ey came home laden with treasure.

What exactly happened no one knows. The mutiny grew worse and worse, and
on March 21, when Raleigh wrote a long letter to prepare the mind of
Winwood, he was lying off St. Christopher's on his homeward voyage; not
knowing of course that his best English friend had already been dead
five months. Next day, he made up his mind that he dared not return to
England to face his enemies, and he wrote to tell his wife that he was
off to Newfoundland, 'where I mean to make clean my ships, and
revictual; for I have tobacco enough to pay for it.' But he was
powerless, as he confesses, to govern his crew, and no one knows how the
heartbroken old man spent the next two dreadful months. His ships slunk
back piecemeal to English havens, and on May 23, Captain North, who had
commanded the 'Chudleigh,' had audience of the King, and told him the
whole miserable story. On May 26,[12] Raleigh made his appearance, with
the 'Destiny,' in the harbour of Kinsale, and on June 21 he arrived in
Plymouth, penniless and dejected, for the first time in his life utterly
unnerved and irresolute. On June 16 he had written an apologetic letter
to the King. By some curious slip Mr. Edwards dated this letter three
months too late, and its significance has therefore been overlooked. It
is important as showing that Raleigh was eager to conciliate James.

CHAPTER X.

THE END.

Gondomar had not been idle during Raleigh's absence, but so long as
Winwood was alive he had not been able to attack the absent Admiral with
much success. As soon as Bailey brought him the news of the supposed
attack on Lanzarote, he communicated with his Government, and urged that
an embargo should be laid on the goods of the English merchant colony at
Seville. This angry despatch, the result of a vain attempt to reach
James, is dated October 22; and on October 27 the sudden death of
Winwood removed Gondomar's principal obstacle to the ruin of Raleigh. At
first, however, Bailey's story received no credence, and if, as Howel
somewhat apocryphally relates, Gondomar had been forbidden to say two
words about Raleigh in the King's presence, and therefore entered with
uplifted hands shouting 'Pirates!' till James was weary, he did not seem
to gain much ground. Moreover, while Bailey's story was being discussed,
the little English merchant vessel which had been lying in Lanzarote
during Raleigh's visit returned to London, and gave evidence which