4 



272 HISTORY OF THE SEA, 



making large bonfires at their approach, for the purpose, as 

 he learned from Sylva, of inducing their devils to wreck the 

 ships upon their coast. On the 27th he entered the Rio de la 

 Plata, and, sailing up the stream till he found but three fathoms' 

 water, filled his casks by the ship's side. The same night, 

 the Portuguese prize, now named the Mary, and commanded by 

 John Doughty, parted company, as did two days afterwards the 

 Spanish canter, which had been named the Christopher, after 

 the pinnace for which she had been exchanged. Drake, be- 

 lieving them to have concealed themselves in shoal water, built 

 a raft and set sail in quest of them. 



DRAKE AND HIS RAFT. 



Early in June, Drake landed on the coast of Patagonia, 

 where he broke up the Swan, of fifty tons, for firewood, having 

 taken every thing out of her which could be of any use, — his 

 object being to lessen the number of ships and the chances of 

 separation, and to render his force more compact. His men 

 easily killed two hundred and fifty seals in an hour, which fur- 

 nished them with very tolerable eating. They entered into very 

 pleasant relations with the natives, delighting them with the 

 sound of their trumpets, intoxicating them with Canary wine, 

 and dancing with them in their own savage and extravagant 

 manner. The natives gave Drake a vexatious proof of their 

 agility and address, by stealing his hat from his head and baffling 

 every effort made to recover it. Shortly after sailing from this 



