Part 4

The little ship continued northward. Hoping for a northeast passage to the Atlantic, Drake sailed along the coast as far as what was afterward known as the Oregon country. But the increasing cold and fog and the strong northwest winds made him turn southward again. Sailing close inshore, he found a small harbor, just north of the great bay of San Francisco. Here his stout little ship came to anchor. The natives believed that Drake and his men were gods, and begged them to remain with them always. Drake named the country New Albion and took possession in the name of the queen, Elizabeth. When he had refitted his ship for the long voyage home, Drake set sail, to the great sorrow of the natives.

[Sidenote: =Drake crosses the Pacific and Indian oceans=]

Week after week went by, until he saw the very islands where Magellan had been. He made his way among the islands and across the Indian Ocean until the Cape of Good Hope was rounded, and the _Golden Hind_ spread her sails northward toward England.

[Sidenote: =Drake given a title by Queen Elizabeth=]

Drake reached home in 1580, the first Englishman to sail around the world. The people, who had given him up as lost, shouted for joy when they heard he was safe. Queen Elizabeth visited his ship in person, and there gave him a title, so that now he was Sir Francis Drake. Years after, a chair was made from the timbers of the famous _Golden Hind_ and presented to Oxford University, where it can now be seen.

[Sidenote: =He goes to find the Gold Fleet=]

=26. Drake Again Goes to Fight the Spaniards.= Drake soon took command of a fleet of twenty-five vessels and two thousand five hundred men, all eager to fight the Spaniards (1585). He sailed boldly for the coast of Spain, frightened the people, and then went in search of the Gold Fleet, which was bringing shipload after shipload of treasure from America to the King of Spain.

[Sidenote: =In the West Indies=]

No sooner had Drake missed the fleet than he made direct for the West Indies, where he spread terror among the islands. The Spaniards had heard of Drake, the "Dragon." He attacked and destroyed three important towns, and intended to seize Panama itself, but the yellow fever began to cut down his men, so he sailed to Roanoke Island, and carried back to England the starving and homesick colony which Raleigh had planted there.

[Sidenote: =Singeing the King of Spain's beard=]

The Spanish king was angry. He resolved to crush England. More than one hundred ships, manned by thousands of sailors, were to carry a great army to the hated island. Drake heard about it, and quickly gathered thirty fast ships manned by sailors as bold as himself. His fleet sailed right into the harbor of Cadiz, past cannon and forts, and burned so many Spanish ships that it took Spain another year to get the great fleet ready. Drake declared that he had "singed the King of Spain's beard."

[Sidenote: =Spain aims to crush England, but is badly defeated=]

=27. The Spanish Armada.= The King of Spain was bound to crush England at one mighty blow. In 1588 the Spanish Armada, as the great fleet was called, sailed for England. There were scores of war vessels manned by more than seven thousand sailors, carrying nearly twenty thousand soldiers. Almost every noble family in Spain sent one or more of its sons to fight against England.

When this mighty fleet reached the English Channel, Drake and other sea captains as daring as himself dashed at the Spanish ships, and by the help of a great storm that came up, succeeded in destroying almost the whole fleet. No such blow had ever before fallen upon the great and powerful Spanish nation.

From that time on her power grew less and less, while England's power on the sea grew greater and greater. Englishmen could now go to America without much thought of danger from Spaniards.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH, THE FRIEND OF ELIZABETH, PLANTS A COLONY IN AMERICA TO CHECK THE POWER OF SPAIN

[Sidenote: =Raleigh, student, soldier, seaman=]

=28. Sir Walter Raleigh.= Born (1552) near the sea, Raleigh fed his young imagination with stories of the wild doings of English seamen. He went to college at Oxford at the age of fourteen, and made a good name as a student.

In a few years young Raleigh went to France to take part in the religious wars of that unhappy country. At the time he returned home all England was rejoicing over Drake's first shipload of gold. When Queen Elizabeth sent an army to aid the people of Holland against the Spaniards, young Raleigh was only too glad to go.

