THE VOYAGE OF CinCUMNAVlGATtOtf
261
anxiety to reach the appointed rendezvous in the height 30 south latitude, where they hoped to meet their lost consorts, with thanksgiving and renewed hope they stood to the north-west. But now a new difficulty was in store. On the second day they fell in with two islands lying like stragglers from the rest of the broken land,' which were possibly the Ildefonso Group. Here they of
'
1
and proceeded on their course north-north-west, as their Spanish charts showed the Chile coast to trend. For twelve days they continued thus until they reached the height of 44, but still there was no sign of the expected land. Chile seemed to have Drake, sure he had made no mistake, at disappeared. length decided the Spanish cartographers must be wrong, and boldly altered his course to the north-east. He was rewarded in a few days by making the Valdivia river, and all was well again. The river, however, afforded no fit harbouring for his purposes, and he resolved now that he had got in touch with the land again, to coast along it in search of what he wanted. In this way they reached reprovisioned with
birds' eggs,
the height of about 37
south, but seeing the coast still promised no good harbour for refreshing, and desiring now to keep out of sight of the mainland, he ran for the island of Mucho, which had been already sighted, and there came to anchor. 2
Drake with a picked crew at once went ashore, whert he was received by the natives with every demonstration of friendship, and returned laden with a feast of fresh mutton, poultry, and maize. At daybreak on the morrow he returned to water at a place the natives had promised to show him. Fearing no danger he had armed his crew with nothing but their swords and targets, and so came ashore in a reedy creek to which the natives signalled him. Two men landed with barrels, but no sooner had they set 1
John Drake
(p. 60), however, says the islands where they provisioned also that not finding land where the charts showed it, they feared that in threading about the islands they had got back into the Atlantic.
were in 55
2
;
San Juan de Anton.