been lighted by the survivors of a shipwreck. Then, when gloomy apprehension filled every mind, suddenly the "San Antonio" and the 1 It has boon explnincil to the writer by an oM sea-cnptain, familiar with thoso waters, that one peculiarity of the Strait is the immense depth. In some parts tliere is no aneliorafre at all, and a vessel may sometimes liave to run fifty miles before she can find a spot where she can lie to. Alto>,'etlier, with its tortuous passajfes, its numerous sounds and openings leadin', sometimes narrow, some- times widening into broad bays, the conviction grew always stronger in him that the iirst great object of the expedition had been aceom[)lished. Then he took the opinion of his oilii-evs as to [)roseeuting the voyage to the Moluccas, W'th but one exception, all weiv in favor of [)usliing on. 'I'hey imagined, now the road was almost certainly found, that the S[)iee Islands nnist be within easy reach. Visions of l)almy trojjical islands rose before them,, and thev were almost clamorous for [)ushing the entci'pi'ise. The one dissenting voice was that of Gomes, pilot of the "San Antonio." At the best, he bore no good-will to Magellan; and the a[)i)ointment of Mes(|uita, the Admii'al's kinsman, instead of himself, the King's jtih;!, to command th, vessel, had deejjly incensed him. Now he protested strongly ag "wst proceeding. I^nough had been done, he said. I^et the vessels return to Spain and report the strait discovered. Then the}' might sail again with a fi'csh ('(pii[>n»ent and ]»ush their way through to the Moluccas, lie urged that these lay fiirther away than many imagined, which was trui'; and ■ 8 'II If H 150 The World's Discoverers if, oil the way thither, they shoiihl eiieoiuiter either l()!>g ciihiis o: stctrms, prnhaldy all Wdiild [)eri.sh. From this it is |)liiin that \nt had a better idea ot the siz(^ of rdir ^lohe than was coiniuoii. Seven years had [)assed since Iialhoa saw the Pacific, but its vast width was not dreamed of. Maijellan rejjlied, making light of his objections. lie would push on, he said, even though they might be diiven to such extremity as to eat the leather on tne shi[)s' yards. He would not hear of j)Utting back, and, to stamp out all (»]>[)osition, issued an order that nobody, under pain of death, should discuss the dilliculties of the task or the scarcity of provisions. A few days later a most disheartening thing Ijefell the vo^-agers. Magellan bad been compelled to grope his way through the strait by exploring its various o[)en- ings, sounds, and bays, lie had despatclied the "San Antonio " and the "('oncep»*ion " on a mission of this kind. After several days the latter vessel returned alone. l!er consort had outsailed her and disap})eared. Magellan's ;iiixiety was extreme. He instituted a search. The '* V^ictoria '' even sailed back to the veiy entrance of the straits: but there was no trace of the missing vessel. Then it became certain that one of two things had hai)})ened: either t]\o "San Antonio" had peiislu'd ^vith all hands, or she had deserted. Magel- lan did not live tt) niscertain the truth which the sur- vivor* of the expe♦" the crew lunl nnitinied. over])ow«-'red the rc^st, stabbed ll*'>«|uiia iiti*\ [)Ut him in irons, replaced him with The Strait Discovered 151 anotlier captain, and made sail for home. Almost a ytnir later tiicy roaclicd Seville. Tlu'ir desertion was a terrible blow to the expedition, especially since every ounce of food was imjiortant. Tiie "San Antonio" was the largest vessel of the tleet and carried a proportionate supply of stores. Her pilot, j; H ( 'li '55 too, the traitor (roines, was a skilled mariner and ahnost indispensable. Hut this disconridi^intjf loss was well-nigh forgotten in the excitement of anotlu'r occurrence. A boat sent ahead a considerable distance to reconnoitre came baiik with the joyful news that they had sighted the cape which terminated the strait and had seen the open s«'a beyond, the great Mar del Sur. Imagine the joy of tlie 152 The World's Discoverers navigators, after all their bitter iufferings s ;h1 cruel anxieties! Wliile tiie ships lired salvoes of artillery, tears coiirseil ilowii the Iroiized cheeks of the stern cominaiider, whom no peril could move. Sailing in the deep gorge between higli sierras and noting the smoke of numerous lires on the soutiiern side of the straits, Magellan called the hind Tierra (h'l Fuego. On tlie 28th of November, thirty-eight days from the time of entering Uie straits, with t .lor-i Hying and cannon roaring, the little fleet emerged on the brinid ocean, whose waters a European keel had never before cut. After the storm and stress of the "still-vexed" Atlan- tic, well might the great navigator, sailing over its traiKjuil bosom, heaving only with a long swell, call it the Pacific, the Peaceful. ,1 Plague, Pestilence, and Fj.niine 153 CIIAPTKU XV I'r.AOrH, I'KSTII.KNCK, ANP FAMINH Now ln'f^iiM a voyaj^o wliicli, fdi- lioi'iors lieroically encountered, stands almost without a parallel in human records. Measure; the distanei! fi-om the Straits of Mai^ellan to the Ladrones, where the lleet lirst encoun- tered inhahited land. Vou will lind it to he the e(iuivalent of sailin*,'' half around the gloh(»! It is a fearful stri!teh even to-day for sailing' vessels, fully [)rovisioned, e(ini{)iied with every seientilic apitliance, and having; every Ica'^iic of their course chiii'led, with winds and cuirents laid down. \\'hat must it have heen for three little craft, pioil}- furnished, gioj)ing their way hlind y over unknown seas! For the lirst two Witdcs the lleet held its way north- ward, in ordi r to escape t!ie cold. Tin n the eouise was altered to the northwest. It was one of the fatalities of this disastrous voyiiice teat, had Ma^'ellan taken a nortliwesterly course innnediatcly on enteiiiii;- the Pacific, he would ha\'e run into some of the nunierous island ji^roiips of I'olynesia and escaped the horrors of famine and scurvy fn>iii which his men soon hcujan to perish. His actual course kept him in the open o(can, out of si^ht of the ^real islaud-woild. wlieie lie would haN'e found an ample supply foi- all his nee(|s. Now day after day }»assed, week after week, and slill no s]uld not turn him back. They stripped off the hide with wliich the main yj^i'd was cc^'ered to prevent it from ('haling against the rigging, soakcid, and ate it. Si^urvy in its worst form broke out. Agav; aiifl again the mournful ceremony of committing a dead com- rade to thc! deep was gone through. Tlie living dragged Ihemsclves about the decks, suffering cruelly in their limlis. All the whih- tiie ti'opical sun l)la/.(!d on them with pitiless heat. And still amid all the world of water there was no sign of land. At last the Line was reached, the known latitude of the Moluccas. Hut Abigellan thought it wiser to sliapu Plague, Pestilence, and Famine 155 his coui-se to tho iiortliwiin], in tlu> liopc, i)n)l)jil)ly, of rejicliing sonio [mrt of (^hinu, wIutc lie could ivlit iuid ruvictual liis fleet us ho coiihl not in the Spice Ishmds. Tims another dreadful month jjussed. With what anxiety the despairinnr seamen gjized westward, day after • lay, we can easily imagine. k lii! M )\ : tli ft I' i'; i' •S6 The World's Discoverers CHAl'TER XVI DISCOVKIIY OF THK I'lIILIlMMMOS AND DEATH OF MAIJKLLAN At last, on the (!th of Marcli, niiiety-oi^lit days after oiit(!riii<3^ tlu! I'acilif, land was sighted, iiilialdted land.' What ai)tized, taking' the name of ( 'alios, in honor of the Em{»eror. TIk; same afternoon tlie (|Ueen and a numlMjr of hvv ladies received haptism. Tliiit day no less than eight hundied jtersons were i-eeeiscd into tlie chnreh. It seemed as if tlu^ jieoph! of Stlm could not (piiekly enough iMubraee the new religion, so zealous were they. Within a week all of them, togctlier with many fr()!n neighboring islands, had n'eeiv«'d the outward and visii)le sign of being Christians. It must U; said, however, that their works did not tj'ute iigree with their faith. Evidently they wished to remain on good terms with their old gods, at the san\e time tliat they SiK'ured the assistance of the SjKiniards' (iod, for they did not burn their wooden i(h)ls, as they had promised. Magellan was much scandalized at learning this. lie reproved them severely. They answered that they ke]it their gods in order tliat these might restore to health a brother of the prince who lay so ill that he had not spoken for four days. Here was a great o])])ortunity for showing the infinite superiority of Christianity to paganism. Magellan eagerly seized it. He assmcd the king that if he had true faith in our Lord, burned his i(h)ls, and caused the sick man to be bai)tizt'(l, he woidd quickly recover. On this h' would stake his life. The king agreed. A procession marched with great show to the sick man's house, where he was found unable to speak or move. lie was baptized, and lo! instantly he was able to speak. Five days later he rose i' **t ; { \> ^aj v^.-^> ^o^A^^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1/ /A>^. 7a 1.0 I.I 2.5 2.2 ■« 1^ llllli if 1^ 12.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 1 1 /s „ 6" ► V. '^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREfT WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 C/j Ka ^ # i6o The World's Discoverers I .':j li from liis Ijed, burned an idol that he had in his house, and caused several temples to be destro}'ed. This marvelous cure inspired the natives with zeal for the new religion. They could not destroy their idols fast enough, and range themselves under the strangers' (Jod. The Si)aniards were now riding on the top of tlie wave of p[)eiiriince to be desc.-rihed. . . . They arc udoriied with palms, laurels, cypresses, and other varieties, unknown to Kurope, that send forth the sweetest fragi'ancc to a great distance." How the se.a- worn mariners, tossed in a winter voyage on the stormy Atlantic, must have been ravished as they ap[)roached this balmy southern land in the springtime and scented the fragrance wafted far seaward! Thirty-eight years later another famous explorer. Captain Jean liibault, having made his landfall on the same coast, further southward, in the springtime also, writes with rapture of enjoying " with unspeakable pleasure the odorous smell and beauty" of the shore, and beholding "the goodly order of the woods wherewith God hath decked every way the said land." Though Verrazano knew that he was not on the coast of Asia, he evidently believed it to be not very far away, and, with the fragrance of the Carolina woods in his nostrils, he writes," this country cannot be devoid of the same medicine and aromatic drugs and various riches of gold and the like, as is denoted by the color of the ground. " So he coasted along northward, not finding any har- boi', l)ut noting the multitude of fires, which he took to indicate a numenms population. Undoubtedly the natives Avere signaling his coming. Often they came down to the l)each, making gestures of welcome. One particular instance of their good-will he relates. A young sailor swam close to the shore carrying a number m ? ! ■ 8 ;l l: I r 1 i8o The World's Discoverer of toys and knick-knacks. Wlicn he was near enough, he tossed tliem to a group standing near the water's edge. But, turning to swim hack, he was thrown over hy the waves and dashed on the siiore with so great violence that he hiy as it were dead. Thereu[)on some of tlie natives seized him hy the arms and k'gs and car- ried him up from the surf. Under the impression that some horril)le fate was in store for liim, lie uttered l)iercing shrieks. His eom})anions in the boat, also, when they saw him set down near a huge lire and his clothes taken off, imagined that he was about to be roasted on the s[)ot. But all parties were quickly re- assured by the kindly actions of the natives, who, when he was sufficiently restored to be able to swim out to the boat, accompanied him to the shore and watched him until he was-safe with his friends. Such were the aborigines of this coast in their first disposition towards Euro[)eaiis. That they did not long retain it, is not to be wondered at, when we read of such episodes as Lucas de Ayllon's dastardly kidnapping of a shipload of them to woAz as slaves in St. Domingo. How well they could requite treachery he learned when he next landed among them. Verrazano himself fur- nishes a conspicuous example of the brutal savagery of those who claimed to represent the humane spirit of Christianity. In the next paragraph to that which describes the friendliness of the natives, he relates that, Avalking in the woods with a party of his men, he came upon an old woman and a young girl with three chil- dren, and would have taken the girl, "who was very beautiful and very tall," but was hindered by her France on the Coast of North America i 8 i sliru'ks uiid struggles and wiis coniin'Ilcd to content liiinst'lf u itli carrying away tlu? oldest of tliu children, a boy of eight years, to be taken to France. The explorer was niuch impressed by the native canoes, made by "burning out as much oi a log as is recpiisite to make them float well on the sea;" and be gives a true picture of the sandy shore-line of our southern coast when he says, "in the whole country, for a space of two hundred leagues, wliicli we visited, we saw no stone of any sort." Now we come to one of tbe most significant passages: "After proceeding one bundred leagues, we found a very pleasant situation among some steep hills, through which a very large river, deep at its mouth, forced its way to tbe sea." Upon this passage and others which follow. Dr. Fiske remarks: "Tiiere can Ik? no ti()ii of ii liir^'c [Kirt (if our caslem (-((iist. JJiit wliiit of tlu! piissiige toCiitliay? V^MTazaiio did not (daiin to liav(! discovcivd one. Hut tlicrc is tlu^ (duarost evidcnno that ha Indievcd liims«!lf to have actu- ally htokcsd ui)ou the Paeilic. After his return, liis brotlier niadi; a uia[) \vhi(di has a singular feature. It shows the continent of Nortii America divided into a great body of hmd at tlie soutli and a snialhjr one at the nortli, these two connected ])y a narrow isthnnis in the region now known as ihn eastern shore of Virginia. On this map is the inscription: "From tliis eastern sea one behokls the wcsstern sea; there are six mih's of hind between the two." Thereu[)on Dr. Fiske has sur- mised, with great phuisibility, that Verrazauo missed the entrance of Chesa[)eake Hay, but, chancing to hmd a little to the north of it on the narrow Accomac penin- sula, and seeing the apparently l)oundless expanse of the bay on the west, mistook it for the western ocean. Ills error was perpetuated in a series of maps, covering nearly a hundred years, all of which show, in the region referred to, a narrow isthmus connecting tw^o continen- tal areas and washed on its western shore by a so-called "Sea of Verrazano." The most of the pioneers of exi)loration died on the element where they gained renown. A worse fate befell Verrazano. Three years after hh famous voyage, while engaged on another, he met a Spanish squadron, and, after a stout fight, was overpowered by superior force, captured, taken to Cadiz, and hanged as a pirate. THE VERRAZANO MAP I M 1 Cm \W Franc" on the Coast of North America 1 87 The t'liief result of liis exjjlonilion seems to luive been the kiiowU'dLfe wliich FnMich seiimeii maiinMl of the Iliidsoii River, i'iiey are said to have fieijiieiited it \oi\g before Kn<;-lish or Dutch eanie there, and, so early as lo40, to have built a tradiug-fort where Albany now stands, besides one at Manhattan. A eurious controversy has gi-own out of Verrazano's voyaf,^e with reference to the mysterious region known as Norund)ega, a name which lie seems to have iirst l)rought to the attention of Europeans-. There has been nnich diversity of opinion as to the meaning and origin of the word, as well as the situation of the country. The late Professor Ilorsford, of Cand)ridge, stoutly maintained that the name was the Indian attempt to pionounce Norwega, the Latin form of Norway, and that it designated a city on tlui ('luu'les River, in i\[assachu- setts, erected by the Northmen early in the eleventh century. Passengers on the bridge over the Charles between Waltham and Newton may read this inseri})tion on a tablet: "Outlook upon the stone dam and st(,ne- walled docks and whai-ves of Nornmbega, the seaport of the Northmen in Vineland. Erected by E ben Norton Ilorsford, Dec. 31, 1S92." Others have maintained that the Penobscot was the Noruudjcga River. IJut tin; old njaps, which surely are the best witnesses on this point, strongly controvert bith these theories. One, of the date of 1550, has the words Terra de Nurumbega in large letters covering all the country from the Hudson to Nariugansett Ray. Another, of the date of 15G9, a particularly fine one, has the region both east and west of the Hudson desig- f. m f' < i if^ it : t . f , J i i88 The World's Discoverers nated Norombega, and, in addition, the same name in small lettci-s set opposite a village at the head of New Yolk IJay. On this testimony it would seem to be clearly estal)- lished that the name Noruml)ega covered both a region about the Hudson and a village on or near the site of New York City. Early Seekers of a Northeast Passage 189 CHAPTER XIX THE EARLIEST SEEKERS OP A NORTHEAST PASSAGE For our fii-st authentic glimpse of the countries and races of the far north we are indebted to a royal writer, Alfred the Great. This noblest of English rulers "desired to leave to the men that come after a remeiii- brance of him in good works," and, dying, was able to say, "So long as I have lived, I have striven to live worthily." He earnestly sought to enlighten his pe()j)le, and in order to throw open to them the knowledge which till then had been limited to the clergy, who alone understood Latin, he translated several books into English. Thus he laid the foundations of our noble literature. He has also left us an account of the first Arctic exploration of which there is any record. About the year 880 there came to liis court a man whose experiences must have been wonderfully interest- ing to Alfred's eager mind. His judgment did not err as to the value of this early explorer's discoveries. The story of Othere's voyage bears all the murks of truth, Ijecause it gives a description, accurate at this day, of lands and peoples about whom, at that time and for hundreds of years afterwards, the most grotescpu' fables were current in Europe. His story was briefly this: — ■ He was a native of Helgeland, in the northern part of Norway. Beyond him all was waste land, except that in f : t :.i-U 190 The World's Discoverers ji f(nv places tlicre dwelt Finns, hnnting in the winter and in the sninnier fisliing. lie was desirous of seeing how far the waste land extended. 'I'herefore he set sail and followed the coast northward, until he had gone i;s far as the whale-hunters were wont to uro- peans, among whom the most absurd accounts of these peoples circulated. Xothingwas too preposterous to be credited. If we would form an idea of the kind of "travelers' tales" that were current down to a compara- tively rece ^t time, we have only to read Sir John Aiaiin- deville, who has l)een mentioned in the lirst chapter f)f this book. Here is a sam[)le paragraph, with modern i* 6 i 1 i ■ I , t «; f ■ f 1 -! .f4?: 1; I ii I 92 The World's Discoverers li N^'iviJ Kal!i spelling: "In another isle are people who have the face all flat, without nose and witliout mouth. In another isle are people that have the lip above the mouth so ^H'eat, that when they sleep in the sun, they cover all the face with that lip. And in another isle there are dwarfs, whicli have no mouth, but instead of their mouth they liave a little round hole ; and when they shall eat or drink, they take it through a pijjc or a pen or such a thing, and suck it in. And in another isle are [)eople that have horses' feet. In another isle are people that are all skinned and fcuthered, and would leap as lightly into trees and from tree to tree as squirrels or apes." The imaginative knight sometimes vouches for these absurdities as matters of his own personal knowledge. For instance, he gives this information about diamonds: "They grow many together, one little, another great; and there are some the greatness of a bean, and some as great as a hazel-nut. They arc square and pointed of their own k'.id, without work of man's hand. They grow together, male and female, and are nourished by the dew of heaven. They bi'ing forth small children, that multiply and grow all the year. I have oftentimes tried the experiment, that if a man keep them with a little of the rock and wet them with Maj'-dew often, they shall grow every year, and the small will grow great; for right as the fine pearl congeals and grows great by the dew of heaven, right so doth the true diamond." Elsewhere he writes of parrots that talk w'ithout being taught. But he does not tell what lan- j' ige they speak. Early Seekers of a Northeast Passage 193 The eagerness with which these tales were devouri'd in Europe gives us a startling insight into the general ignorance and credulity. Exce})t the Scriptures, no other book, it is said, was more connuon in the end of the fourteenth century and the hegiiuiing of the iifteenth. Undouhtedly what Sir John wrote aljout China and India, together with the earlier narration of IShirco Polo, went far towards arousing the curiosity and greed of western Europe and nourishing the dream of Catliay which insi)ired those adventurous voyages, the most important of which are sketched in this hook. When men read of an eastern land where silver was too com- mon to be used for tableware, but was made into stei)s, pillars, and pavements; and of Prester John's palace, with its gates of precious stones, its halls and chand)ers of crystal, its tables of gold studded with emeialds, and huge carbuncles giving great light by night, it is small wonder that they thirsted for a share in that magic wealth. So it was that these tales, while they added nothing to the sum of knowledge, helped to kindle that eager longing out of which Cohunbus's voyage was born, together with many others that opened up un- known regions of the globe. In this chaotic state remained the knowledge of Euro- peans about Asia three centuries longer. The North was a vast terra incognita, of which scarcely anything was known, while monstrous fables were circidated; the far East was a land whose reputed boundless wealth and dazzling splendor surpassed the wildest dreams of the Western imagination. The discovery of America greatly stimulated that 13 k:' ! !1 ' 3 •i. t ii (., i- M ' ! Ill j lilt! 1^ k I 'il; 194 The World's Discoverers activity of wliich it wiis tlic imni(3(li5ite fruit. All Eiiro[)e WHS eager to sliare in tlin wealtli of the Indies, su[>iiose(l to have been readied by tlie western route. The ap[)arently inexliaustihle supply of silver which, after the conquests of Cortez and Pizarro, [joured in a stream into the Iberian peninsula, seemed to reali/x' the old legends of the Kast. Hut the sellish policy and the unquestioned mastery on the water of Spain and Portu- gal closed to the rest of the world the southern routes to this VA Dorado. Far from disseminating their knowledge of those regions, they carefully concealed it. Out of this necessity of having a route of their own, secure from tiie tyrants of the southern seas, the thought grew up among the northern nations, that the far East might l)e reached either by the northeast or by the northwest. So early as 1527, Robert Thorne urged Henry VIII., since the S[)aniards and Portuguese had discovered all other countrit^s, to undertake explorations in the North. It was possible, he said, if one sliould sail to the Pole and then turn to the east, passing "the land of the Tartars " (Sibc'ria), to reach China. Or one could attain the same end })y turning to the west and sailing along the back of Newfoundland. In the time of Henry's son and successor the first maritime expedition on a large scale was sent out from I^iUgland. The equipment of the vessels was carried out with great care under the direction of the veteran navigator, Sebastian Cabot, " Governor of the mysterie and companie of the Marchants Adventurers of the citie of London." The object of the expedition was the "dis- ;i.| '' 1:11 SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY Early Seekers of a Northeast Passage i 97 covoric ol' Catliiiy and divers otlins placry iiid\\ n." Its coininuiuU'r, Sir IiMi,di Willoiij^dihy, carried an open letter in Latin, (Jreek, and several other lan_i,niaji^es, re(iuesting the pcuph; of any countries to whicii he might come to treat him as tliey woidd wish to he treated if tliey slioiiid come to Knghmd. The expedition,, consisting of three vessels, the "" IJona Esperanza," under Sir Hugh Willougiihy, the "Edward IJona venture," under Hieliard Chancelor, and the '' l»ona Contidentia," under Cornelius Durfoorth, sailed in May, 1553. It was sent off with a great hui-st of popular enthusiasm, with roaring cannon and shout- ing nudtitudes. The vessels turned the northern extremity of Europe and entered tlie Arctic Ocean. In Sei)tend)er, during a gale, they parted company. Sir Hugh, with his ship and the "Confidentia," found a good harhor on the coast of Russian Lapland, at the mouth of the river Arzina, and determined to winter there. Of their fate we know riothing more than that, during the course of a winter which nnist have been frightful, every man of the sixty-two died, doubtless of cold and the scurvy. The last words of the commander's journal [jathetically record that he had sent out men three days' journey to the west, to the southwest, and to the east, but all returned "without finding of people or any similitude of habitation." When Russian fishermen came, in the spring, to the harbor, they found the English ships, but there was no sign of life about them. Death's icy hand lay heavy on all the company. A strange spectacle it was, that of two silent ships, tenanted only by the dead. i ■* ( ; i-t I I 198 The World's Discoverers Very (lilTciciit iiulocd was tlio fiilc of Uicluinl Cliim- ('(•I(ir. It was Ills ^'ood lordiiic to iiiuki) a voyngc wliidi (•[k'IumI a new uni in cttiimit'ici'. Tin" "I'Mward lioiia- vciitiii'c," wlioii slu! lost lit'i' coiisoits ill a storm, sailed t(( V'^ardoi'liiis, a lishiii*,' town on (Ik; iiortlicast coast of Noi'way. After \vaitiii.L( tliei'e a week for Willoiij^hhy, lie set out a<(aiii, resolved "either to \)V\\iany was formed in London for tho furtlierancc of this traih;. Itestah- lislied its agents at pointH on the Wliito Sea, and the re- nioU^ North was hrought into trade rehitions with west- ern Kuroi)e. Tiius was gained an extensive knowledge of the land of the midnight sun, and noilhern Russia was greatly benelited by this connncrce, one fruit of which is the city of Archangel. While their captain was away the crew of the shii) had an experience of cold such as they had never dreamed of. "In their going up only from their cahiny to the hatches, they had their breath oftentimes so sud- denly taken away, that they eftsoones fell down as men very neere dead, so great is the sharpnesse of that cold climate " During his journey to Moscow and his stay there Chancelor made some very shrewd observations. He was very nnich struck with the contrast between the coarseness and scpialor of some things and the osten- tation of wealth in others. He remarks: "As for the king's court and i)alace, it is not of the neatest, only in forme it is foure square, and of low building, nuich surpassed and excelled by the beautie and elegancie of the houses of the kings of England." Imagine his surprise when, within this mean exterior, he saw the emperor sitting in "a very royall throne, having on his head a Diademe or crown of golde and in his hand a 1 I If ki ! U 200 The World's Discovci^rs HI ' tf il ,■ f}' ■ :'■ sc'.'[)t('r pu'iiisluMl and besot with precious stones," sur- roundcnl hy tli'j great ol'lieers of state, "arayed also in cloth oL gold;" and when he observed that "all the fur- niture of dishes and drinking vessels for the use of a hundred guests was all of [)ure golde, and the tables were so laden with vessels of gold, that there was no roonie for some to stand upon them," while "140 servi- tors arayed in cloth of gold changed thrise their habit and. apparell." Probably he was so much dazzled by the barbaric splendor which he actually witnessed tliat he imagined much more. Russia seemed to him wonderfully rich in military resources, because of its enormous jjopulation inured to cold, iiardship, and meagre fare. She had not so nuich disei])lined troops as wild hordes (Cossacks). "They are men without al order in the held. For the most part they never give l)attell to their enemies; but that which they doe, they doe it all by stelth. But I believe they 1)6 such men for hard living as are not under the sun: for no cold will hurt them. Yea and though they lie in the field two moneths, at such time as it shall freese more than a yard thicke, the common sovddier hath neether tent nor anything else over his lie.id • the most defence they have against the wether is a felte, which is set against the vvdnd and weather, and Avhen the snow connneth bee doth cast it off. and maketh him a fire and laith him down thereby. Everie man nuist carie and make provision for himself and his horse for a moneth or two. lie himself shall live upon water and otenmeale mingled together cold: his horse shall eat green wo^.d and such like baggage and shall stand oju'V Early Seekers of a Northeast Passage 201 in tlui cold field without I'ovort. and yet wil lie lulKmr and siTVG him wel/' On the whole, Russia seemed to him like ""a young horse that knoweth not his strength, whom a little child ruleth and guideth with a l)ri aiul live most miserably, for I have seen them eat the pickle of Ilearring and other stiidving fish; nor the lish cannot be so rotten, but they will eat it and praise it."' lie concludes with some remarks on the religion of the Russians: "When any of them die, they have a testimoiuall with them in the collin, that when ihv. soule commeth to heaven gates, it may di'livei- the same to Saint Peter, which declareth that the pai'tie is a trui^ and holy Russian." I'ut, after telling much of their fic- quent fasts and their masses and elaborate ceremonies and daily services, he says, even of their "blacko monks," "as for leclnry and (h'unkenness there Ix? none such liviuLj; and for extortion tliev be the u)^ i abliom- niable under thesunne. Nowe judge of their iiolinesse! " There was a terrible percentage of mortality among the early adventurers in the northeast. Chancelor was one of the man3' who perished. Two years aftei- his successful voyage and his return to England with a letter from the Czar to his roval master, he sailed once I',- r: f»*-i ' W 202 The World's Discoverers 3 I! I more to the Dwiiia. Returning, Avith a Russian eni- 1 cissy on l)()ar(l, besides a valuable cargo, an evidence of the liuMative tiade which he liad been the means of estal)lishing, his vessel was wrecked on the coast of Scotland, and he, with his wife and seven Russians, was drowned. Ill th(^ same year was made another notable voyage in the same direction. Stephen Burrough sailed from ICngland in a little pinnace called the "Searchthrift." Sel)astian Cabot was again one of the chief promoters of the enterprise. His warm interest is mentioned by Burrough in a very quaint way: "The good olde Gen- tleman Master Cabota " (then seventy-nine years oM) "gave to the poore mosi liberal almes, wishing them to pray for the good fortune and prosperous successe of the * Searchthrift. ' And then he and his friends banketed and made me and them that were in the company great checrr • and for very joy he entred into the dance himselfe, among the rest of the young and lusty com- pany: which l)eing ended, bee and his friends departed most gi'utl}', commending us to the governance of .vlniightie (Jod.'' In two respects the voyage of the " Searchthrif t " is memorable. Tlie daring little pimiace penetrated fur- ther than any previous vessel of western Europe, as far even as Vaygats Island, wliich lies between Nova Zem- bla and Siberia, and Kara Strait, which leads into the Kai-a Sea. Again '"n liurrough's journal we have one of tlu; very earliest accounts of the Samoyeds, and a true picture it is at this day. He gives occasionally perhaps rather free play to his imagination. In describing Early Seekers of a Northeast Passage 203 some religious incantations wliirli he witnessed, lie seems to say that he saw a Sluunai:, or |)riestly conjurer, run a sword heated white-hot through his abd(tmen and withdraw it, while he remained uninjured, lint, alto- gether, the voyage added nnich to the scant knowledge of the countries and peoples of Lhe high northern liititudes. After this the English were so much occupied with fitting out expeditions to the northwest, that it was not till I08O that a new attempt was made in the direction of the northeast. In that year Arthur I'et and Charles Jacknuia set out with instructions to sail on until they sIujm" 1 c ; • to ""the ccmntry of Cathay or the dominion of tli,,c. Kiighty emperor" (th.