and his bivouac
searched. Morgan's helmet was found; the pursuers were on the track.
A hunt in the near woods revealed nothing of note. Re-embarking they
reached an Indian village by midnight, and learned that the foe was
encamped at a larger place up the stream. Here was a chance of a night
assault. But neither bribes nor threats could prevail with any native
to accept the position as guide. The chief finally gave directions
which were either wilfully incorrect or misunderstood. The Englishmen,
on coming to a parting of the waters, took the wrong course, and found
themselves by daylight right in the hills and twenty miles from the
place where the captives lay.

They came back and took the other channel, arriving at the
halting-place about noon, to find the foe gone and themselves too weary
to follow for some hours. Rob and the captain interviewed the chief,
but the latter was too fearful of the Spaniards to offer any
assistance. The English force in his eyes was too weak to gain any
victory, and he would not be on the losing side.

The adventurers pushed forward again in the evening, abandoned their
boats, and took to the hills in the hope of cutting off the Spanish
retreat. They lost their bearings, and for a while were lost
themselves. The pursuit became hopeless, and was reluctantly abandoned.

The party returned to the ship. Nothing further was possible. With a
force ten times as great as the one he really commanded, Captain Drake
might have attempted a march on Panama itself, for the spirit of the
great admiral was strong in him.

Digging was resumed, and the labour was rewarded by the mocking
discovery of a heap of bones. It was plain to every one that the
company had been led into a cunningly prepared trap. In the heat of
their anger some were for sailing back to Trinidad and sacking San
Joseph. The skipper would hear of no such mad enterprise. He set sail
for the open sea, his heart full of two desires. He wanted to fall in
with some other English ships, and essay an attack on Panama. Failing
this, he hoped for the chance of meeting plenty of King Philip's
galleons. Large or small, he vowed to assail them and take a terrible
requital for his own misfortunes.

His latter hope was realized. He fell in with two ships in his passage
through the Indies, and attacked and pillaged both. Although shorn of
nearly half his strength by the time he reached the open Atlantic, yet
he made for the