As captured January 22, 2025

16 files changed, 13336 insertions, 7086 deletions

diff --git a/67864-0.txt b/67864-0.txt
index 507e3af..b99f9dd 100644
--- a/67864-0.txt
+++ b/67864-0.txt
@@ -1,2756 +1,2378 @@
-The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by

-Letitia MacColl Elton

-

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and

-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms

-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at

-www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you

-will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before

-using this eBook.

-

-Title: The Story of Sir Francis Drake

-       The Children's Heroes Series

-

-Author: Letitia MacColl Elton

-

-Illustrator: T. H. Robinson

-

-Release Date: April 18, 2022 [eBook #67864]

-

-Language: English

-

-Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

-             at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images

-             generously made available by University of California

-             libraries)

-

-*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS

-DRAKE ***

-

-

-

-

-

-  THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES

-

-  EDITED BY JOHN LANG

-

-

-  THE STORY OF

-  SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

-

-

-

-

-  TO

-  CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON

-

-

-[Illustration: Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the ‘Golden

-Hind’ at Deptford]

-

-

-  THE STORY OF

-

-  SIR

-  FRANCIS DRAKE

-

-  BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON

-  PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON

-

-  LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK

-  NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.

-

-

-

-

-  Printed by

-  BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.

-  Edinburgh

-

-

-

-

-PREFACE

-

-

-It has not been possible, for lack of space, always to tell the old

-stories in the original words, which are, in almost all cases, the

-best. If any readers of this book can get a sight of two big volumes

-called “Drake and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett, they may

-consider themselves fortunate. In them there are the most fascinating

-reproductions of pictures of old fighting ships, and old charts or maps

-of the taking of Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine by Drake’s

-ships. Here the ships are seen approaching and attacking; the towns

-are shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are full of wonderful curly

-monsters. The old charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada show the

-shifting position of the fleets from day to day, and the books also

-contain many maps and a fine portrait.

-

-

-

-

-CONTENTS

-

-

-  Chapter                                        Page

-

-       I. Philip of Spain                          1

-      II. “The Troublesome Voyage”                 6

-     III. Nombre de Dios                          15

-      IV. Fort Diego                              25

-       V. The Golden Mule-trains                  29

-      VI. Home Again                              39

-     VII. Round the World                         50

-    VIII. Round the World (_continued_)           60

-      IX. Sir Francis                             69

-       X. Cadiz                                   81

-      XI. The Great Armada                        88

-     XII. Expedition to Lisbon                   100

-    XIII. The Last Voyage                        111

-

-

-

-

-LIST OF PICTURES

-

-

-                                                     Page

-

-  Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the

-    _Golden Hind_ at Deptford             _Frontispiece_

-  Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage      14

-  Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios                     22

-  The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific

-    Oceans from the tree-top                          30

-  Sir Francis Drake                                   72

-  Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle                84

-  Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe                      94

-  Fighting the Great Armada                           98

-

-

-

-

-THE STORY OF

-

-SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER I

-

-PHILIP OF SPAIN

-

-

-During the life of Francis Drake, Philip the Second of Spain was the

-most powerful king in Europe. Spain and the Netherlands belonged to

-him, parts of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great part of America.

-From Mexico, Peru, and the West Indian Islands Spanish ships sailed

-home with treasure of silver and gold, as they do in fairy tales, while

-Portuguese ships traded in Africa for slaves and gold and ivory, and

-had even ventured as far as the then little-known East Indies. Lastly,

-Philip added Portugal and its possessions to his vast inheritance, and

-would have liked to hold all the world “for God and for Spain.” Being

-himself a good Catholic, he wished to see all men of that faith, and to

-those who did not believe in it he was a merciless foe, and he shed the

-blood of many martyrs.

-

-Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope more than anything in the world, as

-much as he loved England and honoured his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent

-most of his life in making war against the King of Spain in one way or

-another, calling it all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service done to

-your Majesty by your poor vassal (or servant) against your great enemy.”

-

-During Drake’s life wars about religion were raging in almost every

-European country. In France the struggle ended by most people remaining

-Catholics, just as England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always a

-Protestant country. But such changes really take long to come about,

-especially in days when news travelled slowly, when there were no

-trains or steamships, and no penny newspapers.

-

-Francis Drake was born when Edward the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse

-near Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was quite a young child his

-father, who was a Protestant, had to fly from his country home, owing

-to an outbreak of anger among his Catholic neighbours. So the first

-stories the little Francis would hear must have been tales of this time

-of persecution, when many of his father’s friends had to hide in woods

-and caves, and lost all they possessed. From his very cradle he must

-have been taught to hate the “Papists.”

-

-The new home was rather a strange one, for the old books say Drake’s

-father went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a ship, wherein many of

-his younger sons were born. He had twelve in all, and as it pleased God

-that most of them should be born upon the water, so the greater part of

-them died at sea.” The father seems to have been a sailor at one time,

-and he now got a place among the seamen of the King’s Navy, to read

-prayers to them. The Navy ships were anchored off Chatham when not in

-use, and here, in an old unused warship, the elder Drake and his family

-made their floating home. Here most of the twelve boys were born, a

-troop of merry children, and many a fine game they must have had on the

-decks. The sound of wind and waves must have been familiar to them as

-they went to sleep at nights, and they grew up strong and fearless,

-and, living as they did among sailors, must have early set their hearts

-on going to sea and having adventures.

-

-At the death of King Edward the Sixth the Catholic Queen Mary began to

-reign, and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over to marry her. He

-looked “very gallant,” they said, in his suit of white kid, covered

-with gold embroidery, and was followed by a train of splendid-looking

-Spanish nobles, and he brought quantities of gold and silver, borne

-on the backs of horses. But the English people hated the foreign

-marriage, and so strong was this feeling that in the winter before the

-wedding even the children in the streets shouted against the Spaniards

-and snowballed them as they went to Court. Perhaps Francis Drake and

-his brothers left their usual games to play at being Philip and the

-English, like some other lads, of whom we read that their play became

-so real and exciting that they were only just prevented from hanging

-the boy who acted the part of Philip. The King of Spain might have seen

-his son upon the English throne, but this hope, like so many of his,

-was doomed to be defeated, for Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came

-to the throne.

-

-As Drake’s father was at this time a poor man, he put his son Francis

-to learn seamanship of the master of a bark or small ship that used to

-coast along the shore and sometimes carried merchandise to France and

-the Netherlands. At this time he must have had to suffer many hardships

-and to live a rough life, but he learned his business well, and “was so

-diligent and painstaking, and so pleased the old man his master by his

-industry,” that at his death he left his bark to Francis Drake.

-

-Later Drake grew weary of this little ship, that “only crept along

-the shore,” and longed for something more than such safe and simple

-voyaging, so he seems to have sold the bark and taken service with his

-kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were rich merchants and owned and

-sailed their ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER II

-

-“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”

-

-

-The four centuries before the sixteenth, in which Drake lived, have

-been called the Age of Discovery. The world widened before men’s eyes

-as new lands and seas, new peoples, and even new stars, became known

-to them. The little country of Portugal was the first to begin those

-discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts of Africa and traded there.

-One of her mariners discovered the passage round the Cape of Good Hope

-to India, the Spice Islands, and China, and for long she had no rival

-in her trade.

-

-About fifty years before Drake was born, America was discovered by

-Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service of Spain. The

-ships in use in those days were very different to any we see now. There

-have been three kinds of ships made, ships with oars, ships with

-sails, and ships with steam. They are divided into two kinds, fighting

-ships and merchant ships.

-

-The old-fashioned galley was long and low-decked, and could be rowed

-or sailed. In the middle of the ship, between two platforms or upper

-decks, the rowers were chained to their seats. Three or four men

-worked each of the long oars, or _sweeps_ as they were called. There

-were twenty-five oars or more on each side of the ship. The rowers or

-galley-slaves were generally prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to

-the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived on the benches, ill-fed

-and ill-clothed, with only an awning to cover them when in port, though

-the low sides of the ships protected them a little from the weather and

-from the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always to have released the

-slaves he took on Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they included

-“Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen, and Spaniards.”

-

-The sailors who worked the ships were free. The ships were always

-armed, at first with shields and spears and arrows, later with guns and

-powder. With such ships the Italians fought many great battles on the

-Mediterranean, and in such ships the Norsemen had invaded England and

-raided the Northern Seas; and, with his _caravels_, or light Spanish

-ships, Columbus reached the islands which he called the West Indies.

-In later voyages he reached the mainland of America, but to the day

-of his death he always believed that he had found the coast of Asia.

-Another Italian sailor, named Amerigo, also in the service of Spain,

-gave his name to the New World. The Italians had long been good sailors

-and ship-builders, and great fighters at sea, and they had the glory of

-discovering America, though they gained no possessions there.

-

-Spain, at that time the most powerful state in Europe, seized upon a

-great part of the new land, and found there gold and silver mines. The

-natives they first subdued and afterwards forced to become Christians,

-as the custom was in warfare with a Pagan race.

-

-The American Indians, however, have never been easy to subdue, and

-have always had an undying affection for their own way of life.

-The Spaniards found them unfitted for hard work in the mines. The

-Portuguese had already captured negroes in their West African

-settlements, and numbers of those were sent to America as slaves.

-

-From the time of Henry the Eighth the English were building and buying

-fine ships, and learnt to sail them so well that they began less and

-less to use the old galley ship with its many oars. They traded mostly

-with Spain and the Low Countries; but as they got better ships, and

-became expert sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to discover new

-countries and get more trade. They began to sail to the Canary Islands,

-to Africa, and America.

-

-The Hawkins family had taken a large part in this new activity. The

-elder William Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his son, John Hawkins,

-with whom Drake took service, made several voyages to the “Isles of

-the Canaries.” Having learnt something about the West Indies, he made

-several voyages there, carrying with him numbers of negroes to sell,

-whom he took, partly by the sword, and partly by other means, on the

-coast of Africa.

-

-Hawkins and the other adventurers who joined him brought home great

-riches. In the account of those early voyages we see the beginning of a

-quarrel with Spain, which was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,

-till Philip sent his great Armada to invade England.

-

-The third and most famous voyage of John Hawkins to the West Indies was

-called “the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in disaster. It was the

-biggest venture that had yet been made by the English, and Drake took

-part in it. Hawkins sailed with six ships. There were two “great ships”

-of the Royal Navy--the _Jesus_, commanded by Hawkins himself, and the

-_Minion_; the _William and John_, named after and owned by the Hawkins

-brothers; and three smaller ones, the _Swallow_, the _Angel_, and the

-_Judith_, the last being under the command of Francis Drake.

-

-They got slaves in Africa and sold them in the West Indies, though

-not without difficulty, because the Spaniards had been forbidden by

-their king to trade with the English. As they were about to start on

-their way home, the ships met with fearful storms, and as the _Jesus_

-was much shattered, Hawkins made up his mind to seek for haven. They

-were driven at last into Vera Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.

-Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and repair their fleet. Now

-in this very port lay treasure which was said to be worth thousands of

-pounds. It was waiting for the fleet of armed ships which was to take

-it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were much dismayed to see the

-English ships, with their Portuguese ships and prisoners captured on

-the voyage, come, as they thought, to seize their treasure. It was this

-very danger they had feared when Hawkins first began his slave trade

-and disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.

-

-Next morning thirteen great ships appeared, and proved to be a Mexican

-fleet returning with a new Viceroy or Governor from King Philip. A

-solemn and peaceful agreement was made, and the Spanish ships were

-moored alongside the English ones, which were already in possession of

-the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards broke faith and fell

-upon the English, and a great and fierce fight took place, which lasted

-from ten in the morning until night. The _Angel_ and the _Swallow_ were

-sunk, and the _Jesus_ so damaged that it could not be brought away.

-

-As the remaining ships were sailing away, the Spaniards sent two

-“fire ships” after them. This was not an unusual way of fighting in

-those days. The empty, burning ships were sent to try and fire the

-enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming, by the wind, an awful

-and terrifying sight. The men on the _Minion_ became panic-stricken,

-and set sail without orders. Some of the men from the _Judith_ followed

-in a small boat. The rest were forced “to abide the mercy of the

-Spaniards,” which, Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.

-

-“The same night,” he goes on, “the _Judith_ forsook us in our great

-misery. In the end, when the wind came larger, we weighed anchor and

-set sail, seeking for water, of which we had very little. And wandering

-thus certain days in these unknown seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,

-cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and monkeys.”

-

-Some of the men asked to be put on land, rather than risk shipwreck and

-starvation in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins did, in the end, get safely

-home, with his weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of his feeble,

-starving crew. But he says that, if all the miseries and troubles of

-this sorrowful voyage were to be written, the tale would be as long

-as the “Book of Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left also reached

-England, after weary wanderings and years of terrible sufferings. Some

-were put to death as heretics, and others were sent to the galleys as

-slaves. Others, more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,

-where the monks made kind and gentle masters.

-

-Five days before Hawkins reached England, the little _Judith_ struggled

-into Plymouth Harbour with Drake and his load of men. William Hawkins

-sent him at once to London on horseback, “post, post haste,” as the old

-letters say. He carried letters to the Lords of Council, and to Sir

-William Cecil, the Chief Secretary of the Queen. So he rode swiftly

-along the country roads, only stopping to fling himself off one weary,

-smoking horse on to the back of a fresh one. The people would gather

-round him as he made the change, and wonder what great news was going

-to town.

-

-William Hawkins said in his letter: “There is come to Plymouth, at this

-present hour, one of the small barks of my brother’s fleet, and as I

-have neither writing nor anything else from him, I thought it good,

-and my most bounden duty, to send you the captain of the same bark. He

-is our kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”

-

-He was to tell the whole story, and the Queen was to hear it. He was

-to tell of the losses of John Hawkins, and of his absence, which his

-brother says “is unto me more grief than any other thing in the world.”

-

-Drake was much blamed at the time for deserting his general. It is

-difficult for us to see what he could have done. His little ship was

-crowded, and he had small store of food and water, and he no doubt

-thought it best to get home as soon as possible. His story of Spanish

-treachery and English loss must have roused the countryside. The

-excitement was at its height when the _Minion_ appeared off Cornwall.

-

-A man “for goodwill” came riding to William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to

-get help. He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners and a store of

-fresh food and other necessaries. And again letters were sent to London

-with the news. Haste! haste! post haste!

-

-[Illustration: Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage]

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER III

-

-NOMBRE DE DIOS

-

-

-It was in January 1569 that the “troublesome voyage” ended for Drake,

-and in the summer of that year he married a Devonshire girl, named Mary

-Newman. The stories of his most famous voyages are found in an old

-book, called “Sir Francis Drake Revived.” This was first printed by

-his descendant, another Sir Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the

-First. It was written by some of the voyagers, and it is thought that

-Drake himself wrote part of it and corrected it. It is supposed that

-Drake presented the manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates it

-to her as the “first fruits” of his pen. He also says that his labours

-by land and sea were not more troublesome than the writing of it.

-

-After his losses and misfortunes in the Indies, it seems that Drake

-could get no amends from Spain, though he had lost both kinsmen,

-friends, and goods of some value. Queen Elizabeth could not think of

-making war with Philip. Her country was poor, her father’s navy was

-ruined. She had no proper army, and she had trouble enough on her hands

-in France and Scotland.

-

-Therefore Drake decided to help himself in what he was pleased to call

-his quarrel with the King of Spain. The old writer says that the story

-of his life shows how “so mean a person righted himself upon so mighty

-a prince. The one was in his own conceit the mightiest monarch in the

-world, the other only an English captain.”

-

-Drake now made two voyages that really prepared the way for his great

-and famous one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid his expenses by

-plundering ships or selling slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572, Drake

-started with his ship, the _Pascha_, of Plymouth, and the _Swan_, of

-Plymouth, in which his brother, John Drake, was captain. They had on

-board seventy-three men and boys. All of these came willingly, and had

-not been _pressed_, or compelled to serve, as the custom then was.

-

-Drake’s ships had a very good passage, and never stopped till they

-reached one of the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five days. Here they

-stayed three days to refresh the men, and to water the ships. The third

-day they set sail for the continent. They steered for a bay named

-formerly by them Port Pheasant. It was a fine, safe harbour. As they

-rowed ashore in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods. Drake manned and

-armed the other boats.

-

-When they landed, it was found that a certain Englishman, called John

-Garret, of Plymouth, had lately been there. Some mariners who had been

-with Drake in his other voyages had shown him the place.

-

-Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast to a mighty, great tree,

-on which these words were engraved:--

-

-                            “CAPTAIN DRAKE.

-

- “If you happen to come to this port, make haste away! for the

- Spaniards which you had with you here, the last year, have betrayed

- this place, and taken away all you left here. I depart from hence this

- present day of July, 1572.--Your very loving friend,

-

-                                      “JOHN GARRET.”

-

-The smoke came from a fire which Garret and his company had made before

-they went. It had been burning for at least five days before Drake’s

-arrival. Drake had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,” made in

-Plymouth, and stored on board ship in pieces. He intended to put them

-together in this place. So the ships were anchored, and the place

-simply but strongly fortified with great logs.

-

-Next day an English boat appeared. The captain was James Rance, and he

-had thirty men, some of whom had been with Drake the year before. They

-brought with them a Spanish _caravel_, or merchant ship, which they had

-taken the day before, and a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.

-In seven days the pinnaces were set up and furnished out of the ships.

-Some negroes on a neighbouring island told them that the townsfolk of

-Nombre de Dios were in great fear of the _Cimaroons_, or “Maroons,” as

-our sailors called them. They had attacked the town of Nombre de Dios,

-and the Governor of Panama was to send soldiers to defend it. These

-were negroes who had fled some eighty years before from the cruelty of

-the Spaniards. They had married Indian women, and had grown into a

-strong fighting tribe, who had two kings of their own, and lived, one

-on the east, and one on the west, of the road from Nombre de Dios to

-Panama. This was the road by which all the gold and silver from the

-mines of Peru was sent to the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped for

-Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.

-

-Drake hastened his plans. Three ships and the _caravel_ were left with

-Captain Rance. He chose seventy-three men for the three pinnaces (the

-fourth was that taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of arms, and two

-drums and a trumpet. The men were drilled and given their weapons and

-arms, which had been kept up till then “very fair and safe in good

-casks.” Drake encouraged them to the attack. In the afternoon they set

-sail for Nombre de Dios, and were very near before sunset. They lay

-there under the shore, out of sight of the watch, till dark. Then they

-rowed near shore as quietly as possible, and waited for the dawn.

-

-But Drake found the men were getting nervous, so when the moon rose “he

-thought it best to persuade them it was day dawning,” and the men had

-not time to get afraid, for they got there at three in the morning.

-They landed with no difficulty. But the noise of bells and drums and

-shouting soon told them that the town was awake and alarmed. Twelve

-men were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure a safe retreat. Drake’s

-brother, with John Oxenham and sixteen other men, went round behind the

-King’s Treasure-house, and entered the eastern end of the market-place.

-Drake, with the rest, passed up the broad street into the market-place,

-with sound of drum and trumpets. They used fire-pikes, or long poles

-with metal points, to which torches of blazing tow were fastened, and

-served both to frighten the enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could

-see quite well by them. The terrified townsfolk imagined an army was

-marching upon them.

-

-After a sharp fight in the market-place the Spaniards fled. Two or

-three of them were captured, and commanded to show Drake the Governor’s

-house. But he found that only silver was kept there; gold, pearls, and

-jewels being carried to the King’s Treasure-house, not far off.

-

-“This house was very strongly built of lime and stone for safe keeping

-of the treasure. At the Governor’s house we found the great door open

-where the mules are generally unladen. A candle stood lighted on the

-top of the stairs, and a fair horse was saddled ready for the Governor

-himself, or for one of his household. By this light we saw a huge heap

-of silver in the lower room. It was a pile of bars of silver.

-

-“At this sight our Captain commanded straightly that none of us should

-touch a bar of silver. We must stand to our weapons, because the town

-was full of people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house, near the

-waterside, more gold and jewels than all our pinnaces could carry. This

-we could presently try to break open, though they thought it so strong.

-

-“But now a report was brought by some of our men that our pinnaces were

-in danger to be taken, and that we had better get aboard before day.

-This report was learnt through a negro named Diego, who had begged to

-be taken on board our ships when we first came. Our Captain sent his

-brother and John Oxenham to learn the truth. They found the men much

-frightened, for they saw great troops of armed townsfolk and soldiers

-running up and down. Presently, too, a mighty shower of rain fell, with

-a terrible storm of thunder and lightning. It came down violently, as

-it does in these countries. Before we could reach the shelter at the

-western end of the King’s Treasure-house, some of our bowstrings were

-wet, and some of our match and powder hurt.

-

-“Our men began to mutter about the forces of the town. But our Captain,

-hearing, told them: ‘He had brought them to the mouth of the treasure

-of the world; if they went without it, they might blame nobody but

-themselves afterwards.’

-

-“So soon as the fury of the storm was spent, he gave his men no time

-to consider their doubts, nor the enemy no time to gather themselves

-together. He stepped forward and commanded his brother and John Oxenham

-to break the King’s Treasure-house. The rest, with him, were to hold

-the market-place till the business was done.

-

-[Illustration: Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios]

-

-“But as he stepped forward his strength and sight and speech failed

-him, and he began to faint for loss of blood. And we saw it had

-flowed in great quantities upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.

-He had got it in the first encounter, but though he felt some pain he

-would not make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed it against his

-will. He saw that some of the men, having already got many good things,

-would seize any chance to escape further danger. But the blood that

-filled our very footprints greatly dismayed our company, who could not

-believe that one man could lose so much blood, and live.

-

-“Even those who were willing to risk more for so good a booty would in

-no case risk their Captain’s life. So they gave him something to drink

-to recover him, and bound his scarf about his leg to stop the blood.

-They also entreated him to be content to go aboard with them, there to

-have his wound searched and dressed, and then to return on shore again

-if he thought good.

-

-“This they could by no means persuade him to, so they joined force

-with fair entreaty, and bore him aboard his pinnace. Thus they gave

-up a rich spoil only to save their Captain’s life, being sure that,

-while they enjoyed his presence and had him to command them, they might

-recover enough of wealth. But if once they lost him they should hardly

-be able to get home again. No, nor keep that they had got already.

-Thus we embarked by break of day, having besides our Captain, many of

-our men wounded, though none slain but one trumpeter. And though our

-surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies and salves for their

-wounds, yet the main care of the Captain was respected by all the rest.

-

-“Before we left the harbour, we took with little trouble the ship of

-wine for the greater comfort of our company. And though they shot at

-us from the town we carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals. Here we

-cured our wounded men, and refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens

-which we found there abounding with great store of dainty roots and

-fruits. There was also great plenty of poultry and other fowls, no less

-strange than delicate.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IV

-

-FORT DIEGO

-

-

-After the return to the ship Captain Rance departed. But Drake had a

-new plan in his head; he meant to attack Cartagena, the capital of

-the Spanish Main. Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they found

-that the townsfolk had been warned that Frenchmen and Englishmen were

-about. Drake took possession of a large ship that was outward bound.