^ Grand Khan). The dream of C;ithay was still tlie mf>tive of these ventures. Pet and Jackman were men of heroic strain. They were the first explorers who ventured in good earnest amongst the drift-ice. They boldly approached the shores of Nova Zendtla, passed through tlu; stiuits, and, first of all Western Europeans, forced their way into the dreaded Kara Sea. When we consider that this was done with two pitiful little vessels, (me of forty and the other of twenty i "Minion," and soon began to have experiences capal)lc of quenchijig their thii-st for novelty. After their arri- val in Newfoundland, besides some of the natives in a canoe who fled at their approach, they saw notliing but "thesoyle and the things growing in the same, which chiefly were store of firre and pine trees." Scarcitv of victuals soon grew into gaunt famine. In one place they found some small relief in an usijrey's nest. As fast 'w\«awn »» Early Seekers of a Northwest Passage 205 as tlie mother Ijrought fish to her young, they robbed them. From day to day matters grew -worse. Herbs and roots alone stood between them and death. One day, in the liorrible pangs of hunger, a man killed a comrade in the woods, and broiled and ate portions of his body. Another man, seeking roots, smelt tlesh brf)il- ing and, when he met the guilty wretch, re{)roachcd him with having secret supplies of meat, while his com- rades were starving. The murderer bore these taunts at the first in sullen silence. Then he blurted out, "If thou wouldest needes know, the broiled meate I had was a callop of such a man's body." When this cir- cumstance was reported to the captain on boaid the ship, he stood up and made a notable oration, in which he showed how grievously such conduct offended the Almighty. He cited instances from the Scri})tures of the help which God gave in times of distress to those who trusted him, reminding them that God's power was not lessened, "and added, that if it had not i)leased Him to have holpen them in that distresse, it had been better to perish in body and to live everlastingly, than to have relieved for a poore time their mortal bodyes, and to be condemned everlastingly, both body and sonic, to the unquenchal)le fire of hell." 'I'heir misery still increasing, they agreed among themselves that, rather than all perish, they should cast lots who should be killed. "That same night, such was the mercie of God, there arrived a French ship in that port well furnished with vittaile." The godly adventurei-s promptly plundered the Frenchmen of all that they needed and hoisted sail for liorae. When they I • "i ' \ ■ ill if 2o6 The World's Discoverers I r M : rcaulicd Engliuul, one of their number was "so eliuiiged in the voyage with hunger and niiserie, that Sir William, his father, and my Lady, his mother, knew liim not to bo their sonne, until they found a secret mark, which was a wart upon one of his knees," as he liimself told that famous old chronicler, Richard Ilakluyt, who had ridden "200 miles to learn the whole trueth of this voyage from his own mouth." In One time the plundered Frenchmen came along and made complaint to the king. Jiluff King Hal caused the matter to be investigated and was so much moved by the story of his subjects' sufferings "that he ])unished them not, but of his own purse made full and royall recompense unto the French." Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the inspirer of northwestern exploration, made a successful voyage to Newfoundland in 1578. His last venture was made in lo'SB. ' He sailed with five vessels and two hundred and sixty men, including shipwrights, smiths, masons, and carpenters, his purpose being to plant a colony. His "great design was to discover the remote countries of America, and to In'mg off those savages from their diabolical sui)ersti- tions to the embracing the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Therefore he sailed jjrovided with "musicke in good varietie ; not omitting the least toyes, as morris-dancci-s, hobby horsscs and many like conceits, to delight the savage people, whom we intended to winne by all faire means possible." Two days after sailing one ship put back, under pre- tence of the captain's illness. On their entering the harbor of St. John, Newfoundland, they were enter- ? Early Seekers of a Northwest Passage 207 taiiiecl with great profusion by some Eiiglisli inereluiiits who were trading there. This shows tiuit English com- merce was waking up. He took pt)ssession in tlie queen's name and, as her representative, promulgated hiws for the government of the colony. But the perni- cious influence of the thirst for gold, stimulated by Fro- bisher's fancied discoveries, which form the subject of the next chapter, showed itself in his giving special attention to the search for [>recious metals. A little later the " Delight " was lost, and with her the ore which he had gathered, on the security of which he counted on borrowing a large sum from tlie Queen for his next voyage. From this disastrous wreck only twelve out of a hundred souls on the ship were saved. Among the lost was " the Saxon reiiner and discoverer of inestimable riches "(!). This was a great blow to Gilbert, as it blasted his hopes of viduable linds of pre- cious ore. These misfortunes preyed greatly on his mind. l>ut his course was run; he did not live to see England again. His heroic death is worthy of perpetual remembrance. On the return voyage he was urged to leave his little frigate, the "S(iuirrel," of ten tons, for the larger "(lolden Hind;" but he answered, '*I will not, going honnnvard, leave my little com|)auy with whom I have passed so many storms and perils." The seas were tre- mendous. Men who had spent their lives on the ocean said that they had never seen worse. In the afternoon of that day the "S(piirrel " came near foundering. All the while Sir Humphrey sat calmly in the stern, with a book in his hand. When the "Golden Hind" came s ■■' ^< 1 , r, li ! i ^1 :i! Ml] ■ii v. i Ih IfiiH I ill 208 The World's Discoverers nciir enongli, lie cried out cheerfully, "'We are as near to heaven by sea as by land,' a speech well befitting a resolute soldier of Jesus Christ, as he truly was," says the chronicler. The same night, al)out twelve o'clock, the frigate's lights suddenly went out, and the watch on the larger vessel cried out that the General was cast away. 'J'rue it was. The "Squirrel" had suddenly been engulfed in the devouring ocean. All that night and the rest of the voyage her consort looked out, but no sign more of her was ever seen. In the same heroic strain Sir Richard Grenville, whom Raleitdi had sent out to his darling colony of Virginia, said, "Here die I, Uichard (xrenville, with a joyful and a quiet mind, for that I have ended my life as a good soldier ought to do, who has fought for his country, queen, religion, and honor. Wherefore my soul joyfully departeth out of this body and shall always leave behind it an everlastin[)osed discovery of tbo rontc to Cathay; but a trilling eireunistanco turned bis energies to a AvboUy different subject. "A iteece of a blaeke stone, nuieli lyko to a seacole in colouiv," wbicb he bad brought back, was [tronouuced to contain gold. Immediately there \v'as great excitement in London. I)r(!ams of an Arctic VA Dorado, curiously enough real- ized more than tbi'ce bundred yeai'S later in the Klondike, fired the imagination, 'i'lierci was no trouble about raiding money for a second voyage. l*^verybody was anxi'.ms to bold sbares in a new expedition to be sent out in the following year; no longer to se*dc a pas- sago to China, for where was tbe use of going so far, when tbe wealtb of tbe Indies was to Ik; had for the gathering? To bring home a cargo of the precious ore was its object. So soon as the season allowed, in loTT, Frobisher sailed again, not now with two pitiful little craft, but witb "one tall sbip[)e of ber ^[ajesties," the "Aid," of two bundred tons, — for l^li/.abcth herself was con- cerned in this venture, — besides tbe "Michael" and the "Gabriel." The dream of gold bad attracted a nund)or of gentlemen adventurers who sailed with Frobisiier. w. 214 The World's Discoverers ! I I The iiisti'ucUons were specific not to pay heed to the piissiige to (Jatliay, but to liiuliiig and gathering the [ji-ecious "ore/' Of this stuff thoy found plenty lying on the islands of the Labrador coast, and tlieir hearts were gladdened. Shortly afterwards Frohisher attempted a piece of treachery which came nigh ccoUng him dearly. His [)lan was to allure two of the natives with toys-, then to seize them, and let one go with a lot of presents, as an evidence of good-will, while he would keep the other for an interi>reter. Uis scheme did not work very well. When he and a companio'.x had met two of the natives and exchanged gif^^s, at a signal each grabbed his man. But tlie gi'ound under foot was slippery with snow, and the two heathens wriggled and struggleu until they escaped from their Christian friends. Then they quickly got their bows and arrows and chased them ignomini- ously to their boats. The two Englishmen were fain to take to their heels, as they were unarmed, and to escape with no greater injury than a wound received by Fro- ])isher, which i. erfcred with his sitting down for some time afterward. In the mean time the men in the boats had come to the rescue and fired a shot which fi'ighlcucd the savages and made them stop, turn, and run away. 'I'hen "a good footman, uncund)ered with any furniture [armor], having only a dagger at his back, overtook oiu' of them, and being a Cornish man and a good wrastler, shewed his companiim such a Cornish trick, that he made his sides ache against the ground for a month after." So the poor fellow was taken after all. Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 215 The next day tlioy laiulcd on an islaiul where "all the sands and clifl's did so g-li.^ter, that it seemed all to be gold; but it [)roved no better than l)laek-lead and veri- fied the proverb, ' All is not gold that (jlittcrcth.'' " Well would it have been for them if they had always borne this in mind. A few days later they found a mine of silver (!). They did not bother themselves with it, however, but went on gathering "gold ore.'' While the vessels were being loaded with the pre- cious stuff, an exploring party found I'limistakable traees of their five lost countrymen, in various articles of English ap[)arel. They hastened to carry the news to the "Aid," and at onee measures were devised to com- municate with the poor fellows, if they were alive. The next day, therefore, one party marched overland towards their destination, while another, going around by boat, was intended to cut off the retreat of the natives. Alas! when they came to the spot, the Eskimo had vanished, tents and all. Some of the men, how- ever, mounting a hill, espied some tents in a valley near a creek, by the seaside. It was determined to sur- round this compan.y, if possible, and capture them, lint the natives launched two canoes and headed for the siM. Then the soldieis on land fired their guns. The iiu'n in tiie boats, at this signal, rowed out cpiickly from their concealment and cut otf the savages' escajie to the sea. The latter then landed on a [)oint, where they made so desperate a resistance that the foreigners called tlie })1 ice Bloody Point. The poor wretches fought as long as their arrows lasted, even plucking out the Eng- 2l6 The World's Discoverers lisli iirrows from their bodies and shooting them baek, ""And when they found they were mijrtally wounded, being ignorant what merey meanetli, with deadly fury they east themselves headlong from off the roeks into the sea, lest their enemies should reeeive glory or prey of their dead bodies, for they supposed us belike to be eannibals." One Englishman was dangerously wounded. Five or six of the savages were slain. All the rest escaped, except two women. One of these, being old and ugly, her captors thought to be a devil or witch, and very prudently let her go. The other had a young child strap[)ed to her baek. The little one was found to be wounded in the arm, and the surgeon applied some salves. But the mother, "not acquainted with such kind of surgery, plucked those salves away, and by continual licking with her own tongue, not nuich unlike our dogs, healed up the chihl's arm." After this desperate encounter the Englishmen con- cluded that, in view of the natives' "ravenous and bloody disposition in eating any kind of raw ilesli or carrion, howsoever stinking," it was ])iobable that they had slain and devoured their missing countrymen, and it would be a waste of time to seek them further. " Having now got a woman captive for the comfort of" their man, — they do not seem to have thought how these poor creatures were probably grieving for their kinsfolk, — the Englishmen watched the meeting with great interest. Here follo\\.s a very jjretty desci'iption of i^ : "At their fii-st encountering they beheld each otlier very wistly a good space, without speech or word uttered, with great change of color and counter.ance, us Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 217 thoiigli it S(H'ino(l tlm griof iiiid disdiiiii of tlicir (';ii)tivity liiul taken away the use of their tongues. The woman at tlie first very suddenly, as thougli she disdained or regarded not the man, turned away and began to sing, as tliough sIk! minded another matter. I>ut being agiiin brought together, tlie man l)rolve nj) tlio silence liist, and witli stern and staid (!ountenanee, began to tell a long solenni tale to the woman. Wherennto she gave good hearing and interrupted him nothing till he had linished. Afterwards, being grown into more familiar acquaintanee by speech, they were turned together, so that I think the one would hardly have lived without the comfort of the other." These poor unfort'^nates became very close friends, and the Wf)man teu'^n L.m' companion in misery with true womanly devotion, clean- ing their cabin, caring for him when he was seasick, and preparing food for him. The explorers soon witnessed another instance of the strong human feeling of the despised natives. Some of them came near and made signals for a parley, ""{(^ entreat, as it seemed, for the restitution oi the woman and child which had been taken and bioimht away/' Frobisher, having placed the woman where she could be seen by her countrymen, went to talk with lli"'.n through the interpreter. "This cajitive, at his first encoun.ter of his friends, fell so out into tears that he could not S[)eak a word in a great space." When be was able to control his emotions, "he talked at full willi his companions, and bestowed upon them such toys and trifles as we had given him; whei-eby we noted that they are very kind one to another and greatly sorrowful for It 4P mi '. -Vt'lf r ■]mi Hp ?■ r , :■'] 1- !}■;■ it-.^ i ' ju'i 11 ii I ^ 1 [ 2l8 The World's Discoverers the loss of tlicir friends." The result of the palaver was that the Eskimo declared that the missing English- men were alive and well. On Frobisher's promising that, so soon a3 they were produced, he would release his prisoners and give handsome presents besides, the savages said they would go at once and fetch them, hohling up three fingers and pointing to the sun, to intimate that they would return within three days. But the missing men never were seen again by their countrymen. The season was now growing lat ., the vessels were freighted with about two hundred tons of ore, and the men were worn out with the labor of digging and carry- ing it aboaid. Therefore it was resolved to sail for home. On reaching England, the delusive ore was locked away, some in Bristol Castle, and some in the Tower of London. The reputed diy':.overy of the Northwest Passage made Frol)islier famous. The added fame of finding inex- liaustible mineral wealth in a region known only to liimseU" and his shi[)mates made him tlie hero of the day. Honors were lavished on him. Elizabeth was all graciousness to the captain wliose enterprise liad opened a prospect of fabulous riches, such as would put her on a footing of ecpiality with her brother-in-law and most hearty hater, Philip of Spain. Hardly was the pciilous stuff which he had brought home safely stored under four locks, the ke3'S of which were held by Frobisher and three other persons, tlian pre[)arations were begun for sending out an ex[)edition on the grandest scale in the following year. An elaborate plan was prepared. Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 219 A strong fort of tiinljer, to be carried out in sections, was designed to house a liundrcd men who were to be left in possession of Meta Incognita (the Unknown (joal), as her Majesty was pleased to call the newly discovered region (the southern shore of liatlin Land). In the spring a fleet of fifteen vessels mustered for the voyage. Of these twelve were designed to return " with their loading of gold ore," while the remainder should winter, under the orders of the captains in charge of the permanent occupation. Of the whole fleet Frobisher was admiral, with Captain York as vice-admiral. Two of the vessels were our little friends the "Oabriel" and the "Michael," who, it seems, had not yet got enough of being buffeted among ice-floes. The fleet sailed on the last day of May and soon overhauled a small bark whose crew had been so cruelly handled by French rovers that the survivors, wounded and starving, could scarcely move hand or foot. Fro- lusher supplied their needs and sent them on their way. Incidents like this serve to show how lawless was the life of the seas in those days. Off the Irish coast they fell in with "a great current from out of the south- w^'st," whicli carrieu them a point out of tlieir course. Til is current seemed to continue towards Norway and the northeast. Tiiey shrewdly suiniised that "this is the same which the Portugals meet at Ca})0 de liuena S[)eranza " (Cape of Good IIo[)e), and that " thence it crosses to the great Bay of Mexico, whence it is forced to strike back again towards the northeast." Thus they correctl}' conjectured tiie course of the Gulf Stream, which comes to us from the African coast. K 4.1 ^ 1 •' ii ill : t ; 220 The World's Discoverers Lamling in soiitliern GrecnliURl, "the Generiil '' took [)o.ssession in the Queen's name. The Englishmen saw in tlieir canoes some of the people, " very like tliose of Meta Incognita." In the deserted tents they found some articles, such as a box of nails, some red herrings, and boards of lir, which seemed to them to show that tliese savages carried on trade with civilized peo[)le. Tliey evidently never had heard of the Norse sagas, which allirm that Scandinavians had reached Green- land seven hundred years earlier, nor of the undoubted intercourse between Iceland and Greenland. One day they sailed into a shoal of whales as nu- merous and as playful as if they had been porpoises, and the " Salamander " ran full tilt upon one, with a great shock. Now they Ijegan to experience much trouble with the ice, and it was very ditlicult for the vessels to keep together, the ice sometimes closing a lead through which the foremost ones had passed before those in the rear could go through. The " Dennis " was caught and crushed. She fired a gun, and rescuers hastened to her in l)oats, in time to save the crew before she went down, carrying with her a part of the projected house. Soon it l)ecame evident that tliey were not in the supposed passage which Frobisher had called by his own name, but were in a wide channel, having a strong westerly current. Thus Frobisher had become uncon- sciously the discoverer of tlie straits later called after Hudson. He insisted, however, that they were in the right course, and boldly led on. He felt that he was now in a likelier opening for the Northwest Passage, ler ,'11, ho lis nii;' 1)11- U'l- the v;is Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 221 and he aftcvvards said that, had he not been encum- bered with the care of the fleet, lie woukl have saih'd through to the South Sea and opened the route to China. l>ut gokl was now the object of liis elforts, and lie stniLTirled to recover the entrance of what he had named Frobisher's Straits. This was in reality only a deep in- let called Cumberland Sound. After about a fortnight he succeeded and brought the most of his ships into it. It would be a long story to tell of the struggles with ice and storms, of the scattering of the fleet, and of tlie sickness and discontent among the crews. At last all the ships were assembled. Hut the season was late, and no time was to be lost. The gentlemen and soldiers were mustered, tke sailors were set to dis- charging the vessels, the miners were put to digging ore, and the victuals, tents, etc., were collected on the island. On August 2 general orders regiilutiiig the encampment were published with solemn sound of trumpet. The first disai)pointmeiit came in the discovery that the projected fort could not be built. Part of it had gone to the bottom of the ocean with the ''Dennis." Oilier parts had been used as fenders in the fight with ice and had been broken. Enough i?mained to build a smaller house* but the car[)enter and masons said they would need eigkt or nine weeks for it, whereas barely half that time remained before the close of the season. Therefore the project of leaving a party in permanent occu[)ation was abandoned. During all this time very I'ttle had been seen of the natives. They were no doubt overawed by the sight of so many ships, and Frobisher was disappointed in his • Hi r M ii :.; ;!-;i T'll : W i I 2.''- ; L! ■ ^il 222 The World's Discoverers henevolent i)urpose of capturing some of them and taking them back to England. Captain Fenton, how- ever, caused a house to be erected of stones, properly cemented, for use the next year. " And the Ixjtter to allure those brutish and uncivil people to courtesy, against otlier times of our coming, we left therein divers of our country toys, as bells and knives, wherein they specially delight, pictures of men on horseback, looking- glasses, whistles, and pipes; also an oven, and bread left baked therein for them to see and taste. Also here we sowed i)eas, corn, and other grain, to prove [test] the fruitfulness of the soil against the next year." It would be interesting to know what they expected to find growing after ten months of ice and snow. The unused timber was buried. A curious circum- stance about it is, that nearly three hundred years later an American explorer, Captain Hall, heard a tradition among the Eskimo that the five men left by Frobisher on his first voyage were not killed, and that they dug up this timber, built a vessel, and sailed away for home. If they did, they perished at sea. But there is not anything improbable in the story. A party of French- men left on the Carolina coast, in 1563, actually built a vessel out of green timber and in it reached France, after horrible sufferings. The lading was now complete, and the fleet sailed for home, which all reached in sjifety about the first of October, some in one phice and some in another. Thus ended this famous and costly enterprise. In it forty men perished and a large amount of money was wasted. The seventeen hundred tons of iron pyrites ■ Frobisher's Fancied Discoveries 22 brought to Engliind diil not pay the expense of niining and importing it, and the worthy purpose ot diseover- ing the Northwest Passage was lost sight of in a crazy niining scheme. The net gain of the whole disastrous business was a slight increase of knowledge of the region about Hudson Strait. 1 m ■\ }' 224 The World's Discoverers CIL\lTi:il xxir , 1 JOHN DAVIS S EXPLOUATIONS T1 ■■ i I III Fuonism:u\s and (iilbcrt's voyages liad l)roTig!it only disappointniont to tlio.se intcivsted. Nevcrtlick'ss, the niorclumts of London still beliuvud in the likelihood of the discovery of a northwest passage. The former ven- tures, they said, had been diverted from their true i)ur- pose by a vain search after gold and silver mines. Now it was determined to send out a new expedition, whose sole purpose should be that of discovery. Accordingly, in 158;"), John Davis sailed with two small barks, the "Sunshine," of lifty, and the "Moonshine," of thirty- five tons, and forty-two men between them. With so slender equi[)ment our heroic ancestoi's were wont to make their way boldly into uncharted seas, full of peril to ships and men. July 10, off the southern coast of r«reeidand, in a dense fog, they heard a "mighty great roaring of the sea," as if it were breaking on some shore. On nearer examination in the boats, the noise was found to come from the crashing and grinding together of liuge masses of ice. The next day the fog lifted, and they discovered a high and rugged coast, one mountain rising, as it seemed, above the clouds. The tops were covered with snow, and the shore was beset with ice extending a full league into the sea. Davis called it appropriately the II John Davis's Explorations 225 Land of Dcsoliition. Ilicy stood aloiit,'' tlu' (-oiist lor soiiio days and canio to a chistoi" of islands, anioiij^ wliit'li they anchored in a sound wliicli the ('a[)laiM calU-d GillH'i't's Sound, the site of [\\{'. iikmIcim ^huaviaa mis- sion of (Jodtliaah. A niultitU(h' of natives approached in tlieir canoes, at the lirst very distrustfully, "niaUint; a lauu'utahle noyse, as we tlioUL;lit, with ^'reat oulcryes and sci'eechin^s, so tliat we iIioui;Iit it liad hene tlu^ howling'' of A'olvus." The uuisiciaiis then heifau to i)lay and tlie sailors to dance and make tokens of friendship. The simple and harudess natives soon midcrstood their meaning and came flocking around, so that at one time thirty-seven of their canoes weri; alongside the strange craft. Soon the friendliest relations were estahlishcd with the "savages." The sailors houglit from them whatever they fancied, — their canoes, clothing, hows, spears, and the like. "They are very ti'actahle people," says the chronicle, "void of craft or douhle-dealing, and easie to be brought to any 'jivilitie or good oich-r: but wee judge them to be Idolaters and to worship the Sunne," — a not unnatural object of adoration for an ignorant people in such a climate. Another fault the English were to discover in time, one that caused no little trouble: they were des[)erately thievish. Our adventurers stood over to the northwest and sitjhted land aij^ain. They wei'c now on tlie western shore of the strait which still bears their leader's name. They saw "whole cliffs of such oare " as had fooled Frobisher. But the day of that delusion was jiast. Under a fine mountain, which they called Mount Italeigh, they sav/ four animals which they took to be goats or 15 'II'; 3 ; . li-'^ -^1. M tvi t;i> 1. I -.1 s ■ I i :t'r I i ! PI Ml 1 1 226 I'he World's Discoverers wolves. They manned tlie liOiits iiiid went towards them, wlien they found the animals to Ix; "white hcares of a monstrous hi^nesse." Haj^er for fresh meat and for sport, they attacked the heasts and .uiceeedcd in killing three. The next day they killed another, Imt only after a savage light, lie was a monster, his foic- foot fourteen inehes aeross. ''The loth we heard dogs lioule on the shoarc, whieh we thought had Ijcen Wolves, and therefore we went on shoare to kil them. When we came on lande, the dogs came presently to our l)oate very gently, yet we thought they came to pray upon us, and therefore we shot at them and killed two: and ahout the neeke of one of them we found a letheren coller, whereupon we knew tliem to he tame dogs. They were like mastives, with priekt cares and long hush tayles." The Eskimo dogs either do not or cannot hark, hut only howl. Though Davis had not found the Northwest Passage, he had made important discoveries. Besides, the quan- tity of skins of reindeer and other animals which he brought hack raised the hope that a profitable trallic would be established. He was therefore sent out a second time, a larger vessel, the "Mermaid," being- added to his command. In this voyage much progress was made in the knowl- edge of those regions. Thei'c were, however, deplorable troubles with the natives, brought on by their stealing an anchor, cutting a cable, and doing other injuries. Davis tried to win them over, he says, by kindness; but they requited it by slinging stones at his boats. Then he ordered his men to lire. It is sad to read of the kid- John Davis's Explorations 227 liip^jing of 11 nativo who hud coiiio 011 hoiinl to ainiiige ii tnu'o, uiul of tlie [xior I'iciitiins's grief. lie was hrouglit away"witli heavy eheni" and later died. In till! ineantimo his etmiitrynu'ii liau avenged liini, lor they lired upon the Englislinieii from an aniltiisli and killed two. At times the exi>lorers I'oniid it very hot, and were "nnudi tronhled with a Hie which is called Miiskeeta, for they did sting grievously." More than once during this voyage Davis was in great hopes that he had discovered the long-desired passage. At its conclusion he wrote that he had now gained so nnieli knowledge of the northwest part of the world, that ho was assured " the passage must he in one of four places, or else not at all." On his third voyage he ex- plored yet other parts of the coast and again had hloody affrays with the natives, of whom three were killed at one time, llis own resolute purpose not to ahandon tlie search was shown when his ship was pronounced to ho in a very critical condition, and many of the nie'» '.ore afraid to remain in her. The captain stoutly announced that he was "determined rather to end his life with credite than to return with infamie and disgrace'." Others caught his spirit, and all agreed to stay hy the ship and continue the voyage. This ended, it is needless to say, with the mysterious pat-'sage still undiscovered. That dream, liowever, continued to haunt the imagi- nations of Hritish seiimen, and voyage ii'ter voyage was made. The names of Hall, Hudson, liafhn, Mutton, Fox, and James, all exi)lorers of the Northwest, are associated on our maps with its geography. PI p i uikn .* J I ,! {< 1 228 The World's Discoverers CIIAl'TFJl XXIII Till': si:a-kin(;s of (juki:x KLiz.vniyni's timk Tllic ii!^<' (if Kli/iibt'Lli was ail aij^c ol' awakciiiii^^. 'I'lie lorati()n and traile. They left it on the highroad to the mastery of tlu; (■(•"an. Those few men Aiihin that shoil time lowert'd Spain's haughty crcM, threw open all seas to I'jiglish vessel,-', and laid the iiroad I'onn- dations of the IJritish I'hu])ir( , (Jreat ignorance |»i'"ceded them. .\mei'iea, it was coniidently said, is a great island, h((Unded on the north hy l''rohishei''s and on the south hy Magellivn's Straits. South of {\iv. latter a vast continent was ^r them eaiiie tlie French. They early entered into a sh;irp comitetition witli the Spaniards for the possessi(>n of the New World. Fi-an- cis I. sent a message to Charles V., saying, "You and (,• . I II li Ifhf -I ! ■ I i . ! j m hi I 1: i ! ■ !{ 232 The World's Discoverers if !• tlic Kiiij^ ol" l*()rtiii4';il liiivo divided tlic woild lu'twocn you. Show nic, I [tray you, the will of our fulher Aduui, that I may judge whether he has really cousti- tuted you his unive:>al heirs." 'I'o uiakt* good his (daiin to a share, he des[)atehed Verrazaiio oii that voyage of ex[)loi'atiou whii-h wc; have already sketehed, uuder the guise of seekiug a northwest j)assage, hut really to lay the basis of a claim to the vast traet of tlu; New Woi'ld strelehiug northward from Alexieo, the latter being already in S[)anish hands. In an earlier voyage this bold rover had taken two of Cortez's treasure-laden ships from Mexieo and another from St. Domingo. It was this splendid capture that stimulated Francis to send him out to get a share of the New Woi'ld, whence all this wealth came. In a third voyage the bold Vlov- entine met his doom. He died, l)ut his discoveries lived; and in virtue of them France claimed title to all North America above Mexico. The French colo- nists of Oarolina and Florida and Canada called the country New France. In time England would plant her foot on the same soil and would enter on a long rivaby with France, ending oidy with the trium[)hant death of Wolfe on the Heights of Abraham. She had made some feeble attempts, as we have seen, under Henry VHI., to follow uj) the achievement of the Cabcjts, who had discovert-d Newfoundland in 1 I'.'T. It may be that lier first success in this dir(!ction det(>r- mined the bent of England. At all events, the qnest of a northwest passage' has always been a special ol)ject of her attention, even down to our own time. M i ' Sea-Kings of Queen Elizabeth's Time 233 Tilt' early untoward vi'ntuii's in that (|iiai tcr wiTc fol- lowed by those in the northeast which resulted in the e.stablishnienl of a trade witli Kussia. Then, after the failure of every explorer to get heyo'.ai the Kara Sea. th(! I'^nglish mind swung hack to th(! aorthwcst, < )ne of those who deeply pondered the suhjecl was Sii' Ihini- l)hrev ( filbert, whose voyages and untinieh end we have already sketehetl. That chivalrous sold had read and considered everything that he eould liiul, fi'oni the narra- tive of Othere's voyage, in Alfred's time, down to the tragic death of W'illoughby, in his own day. The result was a lii'in conviction of the existence of "a passr.ge by the northwest to Cathaya."' 