elipe were laid, situated about seventy miles
apart. The Viceroy himself was driven away by stress of weather, and
Rivera, one of his officers, with the larger portion of the provisions
intended to support the colonists during the winter, sailed for Spain.
The unhappy settlers were thus left without food in that dreary region,
to endure the inclemency of the winter. Numbers died of famine and
cold. Month after month wore by. At length the settlers at Nombre de
Jesus built two small barks, hoping to make their way to Brazil, but
before they cleared the straits one was wrecked, and the survivors in
the other vessel abandoned their project in despair. Of four hundred
men and thirty women who had formed the inhabitants of San Felipe, only
fifteen men and three women were alive when Cavendish discovered them.
Cavendish at once undertook to convey them to Peru. After some demur,
they agreed to accept his liberal offer, and sent a messenger, Tome
Hernandez, to express their willingness to come on board. Just at this
juncture a strong easterly gale springing up, the vessels were compelled
to weigh and run before it, and the hapless colonists were left to their
miserable fate.

It was hopeless for Cavendish to try and turn back to their relief. As
the vessel sped on, Hernandez showed them the wreck of a small bark
called the _John Thomas_, which it was supposed had been left there by
Drake.

After passing through the narrows, they brought up off the island of
Santa Magdelena on the 8th of January, 1587. Here in two hours they
killed and salted a large supply of penguins. Running to the
south-west, the next day they came off the other Spanish settlement, San
Filipe. Not a living being appeared, but among the ruins of the houses
and forts the bodies of several Spaniards were discovered, lying as they
had died, like dogs.

In the forts several pieces of cannon were found buried, though the
carriages were still standing in their places. The English dug up the
guns and carried them off, the only booty they obtained worth
preserving.

The town had been well built, and had near it an abundance of wood and
water. In one place stood a gibbet, showing that strict discipline had
been maintained by the governor until all had succumbed to the common
misfortune. It is probable that the wretched inhabitants had been
compelled to live on mussels and limpets till they had no strength left
to gather them, and that numbers dying