* * * * * [Sidenote: 1575.] In the course of the five years during which Drake reposed upon his laurels, before undertaking his voyage round the world, John Oxenham, who had been one of his companions in his late expedition, set out in a vessel of one hundred and forty tons’ burden, with twenty seamen, for the Isthmus of _Darien_. Having learnt at _Porto Bello_ that a convoy of muleteers was expected from _Panamá_, he marched to meet them, proceeding over the mountains to a small river which falls into the Southern Sea. Building a pinnace, he then dropped down into the Bay of _Panamá_ and proceeded to the _Pearl Islands_, where he took possession of a small barque from the port of _Quito_ (probably _Guayaquil_), in which he found sixty pounds’ weight of gold. Six days later he was still further enriched by the plunder of a barque from _Lima_, bearing a hundred pounds’ weight of silver in bars. Unfortunately for the daring Oxenham, he was not contented with silver and gold, but delayed on the island for fifteen days in search of pearls. During this time, as he might have foreseen, intelligence of his presence reached the Spaniards; and Captain Ortega was despatched with four barques in search of him. The Spaniard learned that Oxenham had gone up the river, and astutely traced his course by the quantity of fowls’ feathers floating down the stream. After four days’ pursuit, Oxenham’s pinnace was descried; but the Englishmen, all save six, had left her, taking the treasure with them. The treasure, however, was soon afterwards discovered, and with this Ortega was about to depart, when Oxenham came down upon him with about two hundred _Symerons_. The Spaniards, who were eighty in number, had the better of the fight, killing eleven of the English, together with some Indians, with very slight loss on their own side. Oxenham now endeavoured to make the best of his way to his ship; but information of its presence had been sent to _Nombre de Dios_, and his vessel had been carried a prize to that port. Meanwhile a party of a hundred and fifty men were scouring the mountains in search of the English. On their being found, some were made prisoners and others fled; but in the end all were conveyed to _Panamá_, where the fearless rover, not being able to produce any power or commission from the Queen, was sentenced, as were his companions, to suffer the death of a pirate. All of the party were then executed, with the exception of Oxenham, his master, his pilot, and five boys, who were sent to _Lima_. There the boys were pardoned, but the three men suffered the fate to which they had been condemned. [Sidenote: 1577.]