-But the townsfolk, hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their bells,

-fired their cannon, and got all their soldiers out. Next morning

-Drake took two more ships near the harbour, one of which was bound to

-Cartagena with a letter of warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake sent

-his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so ended his first attempt upon

-Cartagena.

-

-He saw that the coasts were aware of his presence. Yet he did not

-want to go away till he had discovered the Maroons; for his faithful

-negro, Diego, had told him that they were friendly to him as the

-enemy of Spain. This search might take time, and must be done in the

-smaller boats, which were swifter and could explore the rivers. He had

-not enough of men both to sail the boats and the pinnaces; so he now

-decided to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse of the other.

-In this way his pinnaces would be properly manned, and he could stay

-as long as he liked. This was accordingly done. For fifteen days the

-big ship lay hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the Spaniards think

-they had left the coast. Here Drake kept the men busy trimming and

-cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the ground, and building huts. Diego

-the negro was a very good builder, and knew the ways of the country

-well. The men played, too, at bowls and quoits, and shooting with

-arrows at targets. The smiths had brought forges from England and set

-them up. Every now and again the pinnaces crept out to sea to plunder

-passing ships. Much food was put away in different storehouses to

-serve till they had “made their voyage,” as they said, or “made their

-fortunes,” as we should say.

-

-Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe harbour, they moved to a new

-place, which they fortified and called Fort Diego. They now prepared to

-wait five months, because the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards

-carried no treasure by land during the rainy months. They were not

-idle during these months, for the ship and fort were left in charge of

-John Drake, while Captain Drake and John Oxenham went roving in the

-pinnaces. They had many adventures, being in some peril in their small

-boats, and always at the mercy of the weather, while at one time they

-were almost starving. Some of the men got ill with the cold and died,

-for they had little shelter on board. When they got back to the ships

-they found all things in good order; but they received the heavy news

-of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s brother, a young man of great

-promise.

-

-“Our Captain then resolved to keep close and go no more to sea, but

-supplied his needs, both for his own company and the Maroons, out of

-his storehouse. Then ten of our company fell down sick of an unknown

-disease, and most of them died in a few days. Later, we had thirty

-men sick at one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake, another of his

-brothers, died in our Captain’s arms.

-

-“We now heard from the Maroons, who ranged the country up and down for

-us, to learn what they might for us, that the fleet had arrived from

-Spain in Nombre de Dios. The Captain prepared to make his journey by

-land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon the charge of the ship and company

-and the Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised by the Maroons what

-provisions to prepare for the long and great journey, what kind of

-weapons, what store of victuals, and what kind of clothes. He was to

-take as many shoes as possible, because they had to pass so many rivers

-with stone and gravel. Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few were

-left to keep the ship, attend the sick, and guard the prisoners.

-

-“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February the third. At his departure

-our Captain gave this Master strict charge, in any case not to trust

-any messenger that should come in his name with any tokens, unless

-he brought his handwriting. This he knew could not be copied by the

-Maroons or the Spaniards.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER V

-

-THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS

-

-

-There were forty-eight men of the party, of whom eighteen only were

-English. The Maroons carried arms and food, and got more food with

-their arrows from time to time. Every day they began to march by

-sunrise, and rested in the heat of the day in shelters made by the

-Maroons. The third day they came to a little town or village of the

-Maroons, which was much admired by the sailors for its beauty and

-cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says the story, “they have no kind

-of priests, only they held the Cross in great awe. But by our Captain’s

-persuasions, they were contented to leave their crosses and to learn

-the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught something of God’s worship.”

-

-They begged Drake to stay with them some days, but he had to hasten

-on. Four of the best guides amongst the Maroons marched on ahead, and

-broke boughs to show the path to those that followed. All kept strict

-silence. The way lay through cool and pleasant woods.

-

-“We were much encouraged because we were told there was a great Tree

-about half way, from which we could see at once both the North Sea,

-from whence we came, and the South Sea, whither we were going.

-

-“The fourth day we came to the height of the desired hill, a very high

-hill, lying east and west like a ridge between the two seas. It was

-about ten of the clock. Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took our

-Captain by the hand, and prayed him to follow him if he wished to see

-at once two seas, which he had so greatly longed for.

-

-“Here was that goodly and great high Tree, in which they had cut

-and made various steps to get up near the top. Here they had made a

-convenient bower, where ten or twelve men might easily sit. And here

-we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the Atlantic Ocean, whence

-we now came, and the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired. South

-and north of the Tree they had felled certain trees that the prospect

-might be clearer.

-

-[Illustration: The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

-from the tree-top]

-

-“Our Captain went up to this bower, with the chief Maroon. He had,

-because of the breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day. And he saw

-that sea of which he had heard such golden reports. He prayed Almighty

-God, of His goodness, to give him life and leave to sail once in an

-English ship in that sea! Then he called up the rest of our men, and

-specially he told John Oxenham of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased

-God to grant him that happiness. He, understanding it, protested that,

-unless our Captain did beat him from his company, he would follow him,

-by God’s grace! Thus all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,

-came down, and after our repast continued our ordinary march through

-the woods.”

-

-The last part of the march was through high pampas grass. But now they

-began to get glimpses of Panama, and could at last see the ships in the

-harbour. Now the march had to be more secret and silent than ever, till

-at length they lay hidden in a grove near the high road from Panama to

-Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon was despatched, clothed as a negro

-of Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the town and learn when the

-treasure was to be taken from the King’s Treasure-house in Panama to

-Nombre de Dios. This journey to Venta Cruz was always made by night,

-because of the heat and toil of walking through the pampas grass. But

-from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they travelled always by day and not

-by night, because the way lay through fresh, cool woods. The mules were

-tied together in long trains, and guarded, if possible, by soldiers,

-for fear of the Maroons.

-

-The spy brought back news in the afternoon that a certain great man

-intended to go to Spain by the first ship, and was going that night

-towards Nombre de Dios with his daughter and family. He had fourteen

-mules, of which eight were laden with gold and one with jewels. There

-were also two other trains of fifty mules each, mostly laden with food,

-and with a little silver, which were to come out that night also. Upon

-hearing this they marched until they came to within two leagues of

-Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with half his men on one side of the

-way, about fifty paces off, in the long grass. John Oxenham, with

-the captain of the Maroons and the other half of the men, lay on the

-other side of the road at the same distance. In about half-an-hour’s

-time they could hear the mules both coming and going from Venta Cruz

-to Panama, where trade was lively when the fleet was there. The sound

-of the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore carried far in the

-still night. The men had been strictly charged not to stir or show

-themselves, but let all that come from Venta Cruz pass by quietly, for

-they knew the mules brought nothing but merchandise from there. But

-one of the men, called Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy without

-water,” and forgot himself, and with a Maroon went close to the road.

-

-“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz, well mounted, with his page

-running at his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look, though the

-Maroon, more cautious, pulled him down and tried to hide him. But by

-this time the gentleman had noticed that one half of him was white, for

-we had all put our shirts over our other clothing that we might be sure

-to know our own men in the pell-mell in the night. The cavalier put

-spurs to his horse, and rode away at a gallop to warn others.

-

-“The ground was hard and the night was still, and our Captain heard

-this gentleman’s trot change to a gallop. He suspected that we were

-discovered, but could not imagine by whose fault, nor had he time to

-search. The gentleman, as we heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,

-who, fearing Captain Drake had come to look for treasure on land,

-turned his train of mules aside from the way, and let the others which

-were coming pass on. Thus, by the recklessness of one of our company,

-and by the carefulness of that traveller, we were disappointed of a

-most rich booty. But we thought that God would not let it be taken, for

-likely it was well gotten by that Treasurer.

-

-“The other two mule trains, which came behind that of the Treasurer,

-were no sooner come up to us than we stayed and seized on them. One of

-the chief carriers, a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by what

-means we were discovered, and counselled us to shift for ourselves

-betimes, for we should encounter the whole force of the city and

-country before day would be about us.”

-

-Drake and his men were little pleased at the loss of their golden

-mule-trains, for they had only taken two horse-loads of silver. It was

-the more provoking that they had been betrayed by one of their own men.

-There was no help for it, and Drake never “grieved at things past,” so

-they decided to march back the nearest way. Pedro, the chief of the

-Maroons, said he “would rather die at Drake’s foot than leave him to

-his enemies.” When they got near Venta Cruz, they turned back the mules

-with their drivers. Outside the town the soldiers met them, and a fight

-took place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.

-

-“The soldiers shot off their whole volley, which, though it lightly

-wounded our Captain and several of our men, caused death to one only

-of our company, who was so powdered with hail-shot that we could not

-recover his life, though he continued all that day afterwards with us.

-Presently, as our Captain perceived their shot to come slacking, like

-the last drops of a great shower of rain, he gave his usual signal with

-his whistle, to answer them with our shot and arrows.

-

-“The Maroons had stept aside at first for terror of the shot. But

-seeing that we marched onwards they all rushed forward, one after

-the other, with their arrows ready in their bows, and their manner of

-country dance or leap, ever singing, _Yo Pehò! Yo Pehò!_ and so got

-before us. They then continued their leap and song, after the manner of

-their country wars, till they and we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,

-now thoroughly encouraged, when they saw our resolution, broke in

-through the thickets near the town’s end, and forced the enemy to fly.

-Several of our men were wounded, and one Maroon was run through with

-one of their pikes, but his courage and mind served him so well that he

-revenged his own death ere he died, by giving him that deadly wound.”

-

-So they entered the town, and stayed there some hours for rest and

-refreshment, and the Maroons were allowed to carry away some plunder.

-At sunrise they marched away, for they had been gone from the ship

-nearly a fortnight, and had left the company weak and sickly. Drake

-marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary and disappointed men with

-brave promises, but in the hurried march they had often to go hungry.

-Three leagues from the port the Maroons had built a camp or village

-while they were away, and here they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had

-been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed he was the more willing to

-consent, that our want of shoes might be supplied by the Maroons, who

-were a great help to us. For all our men complained of the tenderness

-of their feet, and our Captain himself would join in their complaint,

-sometimes without cause, but sometimes with cause indeed, which made

-the rest to bear the burden more easily. These Maroons did us good

-service all the time they were with us. They were our spies on the

-journey, our guides, our hunters, and our house-wrights, and had

-indeed able and strong bodies for carrying our necessities. Yea, many

-times when some of our company fainted with sickness of weariness, two

-Maroons would carry him with ease between them, two miles together;

-and at other times, when need was, they would show themselves no less

-valiant than industrious, and of good judgment.

-

-“From this town our Captain despatched a Maroon with a token and a

-certain order to the master. He, all those weeks, kept good watch

-against the enemy, and shifted in the woods for fresh food, for the

-relief and recovery of our men left on board.”

-

-When the messenger reached the shore he hailed those on the ship, who

-quickly fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s token, the golden

-toothpick, and gave the message, which was to tell the master to meet

-him at a certain river. When the master looked at the toothpick, he saw

-written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.” Then he believed the messenger,

-and prepared what provision he had, and repaired to the mouth of the

-river. About three o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace, and

-there was double rejoicing. The wanderers seemed strangely changed in

-face and plight to those who had lived in rest and plenty on board

-ship. Drake, indeed, was less so than the others. The fasting and hard

-marches had done much, but still more “their inward grief, for that

-they returned without that golden treasure they hoped for, did show her

-print and footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was determined to repeat

-the attempt.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VI

-

-HOME AGAIN

-

-

-Drake well knew that delay and idleness would soon spoil the spirits

-of his men, so he at once divided them into two companies, under

-himself and John Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces in different

-directions and seek for food and plunder. Some of the Maroons were

-dismissed with gifts, and the rest remained with a few men on board

-ship. The Governor of Panama had warned the towns so well that it was

-useless to attempt them at present. Drake, in the _Minion_, took a

-frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat lighter, to go on its way.

-John Oxenham, in the _Bear_, took a frigate well laden with food of all

-kinds. Drake was so pleased with this ship, which was strong and new

-and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war in place of the sunken

-ship. And the company were heartened with a feast and much good cheer

-that Easter Day.

-

-Next day the pinnaces met with a French captain out of Newhaven, whose

-ship was greatly distressed for want of food and water. Drake relieved

-him, and the captains exchanged gifts and compliments. The French

-captain sent Drake “a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged to Henry

-the Third of France, and had in return a chain of gold and a tablet.

-This captain brought them the news of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s

-Day, and said he thought “those Frenchmen the happiest who were

-furthest from France, now no longer France but Frenzy.” He had heard

-famous reports of their riches, and wanted to know how he also could

-“make his voyage.” They resolved, after consultation, to take him and

-twenty of his men to serve for halves. They now sent for the Maroons.

-

-A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen, fifteen Englishmen, and some

-Maroons. They sailed with a frigate and two pinnaces towards a river

-called Rio Francisco, to the west of Nombre de Dios. There was not

-enough water to sail the frigate, so she was left in charge of a

-mariner to await the return of the pinnaces. They went on, and landed

-both captains with their force. Those in charge of the pinnaces were

-ordered to be there the fourth day without fail. The land party went on

-through the woods towards the high road from Panama to Nombre de Dios,

-where the mules now went daily. They marched, as before, in silence.

-They stayed all night a mile from the road, in great stillness, and

-refreshed themselves. They could hear the carpenters working on their

-ships, which they did at nights because of the fierce heat of the day.

-Next morning, the 1st of April, they heard such a number of bells that

-the Maroons rejoiced exceedingly, and assured them they should now have

-more gold and silver than they could carry away. And so it came to pass.

-

-For three trains appeared, one of fifty mules and two of seventy each,

-and every mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver, amounting to nearly

-30 tons. The leaders of the mules were taken by the heads, and all the

-rest lay down, as they always do. The fifteen soldiers who guarded each

-train were routed, but not before they had wounded the French captain

-sorely, and slain one of the Maroons. They took what silver and gold

-they could carry, and buried the rest in the burrows made in the earth

-by the great land crabs under old fallen trees, and in the sand and

-gravel of a shallow river.

-

-After two hours they marched back through the woods, but had to leave

-the French captain to rest and recover from his wound. Two of his men

-willingly stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman was found to be

-missing. He had got drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder, and

-lost himself in the woods. They afterwards found he was taken by the

-Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture, revealed to them where the

-treasure was hidden.

-

-When they reached the river’s mouth, they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at

-sea, which had come out to search the coasts. This made them fear their

-own pinnaces were taken. But a storm in the night forced the Spaniards

-to go home, and also delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind was so

-contrary and so strong that they could only get half way. For this

-reason they had fortunately been unseen by the Spaniards.

-

-“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared lest they had taken our

-pinnaces, and compelled our men by torture to confess where his ships

-and frigate were. In this great doubt and perplexity the company

-feared that all means of returning to their country were cut off, and

-that their treasure would then serve them to small purpose. But our

-Captain comforted and encouraged us all, saying: ‘We should venture no

-further than he did. It was no time now to fear, but rather to haste to

-prevent that which was feared. If the enemy have prevailed against our

-pinnaces (which God forbid!), yet they must have time to search them,

-time to examine the mariners, time to execute their resolution after

-it is determined. Before all those times be taken, we may get to our

-ships, if ye will, though not possibly by land, because of the hills,

-thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us, therefore, make a raft with

-the trees that are here in readiness, as offering themselves, being

-brought down to the river happily by this last storm, and let us put

-ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will be the other?’

-

-“John Smith offered himself, and two Frenchmen that could swim very

-well desired they might accompany our Captain, as did the Maroons

-likewise. They had prayed our Captain very earnestly to march by land,

-though it was a sixteen-days’ journey, in case the ship had been

-surprised, that he might abide with them always. Pedro was most eager

-in this, who was fain to be left behind because he could not row.

-

-“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a sail of a biscuit-sack was

-prepared; an oar was shaped out of a young tree to serve instead of a

-rudder, to direct their course before the wind.

-

-“At his departure, our Captain comforted the company by promising

-‘that, if it pleased God he should put his foot in safety on board his

-frigate, he would, by one means or other, get them all on board, in

-spite of all the Spaniards in the Indies!’

-

-“In this manner pulling off to sea, he sailed some three leagues,

-sitting up to the waist continually in water, and up to the armpits at

-every surge of the waves, for the space of six hours upon this raft.

-And what with the parching of the sun and what with the beating of salt

-water, they had all of them their skins much fretted away.

-

-“At length God gave them the sight of two pinnaces turning towards

-them with much wind, but with far greater joy to him than can easily

-be guessed. So he did cheerfully declare to those three with him, that

-‘they were our pinnaces! and that all was safe, so there was no cause

-of fear!’

-

-“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the raft, nor suspecting any such

-matter, by reason of the wind, and night growing on, were forced to

-run into a cove behind the point, to take shelter for the night. Our

-Captain seeing this, and gathering that they would anchor there, put

-his raft ashore, and ran round the point by land, where he found them.

-They, upon sight of him, made as much haste as they could to take him

-and his company on board. For our Captain, on purpose to see what haste

-they could and would make in extremity, himself ran in great haste, and

-so made the other three with him, as if they had been chased by the

-enemy. And so those on board suspected, because they saw so few with

-him.

-

-“And after his coming on board, when they demanded ‘how his company

-did?’ he answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that all went scarce

-well. But he, willing to rid all doubts, and fill them with joy, took

-out of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God that ‘our voyage was

-made!’”

-

-They then rowed up the river and rescued the others, and brought back

-such of the treasure as they had been able to carry with them, and

-all returned to the ships by dawn. There Drake divided the treasure

-equally by weight between the French and the English. During the next

-fortnight everything was set in order, and the _Pascha_ given to the

-Spanish prisoners to go home in. Meanwhile a party was sent out to try

-and rescue the French captain and to seek for the buried treasure. One

-only of the Frenchmen managed to escape and was saved. Much of the

-treasure had been discovered by the Spaniards, but not all, and the

-party returned very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver and a few

-quoits of gold. The Frenchmen now left them, having got their shares of

-the treasure. The ships parted when passing close by Cartagena, which

-they did in the sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St. George on

-the main top of the frigate, with silk streamers and ancients (national

-flags) down to the water.”

-

-Later on they anchored to trim and rig the frigates and stow away the

-provisions, and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so that the Maroons

-might have the ironwork. One of the last days Drake desired Pedro and

-three of the chief Maroons to go through both his frigates and see what

-they liked. He promised to give them whatever they asked, unless he

-could not get back to England without it. But Pedro set his heart on

-the scimitar which the French captain had given to Drake; and knowing

-Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for it or praise it. But at

-last he bribed one of the company to ask for him, with a fine quoit of

-gold, and promised to give four others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but

-he wished to please Pedro, who deserved so well, so he gave it to him

-with many good words. Pedro received it with no little joy, and asked

-Drake to accept the four pieces of gold, as a token of his thankfulness

-and a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He received it

-graciously, but did not keep it for himself but caused it to be cast

-into the whole adventure, saying that “if he had not been helped to

-that place he would never have got such a thing, and it was only just

-that those who shared his burden in setting him to sea should enjoy a

-share of the benefits.”

-

-“Thus with good love and liking, we took our leave of that people. We

-took many ships during our abode in those parts, yet never burnt nor

-sunk any, unless they acted as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap

-us. And of all the men taken in those vessels, we never offered any

-kind of violence to any, after they were once come into our power. For

-we either dismissed them in safety, or kept them with us some longer

-time. If so, we provided for them as for ourselves, and secured them

-from the rage of the Maroons against them, till at last, the danger of

-their discovering where our ships lay being past, for which cause only

-we kept them prisoners, we set them also free.

-

-“We now intended to sail home the directest and speediest way, and this

-we happily performed, even beyond our own expectations, and so arrived

-at Plymouth, on Sunday about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.

-

-“And the news of our Captain’s return being brought unto his people,

-did so speedily pass over all the church, and fill their minds with

-delight and desire to see him, that very few or none remained with the

-preacher. All hastened to see the evidence of God’s love and blessing

-towards our gracious Queen and country by the fruit of our Captain’s

-labour and success.

-

-                     “TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VII

-

-ROUND THE WORLD

-

-

-So we see that both of Drake’s ships, the _Pascha_ and the _Swan_, were

-left behind in the West Indies, and he made a quick voyage home in the

-well-built Spanish frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for two years

-after his return to Plymouth. There is a legend that he kept on the

-seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable and unwilling to go to

-war with the King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage the sort

-of warfare that Drake and the other rovers had so successfully carried

-on against him.

-

-Such companies of adventurers as these that sailed under Drake and

-Hawkins did a large part of the work of the navy in the time of

-Elizabeth. The country was saved the expense which private persons were

-willing to pay to furnish the ships. The Queen herself is known to

-have shared in the expenses and plunder of some such expeditions, and

-so she thriftily laid up treasure in England’s empty money-chests. But

-some of her older councillors disliked exceedingly this way of getting

-rich, and would rather it had been done openly in war, or not at all.

-

-To Drake it seems to have been a very simple affair. He wished, in the

-first place, as the old book says, “to lick himself whole of the damage

-he had received from the Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion to

-the Spaniards, but not to the French or to the natives of the West

-Indies. And Drake considered his own cause so just that he never made

-a secret of his doings. He went at his own risk, for should he be

-taken by the enemy his country had no power to protect him, as she was

-not openly at war with Spain. But, on the other hand, he was secretly

-encouraged, and his gains were immense.

-

-In the second place, Drake wished to attack and injure the Roman

-Catholic faith whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen had told

-him that this was a lawful aim. How earnestly he believed it we can

-see from the story, where he tried to persuade the Maroons to “leave

-their crosses,” which to him were the sign of the hated religion. The

-terrible tale of the massacre of the Protestants on St. Bartholomew’s

-Day told him by the French captain (who himself fell into the hands of

-the Spaniards, as we have seen), must have inflamed this feeling in

-his soul and in those of his men. It made them more eager than ever to

-fight the enemies of their own faith.

-

-Then, too, the Spaniards founded their rights to own the New World

-upon a grant from one of the Popes; and the English, now no longer

-Catholics, denied his power to give it, and claimed the right for

-themselves to explore and conquer and keep what share they could get.

-

-The King of Spain looked upon Drake as a pirate, but he could not find

-out how far he had been secretly encouraged by Elizabeth, and Drake

-was not punished, in spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But he was

-prevented from sailing away again on a voyage of discovery, though his

-friends and brothers went, and among them John Oxenham, who was hanged

-as a pirate by the Spaniards because he had no commission or formal

-leave from the Queen or the Government to trade in the West Indies.

