James I releases Raleigh for a second Guiana expedition on the explicit condition that he avoid conflict with Spain. Raleigh nevertheless chooses officers formed by his earlier anti-Spanish ventures, especially his deputy Lawrence Kemys, so old operational habits clash with the new diplomatic constraint. Age and illness keep Raleigh on Trinidad while Kemys and Raleigh’s son travel up the Orinoco River. After a disputed encounter over who fired first, their party fights the Spanish and sacks Santo Tomé but finds no gold. The action turns a money-making expedition into a breach of the condition on which Raleigh had been released.
Chapter · 43:24-45:44
The final Guiana voyage violates James I’s condition
Released to seek El Dorado again, Raleigh selects veterans of anti-Spanish privateering even though James I has expressly forbidden conflict with Spain.