42 L. HARGRAVE. 



reef, trusting it to be high tide, and they timed a big roller. 

 Apparently they were in luck, for the Spanish wreck did 

 pass the reef, and according to my late friend the Rev. Dr. 

 W. G. Lawes, "enough copper has been got out of the 

 Spanish wreck to build a church." This find was probably 

 a pile of tempered copper Peruvian mining tools. All gone 

 to the melting pot ! Alack ! Alas ! No surprise need be 

 felt at massive copper fastenings or even finding the keel 

 scarfing plated and ri vetted with silver, both metals in 

 Lope de Vega's time being more plentiful in Peru than iron 

 was. Plainly, it is a matter of common knowledge that 

 this wreck was Spanish and bore distinctive marks to 

 identify her nationality. 



There is of course the alternative track, viz.: that Lope 

 de Vega stuck to the west course all the time, missed Santa 

 Cruz, sighted or passed the Louisiades and so to Murray 

 Islands. Bearing in mind the desire for the gold of the 

 Great Southern Continent on which they had brooded dur- 

 ing the long west voyage, southing would be made at the 

 first opportunity. Time will show which course was taken. 



Here must have been enacted a scene of this character. 

 I and others who have been in similar situations can vouch. 

 Let Lope de Vega speak. "We sped along the eastern face 

 of coral reefs. Wind strong S.E. The lookout hailed, 

 "Breakers ahead." We luffed; again the cry "Breakers 

 ahead and broad on the starboard bow." We saw we were 

 embayed, we sounded, got no bottom and knew the ship 

 was lost. " Take heart ! Be men ! We do not perish here, 

 we pass the reef on one of those great rollers," rang out a 

 woman's voice. 'Twas Mariana's. We looked again and 

 saw it was our only chance. We battened every opening in 

 the deck ; lashed and relashed our boats ; set every ell of 

 canvas ; all went aloft. I took the helm and steered square 

 on to the crashing roar. We prayed the tide was high. How 