On his return from this war he went with his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, on two voyages to America, at the very same time Drake was plundering the Spanish treasure ships in the Pacific Ocean. Afterward Raleigh turned soldier again and, as captain, went to Ireland, where Spain had sent soldiers to stir up rebellion. Thus, before he was thirty years old, he had been a seaman and a soldier, and had been in France, Holland, America, and Ireland.

[Sidenote: =Raleigh when thirty years old=]

At this time Raleigh was a fine-looking man, about six feet tall, with dark hair and a handsome face. He had plenty of wit and good sense, although he was fond, indeed, of fine clothes. He was just the very one to catch the favor of Queen Elizabeth.

One day Elizabeth and her train of lords and ladies were going down the roadway from the royal castle to the river. The people crowded both sides of the road to see their beloved queen and her beautiful ladies go by. Raleigh pressed his way to the front.

[Sidenote: =How he won the favor of the queen=]

As Elizabeth drew near, she hesitated about passing over a muddy place. In a moment the feeling that every true gentleman has in the presence of ladies told Raleigh what to do, and the queen suddenly saw his beautiful red velvet cloak lying in the mud at her feet. She stepped upon it, nodded to its gallant owner, and passed on. From this time forward Raleigh was a great favorite at the court of Queen Elizabeth.

[Sidenote: =Raleigh's plan for checking the power of Spain=]

=29. Trying to Plant English Colonies.= In 1584 Raleigh caused a friend to write a letter to the queen, explaining that English colonies planted on the coast of North America would not only check the power of Spain but would also increase the power of England. That very year the queen gave him permission to plant colonies. Thus a better way of opposing Spain was found than by robbing treasure ships and burning towns.

[Sidenote: =The Indians welcome the English=]

[Sidenote: =Why the land was named Virginia=]

Raleigh immediately sent a ship to explore. The captain landed on what is now Roanoke Island. The Indians came with a fleet of forty canoes to give them a friendly welcome. After a few days an Indian queen with her maidens came to entertain the English. "We found the people most gentle, loving, and faithful, void of all guile and treason," said Captain Barlow. His glowing account of the land and people so pleased Elizabeth that she named the country Virginia, in honor of her own virgin life.

Raleigh next sent out a kinsman, Sir Richard Grenville, with a fleet of seven vessels and one hundred settlers, under Ralph Lane as governor. But the settlers were bent on finding gold and silver, instead of making friends with the Indians.

[Sidenote: =Why the Indians became hostile=]

An Indian stole a silver cup from the English. Because of this theft Lane and his men fell upon the Indian village, drove out men, women, and children, burned their homes, and destroyed their crops. This was not only cruel but also foolish, for the story of his cruelty spread to other tribes, and after that wherever the English went they were always in danger from the Indians.

[Sidenote: =Indian corn and the white potato taken to England=]

When Drake came along the next spring with his great fleet, the settlers were only too glad to get back to England, and be once more among friends. They took home from America the turkey and two food plants, the white potato and Indian corn--worth more to the world than all the gold and silver found in the mines of Mexico and Peru!

[Sidenote: =Raleigh tries again=]

Although Raleigh had already spent thousands of dollars, he would not give up. He immediately sent out a second colony of one hundred fifty settlers, a number of whom were women. John White was governor. Roanoke was occupied once more, and there, shortly afterwards, was born Virginia Dare, the first white child of English parents in North America. Before a year went by, the governor had to go to England for aid.

But Raleigh and all England had little time to think of America. The Armada was coming, and every English ship and sailor was needed to fight the Spaniards. Two years went by before Governor White reached America with supplies. When he did reach there practically no trace of the colony could be found. Not a settler was left to tell the tale.