-

-During this interval Drake took service in Ireland, under the Earl of

-Essex, furnishing his own ships, “and doing excellent service both by

-sea and land at the winning of divers strong forts.” The work he took

-a part in was as harsh and cruel as any that was ever done by fire and

-sword to make Ireland more desolate. Here he met Thomas Doughty, one of

-the household of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier, who became

-his friend, and sailed with him on his next voyage.

-

-The story of this voyage is told under the name of “The World

-Encompassed,” and in it Drake is said “to have turned up a furrow about

-the whole world.” In 1520 Magellan had discovered the passage south of

-America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, since called by his

-name. Many adventurers had tried to follow him, but all their efforts

-had ended in disaster, and the Straits had an uncanny name among

-sailors, and “were counted so terrible in those days that the very

-thoughts of attempting them were dreadful.”

-

-Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships--the _Pelican_, which was

-his flagship, the _Elizabeth_, the _Marigold_, the _Swan_, and the

-_Christopher_. They took a hundred and sixty men and plentiful

-provisions and stores for the long and dangerous voyage. They also took

-pinnaces which could be set up when wanted. Nor did Drake forget to

-“make provision for ornament and delight, carrying to this purpose with

-him expert musicians, rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,

-yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being of pure silver).”

-

-They started on November 15, 1577, but were forced by a gale to put

-back into Plymouth for repairs, and started out again on December 13.

-The sailors were not told the real aim of the voyage, which was to

-“sail upon those seas greatly longed for.” They were too full of fears

-and fancies. The unknown was haunted in their minds with devils and

-hurtful spirits, and in those days people still believed in magic.

-

-They picked up several prizes on their way out, notably a large

-Portuguese ship, whose cargo of wine and food was valuable to the

-English ships. Drake sent the passengers and crew on shore, but kept

-the pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account of the voyage, and

-was most useful, as he knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s main

-cares on this voyage, we are told, was to keep the fleet together as

-much as possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh the men, “wearied

-with long toils at sea,” as often as possible. He decided to lessen

-the number of the ships, for “fewer ships keep better company,” and he

-looked for a harbour to anchor in.

-

-“Our General,” says the book, “especially in matters of moment, was

-never one to rely only on other men’s care, how trusty or skilful

-soever they might seem to be. But always scorning danger, and refusing

-no toil, he was wont himself to be one, whosoever was a second, at

-every turn, where courage, skill, or industry was to be employed.

-Neither would he at any time entrust the discovery of these dangers to

-another’s pains, but rather to his own experience in searching out and

-sounding of them.”

-

-So in this case Drake himself went out in the boat and rowed into the

-bay. The _Swan_, the _Christopher_, and the prize were sacrificed,

-their stores being used for the other ships.

-

-On the 20th of June they anchored in a very good harbour, called by

-Magellan Port St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the land, and in

-this place Magellan is supposed to have executed some disobedient and

-rebellious men of his company. In this port Drake began to “inquire

-diligently into the actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and found them

-not to be such as he looked for.”

-

-(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill Drake or desert him, and take

-his place as commander, or at any rate to force him to go back, to the

-ruin of the voyage.)

-

-“Whereupon the company was called together, and the particulars of the

-cause made known to them, which were found partly by Master Doughty’s

-own confession, and partly by the evidence of the fact, to be true.

-Which when our General saw, although his private affection to Master

-Doughty (as he then in the presence of us all sacredly protested)

-was great; yet the care he had of the state of the voyage, of the

-expectation of her Majesty, and of the honour of his country, did more

-touch him (as indeed it ought) than the private respect of one man. So

-that the cause being thoroughly heard, and all things done in good

-order, as near as might be to the course of our laws in England, it was

-concluded that Master Doughty should receive punishment according to

-the quality of the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but patience for

-himself, desired before his death to receive the Communion, which he

-did, at the hands of our minister, and our General himself accompanied

-him in that holy action....

-

-“And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table

-together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had

-done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by

-drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.

-

-“And the place of execution being ready, he having embraced our

-General, and taken his leave of all the company, with prayer for

-the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet sort laid his head to

-the block, where he ended his life. This being done, our General

-made various speeches to the whole company, persuading us to unity,

-obedience, love and regard of our voyage. And to help us to this,

-he willed every man the next Sunday following to prepare himself to

-receive the Communion, as Christian brethren and friends ought to do,

-which was done in very reverent sort, and so with good contentment

-every man went about his business.”

-

-On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still continued, Drake ordered

-the whole ships’ companies ashore. They all went into a large tent, and

-the minister offered to make a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”

-said Drake, “I must preach this day myself, although I have small skill

-in preaching.... I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing up hath not

-been in learning.”

-

-He then told them that for what he was going to say he would answer

-in England and before her Majesty. He and his men were far away from

-their country and friends, and discords and mutiny had grown up among

-them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it doth take my wits from

-me to think on it. Here is such quarrels between the sailors and the

-gentlemen as it doth make me mad to hear it. But, my masters, I must

-have it left [off], for I must have the gentleman to haul and draw with

-the mariner, and the mariner with the gentleman. What, let us show

-ourselves all to be of a company, and let us not give occasion to the

-enemy to rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would know him that

-would refuse to set his hand to a rope, but I know there is not any

-such here....”

-

-He then offered to send any home that liked in the _Marigold_, a

-well-furnished ship; “but let them take heed that they go homeward, for

-if I find them in my way I will surely sink them, therefore you shall

-have time to consider here until to-morrow; for by my troth I must

-needs be plain with you now.”

-

-“Yet the voice was that none would return, they would all take such

-part as he did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,” they were told

-to forget the past, and “wishing all men to be friends, he willed them

-to depart about their business.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER VIII

-

-ROUND THE WORLD (_continued_)

-

-

-On the 20th of August the three ships entered the Straits of Magellan.

-Before the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of black stars,” of Cape

-Virgins, at the entrance against which the beating seas looked like

-whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the Queen. The name of the

-_Pelican_ also was changed to the _Golden Hind_ in remembrance of

-Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher Hatton, whose crest was

-a golden hind. In sixteen days they reached the “South Sea,” Drake

-himself having rowed on ahead of the fleet with some of his gentlemen

-to find out the passage. He had meant to land, and leave “a monument of

-her Majesty graven in metal,” which he had brought with him for that

-purpose, but there was no anchoring, as the wind did not let them stay;

-for a fearful storm arose and separated the ships, and threatened to

-send them all to the bottom of the sea. The _Marigold_, indeed, went

-down with all hands, and the _Elizabeth_, “partly by the negligence of

-those that had charge of her, partly through a kind of desire that some

-in her had to be out of all those troubles and to be at home again,

-returned back the same way by which they came forward, and so coasting

-Brazil, they arrived in England on June 2nd the year following.” So

-that now, as the story quaintly says, the other ship, if she had been

-still called the _Pelican_, would indeed have been a pelican alone in

-the wilderness. Never did they think there had been such a storm “since

-Noah’s Flood,” for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was driven south

-of the continent of America. At this time it was generally believed

-that another great continent stretched to the south of the Straits,

-which was called the unknown land, “wherein many strange monsters

-lived.” And now, when Drake had discovered this idea to be false,

-their troubles ended for the time, the storm ceased, but they were in

-great grief for the loss of their friends, and still hoped to meet the

-missing ships again.

-

-They sailed northwards along the coast of America till they landed

-on an island to get water. Here they were treacherously attacked by

-Indians, who took them to be the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who

-were in the boat were all wounded, and Drake’s faithful servant, Diego

-the negro, died of his wounds, and one other. Drake himself was shot in

-the face under the right eye, and badly wounded in the head. They were

-in the worst case, because the chief doctor was dead, and the other in

-the _Elizabeth_. There was none left them but a boy, “whose goodwill

-was more than any skill he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and “the

-putting to of every man’s help,” all were cured in the end.

-

-They sailed on, and having picked up a friendly Indian who served as

-a pilot, they reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship which was

-lying in the harbour was seized, and then the town and the Spaniards

-discovered that Drake had reached the shores of the Pacific. On the

-coast the ship was trimmed and the pinnace put together, in which Drake

-himself set out to search the creeks and inlets where the ship could

-not sail. Grief for the absence of their friends still remained with

-them. Still searching for the lost ships, they sailed northwards on

-to Lima, where they got the news that a great Spanish ship had sailed

-from there a fortnight before, laden with treasure. Drake at once gave

-chase, hoping to take her before she reached Panama. The first man who

-sighted her was promised a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken and

-captured off Cape San Francisco. She was “the great glory of the South

-Sea,” and laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all of which the

-English took. After six days the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat

-lighter than before,” to Panama. To the master of the ship, Saint

-Juan de Anton, he gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with the

-missing English ships.

-

-“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth God that you should chance to

-meet with this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you use him well,

-according to my word and promise given unto them. And if you want

-anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you pay

-them double the value for it, which I will satisfy again, and command

-your men not to do any hurt; desiring you, for the Passion of Christ,

-if you fall into any danger, that you will not despair of God’s mercy,

-for He will defend you and preserve you from all danger, and bring us

-to our desired haven, to whom be all honour, glory, and praise for

-ever and ever. Amen.--Your sorrowful Captain, whose heart is heavy for

-you,--FRANCIS DRAKE.”

-

-The next prizes captured yielded treasure of a different kind, though

-equally precious. These were some charts with sailing directions,

-taken from two China pilots. The owner of the next large Spanish ship

-captured by Drake has left an interesting account of him.

-

-He says that “the English General is the same who took Nombre de Dios

-five years ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and his name is Francis

-Drake. He is about thirty-five years of age, of small size, with a

-reddish beard, and is one of the greatest sailors that exist, both

-from his skill and his power of commanding. His ship is of near four

-hundred tons, sails well, and has a hundred men all in the prime of

-life, and as well trained for war as if they had been old soldiers of

-Italy. Each one is specially careful to keep his arms clean. He treats

-them with affection and they him with respect. He has with him nine

-or ten gentlemen, younger sons of the leading men in England, who form

-his council. He calls them together on every occasion and hears what

-they have to say, but he is not bound by their advice, though he may

-be guided by it. He has no privacy; those of whom I speak all dine

-at his table, as well as a Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from

-England, but who never spoke a word while I was on board. The service

-is of silver, richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He has, too,

-all possible luxuries, even to perfumes, many of which he told me were

-given him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen sits down or puts on

-his hat in his presence without repeated permission. He dines and sups

-to the music of violins. His ship carries thirty large guns and a great

-quantity of ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can do necessary

-repairs. He has two artists who portray the coast in its own colours,

-a thing which troubled me much to see, because everything is put so

-naturally that any one following him will have no difficulty.”

-

-Drake wished to find his way home by the north of America into the

-Atlantic. But in this he was not successful, for the weather was very

-severe, and tried the men too much; meanwhile, they found a convenient

-haven in a little bay above the harbour of San Francisco, and now known

-as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a month, repairing a leak in the

-ship and refreshing the men. They then set sail, and saw nothing but

-air and sea for sixty-eight days, till they reached some islands. These

-they named the “Islands of Thieves,” on account of the behaviour of the

-natives. In November they came to the islands of the Moluccas, where

-Drake had a splendid reception.

-

-They then sailed on till they arrived at a little island, which they

-called the “Island of Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and set up

-forges to repair the ironwork of the ship and the iron-hooped casks.

-Those that were sickly soon grew well and strong in this happy island.

-

-On the 9th of January the ship ran aground on a dangerous shoal, and

-struck twice on it; “knocking twice at the door of death, which no

-doubt had opened the third time.”

-

-Nothing but instant death was expected, and the whole ship’s company

-fell to praying. As soon as the prayers were said, Drake spoke to the

-men, telling them how they must think of their souls, and speaking of

-the joys of heaven “with comfortable speeches.” But he also encouraged

-them to bestir themselves, and he himself set the example, and got

-the pumps to work, and freed the ship of water. The ship was fast

-upon “hard and pinching rocks, and did tell us plain she expected

-continually her speedy despatch as soon as the sea and winds should

-come ... so that if we stay with her we must perish with her.” The

-other plan, of leaving her for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse than

-a thousand deaths.”

-

-After taking the Communion and listening to a sermon, they eased the

-ship by casting goods into the sea--“three ton of cloves, eight big

-guns, and certain meal and beans”; making, as an old writer says, a

-kind of gruel of the sea round about. After they had been in this state

-from eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next afternoon, all in a

-moment the wind changed, and “the happy gale drove them off the rocks

-again, and made of them glad men.”

-

-The rest of the homeward voyage was less adventurous, and on the 18th

-of June they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a most stately thing, and

-the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.”

-

-On the 26th of September they “safely, and with joyful minds and

-thankful hearts, arrived at Plymouth, having been away three years.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER IX

-

-SIR FRANCIS

-

-

-It was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake returned from his three years’

-voyage. Wynter had brought the news home that Drake had entered the

-Straits of Magellan, but since then only vague rumours of his death at

-the hands of the Spaniards had reached England. Had he met such a fate,

-Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and his party at Court would not

-have been sorry; for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid a war

-with Spain.

-

-This was more to be dreaded than ever, as at the death of the King of

-Portugal Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions, and was

-now the most powerful prince in Europe, since he owned the splendid

-Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only warships for the protection

-of his treasure-ships, and they could not be spared. He was now known

-to be preparing, in his slow way, a great Armada.

-

-But Drake had not been hanged for a pirate, and this the Spaniards

-knew very well. They clamoured for the restoration of his plunder, or

-the forfeit of his life. At this time an army of Italian and Spanish

-soldiers, under the command of a famous Spanish officer, had been

-landed in Ireland to help the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against

-Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said to have been sent by the

-orders of the Pope. Finding the prospects of success too poor, the

-Spanish officer withdrew his men, and they escaped by sea; but the

-Italian soldiers, who numbered 600, were overpowered by the English,

-and all except a few officers, who could pay a ransom, were slaughtered

-in cold blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a secret blow in

-Elizabeth’s fashion was met by her with cruelty as relentless as his

-own; but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse for refusing to make an

-inquiry into Drake’s doings in the West.

-

-“The news of his home-coming in England was,” we are told, “by this

-his strange wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange, and of all men

-held impossible and incredible. But both proving true, it fortuned

-that many misliked it and reproached him. Besides all this there were

-others that devised and divulged” (made up and spread about) “all

-possible disgraces” (base charges) “against Drake and his followers,

-terming him the Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet nevertheless the

-people generally with exceeding admiration applauded his wonderful long

-adventures and rich prize.”

-

-Drake at once sent a message to tell the Queen of his return. He was

-told he had nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court. He took with

-him some horseloads of gold and silver and jewels. The Queen treated

-him with great favour, and refused to take the advice of Burghley and

-others, who wished to send the treasure back to Spain. Unlike them

-she took her share of the profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had

-brought for her. “But it grieved him not a little,” we are told, “that

-some prime courtiers refused the gold he offered them, as gotten by

-piracy.” He and his men had made golden fortunes.

-

-The Spanish Ambassador naturally “burned with passion” against Drake,

-and considered his presence at Court an insult to his king. “For he

-passes much time with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by whom he is

-highly favoured.”

-

-It was an insult Philip still felt himself unable to avenge. Elizabeth

-had made a fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best generals knew

-the difficulties of an attack on England thus strengthened. Besides,

-the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping, were his desperate enemies; for

-they were fighting for faith and country and freedom, and to do this

-makes bold soldiers. So Philip the prudent had to content himself with

-making plans for his great Armada.

-

-Meantime Drake sunned himself in the Court favour, and books and

-pictures and songs were made in his praise.

-

-The _Golden Hind_ was brought ashore at Deptford, and became a resort

-for sightseers. But in spite of much patching she became so old that

-she had to be broken up, and the last of her timbers were made into a

-chair, which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library. So the ship ends

-her days far away from the sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs

-that used to make merry and dance on her decks.

-

-[Illustration: SIR FRANCIS DRAKE]

-

-On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State visit to the ship, and

-ordered that it should be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was

-served on board, and there, before the eyes of hundreds of onlookers,

-Elizabeth knighted the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that the

-King of Spain had demanded Drake’s head, and now she had a gold sword

-to cut it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the Spaniards, who were

-still raging over their stolen treasure.

-

-But there were some not in Spain who also thirsted for revenge upon

-Drake. Thomas Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving foe. The case

-was never brought to Court or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote

-a letter in which he said “that when the Queen did knight Drake she did

-then knight the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the foulest thief,

-and the crudest murderer that ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him

-to try and murder Drake. We hear that he was put in prison, and we

-never hear of his release.

-

-In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth. In 1583 his wife died. He was

-then a member of Parliament. Two years later he married Mary Sydenham.

-He never had any children.

-

-The Queen now appointed Drake among others to inquire into the state

-of the navy; he was to see to the repairing of ships, to the building

-of new ones, and to the means of furnishing them with stores in case of

-sudden war. From this time onwards the thought of a Spanish invasion

-was a constant fear in the minds of the English people. But Philip

-was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling to be the first to begin a war.

-Elizabeth changed her mind and her plans in a way that must have

-been maddening to the men who did her work. One good result of her

-indecision was that England was better prepared for the invasion. In

-those long years of private warfare money had been gathering, and the

-navy made strong and ready for work. But for men of action, who like

-to make a plan and stick to it, and go through with it at all costs,

-Elizabeth’s delays and recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.

-

-In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English corn-ships trading in his own

-ports. Then, at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition against the

-Spanish settlements was got ready and sent out. He had about thirty

-ships, commanded by some of the most famous captains of the time, men

-like Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards fought against the

-Armada. His general of the soldiers was Christopher Carleill, “a man of

-long experience in wars both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards

-said to direct the service “most like a wise commander.” Drake’s ship

-was the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_.

-

-After a week spent in capturing ships, the fleet anchored at the Bayona

-Islands, off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona was forced to make terms.

-He sent “some refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes, and

-marmalade, and such like.” The people, filled with terror, were seen to

-remove their possessions into boats to go up the Vigo River, inland,

-for safety. Many of these were seized; most of them were loaded only

-with household stuff, but one contained the “church stuff of the high

-church of Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair embossed work

-and double-gilt all over, having cost them a great mass of money.”

-

-The fleet now went on its way by the Canary Islands. When Santiago was

-reached, Carleill landed with a thousand troops and took possession

-of the fortress and the town, for both had been forsaken. Here they

-planted the great flag, “which had nothing on it but the plain English

-cross; and it was placed towards the sea, that our fleet might see St.

-George’s Cross flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were found ready

-loaded in various places about the town, and orders were given that

-these should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s Majesty’s Coronation

-day, being the 17th of November, after the yearly custom in England.

-These were so answered again by the guns out of all the ships in the

-fleet, as it was strange to hear such a thundering noise last so long

-together.” No treasure was taken at Santiago, but there was food and

-wine. The town was given to the flames in revenge for wrongs done to

-old William Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.

-

-They had not been many days at sea before a mortal sickness suddenly

-broke out among the men. They anchored off some islands, where the

-Indians treated them very kindly, carried fresh water to the ships, and

-gave them food and tobacco. The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used

-against the infection of the mysterious sickness which was killing the

-men by hundreds. They passed Christmas on an island to refresh the sick

-and cleanse and air the ships.

-

-Then Drake resolved, with the consent of his council, to attack the

-city of St. Domingo, while his forces were “in their best strength.”

-This was the oldest and most important city in the Indies, and was

-famous for its beauty and strength. It had never been attempted before,

-although it was so rich, because it was strongly fortified.

-

-Some boats were sent on in advance of the fleet. They learned from a

-pilot, whose boat they captured, that the Castle of St. Domingo was

-well armed, and that it was almost impossible to land on the dangerous

-coast; but he showed them a possible point ten miles from the harbour.

-In some way Drake had sent messages to the Maroons, who lived on the

-hills behind the town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the soldiers

-were landed, Drake himself steering a boat through the surf. The

-Maroons met them, having killed the Spanish watchman.

-

-“Our General, having seen us all landed in safety to the west of that

-brave city of St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing us to God

-and the good conduct of Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”

-

-The troops divided and met in the market-place; and as those in the

-castle were preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the sea, they were

-surprised from behind by the soldiers marching upon them with flags

-flying and music playing. The fleet ceased firing while the fate of the

-town was decided in a battle. By night Drake was in possession of the

-castle, the harbour, and shipping. One of the ships captured they named

-the _New Year’s Gift_.

-

-But after all there was little of the fabled treasure to be found. The

-labour in the gold and silver mines had killed the native Indians, and

-the mines were no longer worked. There was plenty of food and wine to

-be had, woollen and linen cloth and silk. But there was little silver;

-the rich people used dishes of china and cups of glass, and their

-beautiful furniture was useless as plunder. The town had to pay a large

-sum of money for its ransom, and the English stayed a month, and fed at

-its expense, and took away with them guns and merchandise and food and

-numbers of galley-slaves, whom they set free.

-

-Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main, was the last town to be

-taken, and it had been warned. It had natural defences, which made

-it very difficult to attack. Drake, as we know, had been there

-before, and often, since then, he must have dreamed of taking it. He

-triumphantly steered his fleet by a very difficult channel into the

-outer harbour. He then threatened the fort with his guns while the

-soldiers were secretly landed by night. They made their way to the town

-by the shore, “wading in the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned

-stakes which had been placed in the ground in readiness for them. They

-also routed a company of horse soldiers sent out from the fort, as the

-place where they met was so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for

-horses. So they pushed on till they made a “furious entry” into the

-town, nor paused till the market-place was won, and the people fled

-into the country, where they had already sent their wives and children.

-

-A large price or ransom was paid for this town, equal, it is said, to a

-quarter of a million of our money; but it was far less than Drake had

-at first demanded. But “the inconvenience of continual death” forced

-them to go, for the sickness was still taking its prey from among the

-men, and it also forced them to give up an attempt upon Nombre de

-Dios and Panama. The voyage had been disappointing in the matter of

-plunder. Most of the treasure had been taken away from the towns before

-the English came, and many of the officers had died.

-

-They considered the idea of remaining in Cartagena and sending home for

-more troops. They would have had a fine position; but they decided that

-their strength was not enough to hold the town and also man the fleet

-against a possible attack by the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser

-ransom was accepted; the officers offering to give up their shares to

-the “poor men, both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured their

-lives against the great enemy.” They then returned to England, only

-stopping to water the ships. They landed again at St. Augustine, on the

-coast of Florida, where they destroyed a fort and took away the guns

-and a pay-chest containing two thousand pounds.

-

-“And so, God be thanked, we in good safety arrived at Portsmouth the

-28th of July 1586, to the great glory of God, and to no small honour to

-our Prince, our Country, and Ourselves.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER X

-

-CADIZ

-

-

-When Drake returned to England, it was to hear the news of the

-“Babington plot.” This was a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, and to

-place Mary of Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was beheaded. In

-Philip’s eyes the time had at last become ripe for an invasion of

-England. Now that Mary was dead, there was less danger of France and

-Scotland joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant of John of Gaunt,

-could put in a claim that the throne of England, at the death of

-Elizabeth, should come to himself or his daughter.

