Port Albion, and passing on the 24th through a group of islands, which they named the Islands of St. James—probably the Farellones—`having on them plentiful and great store of seals and birds,' they anchored near one and took on board ` such provision as might competently serve their turn for a while.' Then, as the wind still blew, `as it did at first,' from the north-west, Drake gave up any hopes he might have had as to the fabled passage, and pushed out into the wide Pacific. `And so, without sight of any land for the space of full sixty-eight days together, we continued our course through the main ocean till 30 September following, on which day we fell in ken of certain islands lying about eight degrees to the northward of the line' (Vaux, p. 134). These islands, supposed to be the Pelew Islands (Burney, i. 357), they named, according to their experience of the inhabitants, the `Islands of Thieves,' and on 3 Oct. continued their course. On the 21st they came to off Mindanao, where they watered; and pursuing their journey towards the south and passing by numerous small islands, anchored on 4 Nov. at Ternate, where they remained for three weeks, being hospitably entertained, and furnishing themselves with 'abundance of cloves, as much as they desired, at a very cheap rate.' From Ternate they stood over towards Celebes, and on a small uninhabited island on their way cleared out the ship and had a thorough refit, while the men were camped on shore; `the place affording us not only all necessaries thereunto, but also wonderful refreshing to our wearied bodies by the comfortable relief and excellent provision that here we found; whereby, of sickly, weak, and decayed (as many of us seemed to be before our coming hither), we in short space grew all of us to be strong, lusty, and healthful persons' (Vaux, p. 149). This island they called Crab Island, from `the huge multitude of a certain kind of crayfish, of such a size that one was sufficient to satisfy four hungry men at a dinner, being a very good and restorative meat, the especial means of our increase of health.' The animals described are land-crabs, though their size and habits are somewhat exaggerated. Leaving Crab Island on 12 Dec, on the 16th they sighted Celebes, but found themselves in a deep bay—probably Tolo—from which their only escape lay towards the south; and even then were so entangled among islands and shoals that the utmost care was necessary to avoid them. It was not till 9 Jan. that they fancied they had clear water to the westward and made all sail; but a few hours later, `in the beginning of the first watch,' they stuck fast ' on a desperate shoal,' where for a time they seemed to be in imminent danger of perishing. As they lightened the ship, however, a fortunate gust of wind blew her off, after she had been ashore for twenty hours. Their voyage was still very tedious; what with the intricate navigation, which was quite unknown to them, and the south-westerly wind, it was not till 8 Feb. that they reached Barative (Batjan), where they rested for two days and, pursuing their way, after many delays, sighting islands innumerable, they came to Java, and running along the south coast anchored near its south-west extremity on 10 March. There they cleaned their ship's bottom and provisioned; and being warned of the neighbourhood of great ships, similar to their own, they sailed on the 26th for the Cape of Good Hope, which they passed on 15 June. On 22 July they touched at Sierra Leone, where they obtained some fresh provisions, and, continuing their voyage on the 24th, arrived in England on 26 Sept. 1580, 'very richly fraught with gold, silver, silk, pearls, and precious stones ' (Stow, p. 807), to which must be added cloves and other spices which they had collected in their passage through the Eastern Archipelago.
Of the months that followed, critical as they were in Drake's life, very little is known. Within a few weeks after his arrival in England, the queen wrote to Edmund Tremayne, at Plymouth, `to assist Drake in sending up certain bullion brought into the realm by him' (Cal. State Papers, Dom., 24 Oct. 1580): in replying to which command, Tremayne mentioned incidentally that the value was reputed to be a million and a half sterling (ib. 8 Nov.), which can only be accepted as approximately correct on the supposition that the gold and precious stones bore a much larger proportion to the silver than is accounted for in the narratives of the voyage. At the same time some inquiry into Drake's conduct was ordered and made; the depositions of the whole ship's company tending to prove that no barbarity could be laid to his charge, though the plundering was freely enough admitted (ib. 8 Nov.; Notes and Queries, 7th ser. iv. 186). There were still, however, many to raise a clamour against Drake, `terming him the master thief of the unknown world ' (Stow, p. 807); and the queen, in real or pretended doubt of the facts, hesitated as to whether she should acknowledge him as one who had rendered good service to the state, or should clap him in prison as a pirate. It was represented to her, on the one hand, that justifying Drake's action would `hinder commerce, break the league,
