38 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



know the position of the vessels, imagining even that they might be in 

 the Gulph of St. Lawrence, with their provisions ahiiost exhausted and 

 the men enfeebled by privations, it was resolved to give up the attempt 

 to go south and to make the best of their way back to England. This 

 was not agreed to without objections on the part of the captain and 

 master of the " Hind,"' but on the assurance of Sir Humphrey Gilbert 

 that the vessels would return next spring and that he would then be well 

 supplied with money for the undertaking, evidently relying on the great 

 wealth to be gained from the supposed discover^'- of silver, the officers of 

 the "Hind" consented to turn. 



Gilbert, feeling annoj'ed at remarks that reached him on his alleged 

 fear of the sea, determined, in spite of every remonstrance, to take his 

 passage in the frigate, that is the '• Squirrel," of ten tons burden. The 

 wind was favourable, but blowing strong, with a heavy sea, so that fre- 

 quently the " Squirrel " appeared to be lost. On the 2nd of September 

 the vessels sighted Cape Eace, having run as far in two days as they had 

 made in eight days to Sable Island where the " Delight " was lost. The 

 weather so far moderated that Gilbert was able to pay two visits to the 

 '•Hind " ; one to have his foot dressed by the surgeon, the other to have 

 a consultation with the officers. On this last occasion the conference 

 lasted from morning till night, the discussion turning on past and future 

 events, the loss of the ship, the loss of the men being more especially 

 lamented. In the course of the day Gilbei-t showed that he was not 

 above ordinar}^ human weaknesses. Besides the lo.ss of silver on board 

 of the "Delight," he had lost his notes, which he valued more and which 

 the boy he had sent on board had neglected to bring although told to do 

 so. For this neglect he was severely beaten, (J-ilbert having entirely lost 

 his tempei', not a common occurrence, as he Avas, so far as can be judged, 

 a man of a very equable disposition. He was repeatedly urged that day 

 to remain on board the "Hind," but he refused, spoke hopefully of his 

 return to Newfoundland next spring, when he expected to gain much 

 riches from the discovery of silver ; the " Hind," he decided, should then 

 go to the south. The overloaded state of the '^Squirrel" was pi-essed 

 upon him as a reason why he should not venture himself on board, but 

 he replied that he would not forsake his little compan}^ going homeward 

 with whom he had passed so many storms and perils. AVhen be went on 

 board the frigate the vessels were nearly half-way across, the Azores 

 being to the south, and they kept a northerly course to bring them to the 

 latitude of England. On the night of the ninth of September the end 

 came; all day the "Squirrel" had been in extreme danger from the 

 heavy .seas, over which she was too deeply loaded to rise buoyantly. 

 After dark her lights were seen ahead of the "Hind," then they disap- 

 peaT'ed. All was over, and a little after midnight the brave Sir Humphrey 

 went to his rest in the ocean depths. So apparently ended his life's 

 work, but. in reality, it was only begun. 