[Sidenote: =The "lost colony"=]

The only trace of Raleigh's "lost colony" was the word "Croatoan" cut in large letters on a post. Croatoan was the name of an island near by. White returned home, but Raleigh sent out an old seaman, Samuel Mace, to search for the lost colony. It was all in vain. Many years later news reached England that a tribe of Indians had a band of white slaves, but the mystery of the lost colony never was cleared up.

[Sidenote: =Raleigh's money gives out, but not his hope=]

Raleigh had now spent his great fortune. But he did not lose heart, for he said that he would live to see Virginia a nation. He was right. Before he died a great colony had been planted in Virginia, and a ship loaded with the products of Virginia had sailed into London port and an Indian "princess" had married a Virginian and had been received with honor by the King and Queen of England.

=30. The Death of Raleigh.= But the great Elizabeth was dead, and an unfriendly king, James I, was on the throne. He threw Raleigh into prison, and kept him there thirteen years. The Spaniards urged the king to put Raleigh to death. He had been a life-long enemy of Spain and they knew they were not safe if he lived.

[Sidenote: =Raleigh bravely meets death=]

At last Spanish influence was too strong, and Sir Walter faced death on the scaffold as bravely as he had faced the Spaniards in battle.

Thus died a noble man who gave both his fortune and his life for the purpose of planting an English colony in America.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ John Cabot, trying for a short route to India, discovered what is supposed to be Labrador, or Cape Breton. _2._ On a second voyage he coasted along eastern North America as far south as the Carolinas. _3._ Later, England claimed all North America. _4._ Francis Drake sailed to the Pacific in the _Pelican_ and then turned northward after the Spanish gold ships. _5._ He wintered in California, and then started across the Pacific--the first Englishman to cross. _6._ Drake reached England, and was received with great joy. _7._ Once more Drake went to fight the Spaniards, until the Great Armada attacked England. _8._ Walter Raleigh, a student, a soldier, and a seaman, won the favor of the queen. _9._ He hated the Spaniards, and planted settlements in what is now North Carolina. _10._ What was Raleigh's prophecy?

=Study Questions.= _1._ Tell the story of John Cabot before he came to England. _2._ What did Cabot want to find when he sailed away and what did he find? _3._ How was Cabot treated by King Henry VII, according to a "Citizen of Venice," after he returned? _4._ Why was little attention given to the new lands by the English?

_5._ Prove that Spanish and English sailors did not like each other. _6._ Who was Francis Drake? _7._ What was Magellan after and what was Drake after? _8._ Find out why Drake renamed his ship the _Golden Hind_. _9._ Tell the story of Drake's voyage from Valparaiso to Oregon. _10._ Tell the story of the voyage across the Pacific and how he was received at home. _11._ What did Drake do when he missed the "Gold Fleet"? _12._ What did Drake mean when he said he had "singed the King of Spain's beard"? _13._ What became of the Spanish Armada, and what effects did its failure produce?

_14._ What other brave man went to America before the Armada was destroyed? _15._ Give the early experiences of Raleigh before he was thirty. _16._ Make a mental picture of the cloak episode. _17._ Explain how kind the Indians were; how did the English repay the Indians? _18._ What did the colonists take home with them? _19._ Who was the first white child of English parents born in America? _20._ How did the destruction of the Armada affect Englishmen who wanted to go to America? _21._ Read in other books about Raleigh's death. _22._ How did the English treatment of the Indians compare with that of the Spaniards?

=Suggested Readings.= CABOT: Hart, _Colonial Children_, 7-8; Griffis, _Romance of Discovery_, 105-111.

DRAKE: Hart, _Source Book of American History_, 9-11; Hale, _Stories of Discovery_, 86-106; Frothingham, _Sea Fighters_, 3-44.

RALEIGH: Hart, _Colonial Children_, 165-170; Pratt, _Early Colonies_, 33-40; Wright, _Children's Stories in American History_, 254-258; Higginson, _American Explorers_, 177-200; Bolton, _Famous Voyagers_, 154-234.

