during our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time. to us one day was pretty much like another. if we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer’s whip. day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us. we were reduced to the condition of animals, and had not even the comfort which is allowed to them. thus when the time of our rescue came, we had no notion of where we were or what part of the year it was.
we now found that it was the middle of august, and that we were in the north pacific ocean and bearing direct for the moluccas, where drake intended to trade before continuing his voyage homeward by way of the cape. we also learnt that this [pg 213]great captain was now taking his first voyage round the world, and that he had had many great and remarkable adventures on the spanish main and on the coast of peru, and had enriched his vessels with the spoils of spanish treasure-ships, so that he now had with him a store of great and unusual value. for from some ships he had taken bars of silver, and from others blocks of gold, together with rich ladings, merchandise and silks, so rare and curious as to be worth great sums of money. and all this treasure had been chiefly won from the spaniards in fair fight, and that without any cruelty or lust of blood or revenge.
about the thirteenth day of september we came within view of some islands, situated about eight degrees northward from the line. from these the islanders came out to us in canoes hollowed out of solid trunks of a tree, and raised very high out of the water at both ends, so that they almost formed a semicircle. these canoes were [pg 214]polished so highly that they shone like ebony, and were kept steady by pieces of timber fixed on each side of them by strong canes, fastened at one end to the canoe, and at the other to the timber.
the first company that came out to us brought fruits, potatoes, and other commodities, none of any great value, and seemed anxious to trade with us, making a great show of good-will and honesty. soon after, however, they sent out another fleet of canoes, the crews of which showed themselves to be nothing better than thieves, for if we placed anything in their hands they immediately considered it to belong to them, and would neither restore nor pay for it. upon this we were obliged to get rid of them, which we did by discharging a gun. as they had never seen ordnance discharged before they were vastly astonished by this, and fled precipitately to the shore, having first pelted us with showers of stones which they carried in their canoes.
[pg 215]
on the fifth of november we cast anchor before ternate, and had scarce arrived when the viceroy of that place, attended by the chief nobles, came out in three boats, rowed by forty men on each side. soon afterwards appeared the king himself, attended by a large and imposing retinue. him we received with discharges of cannon and musketry, together with various kinds of music, with which he was so highly delighted that he would have the musicians down into his own boat. at this place we stayed some days, trafficking with the inhabitants, who brought us large quantities of provisions, and behaved to us with civility. after that we repaired to a neighboring island, and there found a commodious harbor where we repaired the golden hinde, and did ourselves enjoy a much-needed rest.
leaving this place on the 12th day of december, we sailed southwards towards the celebes; but the wind being against [pg 216]us, we drifted about among a multitude of islands mingled with shallows until the middle of january. and now we met with an adventure which was like to have stayed our further progress and put a summary end to all our hopes. for sailing forward under a strong gale we were one night suddenly surprised by a shock, caused by our being thrown upon a shoal, on which the speed of our course served to fix us very fast. upon examination we found that the rock on which we had struck rose perpendicularly from the water, and there was no anchorage, nor any bottom to be found for some distance. on making this discovery we lightened the ship by throwing into the sea a not inconsiderable portion of her lading. even then the ship seemed hopelessly fast, and we had almost given way to despair when we were on a sudden relieved by a remission of the wind, which, having hitherto blown strongly against that side of the ship which lay towards the sea, holding [pg 217]it upright against the rock, now slackened, and blowing no longer against our vessel allowed it to reel into deep water, to our great comfort and relief. we had enjoyed so little hope of ever extricating ourselves from this perilous position, that drake had caused the sacrament to be administered to us as if we had been on the point of death, and now that we were mercifully set free we sang a te deum and went forward very cautiously, hardly daring to set sails lest we should chance upon some reef still more dangerous.
we now continued our voyage without any remarkable occurrence or adventure, until about the middle of march we came to anchor off the island of java. having sent to the king a present of clothes and silks, we received from him in return a quantity of provisions; and on the following day drake himself went on shore, and after entertaining the king with music obtained leave from him to forage for fresh [pg 218]food. here, then, we remained some days, taking in provisions, and being visited by the princes and head men of that country, and later by the king, all of whom manifested great interest in us, and in our armaments and instruments of navigation.