-

-The Armada was getting ready to sail in the summer. In April, however,

-Drake was sent out again with a small fleet. His flag-ship was again

-the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_. His second in command was William Borough.

-

-His orders were “to prevent the joining together of the King of Spain’s

-fleet out of their different ports. To keep victuals from them. To

-follow them in case they should come out towards England or Ireland. To

-cut off as many of them as he could, and prevent their landing. To set

-upon the West Indian ships as they came or went.”

-

-But no sooner was he instructed than the Queen changed her bold orders

-to milder ones. He was not to enter any port by force, nor to offer

-violence to any towns, or ships in harbour. But Drake had got away to

-sea without the second orders, and acted on the first.

-

-He had heard that the ships were gathering in Cadiz harbour, and there

-he decided boldly to seek for them. The outer and inner harbours of

-Cadiz were crowded with shipping, most of which was getting ready for

-the invasion of England. Drake’s fleet sailed in, routed the defending

-galleys, and made havoc among the ships, about thirty-seven of which

-were captured, burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging to the

-Marquis of Santa Cruz. They carried away four ships laden with wine,

-oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing thence,” as Drake says, “at

-our pleasure, with as much honour as we could wish.” They were chased

-by Spanish galleys, which did little harm, for the wind favoured the

-English as they sailed away from Cadiz.

-

-The Spaniards thought Drake had gone to stop the treasure fleet. But

-Drake wished to stop the Armada, which was a much greater affair.

-He knew now that Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at Lisbon.

-Ships were gathering in the north of Spain. Recalde, one of the best

-Spanish commanders, was waiting with a small fleet off Cape St. Vincent

-to protect the treasure fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big ships had

-escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour. The ships were to meet in Lisbon,

-where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and food.

-

-Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and took his ships safely into

-Lisbon. Drake resolved to secure the station he had left. This

-was the castle of Sagres, near Cape St. Vincent. His own officers

-were staggered with the boldness of his plan, and Borough solemnly

-protested. He had urged caution before Cadiz harbour; again he pleaded

-for a council of war. He was of an older school of seamen than Drake,

-and was horrified at the ways of the man who was born, as it has been

-said, “to break rules.”

-

-Drake was most indignant at his action, and put him under arrest, while

-Borough expected daily that “the Admiral would have executed upon me

-his bloodthirsty desire, as he did upon Doughty.”

-

-[Illustration: Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle]

-

-After reading the accounts of Drake in the stories of the different

-voyages, we can understand how his men adored his spirit, and flocked

-to his ship to serve under his flag. To them there was something

-magical, and to the Spaniards something uncanny, in his luck. The

-English called him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish called him “the

-Devil.” But some of the officers who served with him must have liked

-him less. He made his plans swiftly, and generally well; but the doing

-of them had to be swift and sure. Like many great men he knew he was

-right, but could not stop to reason or argue about his course. He acted

-upon the instinct of his genius, with a sure and shining faith in

-himself, which must have been hateful to smaller men. In the days

-of his later voyages, when he had not the undivided control of his

-expedition, he failed, as he never did when he was alone, “with the

-ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once said.

-

-The taking of the castle of Sagres seemed almost an impossibility, so

-well did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the fort. Drake himself

-commanded the attack on land, and in the end helped to carry and pile

-the faggots against the castle gate. The commander was slain, and then

-the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took possession of one of the best

-places on the coast of Spain for ships to anchor and get water.

-

-Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken and burnt fifty ships laden

-with wood and hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa Cruz was waiting

-to make his water-casks. The loss of these did much damage to the

-Armada, and helped to ruin it.

-

-On the 10th of May, having disarmed the fort of Sagres by throwing

-the big guns over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought his fleet to

-anchor in Cascaes Bay, south of Lisbon. He seems to have judged Lisbon

-too strong to attack from the sea. He was prepared to “distress the

-ships” had they come out; and he offered battle to Santa Cruz, who,

-however, was short of powder and shot, and had no ships ready as yet

-for action.

-

-So Drake went back to Sagres to clean his ships and refresh his men.

-He then sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the ships, and on the

-few that were left the men were anxious to go home. The ship on which

-Borough was still a prisoner deserted. Drake believed that Borough was

-responsible for this; and, though he was beyond reach, in his anger

-Drake sentenced him, with his chief officers, to death as mutineers.

-

-Drake went on with his nine remaining ships, and came upon a splendid

-prize, the big _San Felipe_, the greatest ship in all Portugal, richly

-laden with spice, china, silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This

-prize was valued at nearly a million pounds; and, besides, she carried

-secret papers of great value concerning the East India trade.

-

-On the 26th of June, Drake returned home after his brilliant campaign.

-Santa Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him, but it was too late.

-

-Borough was not found guilty by the court of law where Drake accused

-him; but his grief of mind endured long. Some time after, he wrote

-that “he was very fain to ease it as he might, hoping in good time he

-should.”

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XI

-

-THE GREAT ARMADA

-

-

-Drake’s raid upon the Spanish coast made it impossible for the Armada

-to sail in 1587. But after waiting so long Philip made his preparations

-with an almost feverish haste. The death of his great general, Santa

-Cruz, hindered his plans very much. Santa Cruz was a commander of

-experience and renown, and the man most fitted, both by his rank and

-his qualities, to undertake “the enterprise of England.”

-

-The man chosen to succeed him was the Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose

-exalted rank seems to have been his chief claim to the difficult place

-into which he was thrust by Philip. He had no desire to take the place;

-he wrote to Philip and told him quite simply that he was no seaman, and

-knew little about naval fighting and less about England. But he was

-ordered to take the fleet into the English Channel and take possession

-of Margate. He was then to send ships to bring the Duke of Parma and

-his army in safety to England, when Parma was to assume the command of

-the expedition.

-

-But, after all, the Armada was not ready to sail till July 1588, and

-the months between then and January were filled by the English with

-preparations for defence. They had to face the difficulties, much

-greater then than now, of keeping both men and ships on the seas, and

-yet fit for action. Life on board ship tried the men very severely. We

-have seen how often sickness broke out among the sailors if they were

-kept long to their crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding of both

-navies seems to have been a task of great difficulty. This was due to

-the hurried demand for vast quantities of stores, such as biscuit and

-salt meat The Spaniards, too, owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost

-their water-casks, and had to depend on new ones of unseasoned wood,

-which leaked.

-

-Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was made Lord High Admiral

-of England, and Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John Hawkins his

-Rear-Admiral. With them served many other famous men, such as Fenner,

-Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour, and many younger men from noble

-families. All were working hard, with spirits stretched to an unusual

-pitch of endurance. In the letters they wrote about the business in

-hand to the Queen and her Ministers of State there is a note of high

-courage and defiance; and a distant echo comes down to us from the

-dim old letters of all the stir and bustle as the men gathered to the

-ships, and of the hum of excitement about the clamouring dockyards. The

-shipwrights were working day and night Lord Howard says he has been on

-board every ship “where any man may creep,” and thanks God for their

-good state, and that “never a one of them knows what a leak means.” Sir

-William Wynter tells how badly the ships had suffered in the winter

-storms, but adds: “Our ships doth show themselves like gallants here. I

-assure you it will do a man’s heart good to behold them; and would to

-God the Prince of Parma were upon the seas with all his forces, and we

-in the view of them; then I doubt not but that you should hear we would

-make his enterprises very unpleasant to him.”

-

-The ships are always spoken of like live creatures, and their personal

-histories are well known and remembered. Lord Howard says of his Ark

-(which was bought of Sir Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray you

-tell her Majesty from me that her money was well given for the Ark

-_Ralegh_, for I think her the odd (only) ship in the world for all

-conditions; and truly I think there can no great ship make me change

-and go out of her.” And again: “I mean not to change out of her I am in

-for any ship that ever was made.”

-

-Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship the _Revenge_” which was so

-famous then and afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes from on board

-“the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_, the fortunate ship where Sir Francis

-Drake received all his good haps.” Howard and Drake, with other

-commanders of experience, were of one mind; they wanted to go out and

-meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain, and so prevent the Spanish

-fleet from ever reaching England.

-

-Howard pressed this opinion as that of men whom the world judged to

-be the wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was unwilling to send the

-fleet away, and she still talked of making peace.

-

-Both the Spaniards and the English were persuaded that God was

-fighting with them. Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that as

-the cause was the cause of God, he could not fail. In England Drake

-was saying that “the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote to the

-Queen: “God mightily defend my gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;

-not doubting that all the world shall know and see that her Majesty’s

-little army, guided by the finger of God, shall beat down the pride of

-His enemies and hers, to His great glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon

-our enemies as necessarily the enemies of God.

-

-Howard’s letters show a very noble mind. He grudged no time or labour

-in the ordering of his fleet, down to the smallest matters. He is full

-of care for the mariners, and is anxious that they should be well paid

-and fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the other seamen of greater

-experience than himself.

-

-The fleet did at last go out, but was driven back by the winds; and

-suddenly, after the fret and worry and strain of all those months,

-there is a pause, and Howard writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you

-with any long letter; we are at this present otherwise occupied than

-with writing. Upon Friday, at Plymouth, I received intelligence that

-there was a great number of ships descried off the Lizard: whereupon,

-although the wind was very scant, we first warped out of harbour that

-night, and upon Saturday turned out very hardly, the wind being at

-south-west; and about three of the clock in the afternoon, descried

-the Spanish fleet, and did what we could to work for the wind, which

-by this morning we had recovered.... At nine of the clock we gave them

-fight, which continued until one.... Sir, the captains in her Majesty’s

-ships have behaved themselves most bravely and like men hitherto, and

-I doubt not will continue, to their great commendation.... Sir, the

-southerly wind that brought us back from the coast of Spain brought

-them out.”

-

-William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth, writes that the “Spanish fleet

-was in view of this town yesternight, and the Lord Admiral passed to

-the sea and out of sight.” They could see the fleets fighting, the

-English being to windward of the enemy. He was sending out men as fast

-as he could find ships to carry them.

-

-There is a legend that Drake and his officers were playing bowls on

-Plymouth Hoe when the news that the Armada was in the Channel was

-brought to him by the captain of a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his

-game, the story says, saying there was time to do that and to beat the

-Spaniards too.

-

-As the Spanish ships lay in the English Channel, blinded with the mist

-and rain, the Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen of Falmouth

-were brought away who had that evening seen the English fleet go out of

-Plymouth, “under the charge of the English Admiral and of Drake.”

-

-The Spaniards had come out ready to fight in the old way, in which they

-had won so many brilliant victories. They had always fought their naval

-battles with great armies on great ships, much as they would fight on

-land. The soldiers despised big guns, and liked better the bravery of a

-close fight, “with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The sailors were not

-prepared to fight at all, but with the help of slaves they sailed the

-big galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm of smaller troop-ships

-and store-ships that swelled the numbers of the fleet which carried an

-army.

-

-[Illustration: Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe]

-

-The numbers of the ships on both sides are now said to have been

-not so very unequal. If the Spaniards could have fought in their own

-way, they must have been easily victorious. But the English had got the

-wind at their back and the enemy in front of them, and being better

-masters of their ships, they had the choice, and they chose to fight

-at a distance, and never to board the big ships till they were already

-helpless.

-

-Their ships were newer, and built on different lines, and could sail

-faster. They were smaller than our modern men-of-war, but carried more

-guns for their size. They were, as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and

-of good steerage, so that the English did with them as they desired.

-And our ships being very heavy compared with the lightness of those of

-the enemy, it was impossible to come to hand-stroke with them.”

-

-The English ships were manned with sailors and gunners who could both

-sail the ships and fight the enemy. The guns were fired at the hulls

-of the Spanish ships and not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which was

-harder to aim at.

-

-The fleets met on the 21st of July, and there followed a week of

-fighting and of disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the news of their

-coming up the Channel came to those on shore, who watched beside the

-beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger must have seemed little

-less fearful than before. Those who viewed the “greatness and hugeness

-of the Spanish army” from the sea, considered that the only way to move

-them was by fire-ships.

-

-Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently through the dangers

-of the Channel; he anchored outside Calais to await the answer to the

-urgent messages he had sent to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know, the

-“Narrow Seas” were well watched by the English, and they were so helped

-by the Dutch that Parma never reached the shores of England.

-

-Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and sent down upon the Spanish

-fleet, “all burning fiercely. These worked great mischief among the

-Spanish ships (though none of them took fire), for in the panic their

-cables and anchors were slipped.”

-

-The great fight took place off Gravelines, on the Flemish coast, where

-most of the scattered ships of the Armada had drifted in the general

-confusion. The English hastened to take advantage of this confusion,

-while Sidonia was forming his fleet again into battle order. They “set

-upon the fleet of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the _Revenge_)

-and gave them a sharp fight,” while Lord Howard stopped to capture a

-helpless ship, the finest, they said, upon the sea. “And that day, Sir

-Francis’ ship was riddled with every kind of shot.”

-

-The fight went on from nine in the morning till six at night, when the

-Spanish fleet bore away, beaten, towards the north. Howard says that

-“after the fight, notwithstanding that our powder and shot was well

-near all spent, we set on a brag-countenance and gave them chase as

-though we had wanted nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had cleared

-our own coast and some part of Scotland of them.”

-

-Drake was appointed to follow the fleet, and he writes, “We have the

-army of Spain before us, and mind, with the grace of God, to wrestle

-a pull with him. There was never anything pleased me better than the

-seeing the enemy flying with a southerly wind to the northwards. God

-grant you have a good eye to the Duke of Parma: for with the grace of

-God, if we live, I doubt it not but ere it be long so to handle the

-matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he shall wish himself at St. Mary

-Port among his orange trees.”

-

-At the end of this letter he says, “I crave pardon of your honour for

-my haste, for that I had to watch this last night upon the enemy.” And

-in another letter to Walsingham he signs himself, “Your honour’s most

-ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping Francis Drake.”

-

-Many of the Spanish ships, being so crippled, were wrecked in stormy

-weather off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which were unknown to

-them, and thus the more dangerous. Not half of those who put out to

-sea ever reached Spain again. Many men were killed in battle or died

-of their wounds, and they were the most fortunate, for others were

-drowned, or perished miserably by the hands of the natives of the

-coasts. Some who escaped were put to death by the Queen’s orders, and

-some lingered in the foul prisons of that time. The instinct of savage

-cruelty revives, even in highly civilised races, in time of war, and

-spreads, like an infection.

-

-[Illustration: Fighting the Great Armada]

-

-We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder taken from the Spanish

-prisoners, of the brave looks of the vanished host, that included

-the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry. There were “breeches and

-jerkins of silk, and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold lace,

-a pair of breeches of yellow satin, drawn out with cloth of silver,

-a leather jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over with a gold and

-silver lace, a jerkin embroidered with flowers, and a blue stitched

-taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume of feathers.”

-

-For some time England was haunted by fears that the Armada would return

-to her coasts, or that Parma would avenge himself. But the reports of

-the many wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish soldiers eased this

-present anxiety. And it was well, for fever and sickness broke out

-in the English ships, and the men were dying in hundreds, “sickening

-one day and dying the next,” as the letters say. The ships had to be

-disinfected and many of the men dispersed.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XII

-

-EXPEDITION TO LISBON

-

-

-The great Armada was scattered, and yet the English did not feel secure

-from their enemy. The sight of that fleet so near their shores in “its

-terror and majesty,” and the memory of its vast army of well-drilled

-soldiers, left a feeling of deep uneasiness in the minds of wise men.

-“Sir,” writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind, safe find. A kingdom

-is a great wager. Sir, you know security is dangerous: and had God not

-been our best friend, we should have found it so. Some made little

-account of the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant you, all the

-world never saw such a force as theirs was....”

-

-Fortune had favoured England this time, but what if Philip built newer

-and lighter ships, and really succeeded in landing his army? They did

-not as yet know that Philip had no money to build his ships with, and

-rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.

-

-The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered great loss and a crushing

-defeat to their pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything that

-they already had, but only failed to get something they wanted very

-badly to have, and the second kind of loss matters far less than the

-first.

-

-But, on the other hand, if the English had been defeated, it is

-difficult to think how darkly their history might have been changed.

-It was this thought that made the wise men sober in the midst of the

-national joy and exultation. They saw how much England, as an island,

-must depend for strength and defence upon her navy, and they saw this

-much more clearly than before. But Drake had seen it for a long time.

-And he had seen something more. He had seen that the English navy must

-be ready and able to protect her merchant ships by distressing and

-attacking her enemies abroad, and that this was a means of keeping the

-enemy so busy abroad that he could not invade the peace of England at

-home.

-

-Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction of Philip’s navy,

-now so much crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented to a new

-expedition being fitted out, and appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir

-Francis Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two men had fought together

-in Ireland. “Black John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a famous

-fighting family, and had served in the Lowlands and in France with high

-courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion he had been made chief

-of the land forces. It is said that in one battle he went on fighting

-after three horses had been killed under him. With him went his brother

-Edward, and a famous Welsh captain, Sir Roger Williams, was his second

-in command.

-

-The objects of the expedition were: first, to distress the King of

-Spain’s ships; second, to get possession of some of the islands of the

-Azores in order to waylay the treasure ships; and, lastly, to try to

-recover for Don Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.

-

-Money for this expedition was raised from every possible source. The

-Queen gave six royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food, and arms. The

-forces were made up of soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make their

-fortunes in war, and English and Dutch sailors and recruits, most of

-whom were pressed. With this large but mixed army the generals prepared

-to face the best-trained soldiers in Europe.

-

-As usual, there were many delays. The ships were not ready to go out,

-and much of the food was consumed before they started. More was not to

-be had, though Drake and Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for

-supplies. The Queen had already begun to regard the expedition with

-disfavour. Some days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl of Essex,

-her latest Court favourite, had slipped away to sea with Sir Roger

-Williams on the _Swiftsure_. He was tired of a courtier’s life, and

-wanted to breathe freer air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The

-Queen was very angry, and sent orders for his arrest, accusing Drake

-and Norreys of aiding his escape. But they declared they knew nothing

-of his plans.

-

-About this time some Flemish ships appeared in Plymouth harbour laden

-with barley and wine, and Drake seized their cargoes in the Queen’s

-name to victual his fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather was

-so rough that several of the ships containing troops were unable to get

-beyond the Channel, but even with lesser numbers the crews were short

-of food before they reached Spain.

-

-Philip was very ill at this time, and in grave anxiety. He knew

-that Drake and the English ships might land on his coasts, that the

-French might cross the mountains with an invading force, and that the

-Portuguese might arise in rebellion to win back the crown for Don

-Antonio. This last danger seemed to Philip the most urgent, and Drake

-guessed this, and landed his men on the north-west coast at Corunna.

-

-In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s orders to distress the

-King’s ships, and also, no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry

-crews for food and plunder. The lower town of Corunna was taken, and

-much wine and food consumed and much wasted. The townsfolk were routed

-and put to the sword, and their houses burned. An attempt to take the

-upper town failed, but the English were the victors in a sharp battle

-which took place some miles from the town, and they thus secured their

-retreat to the ships and sailed away.

-

-The presence of Drake on the coasts caused great panic, for his name

-and luck had become a terror to the people. Philip felt deeply

-insulted that such an attack should be made “by a woman, mistress of

-half an island, with the help of a pirate and a common soldier.” In

-Spain, as we have seen, the command was always given to gentlemen of

-high birth and breeding and title.

-

-Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet first sighted some of the

-missing ships, and also the _Swiftsure_ with the missing Earl, who had

-“put himself into the journey against the opinion of the world, and,

-as it seemed, to the hazard of his great fortune.” The _Swiftsure_ had

-taken six prizes off Cape St. Vincent.

-

-The two generals had from the first wished to go straight to Lisbon,

-and it is thought that if they had done so, and thus given the

-Spaniards no warning of their coming, they might have had success.

-But they were hindered by the Queen’s orders to destroy the shipping

-now collected in the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander. After

-leaving Corunna, however, they decided in council not to attempt that

-port, both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the conditions did not

-favour an attack.

-

-They landed next at the Portuguese town of Peniche, which lies about

-fifty miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to land on the surf-bound

-coast, and some of the boats were upset and battered. At last, Essex

-sprang into the waves and waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed

-the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus surprised, willingly surrendered

-to Antonio as his lawful king, “The king” soon had a following of

-peasants and friars, but neither nobles nor soldiers came to help him.

-He was eager to march to Lisbon, where he thought he was sure of a

-welcome. Norreys resolved to march there overland. Drake, it is said,

-would have liked better to attack the town from the sea in his usual

-daring but successful fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the

-day; and leaving some ships at Peniche, Drake promised, if he could,

-to bring the fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth of the river

-Tagus, south of Lisbon.

-

-There, when he arrived, he waited, not liking to venture up the river

-without knowing where the soldiers were, and not liking to quit the

-sea, where he could give them the means of retreat if necessary.

-For this he was very much blamed by the soldiers at the time, and

-afterwards when he got home. The point is still disputed.

-

-Meanwhile the army was encamped outside the walls of Lisbon, but

-they never got inside. The Portuguese refused to join Don Antonio’s

-party, and the Spanish governor kept the gates shut in a grim and

-heroic defence. The English sailors were sick and hungry; they had had

-no exercise on board ship to keep them healthy, and were exhausted

-with the heat. The stores and guns were on the ships with Drake. So,

-reluctantly, they left the suburbs of Lisbon and marched to Cascaes,

-where they embarked, not without some loss, and sailed away.

-

-While they were still disputing in the councils, a fleet of German

-ships were sighted, and most of them secured. They were carrying corn

-and stores to Spain, against the rules of war, which bind countries not

-concerned in the quarrel to help neither foe. So the English seized

-sixty ships and the stores, both of which had been destined to furnish

-the new Armada of Spain.

-

-Next came into view some English ships with supplies, but also with

-angry letters from the Queen; in answer to which Essex was sent home

-bearing the news that the expedition, though diminished by sickness and

-death, still meant to sail to the Azores.

-

-On June the 8th a wind had scattered the fleet, and suddenly left it

-becalmed. The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off four English ships.

-

-The winds continued to prevent the fleet from going towards the Azores,

-and all this time hundreds of sick and wounded men were dying. After

-seventeen days at sea, they landed at the town of Vigo and burned it,

-and laid waste the country round. At length storms and sickness and

-ill-fortune drove them home, and the expedition, woefully shrunken,

-straggled miserably back. Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some

-years later. The English had done a considerable amount of damage, but

-at great cost to themselves; for the loss of life was terrible, and

-that of money very considerable. Both Norreys and Drake were called

-upon to account for their failure, and at the time Drake got the most

-of the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly judged because failure had

-never come near him before, and his successes had always been so

-brilliant. His best friends at Court were dead, and for five years he

-was not asked to act in the Queen’s service. So five years of his life

-which should have been the most active were spent in retirement, if not

-actually in “disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.”