'J'his belief he published in a pam[)hlet, in loTlj. Tlus famous treatise lired the imagination of many a daring maiiner and gave birth to a whole school of intrepid ex[)lorers, extend" ig from his time down to our own, men whose expl tits haxc shed lustre on the story and whoso names a c \\ritten on the maps of the frozen Northwest. (Jilbi'rt's pam- phlet closed with these ringing words: "lie is not woi'thy to live at all, that foi- feare, or danger of death, shunneth his eountrev's sei'vicc and his own honour; seeing that death is inevitalde ; and the fan;e of vcitue immortall. Wherefore in this behalfe, Mutare vel timere Sperno " — "I scorn to change or to be afraid." In his death, as we have seen, he lived u[) to thiit high device. We have roughly sketched the grou|> of great sea- kings who made Kli/.aiu'th's reign a new eia, and all <»f whom, save only Frobisher, who died liu shore of a wound received in battle, at last slejtt beneath the seas the} had mastered They set out with little knowl- i i iH I >i I ^; f 234 The World's Discoverers edge, but with hope and bouiulless courage. They did heroic deeds and founded the empire whose drum- beat folh)ws tlie sun around the globe. In the next chapter we shall tell the story of the most famous of them all. j ,^ bey un- ext of ( The English Dragon ^35 CHAPTER XXIV THE ENGLISH DllAGON While Willoughby was freezing on the desolate coast of Lapland, and Cliancelor was hobnobbing with Ivan the Terrible at the half-barbarous Muscovite court, there was a boy playing about the ship-yard at Chatham who was destined, amcng other splendid achievements, to realize the vision of Cathay in a manner of which not the most daring Englishman had dreamed. His name was Francis Drake. " The Dragon " the Spaniards later called him, taking the name from his crest. This coat- of-arms, borne defiantly in many a daring raid by sea and land, or trailing over the taffrail of the great rover's ship, as she bounded through the smoke of battle like some fierce demon to seize her prey, came to stand in Spanish eyes for all that was terrible and ruthless. To Lope de Vega, the poet who sailed in the "Armada," tliis dauntless Bedouin of the seas, the implacable foe of the Roman faith, seemed nothing less than the Dragon of the Hook of Revelation, Satan. Good reason enough the boy had to hate the Spaniards and their religion. He lived in stirring times. When he was born Henry VIII. was pushing his reforms. These found little favor among the country-folk, who always cling to old beliefs and usages. Holding tenaciously the old ways, m ■m in *■ [If 'i !■ f \ !ilV 236 The World's Discoverers i; f tl"'y were cspcciiilly iii^t^n'icvcd ut, the supijrcssioii of tlic iiinliiisltiics, licciUisc these IkkI lieeii, tidni liliu' iliiliie- liMtii.il, L;n(.(l iVieiids ol' the piMiriilid had stood between them and llie tyranny of Idgh-hanch'd nobles. Drake's family were zealous Protestants. After Ileniy's death, when *lie Protector Somerset's ill-jiid^-ed /.eal kindled the smoulderinn" discontent of the peasantry into a l)la/e of relxdlion, their native district i^ww too hot foi- them. Ilappilv, I'lvmouth was near, where they Mere snie of linding jjlenty of sympathy, uiul where they had powerful friends and kinsmen in tho Hawkins family. So L,n'eat wei'c their straits that they were "coni- jjcllcd to inhabit in the hull of a ship." I'robably through the inlluence of William Hawkins, who was in favor with the Protector, they were given the use of a dismantled vessel of tlu^ navy Um their abode. The head of the family was appointed P)ible-i'eader to the sailors of the fleet there assend)led. In this Innnble dwelling several of the children were born. Theit' were tw^elve of these sturdy boys. The most of them "fol- lowed the sea," and he who made the name famous Avrote. "as it pleased (Jod to give them a li\ing on the watei'. so the greatest ])art of them died at sea." Put the family's worst ti'ials wei'c yet to come. Hith- erto the\ had lu'eii befriended l)y the ruling ijowers. A change came u hen a ( "atholic queen ascended the throne, and the dissatisfaction of the people at Abuy's forth- coming mariiagc w ith Philip of S])ain burst out in Sir Thomas Wyatl's Pebellion. Tbe South and West were involved, and they suffi-red greatly when the m(>yement WHS .suppressed and savagely punished. In Kent alone ii'i SIR FRANCIS DRAKE I I The English Dragon 39 twenty-two persons were hanged. It Is not to be sup- [)ose I'. ^ij 240 The World's Discoverers Itinitcs. Lyin;^ there secure, Ll:"y wiitclied tho Cliannel, reiidy to siiil out jiud strike ;i prize, like a liawk swoop- \n>^ ujioii a (love. Do not he surprised at readiiii,' of |)irales swariiiirii,' in tli(! C'lianiiel and liiidiii^ Iiospitaith^ eiiUM'taininent iu ICni^disli ports. We do not mean ferocious eut-tliroats, such as those wlioaftei'wards sailed under the hhick llaij and ina(h' war on nu-rchant ships of every nation. These men were far removed inch'cd from the tyjK' of Teach and .Moiifan and KidiL Pirates they were, accoi'ihuL,'' to the hiw of nations, hecause they hore no coiMUiissioii and made war in time of peace;; hut they were prochicit of [x'cuhar con(Utions. hruinine a . ihiation such as this: Spain dominatintj the j^reator part (>f I'Jii-ope and chiimingf, un(h>r the Pope's fji'ant, ahmi; with I'ortuufal, exchisive owner- ship of the wliole New Worhl; crus!iin<^ the life out of the Netherlands; estahlishiiiu^ the Holy liKiuisition in her ports, with power to seize as heretics any I'rotestant seamen who might chance to tposition of stru^j^ding Protestantism to a foe whose rutldess power was felt on every sea. One cannot justify all that they did. Too often their eruelties on the water niatehed those of the Spanish oflicors on huid. Only let us ronunnher how naturally this state of thinufs came ahout. It was a kind of lynch law api)ii(Ml on the ocean, in the ahsenco of protection from the constituted authorities. And retaliation is always wont to go to terrihle extremes. Pirates these men were midouhtedly. They had no com- mission froju their sovereign, hut fought on their own account and destroyed the commerce of a power witli which their country was nominall}' at [)eacc. They lived hy plunder and took all the risks, ('ai)tnred, they were not entitled to be treated as prisoners of war, hut were sure of heing iianged. Some were English, some French, some Dutch. These circumstiinces being borne in mind, we shall not have any diniculty iti understand- ing that these bold " Beggars of the Sea " had hospitable ^/clcome In Plymouth harbor. Its seafarnig population were 'v.\ sympathy with them. It was a favorite resort for th 111, both on this accoiuit and because it ser.'cd them admirably as a lurking place. The Spanish king's shi|)s bi'aring supj)lies and money to the army in the Netherlands must sail through the Channel. This was the rovers' o})jH)rtunity to snatch a rich booty. Not plain Knglish folk alone sym})athized with these lawless depredations. Fdizabeth distinctly winked at them. Irideed, she was very glad of them. In the weakness of lici- infant na\y, it was a good thing to have at hand The English Drigun 243 this irrogiilar force of fr'iirless fighting nipn, swift iiiul skilful as tli'3 vikings of an older time. She apjjreciated the advantage of heing ahle to disown them, while she reaped the benefit of their operations. !xt tlieni prey ui)on Spanish commerce as niu''h as they pleased. Only so that they did not exasperate IMiili[i to the extent of declaring war on her, their audacious achievements were a help to her. We need not wonder at this atti- tude of the English queen, so singular according to our more refnied ideas of international comity. In tht>s«; rude days, when plots and counteriilots were thick and political assassinations were frequent, great ministers of state, God-fearing men, did things which startle us by their daring unscrupulousness. The employment of men who instigated a plot in order to betray ih.e plotters was common. Here is an instance. Elizabeth's minis- ters had good reason to suspect that a certain Dr. Story who had fled to Holland was concerned in a coiisjjiracy to assassinate the queen. He being in a foreign coun- try, the difficulty wa3 in getting hold of him. What did they do? They sent a vessel over to the Scheldt. A spy inveigled Story on l)oard, under a fals(> pre- tence. He was immediatelv seized and secured below hatches. The vessel then slipped away and soon landed him in London. Once within the Towi.\ it was short work to wring his secret from him with the rack, ''''.en ho was hanged. On the principle of ligliting the Devil with fire, such methods were regarded as legiti- mate bits of shrewdness. Certainly, we should err in judf^ing them by the light and the knowledge of our day. 8 ^ \f m ll \m ' I 244 The World's Discoverers I liiivf^ dwelt iit coiisidcnibk! length on tliis point, heciuiso I wish to give you a cL'iir idea of the inlluences which surrounded the hoy, Francis Drake. It will help you to understand inuch in his career if you reincinhei" how he was cradled, as it were, among men of lawless deeds, who were nevertheless, in their wav, the chami»ions and defenth'i's of a great cause, and how he grew up admiring them and their achievements. And you will he ahlc to make allowance for his intense, even fanatical, hatred of I'opery and of the Spanish king as its right hand. I^'rom all these circumstances it is not hard to imagine that, as a hoy in Plymouth, he nuist have listencnl with eager symi)athy to the stories of pii-atcs preying on Spanish commerce, and have felt his pulse quicken at the sight of their swift ships anchored in the roads, looking foi'ward to the time when he, too, shoidd have a hand in the same stirring work. Oni! otlu'r clement in the atmosphere surrounding Drake was the ex[)erience of northern explorers. At the time of Chancelor's successful voyage to the White Sea, he was ohl enough to hear of it and to understand its im|M)rtaiice. 'I'here is little doubt that his hold spirit would have enrnllcd him among those daring navigators who essayed to reach China either hy a northeast or a northwest jtassagc, had it not licen that his kinsman Hawkins's ventures in troi»ical waters gave a dilTcn'ut U-nt t<* his inin** and led ultimately to the famous vi»vage with whianish eoloi ies whi<;h produced conlliets with the local authorities in tht^ Xew World and hrought on the war which was the Ijeginning »)f S[)ain's ruin and of ICngland's rise to be mistress of the seas. To come to the great voyage which alone iias any place in the plan of this hook, we must i)ass over some [larts of Drake's career, lie and Hawkins had had a miseiahle and bitter experieiici! of Spanish tri'aclu'ry at San Juan de Tlloa, on the coast of Mexico. They were there snlely for the puri)os(^ of trading and had done nothing t > j)rovoke an attack. A S[)anish admiial, afti-r being allowed to come alongsiain would have been on her guard in her f; ir-away possessions. On Noveniljer lo, loTT, Drake ran i)roudly out of Plymouth harbor with his littlt; flei't of live vessels. How small was the force destined f(»r the most daring enter[)rise that Enghiiid had ever huuichedl All the crews toeethor .nunln'red but one hundred and liftv men and fourteen ])oys. The littU; flag-ship was fitted up \, ith almost royal sumptuousness. In the cabin of 1 ■til k 11 if : i , iiL- ■I 1 i ■ ! I! I; {f jl I i Hi i i 248 The World's Discoverers the •' lV'lic;;iii "' tlic L,ML';it rover wlio liud licifiui life in tlio iorccasllc (»!" ;i diily liltir coastir, dined im silver |iliit»' rieldy j^ilt und onj^nived with Uk; laniilv arms, wliile tlie air, redolent with [)erfnnies given him hy tlie Qneen, was lilh'd with soft strains of mnsic, and yonng nu'n of gentle birth stood barelieaded in the angnst ])resenee. Sixty years hud [)assed sinee Ahigellan had sailed through the straits which hear his name. I lis great discovery iiad fiillen idle. (Jeographers tanght that therti was no passagt; from the Atlantic into the South Sea, save through that one erooki'd strait; and to use it till! most renowned navigators in tlu; Spanish service liad essaycMJ in vain. For a generation the attempt had been abandoned. The vast wealth of the I'acilic coast con- tinued to flow northward to the Isthmus, wher(^ it was carried overland by Nond)re de Dios and then re-shipped to Spain. Drake liatl no smaller game in view than to follow in Magellan's track, to penetrate the South Sea and freight his shi[)s with the almost fabulous tnuisures of Peru. It was a desperately daring scheme, lvem(Mnl>er, Spain \\as sovereign of thos«> seas. llcr mastery extended across the wide I'acilic and included the I'hilij)j)ines. No English ship might show itself in tlidse waters. .I(»hn Oxenlian., once a companion of Drake in the Sj)anish Main, had stolen overlarid to the South Sea and l.Mni(lie(l a vessel. Having b(>en caught, he had be«n promjilly haiigiMl foi' a jjiiatc at Lima. Hut Drake, yi'ars before, had rlindted a tall tree (Mi tht^ to[> of a riilge of Panama, and catching far away the gleam of tiie Paiilic. Ii.i 1 |iia\ed (ind to grant iiim leave to sail The Dragon Sails on Magellan's Track 249 ail MiMj^lisli vt'ssi'l III) that tucan. Xow ho was ahoiit to liiiu his jH'iiyiT into tlccd. Sti'im<^t! iind shaihiwy terrors loomed across his path. It was an aj^'e of sii[)t'i'stitioii, and saihirs peopled the I'ar southern shores with demons and iina_niiie(l the waters envelope(l in ceaseless storms and darkness. It was this region, unexplored and uncharted, that Drake [)Uri)oso{l to penetrate with his iittU; vessels. On they s\ve[)t till the African coast was reached. Then they turned southward, and for the lirst tiiiu' tiie crews that had shi[)ped for a voyat^e to Alexandria learned their true destination. They mi^ht at any time refuse to l;() further. The incitement to mutiny was not wanlini;'. One Thomas Douj^hty, formerly an inti- mate friend of Di'ake's, conunandcd the soldii-rs; and for some reason, at lirst mysterious, there was constant friction hetweeii the gentlemen volunteers and the sailor olliccrs. At that time sea sei\ ice was not rigidly organized as it now is. Kach shi[) eonunonly ha journal is very interesting, was very much iiu- [ii'csscd with a clremnstance Mlii( h rcllects honor or. * -,i I . I M M '■ ■ - 't.i u r !■ I: m 1! ii, m lii' LW 25. The World's Discoverers Dnikc's Imnuinity. Some of tlie country-people "l)iou<,Mit (loNvne with them a wonuin, a Moore (with her little biibe haiigiiij^' ujiou lier dry (hiyge, having scarce life in lierselfe, much less milk to nourish her child), to be sold as a horse or a cow and a calf by her side, in which sort of merchandise our generall woulde not dcale." A few prizes were picked uj), among which was a Portuguese vessel carrying a rich fjvight of silks and other valuable goods, besides ample stores. She was retained. The others were discharged, as well as the crews and passengers, without ransom, to the intense disap[)()intment of Drake's gentlenien, who did not at all undeistand this honorable kind of piracy. One man only was retained, a (ienoesc! pilot, who knew the IJiazil coast, and who no sooner learned of Drake's intention of enteriiig the Pacific l)y Magellan's al>an- doned route than he eagerly offered his services, which were gladly accepted. In crossing the Atlantic, the chaplain wmr much struck with tlie wonders he beheld, and he took care that these marvels should not suffer in the telling. There were binls that swarmed u[)on tlie ships far out in the ocean — birds that never touch land, except for a few moments, " for with all s[)eed the female dropps lier eggs in the sand, and, covering them, presently dc- parteth, never rcjKilring any more to them, but leaveth them to the heat of the sonn and the nature of the sands in the providenr-e of (Jod to bring them forth living creatures, without showing anny spark of naturall affection to them." a' ■I i The Dragon Sails on Magellan's Track 25 i III (li'scribiii^^ the Hyinj,' lisli, lu' ^'ivt's free rein to liis fancy tliu.s: "Tlie iiic rcasc of this littlt' aiul woiulrifull civatuie is in a manner inlinite, tlii' fry wlu'rcof lyt'th ii[Kin the upiicr [)art of tlu' waters, in the lieute of the sun, as (lust upon the face (»f the earlli, which l)ein«^ in hii^nesse of a wlieat straw, an«l in h-ngth an inch more or lesse, do continually exercise themselves in hoth their faculties of nature "' (swimming and Hying). I lere is another wonder: "Sometimes the water which fell out of the ayer, alien we came neare the E(|uat(M', was so (|iialliiie(l of the heat of the somi, that it falling ujion the cloathes of our men, they were burned that they would moulder in ijieees." lint hercf is comiiensation for the troi)ical heat: " In our passing from oui' country, heing winter, lice increased inlinitely on the cloathes of our men; but no sooner were we come within the burn- ing zone, but they all dyed and consumed away of themstdves." On April 5 the fleet sighted the Hrazil coast. Shortly afterwards they eucountered incessant gales. The ships could not be kept together. Furious winds tor(> them from their anchorage and scattered them out of sight of each otlau". Sudden S([ualls swooped down and threatened instant destruction. There seemed to be something unnatiwal, uncaiuiy about these ex[)erieneefi, (■orres[)onding with the bad name of these waters. Di'ake, as superstitious as sailors in general, began to think that there was a Jonah on board, and his suspicioji fell on John Doughty, brother of the man who had already been detectt^d in tam})eriiig with the crews. J(jhii was a scholar. He knew something of Hebrew. lit; I i ii n 2 5 2 I'hc World's Discoverers M'^ ii mi riii-^ I;iii!^MiiiL,'<' was iKiliiriniisly associated willi tlic DIack All ( iii.i;_;ic ). 'I'lic (■(iiicliisidii was iric-ist ililc : .IkIiii I )(tiii;lily was a wi/.ard and l»y Ids inraiiKiiis jtrai-- (i<('s with llfhn-w cliaiiiclcis litdd iiilcrcdiiisc with v\\\ spirits, and llirsc raised tlie storms. It ni.ikes us smile nn\\ada\s 1(1 think (il'a man (»!' Drake's stronn' mind en I ei'- tainin^;' notions socliildisli. I>ul weeainiot fail toadmire his (hiuntless eouraLjf in pressing;' on, when he h(dieved the \('iy powers n[ tlie ail to he h'a^necl ai^'ainst him. Six weaiy weeks the liith- xcsseks were stniin'ij;lin«^ sonlhwanl, hiilTeled and se;iLtt'ri'd. Then I'ort Desire was reaehe(K 'The Pata'^'oiiaiis impressed T'letcher Ncry favorably. He sa\s : " Tiie i^'iaiiL men and women show ed themselves not oidy harmless hut ready to do ns aii\ j^'ood and jileasure: yea, the\ showed \\> moi-e kindness than many ( 'hi'istiaiis would have doiin. No sooiiei' were we landed than they pitt\'i'(l our ease, heiiiiji' so weathcr-lu'iitcn, and with all oxiu'dition iirou^ht to us som sueh viidualls as their country \ i(dded. 'i'he ehitd' vietuulls wee re- ceiveil from them was the llesh of ()stri^L,^L,'es, whereof llicir land is full, and whereof no parte of ihc body is to he taken hut oidy the h'^'i;'s, which ai'c hit^'i^er than the greatest Ic'^'^s of imitloii in the province of Pci'U, and the meat tlni-eof is e(|Uall to any red deare. 'I'he rest of till' body is but sciii and bones. 'I'ht'y cannot llye, theii' featheis are so weak, but run most swiftly, bcatiuLf their slubb winL;'s in the aycr, to give tbcm a lighter motion." 'I'liere follows a lively ac(!ount of a battle wltli sea- fowl. Some of the men, landint' on an island, " f(.)und The Dragon Sails on Magellan's Track 253 it ii stoiirc-lioiisc of vic'tiiiills Inr a kiii'f's aniiv: I'ni' siicli was the iiiliiiito store ot* v^'^s and liiidcs, lltat (licic was no footing upon the ^roiiiKl, Ixit (o tread ii|miii the one (»!• the other at every steiip. \rn, the hirds was sn thick and wouhl not ri!inove, that they were enfoiced with euih'cls iiiid swords to kill them to make oiii' \\;\\ 1 (I <;■( ic and the nii^dit dniwinj^ on, still wee euuld not i)revailr, htit i,nive them the held for the tyme." Here was a ifrateful rest for the crews (if tlie storm- tossed licet. Uut there was no I'cst for Dral us sailors, wlio ocIicvcm 1 tl lemsehcs to lie sadinti' haunted waters, should once he incited to niuliny against ,L,foin_!^ further, the nio\cmcid would he luml tu handle. Di'ake dej)rivc(l Thomas I)oUL;'lit y nf his coniniaiid and oi'dered th(^ brothers on hoaiwl another \csscl as jiris- onei's. They refused to !;'o. He diicctid a tacl) i!<7i~4S03 L1>' \ >v - 4f- \\ ^ entered the straits, built signal fires on shore for a week, and, when no sign of the admiral appeared, sailed away to England, to report the loss of the fleet. Thus the "Golden Hind" was left alone. Meanwhile where was Drake? He was making a splendid discovery. Driven southward by the storm, 17 w |!ih '*|! ||i 1" ' * IkLi I f -V WW ,.:^ ,lf'i| .1 ^ 1.5 258 The World's Discoverers WM mi i m^i !■ ^ lie found liimsclf at tlie end of tlie western continent. Where the old geograpliers set down the Terra Aus- tralis, a vast land stretching from MageUan's Straits unbroken to the South Pole, he saw an open sea, the Atlantic and the Pacific rolling together. Cape Horn had been seen, in 1525, by Francisco de Iloceit, com- manding a ship sent out to follow up Magellan's dis- covery of the strait. But the fact had been carefully kept secret, according to Spain's selfish policy. Since that day how many a tall ship has "rounded the Horn " ! Drake's discovery swept off the map an imaginary continent and laid open to the world a commercial route of inestimable value, the Southwest Road to Cathay. In the islunds discovered by Drake south of the straits they " found great store of strange birds, which could not flic at all, nor yet runne so fast as that they could escape us. In body they are less than a goose and bigger than a mallard, short and thick sett, having no feathers, but instead thereof a certain hard and matted downe; they lodge and breed upon the land, where making earthes, as the conies doe, in tlie ground, tlicy lay their eggs and bring up their young. Such was the infinite resort of these birds to these Islands that in the space of one day we killed no Icsse than 3000. They are a very good and wholesome victuall." The Admiral called the islands the Elizabethides. Now the little "Golden Hind" bore boldly up the coast, undaunted by her loneliness. Nature was more piopitious, and favoring winds sped her on her way. Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 259 At tlic island of Muclio Dnike entered into tniflic \v U the natives for fresli victnals and water. 'J'liey seenn. very friendly and bronght down two fat slieoj) as a present. It appeared, however, that this was only a bait, for the next day a large nnml)er ambushed the boat in a narrow passage and [)oured '.n a cloud of anows. Drake and every man were wounded. They escaj)ed, however, with their lives; and though they had no longer a surgeon, but only "'a boy whose goodwill was more than any skill hee had," they ultimately recovered and "yeelded (rod the glory thereof." Drake did not yet know of Wynter's desertion. It had been agreed that, in case of their sepai'ation, they should wait one for the other at Valparaiso. For that port, therefore, Drake headed, not doubting but he would find Wynter there. He was piloted by an Indian whom he had picked up off the coast as he was fishing in his canoe; "a comely personage, and of a goodly stature ; a most lively patterne of the harmlesse dispo- sition of that people." This gentle savage was very grateful for the gifts he received, ile landed and gave his friends so favorable a report of the Englishmen, that they soon came out, bringing provisions, such as "hennes, eggs, a fat hogge, and such like." He, further, offered to pilot the fleet to a harbor where all its necessities might be supplied. This proved to be none other than Valparaiso. Instead of Wynter, Drake found there a noble prize, the "Grand Captain of the South," with a cargo of Chilian wine, besides a quantity of fine gold and a s[)len- did "gold crucifix beset with emeralds." She was wait- w I ;l'l 26o The World's Discoverers FT^TT ing a favoring wind U> carry lier to Panama. Ncvei' (Ircaniing of an Englisli sliif) on tlie west coast, slie vvoleonicd tlic stranger with beat of drum and an invi- tation to coinc aboard and have a merry night. Imagine her crew's dismay, wiien grim old Tom Moore, one of Drake's sea-(h)gs, wlio had sailed and fought with him in former ventures, climbed over the sich;, at the head of a handful of trusty "overs, shouting in broken Span- ish, "Down, dog, down! " He soon had the crew tight under hatches. Then picture the i)iratcs' glee as they plundered the splendid prize and pillaged the little settlement of all they wanted. Three days the mysterious visitor lay in the Chilian paradise (Val[)araiso, Valley of Paradise), while the men, famished after a long diet of salt })enguin, and many of them still suffering from their wounds, reveled in fresh meat and fruits. The chaplain's journal says demurely: "Wee spent some time in refreshing ourselves and easing this ship of so heavy a burthen, and, having sufficiently stored ourselves with necessaries as wine, l)read, bacon, etc., foi- a long season, we set saile, landing our Indian pilote, bountifully rewarded and enriched with many good things, in the [Jace where he desired." Now out u[)on the deep once more and on with the audacious venture! Drake still hoped to find Wynter and the "Elizabeth." So they raced along the coast, exhilarated by the glorious climate and well-nigh in- toxicated with the splendid loot whicli everywhere was theirs for the taking. vVs they plundered ship after ship or pillaged settlements, despising all meaner stuff Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 261 tluui the [jrecious nu^tiils jiiid Ljeiiis, it imist liuvc sccnicd jis if thoy liiul fallen upon an I'lichauted woiKI. Tlitj [)iiates had everything their own way, without laolestation. A messenger liad, indeed, been sent from \''al[)araiso to warn the coast towns; but "because manv Iiultc and colde mountaines covered with snowe lie in the way, the Poste was so long in perfourmance of this journey, that Ca})taine Drake was upon the coaste of Peru a moneth before the sayd Poste came thither: neither could they send any newes by sea, being destitute of shipping." Dral.e made good use of the time. He would have landed for water at Coquimbo, but "CJod," says the chaplain, " did open our eyes to see 300 men at least, whereof 100 were Spaniards, every one well mounted upon his horse: the rest were Indiu.is, running as dogs at their heeles, all naked, and in most miserable bond- age." They lost a man who ventured rashly ashore, in defiance of the enemy, was seized, and "was there manfully by the Spaniards beheaded, the right hand cut off, the heart pluckt out; all which they carried away in our sight, and for the rest of his carcase they caused the Indians to shoote it full of arrows, and so left it to be devoured of the beasts and foules, but that we went ashore ajrain and buried it." After this untoward experience they put to sea. A little uninhabited harbor afforded a refuge. Here Drake set up a pinnace that had been brought along in pieces, refitted the "(iolden Hind " from stem to stern, and then, with his men thoroughly refreshed and in high i. ■ ' |H ^l«J :l ■ 'i L 1 i ^ !' 1* iJVi !,'■: 1 , i ■'" 1 (?!, 1 " 1 m 'VI ,1 ; U '1 ; ' u 1 i 262 The World's Discoverers s[»irits, sailed to rcjilizc tho (Iruiiin of his life, the suck of laiiKi iind Pciiiiiiiiii. As Julian Cuibett tells the story in his delightful Look on Drake, the cruise now became a regular picnic. At one i)oint on the coast of Tarapaca they found a Span- iard asleep with tiiirteen bars of silver beside him. They apologized profusely for disturbing his nap and politely insisted on making amends by relieving him of his bur- den. Farther on, they met another driving a train of guanacos laden with some eight hundred pounds of sil- ver, and, expressing themselves sorry to see a gentle- man turned carrier, they took his place ; but somehow, as they afterwards said, they lost the way to his house, and found themselves suddenly just where they had left the [)innace. So they frolicked along that peaceful coast, Khutling its luxurious slumbers with shouts of reck; aighter. B- L.-.J way they did some trading with the natives. "Amongst other things which we had of them, the sheepe of the country [he means llamas] were most memorable. Their height and length was equall to a pretty cow. Upon one of their backes did sit at one time three well-grown and tall men and one boy, no mans foot touching the ground, the beast nothing at all com- plaining of his burthen." They were also very much entertained at seeing some of the shore-folk transport- ing goods on balsas, or rafts of inflated hides, such as are used to this day on Lake Titicaca. Arrived at Arica, the point where the almost fabulous wealth of the Potosi mines was wont to be embarked for Panama, they still hoped, but in vain, to find the Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 263 tnmiit "Klizalu'tli.'" Nor did they ifot niucli tiviisure. Tlicii" ill-iL'piitc liiid outniii tlit'iii, and tliu town was in anus. Only two barks fell into llicir hands, laden with "some forty and odde harres of silver (of the l)ign('sse and fashion of a l)rick-l)atte, and in waiglit each of them a})ont '20 pounds), of which we tooke the burthen on ourselves to ease them." All this plundering,' seems to have greatly entertained the jolly parson, and he chuckled over it as merrily as if he had been a highway- man on Hounslow Heath. Here the report of a galleon that had escaped nf>rthward with eight hundred bars of silver belonging to the Spanish king stimulated Drake to hasten after her, fuming at his disappointment. Alas ! when he overhauled her, anchored at Chuli, not a man was aboard, not an ounce of silver. She had been notified of lus coming. Determined to reach Lima ahead of his reputation, Drake dashed on, under the guidance of a pilot whom he had seized, slipped unsuspected into the harbor, in the dead of night, and dropped his anchor in the midst of the shipping. From vessel to vessel lie went, but not an ounce of silver rewarded the search. It was all ashore, except a vast quantity recently shipped for Panama in a large vessel nicknamed the "Cacafuego," or "Spitfire." They got no pelf worth speaking of, but they heard news of Europe for the first time since leaving England, fifteen months before. Once more out to sea, to chase the treasure-ship! Alas for huiran impatience! a dead calm fell. For three days not a breath stirred. Tlien down came the Viceroy of Peru with two thousand men and sent out in 'f'i I .' ill: J' t ll^ lii 264 The World's Discoverers foiii' ships ((» ciiiilMif or hiini tlu' uiidiK ions rovci'. li looked now as Llioii^fli Lhu littlo emit liad como to tlu^ end of her rope. 'I'lie SpiUiiiirds hnw^ o(T, soiiiewliat ill awe of the Dragon. licfore tlicy eould snnnnon licart to close with liini, a breeze sprang n[», and the "Golden Hind " showed them clean heels. Once mon^ she spcid on her foamy way, the "Cacafnego" fonrteen id t(j hauled before reaching days ahead of her, and to ue overnauie Panama; else a royal prize was missed. Meanwhile the viceroy was solemnly casting guns to blow the Dragon out of the water, when he should come back that way. But the Dragon was swec^jjing towanls the line on the wings of the wind. All the wiiiie the "Cacafuego" was lounging easily along, never dreaming of the Dragon foaming on her track. Now and again Drake stopped for a while to tlally with ;i juize and transfer more sil- ver, silks, and wine to his hold; all of which the piratical i)arson, Fletcher, relates with great glee, 'i'iie scent was growing hotter all the time. At Paita, the admiral learned, the chase was but two days ahead. On he sped. At any hour the " Cacafuego " might loom up on the horizon. "A gold chain to him who first sights the cha'-'e!" the Admiral ci'ied. The Equator is crossed. Then, off Cape San Francisco, a sail is sighted. Every eye is fixed on her as the eager " Hind " rushes on, swiftly overhauling the great, clumsy stranger. There is no doubt: it is she! Young John Drake, the Admiral's nephew, claims and gets the golden chain. But the chase must not be alarmed. Therefore Drake trails casks astern and so deadens his little ship's head- Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 265 Wiiy lliiit lio k('('|)S liiiiiM'lf hull down until nightfall. 'I'lu'ii the "'(idldcu Hind" iiislics on Iici [H'cy, tires a HJMylc! shot, runs alongside, and in a Iwinldc is niistri'ss of II prize that would buy a (ioiinan kin^^doni. Six days they lay side l»y side. The I'acetious parson wi'ites that this was in order 'Mo recover (»ur hrcath a^'aine, whieh we had almost s[)ent with hasty I'ollow- ing, hut especially to do John de Anton a kindnesse, in freeing him of tin eare of those things with whieh his ship was htaden." These he ennin(U'ates as ''a certaino quantitie of jewels and precious stones, 1* (dussts of ryals of plate, 80 poiuid waight in gold, '.]