had he been well, it was still necessary for Ralegh to remain with the main body of ships, in view of an expected attack by Spanish galleons. In place of the latter, George Ralegh, Sir Walter's nephew, went as "Serjeant-Major," or Brigadier, as we should now say. Captain Lawrence Keymis was in chief charge of the transport service. At parting Sir Walter gave Keymis written instructions for his guidance, including the following: "Let me hear from you as soon as I can. You shall find me at Punto Gallo dead or alive. And if you find not my ships there, you shall find their ashes. For I will fire with the galleons, if it come to extremity; but run will I never." 1 On the 7th of December, Ralegh in the Destiny, with the main squadron, anchored at Punto Gallo or Curipan, the south-western corner of the island of Trinidad, which lies in the Gulf of Paria, some miles from the mouths of the Orinoco. At Punto Gallo Ralegh remained until the 31st of December 1617, when he sailed the Destiny along the western coast of Trinidad to La Brea. On the 31st of January 1618 the flagship returned to Punto Gallo, Ralegh "hoping to meet our men which we sent into Oronoke," as he recorded in his journal. A "sentinel" had been stationed ashore at a spot to the eastward of Punto Gallo to look out for ships or boats that might come from the east along the coast. On the 1st of February those on the watch brought in some Indians, from one of whom, who spoke Spanish, Ralegh received the news that his men had taken San Thomé, and that two English captains had been slain in the fight. Up to that time nothing had been heard from the absent party, other than that they had reached the mouth of the Orinoco. This news had been brought by Captain Chudley, who had accompanied them so far. Anxious now, Ralegh sent off a skiff on the 6th of February, with ten musketeers, towards the Orinoco, to learn what his men had done, and why they had stayed so long; and, on the 8th, he sent sixteen musketeers to an Indian town on the island of Trinidad, to bring away some natives who spoke Spanish, that he might question them. It was all in vain. As the last entry in the journal is dated the 13th of February, it may be assumed that about that time Ralegh received the letter from Keymis, dated the 8th of January, in which the latter told how, on landing near San Thomé, on the 1st of January, the English had been ambushed by the Spaniards and been surprised by a night attack; how Ralegh's own son. Walter had been killed while 1 Ralegh's words show that he possessed the stout-heartedness of his cousin, Sir Richard Grenville, whose fight in the Revenge, in 1591, finely described in prose by Ralegh, has been celebrated in verse by Tennyson. Both Ralegh and his cousin Grenville were Devonshire men. It bravely leading his men, and Ralegh returned to England how San Thomé had been in the middle of June 1618, burned by the English. landing at Plymouth. News was only on the 2nd of March, of the fight at San Thomé, after a separation of three which he had not himself been months, less but eight days, nearer to than by some 400 that Keymis, George Ralegh, miles, had gone ahead of him. and their companions rejoined Gondomar, the Spanish AmRalegh. Then followed the bassador, had begged an audisad meeting between Ralegh ence of King James, at which and his loyal follower Keymis, he promised to say only one when the latter, unable to bear word. It was granted. On the reproaches of his chief, admission, Gondomar exwithdrew, saying, "I know claimed, "Piratas! Piratas! not, then, sir, what course to Piratas!" and then withtake;" and, on board his ship, drew. As regards Gondomar's the Convertine, put an end to action, Ralegh wrote: "In his life. Although no gold- truth, the Spanish Ambassador mine was reached by Keymis, hath complained against me to who had assured Ralegh of its no other end than to prevent existence, it is now well known my complaints against the that rich goldfields have been Spaniards; when landing my found in the Caratal district, men in a territory appertaining in that part of Guiana that to the Crown of England, they belongs to Venezuela, and that were invaded and slain before the old Callao mine, in that any violence offered to the same region, had proved one Spaniards. And I hope the of the richest of gold-mines; Ambassador did not esteem whilst gold is now found in us for so wretched and miserevery division of Guiana, be it able people as to offer our British, Dutch, French, Vene- throats to their swords withzuelan, or Brazilian. Falstaff's out any manner of reluctreference to "a region in in ance." James was most Guiana, all gold and bounty," anxious for the marriage of may be applied to each of the his son Charles, afterwards modern Guianas. Charles I., to the Spanish Infanta. To appease the King of Spain, Ralegh must die, even though judicial murder had to be committed. On the 28th of October 1618 (0.8.), suffering from ague, Ralegh was brought from the Tower before complaisant judges at Westminster, who promptly granted execution of the sentence passed upon him in 1603 for conspiring with Spain against A recent Reuter's telegram, which appeared in the London newspapers, stated that Professor John Birchmore Harrison, the Government Analyst of British Guiana, had reported that the colony goldfields showed indications of proving as rich as any yet known. Since 1880, with only rough working, about £8,000,000 of gold had been gathered. VOL. CXCIV.-NO. MCLXXVIII. 