Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/164

 148 REIGN OF ELIZAIiETff. [CH. 64. the rocks and shoals of the most dangerous waters in the world. They crept round Celebes among coral reefs and low islands scarcely visible above the water line. The Malacca Straits formed the only route marked in the Portuguese chart, and between Drake and his ap- parent passage lay the Java sea and the channel be- tween Borneo and Sumatra. But it was not impossible that there might be some other opening, and the Pelican crawled in search of it along the Java coast. Here, if nowhere else, her small size and manageableness were in her favour. In spite of all the care that was taken, she was almost lost. One evening as the black tropical 1580. night was closing, a grating sound was heard January 9. un( j er jj er ^ ee [ . ano ther moment she was hard and fast upon an invisible reef. The breeze was light and the water calm, or the world would have heard no more, of Francis Drake and the Pelican. She lay im- movable till morning ; ' we were out of all hope/ says the writer already quoted, ' to escape danger/ but with the daylight the position was seen not to be utterly desperate. ' Our general/ he continues, ' then as al- ways showed himself most courageous, and of good confidence in the mercy and protection of God ; and as he wouM not seem to perish wilfully, so he and we did our best endeavour to save ourselves, and in the end cleared ourselves of that danger. We threw overboard three tons of cloves, eight cannon, and certain meal and beans, and then at four o'clock in the afternoon, the wind happily changing, we hoised our sails and were lifted off into the sea again, for which we gave God the thanks.'