{'> tunne of uncoyned silver, two very faire gilt silver drinking boules, and the like trifles [I], valued in all at about 3G0,OuO pezoes. For these conmiodities we gave the iuaster a little linnen and then we bad farewell and parted." Literally ballasted with silver, the "Golden Hind" parted from her victim. 'J'he latter made for Panama, light in freight, but heavy at heart, to carry the news that the dreaded corsair, who had made his name a terror on the Istliious six years before, was now rav- aging the Pacific. There was booty enough beneath her hatches to enrie^' every man in Drake's ship, and there was nothing to l)e done now but to find a way home. But what way ? To return by the route he had come was perilous. The whole coast was up in arms. Troops were marching hither and thither. Good bishops were giving the chimes of their cathedrals to be cast into guns to sink the deadly Dragon, the enemy of God and man. Ships If i' r IH 11 CH 1 liiii It: (I ' f I I i i'-. I i ri 266 The World's Discoverers were out searching for him. The best naval officer on the coast had stationed himself at the Straits of Magel- lan, to bar his return. But Drake's adventurous sjiirit yet tliirsted for discovery, and he took a bold resolve. Englisli geographers fully believed that there was a passage from ocean to ocean to the north of America. Frobisher tliought tliat he had found tlie entrance of it two years before Drake sailed. It was even named, — the Strait of Anian. It is needless to say no man had traversed it. Drake resolved to have this glory. He would enter it, find his way through, and having cir- cunniavigated America, sail home witli the renown of having opened an English road to Cathay, and with the vicliest booty that ever ship carried. So, while Soiitli America, from Panama to Patagonia, was watching for him, the dauntless corsair bore north- ward. They put in for repairs and provisions at the " Island of Caines," which seems to have pleased the chaplain greatly. He says : "■ we found here many good commod- ities which we wanted, as fish, fresh water, wood, etc., alaigartoes [alligators], munckeyes, and the like.'* Here also they took another prize, "loaden with linnen, C-hina silke and Cliina-dishes, besides a faulcon of gold, handsomely wrouglit, with a great emerald set in the brest of it." At Guatulco Drake did a characteristic thing. Land- ing, he found the alcaldes (alderman) of the town sitting. He laid the whole board by the heels, bundled them in a body on his ship, and made them send an order for every man to leave the town. Then he held the «;f I! L Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 267 I)iiralyzcd olBcials as hostages, while he vietualetl uii- mok^stcd from the Spanish storeliouses. The next (la\' he was speeJing northward again. liiuniing up the California coast, off Cape Mendocino he encountered a storm of extraordinary severity. The rigging was frozen, and the men, coming from the tropics, were nearly paralyzed with the cold. "'Our Cenerall," says Fletcher, "by comfortable speeches of the divine providence and of God's loving care over his children, as also by his own cheerfuU exam- ine stirred them to a good courage and to quit them- selves like men." So they went on. It was only when he reached the latitude of Vancouver that he gave up the quest of the Northwest Passngo. l>y this time another great re- solve had formed itself in his mind. This was nothing less than to strike across the broad Pacific and to reach home by the route around the Cape of Cfood Hope, or to die in the attempt. There was a circumstance that encouraged him in this apparently reckless undertaking. In one of his prizes he had made a capture of price- less value, — the secret charts by which Spain conducted her rich traffic in the Eastern Asiatic Archi[)eIago. Remember that up to this tnne the Pacific iuul the Indian oceans were exclusively Spanish and Portuguese waters and to an Englishman were unki. -wn and un- charted seas. Now Drake had the key to the intricate navigation of the East Indies snug in his cabin. But first the " Golden Hind " must be got ready for the trementhms venture. Therefore he ran back to a natural harbor near the place where the city of San m i 4 1 Jil ' i i I . L 1 ! 1 •■ 'I 1 268 The World's Discoverers Francisco now stands. There, while the simple natives looked on in wonder, the " Golden Hind " was docked, cleaned, and thoroughly refitted. Here the guileless natives would fain have made Drake their king, seeing in him and his conn'ades men of a heavenly race. He declined the honor, but took possession of the country in the name of his royal mis- tress, by right of original discovery, calling it New Albion, both on account of the white cliffs, and that "it might have some affinity with our own country." On the 25th of July the audacious little craft, the only English keel in all that ocean, sailed boldly out into the Pacific, taking a bee-line for the Moluccas. Whether in sheer recklessness, or because he had all the plunder he could carry and was not courting Spanish company, Drake avoided the regular trade-route and laid a course for himself, steering, as it were, by in- spiration. Day after day the sun rose out of the eastern, wheeled over their heads, and sank in the western waste, without a single sail's breaking the monotonous circle where sea and sky met. Days lengthened into weeks, weeks into months. Meanwhile they were once more near the Equator. Then, sixty-eight days after they had lost sight of land, the new Argonauts ran in amongst the Carolines. It would make our story too long to relate a tenth of the novel experiences that befell them in these waters and among these islands, new to English eyes ; how the " Golden Hind " threaded her way through perilous channels, and how she escaped innumerable dangers. She had left England in 1577; it was now 1580, and Southwest Passage to Cathay Reopened 269 still tliousiiuds of miles separated her from home. Once, bowling along befoie a fine topsail breeze, she ran full tilt on a reef. Every device of seamanship was tried in vain. Heavily freighted with treasure, she would not budge. All around the reef v/as deep water, so that no hold coidd be got for {inchors to warp her out. Apparently, the " Golden Hind " had laid her down to die, and the enormous wealth she carried in Iier hold would not save her crew from a worse fate than a beg- gar's. Twenty hours she lay there. Facing death as inevitable, the mariners solemnly took the sacrament together. As one of the old chroniclers satirically put it," each theefe reconciled himself unto bis fello theefe." Then, in ''esi)eration, Drake began to heave over guns, spice:s, anything that would lighten her. Sud- denly she slid gently off the rock, unhurt, and held on her way. It seemed almost a miracle. No wonder that the pious shipmen attributed their escape to a direct interposition of Divine Providence. Two months more they still groped their way through intricate channels, beaten about by baffling gales. By March, however, they were clear of the archipelago ; and in two months more they were ploughing their way tln-ough open seas towards the Cape of Good Hope. This they pronounced the most majestic object that they had seen in all their wanderings. Well might Drake be jubilant and happy. His prayer that he might sail an English ship in the South Sea had been answered. He had crossed it from side to side. He had wrested from Spain the sceptre of mari- time supremacy. Her secret of the far East was no £ ; U- 270 The World's Discoverers "1 secret now. The Soutliwcst Road to Cathay and Cipango hiy open to Englishmen. What of things at home in the mean time ? For more than a year not a word abont Drake had reached Eng- hmd, except a vague rumor that the Spaniards had caught and hanged him. Then Wynter came liome with the story of tlie storm in whicli lie had parted company with the "Golden Hind," and in which lie doubted not she had gone down. Suddenly the Spanish ambassador brought the astounding news, just received from his master at ^Madrid, that the Viceroy of Mexico had reported the Dragon pillaging the Pacific coast. Then for a long time there was utter and ominous silence. No more was known of Drake than if his bones were bleaching on some unknown islet of the Pacific, as many devoutly prayed that they would. One day, in the fall of 1580, a worm-eaten little craft, her bottom foul with weeds and barnacles, labored into Pl^-mouth Sound. It was the glorious little "Golden Hind," that had accomplished a voyage that still stands admired amid the world's heroic achievements. Of course there was excitement at court. Philip was then at the zenith of his power, and it seemed incred- ibly rash for little England to arouse his vengeance. The peace party clamored for severe measures against the audacious pirate who had flaunted defiance in the face of haughty Spain. Troublous times were ahead of him, Drake well kn3w. But of one thing he was sure, — of Elizabeth's secret sympathy and protection; and he was scarcely the man to be daunted at the opposi- tion of subjects of any degree. When the expected South wesi Passage to Cathay Reopened 271 summons to court cume, he promptly set out, but not alone. A whole train of pack-horses canied the pick of his plunder, a timely offering iutendecl to appease the wrath of his most influential opp(ments. Honest old Burleigh would have none of it; but not so all. Who could be obdurate towards a man who seemed to have at his command all the wealth of the Indies, and whose common sailors swaggered through the streets blazing with gold and gems ? The Queen gave orders that the treasure should be registered and sent up to London, but, characteristi- cally, she sent a private letter to the official in charge, bidding him turn his back while Drake should have opportunity to remove secretly ten thousand pounds' worth of bullion. This would amount to millions in value, as prices go now ; and this was but a part of the great rover's reward. Soon Elizabeth threw aside all disguise and showed the greatest favor to Drake. He was the hero of the day. Crowds thronged to see the little " Golden K\d," hauled ashore at Deptford. To cap the climax, one day her gracious Majesty came down and was royally banqueted on board. Then, on the deck of the gallant little ship, she knighted "the master-thief of the un- known world," who lived many years longer to make *5pamards quake when they saw the dragon escutcheon bearing down upon them. As long as her timbers held together, the stout little "Golden Hind " was pre- served in honor, as the first English craft that had clapped a girdle about the globe and laid open the road to Cathay. I Hi $ [Hi » |i !- I i ■ , i: II J w ■ ■ 272 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER XXVII DUTCH EXPLOKEKS VISIT NOVA ZEMllLA m I u ■'.i "NoTHiN(^ in nil the history of Arctic adventure is more full of romance and heroism than the three voy- ages of William Harentz, in the last of which he perished from hardship. A born leader of men, a true devotee of science, endless in resources, of zeal unquenchable, great-hearted, blithe, and lovable, he stands in the front rank of the world's great sailors." This ehxpient tri])ute of Dr. John Fiske expresses the universal sentiment of the civilized world. Few achieve- ments of their kind have atti-actcd so much attention or have received a greater degree of admiration than these voyages of the brave Dutchman and his staunch com- rades. The story of them has been translated into many languages and has been followed with deep inter- est by thousands of readers. Wherever the higiiest (pialities of manhood are a})preciated, these hardy ex- plorers will ever be honored. We nuist content our- selves with a sketch of the last and most important ex[)edition. Indirectly, Drake's voyage, just related, led to these famous ventures of the Dutch. Ilis pliuidering the South American coast was one of the chief causes that brought on war between England and Spain. The Dutch Explorers Visit Nova Zembla 273 defeat of the Invincible Annatla so loosened the hitter's hold on the Netherlands, that the Dutch immediately took advantage of their greater freedom to exert them- selves in an endeavor to reach China by a northeast route. Three successive expeditions were sent out. The following sketch is taken from the journal ad- mirably kept by Gerrit de Veer and, soon after its publication, translated into English. On the 10th of May, 1596, two vessels, of one of which William Barentz was chief pilot, and John Cor- nelison Rip of the other, sailed from Amsterdam. On the 5th of .June they encountered the first ice. One of the men on deck, seeing it shining in the sunlight on the horizon, shouted that he saw white swans. This was in the evening. By midnight they reached it and sailed through it, the sun being then, at his lowest, about one degree above the horizon in the north. On the 11th of June they rowed to the land, and gathered "a great store of sea-mews' eggs upon the slioare." After climbing a hill covered with snow, they found it a harder task to descend, on account of its being exceed- ingly steep and slippery. But tobogganing down on the seats of their trousers, "by God's help wee got safely downe againe." Then th-'v went on board and enjoyed their feast of fresh eggs. The next day they saw a white bear and rowed after it, to throw a noose over it, for it seems that they were without arms. But when they came up to it, they concluded that it was too formidable to be dealt with in that way. So they rowed back to the ship, to get more men and their weapons. Then they " made to her 18 ill 1 H 1 1 ''* mis 1 i .. il i 1 ' 1 - ; m il m 274 The World's Discoverers agaiiiG witli muskets, luirgubiishes [arquebuses], lial- bcrtcs, and hatchets, John Cornelysoi/s men comming also with their boate to lielp us." Now the two boats' crews attacked the })ear, "and fought with lier while four glasses were runne out [Think of that! A two liours' fusillade to kill one animal!], for our weapons could doc her little hurt." At last, however, they succeeded in killing the beast, but not before it had further astonished them by swimming off once with an axe sticking fast in its back. After all, the bear had the last innings ; for when they ate some of it, it did not agree with them. Well might they call that island Bear Island, by which name the Russians know it to this day. A day or two later they had an encounter which is related thus quaintly : " Wee saw a great thing driving [drifting] in the sea, but passing along by it wee per- ceived it to bee a dead whale that stouncke mon- sterously; and on it there sate a great number of sea mewes." A dead whale, it seems, is no uncommon sight. Many hundreds of miles due south from the point where the Dutch voyagers saw this one, is a bay, on the coast of Lapland, in which, according to a dis- tinguished modern explorer, "a number of dead whales are stranded every summer, sometimes as many as ten." On the 21st of June they came to anchor in a strait near the northeastern extremity of Spitzbergen. Here they had another perilous adventure with a bear. At the first it came swimming towards the ship. But some of the men put out in a boat, headed it off, and drove it out to sea. It swam out as much as four Dutch Explorers Visit Nova Zembla 275 miles, they all the while pursuing in three htnits, "cut- ting and heuwing her, so that all our arms were most broken in peiees. During our fight with her shee stroke her clawes in our boate, that the signes thereof were seene in it; but as hap was, it was forward ii the stern of the boat, for if it had been in the midle thereof, shee had peradventure overthrown it, they have such force in tlieir clawes." At last the animal was wearied out and killed. When it had Ijcen flayed, the "skinne was thirteen foote long"! On a small island they found many brent geese or barnacle geese sitting on their nests. "As they sate, wee killed one goose dead with a stone, which we dresst and eate, and at least sixty egges, that wee tooke with us aboard the shippe. These geese come into Holland and every yeere are there taken in abundance, but till this time it was never known where the} hatcht their egges; so that some men have taken upon them to write that they sit upon trees in Scotland, that hang over the water, and such egges as fall from them down into the water become young geese, but those that fall upon the land burst in sunder and are lost." This pas- sage refers to one of the absurd notions credited in the sixteenth century, not merely by the ignorant, but by the most learned scholars and best-informed naturalists. iVccording to the account given by the erudite John (ierard, in 1597, there are in the north of Scotland and in the Orkneys certain trees whereon grow shells con- taining living creatures. When these shells mature, they open: whereupon their contents falling into the water become "fowles which we call barnakles; in the .!';) in ,' I 276 The World's Discoverers North of Eiigliiiul, l)nint geese; iu Liinciisliirc, tree geese." lie adds solemnly : "For the truth hereof, if any tloubt, may it please tiiem to repaire unto me, and I siiall satisiiu them by the testinionie of good witnesses." Such was the "science" of the sixteenth century. When we lind a dictionary a hundred years later defin- ing a salamander as an animal which is so exceedingly cold that if it goes into a fire "it straightway putteth out the fire, by reason of its coldness;" and when we find that famous scholar, Dr. Sanuiel Johnson, denying that swallows migrate in winter, and stoutly allirming that " they do conglobulate themselves and, plunging to the bottom of a river, lie there till spring," we realize the advance of knowledge, since children in a grammar school would not credit such notions to-day. The valiant Dutchmen sailed on into the vast un- known, hugging the wild shores of Spitzbergen, then visited probably for the first time, till they doubled its northern extrcmit}'. Thence they sailed almost due south, until on the 2d of July they were at Bear Island again, having made a loop around Spitz- bergen. Then John Cornelison and his officers came aboard, to discuss their future movements. As there was a difference of opinion, it was finally agreed that each should choose his own course. In consequence, Cornelison turned back towards the 80tli parallel, be- lieving that there he would find an opening to the east- ward, while Heemskercke's ship, of which Barentz v/as chief pilot, headed away southeasterly towards Nova Zembla, wliich they sighted on the 17th. Now they Dutch Explorers Visit Nova Zcmbla 277 turned north a<,'iiin, following' tlic coast, except when ice conipclK'd them to stand out to sea. On the 20th they had one of tlieir cluiracteristic adventures wliich is rehited with quaint frankness. (j}oin<^' on the hind, they met "two heares whicii rose up upon their hinder feete to sec us (for they smell further than tliey see); and for tiiat they smelt us, therefore they rose upright and came towards us, wherewith we were not a little ahashed, in such sort that wee had little lust [desire] to laugh, and in all haste went to our hoate againe, still looking hehind us to see if they followed us, thinking to get into the boate and so i)ut off from the land: hut the master stayed us, saying, hee that first beginnes to runne away, I will thrust this hake-stalfe (which hee then held in his hand) into his ribs, for it is better for us (sayd hee) to stay altogether, and see if we can make them afraid with whooping and liallowing; and so we went softly towards the boate and gote away, glad that wee had escaped there clawes, and that w'ee had the leysure to tell our fellowes thereof." Henceforth every few days we have the killing of a bear recorded. The party seem to have outgrown some- thing of their original terror of these animals. Jiy the 15th of August they had come to the island of Orange, at the northern end of Nova Zembla, Avhich they had discovered and named in the previous year. There they were shut in by the ice, and for some time -were in great danger of losing their ship. Finally with nuich labor they extricated themselves. " While we were busied thereabouts and made much noise, a beare that lay there and slept, awaked, and came towards us to the ship, ;! n\ \uk r-r-M II tilt t , m i 1 ^^ il 278 The World's Discoverers HO that wo w'vvii forct'd to leave our workc about turn- ing; of the sliip, aud to defend ourselves against the heare, and shot her into the body, wherewilh she ran away to the otiier side of the island, and swam into the wat(M' and got up upon a peeec; of ice, where shee lay still; hnt wee eonuning after her to the peece of iee where shee lay, wheji shee saw us she lea[)t into the water and swam to the land, but wee got between her and tJKf land and stroke her on the head with a hatchet, but as often as we stroke at her with the hatchet, she (budct under the water, whereby we had much to do before we could kill her." The next day some of the men went ashore and climbed a high hill, to view "the lay of the land." To their intense joy they saw open water to the south- east. They imagined that they were nearing the end of their trials, had accomplished the purpose of the voyage, and had earned the reward offered by the States, which had promised a considerable sum of money, in case " it should bee made apparent that the sayd passage [by the northeast of Europe and Asia] was to be say led." In their joy they knew not how to "get soon inough on boord to certifie William IJarentz thereof." Alas! they little dreamed what lay before them. Now they turned the northern extremity of Nova Zembla and began to head southward. But their course was beset wuth difficulties and perils. A powerful cur- rent swept them around the headland, driving the ice with threatening force against the ship and the cable that she had out ; " so that wee were in feare that we ■hi Dutch Explorers Visit Nova Zembla 279 should lose; all the cuhk', wliicli was 200 fudonic lit least; but (lod provided well for us, so that in the end wee ^'ot to th(( phun; agaiiK! from wlu'nce wee put out." Now, day after day, they strove to extricate tlieni- stdves and to reaeli the open water which they liad seen. Hut tiiey were always halllcd and beaten back by the rushint^ current and the driving ice. Once " wo went up upon the ice and wondered much thereat, it was such manner of ice: for on the top it was ful of earth, and there we found above forty egges, and it was not like other ice, for it was of a perfect azure coloure, like to the skies, whereby there grew great contention in words amongst our men, some saying that it was ice, others that it was frozen land: for it lay unreasonable high above the water." Other travelers have described this deep-blue ice. After various trying experiences, on the 2Gth of August their fate came upon them. Having vainly striven to make their way out to the open water to the southeast, find being hindered by the drifting ice from following the coast southwestward, they resolved to give up the attempt and to return by the w.iy they had come, that is, around the northern end of Nova Zend)la. It was already too late! They were shut in. "And at that time we had like to have lost three men that were upon the ice to make way for the ship " (by cutting a passage). It seems that, the ice and the ship moving in opposite directions, the men were nearly swept away. " But God, by the nimbleness of their hands, delivered them out of that danger, which was a pittifull thing to I?. \ 'I ' [,: ■t^ilHii 280 The World's Discoverers l)eliokl, for if they had not beene nimble, they liail surely dyed for it." " The same day in the evening we got to the west side of the Ice Haven, where we were forced, in great cold, poverty, misery, and grief, to stay all that winter." Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 281 CIIArTER XXVIII WINTER-BOUND ON NOVA ZEMBLA WiTir tlic pathetic words quoted at the close of :ho preceduig- chapter begins the story of one of the n-wt tryinf,' experiences in the whole record of Arctic explcni- tioii, bi)rne with-a patience and heroic fortitude worthy of the highest admiration. It nuist bo remembered that there was no exi)ei'ience of a successful winteriii"- in Polar regions to encourage tlie explorers. The unfortunate Sir Hugh Willoughby, with all his com- panions, had perished forty-two years earlier. There- fore there were no rules of diet, clothing, and exercise, such as successive generations have accujnulated; none of the appliances which, in our day, make it possible for the Arctic explorer to sit down, on board his vessel shut in by the ice, iu a cabin lighted by electricity, to a table generously supplieil with canned fresh meats and fresh vegetu!)les. Our Dutchmen were veritid)le pioneers in this Held. It was a stern, grim,, deadly necessity that held them fast in its vise-like grip, with none of the alleviations Vvhich modern science has pro- vided. They had but their own stout hearts and an unfailing trust in God. When we consider all the adverse circumstances, we must admit that the story of the next year is au astonishing one. Its relatively rt 282 The World's Discoverers ii '■ I m Mi happy issue was duo to tlie high moral qualities of I atience, good sense, industry, courage, and faith. The 27th of August the bow of the ship was lifted about four feet. Those who were on board made prep- arations to leave her and signaled to those who were ashore to come, expecting that she would be crushed. The next day she slipped down out of the ice with such a loud crack as made them all think that it was the end of her. The next day they tried "with yron hookes and other instruments to breake the flakes of ice that lay one heaped upon the other, but al in vaine ; so that we determined to commit ourselves to the mercie of God and to attend ayde from him." Day after day the conditions grew worse, with high winds and snow, the drifting ice grinding against the sides of the vessel and sometimes lifting one end or the other several feet. More than once the boats were got out on the ice, with the expectation that the ship would go to pieces. On the 2d of Septembt.-, in a violent snow-i."torm, the ice cracking with great noise, they determined to carry ashore thirteen barrels of bread and two casks of wine, so that they might be provided against a sudden emergency. By the 5th the weather was clear, but very cold. The ship had a considerable list and was leaking badly. Therefore it was thought prudent to carry ashore some powder, lead, muskets, and other necessaries, with an additi(mal stock of pro- visions, as well as some carpenter's tools, and to make a tent or hut over one of the boats that had been drawn ashore. All tliis time, however, they clung to the ship, evidently in the liope of release. But each day the Winter-Bound on Nova Zeinbla 283 prospect grew more discouraging. By (lie lllli of Sep- leiiibej-, the winter drawing on lapidly, tliey realized the situation and resolved to face the necessity ol" winter- ing there with good courage and with faith. Some of the men, exploring the land a few (hiys earlier, had re[)orted having " I'onnd a river of sweet water, with great store of wood tliut had bin driven thither." HOUSE-BUILDINU IN THK ARCTIC KKOIONS This was about eight miles away. A purty v.as sent out to ascertain the truth of this statement. The result was, that " we found an unexpected comfort in our need, which was that we found certain trees, roots and all, which had bin driven upon the shoare, either from Tartaria [Siberia] or Muscovia [Russia], or else- where; wherewith (as if God had purposely sent them ( ■■ i I ' '^1 ! f ft il: (I I ll 284 The World's Discoverers Sih'- ' to lis) we were miicli comforted, being in good hope that God would shew us some further favour; for that wood served us not only to build an house, but also to burne and serve us all the winter long; otherwise witiiout all doubt we had died there miserably with extreme cold. " The loth of September wee saw three beares, whereof the one lay still behind a peece of ice and the other two came close to the ship, wi:ich we perceiving, made our peeces ready to shoote at them ; at which time there stood a tub full of beef upon the ice ; one of the beares went unto it and put his head into the tulj to take out a peece of the beef, but she fared therewith as the dog did with the pudding ; for as she was snatching at the beefe, she was shot into the head, wherewith she fell downe dead and never stird. There we saw a curious sight: the other beare stood still and lookt upon her fellow; and when she had stood a good while she smelt her fellow, and perceiving that she was dead, went away, but we tooke halberts and other amies with us and followed her." This second animal, in spite of being shot in the body, made its escape. The same day a sled was built for hauling wood to the place where the house was to be reared. Now we have, d;iy after day, the record of syste- matic work in hauling driftwood. September 21 was so cold that the cook's galley had to be taken below, be- cause everything froze on the deck. On the 23d, "our earpentur dyed as we came aboord that evening." This was the first death and must liave cast a gloom over the party. The next day he was buried under the Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 285 shingle in the cleft of a rock, because they could not dig a grave in the frozen earth. On the 25th "we raised up the principles of our house and began to worke hard thereon." On the 26th they had the cruel experience of a west wind and open sea; so that they could have got away, if only their ship had been free. "Tlie 27th it blew hard northeast, and it froze so hard that as we put a nayle into our mouthes (as when men worke carpenters worke they use to doe), there would ice hange thereon when we tooke it out againe, and make the blood follow." On this day and on the next and again on the next, there were visits from bears. But in every case the animals got away without damage on either side. On the 28th it was bright and calm, with an open sea. " But our ship lay fast in the ice and stirred not." What a cruel trial to tbe poor fellows dreading the bitter winter and longing for their homes ! They bravely pushed the work on the house, however, and on the landing of the stores, though it was "so extreame cold tliat we could hardly worke, but extrem- ity forced us thereunto." On the 30th they built a big iire near the house, that they might thaw the ground, in order to pile earth against the house to make it warmer. " But it was all lost labour, for the earth was so hard and frozen so deep, that we could not thaw it, and it would have cost us too much wood." October 1 they liad a snow-storm with such a furious gale that a man could liardly walk against it or even draw his breath. On the 2d "we set up our house [completed its erection], and upon it we placed a , ■ f' s m K': ■Mill • iiili: ■ S'! ''H f;if i: 286 The World's Discoverers ni;i3'-i)()le iiuulo of frozen snow [as one might, under other circunistunces, raise a flag]." On the 5tli they l)r()ke u[) the hnver deek of the forecasth; and with the planks made a sh)|)ing roof, that the water might run off. The 8th "it blew so liard and snowed so fast that we sliouhl have smothered, if we had gone out into tlie aire; and to speak truth, it liad not been possible for any man to have gone our ship's length, though liis life had laine thereon." "The 10 of October as one of (mr men went out, he chaunced to meet a beare, and was almost at [against] him before he knew it, but pres- ently he ranne back againe towards tlie ship and the beare after him: but the beare comming to the place where before that we killed another beare and set her upright and there let her freeze, shee stood still, wherel)y our man got before her and clome up into the ship in great fear, crying, a beare, a beare; wliich we hearing came above hatches to looke on her and to shoote at her, but we could not see her, by means of the exceed- ing great smoke [their eyes being inflamed] that had so tormented us while we lay under hatches in the foule wether. The beare staicd not long there, but ran away." "The 11th it was calme wether, the wind bi'ing south and somewhat warme, and then wee c;irryed our wine and other victuals on land." On the 12th half of the men slept in the house for the first time. Tiiey suffered greatly from cold, because tlie buidis were not yet made and they had not clothing enough. Besides, they could not keep a fire, ])ecause the chimney was not yet built, " whereby it smoaked exceedingly." On the ISth some of the men were haul- Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 287 ing a cask of beer (the Norwogiaii ":i[)n)ss('ii-bior," from which we get our name."spruec-beer," which, desi)ite its name, has no spruce in it), when they were assailed by so furious a wind that they left the sled where it was and got in out of the cold. The next day they found the cask burst, but the beer that had run out frozen "as hard upon the side of the barrel as if it had been glewed thereon." They broke it off and ate it. By the 18th the sea was covered with ice, and no open water could be seen. On the IDth another bear visited the ship, at a time when but two men and a boy were aboard. After vainly trying to drive her away by throwing billets of wood at her, the men jumped into the hold and the boy clindjcd up the fore-rigging. "Meane time some of our men shot at her with a mus- ket, and then she ran away." What marksmen these worthy Dutchmen were with their clumsy muskets, which were held, not against, but over the shoulder, so as to escape the terrible "kick" ! On the 24th the rest of the men came to the house, drawing the sick man upon a sled. " Then with great labour and paine wee drew our boate home to our house and turned the bottom thereof upwards, that when time served us (if God saved our lives in the winter-time) wee might use it: for wee alwaies trusted in God that hee would deliver us from thence towards summer-time, either one way or other." By this time the sun was very low, and they prudently hastened their preparations against the cold and dark winter that was at hand. On the 26th there was another prodigious adventure. As some of the men were hauling stores out of the IS i! V'i 288 The World's Discoverers i , ,11: I i, ^ f i '!if ship, three bears ciiine upon them. " As good fortune was, tliere hiy two luilherds upon the slead, whereof the master tooke one and 1 the other, and made resistance a|L,rainst them as well as we could; but the rest of our men ran to save themselves in the ship. One of these fell into a crevice in the ice, which greeved us much, for wee thought verily that the beares would have run unto him to devoure him; but God defended him, for the l)i!ares still made towards the shi[) after the men that ran thither to save themselves." The writer and the man who had fallen into the crevice, having climbed into the shi[) on the otlier side, were then attacked. Having no wea[)on8 but the halberds, they "gave them worke to doe" by throwing billets at them; and every time they threw, the bears ran after the missile, "as a dog useth to doe at a stone that is cast at him." " Mean time we sent a man down under hatches, to strike fire, and another to fetch pikes; but wee could get no lire, and so wee had no meanes to shoote." Their firearms were discharged with matches. Until the match was lighted, they were useless. At last the largest of the bears got a blow on the snout from a hal- berd ; whereupon it turned and ran away, followed by the others. (October 27th there was so violent a snow-storm that they conld not work out of doors. Still some of the men killed an Arctic fox, which they roasted and ate. " The same day we set up our clock, so that it struck the hour; and we hung up a lamp to burne in the night time, wherein we used the fat of the beare, which we molt and burnt in the lampe." Winter-Bound on Nova ZembUi 289 On the 28tli three of the men were caught in ji vi»»h'nt snow-storm iind narrowly escaped spending the niglit without eover, which surely would have been death to them. November 2 the sun did not show its w^iole disk above the horizon. They killed and ate another fox. They remarked that these animals became nu)re numerous as the sun sank lower, and that at the same time the bears began to disai)pear. On the 8d tliey saw only the upper edge of the sun. On the 4th they saw him no more. Nor would they see him again for several months. The long Arctic night had begun. The sur- geon now did a very wise thing, in making a vapor- bath out of an empty hogshead for the use of the crew. We see it represented in the illustration. This was un- doubtedly one of the agencies which helped greatly to the preserv.ition of the men's health. Another fox was taken. They now remarked that the moon was visible day and niglit for seven or eight days at a time. The 7th it was dark and still. They could hardly discern the day from the night, especially as the clock had stopped, and they did not know whether the faint light was that of the day or of the moon. The 8th another fox was taken. The l)read was distrilnited so that each man had four pounds and ten ounces for his share for eight days. This would make a barrel last eight days instead of five or six, as formerly was the case. They had no need, however, to go on short allowance of fish and meat. The Itth they made and set a trap for foxes and caught one. The 21st they agreed that every man should take his turn at cutting wood, to relieve the cook, who had his hands full with cooking twice a 19 ill i;tl ■fe . n fk 290 The World's Discoverers li I; -I V. li.