-

-The war was carried on upon the old lines of distressing the King’s

-ships, but with very poor success. After Drake’s voyage round the

-world, which encouraged other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the

-Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully guarded. This was done by

-strongly fortifying the coast stations, by providing an armed escort,

-and a service of light ships, which went frequently to and fro with

-letters of advice and warning from the Indies to Spain.

-

-Drake had ruined this defence in 1585, and in 1588 again many of the

-guard-ships had to be used in the service of the Armada. A really

-strong English fleet might at this time have stayed the treasure, but

-Philip continued to gather in his gold, and also began, with splendid

-patience, to rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron was sent

-out under Lord Thomas Howard, and the great battle of Sir Richard

-Grenville on the _Revenge_ was fought, “the fight of the one and the

-fifty-three,” with the loss of that ship and the victory of the Spanish

-fleet. The Queen made a fighting alliance with Henry the Fourth of

-France, who was the enemy of Philip, and this she felt would help to

-keep him out of England. Philip was now trying to establish a fortified

-station on the north coast of Brittany, from which his new Armada might

-be despatched.

-

-

-

-

-CHAPTER XIII

-

-THE LAST VOYAGE

-

-

-Drake had settled in Buckland Abbey, which he had bought from Sir

-Richard Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish ships for some

-of the different excursions against Spain, and he spent much time on

-schemes to improve Plymouth. He paid to have pure water brought to the

-town from many miles away; he had flour-mills built, that the sailors

-might have good biscuits provided for them, and he overlooked the

-work of fortifying Plymouth, and making it in all ways a strong naval

-station.

-

-As the danger of a fresh invasion by Philip grew more threatening,

-Drake was called to Court again, and it was about this time that he

-gave to the Queen his written story of the voyage to Nombre de Dios.

-

-In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged for the Indies, and after the

-usual bewildering indecision at Court, and difference of views and

-plans (delays that proved fatal to an excursion whose proper nature was

-to be swift and secret, and above all things powerful), on August 28,

-1598, Sir Francis Drake started on his last voyage.

-

-The story of the expedition begins by saying that “the Spaniard leaves

-no means untried to turn the peace of England into a cursed thraldom,

-and this is shown by his attempts, and also by his greedy desires to be

-our neighbour in Brittany, to gain so near us a quiet and safe road for

-his fleet. So the forces were sent to invade him in that kingdom from

-whence he has feathers to fly to the top of his high desires.

-

-“The invasion was glorious spoken of long before it was sent, and Sir

-Francis Drake was named General. For his very name was a great terror

-to all in those parts, and he had done many things in those countries

-to his honourable fame and profit. But entering into them as the Child

-of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed and peremptory (despotic)

-command was doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as it should seem,

-to join Sir John Hawkins as second in command. He was an old, wary man,

-and so leaden-footed” (or slow in action) “that Drake’s meat would be

-eaten before his was cooked. They were men of such different natures

-that what one desired the other commonly opposed. The journey had so

-glorious a name that crowds of volunteers came to them, and they had

-to discharge such few as they had pressed. Yet many times it was very

-doubtful if the voyage would be made, till at last the news came of a

-ship of the King of Spain, which was driven into Puerto Rico with two

-millions and a half of treasure. So her Majesty commanded them to haste

-their departure, which they did with twenty-seven ships.”

-

-The generals began to disagree soon after. Drake wanted to begin with

-an attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins thought it unnecessary and

-unwise; and, as the story says, “the fire which lay hidden in their

-stomachs began to break forth.”

-

-It was five years since Drake had fought with his old enemies. He did

-not know how much stronger the Spanish defence at sea had become,

-owing to the lessons he had given them, nor how complete Philip had

-made the protection of the traffic and the treasure-ships. He was to

-see this first at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and failed, to

-make one of his old surprise visits.

-

-The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the 29th of October, for water,

-at Guadeloupe. The _Delight_ was the last of the ships to arrive the

-next day, and she brought news that the _Francis_, a small ship of the

-company, was taken by five Spanish ships, which had been sent out by

-Philip to bring home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico. This was a great

-misfortune, because Sir John Hawkins had made known to all the company,

-“even to the basest mariners,” the places whither they were bound,

-naming Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama. Now the Spaniards would

-learn this from their prisoners, and at once send warning to the coasts.

-

-Drake wanted to give chase at once, but Hawkins was old and cautious,

-and desired to stay and mount his guns, take in water, set up his

-pinnaces, and make all things ready to meet the Spaniards.

-

-And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was sickly, Sir Francis being

-loath to breed his further disquiet.” It took four days to make those

-preparations, and always the sickness of Sir John increased. On the

-12th of October Drake brought the fleet up by a secret way to Puerto

-Rico, and about three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins died.

-

-In the evening, as Drake sat at supper, his chair was shot from under

-him, and two of his officers received their death wounds from the

-Spanish guns. The ships had to move away. The next night the English

-made a desperate effort to fire the five ships that had come for the

-treasure. Four of them were set alight, but only one was burnt, and by

-the great light she gave the Spaniards “played upon the English with

-their ordnance and small shot as if it had been fair day,” and sunk

-some of the boats.

-

-Next day Drake, undaunted by failure, determined to try and take his

-whole fleet boldly into the harbour and storm the place. But the

-Spaniards, guessing his desperate intention, and fearing his great

-courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise and armed, as they

-were, and so, at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for the English.

-

-Drake took counsel with the soldiers as to the strength of the place,

-but most of them thought it too great a risk, though one or two were

-for trying it. “The General presently said: ‘I will bring you to twenty

-places far more wealthy and easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went on

-the 15th. And here,” says the teller of the story, “I left all hope of

-good success.”

-

-On the way to Nombre de Dios they stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where

-Drake had first been wronged by the Spaniards. This town they took with

-little difficulty, and some treasure was won.

-

-On December 27th they were at Nombre de Dios, which they took with

-small resistance. But the people had been warned, and had fled and

-hidden their treasure, and the town was left very bare. So they

-resolved to “hasten with speed to Panama.” The soldiers were under the

-command of Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a brave fighter against

-the Spaniards before now in Holland and France. They started to go

-to Panama by the old road well known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed

-with the ships and burned the town. He was about to sail nearer the

-river when news came that the soldiers were returning. The road was

-only too strongly defended now, and Baskerville’s men were driven back

-with severe loss. They were a small force, and weak with the long march

-through heavy rains; their powder was wet and their food scarce and

-sodden, and Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This march,” says the

-story, “had made many swear that they would never buy gold at such a

-price again.”

-

-Drake, being disappointed of his highest hopes, now called a council to

-decide what was to be done. All the towns had been forewarned, and told

-“to be careful and look well to themselves, for that Drake and Hawkins

-were making ready in England to come upon them.” And now the company

-seem to have regarded their leader with some bitterness, as his brave

-promises failed, and the places that he used to know were found to be

-changed and formidable. Now they had to rely “upon cards and maps, he

-being at these parts at the farthest limit of his knowledge.” But

-still he proposed fresh places that had the golden sound of riches in

-their names, and gallant Baskerville said he would attempt both, one

-after another.

-

-But the winds drove them instead to a “waste island, which is counted

-the sickliest place in the Indies, and there died many of the men, and

-victuals began to grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who writes the

-story, “I was often private with our General, and I demanded of him

-why he so often begged me, being in England, to stay with him in these

-parts as long as himself.... He answered me with grief, protesting

-that he was as ignorant of the Indies as myself, and that he never

-thought any place could be so changed, as it were, from a delicious

-and pleasant arbour into a waste and desert wilderness: besides the

-variableness and changes of the wind and weather, so stormy and

-blustrous as he never saw it before. But he most wondered that since

-his coming out of England he never saw sail worth giving chase unto.

-Yet, in the greatness of his mind, he would, in the end, conclude with

-these words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath many things in store for

-us. And I know many means to do her Majesty good service and to make us

-rich, for we must have gold before we reach England.’

-

-“And since our return from Panama he never carried mirth nor joy in his

-face, yet no man he loved must show he took thought thereof. And he

-began to grow sickly. And now so many of the company were dying of the

-sickness, and food was getting so scarce, that at last he resolved ‘to

-depart and take the wind as God sent it.’”

-

-But the lurking fever in the swamp had done its work, and on January

-28, 1596, after a brief fight with illness and death, Drake “yielded up

-his spirit like a Christian to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”

-

-“The General being dead,” we are told, “most men’s hearts were bent to

-hasten for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s Child,’ they

-said, ‘was dead; things would not fall into their mouths, nor riches be

-their portions, how dearly soever they adventured for them.’”

-

-But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the command and took the remains of

-the fleet in his charge, and did not return home till he had met the

-Spaniards and fought a battle with them at sea.

-

-Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he burned that port, and sunk two of

-the ships no longer needed, and all the prizes. And there, a league

-from the shore, under seas, he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,

-heavily freighted with death and silence. But I like to think that his

-soul went a-roving again among the stars.

-

-                                THE END

-

-

-                  Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.

-                          Edinburgh & London

-

-

-

-

-TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

-

-  --Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original

-    positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.

-  --Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.

-  --Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.

-

-*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS

-DRAKE ***

-

-Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will

-be renamed.

-

-Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright

-law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,

-so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the

-United States without permission and without paying copyright

-royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part

-of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project

-Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm

-concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,

-and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following

-the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use

-of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for

-copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very

-easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation

-of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project

-Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may

-do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected

-by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark

-license, especially commercial redistribution.

-

-START: FULL LICENSE

-

-THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

-PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

-

-To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free

-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work

-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project

-Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full

-Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at

-www.gutenberg.org/license.

-

-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project

-Gutenberg-tm electronic works

-

-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm

-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to

-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property

-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all

-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or

-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your

-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a

-Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound

-by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the

-person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph

-1.E.8.

-

-1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be

-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who

-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few

-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works

-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See

-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project

-Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this

-agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm

-electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

-

-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the

-Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection

-of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual

-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United

-States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the

-United States and you are located in the United States, we do not

-claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,

-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as

-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope

-that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting

-free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm

-works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the

-Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily

-comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the

-same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when

-you share it without charge with others.

-

-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern

-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are

-in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,

-check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this

-agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,

-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any

-other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no

-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any

-country other than the United States.

-

-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

-

-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other

-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear

-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work

-on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the

-phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,

-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

-

-  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and

-  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no

-  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it

-  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this

-  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the

-  United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where

-  you are located before using this eBook.

-

-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is

-derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not

-contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the

-copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in

-the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are

-redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project

-Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply

-either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or

-obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm

-trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

-

-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted

-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution

-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any

-additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms

-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works

-posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the

-beginning of this work.

-

-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm

-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this

-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.

-

-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this

-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without

-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with

-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project

-Gutenberg-tm License.

-

-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,

-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including

-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access

-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format

-other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official

-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website

-(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense

-to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means

-of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain

-Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the

-full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

-

-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,

-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works

-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

-

-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing

-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works

-provided that:

-

-* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from

-  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method

-  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed

-  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has

-  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project

-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid

-  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are

-  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty

-  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project

-  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in

-  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg

-  Literary Archive Foundation."

-

-* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies

-  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he

-  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm

-  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all

-  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue

-  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm

-  works.

-

-* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of

-  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the

-  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of

-  receipt of the work.

-

-* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free

-  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.

-

-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project

-Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than

-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing

-from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of

-the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set

-forth in Section 3 below.

-

-1.F.

-

-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable

-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread

-works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project

-Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm

-electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may

-contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate

-or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other

-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or

-other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or

-cannot be read by your equipment.

-

-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right

-of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project

-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project

-Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project

-Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all

-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal

-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT

-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE

-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE

-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE

-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR

-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH

-DAMAGE.

-

-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a

-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can

-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a

-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you

-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium

-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you

-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in

-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person

-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second

-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If

-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing

-without further opportunities to fix the problem.

-

-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth

-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO

-OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT

-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

-

-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied

-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of

-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement

-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the

-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or

-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or

-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the

-remaining provisions.

-

-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the

-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone

-providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in

-accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the

-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm

-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,

-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of

-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this

-or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or

-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any

-Defect you cause.

-

-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm

-

-Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of

-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of

-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It

-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations

-from people in all walks of life.

-

-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the

-assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's

-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will

-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project

-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure

-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future

-generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see

-Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at

-www.gutenberg.org

-

-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation

-

-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit

-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the

-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal

-Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification

-number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by

-U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.

-

-The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,

-Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up

-to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website

-and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

-

-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg

-Literary Archive Foundation

-

-Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without

-widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of

-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be

-freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest

-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations

-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt

-status with the IRS.

-

-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating

-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United

-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a

-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up

-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations

-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND

-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular

-state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate

-

-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we

-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition

-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who

-approach us with offers to donate.

-

-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make

-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from

-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

-

-Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation

-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other

-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To

-donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate

-

-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works

-

-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project

-Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be

-freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and

-distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of

-volunteer support.

-

-Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed

-editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in

-the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not

-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper

-edition.