THE MEN WHO PLANTED NEW FRANCE IN AMERICA, FOUNDED QUEBEC, EXPLORED THE GREAT LAKE REGION, AND PENETRATED THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY

SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN, THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE

[Sidenote: =Cartier, 1534=]

=31. The French in North America.= France was the slowest of the great nations in the race for North America. Not until 1534 did Jacques Cartier, a French sea captain searching for a shorter route to India, sail into the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. He reached an Indian village where Montreal now stands and took possession of the country for his king.

[Sidenote: =Champlain founded Quebec, 1608=]

One year after Jamestown was settled, and one year before the _Half Moon_ sailed up the Hudson, Samuel de Champlain laid the foundations of Quebec (1608). Champlain was of noble birth, and had been a soldier in the French army. He had already helped found Port Royal in Nova Scotia.

[Sidenote: =Made friends and foes among the Indians=]

Wherever he went, Champlain made fast friends with the Algonquin Indians, who lived along the St. Lawrence. He gave them presents and bought their skins of beaver and of other animals. In the fur trade he saw a golden stream flowing into the king's treasury. Champlain certainly made a good beginning in winning over these Indians, but he also made one great blunder out of which grew many bitter enemies among other Indian tribes.

[Sidenote: =An Indian war party=]

=32. Champlain and the Indians.= The Algonquins were bitter foes of the Iroquois or Five Nations. One time they begged Champlain and his men, clad in steel and armed with the deadly musket, to join their war party (1609). This he did. They made their way up the St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Richelieu, and up that river to the falls. The Indians then carried the canoes and the baggage around the falls.

[Sidenote: =Discovery of Lake Champlain=]

What must have been Champlain's feelings when they glided out of the narrow river into the lake now bearing his name! A lake no white man had ever seen, and greater than any in his beloved France! On the left he saw the ridges of the Green Mountains, on the right the pine-clad slopes of the Adirondacks, the hunting grounds of the hated Iroquois.

One evening, near where the ruins of Ticonderoga now stand, they saw the war canoes of their enemies. That night the hostile tribes taunted each other and boasted of their bravery. On the shores of the lake the next day they drew up in battle array. The Iroquois chiefs wore tall plumes on their heads, and their warriors carried shields of wood or hide.

[Sidenote: =Why the Iroquois came to hate the French=]

All at once the Algonquins opened their ranks and Champlain, in full armor, walked forth. The Iroquois gazed in wonder on the first European soldier they had ever seen. Champlain leveled his musket and fired. Two chiefs fell. Then another report rang through the woods, and the boldest warriors in North America broke and fled in confusion. The Algonquins, yelling like demons, ran after them, killing and capturing as many as possible.

There was great rejoicing among the victors, and Champlain was their hero. But there must have been great sorrow and vows of revenge among the Iroquois.

[Sidenote: =Champlain and the Algonquins invade the Iroquois country=]

The next year Champlain joined another Algonquin war party, and helped win another victory from the Iroquois. Again, in 1615, he joined a party of more than five hundred fiercely painted warriors. They traveled to the shore of Lake Ontario and boldly crossed to the other side in their bark canoes. They hid their boats and then silently marched into the country of the Iroquois.

Some miles south of Oneida Lake they came upon a fortified Indian town. For several days Champlain and his Indians tried to break into or burn the fort, but had to give it up. These campaigns made the Iroquois hate the French almost as much as they did the Algonquins.

[Sidenote: =Iroquois make St. Lawrence unsafe for French=]

For this reason Frenchmen found it safer to go west by traveling up the Ottawa River and crossing over to Lake Huron than by paddling up the St. Lawrence and through lakes Ontario and Erie. The result was that the French discovered Lake Michigan and Lake Superior long before they ever saw Lake Erie. On the other hand, we are soon to see how the Dutch made friends with the Iroquois.

[Sidenote: =Champlain true to king and country=]

Champlain remained many years in Canada, always working for the good of New France, as the country was called. He helped on the work of the missionaries, made peace between hostile tribes of Indians, and encouraged the fur trade and the coming of new settlers. Worn out with toil and travel, far away from kindred and native land, Champlain died at Quebec on Christmas Day, 1635.