^in flay. But seventeen cheeses were loft. One was divided among all, and the rest were distrihuted one to each man, to be eaten at his discretion. Another and larger fox-trap was set, which caught four in one day. The next day it stormed so furiously that they could not, even under the most urgent necessity, go out of doors. They employed themselves in making more traps, for now they depended wholly on foxes for fresh meat. The next day they managed to shovel away the snow, so that they could open the doors. They found the traps and springes com[)letely snowed under. They cleared and set them again and that day took one fox. Six of the men visited the ship to see how she lay, and cauffht a fox alive in the hold. December 1 the wind was from such, a quarter that the house was full of smoke, and Wio men were obliged to lie all the day in tiieir bunks. They heated stones and put them at their feet, for the cold was intolerable. While they lay shiv- ering in their bunks, with the storm raging without, and within the smoke blinding their eyes and almost stifling them, they could hear the ice crack in the sea a half- mile away, with "a hugh noyse." All those three days while they were weather-bound, they depended on the sand-glass (which may be seen in the illustration^, which needed to be turned every twelve hours, "stil watching it lest we should misse our time ; for the cold was so great that our clock was frozen and might not goe, although we hung more waight on it than before." December 4 the weather was clear, .md they went to work in regular reliefs to clear passages from the doors, only the master and the pilot being exempted. The 6th Winter-Bound on Nova Zemhla 291 there was an easterly wind with "extrciiuH! cohl, almost not to he endnred." It is pathetic to read, '* Wr lookt l)ittiliilly one u[)on the other, heing in j^rcat feare, that if ye extreniitio of the cold grew to he nioi-e and more, we should all die there with the cold, for that what lire soever we made, it would not warnie us." On the 7th they had a jjcrilous experience within doors. On account of the excessive cold, soniehody pnjjKJsed that they hurn some "sea-coles" that they liiid brought out of the ship. So in the evening they made a great lire of it and sto{)ped \\\) all the doors and the ehinniey, to keep the heat in. I'hen they lay in tlu'ir hunks, " well comforted with the heat, and so lay a great while talking together." Suddenly they were seized with "a great swoiinding and daseling." The strongest started up to let in some fresh air, "but he that opened the door fell down in a swound upi)on the snow;" whereupon the writer ran quickly and got so'^.ie vinegar and rubbed his face with it, and he re- covered. "So the cold was the onely relief that we had; otherwise we had without doubt all died in a sodaine swound. The master, when we were come to ourselves againe, gave every one of us a little wine to comfort our hearts." By the IGth all the wood in the house had been burned, and they were under the neces- sity of shoveling away the snow to get at that which was covered up. In this work, which they did by icliofs of two or three, they could not remain long ex[)osed, so great was the cold, though they wore caps of fox-skin and double clothing. The 18th they visited the ship, caught another fox in the hold, and found that since ilfi ill M It! i. I i ' i 292 I'he World's Discoverers their hist visit the water had risen ahout a linger and all was frozen. Tlien! is a toucli of pathos a1)out this: "The 10 of Deeeniher we put eaeli other in gcjod eond'ort, that the sun was then ahiiost halle over and ready to come to ns againe, wliich we sore longed for, it Ijeing a weary time for us to he witliout tiie suime and to want the greatest comfort tiiat (lod sendeth unto man here \\\h)\i the earth, and tliat which rejoiccth every living thing." This cheei'fui, hoj)eful s})irit crmnted for much in en- ahling tlie poor fellows to survive tliat fearful winter. Tliey made the hest of everything. Hven the foxes' meat "seemed as dainty as veinson " to tliem. When we contrast their fearful sufferings from cold with the comparative comfort and well-beiug in which recent explorers have lived through Polar winters, clad in their warm furs and nonrished with a wholesome diet, we realize how scant was their clothing and how inadequate was their outfit. Modern Arctic explorers have heen wont to make much of festivals and to serve elaborate Christmas dinners, Init for these poor fellows there was no holiday cheer. " The 2r)th of December, being Christmas Day, it Wits foule wether with a north.- west wind." They lay in their bunks, unable to warm themselves, though they used all the resources they had, "great fires, good store of clothes, and hot stones and billets laid upon oTir feete and upon our bodies." Though the}' awoke to find their "cabins were frozen white," "yet," sa^s the writer, "we comforted ourselves againe as well as we could, that the sunne was then as low as it could Wintcr-Bomul on Nova '/einhla 293 p(n', iiiiil that it now Ix'^'iiii t<» ('(imc to us iij,Miii»', aiid \V(! l'(»iiii(i it to In! ti'iic; lor that the (laics licgimiiiig to leiiL^thcii the cohl i»('<4aii to stit'iii^tlicii, hut hope put us in i^ood iMiinl'ort and i-ascd our puiuc." Thu 'JDth was tho third day of so excessive cohl, that they had not Icl't (he house, "nor durst tluMist our heads out of doorcs; and witliin the house it was so extreme et)ld, that as we sate heior(! a great lire and seemed to burne our shins on tlu; lore side, we fi'o/.c behinde at our backs and were al while, as the counti-y- men used to be when they I'onic in at the gates of the towiK! in Holland with their sleads." On the -Sth one juan crept out through a hole, but he ([uickly returned, reporting that the snow lay higher than the house, and that ''if he had stayed out longer, his eares would un- doubtedly have })een frozen off." The l^Oth was calm. They opened a door and shoveled steps, by which they "went up out of the house, as if it had bin out of a seller." Digging out and clearing the springes, they found in one a dead fox, frozen as hard as a stone, which some of the men thawed and ate. The old year closes with this dismal entry: "The 31 of I)ecend)er we were so fast shut up into the house as if we had beene ])ris- oners, and it was so extreame cold that the fire almost caste no heate; for as we put our feete to the fire, we burnt our hose before we could feele the heate, and if we had not sooner smelt than felt them, we should have burnt them quite away ere we had knowne it." The new year began gloomily enough. 'I'lie record runs: "Anno 1597. After that, with givat cold, we had brought the yeare unto an end, v/e entred into ye f 1 ( 1 f U 1 ';!|| 1! i \ - 1 • .1: r. , 1'. M )S I 294 The World's Discoverers yuiire of our Lord God 1597, ye bogiuiiing whereof was ill ye siiinc luiiiier tis ye end t)f Anno loiKJ Imd been. At the same time we agreed to share our wine every mail a small measure full, and that but once in two daies, that if we should stay long there, we might drink it at our neede [should have some left for cases of emergency]." The storms and fearful cold continued day after day. If they "thrust a halfe pike out at ye chinniey with a clothe or fether upon it," to see which way the wind blew, "as soone as we thrust it out, it was presently frozen as hard as a peece of wood." January 5 tUv; wxnither was better. They seized the opportunity to clean the house, to fetch in wood, and to make pre[)arations against another siege. After work- ing hard all the day, "we remembered oui'selves that it was Twelfth Night [the feast of the Epiphany], and tiicn we pi'ayed our maister that we might be merry that niglit, ami said that we were content to spend some Oi the wine tliat night which we had spared, whereof for certain dales we had not drunke; and so that nicfht we Uiade merry and drew for King. And therewith we had two pounds of meale, whereof we made pancakes with oyle, and to every man a white bisket, which we so[)t in the wine. And S') su])posing that we were [fancying ourselves to be] in our owno country and amongst our freiuls, it comforted us as well as if we had made a great banket in our own house. And we also made tickets [ballots, and voted], and our gun- ner was King of Nov^', Zembla, which is at least 800. miles long." Brave fellows! It needed pluck to Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 295 i| make nieriy and phiy j^anu's, wlieii I'old and durlmcss, winter and I'aniino and death, shut them in. A few days later the writer says phiyruily, with referenie to their going out in more moderate weather, "it was no need to bid us goe home againe, for in the aire it was not smoking hot." They visited the ship, saw several bear-iraeks there, and noted that the water had risen a foot in the hold. Tiiey took the height of a star, made certain calculations, and reached a result conlirm- ing former calculations that they were in the 7Cth degree of latitude. The 15Ji they visited the ship, and found that bears had torn and tossed things about. The next day their hearts leaped with joy, because "about noone time we saw a certain rednes in the skie, as a shew 01 messenger of the sunne that began to come towards us." The next day it thawed a little in the house. Their wood began to run low. They wisely determined to burn it more sparingly, and to save their coal for consum})tion on their return voyage in open boats, for it sccms to have grown clear to them that the ship never would be got out. The bread, too, began to grow scant, and tiio writer tells us quite frankly that some of the men went to a reserve of a half-barrel in the ship and "secretly each of tlu .n tooke a bisket or two out of it." It is the only instance that we have encountered of such scKish conduct, though the pinch of hunger often paralyzes conscience. Now the catch of foxes began to fail, from which they inferred thai they would soon begin to see bears again, and, in spite of all discouragements, "gave (bid thaidvcs that the liardest m n ■n: iH ! 1 lili ;l;^: !!;-< '1- i;pJ: & 296 The World's Discoverers time of the winter wis piist, ])eiiig in good hope that we shunkl live to talke of those things at hoiiic in our own country." January 26th there was a mournful oecuiTence in tlie little company: "The sicke man that was amongst us was very weake and felt himself to be extreame sick, for he had long laine ill, and we comforted him as well as we might and spoke kindly to him : but he died not long after niidnight." The next day they dug a grave in the snow seven feet deep, working each a little, for it was so cold that no one could remain long in the air, and there they laid their dead comrade, after a sort of funeral discourse, with prayeis and the singing of psalms. Then they ate the funeral meal. This was a characteristic Dutch custom. They would scarcelj'- have thought themselves to show decent respect to the dead, if they had omitted it. The same day, when their hearts must have been heavy indeed, they were cheered by seeing "the sunne in his full roundnesse a little above the horrison; wliich made us all glad, and we gave CJod hearty thankes for his grace showed unto us, that that glorious light appeared unto us againe." The sun was visible, however, only by refraction, being still below the horizon. The weather was now clear, and they went out many times to take exercise in walking, running, and phi ing ball, which made their joints more supple; for, owing to the life that they had led for several months, their limbs were stiff, and several suffered from scurvy. The weather changed again. Once more they were shut in. " We tooke not now so much paines to dig open tlu' I Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 297 I doore, but wlicn wo hud occusion to goo out we clonie out at the chiiniiey." Fo])i'uary the sun was again above the liori/.on. The 12th "there came a great beare towards our house, wliich made us all goe in, and we leveled at her with "HOW WE SHOT A BKAit, WHKRKKROM V, K OOT A GOOD MUNDKKI) POUNDS WKIGHT OF GKKASF " „* li< ! o-.!i" muskets, o.nd as slio came right ])ofore our doi'o we s)i>^ her into the breast clean througli the lioart, tlio bullet passing through her body and went out againe at the taylc, and was as flat as a counter. The beare feel- ing the blow, lept backwards and ran twenty or thirty foote from the house, and there lay downe, wherewith we lept up all out of the house and ran to her and ( r i»! 298 The World's Discoverers found lier still alive, and when she saw us she reared u[) her liead, as if she wished to see who had done it to her; hut we trusted her not, for that we had tryed her strength sul'lieently hefore, and therefore we shot her twice into the body againe, and therewitli she dyed." Out of her body they took at least a hundred pounds of fat, which proved very useful; for it enabled them to keep a lamp burning all night long, and thus they could pass the long hours in reading and other diversions, which before had been impossible. The 16th , i *-'Vvove Tuesday (the last day before the Lenten fasi 'Tlien wee made ourselves some- what merry in our great griefe and trouble, and every one of us dranke a draught of wine in remembrance that winter began to weare away and faire weather to a[)proache." The 21st they burned the last of their wood and were put to such straits that they tore off some pieces from the house, to keep the lire going. The next day was clear and cold. They organized a party of eleven, all well arnied, to haul wood in a sled from the place where tlicy had obtained their winter's sui)ply. When they came to the spot, they found the wood so deeply cov- ered Avith snow that they could not reach it; but by going further, with great labor and trouble they got some. When they came to haul it home, however, they found themselves so weak, owing to tlie privations and sutTerings they had endured, that it seemed as if they could not do it, but must die of cold. They perse- vered, however, and at last succeeded. The next day they caught two foxes, '^ that were as good to us as m Winter-Bound on Nova Zembla 299 venis(jn." They exercised out-doors. Tlie -Stli ten men went and drew lionic unotlier slcd-lrad of wood. One man could not lieli*, because he had a joint of one of his great toes frozen off. The remainder of the winter passed in mucli tlie same way. There Avere alternations of clear, cokl weather with furious storms. The strength of tlie poor fellows was slowly failing, througli their privations and meagre fare. But their courage and good spirits never foi-sook them. Whenever it was possible, they took exercise by running and playing "colfe"' on the ice. With the appearance of spring, bears again became very troublesome and bold. Hut now tliey liad the sun always in the sk}-, and, weak as they were, so tliat they could hardly work, the}' were getting the boats ivady and making other preparations for their perih)us voyage in them, since it was plain that the ship never could be got out. % I :' i i:. It 300 The World's Discoverers CHAPTER XXIX IN OPEN BOATS FROM NOVA ZEMBLA TO LAPLAND June 1, the day on wliieh the preparations for the lionieward voyage were t(5 begin in good earnest, was bright and beautiful. But so many were sick from having eaten of a bear's liver, that not much could be done on that day. But by the night of the 13th all things were in readiness. The boats had been repaired, strengthened, and built up at the sides, so as to fit them for heavy seas. They had been stocked with such pro- visions as remained, and a small portion of the most valuable goods from the cargo had been put on board. Oars, sails, and other things had been got ready. ' lie boats h^.d been previously hauled to the water-si .le, where they were loaded. There was a vast amount of hanl work in all this ; but tliey found that they were equal to it, "for that good will on the one side and hope on the other side encreased our strength. Al the labour and paines that we tooke seemed light and easie unto us, because of the hope that we had to get out of that wild, desart, irkesome, fearefull, and cold country." The 9th, like good, cleanly Dutchmen, they had a grand wash-day, that they might start with clean clothes. The 11th was so stormy, and the wind blew so hard that they were in great dread lest the ice should be swept away, with the ship, boats, provisions, and From Nova Zemhla to Lapland 301 everything. The 12th "there ciune a great leane beare out of the sea upon the iee toward us, which we jntlgcJ to eonie out of Tartaria [to liave come on drifting ice from Siberia], for we had before scene of them eiglity or more miles within the sea [at sea]." No donbt its lean ai)pcarance suggested its having come a long dis- tance. After something of the usual excitement, it was killed. Everything being ready for departure, "William Barents wrote a letter and placed it in a powder-horn and hanged it up in the cliinuiey, shewing how we came out of Holland to saile to the kingdome of China, and what had happened to us being theie on land, with all our crosses [adversities], that if any man chanced to come thither, they might know what had happened unto us." As we shall see later, the spot made sacred by the fortitude of these pioneers has actually been visited within recent years, and relics of their ten months' dreary a])ode have been brought home to Europe. In view of the perilous voyage before them, the captain prepared a statement setting forth the ex- perience of the party in being caught in the ice and .le- tained so many months, and their pui'pose to sail away in open bo.ats, committing themselves into the hant^s of God. This document they all signed in duplicate, and a copy was placed in each l)oat, so that, in care of disaster to either or both, some record of them might perhaps come to the hands of their friends. " And so, committing ourselves to the will and mercie of God, with a west north-west Avind and an endifferent open water, on the 14th of June in the morning we set saile u % ■T '^ i'i' J r^i 302 The World's Discoverers from tlio land of Nova Zeinblii iiiul the fast ice thereto adjoyniiig, and i)iit to sea." They headed eastward, to round the extremity of the island, returning by the same route as that by which they had come. They had not gone very far before they were fast in an ice-floe. While working to get out, "foure of us went on land, and there we tooke four Ijirds, wiiich we kild with stones upon the cliftes." These probably were awkward and stupid guillemots. On the 10th they reached the Orange Islands, at the extremity of Nova Zembla. There they hiiided, both to replenish their water supply with melted snow and to seek for ])irds and eggs for their sick. They found none on the island where they were, but some of tlie men ci'ossed on the ice to another and got three birds. This tender care for the sick is one of the admirable traits which we notice in the heroes of our story, and was a natural expression of the spirit of mutual helpfulness which was the main secret of their hai)py issue out of all tlieir difliculties. The effort to provide fresh food for the sick came near to costing a life. The captain broke through the ice, which was worn thin by a strong current running be- neath it, and was in great danger. "But by Gods helpe he got out againe " and dried himself by the fire, while the birds were being dressed and cooked. " When we put to sea againe, it was drowsie miseling weather, whereby we were al dankish and wet, for we had no shelter in our open scutes." At the next stop the captain "called to William Barents to know how he did, and William Barents made answeare and said, Quite well, mate. I still hope to be able to run before From Nova Zembla to Lapland 303 we get to Wardhuus " (a well known point on the Liii)- liind coast, not far from North Cape). "Then he spake to me and said, (Jerrit, are we about the lee Point [the northernmost point of Nova Zembla]? If we be, then I pray you lift me up, for I must view it once againc." Now the weather grew still worse, and they were obliged to stay there, shut in by the ice. Then some one said that if they could make fast a tackle or rope to the firm ice, they might draw the boat out of the drifting ice. It was a perik)us thing to un- dertake. On the other hand, if it were not done, most likely the boat would be crushed, and all would perish. In this dilemma our friend Gerrit de Veer, modestly esteeming his life the least valuable of any, and being l»esides the lightest man in the party, undertook to cai'ry a rope out. This he successfully accomi)lishe(l, by o'eeping from one piece of drifting ice to another, until he was able to make the rope fast to a high ice-block. Then they hauled up to ihe firm ice, quickly got the sick men out and made them comfortable, unloaded the boats and drew them up, "making account that we had escaped out of the jaws of d?atli." The next day tlicy repaired the boats, which had been much straincM^i, and went on land to look for eggs for the sick. The; found none, but got four birds. The next day they were still shut in and saw no opening, " which made us thinke that there would be our last aboade." The next day Claes ^Vdrianson was very low. When this was mentioned in the presence of William liarentz, he quietly remarked that he, too, was probably near his n ;ti 304 The World's Discoverers Fl I jounuiy's end. '^Flu! others did not believe it, for tliey did not know how siek lie wiis. Then he sjx-nt some time in looking at De Veer's chart of the voyage. Shortly afterwards he ealled for a drink of water and almost innnediately died. So [)assed away this brave sonl, who had im^jressed himself on his generation by his skill and eonrage, leaving a name that is still hon- ored after three hnndred years. I)e Veer says patheti- cally, "The death of William IJarents put us in no small discomfort, as being the ehiefe guide and onely pilot on whom we reposed ourselves next under God." It was not until the second day that they were able to get a start from that place, and then only by drag- ging the boats a considerable distance over the ice. "And being gotten unto the open water, we comn.itted ourselves to God and set saile." IJut scarce!}^ hi.;l they got under way when they were again bi'set and forced to come to a stop. The sun was shining brightly, yet with so little power that the snow thawed very little, and they actually suffered from lack of water, having no fire wherewith to melt snow. So matters went. Now they made some headway; now they were hemmed in by the ice. June 24th they were at Cape Nassau. Some of the men went ashore and found neither birds nor eggs, but got some drift- wood, which they brought to the boats. With this a fire was made and a sort of biscuit-porridge was cooked. It was no wonder that they craved something warm to eat. June 26th they were bowling along merrily before a stiff breeze, when their foremast broke. This com- pelled them to hoist the mainsail. But this was so i«? From Nova Zembla to Lapland 305 much too lurge for the strong w iiul, that thuy were in iiiiniediiitu (hiiigcr of ciipsiziiig. "JUit (ioil, tluit hiul (lolivoreti us out of so inuny diuigors of death, liolpo us oiicu againe, and so witli great danger we got to the fast ice againe." Tlius they worked their way gradually down tlie coast of Nova Zend)la, enduring great hardships with admi- rable patience and good tem})cr, the boats sometimes sei)arated in fog and mist, and finding each other by liring guns. One day they saw a great herd of walrus on the ice. The same day they found l)irds so numerous that two muskets lired among them killed twelve. On the 28th they had hauled up on tlie ice to escape being nil)ped, and, having made tents of sails over the boats, were resting, when the man on watch saw three bears approaching, and gave the alarm. The animals came on until they were greeted with the fire of several mus- kets. Hut as these w^ere loaded with bird-shot, there was not much harm done. The bears turned, Ixowever, and ran away, which gave an opportunity for re-load- ing with ball. Later one of them was killed. The other two continued to prowl around for two or three days. July 1 they had an anxious time. The ice on which they were l)roke up, and great cakes came driven with great force by wind and current, dashing together and piling up. They made all haste to drag the boats as far from the edge as [)()ssible, and came near not onl^ to losing one, but their own lives as well. It was a narrow escape, and they were glad to come out alive, with the loss of some of their provisions and of all the merchan- 20 ■ I m'^- he; ■ in ^ ■ 1^^: ■l.t I'J '■1-'\' ■I'i'' !• i^iJ: 306 The WdfIiI's Discoverers tlisi!. Tlio next day some of the men, in scarcliiii^ for fuel for a fire, in order that they lui^dit melt pitch and mend the hoats, came upon wood that had been s[)lit and the wedges that liad l)een used. Tliey hastened back to the boats with th(! tidings that men had been there before them. While they calked the boats, a bear stole upon the man who was watching the gofxis and would have caught him unawares, had not some- body called to him from the boats to look out. There- upon he ran away. One day they killed thirteen birds, which they then picked up by floating after them on a piece of drift-ice, the boats Ijeing still drawn up, awaiting suitable weather for traveling. The "foules" gave them "a princely meale-tide." No doubt they were fishy; but canvas- backs could not have been more welcome. On the 10th of July they got away, after being weather-bound six days, but were scarcely well started when they got into a perilous situation between two ice-tk'lds and were again compelled to uidoad the boats. To drag these heavy craft over the ice to open water was no light task. Launched once more, they were soon again in danger between two ice-fields that came drifting one against the other. Thus continually baflled and beset, the writer has our sympathy when he says, "our courages were cooled to see ourselves so often inclosed in ye ice, being in great feare yt by meanes of the long and continuall paines we should loose all our strength and not long be able to hold out." They did hold out, however, and slowly fought their way southward, From Nova /cinhla to Laplaiul 307 hiittlijii^ with wind uiid ice, inwiiii,' wlicii llicy could iioL Siiil, uiid piitioiitly lyiiij^' hy wIriii tlu-y lould not do oitlicr. "The lltli of July us we sato fast ujioii tin; ice, tliiTc canio a great beare out of the water luniiino' towards us, but we wateht for her with thi-ee iiuiskets, and when slio came within thirty i)aees of us we shot all the three muskets at her and killed her outriut our fiiends were probably at that time somewhat dainty about their eating, having an un- expected su})ply of very delicate food. Some of the men had landed on an island and walked about on it. They saw no sign of any one's having been there since their visit, in the previous year, Ijut they got seventy shel- drake's eggs. When they had them t\wy knew not wherein to carry them. At last one of them "put off his brcieehes, and tying them fast l)eIow, they carried them between two of them, and the third bare the nuisket." So they returned, after a twelve hours' absence which had caused serious alarm. " With thc^ eggs that they had brought we were al wel comforted and felt like lords. Thus we had a little holiday in the midst of our pains.'' 'ft ! 5 ■Hi 3o8 The World's Discoverers m f ; It The IGtli a bear came upon them from tlie mainland, so snowy-wliite that tlioy did not see it until it was (piite near. They lired and hit it, hut it escapetl. The next day, some oi' tla^ men going to a near-by ishmd to look from the liigii land for open water, encountered the wounded animal. It hobbled away, but one of the men pursued it and thrust a l)oat-hook into its body, whereupon it rose ou its ^'ind feet and l?roke the hook with a blow of its paw, which at the same time sent the man spi'awling on his back. Others coming up des])atclK'(l the bear with their muskets. So the days went by, as they slowly made their way southward. July 19 some of the men brought in a hun- dred eggs, together with the joyful news that there was j)ler.ty of open water to b? seen. The eggs were si)eed- ily cooked and divided. Then they hauled the boats over the ice, and "with Gods merciful helpe put to sea." Now they were clear of ice, ami they sailed, according to their estimai s on an average seventy-two miles in every twenty-four hours. One day they had an ex[)erience which is thus quaintly told: "We sav/ about two hundred sea horses [walrus] lying upon a peake of ice, and we sayled close by them and drave them from thence, which had almost cost id Sometimes they took them all . e as they sat, each on its one egg. July 28 the}- saw a number of men on the land. Those who were well enough went asho ■ , not without trepidation, since they did not know ihe disposition of the strangers. What were their surj)rise and delight, when they recognized Russians whom they had met on the i)revious expedition! "We perceived that they r ■■ k hi li 310 The World's Discoverers h.