that, another deserted, and returning to Spain, reported that the rest of the fleet had been destroyed. A third vessel was burned while in the Philippine waters, and Magellan lost his life there while fighting with the natives of one of the islands. The remaining two ships were taken by the survivors to the Moluccas in the Dutch East Indies, where one of them, the Victoria, was refitted and loaded with spices. It was brought back to Spain by way of the Cape of Good Hope and the west coast of Africa, and in September, 1522, came to anchor in the harbor of Seville, having completed the first voyage ever made around the world. That voyage took a little more than three years, and it was full of dangers, hardships, and disasters. The trip around the globe can now be made in less than three months; and if one does not go into the interior of the countries, the travel is as safe and as comfortable as any we have at home.
This tour of ours, however, is not a mere sea trip around the world. It will require many long journeys, and some of them will be diffcult ones, embracing all sorts of experiences. We shall go on water and land, by canoe and by steamer, on foot and on horseback, by train and by carriage, and in some of the wilder regions shall need elephants, camels, and perhaps yaks to carry our baggage. We shall make many long jumps, and at times, like Hop o' my Thumb, the little fellow who wore the seven-league boots, may take miles at one step.
We shall get to Asia as quick as we can, and after leaving there come home without stopping. The exploration of a continent is a vast undertaking, and Asia is the largest of all the world's grand divisions. It contains almost one third of all the dry land upon earth. It is larger than North and South America, and both Europe and Africa
