At the sight of these officials the natives hastily cleared the way, and made every demonstration of respect, as the party passed through them.
The vice-regal palace was a magnificent building, surpassing any edifice the boys had ever seen, and they were still more struck by the luxury of the interior.

They were led through several vestibules, until at last they arrived in a large chamber.

At a table here the viceroy was seated, while around him were a large number of the councilors and leading men of the place.

The viceroy rose as the young men advanced, and bowed profoundly.
"You are, I hear, Englishmen; and I am told, but I can scarcely believe it, that you belong to the ship of the Captain Drake whose exploits in the West Indies, against the Spaniards, have made him so famous.

But how, belonging to him, you came to be cast on an island in the South Seas is more than we are able to understand." No news of the expedition had reached the Portuguese, and the surprise of the viceroy was only natural.
"The Golden Hind, sir, the vessel in which we were gentlemen adventurers, rounded Cape Horn, sailed up the American coast, and then, keeping west, crossed through the islands; and has, we trust, long since rounded the Cape of Good Hope and arrived in England, having circumnavigated the globe." An expression of surprise broke from the assembled Portuguese.