-. • fi:S wore abaslit Jind vvoiulcred at us, to rcmenibor that at that time wo were so well furnished with a S[)loudid great shi|t, that was exceedingly provided of all things necessary, and then to see us so leane and hare and with so small open boats." Two of them in a friendly fashion clapped the captain and De Veer on the shoulder and said, ""Crahle pro pal, which we understood to he, Have you lost your ship? and we made answere, Crable pro l»al, which was as much as to say, that we had lost our shi[i. Then they made shew [signs] to he sorry for our losse and grieved to see us in so poor a state. One of them went unto their lodging and fetcht a round rie loafe weighing about 8 pounds, with some smoked foules, which we accej)ted thankfully, and gave then, in ex- change halfe a dozen of biscuit. And we were much comforted to see the Russians, for that in thirteene months time we had not scene any man, but only mon- sterous and cruell wild be'ares. And we thanked God with all our hearts that he had been so gracious and mercifull unto us." The next day the Russians dug up some bari'els of train-oil which they had buried in the shingle of the beach, put them aboard, and sailed away. Our Dutch friends followed in their boats, but, a fog coming on, lost sight of them, and soon became beset by ice. Once more they were weather-bound. There was a raging storm, the wind blowing furiously from the northwest, with a torrent of rain, an experience to which they had grown quite unaccustomed. Though they covered the boats with sails, they could not keep themselves dry. But this detention, they thought, was a blessing in From Nova Zembla to Lapland 3 1 1 disguise; for the next day, landing on an island, tliey found an abundance of spoon-wort or scurvy-grass, in those times considered a sovereign remedy for scurvy. "Now some of us could eat biskit againe, wliich not long before they could not do " (no doubt lx!cause of the soreness of the gums and loosening of the teeth). Still weather-bound, they began to be seriously anx- ious over their scant suppl}' of food. They had nothing now but a little bread and cheese, a meagre diet truly for men recovering from a long sickness. They were now at the southern extremity of Nova Zembla. On the 3d of August it was determined to sail over to Russia. "So conunittiiig ourselv-s to God, we set saile with a north-west wind." Before long they were again beset with ice, to their great discouragement, and were compelled to strike sail and take to the oars. They made, however, according to their estimate, about eighty miles that day. On the next they saw tlie coast of Russia lying before them, whereat tlinv were "exceed- ing glad,'' as well they n ight be. Ti.. \ tlien rowed on towards tlie shore, which they found to »<■ "very low land, like a bare strand that might be flowed over with the water." Later they encountered a small Russian vessel. " When we had come hard by them, they came al al)ove hatches, and we cried unto them, Candinaes, Candinaes, whereby we asked them if we were about Candinaes" (Fvanin Xos, the ca[)e at the eastern side of the entrance of the White Sea), " but they cryed againe and sayd, Petzora, I'etzora, to shew us that we were thereal)outs." ■]| 111 '• 312 The World's Discoverers IV 'I \ r *■ It was iiiidoubtedly a keen disappointment to them to find that tliey were at the least thi^w days' sailing fur- ther to the southeast tlian tliey supposed themselves to be. It was an error which would not have been made if '.Villiam Barentz had been alive. They accounted for it on the ground that they were deceived by a varia- tion of the compass, due to its standing " upon a chest bound with yron bands." Finding themselves so far out of their course, they determined to stay there over the night. But the next day they were o ^liged to remain, on account of stress of weather. They had nothing left to eat but a little mouldy bread, "and hunger was a sharpe sword which we could liardly endure any longer." The next day they started, but a head wind balHed them so that they made only about twelve miles, "and we al together heartlesse and faint." Indeed, it must have been a cruel experience to find themselves starving, after they had overcome the worst obstacles of their voyage and were on the shore of an iidiabited region. By the 8th things had come to a sorry pass indeed. With the wind dead ahead, the two boats lay to all the day. "Some of us were exceeding hungrie and could not endure it any longei-, but were wholy out of heart and wished to die." The next day the same weather continued, and they were obliijcd still to lie to, unable to sail and too weak to make headway with the oars against the strong wind. Two of the men landed and found a dead seal "that stank exceedingl}', which they drew with them to our boat, thinking that they should have a dainty morsell out of it, because they endured If I From Nova Zembla to Lapland 3 1 3 so great hunger." They were, however, dissuiuled from it. Tlie next day they were able to get under way. Our good friend Gerrit was now so weak that he couhl not row. Therefore he was set to stein*. After a whih^ the wind came out strong and f'avorabk\ On the 12tii they saw a Russian vessel uniU'r full sail and rowtnl out to meet it. The captain went ahoai'd and, being unable to s[)eak the strangers' language, by signs bargained for a supply of fish and some cakes of meal. This was most timely, for they had become re- duced to four ounces of bread a day with a little water. "The fishes we shared amongst us equally, the lowest as well as the highest." On the loth, when they thought that they had passed Cape Kanin Nos, tlioy encountered some Russian craft, from which they learned that they were still southeast of tlie ca[)e. Tlicy were also advised that their l)oats were (juite too small for crossing the White Sea. They begged for some bread and were given a loaf, which they devoured greedily, as they rowed. "IMu! Russian sailors treated the bewildered Dutch- jiicn very kindly. rhc^y got out a chai't and sliowed thorn just where they were. The lattcn- were somewliat disconcerted whi-n tiiey realized how little pi'ogress they had made, and that they still had to cross the mouth of the Whit(! Sea with so slender a store of [)i()visions, Therefon; the captain bought some meal, bacon, butter and "a runlet of hoiniy " from the Muscovites. That evening when the voyagers lay to, they enjoyed (piite a feast, "so that we thought it to be a festivall day with 1 ' 1 SI 1 iS IS ^h\ 1 ■ m\ ■HI ('ral ~ ^. 1 ^.''■' k. 3H The World's Discoverers us; but still our minds run upon our other companions, because we knew not where they were." (They had bt'come separated in the darkness of a storm, two days before.) The next day they encountered "a Russian loogie tliat came sayling out of tlie White Sea." Without asking- for it they were given a loaf of l)read, and were A RUSSIAN LODJA made to understand that the Russians had met the other boat on the previous day and sold provisions to it. " To conclude, they showed us great friendship, for the which we thanked them." On the 18th they passed the long-looked-for Cape Kanin Nos. Being sliort of water, they wished to land, but the surf ran so high that they did not dare. With a favorable wind they From Nova Zembla to Lapland 315 strotclied across tho mouth of tlie White Sea, and "tliaiiked God that he liad heljied us to saile over it in 30 hours, it being 120 niik^s at the least." They had now come to the coast of LapUmd. Tiiis was getting to be something like home I 'Vfter tliis things went better with the voyagers. Trom time to time they met people smd were always treated with kindness, though their hosts mostly had nothing but the rudest fare, being sometimes poor fish- eruien, sometimes La[)landers. The voyagers were now able to buy plenty of fresh fish and eat their liU, be- sides having plenty of water, which was another great boon. On the 21st they saw two men come down a hill towards the shore. These supposed strangers, as they afterwards related, were planning to exchange a pair of breeclies for some food (for each wore two or three pair), when they recognized the boat. At the same time the occupants of the latter recognized the new-comei-s as two of their missing mates. Of course thei'e was a joyful meeting. Another glad surprise met them a few days later. As th'^y worked their way along the coast, they learned that at Kola, which lies inland at the head of a deep fiord, there were three Dutch vessels. This intelligence did not particularly interest them, as their destination, Wardohuus, lay further on. P)Ut stress of weat'aer compelling them to lie to, tliey hired a Laplander to guide one of their men to Kola, to see whether thfy could get passage to Holland. The I^ap- lander returned, bringing a most cordial letter, express- ing the greatest joy at their safety and promising {| ■: tS i'l'll 1' SI t j t j - 1; 316 The World's Discoverers iiiiiii('(Uat(! liclp. Tiioiigh it was signed " Jt)liii ('onieli- soii Uip," tlicy could not Ijclieve that it wtis IVom tlio captiiiii ol' tlicir consort, from which they liiid parted a year before, at Hear Island. They speculated on the subject a whole da}. Then the captain bethought him of comparing the signature witli that of certain letters of Cornelison which he chanced to have ke[)t. "It is surely his handwritiiig," he cried out joyfully. Still some doubted; the thing seemed so incredible, ^^'hile they still debated, a boat came in sight, and their doubts were lesolved by the appearance of Coi'uelison himself. What joy thei'e was, what "exceeding gladncsse, as if either of us on both sides had scene each other rise from death to life againe; for we esteemed him, and he us, to be dead long since! " He brought them a boat- load of creature comforts; ''and we rejoyced together, giving (Jod great thanks for his mercy shewed unto us." 'i'he next day they started in the boat for Kola, "lirst taking our leaves of the Russians and heartily thanking them for their curtesie shewed unto us." "As we past along we saw some trees, which made us as glad as if we had then come into a new world, for in all the time that we had beene out we had not scene any trees." "The 11th of September, by leave and consent of the governor for the (Jreat Prince of Muscovia, we brought our boats into the merchants' house and left them thei-e for a remembrance of our long, farre, and never before sailed way, and that we had sailed in those open boates almost IGOO miles." kM it^ 1 aJ u H v. CO M s o >2 H ffl & O » u a O !^ o K cc « u O 04 02 IP li '^ From Nova Zeinbla to Lapland 3 i 9 On tlio loth all (MulKiikcd for lionu) on ('oniclison's shi[). "Upon the first of Novt'inl)(.'r ahont noonc weo got to Anistcrdiun, in the f-siiinc ciothos that we woro in Novii Zciiihhi [how thi; gocnl Ijnrghcrs must have stared I] with our cajts furd with white foxes skius, and went to the liouse of I'eti-r Ilasselaer, that was oik; of the nier(;hants that sent out tlie t\M) shi[»s. And being tiiere wliere many men wounfh'ed to see us, hav- ing estemed us long before tliat to have bin dead and rotten, the newc-s thereof being also carried to tli(! Princes Courte where the n()l)le lords were then at table, we were presently fetcht tiiither by the scout and two of the burghers of the towne, and there, in the presence of the burgomasters, we made rehearsall of our voyages and adventures. And after that we were i)laeed in good lodgings for certain dales, untill we had received our pay, and then every one of us de[)arted and went to the place of his aboad." Thus ends the story of one of the most memorable voyages ever made. Seventeen had gone out; twelve came home, — a remarkably low percentage of deaths, when all the circumstances are considered. The brave and skilful IJarentz, whose memory is [)er[)etuatcd in the name of Barentz Land and that of the sea that he had explored, hiy slce[)ing on its icy sllor(^ Iiut the stout-hearted Jacob Ileemskendsc lived lo serve his country ten years longer. He died gloriously as com- mander of the Dutch fleet in a victory won over the Spaniards at Gibraltar. Our friend Gerrit de Veer is known to the world as the author of the chronicle which we have followed, a narrative so interesting by i 320 The World's Discoverers ti' liu; its simple [Kitlios Unit it has given delight to thousands of readers. For two liiindred and seventy-four years no human heing ever visited the lee Haven where Hareiit/ and his companions wintered, nor the house in which they Hve(h I5nt at length, on Se[)t. !>, 1871, a Norwegian lishing-vessel, (•oiumanded hy ('ai)tain ('arisen, made her way there through the iee. Carlsen found the house standing. Hound it were several hirge ])unchGons and heaps of reindeer's and hears' hones. The cloek, the hunks, the cask used as a hatli, were still in their old places. A halherd was leaning against the wall, just as it had heen left two hundred and seventy-four years heft)re. The cooking-pans were still over the fireplace. There, too, were the candlesticks, the instruments, and the hooks that had hegniled the weary hours of that long night centuries ago. There was also a flute which would still give out a few notes; and, most touching of all, the small shoes of the poor little ship-hoy who died during the winter. The awful cold against which the Dutch mariners fought so hravely, had made «(;5ne amends, as it were, by embalming their memor}-, in pre- serving from the tooth of Time the relics of their abode. The Dutch people feel an affectionate pride in the glorious deeds of their Sea-Fathers and cherish these treasures with careful reverence. A house, open in front, in exact imitation of the drawing in (Jerrit de Veer's book, has been constructed for their reception at the Naval Museum in the Hague, where they may now be seen. Hudson's Voyages towards the Northeast 3 2 1 CTTAPTEIl XXX iiENiiY Hudson's voya(;es towauhs tiik nohtffkast Tin-: voyages of Hart'iitz had a certain iiifluenee on those of tlic renowned ex[)h>rer wliose aeliievements we are abont to consider; for among Ilndson's treasured possessions was a set of sailing directions for the Ice- hmdie waters drawn u[) l)y liarentz. Another of th(! notable men of the day, who was a friend of IIuds(tn and determined tlie object of his most memorable voyage, was Captain John Smith, the hero of early Virginia. Of Iliidsou himself it may be truly said that no njan made his mark deeper and broader u[)on the nautical achieve- ments of his time. And the astonishing thing about his •work is, that it was all done within the sliort space of four years. In every way he was a most notaljU; man. His daring and energy were boundless. His skill as a navigator placed liim easily in the front rank of seamen, so that his services were sought by various govern- ments: Henry the Great, of France, made overtures to liim to lead an expedition of discovery, and the Dutch secured him for one. His obf^^.ervatlon was so acute, and his records of landmarks, currents, soundings, and lati- tude so careful and exact, that we are ablu to trace his movements very closely and get an excellent idea of the regions he visited and the peoples he encountered. It is a common mistake to suppose that lu; was a Dutchman, and we sometimes find him called Ilendrik 21 '111 '■\^-/ hei, Noi'denskifild passed in his successful voyage circunuiavigating i\sia. Two weeks later we lind him again off North Cape heading in the opposite direction. 'I'he sea to the north of Ilussia had heen found full ')f ice, and some of the nii'n who had sailed in I'^ast Indian waters suffered greatly from the cold. IJcsides, violent quai-rels, fomented prohahly h}^ the mate, Juet, had hroken out hetween the I'jiglish and Dutch sailors. Then Hudson j)ro[)osed to the ci'cw to turn hack and try for a passage to China ahout the 40th degree of latitude on the North /Vmerican coast. This idea liad been suggested to him 1)}' his friend, Captain John Smith, who was then fit Jamestown, and who had sent liim a letter and maps whicli conveyed the impression, based undoubtedly ou Hudson's Exploration of Hudson River 329 Vcrniziino's sn[)poso(l (lisoov^rv, tliat soiiiewliorc to tlio north of tlu' V^ipjjiiiiii colony was a strait loadiiicf from t'u! eastern to the western ocean. Thns was Sniitli indirectly the means of tiii ning a voyage which wonhl (u-rtainly hav^e endc^l in faihire into one which made its mark on the history of the world. So we lind the little " Ilalf-Moon " heading for America, where she was destined to hecome famous. On this voyage Hudson ohserved the lirst sun-spot of which record has ever been made. The ih'st point reached on the western continent was P(!nol)scot Hay. The ex[)lorers had passed through a whole Heet of Frenchmen fishing on the l»aidii>< icebergs. Tlie overturning of one gave warning of the danger of a[>[iroaehing thenj too ch)se. Priekett says sarcastienlly, "Some of our men this (hiy fell sieke, 1 will not say it was for feare, although I saw small signe of other grief.*' Already navigation was l.» looming very dinieult, oving to the extent of the ice-iields and the munbei (»f huge bergs. Hudson himself was ranch jicrplexi'd, but undismayed, wliile the crew was almost insubordinate. The carpenter, who, as we shall see hitei-, was a brave and loyal soul, spoke up ehe(!ringly in suppoi't of tin! master's arguments, and the malcontents returned to their duty. Shortly afterwards the vessel enteicd the strait now called after Hudson. "On one of the isla'ds of floatintr ice was a beaiv which from one to another came towards us, till she was readii' to come aboard. But when she saw us looke at her, she east lici' head between her hinde legges and then dived under the ice: and so from one piiM^e to another, till she was out of our reach." Landing somewhere on the shore of I'ngava IJay, they "si)run;'- 1 covey of partridges [ptarmigan] and shot one." A few days la*<'r they saw "some decre, a dozen or sixteene in an herd, but could not come nigh them with a nuisket shot." Following the strait, they came to rai)e Wolstcn- holme, at its western extremity. "In this place great store of fowlc breed. Tassing along," — the wiitei' and some others had been sent ash(»re to exploie thccountiy, 22 ■': i ■■-.V. 1 338 The World's Discoverers — "wee saw some round hills of stono, like to grass cockes, which at the first I took to be the work of soMie Christian. Being nigh them, I turned off the upper- most stone, and found them hollow witliin and full of fowles hanged by their neckes." It was evidently a cache of Eskimo. Returning on board, tiie party (eagerly rei)orted their find and the op[)ortunity of sujjplying the ship with an abundance of sea-fowl. Jiut Hudson would not consent to stoj). Probably he imagined himself on the verge of the great discovery which had been his dream for years. This refusal aggravated the growing discontent of the crew. The next step in the prepara- tion of the tragedy was Hudson's removal of Juet, on account of his opposition to the further prosecution of the search, and his appointment of Hylot as mate. The whole of July was spent in exph)riMg the eastern shore of the great inland sea, Hudson Hay. On one occasion the weather was so stormy, the vessel lay at anchor eight days, "in all which time wee could not get one houre to weigh our anchor." At last Hudson, impatient to be gone, ordered the anchor up, against the judgment of the crew. By the time it was got a-peak a heavy sea struck the vessel, the anchor was loMt, some of the men were hurt, and of course the dis- content grew. The last of Octol)er found the party at the l)ottom of James's Bay. All iW summer and autunm had been speni in a vain search for a passage which lluds(m ftuidly ex[)ected to come upon any day, but which it is now known does not lie within thousands of miles of the coast he w;us exploring. At last he reluctantly re- Hudson Explores Hudson Bay 330 signed liinisclf to tho necessity of wintering tlieie. " It was tinu',"siiys Prickett, "for tlie nights were lo!ig and cold, and the earth covered with snow "' Soniewliere on th(! sliore a place was found, the V( sscl was hauled aground, and hy tiie 10th of Noveiuher she was frozen in. They had six months' provisions and, proliahly, a much longer stay in the ice ahead of them. It was one of the erev/'s grievances that, on their showing, the master might liave had amj)le supplies, had he so willed. The long dreary stay in the ice was inauguiated by the death of one of the crew, a paiticularly moui'uful incident when it befalls a little company isolated from all the world. That winter's experience proved a hitter one. The most of the crew had their feet frozen, besides other hardshii)s. I»ut their liunger was ndicvcd by such a supply of gaui 1 as seemed to them a real mira(de of Providence. Of the snow-white ])tarniigan Ihcy killed over a hundred dozen. When these had itated the im}»ending tragedy. In preparation for renewing the si'arch for a passage, Hudson distributed the remainder of food, giving t'acii man his share. Till n the long smouldering discontent broke out. On the pretext that he had ke|)t a large portion in his cabin for himself, though the real cause of the mutiny was a determination lutt to engage a,, ..in in tlu- search and encounter its hai c?'ew, under Fludson Explores Hudson Bay 341 the l(^ii(l<'rslii|) of one (rrccii, ii dissolulc youiit^ iiiiiii whom Hudson hud taken under his eharge and was undeavorin*': to reform, and of Jut't, the deposed mate, rose iu the night, seized the ship, and bound the master. In the morning they put him, with his son Jolni and six teel)le and hel[)k'ss men, into the boat. When llie car- penter saw wliat they were doing, he expostidated with thtMu and toM them that, if thi^y ever reached ICnghmd, they certainly would Ix; iianged. Seeing them obstinate, th(! brav«! fellow said that lie would east his lot with those in the boat, rather than with the mutineers. He- fore leaving the shij) he seiuired a musket, some powder and shot, some pikes, an iron pot, a little meal, and a few other things. With this slender su[)ply the heroic explorer and his wretched companions wtnc set adrift and soon disa[»p(!ared forever from the view of the civil- ized world. A shi[> sent out fron; England to search for them failed to find a tr.ico of them. The mutineers held their course l)oldly homeward, but were soon overtaken by disaster. I'hey w cie mak- ing for Cape Wolstenhol'nc, wl.cre they ho lied to get a suj)ply of sea-fowl. On the way tliey found nothing but what they called cockle-grass, which, however., they were very glad to gather, for it t'ked out their slender stores. Arrived at the eai)e, they had seruit'd a small quantity of sea-fowl and gulls, wlu'n siichh'nly they found themselv(\s near a nundu-r of natives. Tiie hitti'r made signs (tf fiiendship and excn took the while men to th ' breeding-grounds and showed them how liiey eauglit the birds, by pulling them nfl' the rocks witli uooses at the end of poles. Tluin the whites exhibited M M ■fj :'i| fill 34- The World's Discoverers ' "lint: seven orciir lit U' Iho sniioriority of tlieir method, l)y birds at ii shot. All was friendliness and jollity, tl savaLjcs danciiit^ for joy and eagerly exehangiiig sneh artieles as walrus-teeth for trilles. The sailors returned 0:1 hoard ''much rejoieing at this ehance, as if they had Ml -t with the most sim[>le and kind people of the world." They felt sure now that their wants would Ije amply su[iplied. The next day the boat started ashore early with six men, one of whom was I'liekett. In his lively fashion h(.' deserilu's the sci'ue thus: "When we eame neere the slioare, tin; i»>^o[)le were on the hills dancing and leap- ing: to the eove we came where they had -— t. naniicd, leaving Pritdcett, who was lame from frost- bite, to k(M'p the boat and watch the artieles intended for barter, while they gathered sornd. Tin; savages, also, seemed to be nnaniied. Presently, while I'riekett w.i^ occupied with a fellow who hung about the bow of the boat, and whom he ordered away, he was suddenly aware of one who had cii'jit behind him to the stern. lie looked up, and seeing the savage with a knife raised, threw uj) his left arm just in tiim^ to turn the point of the weapon. A desperate struggle ensued, in which ho Hudson Explores Hudeon Bay 343 of 'Illy •I'll. U!'J, ( ol" I llU received three wounds, but finiilly kilU'd his num. In tlie mean time the men on the rocks wore in terrihh^ straits. Green and another caiiie tuiniiling into llic boat mortally wounded. The rest made a resolute stand at the bow, one of them armed with a hatchet, until the boat was got off. Then the savages sent a shower of arrows after them and inflicted more wounds. Before the ship picked them up. (ireen was dead and was thrown into the sea. The rest dittl within a day or two, Prickett alone surviving of the boat's orew. The ringleader, Green, being dead, r>ylot took com- mand. He proved himself an able seaman, and in after years won renown as an Arctic ex[)lorer. Dire hardships awaited the little handful of a crew. After standing lack and forth along the coast some days while they killed some three hundred more of sea-fowl, they made for the ocean. Their daily allowance was half of a bird each, with a little pottage. In time even this failed. Then candles were served out, and they were fain to eat the bones of birds fried in candle- grease, with vinegar for a relish. "And sure," says Prickett, "our course was so much the longer through our evil steerage, for our men became so weak that they could not stand at the helme, but were fain to sit. Then Robert Juet died for meere want, and all our 11111(1 were 1 nd es pa I re. At last the vessel, driving hitlier and thither, almost wholly at the mercy of the winds, sighted the Irish coast, and the few gaunt suj-vivors were relieved by fishermen. Ultimately they reached England. 344 'I'hc World's Discoverers m ?'■ ■i ■■ II' .. 'I ? ' W f I' -I IM As to the i^i'cat ex[)lorer, we ciuiiiot Itcttcr close tliis sketch tlmii witli tins cloijuciit Irilmtr IVoiii L)i-. .lolin l"'isk(^: "Tliu iii.ui who Ciiiiic to such an untimely end was a notahle instance of the irony of hntnan destiriN. Of all the searchers for a northerly route; to the Indies none was ever more persistent or more devoted than he. In the brief four years during' which we can fol- low his career, lu; tried four ways of lindiuL,' it, — the way across the [)ole, the way by Nova ZiMuhla, hy the imat,Mnary sea of Verra/ano, and hy the veritable sea of Hudson. Had his lif(! been spared, we should doubtless have seen hini enter the bay afterward discovered \iy IJalHin, the route by which success couhl be attained, but oidy with modi-i-n resources and in the middle of the nineteenth century." "In all that he attempted lie failed, and yet he achieved great results that were not contem[)lated in his scliemes. He started two immense industries, — the Spitzbergen whale-lisheries and the Hudson Hay fur- trade; and he brought the Dutch to Manhattan Island. No realization of his dreams could have approadied the astonishing reality whicli would have greeted him, could he have looked through the coming c(!nturies and caught a glimpse of what the voyager now beholds in sailing up the bay of New York." " But what perhaps would have sur[)rised him most of all would have been to learn that his name was to become part of the folk-lore of the beautiful I'iver to which it is attached; that he was to figure as a Dutch- man, in spite of himself, in legend and on the stage; that when it is thunder weather on the Catskills, the Hudson ivxplorcs Hudson Hay 345 ''i'il'l'vn sh.Mil.l say llmt it is Ilrn.lrik Il.ulsn,, ,,|;,yi„.r at skittl..s with his ^trol.lin vlv^v. S<, th.- mh.i„,„v of iC gmit Arctic uiivi-utor will rcnain a rainih'ar pmsciK-c Hi.K.ng the hillsides which thc,tr(.ntlc fancy of Irviii- hus clothed with imdyiiiir romance." u : J -tlie fur- dl It V! wn m 1 1 1 w H' m"- 1 j |k; ll ii|! i |ll 1 ■1, .i I , i !- 01 PAirr SECOND RECENT VOYAGES (1- • 1 .i ■ ..:i .. j, Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEf T VAIN STREET WEBSTEiY, NY. 14580 (7)6) 879-4503 ,\ % V ^^ \\ '1*. <* "^l* , ^^■e. ^ w 4= . W" t/j o^ lUi ! .^r.|*»^s 11 part Second RECENT VOYAGES CHAPTER XXXIII A NORTHWEST PASSAGE DISCOVERED The efforts of Frobisher, Davis, Hudson, and a host of others, to (ind a northwest passage failed. But after the voyages of Captains Fox and James there was a hill of a hundred years. The scheme was, however, not wholly lost sight of. Indeed the Northwest Passage has always been a fascinating dream of Britisli navigators. Again, in 1740-41, the attempt was renewed, with the old result, and the eighteenth century closed, leaving the problem still unsolved. A Russian expedition, under Kotzebue, in 1817, threatened to carry away the coveted prize. England's pride was aroused, and the quest was resumed with energy. One expedition fol- lowed another in quick succession. In this way the geography of the regions in the north of the western liemisphere gained much in definiteness. In these undei'takings the names of Parry, Ross, Barrow, and Franklin became especially prominent. In 1845 Sir John Franklin sailed with the "Erebus" and the "Terror," and picked crews numbering one hundred and thirty-four men. In July, 1846, he was seen by a whaler in Baffin's Bay. From that time noth- ■fi !'«■ f; ' I. m' ■H \i . 1 35^ The World's Discoverers ing was seen, nor for niiiny years definitely lieard, of the expedition. Franklin and his men and ships passed as completely from human knowledge as if they had been swallowed up b}' the sea. A disappearance so mys- terious naturally caused iJainful anxiety which gradually SIR JOHN FRANKLIN deepened into sorrow, as the conviction grew that they had met with disaster. No less than fifteen cxi)cditions left England and the United States between 1848 and 1854, in the hope of rescuing the survivors, who, it was confidently believed, were somewhere alive. It was thought reasonably certain that, in regions in which A Northwest Passage Discovered 351 they itions and t was was Inch even grass-eating animals, such as deer, nmsk-oxen, and hares, maintain themselves in larger numhors, and in which Eskimo spend their whole lives, sf)nu' at least of the unfortunate men would he found to have made a successful battle for existence. The British Admiralty spared no pains or expense in its efforts t. effect a rescue, and Lady Franklin wiis untiring in her exertions and lavish of her means in seeking the same end. But the myst(;ry remained unsolved until 1854, when Dr. Kae, conducting an ex- ploring party of the Hudson Bay Company, was told by the Eskimo that, some _;ears earlier, about forty white men had been seen dragging a boat over the ice, and that later in the same season the bodies of the whole party were found by the natives near Back's (Jreat Fish River, where they had perished from cold and hunger. Dr. Rae also recovered a number of articles which were identified as having belonged to the Franklin expedi- tion, and he received the reward of fifty thousand dollars offered by the Admiralty to the first person who should bring authentic tidings of the missing expedition. The last vestiges of doubt were set at rest by Captain McClintock in 1858. He led an expedition fitted out by Lady Franklin at her own expense and succeeded in ascertaining the course of the ill-fated par*^ \ He heard from the Eskimo in Boothia reports as to the i )ss of the ships, and he gathered relics along the coast of King William's Land and found dceletons that told a terrible tale of disaster. All hope was extinguished, when in a cairn a record was found containing an olficjial statement. It was dated April 25, 1848, and signed it 352 The World's Discoverers iii i : l)y Ciiptiiiiis Crozier iiud Fitzjanios. Tl stated tliat tlio " Er('l)iiH "' and '"'■ TciTor " liad hci'ii Lesct siiico Scpteinbcr 12, 1H4(;, and liad Lccn abandoned Ajnil 22, 1.S4S. In tlie mean time Sir .lolin I'^raiiklin had died, in June, 1847. rp to tlu' date of wi'itin,^', nini! ol'lieeis and lifteeii men liad died. It was added tliat on tlie follow- ing day they wonld start for IJack's I"'ish River. \h\ liae's pi-evious discovcu'ies in tlic latter I'eyion eomjih'tcd the story l»y giving information of the miserable eiid of the hist remnant, as they struggh'd southward, evidently with the ]io[)e of reaehing the Hudson Uay settlements, What these brave men of the l-'raiiklin ex[)editiou suffered, fi'om th(> time that the ships were heset, in 184<), until the last survivor perished, we ean but faintly surmise. ()u the monument erected to Franklin in Waterhxt Place, London, the honor is claimed for him of having discovered the Northwest Passnge. Cei'tainly, in the course of his varit)us ex[)lorations, ap[;roaehing the Polar regions sometimes from the east, sometimes from the west, he had ti'aversed wellnigh the whole distance be- tween IJaftin IJay and Hehring Sti'ait. IJut he never made his way thi'ou<>h from ocean to ocean, and he can scarcely be said in any sti'iet sense to hav(! made the great discovery. That honor belongs, if to anv one, to another explorer, of e(}ual skill and eoniage, and of !i;i})- pier fortune, who was engaged in the search for him. Tn January, 1S.")