-

-Most people start at our website which has the main PG search

-facility: www.gutenberg.org

-

-This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,

-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to

-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 67864 ***
+
+  THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES
+
+  EDITED BY JOHN LANG
+
+
+  THE STORY OF
+  SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+
+
+
+  TO
+  CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON
+
+
+[Illustration: Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the ‘Golden
+Hind’ at Deptford]
+
+
+  THE STORY OF
+
+  SIR
+  FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+  BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON
+  PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON
+
+  LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK
+  NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
+
+
+
+
+  Printed by
+  BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
+  Edinburgh
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+It has not been possible, for lack of space, always to tell the old
+stories in the original words, which are, in almost all cases, the
+best. If any readers of this book can get a sight of two big volumes
+called “Drake and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett, they may
+consider themselves fortunate. In them there are the most fascinating
+reproductions of pictures of old fighting ships, and old charts or maps
+of the taking of Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine by Drake’s
+ships. Here the ships are seen approaching and attacking; the towns
+are shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are full of wonderful curly
+monsters. The old charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada show the
+shifting position of the fleets from day to day, and the books also
+contain many maps and a fine portrait.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  Chapter                                        Page
+
+       I. Philip of Spain                          1
+      II. “The Troublesome Voyage”                 6
+     III. Nombre de Dios                          15
+      IV. Fort Diego                              25
+       V. The Golden Mule-trains                  29
+      VI. Home Again                              39
+     VII. Round the World                         50
+    VIII. Round the World (_continued_)           60
+      IX. Sir Francis                             69
+       X. Cadiz                                   81
+      XI. The Great Armada                        88
+     XII. Expedition to Lisbon                   100
+    XIII. The Last Voyage                        111
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF PICTURES
+
+
+                                                     Page
+
+  Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the
+    _Golden Hind_ at Deptford             _Frontispiece_
+  Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage      14
+  Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios                     22
+  The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific
+    Oceans from the tree-top                          30
+  Sir Francis Drake                                   72
+  Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle                84
+  Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe                      94
+  Fighting the Great Armada                           98
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF
+
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+PHILIP OF SPAIN
+
+
+During the life of Francis Drake, Philip the Second of Spain was the
+most powerful king in Europe. Spain and the Netherlands belonged to
+him, parts of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great part of America.
+From Mexico, Peru, and the West Indian Islands Spanish ships sailed
+home with treasure of silver and gold, as they do in fairy tales, while
+Portuguese ships traded in Africa for slaves and gold and ivory, and
+had even ventured as far as the then little-known East Indies. Lastly,
+Philip added Portugal and its possessions to his vast inheritance, and
+would have liked to hold all the world “for God and for Spain.” Being
+himself a good Catholic, he wished to see all men of that faith, and to
+those who did not believe in it he was a merciless foe, and he shed the
+blood of many martyrs.
+
+Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope more than anything in the world, as
+much as he loved England and honoured his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent
+most of his life in making war against the King of Spain in one way or
+another, calling it all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service done to
+your Majesty by your poor vassal (or servant) against your great enemy.”
+
+During Drake’s life wars about religion were raging in almost every
+European country. In France the struggle ended by most people remaining
+Catholics, just as England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always a
+Protestant country. But such changes really take long to come about,
+especially in days when news travelled slowly, when there were no
+trains or steamships, and no penny newspapers.
+
+Francis Drake was born when Edward the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse
+near Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was quite a young child his
+father, who was a Protestant, had to fly from his country home, owing
+to an outbreak of anger among his Catholic neighbours. So the first
+stories the little Francis would hear must have been tales of this time
+of persecution, when many of his father’s friends had to hide in woods
+and caves, and lost all they possessed. From his very cradle he must
+have been taught to hate the “Papists.”
+
+The new home was rather a strange one, for the old books say Drake’s
+father went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a ship, wherein many of
+his younger sons were born. He had twelve in all, and as it pleased God
+that most of them should be born upon the water, so the greater part of
+them died at sea.” The father seems to have been a sailor at one time,
+and he now got a place among the seamen of the King’s Navy, to read
+prayers to them. The Navy ships were anchored off Chatham when not in
+use, and here, in an old unused warship, the elder Drake and his family
+made their floating home. Here most of the twelve boys were born, a
+troop of merry children, and many a fine game they must have had on the
+decks. The sound of wind and waves must have been familiar to them as
+they went to sleep at nights, and they grew up strong and fearless,
+and, living as they did among sailors, must have early set their hearts
+on going to sea and having adventures.
+
+At the death of King Edward the Sixth the Catholic Queen Mary began to
+reign, and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over to marry her. He
+looked “very gallant,” they said, in his suit of white kid, covered
+with gold embroidery, and was followed by a train of splendid-looking
+Spanish nobles, and he brought quantities of gold and silver, borne
+on the backs of horses. But the English people hated the foreign
+marriage, and so strong was this feeling that in the winter before the
+wedding even the children in the streets shouted against the Spaniards
+and snowballed them as they went to Court. Perhaps Francis Drake and
+his brothers left their usual games to play at being Philip and the
+English, like some other lads, of whom we read that their play became
+so real and exciting that they were only just prevented from hanging
+the boy who acted the part of Philip. The King of Spain might have seen
+his son upon the English throne, but this hope, like so many of his,
+was doomed to be defeated, for Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came
+to the throne.
+
+As Drake’s father was at this time a poor man, he put his son Francis
+to learn seamanship of the master of a bark or small ship that used to
+coast along the shore and sometimes carried merchandise to France and
+the Netherlands. At this time he must have had to suffer many hardships
+and to live a rough life, but he learned his business well, and “was so
+diligent and painstaking, and so pleased the old man his master by his
+industry,” that at his death he left his bark to Francis Drake.
+
+Later Drake grew weary of this little ship, that “only crept along
+the shore,” and longed for something more than such safe and simple
+voyaging, so he seems to have sold the bark and taken service with his
+kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were rich merchants and owned and
+sailed their ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”
+
+
+The four centuries before the sixteenth, in which Drake lived, have
+been called the Age of Discovery. The world widened before men’s eyes
+as new lands and seas, new peoples, and even new stars, became known
+to them. The little country of Portugal was the first to begin those
+discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts of Africa and traded there.
+One of her mariners discovered the passage round the Cape of Good Hope
+to India, the Spice Islands, and China, and for long she had no rival
+in her trade.
+
+About fifty years before Drake was born, America was discovered by
+Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service of Spain. The
+ships in use in those days were very different to any we see now. There
+have been three kinds of ships made, ships with oars, ships with
+sails, and ships with steam. They are divided into two kinds, fighting
+ships and merchant ships.
+
+The old-fashioned galley was long and low-decked, and could be rowed
+or sailed. In the middle of the ship, between two platforms or upper
+decks, the rowers were chained to their seats. Three or four men
+worked each of the long oars, or _sweeps_ as they were called. There
+were twenty-five oars or more on each side of the ship. The rowers or
+galley-slaves were generally prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to
+the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived on the benches, ill-fed
+and ill-clothed, with only an awning to cover them when in port, though
+the low sides of the ships protected them a little from the weather and
+from the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always to have released the
+slaves he took on Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they included
+“Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen, and Spaniards.”
+
+The sailors who worked the ships were free. The ships were always
+armed, at first with shields and spears and arrows, later with guns and
+powder. With such ships the Italians fought many great battles on the
+Mediterranean, and in such ships the Norsemen had invaded England and
+raided the Northern Seas; and, with his _caravels_, or light Spanish
+ships, Columbus reached the islands which he called the West Indies.
+In later voyages he reached the mainland of America, but to the day
+of his death he always believed that he had found the coast of Asia.
+Another Italian sailor, named Amerigo, also in the service of Spain,
+gave his name to the New World. The Italians had long been good sailors
+and ship-builders, and great fighters at sea, and they had the glory of
+discovering America, though they gained no possessions there.
+
+Spain, at that time the most powerful state in Europe, seized upon a
+great part of the new land, and found there gold and silver mines. The
+natives they first subdued and afterwards forced to become Christians,
+as the custom was in warfare with a Pagan race.
+
+The American Indians, however, have never been easy to subdue, and
+have always had an undying affection for their own way of life.
+The Spaniards found them unfitted for hard work in the mines. The
+Portuguese had already captured negroes in their West African
+settlements, and numbers of those were sent to America as slaves.
+
+From the time of Henry the Eighth the English were building and buying
+fine ships, and learnt to sail them so well that they began less and
+less to use the old galley ship with its many oars. They traded mostly
+with Spain and the Low Countries; but as they got better ships, and
+became expert sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to discover new
+countries and get more trade. They began to sail to the Canary Islands,
+to Africa, and America.
+
+The Hawkins family had taken a large part in this new activity. The
+elder William Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his son, John Hawkins,
+with whom Drake took service, made several voyages to the “Isles of
+the Canaries.” Having learnt something about the West Indies, he made
+several voyages there, carrying with him numbers of negroes to sell,
+whom he took, partly by the sword, and partly by other means, on the
+coast of Africa.
+
+Hawkins and the other adventurers who joined him brought home great
+riches. In the account of those early voyages we see the beginning of a
+quarrel with Spain, which was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,
+till Philip sent his great Armada to invade England.
+
+The third and most famous voyage of John Hawkins to the West Indies was
+called “the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in disaster. It was the
+biggest venture that had yet been made by the English, and Drake took
+part in it. Hawkins sailed with six ships. There were two “great ships”
+of the Royal Navy--the _Jesus_, commanded by Hawkins himself, and the
+_Minion_; the _William and John_, named after and owned by the Hawkins
+brothers; and three smaller ones, the _Swallow_, the _Angel_, and the
+_Judith_, the last being under the command of Francis Drake.
+
+They got slaves in Africa and sold them in the West Indies, though
+not without difficulty, because the Spaniards had been forbidden by
+their king to trade with the English. As they were about to start on
+their way home, the ships met with fearful storms, and as the _Jesus_
+was much shattered, Hawkins made up his mind to seek for haven. They
+were driven at last into Vera Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.
+Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and repair their fleet. Now
+in this very port lay treasure which was said to be worth thousands of
+pounds. It was waiting for the fleet of armed ships which was to take
+it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were much dismayed to see the
+English ships, with their Portuguese ships and prisoners captured on
+the voyage, come, as they thought, to seize their treasure. It was this
+very danger they had feared when Hawkins first began his slave trade
+and disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.
+
+Next morning thirteen great ships appeared, and proved to be a Mexican
+fleet returning with a new Viceroy or Governor from King Philip. A
+solemn and peaceful agreement was made, and the Spanish ships were
+moored alongside the English ones, which were already in possession of
+the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards broke faith and fell
+upon the English, and a great and fierce fight took place, which lasted
+from ten in the morning until night. The _Angel_ and the _Swallow_ were
+sunk, and the _Jesus_ so damaged that it could not be brought away.
+
+As the remaining ships were sailing away, the Spaniards sent two
+“fire ships” after them. This was not an unusual way of fighting in
+those days. The empty, burning ships were sent to try and fire the
+enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming, by the wind, an awful
+and terrifying sight. The men on the _Minion_ became panic-stricken,
+and set sail without orders. Some of the men from the _Judith_ followed
+in a small boat. The rest were forced “to abide the mercy of the
+Spaniards,” which, Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.
+
+“The same night,” he goes on, “the _Judith_ forsook us in our great
+misery. In the end, when the wind came larger, we weighed anchor and
+set sail, seeking for water, of which we had very little. And wandering
+thus certain days in these unknown seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,
+cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and monkeys.”
+
+Some of the men asked to be put on land, rather than risk shipwreck and
+starvation in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins did, in the end, get safely
+home, with his weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of his feeble,
+starving crew. But he says that, if all the miseries and troubles of
+this sorrowful voyage were to be written, the tale would be as long
+as the “Book of Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left also reached
+England, after weary wanderings and years of terrible sufferings. Some
+were put to death as heretics, and others were sent to the galleys as
+slaves. Others, more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,
+where the monks made kind and gentle masters.
+
+Five days before Hawkins reached England, the little _Judith_ struggled
+into Plymouth Harbour with Drake and his load of men. William Hawkins
+sent him at once to London on horseback, “post, post haste,” as the old
+letters say. He carried letters to the Lords of Council, and to Sir
+William Cecil, the Chief Secretary of the Queen. So he rode swiftly
+along the country roads, only stopping to fling himself off one weary,
+smoking horse on to the back of a fresh one. The people would gather
+round him as he made the change, and wonder what great news was going
+to town.
+
+William Hawkins said in his letter: “There is come to Plymouth, at this
+present hour, one of the small barks of my brother’s fleet, and as I
+have neither writing nor anything else from him, I thought it good,
+and my most bounden duty, to send you the captain of the same bark. He
+is our kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”
+
+He was to tell the whole story, and the Queen was to hear it. He was
+to tell of the losses of John Hawkins, and of his absence, which his
+brother says “is unto me more grief than any other thing in the world.”
+
+Drake was much blamed at the time for deserting his general. It is
+difficult for us to see what he could have done. His little ship was
+crowded, and he had small store of food and water, and he no doubt
+thought it best to get home as soon as possible. His story of Spanish
+treachery and English loss must have roused the countryside. The
+excitement was at its height when the _Minion_ appeared off Cornwall.
+
+A man “for goodwill” came riding to William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to
+get help. He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners and a store of
+fresh food and other necessaries. And again letters were sent to London
+with the news. Haste! haste! post haste!
+
+[Illustration: Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+NOMBRE DE DIOS
+
+
+It was in January 1569 that the “troublesome voyage” ended for Drake,
+and in the summer of that year he married a Devonshire girl, named Mary
+Newman. The stories of his most famous voyages are found in an old
+book, called “Sir Francis Drake Revived.” This was first printed by
+his descendant, another Sir Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the
+First. It was written by some of the voyagers, and it is thought that
+Drake himself wrote part of it and corrected it. It is supposed that
+Drake presented the manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates it
+to her as the “first fruits” of his pen. He also says that his labours
+by land and sea were not more troublesome than the writing of it.
+
+After his losses and misfortunes in the Indies, it seems that Drake
+could get no amends from Spain, though he had lost both kinsmen,
+friends, and goods of some value. Queen Elizabeth could not think of
+making war with Philip. Her country was poor, her father’s navy was
+ruined. She had no proper army, and she had trouble enough on her hands
+in France and Scotland.
+
+Therefore Drake decided to help himself in what he was pleased to call
+his quarrel with the King of Spain. The old writer says that the story
+of his life shows how “so mean a person righted himself upon so mighty
+a prince. The one was in his own conceit the mightiest monarch in the
+world, the other only an English captain.”
+
+Drake now made two voyages that really prepared the way for his great
+and famous one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid his expenses by
+plundering ships or selling slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572, Drake
+started with his ship, the _Pascha_, of Plymouth, and the _Swan_, of
+Plymouth, in which his brother, John Drake, was captain. They had on
+board seventy-three men and boys. All of these came willingly, and had
+not been _pressed_, or compelled to serve, as the custom then was.
+
+Drake’s ships had a very good passage, and never stopped till they
+reached one of the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five days. Here they
+stayed three days to refresh the men, and to water the ships. The third
+day they set sail for the continent. They steered for a bay named
+formerly by them Port Pheasant. It was a fine, safe harbour. As they
+rowed ashore in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods. Drake manned and
+armed the other boats.
+
+When they landed, it was found that a certain Englishman, called John
+Garret, of Plymouth, had lately been there. Some mariners who had been
+with Drake in his other voyages had shown him the place.
+
+Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast to a mighty, great tree,
+on which these words were engraved:--
+
+                            “CAPTAIN DRAKE.
+
+ “If you happen to come to this port, make haste away! for the
+ Spaniards which you had with you here, the last year, have betrayed
+ this place, and taken away all you left here. I depart from hence this
+ present day of July, 1572.--Your very loving friend,
+
+                                      “JOHN GARRET.”
+
+The smoke came from a fire which Garret and his company had made before
+they went. It had been burning for at least five days before Drake’s
+arrival. Drake had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,” made in
+Plymouth, and stored on board ship in pieces. He intended to put them
+together in this place. So the ships were anchored, and the place
+simply but strongly fortified with great logs.
+
+Next day an English boat appeared. The captain was James Rance, and he
+had thirty men, some of whom had been with Drake the year before. They
+brought with them a Spanish _caravel_, or merchant ship, which they had
+taken the day before, and a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.
+In seven days the pinnaces were set up and furnished out of the ships.
+Some negroes on a neighbouring island told them that the townsfolk of
+Nombre de Dios were in great fear of the _Cimaroons_, or “Maroons,” as
+our sailors called them. They had attacked the town of Nombre de Dios,
+and the Governor of Panama was to send soldiers to defend it. These
+were negroes who had fled some eighty years before from the cruelty of
+the Spaniards. They had married Indian women, and had grown into a
+strong fighting tribe, who had two kings of their own, and lived, one
+on the east, and one on the west, of the road from Nombre de Dios to
+Panama. This was the road by which all the gold and silver from the
+mines of Peru was sent to the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped for
+Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.
+
+Drake hastened his plans. Three ships and the _caravel_ were left with
+Captain Rance. He chose seventy-three men for the three pinnaces (the
+fourth was that taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of arms, and two
+drums and a trumpet. The men were drilled and given their weapons and
+arms, which had been kept up till then “very fair and safe in good
+casks.” Drake encouraged them to the attack. In the afternoon they set
+sail for Nombre de Dios, and were very near before sunset. They lay
+there under the shore, out of sight of the watch, till dark. Then they
+rowed near shore as quietly as possible, and waited for the dawn.
+
+But Drake found the men were getting nervous, so when the moon rose “he
+thought it best to persuade them it was day dawning,” and the men had
+not time to get afraid, for they got there at three in the morning.
+They landed with no difficulty. But the noise of bells and drums and
+shouting soon told them that the town was awake and alarmed. Twelve
+men were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure a safe retreat. Drake’s
+brother, with John Oxenham and sixteen other men, went round behind the
+King’s Treasure-house, and entered the eastern end of the market-place.
+Drake, with the rest, passed up the broad street into the market-place,
+with sound of drum and trumpets. They used fire-pikes, or long poles
+with metal points, to which torches of blazing tow were fastened, and
+served both to frighten the enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could
+see quite well by them. The terrified townsfolk imagined an army was
+marching upon them.
+
+After a sharp fight in the market-place the Spaniards fled. Two or
+three of them were captured, and commanded to show Drake the Governor’s
+house. But he found that only silver was kept there; gold, pearls, and
+jewels being carried to the King’s Treasure-house, not far off.
+
+“This house was very strongly built of lime and stone for safe keeping
+of the treasure. At the Governor’s house we found the great door open
+where the mules are generally unladen. A candle stood lighted on the
+top of the stairs, and a fair horse was saddled ready for the Governor
+himself, or for one of his household. By this light we saw a huge heap
+of silver in the lower room. It was a pile of bars of silver.
+
+“At this sight our Captain commanded straightly that none of us should
+touch a bar of silver. We must stand to our weapons, because the town
+was full of people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house, near the
+waterside, more gold and jewels than all our pinnaces could carry. This
+we could presently try to break open, though they thought it so strong.
+
+“But now a report was brought by some of our men that our pinnaces were
+in danger to be taken, and that we had better get aboard before day.
+This report was learnt through a negro named Diego, who had begged to
+be taken on board our ships when we first came. Our Captain sent his
+brother and John Oxenham to learn the truth. They found the men much
+frightened, for they saw great troops of armed townsfolk and soldiers
+running up and down. Presently, too, a mighty shower of rain fell, with
+a terrible storm of thunder and lightning. It came down violently, as
+it does in these countries. Before we could reach the shelter at the
+western end of the King’s Treasure-house, some of our bowstrings were
+wet, and some of our match and powder hurt.
+
+“Our men began to mutter about the forces of the town. But our Captain,
+hearing, told them: ‘He had brought them to the mouth of the treasure
+of the world; if they went without it, they might blame nobody but
+themselves afterwards.’
+
+“So soon as the fury of the storm was spent, he gave his men no time
+to consider their doubts, nor the enemy no time to gather themselves
+together. He stepped forward and commanded his brother and John Oxenham
+to break the King’s Treasure-house. The rest, with him, were to hold
+the market-place till the business was done.
+
+[Illustration: Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios]
+
+“But as he stepped forward his strength and sight and speech failed
+him, and he began to faint for loss of blood. And we saw it had
+flowed in great quantities upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.
+He had got it in the first encounter, but though he felt some pain he
+would not make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed it against his
+will. He saw that some of the men, having already got many good things,
+would seize any chance to escape further danger. But the blood that
+filled our very footprints greatly dismayed our company, who could not
+believe that one man could lose so much blood, and live.
+
+“Even those who were willing to risk more for so good a booty would in
+no case risk their Captain’s life. So they gave him something to drink
+to recover him, and bound his scarf about his leg to stop the blood.
+They also entreated him to be content to go aboard with them, there to
+have his wound searched and dressed, and then to return on shore again
+if he thought good.
+
+“This they could by no means persuade him to, so they joined force
+with fair entreaty, and bore him aboard his pinnace. Thus they gave
+up a rich spoil only to save their Captain’s life, being sure that,
+while they enjoyed his presence and had him to command them, they might
+recover enough of wealth. But if once they lost him they should hardly
+be able to get home again. No, nor keep that they had got already.
+Thus we embarked by break of day, having besides our Captain, many of
+our men wounded, though none slain but one trumpeter. And though our
+surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies and salves for their
+wounds, yet the main care of the Captain was respected by all the rest.
+
+“Before we left the harbour, we took with little trouble the ship of
+wine for the greater comfort of our company. And though they shot at
+us from the town we carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals. Here we
+cured our wounded men, and refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens
+which we found there abounding with great store of dainty roots and
+fruits. There was also great plenty of poultry and other fowls, no less
+strange than delicate.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+FORT DIEGO
+
+
+After the return to the ship Captain Rance departed. But Drake had a
+new plan in his head; he meant to attack Cartagena, the capital of
+the Spanish Main. Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they found
+that the townsfolk had been warned that Frenchmen and Englishmen were
+about. Drake took possession of a large ship that was outward bound.
+But the townsfolk, hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their bells,
+fired their cannon, and got all their soldiers out. Next morning
+Drake took two more ships near the harbour, one of which was bound to
+Cartagena with a letter of warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake sent
+his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so ended his first attempt upon
+Cartagena.
+
+He saw that the coasts were aware of his presence. Yet he did not
+want to go away till he had discovered the Maroons; for his faithful
+negro, Diego, had told him that they were friendly to him as the
+enemy of Spain. This search might take time, and must be done in the
+smaller boats, which were swifter and could explore the rivers. He had
+not enough of men both to sail the boats and the pinnaces; so he now
+decided to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse of the other.
+In this way his pinnaces would be properly manned, and he could stay
+as long as he liked. This was accordingly done. For fifteen days the
+big ship lay hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the Spaniards think
+they had left the coast. Here Drake kept the men busy trimming and
+cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the ground, and building huts. Diego
+the negro was a very good builder, and knew the ways of the country
+well. The men played, too, at bowls and quoits, and shooting with
+arrows at targets. The smiths had brought forges from England and set
+them up. Every now and again the pinnaces crept out to sea to plunder
+passing ships. Much food was put away in different storehouses to
+serve till they had “made their voyage,” as they said, or “made their
+fortunes,” as we should say.
+
+Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe harbour, they moved to a new
+place, which they fortified and called Fort Diego. They now prepared to
+wait five months, because the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards
+carried no treasure by land during the rainy months. They were not
+idle during these months, for the ship and fort were left in charge of
+John Drake, while Captain Drake and John Oxenham went roving in the
+pinnaces. They had many adventures, being in some peril in their small
+boats, and always at the mercy of the weather, while at one time they
+were almost starving. Some of the men got ill with the cold and died,
+for they had little shelter on board. When they got back to the ships
+they found all things in good order; but they received the heavy news
+of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s brother, a young man of great
+promise.
+
+“Our Captain then resolved to keep close and go no more to sea, but
+supplied his needs, both for his own company and the Maroons, out of
+his storehouse. Then ten of our company fell down sick of an unknown
+disease, and most of them died in a few days. Later, we had thirty
+men sick at one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake, another of his
+brothers, died in our Captain’s arms.
+
+“We now heard from the Maroons, who ranged the country up and down for
+us, to learn what they might for us, that the fleet had arrived from
+Spain in Nombre de Dios. The Captain prepared to make his journey by
+land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon the charge of the ship and company
+and the Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised by the Maroons what
+provisions to prepare for the long and great journey, what kind of
+weapons, what store of victuals, and what kind of clothes. He was to
+take as many shoes as possible, because they had to pass so many rivers
+with stone and gravel. Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few were
+left to keep the ship, attend the sick, and guard the prisoners.
+
+“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February the third. At his departure
+our Captain gave this Master strict charge, in any case not to trust
+any messenger that should come in his name with any tokens, unless
+he brought his handwriting. This he knew could not be copied by the
+Maroons or the Spaniards.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS
+
+
+There were forty-eight men of the party, of whom eighteen only were
+English. The Maroons carried arms and food, and got more food with
+their arrows from time to time. Every day they began to march by
+sunrise, and rested in the heat of the day in shelters made by the
+Maroons. The third day they came to a little town or village of the
+Maroons, which was much admired by the sailors for its beauty and
+cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says the story, “they have no kind
+of priests, only they held the Cross in great awe. But by our Captain’s
+persuasions, they were contented to leave their crosses and to learn
+the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught something of God’s worship.”
+
+They begged Drake to stay with them some days, but he had to hasten
+on. Four of the best guides amongst the Maroons marched on ahead, and
+broke boughs to show the path to those that followed. All kept strict
+silence. The way lay through cool and pleasant woods.
+
+“We were much encouraged because we were told there was a great Tree
+about half way, from which we could see at once both the North Sea,
+from whence we came, and the South Sea, whither we were going.
+
+“The fourth day we came to the height of the desired hill, a very high
+hill, lying east and west like a ridge between the two seas. It was
+about ten of the clock. Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took our
+Captain by the hand, and prayed him to follow him if he wished to see