JOLIET AND MARQUETTE, FUR TRADER AND MISSIONARY, EXPLORE THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FOR NEW FRANCE

[Sidenote: =Stories of a new country=]

=33. French Explorers in the Northwest.= Year after year, traders and missionaries, returning to Montreal and Quebec from the west, told strange stories of a great river larger than any the French had yet seen. In May, 1673, Joliet, a fur trader, and Marquette, a missionary, were sent out by Count Frontenac, governor of the French settlements in Canada, to explore this river.

[Sidenote: =Joliet and Marquette find the Mississippi=]

With five others they paddled in canoes along the north shore of Lake Michigan, through Green Bay, up the Fox River, and then crossed overland to the beautiful Wisconsin. Quietly and rapidly their boats passed down the Wisconsin until they reached a great valley several miles in width and a great river.

Following the current, they passed the mouth of the gently flowing Illinois, then the rushing and muddy Missouri, the slow and clear Ohio, and finally, in July, they reached the mouth of the Arkansas. Convinced that the Mississippi flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, they set out on the return trip of two thousand miles.

Joliet reached Quebec in safety, but Marquette fell ill and remained among the Indians. The next spring while preaching in Illinois near where Ottawa now stands, he fell ill again, and died. The Indians showed their love and respect by bearing his remains by canoe to Mackinac, where he was buried beneath the chapel floor of his own mission house.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Champlain laid the foundations of New France at Quebec, and made a treaty with the Indians on the St. Lawrence. _2._ Joliet and Marquette were sent out from Canada to explore the Mississippi River. _3._ Joliet returned to tell the story of their discoveries and Marquette remained among the Indians in Illinois.

=Study Questions.= _1._ What part of North America did France first settle? _2._ Who was Champlain? _3._ Tell the story of his first battle with the Iroquois. _4._ What things in New France did Champlain help? _5._ What was Champlain's blunder? _6._ Who were Joliet and Marquette? _7._ Tell the story of Joliet and Marquette. _8._ How did they get back to Canada? Near what place in Illinois did Marquette preach?

=Suggested Readings.= CHAMPLAIN: Wright, _Children's Stories in American History_, 269-280; McMurry, _Pioneers on Land and Sea_, 1-34.

JOLIET and MARQUETTE: McMurry, _Pioneers of the Mississippi Valley_, 1-15; Thwaites, _Father Marquette_.

WHAT THE DUTCH ACCOMPLISHED IN THE COLONIZATION OF THE NEW WORLD

HENRY HUDSON, WHOSE DISCOVERIES LED DUTCH TRADERS TO COLONIZE NEW NETHERLAND

=34. Hudson's Explorations.= One year after the men of New France had founded the city of Quebec the Dutch began the colony which became the Empire State. About the time John Smith was working hard for Jamestown, his friend Henry Hudson was sailing for some Dutch merchants in search of a northern sea route to India (1609).

[Sidenote: =The discovery of the Hudson by the Dutch=]

One bright fall day Hudson sailed into the mouth of the great river which now bears his name. He hoped that he had entered the arm of the sea which might carry him to India. He turned the prow of his vessel, the _Half Moon_, up stream.

[Sidenote: =What Hudson and his men saw=]

Soon the beauty of the river, the rich colors of the great forests, the steep sides of the palisades, the slopes of the highlands, the strange Indians in their bark canoes, so took the attention of Hudson and his crew that, for a time, they forgot all about a route to India.

What a flutter of excitement the _Half Moon_ must have caused among the Indians! They came on board to give welcome and presents to Hudson and his men.

On the return, probably near the present city of Hudson, an old chief came on board and invited Hudson to visit the little village of wigwams located on the river. There these Dutchmen saw beautiful meadows, fields of corn, and gardens of pumpkins, grapes, and plums.