ew land
without at least an effort to succor them.

On March 20, in the year 1590, there sailed from Plymouth three ships,
the Hopewell, John Evangelist, and Little John, taking in tow two
shallops which were afterwards lost at sea. In those days the largest
vessels of a fleet did not exceed one hundred to one hundred and forty
tons burden. This expedition was under the charge of Admiral John White,
governor of the colony of Sir Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island, and who
had left the feeble band on the island in 1587. In thirty-six days and
eight hours these small vessels arrived off "Hatorask"--Hatteras Beach.
The fleet dropped anchor three leagues off the beach, and sent a
well-manned boat through an inlet to Pamplico Sound.

There existed in those days passages from the ocean through the beaches
into the sounds, which have since been filled up by the action of the
sea. Old Roanoke Inlet, now closed, which was about four miles north of
the modern Oregon Inlet, is supposed to be the one used by Sir Walter
Raleigh's expeditions. It is only four miles from the site of this
closed inlet to Shallowbag Bay, on Roanoke Island. At the southern
entrance of the bay, near Ballast Point, some vessel evidently grounded
and threw overboard her stone ballast; hence the name of the point.
Captain Hatzel has examined this stone, and gives his opinion, as an old
pilot, that it is foreign in character. He never met with similar
stones, and believes that this ballast was deposited at Shallowbag Bay
by some of the vessels of Sir Walter's expeditions.

As the boat's crew above mentioned rowed northward to Roanoke
Island--made famous two hundred and seventy-two years later by the
National and Confederate struggles--they sounded their trumpets and sang
familiar songs, which they hoped might be borne to their countrymen on
the shore; but the marshes and upland wilderness returned no answering
voice.

At daybreak the explorers landed upon Roanoke Island, which is twelve
miles long by two and a half wide, and found the spot where Admiral
White had left the colony in 1587. Eagerly searching for any tokens of
the lost ones, they soon traced in the light soil of the island the
imprint of the moccasin of the savage, but looked in vain for any
footprint of civilized man. What had become of their countrymen?

At last some one spied a conspicuous tree, far up on a sandy bank,
blazed and carved. There were but three letters cut upon it, C. R. O.,