(), (he "Investigator"" and the " Iji- tiMprise "' sailed from the Thames, to go around Cape Horn and pass through Uehring Strait, into the Arctic Ocean, attacking the problem from the west, while u lio her III ind )\V- i('(i Its, 1(»U 111 loo IIL' ar ho DC- •or an lo ,11- I'O m i': II i! ? ' ill A Northwest Passage Discovered 355 whole squadron, following tlie nsuiil route, assailed it from the east. By tlie middle of April the "Investi- gator," which alone we shall follow, reached the Strait of Magellan and found there a steam vessel ready to tow her into the Pacific. Here was ohserved an inter- esting instance of the California gold fever which was then at its height. At I'ort Famine was the wrecked crew of a schooner which had sailed from New York. Her owners had heen in business there, one as a hard- wareman, the other as a provision-dealer. One day these two put their heads together and agreed that there was a good chance of making millions in California to hundreds in New York. At once they sold out and embarked their all in buying and equipping a vessel. Ten weeks later their schooner was wrecked and they were ruined. Their British cousins could not but admire their pluck, liowever. They would not listen to a suggestion of going back to New York. "No!" they said cheerfully, "we '11 get to California somehow and right ourselves yet." Having passed through Behring Strait, the "Inves- tigator " crossed the Arctic Circle on July 29, and rounded Point Barrow, the turning point of the Ameri- can continent, on August 15. Her course was now shaped along the coast in the strip of water between the land and the heavy ice, which, on account of its great depth and the shallowness of the sea, is kept from the shoi at a distance varying from a few yards to a mile. This strip is the cruising-ground to-day of steam-whalers, which every j-ear sail from San Fran- cisco and return at the close of the season, steam giving Pi 1; siiifi 1 I 556 The World's Discoverers tliem coniparativo freedom an d iiKlepciideiu o. Wnt at tlie time of the " Investigiitor's " voyiisjje tlus si<^lit of a vessel was rare on this eoast. Some Ivskimo wlio wi'n" met ahoiit one hundred and twenty mih-s east of Point Barrow had never seen one and were lilhal with wonder at tlic sit;lit. Tiiese natives were a stalwart set, the women some- wliat good-look in_Lf, wvw it not for the universal dirti- ness of their persons, ^^■hi('h seareely allowed the tattoo- in,sh water. Altogether, it was a cheerful prospect, in singular cf)ntrast with the sea of eternal ice approach- ing so near. Large lu'rds of reindeer were seen graz- ing. Water-fowl, sut;li as the eider-duck, were ver} numerous. The centre of Jones' Island was one grea' A Northwest Passage Discovered 35^ awiimp, tlio liiv('(liii\t'r seen a I'jirojK'iiii. 'I'lioy went through the usual siilii- tatioii of rubbing' luwes with great cordiality and wcl- (iomcd till! strangers with their usual eheerful jiilfering. Nothing was '*too hot or too heavy" for them. One fair danio who had just received numerous [)resents was found sitting, like a hen on her eggs, over a Viiried assortment of ai'tieles that she had stolen. In out! j)ar- ticiilar some of these people showed an unusual degi'ce of good sense. When they were asked why they did not trade with the white men up the big river (the Mackenzie), they answered that the traders liad given the Indians a water which had killed a great many of them and made them foolish, and they did not want any of it. One 'cmarkable gift wliicli these ])eople possess is a natural facility in diawing. Give one of them pa])er and pencil, and he will delineate the outlines of the coast with which he is familiar with astonishing accu- racy. It has often been remarked that this artistic gift seems to connect this dwindling remnant of an ancient folk with those primitive men whose rude carvings on bone or ivory, found in caves, are among the few icm- nants of an age so long past that we can scarcely guess how long. They knew nothing of what lay in the north. Occasionally they had penetrated lanes in the ice some miles; but that was all. The great, myste- rious sea of ice was to them terrible, as the liome of the white bear. One of the women, with tears in her eyes, told how, lately, one of these fierce brutes had 1! m ■ ' \'\ ■ I !)'^ •I -i 358 The World's Discoverers ciirriod off her t'liild iis it was playing near her on the hcaoh. After leaving (/ape IJatliurst, .smoke was ohseived rising in a dense ehiud on the shore. Tliis seemed very remarkahle in a region in wliieli fuel is so scarce that the idea of signal-fires was preposterous. Some of the oHicers were sent in a l)oat to investigate. They re- SMOKE ISSUING FROM CLIFF AT CAPE BAIHURST ported that tl-3 fires were volcanic, the smoke issuing, strongly impregnated with sulphur, through fifteen different apertures. A few days later the " Investiga- tor " stood off from the continent and came under the lee of the great island known as Banks Land. At the same time ducks ])egan to be seen flying south, — a sure sign of approaching winter. It was not long before the '■''.< i. i- ym A Northwest Passage Discovered 359 sliip found Ir'i'sclf Itcsi-t in tlicf ice in Prince of \V;ih's Stniit, iind Iww slir s[)('nt tlio next nine; months. W(! nocd not ^o into dctiiiLs. Tlu'i't; wen; tlu' iisual exju'- I'itMUJL'S of an Arctic; winter, in tiiis ciisc rendered wlioic- sonie l)y good sense and cheerful by good feeling between all [Kirties. One day ('a[)tiiin McClure, pushing a sledge journey to the northward, ascended a hill early in tiie luorning. When the sun rose, a joyful sight met iiis eyes, liefore him lay tlio frc/.en waters of a channel so wich' that its further shoie could not be seen. Hut he kni'w that beyond it lay Melville Island, whoso sciiilhcrn sliore Sir Edward Parry had reached, from tiio east, tiiirty-odd years before. The Northwest Passage was discovered I He had set at rest forever the questioii of a water com- muiiioation between the two oceans. This channel is set down on recent maps as McClure Strait. We shall not follow in detail the furthcu- fortunes of the "Investigator." She did not discover the Franklin party, nor any trace of it; nor was she so favored as to traverse the route whose existence was now establislied. The next summer, finding her progress on that line blocked, she turivnl, retraced her course to the southern extremity of Banks Land, passed up its west coast, and entered Banks or McClure Strait. On the southern shore of this channel slie found a harbor, where she spent the second winter, and where, as it proved, she was destined to lay her bones. One thing that surprised the "Investigators " was the quantity of game seen in this high latitude. Hares fre- quently appeared 'm troops. One valley was found .-•.;;N?rt,i!^^^ if f ' 21'' I J ',?r 360 1 he World's Discoverers litcmlly alive witli llit'iii luid with ptarmigan. On re- turning irom a sU'dgo journey of some weeks, Captain McClure found that no less than twenty reindeer had been killed in his absence. One would think it impos- sible that these animals should live where 'wv. and snow cover the earth nine or ten months, and the ground, where it is exposed, is frozen so hard as to tui-n tiie edge of tools. I* at they thrive and are sometimes found veiy fat. Wolves and foxes also abounded. The for- mer were continually prowling in the neighborhood of reindeer, in the hope of catching an unwary fawn. If a hunter left a dead deer for a few hours, he found oidy the bones when he returned. Once one of the men wounded a fine buck near dark and returned to the ship, intending to take up the trail in the morning. The next day he found four wolves in possession of the game. They were not alarmed at his ap[)roach, and he did not care to shoot. This was before the days of magazine-guns, and a man with a single-shot rifle would very naturally hesitate to provoke an encounter with wolves so daring. As he came nearer, shouting and gesticulating, three drew back a few yards. But the fourth pertinaciously held on to the prey. Another of the crew chanced that way and found the man and the beast actually tugging against each other. Of course, he put an end to the struggl(>. The summer came, but did not bring tbe expected release for the "Investigator.'' She was still fast, and her crew were confronted with the dreary prospect of a third winter in th;; ice, the second in one spot. Al- ready for a yeaj they had been on two-thirds of the usual A Northwest Passage Discovered 361 allowance, and now they must look forward to a still fmther reduction. IIunL;er began to be felt; and it became evident that, without a considerable supply of game, the winter could not be passed on the allowance of food which the ship's resources admitted of. One meal a day became the rule. Scurvy, too, had made its app(!arance, anrations tlio siglit of a hear created great dismay, as we gather from tiie stories of snch (MUfounters during liarentz voyages; hut now walrus liuntcrs do not hesitate for a moment to attack tliem, relying rather on the lanco than on the gun, though the modern niagazine-rilles are immensely more? ei"fe(!tive than the earlier Hrearms. The Polar hear first heeamo known to Europeans after the Norwi'giaus' discovery of CrriK'uland and Iceland, and was at first considered an extraordinary rarity. In the year 10(54 the King of Denmark gave in exchange for a white hear from Greenland a well -equipped, full- riggeil trading-vessel, a considerahle sum of money, and a valuable gold ring. At the present time they are very far indeed from h:!ing thought rare. The Norwegian walrus-hunting vessels kill, on an average, at least a hundred yearly. Another interesting denizen of the Polar regions is the mountain fox, which is common both on Spitzbergtn and Nova Zembla. It will be remembered that the Barentz party subsisted largely on it. Its abode some- times consists of a number of passages excavated in the ground and connected together, with several openings. The lennning occurs in incredible numbers on Nova Zembla. In the early summer, on the disappearance of the snow, there will bo found in the meadows innumer- able little paths intersecting each other in every direc- tion. These have been formed by the passing to and fro of these little animals under the snow. Thus they The " Vvjga " Begins her Famous Voyage 373 live, st'CMiroly protected iij^iiiiist the severe cold and luiviii^ iit Itaiid ail almiidaiit supply ol' food in the jrniss and lieheii.s above the frozen j^^ronnd. A eohiiiy of many thousands of animals d\v«dls saft? and warm where a easual observer would see nothin<; but a waste of snow. IJut it is in the Toiar Sea that animal life is mo.st abundant. The ocean fairly swarms witl: ernstaeea and with a vast variety of marine life. Tlie (explorers soon found a way of turnin' warfare luis bjcn waged, in which hundreds of thou- sands have been slaughtered. When the hunters see a herd of walrus, either on a piece of drift ice or in the water, they endeavor to approach silently and against the wind, which is usually not difficult. If they suc- ceed in getting one of the animals harpooned, they are sure of as many more as they can attend to; for his companions 'mmediately come swimming up to the boat, curious to know what is the matter. In this way one after another is stru.-k, until all the liarpoons are in use. -m^^ ers The " Vega " Begins her Famous Voyage 375 sleeps, hanging unter approiiches and fastens it to uiod to trees or y' throwing stones t slips ont of its is-lines, he adds, ts, on account of • sale at Cologne, there in hoisting set great store hy ness. They also ?te would hardly said to be really e walrus has been nds of years. In ve man are found, been discovered. 1 century, which in exterminating vnidreds of thou- the hunters see a Irift ice or in the ntly and against It. Tf they suc- rpooned, they are ctend to; for his ig up to the boat, In this way one ■poons are in use. Each one, when he is fixed, plunges and tries to escape. Soon the boat is drawn along at a whizzing rate, although the rowers hold back with the oars. There is no real danger, however, so long as all the animals draw in one direction. If one seeks to take a different course, his line must be cut immediately: otherwise the boat is cap- sized. When they are exhausted, they are, one after anotiier, drawn to the surface and dispatched. One can easily understand how l)y such methods whole herds are quickly destroyed. On the whole, this closer survey of the Polar re- gions, with their long sunnner day, with their grass and bright but scentless Howers, with their myriads of wild fowl swarming on the faces of high cliffs or darkening the air, and with their hardy animals not merely sur- viving the intense cold of winter, but growing fat, gives us a cheerful picture, quite the reverse of what we are apt to imagine. One terrible plague of the lower Arctic regions comes to mind. We are familiar with accounts of the suffer- ings of travelers from mosquito-bites on the coast of Greenland. The face of a person venturing into marshy ground without a veil quickly becomes unrecognizable. The eyelids are closed, and suppurating tumors are formed under the hair. The same conditions prevail in Alaska. Bears, it is said, are sometimes so bitten about the eyes that thej- cannot see, owing tc the swelling and inflaiamation, and so perish of starvation. A hunter has l)een known to shoot his dogs, because the poor creatures from the same cause had got into such a state that he had no alternative but tliat of abandon- I Zl^ The World's Discoverers ing them in their misery or putting an end to their «uft'ering. From this plague the mainland of Siberia is -lot free. Especially are the forest regions infested. One reason of the Samoyeds' driving their reindeer herds north in the summer is that on the open grassy tundra the animals are comparatively safe from the attacks of these pests of man and beast. In the higher Arctic regions, such as Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen, one is exempt from this torment, — a very considerable com- pensation for much which must be endured. . h Through the Kara Sea zn CHAPTER XXXV THROUGH THE KARA SEA TO THE NORTHERNMOST POINT OP ASIA On August 1, ou a gloi-iously briglit ciay, with a wind so light that the sails did little service, the "Vega" steamed through the straits called Yugor Schar and entered the Kara Sea, lying between Nova Zembla and tlie Tainuir peninsula. This sea liad always formed the barrier of nortlieast voyages, from the earliest times having generally been found impassable. But the " Vega " experienced no difficulty and steamed eastward, encountering only some open rotten ice, whose dirty surface indicated that it was neither glacier nor sea ice, Init had probably come from the Gulf of Obi or Yenisei. Off large rivers tlie ice is usually covered with a layer of yellow clay, deposited by the swell of river-water washing over the ice while the latter is still fast to tlie shore. On the 6th Captain Palander, going ahead in the steam-launch to survey the course for the "Yeo-a," killed an exceedingly large and fat bear. There was nothing in his stomach but mosses and lichens, from which it may be inferred that these animals may thrive on a vegetable diet. In 1878 Novdenskibld saw an old bear pasturing peaceably with a number of reindeer. He surmised that the old fellow meditated seizing one w m •^r I *i ' 378 The World's Discoverers when he should be near enough. This reminds me of the experience of some city-folk. Going away in the summer, they made arrangements to have their pet cat supplied with milk. On their return, looking down into the area, they were amazed to see tabby sharing her bowl of mill: -yith a big rat and frolicking with him in the friendliest manner. "Misery makes strange bed- fellows," is a connnon saying. The next morning after the family's return, the rat's skin and bones were all that remained to tell the story of h,is short-lived friend- ship with one of the enemies of lis race. Tabby had imitated the conduct of those human beings who, so soon as they are admitted to more elevated society, " cut " their eld acquaintances. If a cat, with untold genera- tions of elevating association with human beings at the back of it, could be guilty of so black treachery, should we expect better things of a benighted Folar bear, who had never lived in the refined atmosphere of a me- nagerie and never had tasted a peanut? It would seem that 1 tears are numerous on that por- tion of the coast, for within two or three days the " Vega " party killed two more. To a niodern man, armed with a magazine -rifle, this animal naturally seems infinitely less formidable than to sixteenth-century explorers, with their " harquebushes " and matchlocks that often refused to "give fire" at critical moments. On Dickson's Island, just off the mouth of the Yeni- sei, a small herd of reindeer was seen feeding, and Captain Palander succeeded in killing one. The ruins of a hut on one of the small rocky islets showed that formerly hunters had been in the habit of coming thither Through the Kara Sea 379 after it por- lys the man, seems fentury jhlocks jnts. Yeni- Ig, and le ruins >d that I thither during the summer. IJut tliere was no sign of the pres- ence of a human being. On the Yalmal [)onuisuhi, however, which tlie " Vega " passed a day earlier, a Samoyed encampment was observed a short distance inland. The wide, grassy plains of this great peninsula afford splendid pasturage for herds of tame reindeer; so that, in the summer season, tliere is a quite consid- erable population of Samoyeds. In 1802 Krusenstern, a Russian naval explorer, after an adventurous voyage across the Kara Sea, was compelled to abandon his vessel off this coast. Ife and his comi)anions drifted back and forth several days on a large ice-Ciike. Finally they landed on Yalmal, destitute of everything, and would have perished had they not encountered a rich Samoyed, the owner of two thousand reindeer, who fed them bountifully with meat and raw fish, lodged them in the tents of the village, and, when they were rested, sent them on sleds some hundreds of miles, to Obdoi'sk, on the Obi. The winter in this desolate waste, lying open to the unbroken force of storms from the Polar Sea, must be something of almost inconceivable severity. No human life maintains itself here. The few hunters and fisher- men and the wandering groups of Samoyeds who visit it in summer, retreat far southward. There is scarcely a single record of any one's having wintered on this for- bidding coast. One there is, however, that is quite remarkable. In 1870 a small vesspl. built on the upper waters of the Yenisei to try the experiment of carry- ing a cargo down that river and through the Kara Sea to Europe, was detained near the mouth of the river ' : i rv I m ii! 380 The World's Discoverers until the early winter set in. It was then put in winter quarters, and the captain and the greater part of the crew went away, leaving the vessel under the care of the mate, a Finn, named Nunnnelin, with four men, all of them Siberian criminal exiles. These built with planks a small cabin on an island in the Yenisei, collected drift- wood in great heaps around it, and faced the winter. It soon came. The severe cold began in October. Day after day it grew more intense. More than once in that awful season the mercury froze in the thermometer, while snowstorms shut the men in for several days at a time. The sun left them on the 21st of Novem- ber. In the wintry darkness that dread foe, the scurvy, attacked them. The gloomy form of Death stalked into the frost-bound cabin and bore away one after another of its inmates, until Nummelin was left alone with a single companion. Then the latter, in attempting to cross from the island to the mainland, perished. On the 11th of May a relief party, sent to save the vessel, arrived from the south. They had first to shovel away the snow, which lay about eighteen feet deep over nine feet of river ice. When they had got the vessel nearly dug out, it was buried deep by a new snow-storm. In the middle of June the ice began to move. Then came one of those tremendous floods for which the Sibe- rian streams are noted. Tlie river rose fifteen feet. The men spent six days on the roof of the hut, which barely rose above the surface of the water, working day and night with poles to keep off the pieces of ice which threatened to sweep away their frail refuge. The Through the Kara Sea 38 1 winter b of the L-e of the n, all of 1 planks ed tlrift- iter. It ir. Day e in that iioiueter, ii-al days Novem- foe, the )f Death iway one was left latter, in mainland, save the to shovel ieep over he vessel >w-storm. Then the Sihe- et. The ch barely day and ce which te. The whole surrounding country was inundated, and so rapidly that eveu migrating ])irds were caught un- awares. Several exhausted ptarmigan alighted among the men on the roof, two on tlie dogs' backs. Of course the vessel was swept away and lost. But it is interesting to know that her captain bought another small craft, built on tlie Yenisei, loaded it with Siberian products, such as fisli, furs, and graphite, and with the same mate, Nummelin, and three other men, actually sailed to Norway, Sweden, and St. Petei-sburg. Every- where a warm welcome was given to tlie first vessel that ever came through from Siberia to Europe. In 1876, after visiting the Philadelpliia Exposition, Professor Nordenskiold left New York on the 1st of July, took his own steamer in Norway, and reached tlie mouth of the Yenisei on August 15, only forty-six days from New York ! Then he ascended the river a consid- erable distance, carrying the first cargo of goods by sea to Siberia. lie commenced the return voyage on Sep- tember 1 and completed it safely. In spite, however, of these two achievements, it would seem, from wh.at we know as to the usual condition of the Kara Sea, that the question of marine commerce with Siberia must remain problematical. A very noticeable thing was the almost complete absence of animal life in the region now traversed. The " Vega " was approaching Cape Chelyuskin, the north- ernmost point of the Asiatic continent, in the same latitude as the northern extremity of Nova Zembla. It must have produced a weird im[)ression to steam along all the day through a thick fog, over a sea smooth and ' 1 \ : i : i i i' 1 1 I I I f ■ I ' ■ ; m 382 The World's Dis.overers glassy as a mirror, passing occasionally an icc-fiekl, catching, when the fog lifted, gliin[)scs of the desolate shoi'c, where there was no sign of human existence, see- ing not a single bird, oidy very rarely a seal. Now they came to the great goal of centuries of fruit- less struggle. For the first time a vessel lay at anchor off the northernmost cape of the Old World. All that was hitherto known of this part of the coast had been gained by api)roach from landward. The occasion was one to be celebrated. Accordingly, the "Vega" and her consort, the "Lena," representatives of the new era, the era of steam and electricit}', decked themselves with flags and finnl salutes, while the old era, in the person of a solitary Polar bear, paced uneasily up and down the beach, snilling curiously and wondering what manner of beings these intruders were, then lumbered out of sight, terrified at the booming of the cannon. Mournful in its solitude and desolation is this last point of the old, old continent which was the cradle of our race. No sign of man was there, scarcely any of animal life, and of the vegetal)lc world little more than mosses and lichens. But future explorers will find the cairn which our party reared on the promontory. At Preobraschenie Island the animal life of the Arctic world was again found in profusion. The perpendicular cliffs swarmed with loons and kittiwakes and guille- mots, and on the slopes the great white owl was seen sitting motionless, waiting for its prey. Two bears who were out hunting for young birds, fell to the rifles of the party; and in tho ocean were herds of seal and walrus. Through the Kara Sea 83 ;e-fiekl, lesoliitc ce, sec- )f fruit- , jinclior Ml that ad been lion was fa" and lew era, vcs with B person own the anncr of of sight, ihis last adle of any of ore than find the le Arctic ndicnlar 1 gnille- vas seen ivo bears to the 3 of seal Shortly after this the "Vega " arrived off the Lena Delta. This region has since accjuired for us Ameri- cans a mournful interest, from the fact that here, in October, 1881, the heroic l)e Long and the most of his comrades of the "Jeannette" i)erisluHl. The story of their sufferings from cold and hunger is one of the most affecting records in the history of Arctic exploration. Along with his body and the bodies of the last survivors of his immediate party, his note-book was recovered. It is pathetic to read the few lines tiiat tell the story of these brave men's freezing and starvation in the deso- late, icy waste. A remarkabU; series of scieutitic obser- vations shows that the Old World's cold-pole lies not, as we should suppose, at the furthest known north, but in the neighborhood of the town of Werchojansk, whicli is situated to the southeast of tlie Lena Delta. 'JMiis fact throws light on the extremely low temperatures experienced by these houseless wanderers. In the journal the entries become very brief towards the last. But what volumes of meaning are in those few words! There is a tragic interest about a writing which we know was traced by fingers actually stiffen- ing in death. IW 384 The World's Discoverers CIIAPTEIl XXXVI THK "vKGA's" INTKliCOUllSK WITFI NATIVES OP sini-niiA 1} I' s I 'If Off tho iiioutli of ihc Lena the "Vcgii" parted with her junior consort, the stean^cr "Lena," which was destined to ascend that river, and steamed on licr way eastward. If s[)ace permitted, it would he exceedingly interesting to take a little excursion on l)oard the "Lena" u[) this great river of the North. It has Avide, treeless plains, much like our prairies, with a rich, hlack soil that returns an enormous yield of grain. Tli(>re is a vast helt of forest extending unbroken perhaps three thousand miles by hidf that width. There is splendid mineral wealth awaiting development. Great rivers drain this broad and rich empire, the New West, so to speak, of the Old World, only awaiting the magic touch which shall cause its riches to pour into the markets of the world. Just here is the troid)lc. Siberia's great- est need is the moans of developing its resources. Its mighty rivers empty into an ocean frozen through a great part of the year. Therefore their availability for the purposes of commerce remains doubtful. One of tho most striking features of Siberia is the tundra, the wide, treeless plain that covers a large portion of the northern coast region. It is perpetually frozen to a great depth and only thaws on the surface S OP cd with ch was ler way ietlingly ird the IS wide, li, l)lack riicre is ps three iplendid livers ;, sf) to ', touch kets of ic great- les. Its nngh a lability is the a large letiially surface Intercourse with Natives of Siberia 385 in suuitner, when it is covered with a liglit vegetation of moss, grasses, and ilowers. It is all the more inter- esting because of its containing evidences of a geological [Kiriod e.\t(Miding back perhaps hundreds of thousands of years. In this now treeless waste are found masses of driftwood, dating from a very remote period and caHed bv tlio Russian natives "Noah's wood," as if they woulc^. trace it back to the Deluge?. IJesides, large tree- stems may be seen with their roots fast in the soil. These, which arc found considerably beyond the present tree-limit, prove that in an earlier time trees grew fur- ther north than they do now. Tliis probably indicates a milder climate then existing. A very notable thing about the tundra is, that some- times the earthy strata alternate with layers of imie, clear ice. This fact throws light on the maniuu' in which the tundra has been formed. Since the Siberian rivers flow from the south, it follows that the ice of the upper waters breaks up at a time when the lower reaches are still locked fast in the grip of Avinter. The rivers, pouring down a great volume of water swollen by the melting snows of the south, if they fail to break the mighty ice-barrier, overflow their banks and inundate the country for miles. On low-lying lands this water remains and freezes. Then comes another flood, bring- ing down a quantity of soil. So we have earth and ice in alternate layers. Most interesting of all, however, are the animal re- mains that occur in these frozen strata. As is well known, entire carcasses of elephants and rhinoceroses have been found, so completely preserved from putre- 25 ?l Il II 111 I 386 The World's Discoverers faction that tho flesh lius hitcn fed to dogs, — flesli prf)!)- ahly hundreds of thousiinds of ^'eurs ohll The ivory thus ohtiiined is to-diiy, as it has lu'cn for centuries, tlie sultject of a hierative trade;. The lirst nianunotli tusk was hrouglit to Kngland in Kill, and inueh \von(h'r was ex[)ressed at the si^ht of ivory tliat had (;onie from the frozen North, instead of the tropics. Since the ele- phant and rliinoeeros are to-day the inliahitants of very hot countries. Northern Siheria, it is sometimes as- sumed, nnist once liave had a climate like that of Equa- torial Africa. This is a mistake. Tlie truth is that the dead animals found in Siberia belonrjed to a distinct CD species, adapted to a severe climate, as is clearly shown by the provision which nature gave them against cold. The Siberian rhinoceros was covered with hair, and the northern elephant, the mammoth, had a triple coat, the outermost of hair about fourteen inches long, the next of about six, and inside of this a fine, short one. Thus he had changes of clothing for winter, spring, and summer; in spite of which fact he has long since died from the face of the earth. A very singular and important discovery has been made in France. Along with roughly worked flint- flakes, such as commonly occur in caves once tenanted by priniitive man, some pieces of ivory were found on which, among other things, an unmistakable mannnoth, with trunk, tusks, and hair, is carved in a style of art very similar to that Tor which the Eskimo and the Chukchis of to-day are noted. This discovery seems to leave no doubt of the existence of man and the mammoth at the same period. >ll j)rnl»- 10 ivory rit'S, th(! itli tusk (Ut wiis roni tlio the elu- of very mos as- )f K([Uii- tliiit the distinct y shown list cokl. lair, and [)le coat, ong, the lort one. ing, and lice died as been ed flint- ;enantcd oiind on muiioth, e of art and tlie seems to lammoth ^.^%amiiiAsatm^titt!tiii,t)''- ■ *'*».■, mr^t'»Mi'n!i ■n 5 o '■'*iig.;.lfe#* ,,.1 r ri if iV ! 'S : i\ \ : 1 W ^ J *- k '■ l;',i*lj Ell ^l^ni! I iHHel ' ■e^^BrI! V BjKj 1 . IKtL.l Intercourse with Natives of Siberia 389 Therefore we may be reasonably sure that at the time when tliese monsters roamed the forests and phiins of Northern Asia in herds, that is, probably several Inn- dred thonsand years ago, the human race alrea*!^ ex- isted on the earth, under conditions not unlike those of the Polar savages of to-day. From other iiidications it appears that the climate of Northern Siberia was then mucli tht! same as it now is. We naturally wonder liow tliese large animals found sufficient pasture in such re- gions. It should be remend)ered that, even far north of the limit of trees, there are luxuriant bushy thickets, whose juicy leaves, with no tropical sun to burn them, are rich food for grass-eating erf aturcs. The Chukehis collect and eat with delight great (|uantities of young willow-leaves. When the "Vega" stopped, on lier homewa'd route, at Aden, near the entrance of the Red Sea, Professor Nordenskifild remarked: "No place in the high north is so bare of vegetation as the environs of Aden and the parts of the east coast of the Red Sea which we saw. Nor can there be any comparison in respect of the abun- dance of animal life between the equatorial countries and the Polar regions." The New Siberian Islands have long been renowned Tor their richness in elephant-tusks. These are washed by the waves out of the sand-beds on tlu; sliore, and are collected at low water on the banks tlieri laid l)are. One traveler saw as many as ten tusks sticking out of the ground within the space of a mile or so. It seems the very irony of fate that, two years after the "Vega" had touched at these islands and gone on her way safe I - I' i I 1 { 1 7 ) ,.'