leaving java about the end of march we sailed for the cape of good hope, which we sighted about the middle of june. during all that time we met with no very remarkable adventure; nevertheless, because we were sailing through seas which no englishman had ever previously traversed there was not a day which did not present some feature of interest to us, or add to our knowledge of those strange parts of the world. to me, and to such of my companions as had suffered with me in the dungeons of the inquisition or on the deck of the galleon, this voyage was as a glimpse of paradise. for we were treated with the utmost kindness and consideration by drake and his men, and they would not suffer us [pg 219]to undertake anything in the shape of work until our wounds were fairly healed and our strength recruited. to those of us who had suffered so bitterly that our strength was well-nigh departed, this welcome relief was very grateful. as for me, on discovering my condition i was rated with drake and his officers, and with them did spend many exceeding pleasant hours, listening to their marvelous adventures and stories of fights with our old enemies, the spaniards. but pharaoh, hating to do naught, applied for a rating, and so they made him boatswain’s mate, and thenceforth he was happy, and seemed quickly to forget the many privations and discomforts which he and i had undergone.
so on the third week of september, 1580, we came to plymouth sound, and once more looked upon english land and english faces. and this we did with such thankfulness and rejoicing as you cannot conceive. as for drake and his men, they [pg 220]had been away two years and some ten months, and in that time had taken their ships round the world. and because they were the first englishmen that had ever done this, there was such ringing of bells, and lighting of bonfires, and setting up of feasts and jollities as had never been known in england. from the queen to the meanest hind there was nobody that did not join in the general rejoicing. wherefore, at plymouth, where we landed, there were great stirrings, and men clung around us to hear our marvelous tales and adventures. and as for drake himself, the queen soon afterwards made him a knight on the deck of the golden hinde; and so he became sir francis, and thereafter did many wonderful deeds which are set forth in the chronicles of that time.
now, i no sooner set foot upon english soil than i was immediately consumed with impatience to go home to beechcot, and therefore i sought out drake and begged him to let me begone.
[pg 221]
“why,” quoth he, “knowing your story as i do, master salkeld, i make no wonder that you should be in some haste to return to your own friends. i pray god that you may find all well with them.”
then he generously pressed upon me a sum of money in gold, wherewith to fit myself out for the journey and defray my expenses on the way; and for this kindness i was deeply grateful, seeing that i was utterly penniless, and owed the very garments i then wore to the charity of one of his officers. so i said farewell to him and his company, and begged them to remember me if we should meet no more, and then i went to find pharaoh nanjulian.
“pharaoh,” said i, when i came upon him on the deck of the golden hinde, “i am going home.”
he pushed back his cap and scratched his head and looked at me.
“aye,” he said, “i supposed it would be so, master. as for me, i have no home to [pg 222]go to. my mother is dead and buried in marazion churchyard, and i have neither kith nor kin in the wide world.”
“come with me to beechcot,” said i, “you shall abide there for the rest of your days in peace and plenty.”
but he shook his head.
“nay, master,” he answered, “that would never do. i am naught but a rough sea-dog, and i should be too big and savage for a quiet life. besides, yon constable of yours would be forever at my heels, fearing lest i should break the peace again.”
“there shall no man harm you if you will come with me,” said i. “come and be my man.”
“nay, master, not so. born and bred to the sea i was, and to the sea i will cleave. besides, i am francis drake’s man now, and with him i shall see rare ventures. already there is talk of an expedition against the spaniards. that is the life for me.”
[pg 223]
so there was no more to be said, and i gave him my hand sorrowfully, for he had proved a true friend.
“good-bye, then, pharaoh nanjulian.”
“good-bye, master. we have seen some rare ventures together. i thank god for bringing us safely out of them.”
“amen! i shall not forget them or thee. and god grant we may meet again.”
so we pressed each other’s hands with full hearts, and i went away and left him gazing after me.