3 E Ralegh to be put to death, chiefly for the giving them satisfaction. Further, to let them see how in many actions of late his Majesty had strained upon the affections of his people, and especially in this last concerning Sir Walter Ralegh, who died with a great deal of courage and constancy. Lastly, that he should let them know how able a man Sir Walter Ralegh was to have done his Majesty service. Yet, to give them content he had not spared him, when, by preserving him, he might have given great satisfaction to his subjects, and had at command upon all occasions as useful a England.1 On the following 66 as now man as served any prince in Christendom." No wonder that James did not like the sight of Carew Ralegh, when the latter was taken to Court five years after the execution of Sir Walter. James Carew "appeared to him like the ghost of his father." Kingdoms betrayed, and Worlds re- But never can forgive a Ralegh slain.” 1 Sir Walter's son, Carew Ralegh, in a petition to the House of Commons some years afterwards, said: "Sir Walter Ralegh was condemned for being a friend of the Spaniards, and lost his life for being their utter enemy." THE NEW ROAD. A ROMANCE. BY NEIL MUNRO. CHAPTER XX.-TO THE WOODS. where was NINIAN, like a bubble, floated so within him where up from those grey deeps and Æneas? bottomless, that lie below the living world. A while he swung upon the surface, and he thought himself fish. His fingers were in meshes, and his mouth was filled with net. He thought himself with fins and scales in Tulla, and there drifted through him notions of a passage from the sea-by sands of Etive, and the Pass of Brander, surging through Loch Awe, and rushing at the leaps of Orchy. Netted! That ignoble death! And, oh, but it was cold! He heard the race of water. Some seal was on his eyes; he could not open them at first, and wondered was he blinded. Then he guessed the reason of that tuainealaich in his headhe had been smitten, and the stream of blood had clotted on his face. When he had got Something cleared from off the surface by-and-by as suds clear from a pool; he shook himself and found he was a man. His head was aching, but a sore far sharper was the sense of something wrong, of deprivation; memory was for the moment dulled but not destroyed. Now all came slowly back to him the sea - drenched boat, the conflict on the stair, his leap into the trammel stretched across the close, his warning ory to Æneas. his eyelids parted, and looked up, he saw the black vault of the night, and through one hole in it a star. Quite close beside his feet the river gurgled. And he was bound! The net was coiled about him, part of it stuffed in his mouth for gag; some bights of cord were tight wound round his hands and feet; he lay on sand. With a struggle he got up his pinioned hands and reached the knife below his arm-pit ; slashed through the meshes; cleared his feet; stood up, and with the knife between his teeth out through the last bonds on his wrists. "Faith!" said he, "I'm early to the river!" and felt his head. "Ah! were ye dunting, lads? Ye were the boys to split oak timber! Thank God That was what was hurting I wore Maclaren's good thrum Copyright in the United States by Neil Munro. bonnet, and I'll get my knee yet on your chests!" He bathed his face; cut out a yard of net and put it in his pocket; sliced from the bank a turf of grass and threw it in the river; then went up and into Kirk Street. Still was the night blind-black, but dry. There were lights in Fraser's inn, and in the close were women talking, their feet unshod and plaids about their heads. It did not take him long to get their story. The inn had been attacked, poor Fraser bound; two gentlemen were spoiled and missing. "Just that!" said Ninian, with a whistle. "Very good, indeed!" and passed into the house where half a dozen neighbours had been called by an alarm from & slattern servant lass who slept up in a garret. Her master had been found, a piteous object, tied up on the kitchen floor, lamenting for his guests whose money was the aim of the marauders. "And where, now, is the decent body?" Ninian asked, as he looked about the kitchen, all tossed up as if a tide had swept it, but with nothing broken. Nobody had seen him. Before the alarm had broken out, the spoilers and the spoiled had vanished. Ninian took the lantern from above the entrance; lit its lamp, and searched out through the close and to the back where, on the ground, without a stain on it, the dirk was lying. "They've got him!" he said to himself with great vexation. "They shot their trammel twice and got two fish and now the wits of me and God be wi' Macmaster!" ; Then in, and up a stair that had been newly washed, and picked the knapsacks up, and through a lobby to where Fraser lay in bed. When Ninian came in on him he seemed to shrivel; then he sat upright and stared, a tassel on his night-cap wagging. The only light was from the lantern, and Ninian had the naked dirk; it had a glint; his body loomed in shadow like the shade of Vengeance. "Where is my friend?" said he in Gaelic. "What way on the earth of the world should I know that, good man?" said Fraser, trembling like a leaf. "They put on me the rope.' "It's on thy neck thou'lt have it next!" said said Ninian, bending over him. "Who were they?" "I never put an eye on them before," said Fraser, and his bed was shaking. "They came in strength and hardihood and mastered me." "Oh, mac an galla!" Ninian said in fury; caught him by |