n it now is, on the 17th. At Cayenne, after a
day or two, Raleigh's old servant Harry turned up; he had almost
forgotten his English in twenty-two years. Raleigh began to pick up
strength a little on pine-apples and plantains, and presently he began
to venture even upon roast peccary. He proceeded to spend the next
fortnight on the Cayenne river, refreshing his weary crews, and
repairing his vessels. An interesting letter to his wife that he sent
home from this place, which he called 'Caliana,' confirms the _Second
Voyage_, and adds some details. He says to Lady Raleigh: 'To tell you I
might be here King of the Indians were a vanity; but my name hath still
lived among them. Here they feed me with fresh meat and all that the
country yields; all offer to obey me. Commend me to poor Carew my son.'
His eldest son, Walter, it will be remembered, was with him.

In December the fleet coasted along South America westward, till on the
15th they stood under Trinidad. Meanwhile Raleigh had sent forward, by
way of Surinam and Essequibo, the expedition which was to search for the
gold mine on the Orinoco. His own health prevented his attempting this
journey, but he sent Captain Keymis as commander in his stead, and with
him was George Raleigh, the Admiral's nephew; young Walter also
accompanied the party. On New Year's Eve Raleigh landed at a village in
Trinidad, close to Port of Spain, and there he waited, on the borders of
the land of pitch, all through January 1618. On the last of that month
he returned to Punto Gallo on the mainland, being very anxious for news
from the Orinoco. The log of the _Second Voyage_ closes on February 13,
and it is supposed that it was on the evening of that day that Captain
Keymis' disastrous letter, written on January 8, reached Raleigh and
informed him of the death of his son Walter. 'To a broken mind, a sick
body, and weak eyes, it is a torment to write letters,' and we know he
felt, as he also said, that now 'all the respects of this world had
taken end in him.' Keymis had acted in keeping with what he must have
supposed to be Raleigh's private wish; he had attacked the new Spanish
settlement of San Thome. In the fight young Walter Raleigh had been
struck down as he was shouting 'Come on, my men! This is the only mine
you will ever find.' Keymis had to announce this fact to the father, and
a few days afterwards, with only a remnant of his troop, he himself fled
in panic to the sea, believing that a