176
THE WEST SHORE.
PdHnni'0 into tlin Pacific was now crvstahzed into a een-
erol belief. Magellan hod simply passed through the
. . m 11 1 -AMI
straits and whs unaware or we open sea lying sun
f urtlier to the south, and it wns many years before Dutch
freebooters discovered the passage uround Cape Horn.
It was supjxwed that lie liad simply traversed a danger
ouh passageway leading through a narrow portion of the
great South American Continent Just such a waterway
the Straits of Aniiin were then supposed to be, piercing
the continent from the Atlantic to the South Sea. To
Hi id it England, Spain, France and Russia vied with each
other for nearly three centuries before all belief in its
existence was finally abandoned.
The kingdom of Ferdinand and Isabella was then
approaching the zenith of its power. Wealth flowed iu a
golden stream from the New World to fill the coffers of
their successors upon the throne of Aragon and Castile,
the K)werful Charles and haughty Philip. The ancient
throne of the Montezuinas was overturned in blood and
the kingdom of the Incas plundered of its hoarded
treasure. The South Soa was crossed, the Philippine
Islands wore subdued, and Spaiu gained a foothold in
the Indies, whose long sought treasures of porcelain, silk
and spices wore conveyed to Europe to aid in upholding
the power and magnificence of the Castilian throne. No
Hag but that of Spain waved over Pacifio waters. Spanish
galloons loadod with rich cargoes from the Indies reuched
the western coast of Central America, where the precious
freight was landed and transported across to ships wait
ing on the other side to convey it to the mother coun
try. In vain England, eager to share this rich harvest
with her rival, sought for some entrance into the South
Sea other than the dangorous one by the Straits of
Magellan. To use this involved a voyage too long and
too full of dangers to render it practicable for the pur
ines of commerce in those days. England and Spain
wore frequently at war, and the discovery of a means by
which English ships of war could easily enter the Pacific
and prey ukii the commerce of Spain was as much
doHirod by tho one nation as it was feared by the other.
Even were this passage not discovered, exemption
from interference with her Pacific commerce Spain could
not hope to enjoy forever. The monarch of that power
ful nation was tho Bonification of arrogance. Over all
lands evou technically discovered by his subjects he
chimed dominion and the exclusive right of trade even
if no settlement of any kind had been attempted.
I'oreignors of all nations were prohibited, under pain of
death, from having any intercourse whatever with such
territories, or from navigating tho adjacent waters. The
result of such presumption was most disastrous to Spain
English, Dutch and French "free trailers" made sad
havoc with tho Simuish shipping on the Atlantic Coast of
America; and though these ravages were continued in
times of ioaoo, they were winked at by the rival aover
eigiis, who often directly, and always indirectly, received
Uieir share of the booty, and one of these robbers, Cap.
Urn 1-rancw Drake, was knighted by his queen for beinV
th most daring and successful of tbein alL And why
not? Many a peer of England has been created for less
florvices to his country than were rendered by Sir Francis
Drake in leading the assault upon the great avenue of
wealth through which came the means of putting afloat
that wonderful Spanish Armada, from whose power Eng
land was saved only by the valor of her seamen and the
winds of Heaven.
These roving marauders made great exertions to dis
cover a northern route into the Pacific, urged on by
reports of the wonderful richness of the East Indian
commerce of Spain. Unsuccessful in this, they finally
invaded the South Sea by the passage of Magellan's tem
pestuous straits. The pioneer of these was Drake. In
1578 he thus passed into the South Sea, and Bpread
terror and devastation along the coast He captured the
East Indian galleon, levied contributions on the Spanish
ports, and finally," with his only remaining vessel freighted
with plunder, sailed north with the purpose of reaching
the Atlantic through the Straits of Anian. In this he
was thwarted, and to avoid the Spanish fleet awaiting
him at the Straits of Magellan, he returned to England
by way of the Cape of Good Hope. Other English free
booters, encouraged by the dazzling success of Drake,
followed his example, and for years Spain's commerce in
the Patfific suffered many ravages at their hands.
Meanwhile navigators continued their search for the
Northwest Passage, while the Spanish government was
in a constant state of alarm lest their efforts should be
crowned with success. Humors that the Straits of Anian
had been discovered were spread from time to time, cre
ating great consternation in Spain, Spanish America and
the Philippines. Several navigators claimed to have
passed through these mythical straits, either for the pur
pose of giving themselves importance in the nautical
world, or to secure Bome employment in their profession
or emolument for the services they thus claimed to have
rendered. Those were the halcyon days Of the romancer.
"Sailor's yarns" were in great demand. A man who
had visited foreign lands in Europe was a rarity, while
one who had extended his travels to these new and won
derful regions, or been one of the very few who had
encompassed the world, was as much of a curiosity as
would be Lieutenant Greely to-day were he to return
from the Arctio with the report that he had actually
entered " Bynames' Hole" and visited that land of won
derful phenomena in the interior of the earth. What
else could be expected when three-fourths of the globe
were an unexplored wilderness of land and water, about
which new and totally unexpected revelations were con
stantly being made? The most wonderful fabrication,
cleverly contrived, could contain nothing more unhar-
monious with prevailinc eeoimmhical theories than were
the reports of actual expeditions of whose correctness
there could be no doubt Of the many stories thus set
afloat, the one the most plausible, and which took tho
deepest hold upon the people, receiving, in fact, universal
credence for many years, was that of Captain Lorenzo
k errer ae Maldonado. a PortnrrnAnn Tt wna related by
him to the Spanish Council of the Indies, to whom he