+at once two seas, which he had so greatly longed for.
+
+“Here was that goodly and great high Tree, in which they had cut
+and made various steps to get up near the top. Here they had made a
+convenient bower, where ten or twelve men might easily sit. And here
+we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the Atlantic Ocean, whence
+we now came, and the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired. South
+and north of the Tree they had felled certain trees that the prospect
+might be clearer.
+
+[Illustration: The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
+from the tree-top]
+
+“Our Captain went up to this bower, with the chief Maroon. He had,
+because of the breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day. And he saw
+that sea of which he had heard such golden reports. He prayed Almighty
+God, of His goodness, to give him life and leave to sail once in an
+English ship in that sea! Then he called up the rest of our men, and
+specially he told John Oxenham of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased
+God to grant him that happiness. He, understanding it, protested that,
+unless our Captain did beat him from his company, he would follow him,
+by God’s grace! Thus all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,
+came down, and after our repast continued our ordinary march through
+the woods.”
+
+The last part of the march was through high pampas grass. But now they
+began to get glimpses of Panama, and could at last see the ships in the
+harbour. Now the march had to be more secret and silent than ever, till
+at length they lay hidden in a grove near the high road from Panama to
+Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon was despatched, clothed as a negro
+of Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the town and learn when the
+treasure was to be taken from the King’s Treasure-house in Panama to
+Nombre de Dios. This journey to Venta Cruz was always made by night,
+because of the heat and toil of walking through the pampas grass. But
+from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they travelled always by day and not
+by night, because the way lay through fresh, cool woods. The mules were
+tied together in long trains, and guarded, if possible, by soldiers,
+for fear of the Maroons.
+
+The spy brought back news in the afternoon that a certain great man
+intended to go to Spain by the first ship, and was going that night
+towards Nombre de Dios with his daughter and family. He had fourteen
+mules, of which eight were laden with gold and one with jewels. There
+were also two other trains of fifty mules each, mostly laden with food,
+and with a little silver, which were to come out that night also. Upon
+hearing this they marched until they came to within two leagues of
+Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with half his men on one side of the
+way, about fifty paces off, in the long grass. John Oxenham, with
+the captain of the Maroons and the other half of the men, lay on the
+other side of the road at the same distance. In about half-an-hour’s
+time they could hear the mules both coming and going from Venta Cruz
+to Panama, where trade was lively when the fleet was there. The sound
+of the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore carried far in the
+still night. The men had been strictly charged not to stir or show
+themselves, but let all that come from Venta Cruz pass by quietly, for
+they knew the mules brought nothing but merchandise from there. But
+one of the men, called Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy without
+water,” and forgot himself, and with a Maroon went close to the road.
+
+“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz, well mounted, with his page
+running at his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look, though the
+Maroon, more cautious, pulled him down and tried to hide him. But by
+this time the gentleman had noticed that one half of him was white, for
+we had all put our shirts over our other clothing that we might be sure
+to know our own men in the pell-mell in the night. The cavalier put
+spurs to his horse, and rode away at a gallop to warn others.
+
+“The ground was hard and the night was still, and our Captain heard
+this gentleman’s trot change to a gallop. He suspected that we were
+discovered, but could not imagine by whose fault, nor had he time to
+search. The gentleman, as we heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,
+who, fearing Captain Drake had come to look for treasure on land,
+turned his train of mules aside from the way, and let the others which
+were coming pass on. Thus, by the recklessness of one of our company,
+and by the carefulness of that traveller, we were disappointed of a
+most rich booty. But we thought that God would not let it be taken, for
+likely it was well gotten by that Treasurer.
+
+“The other two mule trains, which came behind that of the Treasurer,
+were no sooner come up to us than we stayed and seized on them. One of
+the chief carriers, a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by what
+means we were discovered, and counselled us to shift for ourselves
+betimes, for we should encounter the whole force of the city and
+country before day would be about us.”
+
+Drake and his men were little pleased at the loss of their golden
+mule-trains, for they had only taken two horse-loads of silver. It was
+the more provoking that they had been betrayed by one of their own men.
+There was no help for it, and Drake never “grieved at things past,” so
+they decided to march back the nearest way. Pedro, the chief of the
+Maroons, said he “would rather die at Drake’s foot than leave him to
+his enemies.” When they got near Venta Cruz, they turned back the mules
+with their drivers. Outside the town the soldiers met them, and a fight
+took place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.
+
+“The soldiers shot off their whole volley, which, though it lightly
+wounded our Captain and several of our men, caused death to one only
+of our company, who was so powdered with hail-shot that we could not
+recover his life, though he continued all that day afterwards with us.
+Presently, as our Captain perceived their shot to come slacking, like
+the last drops of a great shower of rain, he gave his usual signal with
+his whistle, to answer them with our shot and arrows.
+
+“The Maroons had stept aside at first for terror of the shot. But
+seeing that we marched onwards they all rushed forward, one after
+the other, with their arrows ready in their bows, and their manner of
+country dance or leap, ever singing, _Yo Pehò! Yo Pehò!_ and so got
+before us. They then continued their leap and song, after the manner of
+their country wars, till they and we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,
+now thoroughly encouraged, when they saw our resolution, broke in
+through the thickets near the town’s end, and forced the enemy to fly.
+Several of our men were wounded, and one Maroon was run through with
+one of their pikes, but his courage and mind served him so well that he
+revenged his own death ere he died, by giving him that deadly wound.”
+
+So they entered the town, and stayed there some hours for rest and
+refreshment, and the Maroons were allowed to carry away some plunder.
+At sunrise they marched away, for they had been gone from the ship
+nearly a fortnight, and had left the company weak and sickly. Drake
+marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary and disappointed men with
+brave promises, but in the hurried march they had often to go hungry.
+Three leagues from the port the Maroons had built a camp or village
+while they were away, and here they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had
+been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed he was the more willing to
+consent, that our want of shoes might be supplied by the Maroons, who
+were a great help to us. For all our men complained of the tenderness
+of their feet, and our Captain himself would join in their complaint,
+sometimes without cause, but sometimes with cause indeed, which made
+the rest to bear the burden more easily. These Maroons did us good
+service all the time they were with us. They were our spies on the
+journey, our guides, our hunters, and our house-wrights, and had
+indeed able and strong bodies for carrying our necessities. Yea, many
+times when some of our company fainted with sickness of weariness, two
+Maroons would carry him with ease between them, two miles together;
+and at other times, when need was, they would show themselves no less
+valiant than industrious, and of good judgment.
+
+“From this town our Captain despatched a Maroon with a token and a
+certain order to the master. He, all those weeks, kept good watch
+against the enemy, and shifted in the woods for fresh food, for the
+relief and recovery of our men left on board.”
+
+When the messenger reached the shore he hailed those on the ship, who
+quickly fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s token, the golden
+toothpick, and gave the message, which was to tell the master to meet
+him at a certain river. When the master looked at the toothpick, he saw
+written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.” Then he believed the messenger,
+and prepared what provision he had, and repaired to the mouth of the
+river. About three o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace, and
+there was double rejoicing. The wanderers seemed strangely changed in
+face and plight to those who had lived in rest and plenty on board
+ship. Drake, indeed, was less so than the others. The fasting and hard
+marches had done much, but still more “their inward grief, for that
+they returned without that golden treasure they hoped for, did show her
+print and footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was determined to repeat
+the attempt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+HOME AGAIN
+
+
+Drake well knew that delay and idleness would soon spoil the spirits
+of his men, so he at once divided them into two companies, under
+himself and John Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces in different
+directions and seek for food and plunder. Some of the Maroons were
+dismissed with gifts, and the rest remained with a few men on board
+ship. The Governor of Panama had warned the towns so well that it was
+useless to attempt them at present. Drake, in the _Minion_, took a
+frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat lighter, to go on its way.
+John Oxenham, in the _Bear_, took a frigate well laden with food of all
+kinds. Drake was so pleased with this ship, which was strong and new
+and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war in place of the sunken
+ship. And the company were heartened with a feast and much good cheer
+that Easter Day.
+
+Next day the pinnaces met with a French captain out of Newhaven, whose
+ship was greatly distressed for want of food and water. Drake relieved
+him, and the captains exchanged gifts and compliments. The French
+captain sent Drake “a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged to Henry
+the Third of France, and had in return a chain of gold and a tablet.
+This captain brought them the news of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s
+Day, and said he thought “those Frenchmen the happiest who were
+furthest from France, now no longer France but Frenzy.” He had heard
+famous reports of their riches, and wanted to know how he also could
+“make his voyage.” They resolved, after consultation, to take him and
+twenty of his men to serve for halves. They now sent for the Maroons.
+
+A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen, fifteen Englishmen, and some
+Maroons. They sailed with a frigate and two pinnaces towards a river
+called Rio Francisco, to the west of Nombre de Dios. There was not
+enough water to sail the frigate, so she was left in charge of a
+mariner to await the return of the pinnaces. They went on, and landed
+both captains with their force. Those in charge of the pinnaces were
+ordered to be there the fourth day without fail. The land party went on
+through the woods towards the high road from Panama to Nombre de Dios,
+where the mules now went daily. They marched, as before, in silence.
+They stayed all night a mile from the road, in great stillness, and
+refreshed themselves. They could hear the carpenters working on their
+ships, which they did at nights because of the fierce heat of the day.
+Next morning, the 1st of April, they heard such a number of bells that
+the Maroons rejoiced exceedingly, and assured them they should now have
+more gold and silver than they could carry away. And so it came to pass.
+
+For three trains appeared, one of fifty mules and two of seventy each,
+and every mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver, amounting to nearly
+30 tons. The leaders of the mules were taken by the heads, and all the
+rest lay down, as they always do. The fifteen soldiers who guarded each
+train were routed, but not before they had wounded the French captain
+sorely, and slain one of the Maroons. They took what silver and gold
+they could carry, and buried the rest in the burrows made in the earth
+by the great land crabs under old fallen trees, and in the sand and
+gravel of a shallow river.
+
+After two hours they marched back through the woods, but had to leave
+the French captain to rest and recover from his wound. Two of his men
+willingly stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman was found to be
+missing. He had got drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder, and
+lost himself in the woods. They afterwards found he was taken by the
+Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture, revealed to them where the
+treasure was hidden.
+
+When they reached the river’s mouth, they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at
+sea, which had come out to search the coasts. This made them fear their
+own pinnaces were taken. But a storm in the night forced the Spaniards
+to go home, and also delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind was so
+contrary and so strong that they could only get half way. For this
+reason they had fortunately been unseen by the Spaniards.
+
+“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared lest they had taken our
+pinnaces, and compelled our men by torture to confess where his ships
+and frigate were. In this great doubt and perplexity the company
+feared that all means of returning to their country were cut off, and
+that their treasure would then serve them to small purpose. But our
+Captain comforted and encouraged us all, saying: ‘We should venture no
+further than he did. It was no time now to fear, but rather to haste to
+prevent that which was feared. If the enemy have prevailed against our
+pinnaces (which God forbid!), yet they must have time to search them,
+time to examine the mariners, time to execute their resolution after
+it is determined. Before all those times be taken, we may get to our
+ships, if ye will, though not possibly by land, because of the hills,
+thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us, therefore, make a raft with
+the trees that are here in readiness, as offering themselves, being
+brought down to the river happily by this last storm, and let us put
+ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will be the other?’
+
+“John Smith offered himself, and two Frenchmen that could swim very
+well desired they might accompany our Captain, as did the Maroons
+likewise. They had prayed our Captain very earnestly to march by land,
+though it was a sixteen-days’ journey, in case the ship had been
+surprised, that he might abide with them always. Pedro was most eager
+in this, who was fain to be left behind because he could not row.
+
+“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a sail of a biscuit-sack was
+prepared; an oar was shaped out of a young tree to serve instead of a
+rudder, to direct their course before the wind.
+
+“At his departure, our Captain comforted the company by promising
+‘that, if it pleased God he should put his foot in safety on board his
+frigate, he would, by one means or other, get them all on board, in
+spite of all the Spaniards in the Indies!’
+
+“In this manner pulling off to sea, he sailed some three leagues,
+sitting up to the waist continually in water, and up to the armpits at
+every surge of the waves, for the space of six hours upon this raft.
+And what with the parching of the sun and what with the beating of salt
+water, they had all of them their skins much fretted away.
+
+“At length God gave them the sight of two pinnaces turning towards
+them with much wind, but with far greater joy to him than can easily
+be guessed. So he did cheerfully declare to those three with him, that
+‘they were our pinnaces! and that all was safe, so there was no cause
+of fear!’
+
+“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the raft, nor suspecting any such
+matter, by reason of the wind, and night growing on, were forced to
+run into a cove behind the point, to take shelter for the night. Our
+Captain seeing this, and gathering that they would anchor there, put
+his raft ashore, and ran round the point by land, where he found them.
+They, upon sight of him, made as much haste as they could to take him
+and his company on board. For our Captain, on purpose to see what haste
+they could and would make in extremity, himself ran in great haste, and
+so made the other three with him, as if they had been chased by the
+enemy. And so those on board suspected, because they saw so few with
+him.
+
+“And after his coming on board, when they demanded ‘how his company
+did?’ he answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that all went scarce
+well. But he, willing to rid all doubts, and fill them with joy, took
+out of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God that ‘our voyage was
+made!’”
+
+They then rowed up the river and rescued the others, and brought back
+such of the treasure as they had been able to carry with them, and
+all returned to the ships by dawn. There Drake divided the treasure
+equally by weight between the French and the English. During the next
+fortnight everything was set in order, and the _Pascha_ given to the
+Spanish prisoners to go home in. Meanwhile a party was sent out to try
+and rescue the French captain and to seek for the buried treasure. One
+only of the Frenchmen managed to escape and was saved. Much of the
+treasure had been discovered by the Spaniards, but not all, and the
+party returned very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver and a few
+quoits of gold. The Frenchmen now left them, having got their shares of
+the treasure. The ships parted when passing close by Cartagena, which
+they did in the sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St. George on
+the main top of the frigate, with silk streamers and ancients (national
+flags) down to the water.”
+
+Later on they anchored to trim and rig the frigates and stow away the
+provisions, and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so that the Maroons
+might have the ironwork. One of the last days Drake desired Pedro and
+three of the chief Maroons to go through both his frigates and see what
+they liked. He promised to give them whatever they asked, unless he
+could not get back to England without it. But Pedro set his heart on
+the scimitar which the French captain had given to Drake; and knowing
+Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for it or praise it. But at
+last he bribed one of the company to ask for him, with a fine quoit of
+gold, and promised to give four others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but
+he wished to please Pedro, who deserved so well, so he gave it to him
+with many good words. Pedro received it with no little joy, and asked
+Drake to accept the four pieces of gold, as a token of his thankfulness
+and a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He received it
+graciously, but did not keep it for himself but caused it to be cast
+into the whole adventure, saying that “if he had not been helped to
+that place he would never have got such a thing, and it was only just
+that those who shared his burden in setting him to sea should enjoy a
+share of the benefits.”
+
+“Thus with good love and liking, we took our leave of that people. We
+took many ships during our abode in those parts, yet never burnt nor
+sunk any, unless they acted as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap
+us. And of all the men taken in those vessels, we never offered any
+kind of violence to any, after they were once come into our power. For
+we either dismissed them in safety, or kept them with us some longer
+time. If so, we provided for them as for ourselves, and secured them
+from the rage of the Maroons against them, till at last, the danger of
+their discovering where our ships lay being past, for which cause only
+we kept them prisoners, we set them also free.
+
+“We now intended to sail home the directest and speediest way, and this
+we happily performed, even beyond our own expectations, and so arrived
+at Plymouth, on Sunday about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.
+
+“And the news of our Captain’s return being brought unto his people,
+did so speedily pass over all the church, and fill their minds with
+delight and desire to see him, that very few or none remained with the
+preacher. All hastened to see the evidence of God’s love and blessing
+towards our gracious Queen and country by the fruit of our Captain’s
+labour and success.
+
+                     “TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ROUND THE WORLD
+
+
+So we see that both of Drake’s ships, the _Pascha_ and the _Swan_, were
+left behind in the West Indies, and he made a quick voyage home in the
+well-built Spanish frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for two years
+after his return to Plymouth. There is a legend that he kept on the
+seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable and unwilling to go to
+war with the King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage the sort
+of warfare that Drake and the other rovers had so successfully carried
+on against him.
+
+Such companies of adventurers as these that sailed under Drake and
+Hawkins did a large part of the work of the navy in the time of
+Elizabeth. The country was saved the expense which private persons were
+willing to pay to furnish the ships. The Queen herself is known to
+have shared in the expenses and plunder of some such expeditions, and
+so she thriftily laid up treasure in England’s empty money-chests. But
+some of her older councillors disliked exceedingly this way of getting
+rich, and would rather it had been done openly in war, or not at all.
+
+To Drake it seems to have been a very simple affair. He wished, in the
+first place, as the old book says, “to lick himself whole of the damage
+he had received from the Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion to
+the Spaniards, but not to the French or to the natives of the West
+Indies. And Drake considered his own cause so just that he never made
+a secret of his doings. He went at his own risk, for should he be
+taken by the enemy his country had no power to protect him, as she was
+not openly at war with Spain. But, on the other hand, he was secretly
+encouraged, and his gains were immense.
+
+In the second place, Drake wished to attack and injure the Roman
+Catholic faith whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen had told
+him that this was a lawful aim. How earnestly he believed it we can
+see from the story, where he tried to persuade the Maroons to “leave
+their crosses,” which to him were the sign of the hated religion. The
+terrible tale of the massacre of the Protestants on St. Bartholomew’s
+Day told him by the French captain (who himself fell into the hands of
+the Spaniards, as we have seen), must have inflamed this feeling in
+his soul and in those of his men. It made them more eager than ever to
+fight the enemies of their own faith.
+
+Then, too, the Spaniards founded their rights to own the New World
+upon a grant from one of the Popes; and the English, now no longer
+Catholics, denied his power to give it, and claimed the right for
+themselves to explore and conquer and keep what share they could get.
+
+The King of Spain looked upon Drake as a pirate, but he could not find
+out how far he had been secretly encouraged by Elizabeth, and Drake
+was not punished, in spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But he was
+prevented from sailing away again on a voyage of discovery, though his
+friends and brothers went, and among them John Oxenham, who was hanged
+as a pirate by the Spaniards because he had no commission or formal
+leave from the Queen or the Government to trade in the West Indies.
+
+During this interval Drake took service in Ireland, under the Earl of
+Essex, furnishing his own ships, “and doing excellent service both by
+sea and land at the winning of divers strong forts.” The work he took
+a part in was as harsh and cruel as any that was ever done by fire and
+sword to make Ireland more desolate. Here he met Thomas Doughty, one of
+the household of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier, who became
+his friend, and sailed with him on his next voyage.
+
+The story of this voyage is told under the name of “The World
+Encompassed,” and in it Drake is said “to have turned up a furrow about
+the whole world.” In 1520 Magellan had discovered the passage south of
+America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, since called by his
+name. Many adventurers had tried to follow him, but all their efforts
+had ended in disaster, and the Straits had an uncanny name among
+sailors, and “were counted so terrible in those days that the very
+thoughts of attempting them were dreadful.”
+
+Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships--the _Pelican_, which was
+his flagship, the _Elizabeth_, the _Marigold_, the _Swan_, and the
+_Christopher_. They took a hundred and sixty men and plentiful
+provisions and stores for the long and dangerous voyage. They also took
+pinnaces which could be set up when wanted. Nor did Drake forget to
+“make provision for ornament and delight, carrying to this purpose with
+him expert musicians, rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,
+yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being of pure silver).”
+
+They started on November 15, 1577, but were forced by a gale to put
+back into Plymouth for repairs, and started out again on December 13.
+The sailors were not told the real aim of the voyage, which was to
+“sail upon those seas greatly longed for.” They were too full of fears
+and fancies. The unknown was haunted in their minds with devils and
+hurtful spirits, and in those days people still believed in magic.
+
+They picked up several prizes on their way out, notably a large
+Portuguese ship, whose cargo of wine and food was valuable to the
+English ships. Drake sent the passengers and crew on shore, but kept
+the pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account of the voyage, and
+was most useful, as he knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s main
+cares on this voyage, we are told, was to keep the fleet together as
+much as possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh the men, “wearied
+with long toils at sea,” as often as possible. He decided to lessen
+the number of the ships, for “fewer ships keep better company,” and he
+looked for a harbour to anchor in.
+
+“Our General,” says the book, “especially in matters of moment, was
+never one to rely only on other men’s care, how trusty or skilful
+soever they might seem to be. But always scorning danger, and refusing
+no toil, he was wont himself to be one, whosoever was a second, at
+every turn, where courage, skill, or industry was to be employed.
+Neither would he at any time entrust the discovery of these dangers to
+another’s pains, but rather to his own experience in searching out and
+sounding of them.”
+
+So in this case Drake himself went out in the boat and rowed into the
+bay. The _Swan_, the _Christopher_, and the prize were sacrificed,
+their stores being used for the other ships.
+
+On the 20th of June they anchored in a very good harbour, called by
+Magellan Port St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the land, and in
+this place Magellan is supposed to have executed some disobedient and
+rebellious men of his company. In this port Drake began to “inquire
+diligently into the actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and found them
+not to be such as he looked for.”
+
+(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill Drake or desert him, and take
+his place as commander, or at any rate to force him to go back, to the
+ruin of the voyage.)
+
+“Whereupon the company was called together, and the particulars of the
+cause made known to them, which were found partly by Master Doughty’s
+own confession, and partly by the evidence of the fact, to be true.
+Which when our General saw, although his private affection to Master
+Doughty (as he then in the presence of us all sacredly protested)
+was great; yet the care he had of the state of the voyage, of the
+expectation of her Majesty, and of the honour of his country, did more
+touch him (as indeed it ought) than the private respect of one man. So
+that the cause being thoroughly heard, and all things done in good
+order, as near as might be to the course of our laws in England, it was
+concluded that Master Doughty should receive punishment according to
+the quality of the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but patience for
+himself, desired before his death to receive the Communion, which he
+did, at the hands of our minister, and our General himself accompanied
+him in that holy action....
+
+“And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table
+together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had
+done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by
+drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.
+
+“And the place of execution being ready, he having embraced our
+General, and taken his leave of all the company, with prayer for
+the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet sort laid his head to
+the block, where he ended his life. This being done, our General
+made various speeches to the whole company, persuading us to unity,
+obedience, love and regard of our voyage. And to help us to this,
+he willed every man the next Sunday following to prepare himself to
+receive the Communion, as Christian brethren and friends ought to do,
+which was done in very reverent sort, and so with good contentment
+every man went about his business.”
+
+On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still continued, Drake ordered
+the whole ships’ companies ashore. They all went into a large tent, and
+the minister offered to make a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”
+said Drake, “I must preach this day myself, although I have small skill
+in preaching.... I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing up hath not
+been in learning.”
+
+He then told them that for what he was going to say he would answer
+in England and before her Majesty. He and his men were far away from
+their country and friends, and discords and mutiny had grown up among
+them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it doth take my wits from
+me to think on it. Here is such quarrels between the sailors and the
+gentlemen as it doth make me mad to hear it. But, my masters, I must
+have it left [off], for I must have the gentleman to haul and draw with
+the mariner, and the mariner with the gentleman. What, let us show
+ourselves all to be of a company, and let us not give occasion to the
+enemy to rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would know him that
+would refuse to set his hand to a rope, but I know there is not any
+such here....”
+
+He then offered to send any home that liked in the _Marigold_, a
+well-furnished ship; “but let them take heed that they go homeward, for
+if I find them in my way I will surely sink them, therefore you shall
+have time to consider here until to-morrow; for by my troth I must
+needs be plain with you now.”
+
+“Yet the voice was that none would return, they would all take such
+part as he did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,” they were told
+to forget the past, and “wishing all men to be friends, he willed them
+to depart about their business.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ROUND THE WORLD (_continued_)
+
+
+On the 20th of August the three ships entered the Straits of Magellan.
+Before the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of black stars,” of Cape
+Virgins, at the entrance against which the beating seas looked like
+whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the Queen. The name of the
+_Pelican_ also was changed to the _Golden Hind_ in remembrance of
+Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher Hatton, whose crest was
+a golden hind. In sixteen days they reached the “South Sea,” Drake
+himself having rowed on ahead of the fleet with some of his gentlemen
+to find out the passage. He had meant to land, and leave “a monument of
+her Majesty graven in metal,” which he had brought with him for that
+purpose, but there was no anchoring, as the wind did not let them stay;
+for a fearful storm arose and separated the ships, and threatened to
+send them all to the bottom of the sea. The _Marigold_, indeed, went
+down with all hands, and the _Elizabeth_, “partly by the negligence of
+those that had charge of her, partly through a kind of desire that some
+in her had to be out of all those troubles and to be at home again,
+returned back the same way by which they came forward, and so coasting
+Brazil, they arrived in England on June 2nd the year following.” So
+that now, as the story quaintly says, the other ship, if she had been
+still called the _Pelican_, would indeed have been a pelican alone in
+the wilderness. Never did they think there had been such a storm “since
+Noah’s Flood,” for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was driven south
+of the continent of America. At this time it was generally believed
+that another great continent stretched to the south of the Straits,
+which was called the unknown land, “wherein many strange monsters
+lived.” And now, when Drake had discovered this idea to be false,
+their troubles ended for the time, the storm ceased, but they were in
+great grief for the loss of their friends, and still hoped to meet the
+missing ships again.
+
+They sailed northwards along the coast of America till they landed
+on an island to get water. Here they were treacherously attacked by
+Indians, who took them to be the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who
+were in the boat were all wounded, and Drake’s faithful servant, Diego
+the negro, died of his wounds, and one other. Drake himself was shot in
+the face under the right eye, and badly wounded in the head. They were
+in the worst case, because the chief doctor was dead, and the other in
+the _Elizabeth_. There was none left them but a boy, “whose goodwill
+was more than any skill he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and “the
+putting to of every man’s help,” all were cured in the end.
+
+They sailed on, and having picked up a friendly Indian who served as
+a pilot, they reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship which was
+lying in the harbour was seized, and then the town and the Spaniards
+discovered that Drake had reached the shores of the Pacific. On the
+coast the ship was trimmed and the pinnace put together, in which Drake
+himself set out to search the creeks and inlets where the ship could
+not sail. Grief for the absence of their friends still remained with
