Guayaquil. Here he sank a Spanish ship of 250 tons, and landed
a party which was repulsed by the Spaniards with a loss of twenty
men. Cavendish then went on shore at the head of a stronger
force, routed the victors, and burnt their town. On leaving Puna
the Hugh Gallant was sunk, as it had been found that she impeded
the progress of the other two ships. A course was next shaped
across the line to the west coast of Mexico, and on the 27th of July
Cavendish arrived in the Bay of Guatulco and burnt the town.
He then proceeded to a port, which appears to have been San
Blas, in order to refit and take in water and provisions. The
ships were there several months. Hitherto Cavendish had done
some injury to the Spaniards by burning towns and sinking ships,
but he had not secured any rich prizes.
Sailing from San Blas the Desire and Content cruised off Cape San Lucas, the southern point of California, a lofty and barren headland, with outlying rocks which reminded the English explorers of the Needles off the Isle of Wight. On the 4th of November a tall ship hove in sight, and was captured after a brief resistance. Cavendish had at last secured a rich prize. The Santa Ana, a ship of 700 tons, had on board 122,000 pesos de oro. The Spanish crew was landed at Aguada Segura, a little port, with supplies of fresh water, almost under the shadow of Cape San Lucas. The two English ships then steered for the Eastern Archipelago, but a few days afterwards the Content parted company and was never heard of more. The Desire touched at the Ladrones and Philippines, and passed along the south coast of Java on her way round the Cape of Good Hope. She reached home in the autumn to 1588.
Thus was the world circmnnavigated for a second time by English sailors. Cavendish, though fortunate on this occasion, was more remarkable for energy and violence of methods than for seamanlike skill, fitness for command, and humanity. The desertion of starving men and women, the burning of towns, and hanging of a Spanish pilot without sufficient cause, make us feel that we have not here a true disciple of Drake and Ralegh.
The enthusiasm for these voyages continued to prevail, and the year after the return of Cavendish, in 1589, a country gentleman of Devonshire, named Chudleigh, fitted out a vessel, called the Wild Man, for for the South Sea. She was joined by the Delight of Bristol, under the command of Captain Merick. We have
