Cruz. This son on the homeward voyage in the autumn had been lost on the
rocks of Bermuda. This circumstance, with the Florida pirates, the
heretic French and his Spanish love of barbaric gold, fired his zeal.

The General rushed home to Spain for new powers. Early in 1565 he stood
again before Philip petition in hand. Besides his present dignities he
would be Adelantado of Florida. Florida in Spanish eyes extended not
only to St. Mary's or the Bay of Chesapeake, but even to Newfoundland,
so as to embrace the whole northern continent west of the line of
demarcation. Philip had heard not only of Laudonnière and the French
Huguenots the last year, but was informed of Ribault's new reinforcing
expedition from Dieppe. He at once not only granted the General's
request, but enlarged his powers from time to time as additional news
came in of the French. Don Pedro became indeed a royal favourite. He was
now a veteran of forty-seven, who had done Philip and his father
personal service. He had cruised against blockaders and corsairs in
early youth, had convoyed richly-laden plate fleets from the Indies; had
turned the scale of victory at StQuintin in 1557 by suddenly throwing
Spanish troops into Flanders greatly to the advantage of Philip; was the
commanding general of the armada in which the king returned in 1559 from
Flanders to Spain; had been made in 1560 captain-general of the convoy
or protecting fleets between Spain and the West Indies, in which there
was much active business in guarding Spanish commerce from corsairs. In
spoiling these spoilers the general amassed much wealth, and was
acknowledged the protector of the islands and their commerce. In 1561 he
had fallen into some difficulty which caused his arrest by the Council
of the Indies, but the king came to his rescue, restored his
appointments, and promoted him in 1562 and 1563, and still more, as we
have seen, in 1564. In 1565 Philip gave him almost unlimited power over
Florida, with directions to conquer, colonize, Christianize, explore and