. t '. I u, tl :=' : .Jil 390 The World's Discoverers and strong, the sliipwreckod crew of the " Jeiinnette," part of whose mission in Pohir waters was to seek and succor the ''Vega," found temporary shelter here. It is likely that the huts which De Long's party observed had been built by ivory-hunters. The " Vega " saw little of animal life about the islands, only a few gulls. The season was now far advanced, and the most of the birds had taken their flight southward. Cape Baranov was passed on the 5th of September. Since leaving the entrance of the White Sea not a single native human being had been seen, and the everlasting monotony of ice, fog, and shallow water was growing wearisome, even to so enthusiastic a Polar explorer as the Professor. Now came a pleasant change. They were api)roaching an inhabited portion of the const, One day two great skin-canoes, like the oumiaks of the Eskimo, came out to them, full of laughing and chatter ing savages, — men, women, and children. They wert/ invited aboard, and, skin-clad and bareheaded, they came swarming merrily over the guards of the "Vega." They spoke no language but their own Chukch, and all intercourse was by signs. It seemed strange that these people, living on Russian territory, knew not a single word of Russian; but there was a boy who could count up to ten in English, an accomplishment which he had been taught bv American whalers. Another evidence of their occasional contact with white men was their calling for " ram " (rum). This, however, was refused on all occasions but those of necessity. The Professor remarks approvingly^ that "even here theie are men who inette," ?ek and ere. It ibserved islands, [vanced, ir flight ^tember. ; a single Bi'lasting growing olorer as • They le const, « of the chatter- ley wen/ d, they I" Vega." , and all lat these la single lid count ho had evidence las their refused 'rofessof len who Intercourse with Natives of Siberia 391 will not taste spirits, hut with a gesture of disdain refuse the ghiss that is offered them." .Vfter roaming about the shi}) and enjoying the liospitality of the crew, the visitors went away rich in old clothing which the sailors gave them lavishly, in tlie confident expectation of being, within a very few days, in a latitude where winter clothes would be quite unnecessary. Among these savages trade is carried on wholly by barter. Tliey know nothing of the use of money and despise it as haughtily as Diogenes himself, except as so much glittering metal. The more glitter, the more value. Therefore they would think a man very lacking in "horse-sense" who would not prefer a half-dozen bi'ass buttons or .m empty baking-powder can to a gold double-eagle. A beautiful black fox -skin was offered to Nordenskiold for an iron pot. When the Russians first went to Kamchatka, they got eight sable-skins for a knife, eighteen for an axe. Yet the motives laughed among themselves at the foreigners who were so "dead easy" and gave so much for so little. How true it is that the value of things is not in themselves, but in the mind's eye that sees them! May it not well be ih-oi-^ if beings of intelligence as much superior to ours u 'V, ts is above that of savages should visit London, ■ ; iS New York, or Chicago, they would think as ligi <.v of some of the things that we toil and wear out our lives for, as we think of the Chukchi's tin boxes? Hamlet goos so far as to say, " There is nothing, either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." In dealing with things whos.e value tliey know, tliese people are very shrewd traders, with a constant eye to 1} I ;!f ii .; , (' Hf 392 The World's Discoverers the main cluince. Tlicy have been brought up from childhood in an atmosphere of barter. A constant intercourse of this kind is maintained between Asia and America. A sort of market is held on an island in IJehring Strait, where natives of the two continents meet and exchange their goods. Daring boatmen as they are, they often cross from one mainland to tlie other in their skin-canoes. Many a fur that graces a St. Petersburg belle was the prize of a trapper in America, then was bartered to an Asiatic savage who dis})osed of it to a Sill' t•^an trader, who sold it to a Russian mer- chant at To! ! and thus, after traveling the whole width of the CL.anent, it has come to end its career at the capital of the Czars. On the second day the " Vega " was again visited by natives, who invited the voyagers ashore. It was a season of plenty, as the summer commonly is, and their tents showed a rude and revolting abundance, to which they bade their visitors a hearty welcome by unmistak- able signs. Nordenskiuld could hardly have failed to recall what old traders had written about the beastly habits of these northern tribes, when he saw an old woman with her bare arms plunged into the paunch of a reindeer, which she was empyting, and cramming its spinach-like contents into a sealskin bag, evidently to preserve them for green food during the winter. The arrangement of their dwellings is well adapted to the bitter cold. There is a roomy outer tent, of skins, in which tlie cooking is done. Within this is a closo sleeping-tent, which is also the living-room in winter, formed of warm reindeer skins and heated by one or Intercourse with Natives of Siberia 393 p from instant sia uikI land in itinents men as iie other s a St. imerica, posed of an mer- le whole career at isited by It was a md their to which nmistak- failed to |e beastly iv an old haunch of nning its ilently to Idapted to ]of shins, I is a close; [n winter, jy one or more train-oil lamps. In tliis box-like structure the inmates revel in a temperature that makes their ahnost naked bodies reek witli [)ei'spiration, while the cold without freezes mercury. In spite of these characteristics of debased savagery and a degree of iilthiness which can hardly be believed, as it certainly cannot be described, the Chukchis have some admirable traits. Wlien we read that their vil- lages are absolutely without government, we are apt to imagine that the greatest disorder prevails. According to our habits of thought, anarchy, or the absence of law, necessarily means disorder. Nothing of the sort! Nordenskiold's testimony and that of other travelers, both as to the Chukchis and our Eskimo, show these poor, filthy savages in a light whicli may excite our envy. The greatest unanimity reigns in one of their little communities. There is no selfish intrusion upon others' rights. The women are the equals of the men, not their drudges, as among our Indian tribes; and the wife is invariably consulted before the husband con- cludes any important bargain. The women have to work hard, because they live hard; but they are not oppressed, and the men's part is equally lalK)rious. Within the family harmony is the rule. A hai'd word is rarely heard. Parents are tender in their care of their children. They neither chastise nor scold them. The children requite this treatment with dutiful affec- tion. Their behavior in their rude tent-home is ecpial to that of the best-reared European children in their parlor. Quarreling is unheard of. Consideration for one another is the rule. A bit of sugar given to one ' I 394 The World's Discoverers child in a group passes from mouth to mouth until every one has had a taste. Children hasten to offer their 2)arents a share of any dainty they may have ohtained. Good-nature is not confined within the family-circle. Tiie prevailing temper of each little communit}-, in spite of occasional fights under the influence of drink, is ected, under tlie given con- ditions. There was ph'uty of good, steady work, with abun(hince of wholesome food, warm clothing, daily exercise, and cheerful spirits, such as naturally go with health. One dav was vdv much like another. As soon as it was well light, visitors would begin to .'•rrive, for the "Vega" "■received" every day. A long string of "equi- pages " was drawn up outside, the poor, half- starved dogs, from four to a dozen hitched to each sledge, curling themselves up in the snow while the elite of all the country around, men and women, cli mbed the ice-stairs and swarmed on the deck, under the awning, with their articles for barter, such as bones of whales, fresh cod, driftwood, weapons, clothing, implements of the chase, WINTER DRESS i M' 400 The World's Discoverers 5 j i j)iec('M of rciiKlcor inciit, ocrasionally ji han\ inoro tlum onco a fox wliirli, l»y cutting ofT lu'iul and I'cct, tlioy H()n<(lit to palm off as a hare. A I'liriouH trait about tlu'.se j)(M)[il(' is tliat tlicy liavo no more conscience in a tra(l(! than it" they wei'(( so many liorse- jockeys, whereas tliey will not steal. The "Vc^m" ptit ashore a lai',i,'e (quantity of provisions, arms, clothing;, spirits, and so on, so that, in the event of her bein<^' suddeidy nij)ped in the ice, there would he a reserve. 'I'hcse ^oods were simply piled and covered with a tar[»aulin, without any watch over them. Yet, though there was around a pop- ulation many of whom were literally on the verge of starvation, and this heap of stores meant to the poor savages wealth beyond the dreauis of avarice, not a single article was taken. Could that experience be duplicated in a civilized connnunity? This fact was the more noteworthy because they proved exceedingly importunate begga:'s, and commonly the lack of respect which makes l)eggars breeds thieves. The visitors were rarely allowed to go l)elow. The odor of a ('hukchi in a conlined sjiace is something which lingers persistently and necessitates strong fumigation. Bodies which are never waslied in a lifetime, — even the face gets only the cleansing of occasional exposure to diiving snow, — clad in skins tanned by a peculiarly disgusting method, generate smells to which, hap[)ily, civilization does not afford any parallel. But on deck they had a thoroughly good time. They watched with wonder the glowing forge where the smith wrought the red-hot iron. Then, happiest incident of all, came the huge cans of hot soup which were freely dispensed every Winter Quarters on the Siberian Coast 401 (liiy. How tlioy cr<)wr tambourine, common among all the Polar peoples. One is found in every Chukchi tent. Tliat it is com- monly associated with some superstition was evident from the haste of the possessors to hide it, if time allowed, before the entrance of strangers and their un- willingness to part with it. Besides its employment in the mysterious rites of sorcery and its use as an ordinary musical instrument, in which it accompanies the voice in a monotonous chant, it has anotlier utility which I il i i # . i I I 404 The World's Discoverers cannot describo so well as in the language of tlie Pro- fessor: " When the ladies unravel and comb their long black hair, this is done carefully over the drum, on whose bottom the numerous l)eings which the comb brings with it from the warm hearth of home out into the cold, wide world, are collected and cracked, — in case they are not eaten up." The use of tobacco is common not only among men and women, but children. A child not yet weaned, but able to walk, has been seen to chew and smoke and to drink rum. Sometimes quite extensive excursions were made in- land, and the habits of the reindeer or nomad Chukchis were observed. Here is a pretty picture: "When we came out of the tent in the early morning, we saw all the reindeer advancing in a compact troop. At the head was an old reindeer with large horns, that went forward to his master, who had in the mean time gone to meet the herd, and bade him good morning by gently rubbing his nose against his master's hands. While this was going on, the other reindeer stood drawn up in wcdl- ordered ranks, like the crew in divisions on board a man-of-war. The owner then went forward and saluted every reindeer; they were allowed to stroke his hands with their noses. He, on his part, took every reindeer by his horn and examined it in the most careful way. After the inspection was ended, at a sign given by the master, the whole herd wheeled round and returned in closud ranks, with the old reindeer in front, to the pre- vious day's pasture. The whole scene made a very favorable imj)r('Ssion on us. It showed the good master Through Behring Strait to Cipango 405 troiiting his inferiors kindly iuid having a friendly word for ea(;h of them." One cannot hut wonder how any life can maintain itself amid so intense cold as that of northern Siheria and in a region where for nine months the ground is covered with ice and snow. Yet some animals are found in considerahle numhers. Strange to say, the favorite haunt of hares is the immediate neighhorhood of a Chukchi village. The offal thrown out there induces a heavier growth of vegetation, wliich, though concealed hy snow, they know how to find. Undeterred l)y fear of the half-famished dogs, Bunny is wont to come in the winter nights, stealing amid the tents and hurrowing in the snow for a meal. The Pola ' hare is very large and is delicious eating. ^Farmots, too, were found ahun- dant, hesides, of course, flesh-eating animals, such as wolves, foxes, weasels, and land hears, the latter to be distinguished from the Polar bear. A circumstance of very great interest Avas the traffic carried on throughout the winter alonn- the coast. 'I'he sledge-parties invariably stop})ed at t... "Vega," which was, as the author humorously expressc; .t, "tlie only house of entertainment on the coast of the Asiatic Polar Sea." Thus there was a good opportunity of observing the nature of this traffic. The sledges were in trains, each vehicle drawn l)y eight to ten dogs. When going eastward to Behring Strait, they were laden with rein- deer skins. Returning, they were freighted with the goods received in exchange, which invariably included some kind of s[)irits. Sometimes these sledge-pai'ties are overtaken by such fearful blizzards as even a Chuk- I If ,1 i . ; Ml 406 The World's Discoverers chi dog can hardly endure. One day, after a fearful storm, a native who had lost his way came on hoard, carrying a dog, frozen stiff, hj uie tail. He and the poor heast had gone astray on the ice and had lain out, without eating anything, all the night. The naster was all right, except that he was very hungry; hut the dog scarcely showed a sign of life. Yet, after being sub- jected to careful massage for houre, it actually recovered. The Chukchi dogs are similar to the Eskimo dogs of Greenland, but smaller. They resemble wolves and are long-legged, long-haired, and shaggy. They illus- trate in a veiy curious way the influence of habit in the evolution of a breed. Having been used for genera- tions wholly as draught animals and not as watch-dogs, they have either lost or have never possessed the power of barking. Even a European may enter the master's tent without the slightest alarm from one of them. In other words, they have lost much of their dog nature in becoming draught animals. They are as dirty and as peaceable as their owners. There are no fights between teams belonging to the same village, rarely even with strange dogs. In Europe dogs are the friends of their masters and the enemies of each other; Chukchi dogs are the fiiends of each other and their master's patient slaves, broken to harness so soon as they aro a few months old, often getting very little food for weeks at a time, yet never going off hunting on their own account, so that hares and ptarmigan come with impunity about the tents. Fearfully and wonderfully made are these Chukchis, the Bedouins of Siberia, as they have been called. They Through Behring Strait to Cipango 407 set at defiance every law of nature. They never by any chance wash themselves. Their filthiness passes all possibility of description. They eat offal and putrid ilesh, live in a perpetual alternation between gorging and starving, sleep in an atmosphere so close and so vile that it would asphyxiate a decent dog, and withal they are a hardy, robust race, averaging several inches more in height than the Eskimo, with women who are dis- tinctly good-looking and would be attractive, but for the horrible smell which accompanies them. With journeys among these people, with scientific observations, with reading, games, lectures, and musical entertainments, the long Polar winter passed not dis- agreeably. At last, long before the ground becanie clear of snow, the first harbingers of spring appeared, in large flocks of geese, eider-ducks, gulls, and the like. About the middle of June great clouds of small birds, of the Sylvia family, settled on the only dark spot in the wil- derness of white, the deck of the "Vega." The poor little travelers, exhausted by their long flight, were allowed to rest undisturbed. Suddenly, on the ISth of July, the vessel was observed to move slightly. The captain rushed on deck. Tlie ice ./as in motion I p] very thing had long been in readiness for this joyful hour of release. The fires were quickly lighted. Soon the engines were throbbing, and the "Vega," gay with bunting, moved out under steam and sail from the berth where she had been imprisoned ten months. On a neighboring height the Chukchis were assembled, viewing disconsolately the departure of the friends whose presence had been so marked an event in I 4o8 The World's Discoverers their lives and ao great a boon. Tlie representatives of tlie snperior race were not without feelings of sadness. Nearly a year they had lived in almost daily contact with these poor, debased creatures. Treating them kindly, they had drawn out the best qualities of their natures. There had never been the slightest friction. And now they would have been something less than human, if they could have left them to their brutish existence, with its everlasting struggle with cold and NOTH AND HIS WIFE hunger and its occasional joys, only a degree removed from those of beasts, without some touch of regret. The next day the " Vega " passed Cape Serdze Kamen. The sea about this famous promontory swarmed with life. Here and there were walrus. Seals swam about in great numbers, and vast flocks of birds, whose breeding-place was in the steep clift's, swarmed around the vessel. ^ 1 .■v\.- inioved )t. Ivamen. [d with iiboiit whose Itiround Through Behring Strait to Cipango 409 The castei'iiinost [jromoiitoiy of Asia, J'^ast Ca[K', was next seen. An hour hiter, steaming from the Polar Sea into the Pacilie, tlie " Vega " flung out all her flags and greeted the two worlds, one on either hand, with the roar of a Swedish salute. The dream of mon^ than thrci^ centuries was realized. The Northeast I'assage was achieved I Standing on the deck of the "Vega," the ex[)lorers might easily have imagined tlu^ shades of a liost of brave men of the olden time ai)plauding their perform- ance. A thousand years hiid passed since Othei-e's adventurous voyage to the northeast. Sons of the same hardy Norse race had at last accomplished that after which lie had blindly groped. This result had been attained without the loss of a single life, without any serious sickness, and without the slightest damage to the vessel. What a contrast with the ci-ut!l sufferings of the old explorers! And what a tribute to the worth of science I We shall not follow the " Vega " further, nor attempt to tell even briefly of the interesting things which were seen and recorded. After passing the Strait, she touched both on the Asiatic and Amei'ican sidcj^ On the way she visited the famous " rookeries " Oc the fur- seal, and, in passing Behring Island, investigated the remains of that singular animal, the sea-cow, which has become extinct within the memory of living men. On September 2 she arrived at Yokohama. Cipango had been reached by the northeast! That route had long since ceased to have any connncrcial value, lint the great explorer and his worthy companions received '1 4IO The World's Discoverers everywhere the commendation due to those who had actualized the old dream of Cathay. Governments and cities vied with each other in showering honors on those who had achieved one of the peaceful triumphs of civili- zation. Wherever they touched on their homeward way, passing through the Suez Canal and thus com- pleting the circumnavigation of Asia, their coming was hailed with joyful acclamations. ll * i INDEX AI>Kr>ANTADO, title, meaning Governor, of IJartlioloniew Columbus, or). A^aiado, an ofHcer sent out by Spain to inciuiro into Columbus's gov- ernment of Ilispaniola, (;<). Albutjuerque, Alfonso d', a Portu- guese viceroy of India, 119. Aienquer, Pero d', the pilot who sailed with V^asco da Gama, 95. Almeida, FrancLsco d', a Portuguese viceroy of India, 119. Anian, an imaginary strait supposed to be at the western end of the so-called Frobislior Strait. Drake sought it, in tlie hope of pa.ssing tlirough it from the Pacific to the Atlantic, 2GG. Antilla, a legendary island in the Atlantic Ocean from which the Antilles are called, 21. Atlantic Ocean, early called the Sea of Darkness, gets its modern name from the legendary great ishmd of Atlantis, reported to iiave lain opposite tlie Strait of Gibraltar and to have sunk in the ocean, 20, BARENTZ, William, sails from Amsterdam in search of a northeast passage to China, 273 ; winter-bound on Nova Zembla, 281; fearfully trying experi- ences during the winter, 285-299, leaves his sliip fast in the ice and starts for home in open boats, .301 ; dies on the way, 304 ; relics of his party's staj' in Nova Zembla found after 274 y<)ars, 320. Behaim, Martin, a scientific Ger- man, contemporary with Colum- bus, wlio made instruments for navigation, 30 ; his famous globe pictured, 31, 32. Bobadilla, Francisco, governor sent by Spain to supersede Columbus at Ilispaniola, 75. Brandan, a legendary island in the Atlantic, 21. Brasil, a legendary island in the Atlantic, from which Brazil takes its name, 21. Burrough, Stephen, sails in the " Searclithrift " to seek a North- east passage, 202. CABRAL, discovers Brazil, iu 1500, 120. Cape Chelyuskin, northernmost point of Asia, first reached by sea by Nordenskiold, 381. Cape of Good Hope, discovered, in 1487, by Bartholomew Diaz, who called it Stormy Cape, 17 ; name changed by King ,Ioao, 1 7. Cathay, the northern provinces of China, 12. 1 . ? 'Wv'l 412 The World's Discoverers Chiincelor, Riflianl, s.iils with Wi!- lt)ii,i,'lil>.v, I'.t"; Cillers lli(! White Slm and ojieiis coiiiiiiercu willi Itussia, I'J8; v'm'M tlio C/ar at Moscow, 199; iiitorestiii^ (loMcrip- tioii of liussiaa life, 2U0 ; is) wiTckiMl anil drowned 011 the coast of Sc(.tland, ^02. (■ihao, mountain region in llispan- iuhi where Colunihus hiiilt a fort, f>;{, Cipango, early name for .Japan, 20; described li\ .Marco I'olo, 12; tiie goal of (/oluiuhns's voyages, 12, 20, etc. Colninltus, Martlioloniew, hrotiierof Christcjphcr, accompanied iJar- tholomew Diaz, and ]>rolial)ly en- couraged his hroiher to perse\ere ill his great design, 17; sent hy Christopiier to solicit aid from the King of Knj;iand, 24; meets Christopher in llispaniola, 05; is appointed Adeiai'tado, G(> ; is sent home in irons, 76 ; sails with Christopher on his last voyage and docs valiant service, 81-90 Columbus, Christopher, early eir- cnmstancps favorable to the career which he adopted, 18; first employmont as a weaver, 19 ; edu- cation, 19; extent of his early voyages, 19-20; learned from ancient writers to believe in the rouiiilne.s.s of tiie Kartli, 20; his mistake as to the si/e of tiie Kartli, 22 ; residence in Portugal, 2.1 ; circumstances whicii stimu- lated his longing to be an cx- jilorer, 2.'J ; proposal to the King of Portugal, and the latter's vil- lainous trick, 24 : unsuccessful attempt to .secure aid from Henry VII. of England, 25 ; ajiplication to Ferdinand and Isabella how met, 2.') ; visit to the convent of La liabida and its liajtpy results, 2t); projiosals accepted by Ferdi- nand and Isabella, 27. First '".'/".'/'< 't'* incidents, 28-.'{8 ; land discovered, .'{8 ; Culia discovered, 40; Haiti discovered and called Ilispaniola, 42 ; the " Santa Maria" wrecked, 4.'l ; a fort built atid garrisoned, 45 ; Columbus sails on his return voyage, 40 ; encounters frightful storm, 47- 49 ; reaches Lisbon, 50 ; has an audience with the Portuguese King, 51 ; reaches Palos, 51 ; is royally greeted by his sovereigns, 5.'3-54. Second V<>jj, 84 ; upris- ing,' of the. Indians, 84 ; ciiptnre and sniisciiueut escape ofQuiliian, tiie Indian chief, 85; oldiged to l)oach his vessels on tiie coast of Janiaicu, 87 ; sends for relief from Ovando, 8!t ; liogniles the natives into supplying; him v.itli food, DO; sailft with two vessels for S|)ain ; dies in Valladolid, 9'J. Coustantiuople, how its capture by the Turks stimulated the desire to find a water route to India and China, 16, ])AVIS, John, sails from England with two ships, 224; second voyage, 226 ; third voyage, 227. Dominica, one of the West Indies, discovered by Columbus on his second voyage, 56. Drake, Sir Francis, childhood, 239 ; ap])renti<'cd to a coaster, 23!) ; early experiences in his career, 245"; sails for the Pacific, 247 ; enters Port St. Julian, 2.54 ; reaches Straits of Magellan, 257 ; stops at Valparaiso, 259 ; at Lima, 263 ; jjursues the " Cacafuego," 264 ; overtakes her, 265 ; sails for home by way of the Cape of fJood Hope, 267 ; adventures along the way, 268, 269 ; readies England, 270 ; honored and knighted by Elizabeth, 271. pALEIRO, Rny, fin astronomer and geographer with whom Magellan conceived the plan of reaching the Spice Islands by sailing westward, 122. Franklin. Sir John, famous ex- plorer of the Northwest, sails to tind a northwest ])assage, 340 ; last seen in Matlin Hay, 350 ; first traces of bis party found by Dr. R.ae, after eight years, 351 ; their tragic fate ascertained four years later, 351-2. Frobisher, Sir Martin, sails for tlio Northwest Passag<', 209 ; believes himself to have found it, 211 ; re- tiirns to England, 213 ; second expedition sets sail, 213; finds plenty of " gold ore " on the Labriidor coast, 214; sails for home, 218; third expedition .sets out, 219; sails up Ilud.sou Strait, 220; the fleet reaches home with seventeen hundred tons of iron pyrites, the " gold ore," 222. QAM A, Paulo da, brother ofVasco, who was in charge of one of the hitter's vessels, died on the return voyage, 116. Gama, Vasco da, .sent out by I'ortu- gal in 1497, 93 ; sails round Cape of (Jood Hope, 98; sights Natal cm Christmas Day, 99; arrives at Mozambi0«. (iiiii('iiiiii;;iiri, an Inilian oaci(|uo who liospitalily ontcrtaincd Co- hinihus and was a Htauncli friend uf tlio Spaniards, 44 and saj. HUDSON, Ilonry, liigh rank as an oxploror, 'J21 ; not a Diitcli- niaii, .'J2I ; un.HUccfssfully tries viirioiiH routes to Asia hy the nnrt hcast, .'<22-;J27 ; sails to North America to try a passaj^o sii;;- ttested by Captain John Sniitli, HJH; reaches Penol)S(ot Bay,'{2'.>; Cape (,'od, :v,\0; the Virginia const, n.-JO; Delaware Bay, 3.30; enters New York May, 331 ; as- cends and explfjres Hudson Hiver, .■)32-334 ; returns to Knj^land, 334; splendid results of this voy- a;i;e, 335; sails in searcii of a northwest ])assaj;;e, 330; explores Hudson Ray, 338 ; hitter experi- ences wiiile frozen in, 339, 340; is set adrift in an optMi boat hy mutineers and forever disuppears, 340,341 ; tribute to him by Dr. John Fiske, 344. ISABELLA, city in Ilispaniola founded by Columbus, Gl. JACKMAN, Charles, snils with Arthur I'et to seek a northeast route to Cathay, 203. Jamaica, one of the W'>st Imlies, discovered by Columbus on liis second voyaj^e, 04 ; beached his vessels on the coast, 87. XIIAN, The Grand, the title by which Europeans in Colum- bus's time spoke of tlu; emperor (){ China; Columbus on his first voyaRo bore a letter .iddressed to him by Eerdimuid and Isahella, '2'J. Kubla Khan, a famous emperor of ('hina, in the time of Marco I'olo, 0; re(iuests the I'opo to send men to leach his people the arts and religion of l-iurope, C; much interested in Mjirco I'olo and employs him in the public service, 7 ; sends him on an em- bassy to Persia, 7-8 ; grandeur of his em]>ire and magniiiccuce of his capital, 10-11. LADRONES, first inhabited isl- amls reac!ied by Magellan, 1.53. Las Casas, a tn^ncvolent Spanish bislioj), proposes tli.-it natives be brought from Africa to relievo the Indians of their severe tasks, 02. Lena Delta, scene of the tragic fate of Lieutenant De Long and th< most of his men, 383 ; j»,assed by Nordenskiiild, 383. Lusiad, The, a famous epic poem written by Camoens, telling of the expedition and relating the .adventures of Vasco da Gama, 94. jyjcCLTTRE, Captain, .sails in quest of northwest pa.ssage through Behring Strait, 352 ; varied ex- experiences, 352-.'i.59 ; a north- west passage discovered, 35'J ; his shij) lost in the ice, but his crew successfully brought in sledges through the passage to the At- lantic, 359-362; honored as the Index 415 title by Coluni- L'lripcror liirt first rpsHcul to Isiil)flla, licror (if ■ Mario rujie to >()j)le tho imiK', fi ; rio I'dIo le ])ulilic II ilU (Mil- pfriuidfiir rnificcnco lilted isl- 'llaii, l.VJ. Spanish lativi's bo relievo ere tasks, ragie fate ami tli'^ tassecl by )i(* poem t'lliiif^ of atiiiR the la Gaina, in quest ( tlin)Ujj;h aried ex- a iiorth- , S")!) ; his t his erew n slcdpos the At- •ed as tlie dismvercr of tho Northwcit Pa»- Ma^elluii, Ferdinand, his birth, I r.t ; serves as a paf?e at court, 120; sails for India with Al- meida, 121 ; tights tlie Moors, 122; ( hanges his name frt -n tins I'ortu- guesu to the S|ianish form and renounces his ailej;ianee, 125, lays his |i]an heforo the Spanish kinj;, Charles \^, 125; sent out by Spain witii a fleet of five 8hi|»s, 128, 12'.»; diffieulties of the voyage, 132, l.'J.T; drops anchor at I'ort St. Julian, I'J.'J, mutiny on board, 135; strait discovered, 146; desertion of the San An- tonio, 150; reaches the Pacific, 152, discovery of tho I.adrones, 1.56 ; of the l'liili|tpincs, 157 ; is killed in a war with the natives of Mactan, 164; after many ad- ventures ono vessel of his fleet finds its way back to Sjiain, com- pleting the first circumnavigation of the globe, 172-176. Mangi, ♦^ho southern provinces of China, 12. Marchena, Juan Perez de, Prior of the convent of f-a Haliida, who encouraged Columbus, took up his causo, pleaded with (^iieen Isabella, and at last gained her consent, 26. Marco Polo, birth, 5 ; travels in Asia, 6-8 ; returns to Venice, s ; relates his adventures to a fellow- prisoner, 8 ; 8oin(! of the particu- lars in which his stati nient-' iii(> confirmed by modern research, 8-10; wide influence of his work, 3-4 ; Columbus studied him dili- gently, 12. Margarite, captain left by Colum- bus in command at Cibao, 63 ; is rclieveil by Ojeda, seizes caravels of Hartholomew, and sails for Spain, tin. Marigalaiito.onoof tho West Indies, discovered by Cidiimiiiis on his second voyage, 57. MartiMi(iue, one of the West India islands discovered by (,'oluiubus on his fourth voyage, 81. Maundcville, .sjr .loiin, travels in the Kast, 12; immense po|iular- ity of his book, 12; it was read by Columbus, 13; .soino of tho wonders he relates, l'.>2. Mendez, I)ie>;o, a brave and staunch oflicer of Columbus on his fourth voyage, 84, 86, 88, 92. \AVll)AI),tlie fort which Colum- bus bnilt on Ilispaniola, 45; story of its destruction, 60. Nordenskiidd, Prof. Adolph Eric, sails to discover a northeast jias- sage to the Indies, .$64 ; discrip- tion of the coasts visited and of the peoples and animals inhabit- ing them, 364-381 ; the northern- most point of Asia pa.s.sed, 382 ; off the lA'na Delta, 383 ; descrip- *' j\i of the Siberian tundra, 384- 387 ; visited by Chukcliis. 388 ; their characteristics, ;iHH-3!)6 ; frozen in, 397 ; how the time was sjK'iit in winter-quarters, 398- 402 ; free from the ice, 407 ; tho Northeast Passage .achieved, 409 ; circumnavigation of Kuropc and Asia completed, 410. Q.IEDA, a valiant Spanish captain, 61 ; captures and takes tho Indian chief Caon.abo to Isabella, 07. Othere, Norso explorer, visits tho court of Alfreil the (Jreat, 189; his explorations, 190, 4i6 The World's Discoverers Ovaiulo, governor who succeeded Bohiidillaat Hi.spaniola, 76; after eiglit mouths' dehiy sends relief to Columbus at Jamaica, 89. pET, Arthur, sails with Charles Jiickman to seek a northeast route to Cathay, 203. riuzon, Martin Almizo ; Com- mander of tlie "Piiit;i," in Coium- I us's first voyacje, 28. Pinzon, Vicente Vanoz; Commander of the " Nina " in Columbus's first voyap;e, 28. Porto Kico, one of the West Indies, discovered by Ccdumbus on his second voyage, 58. Portugal, tlie foremost nation of modern times in exploration, 14 ; her ultimate oi>jcct, the wealth of the Indies, 10; sent out Bar- tholomew Diaz, Ki-IT; f\,nt out Vasco da Gama, who opened the route to India, 0.3, soij. ; by decree of Pope Alexander the Si,\th is given the eastern half A tiio world, r)r). Prester .John, mythical king whom Vnsco da Gama tried to find, 9^1 9.5; supjxi.sed kingdom, 102 Prince Ilciiry the Navigs'.or, the father of tnodern exploration, 14; some of his cajttains' discoveries, 14, died in tlie same year in which Columbus first went to f