+them. Still searching for the lost ships, they sailed northwards on
+to Lima, where they got the news that a great Spanish ship had sailed
+from there a fortnight before, laden with treasure. Drake at once gave
+chase, hoping to take her before she reached Panama. The first man who
+sighted her was promised a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken and
+captured off Cape San Francisco. She was “the great glory of the South
+Sea,” and laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all of which the
+English took. After six days the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat
+lighter than before,” to Panama. To the master of the ship, Saint
+Juan de Anton, he gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with the
+missing English ships.
+
+“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth God that you should chance to
+meet with this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you use him well,
+according to my word and promise given unto them. And if you want
+anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you pay
+them double the value for it, which I will satisfy again, and command
+your men not to do any hurt; desiring you, for the Passion of Christ,
+if you fall into any danger, that you will not despair of God’s mercy,
+for He will defend you and preserve you from all danger, and bring us
+to our desired haven, to whom be all honour, glory, and praise for
+ever and ever. Amen.--Your sorrowful Captain, whose heart is heavy for
+you,--FRANCIS DRAKE.”
+
+The next prizes captured yielded treasure of a different kind, though
+equally precious. These were some charts with sailing directions,
+taken from two China pilots. The owner of the next large Spanish ship
+captured by Drake has left an interesting account of him.
+
+He says that “the English General is the same who took Nombre de Dios
+five years ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and his name is Francis
+Drake. He is about thirty-five years of age, of small size, with a
+reddish beard, and is one of the greatest sailors that exist, both
+from his skill and his power of commanding. His ship is of near four
+hundred tons, sails well, and has a hundred men all in the prime of
+life, and as well trained for war as if they had been old soldiers of
+Italy. Each one is specially careful to keep his arms clean. He treats
+them with affection and they him with respect. He has with him nine
+or ten gentlemen, younger sons of the leading men in England, who form
+his council. He calls them together on every occasion and hears what
+they have to say, but he is not bound by their advice, though he may
+be guided by it. He has no privacy; those of whom I speak all dine
+at his table, as well as a Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from
+England, but who never spoke a word while I was on board. The service
+is of silver, richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He has, too,
+all possible luxuries, even to perfumes, many of which he told me were
+given him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen sits down or puts on
+his hat in his presence without repeated permission. He dines and sups
+to the music of violins. His ship carries thirty large guns and a great
+quantity of ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can do necessary
+repairs. He has two artists who portray the coast in its own colours,
+a thing which troubled me much to see, because everything is put so
+naturally that any one following him will have no difficulty.”
+
+Drake wished to find his way home by the north of America into the
+Atlantic. But in this he was not successful, for the weather was very
+severe, and tried the men too much; meanwhile, they found a convenient
+haven in a little bay above the harbour of San Francisco, and now known
+as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a month, repairing a leak in the
+ship and refreshing the men. They then set sail, and saw nothing but
+air and sea for sixty-eight days, till they reached some islands. These
+they named the “Islands of Thieves,” on account of the behaviour of the
+natives. In November they came to the islands of the Moluccas, where
+Drake had a splendid reception.
+
+They then sailed on till they arrived at a little island, which they
+called the “Island of Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and set up
+forges to repair the ironwork of the ship and the iron-hooped casks.
+Those that were sickly soon grew well and strong in this happy island.
+
+On the 9th of January the ship ran aground on a dangerous shoal, and
+struck twice on it; “knocking twice at the door of death, which no
+doubt had opened the third time.”
+
+Nothing but instant death was expected, and the whole ship’s company
+fell to praying. As soon as the prayers were said, Drake spoke to the
+men, telling them how they must think of their souls, and speaking of
+the joys of heaven “with comfortable speeches.” But he also encouraged
+them to bestir themselves, and he himself set the example, and got
+the pumps to work, and freed the ship of water. The ship was fast
+upon “hard and pinching rocks, and did tell us plain she expected
+continually her speedy despatch as soon as the sea and winds should
+come ... so that if we stay with her we must perish with her.” The
+other plan, of leaving her for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse than
+a thousand deaths.”
+
+After taking the Communion and listening to a sermon, they eased the
+ship by casting goods into the sea--“three ton of cloves, eight big
+guns, and certain meal and beans”; making, as an old writer says, a
+kind of gruel of the sea round about. After they had been in this state
+from eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next afternoon, all in a
+moment the wind changed, and “the happy gale drove them off the rocks
+again, and made of them glad men.”
+
+The rest of the homeward voyage was less adventurous, and on the 18th
+of June they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a most stately thing, and
+the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.”
+
+On the 26th of September they “safely, and with joyful minds and
+thankful hearts, arrived at Plymouth, having been away three years.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SIR FRANCIS
+
+
+It was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake returned from his three years’
+voyage. Wynter had brought the news home that Drake had entered the
+Straits of Magellan, but since then only vague rumours of his death at
+the hands of the Spaniards had reached England. Had he met such a fate,
+Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and his party at Court would not
+have been sorry; for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid a war
+with Spain.
+
+This was more to be dreaded than ever, as at the death of the King of
+Portugal Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions, and was
+now the most powerful prince in Europe, since he owned the splendid
+Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only warships for the protection
+of his treasure-ships, and they could not be spared. He was now known
+to be preparing, in his slow way, a great Armada.
+
+But Drake had not been hanged for a pirate, and this the Spaniards
+knew very well. They clamoured for the restoration of his plunder, or
+the forfeit of his life. At this time an army of Italian and Spanish
+soldiers, under the command of a famous Spanish officer, had been
+landed in Ireland to help the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against
+Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said to have been sent by the
+orders of the Pope. Finding the prospects of success too poor, the
+Spanish officer withdrew his men, and they escaped by sea; but the
+Italian soldiers, who numbered 600, were overpowered by the English,
+and all except a few officers, who could pay a ransom, were slaughtered
+in cold blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a secret blow in
+Elizabeth’s fashion was met by her with cruelty as relentless as his
+own; but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse for refusing to make an
+inquiry into Drake’s doings in the West.
+
+“The news of his home-coming in England was,” we are told, “by this
+his strange wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange, and of all men
+held impossible and incredible. But both proving true, it fortuned
+that many misliked it and reproached him. Besides all this there were
+others that devised and divulged” (made up and spread about) “all
+possible disgraces” (base charges) “against Drake and his followers,
+terming him the Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet nevertheless the
+people generally with exceeding admiration applauded his wonderful long
+adventures and rich prize.”
+
+Drake at once sent a message to tell the Queen of his return. He was
+told he had nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court. He took with
+him some horseloads of gold and silver and jewels. The Queen treated
+him with great favour, and refused to take the advice of Burghley and
+others, who wished to send the treasure back to Spain. Unlike them
+she took her share of the profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had
+brought for her. “But it grieved him not a little,” we are told, “that
+some prime courtiers refused the gold he offered them, as gotten by
+piracy.” He and his men had made golden fortunes.
+
+The Spanish Ambassador naturally “burned with passion” against Drake,
+and considered his presence at Court an insult to his king. “For he
+passes much time with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by whom he is
+highly favoured.”
+
+It was an insult Philip still felt himself unable to avenge. Elizabeth
+had made a fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best generals knew
+the difficulties of an attack on England thus strengthened. Besides,
+the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping, were his desperate enemies; for
+they were fighting for faith and country and freedom, and to do this
+makes bold soldiers. So Philip the prudent had to content himself with
+making plans for his great Armada.
+
+Meantime Drake sunned himself in the Court favour, and books and
+pictures and songs were made in his praise.
+
+The _Golden Hind_ was brought ashore at Deptford, and became a resort
+for sightseers. But in spite of much patching she became so old that
+she had to be broken up, and the last of her timbers were made into a
+chair, which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library. So the ship ends
+her days far away from the sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs
+that used to make merry and dance on her decks.
+
+[Illustration: SIR FRANCIS DRAKE]
+
+On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State visit to the ship, and
+ordered that it should be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was
+served on board, and there, before the eyes of hundreds of onlookers,
+Elizabeth knighted the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that the
+King of Spain had demanded Drake’s head, and now she had a gold sword
+to cut it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the Spaniards, who were
+still raging over their stolen treasure.
+
+But there were some not in Spain who also thirsted for revenge upon
+Drake. Thomas Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving foe. The case
+was never brought to Court or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote
+a letter in which he said “that when the Queen did knight Drake she did
+then knight the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the foulest thief,
+and the crudest murderer that ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him
+to try and murder Drake. We hear that he was put in prison, and we
+never hear of his release.
+
+In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth. In 1583 his wife died. He was
+then a member of Parliament. Two years later he married Mary Sydenham.
+He never had any children.
+
+The Queen now appointed Drake among others to inquire into the state
+of the navy; he was to see to the repairing of ships, to the building
+of new ones, and to the means of furnishing them with stores in case of
+sudden war. From this time onwards the thought of a Spanish invasion
+was a constant fear in the minds of the English people. But Philip
+was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling to be the first to begin a war.
+Elizabeth changed her mind and her plans in a way that must have
+been maddening to the men who did her work. One good result of her
+indecision was that England was better prepared for the invasion. In
+those long years of private warfare money had been gathering, and the
+navy made strong and ready for work. But for men of action, who like
+to make a plan and stick to it, and go through with it at all costs,
+Elizabeth’s delays and recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.
+
+In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English corn-ships trading in his own
+ports. Then, at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition against the
+Spanish settlements was got ready and sent out. He had about thirty
+ships, commanded by some of the most famous captains of the time, men
+like Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards fought against the
+Armada. His general of the soldiers was Christopher Carleill, “a man of
+long experience in wars both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards
+said to direct the service “most like a wise commander.” Drake’s ship
+was the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_.
+
+After a week spent in capturing ships, the fleet anchored at the Bayona
+Islands, off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona was forced to make terms.
+He sent “some refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes, and
+marmalade, and such like.” The people, filled with terror, were seen to
+remove their possessions into boats to go up the Vigo River, inland,
+for safety. Many of these were seized; most of them were loaded only
+with household stuff, but one contained the “church stuff of the high
+church of Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair embossed work
+and double-gilt all over, having cost them a great mass of money.”
+
+The fleet now went on its way by the Canary Islands. When Santiago was
+reached, Carleill landed with a thousand troops and took possession
+of the fortress and the town, for both had been forsaken. Here they
+planted the great flag, “which had nothing on it but the plain English
+cross; and it was placed towards the sea, that our fleet might see St.
+George’s Cross flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were found ready
+loaded in various places about the town, and orders were given that
+these should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s Majesty’s Coronation
+day, being the 17th of November, after the yearly custom in England.
+These were so answered again by the guns out of all the ships in the
+fleet, as it was strange to hear such a thundering noise last so long
+together.” No treasure was taken at Santiago, but there was food and
+wine. The town was given to the flames in revenge for wrongs done to
+old William Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.
+
+They had not been many days at sea before a mortal sickness suddenly
+broke out among the men. They anchored off some islands, where the
+Indians treated them very kindly, carried fresh water to the ships, and
+gave them food and tobacco. The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used
+against the infection of the mysterious sickness which was killing the
+men by hundreds. They passed Christmas on an island to refresh the sick
+and cleanse and air the ships.
+
+Then Drake resolved, with the consent of his council, to attack the
+city of St. Domingo, while his forces were “in their best strength.”
+This was the oldest and most important city in the Indies, and was
+famous for its beauty and strength. It had never been attempted before,
+although it was so rich, because it was strongly fortified.
+
+Some boats were sent on in advance of the fleet. They learned from a
+pilot, whose boat they captured, that the Castle of St. Domingo was
+well armed, and that it was almost impossible to land on the dangerous
+coast; but he showed them a possible point ten miles from the harbour.
+In some way Drake had sent messages to the Maroons, who lived on the
+hills behind the town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the soldiers
+were landed, Drake himself steering a boat through the surf. The
+Maroons met them, having killed the Spanish watchman.
+
+“Our General, having seen us all landed in safety to the west of that
+brave city of St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing us to God
+and the good conduct of Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”
+
+The troops divided and met in the market-place; and as those in the
+castle were preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the sea, they were
+surprised from behind by the soldiers marching upon them with flags
+flying and music playing. The fleet ceased firing while the fate of the
+town was decided in a battle. By night Drake was in possession of the
+castle, the harbour, and shipping. One of the ships captured they named
+the _New Year’s Gift_.
+
+But after all there was little of the fabled treasure to be found. The
+labour in the gold and silver mines had killed the native Indians, and
+the mines were no longer worked. There was plenty of food and wine to
+be had, woollen and linen cloth and silk. But there was little silver;
+the rich people used dishes of china and cups of glass, and their
+beautiful furniture was useless as plunder. The town had to pay a large
+sum of money for its ransom, and the English stayed a month, and fed at
+its expense, and took away with them guns and merchandise and food and
+numbers of galley-slaves, whom they set free.
+
+Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main, was the last town to be
+taken, and it had been warned. It had natural defences, which made
+it very difficult to attack. Drake, as we know, had been there
+before, and often, since then, he must have dreamed of taking it. He
+triumphantly steered his fleet by a very difficult channel into the
+outer harbour. He then threatened the fort with his guns while the
+soldiers were secretly landed by night. They made their way to the town
+by the shore, “wading in the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned
+stakes which had been placed in the ground in readiness for them. They
+also routed a company of horse soldiers sent out from the fort, as the
+place where they met was so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for
+horses. So they pushed on till they made a “furious entry” into the
+town, nor paused till the market-place was won, and the people fled
+into the country, where they had already sent their wives and children.
+
+A large price or ransom was paid for this town, equal, it is said, to a
+quarter of a million of our money; but it was far less than Drake had
+at first demanded. But “the inconvenience of continual death” forced
+them to go, for the sickness was still taking its prey from among the
+men, and it also forced them to give up an attempt upon Nombre de
+Dios and Panama. The voyage had been disappointing in the matter of
+plunder. Most of the treasure had been taken away from the towns before
+the English came, and many of the officers had died.
+
+They considered the idea of remaining in Cartagena and sending home for
+more troops. They would have had a fine position; but they decided that
+their strength was not enough to hold the town and also man the fleet
+against a possible attack by the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser
+ransom was accepted; the officers offering to give up their shares to
+the “poor men, both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured their
+lives against the great enemy.” They then returned to England, only
+stopping to water the ships. They landed again at St. Augustine, on the
+coast of Florida, where they destroyed a fort and took away the guns
+and a pay-chest containing two thousand pounds.
+
+“And so, God be thanked, we in good safety arrived at Portsmouth the
+28th of July 1586, to the great glory of God, and to no small honour to
+our Prince, our Country, and Ourselves.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+CADIZ
+
+
+When Drake returned to England, it was to hear the news of the
+“Babington plot.” This was a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, and to
+place Mary of Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was beheaded. In
+Philip’s eyes the time had at last become ripe for an invasion of
+England. Now that Mary was dead, there was less danger of France and
+Scotland joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant of John of Gaunt,
+could put in a claim that the throne of England, at the death of
+Elizabeth, should come to himself or his daughter.
+
+The Armada was getting ready to sail in the summer. In April, however,
+Drake was sent out again with a small fleet. His flag-ship was again
+the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_. His second in command was William Borough.
+
+His orders were “to prevent the joining together of the King of Spain’s
+fleet out of their different ports. To keep victuals from them. To
+follow them in case they should come out towards England or Ireland. To
+cut off as many of them as he could, and prevent their landing. To set
+upon the West Indian ships as they came or went.”
+
+But no sooner was he instructed than the Queen changed her bold orders
+to milder ones. He was not to enter any port by force, nor to offer
+violence to any towns, or ships in harbour. But Drake had got away to
+sea without the second orders, and acted on the first.
+
+He had heard that the ships were gathering in Cadiz harbour, and there
+he decided boldly to seek for them. The outer and inner harbours of
+Cadiz were crowded with shipping, most of which was getting ready for
+the invasion of England. Drake’s fleet sailed in, routed the defending
+galleys, and made havoc among the ships, about thirty-seven of which
+were captured, burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging to the
+Marquis of Santa Cruz. They carried away four ships laden with wine,
+oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing thence,” as Drake says, “at
+our pleasure, with as much honour as we could wish.” They were chased
+by Spanish galleys, which did little harm, for the wind favoured the
+English as they sailed away from Cadiz.
+
+The Spaniards thought Drake had gone to stop the treasure fleet. But
+Drake wished to stop the Armada, which was a much greater affair.
+He knew now that Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at Lisbon.
+Ships were gathering in the north of Spain. Recalde, one of the best
+Spanish commanders, was waiting with a small fleet off Cape St. Vincent
+to protect the treasure fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big ships had
+escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour. The ships were to meet in Lisbon,
+where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and food.
+
+Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and took his ships safely into
+Lisbon. Drake resolved to secure the station he had left. This
+was the castle of Sagres, near Cape St. Vincent. His own officers
+were staggered with the boldness of his plan, and Borough solemnly
+protested. He had urged caution before Cadiz harbour; again he pleaded
+for a council of war. He was of an older school of seamen than Drake,
+and was horrified at the ways of the man who was born, as it has been
+said, “to break rules.”
+
+Drake was most indignant at his action, and put him under arrest, while
+Borough expected daily that “the Admiral would have executed upon me
+his bloodthirsty desire, as he did upon Doughty.”
+
+[Illustration: Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle]
+
+After reading the accounts of Drake in the stories of the different
+voyages, we can understand how his men adored his spirit, and flocked
+to his ship to serve under his flag. To them there was something
+magical, and to the Spaniards something uncanny, in his luck. The
+English called him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish called him “the
+Devil.” But some of the officers who served with him must have liked
+him less. He made his plans swiftly, and generally well; but the doing
+of them had to be swift and sure. Like many great men he knew he was
+right, but could not stop to reason or argue about his course. He acted
+upon the instinct of his genius, with a sure and shining faith in
+himself, which must have been hateful to smaller men. In the days
+of his later voyages, when he had not the undivided control of his
+expedition, he failed, as he never did when he was alone, “with the
+ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once said.
+
+The taking of the castle of Sagres seemed almost an impossibility, so
+well did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the fort. Drake himself
+commanded the attack on land, and in the end helped to carry and pile
+the faggots against the castle gate. The commander was slain, and then
+the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took possession of one of the best
+places on the coast of Spain for ships to anchor and get water.
+
+Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken and burnt fifty ships laden
+with wood and hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa Cruz was waiting
+to make his water-casks. The loss of these did much damage to the
+Armada, and helped to ruin it.
+
+On the 10th of May, having disarmed the fort of Sagres by throwing
+the big guns over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought his fleet to
+anchor in Cascaes Bay, south of Lisbon. He seems to have judged Lisbon
+too strong to attack from the sea. He was prepared to “distress the
+ships” had they come out; and he offered battle to Santa Cruz, who,
+however, was short of powder and shot, and had no ships ready as yet
+for action.
+
+So Drake went back to Sagres to clean his ships and refresh his men.
+He then sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the ships, and on the
+few that were left the men were anxious to go home. The ship on which
+Borough was still a prisoner deserted. Drake believed that Borough was
+responsible for this; and, though he was beyond reach, in his anger
+Drake sentenced him, with his chief officers, to death as mutineers.
+
+Drake went on with his nine remaining ships, and came upon a splendid
+prize, the big _San Felipe_, the greatest ship in all Portugal, richly
+laden with spice, china, silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This
+prize was valued at nearly a million pounds; and, besides, she carried
+secret papers of great value concerning the East India trade.
+
+On the 26th of June, Drake returned home after his brilliant campaign.
+Santa Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him, but it was too late.
+
+Borough was not found guilty by the court of law where Drake accused
+him; but his grief of mind endured long. Some time after, he wrote
+that “he was very fain to ease it as he might, hoping in good time he
+should.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE GREAT ARMADA
+
+
+Drake’s raid upon the Spanish coast made it impossible for the Armada
+to sail in 1587. But after waiting so long Philip made his preparations
+with an almost feverish haste. The death of his great general, Santa
+Cruz, hindered his plans very much. Santa Cruz was a commander of
+experience and renown, and the man most fitted, both by his rank and
+his qualities, to undertake “the enterprise of England.”
+
+The man chosen to succeed him was the Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose
+exalted rank seems to have been his chief claim to the difficult place
+into which he was thrust by Philip. He had no desire to take the place;
+he wrote to Philip and told him quite simply that he was no seaman, and
+knew little about naval fighting and less about England. But he was
+ordered to take the fleet into the English Channel and take possession
+of Margate. He was then to send ships to bring the Duke of Parma and
+his army in safety to England, when Parma was to assume the command of
+the expedition.
+
+But, after all, the Armada was not ready to sail till July 1588, and
+the months between then and January were filled by the English with
+preparations for defence. They had to face the difficulties, much
+greater then than now, of keeping both men and ships on the seas, and
+yet fit for action. Life on board ship tried the men very severely. We
+have seen how often sickness broke out among the sailors if they were
+kept long to their crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding of both
+navies seems to have been a task of great difficulty. This was due to
+the hurried demand for vast quantities of stores, such as biscuit and
+salt meat The Spaniards, too, owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost
+their water-casks, and had to depend on new ones of unseasoned wood,
+which leaked.
+
+Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was made Lord High Admiral
+of England, and Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John Hawkins his
+Rear-Admiral. With them served many other famous men, such as Fenner,
+Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour, and many younger men from noble
+families. All were working hard, with spirits stretched to an unusual
+pitch of endurance. In the letters they wrote about the business in
+hand to the Queen and her Ministers of State there is a note of high
+courage and defiance; and a distant echo comes down to us from the
+dim old letters of all the stir and bustle as the men gathered to the
+ships, and of the hum of excitement about the clamouring dockyards. The
+shipwrights were working day and night Lord Howard says he has been on
+board every ship “where any man may creep,” and thanks God for their
+good state, and that “never a one of them knows what a leak means.” Sir
+William Wynter tells how badly the ships had suffered in the winter
+storms, but adds: “Our ships doth show themselves like gallants here. I
+assure you it will do a man’s heart good to behold them; and would to
+God the Prince of Parma were upon the seas with all his forces, and we
+in the view of them; then I doubt not but that you should hear we would
+make his enterprises very unpleasant to him.”
+
+The ships are always spoken of like live creatures, and their personal
+histories are well known and remembered. Lord Howard says of his Ark
+(which was bought of Sir Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray you
+tell her Majesty from me that her money was well given for the Ark
+_Ralegh_, for I think her the odd (only) ship in the world for all
+conditions; and truly I think there can no great ship make me change
+and go out of her.” And again: “I mean not to change out of her I am in
+for any ship that ever was made.”
+
+Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship the _Revenge_” which was so
+famous then and afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes from on board
+“the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_, the fortunate ship where Sir Francis
+Drake received all his good haps.” Howard and Drake, with other
+commanders of experience, were of one mind; they wanted to go out and
+meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain, and so prevent the Spanish
+fleet from ever reaching England.
+
+Howard pressed this opinion as that of men whom the world judged to
+be the wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was unwilling to send the
+fleet away, and she still talked of making peace.
+
+Both the Spaniards and the English were persuaded that God was
+fighting with them. Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that as
+the cause was the cause of God, he could not fail. In England Drake
+was saying that “the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote to the
+Queen: “God mightily defend my gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;
+not doubting that all the world shall know and see that her Majesty’s
+little army, guided by the finger of God, shall beat down the pride of
+His enemies and hers, to His great glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon
+our enemies as necessarily the enemies of God.
+
+Howard’s letters show a very noble mind. He grudged no time or labour
+in the ordering of his fleet, down to the smallest matters. He is full
+of care for the mariners, and is anxious that they should be well paid
+and fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the other seamen of greater
+experience than himself.
+
+The fleet did at last go out, but was driven back by the winds; and
+suddenly, after the fret and worry and strain of all those months,
+there is a pause, and Howard writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you
+with any long letter; we are at this present otherwise occupied than
+with writing. Upon Friday, at Plymouth, I received intelligence that
+there was a great number of ships descried off the Lizard: whereupon,
+although the wind was very scant, we first warped out of harbour that
+night, and upon Saturday turned out very hardly, the wind being at
+south-west; and about three of the clock in the afternoon, descried
+the Spanish fleet, and did what we could to work for the wind, which
+by this morning we had recovered.... At nine of the clock we gave them
+fight, which continued until one.... Sir, the captains in her Majesty’s
+ships have behaved themselves most bravely and like men hitherto, and
+I doubt not will continue, to their great commendation.... Sir, the
+southerly wind that brought us back from the coast of Spain brought
+them out.”
+
+William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth, writes that the “Spanish fleet
+was in view of this town yesternight, and the Lord Admiral passed to
+the sea and out of sight.” They could see the fleets fighting, the
+English being to windward of the enemy. He was sending out men as fast
+as he could find ships to carry them.
+
+There is a legend that Drake and his officers were playing bowls on
+Plymouth Hoe when the news that the Armada was in the Channel was
+brought to him by the captain of a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his
+game, the story says, saying there was time to do that and to beat the
+Spaniards too.
+
+As the Spanish ships lay in the English Channel, blinded with the mist
+and rain, the Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen of Falmouth
+were brought away who had that evening seen the English fleet go out of
+Plymouth, “under the charge of the English Admiral and of Drake.”
+
+The Spaniards had come out ready to fight in the old way, in which they
+had won so many brilliant victories. They had always fought their naval
+battles with great armies on great ships, much as they would fight on
+land. The soldiers despised big guns, and liked better the bravery of a
+close fight, “with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The sailors were not
+prepared to fight at all, but with the help of slaves they sailed the
+big galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm of smaller troop-ships
+and store-ships that swelled the numbers of the fleet which carried an
+army.
+
+[Illustration: Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe]
+
+The numbers of the ships on both sides are now said to have been
+not so very unequal. If the Spaniards could have fought in their own
+way, they must have been easily victorious. But the English had got the
+wind at their back and the enemy in front of them, and being better
+masters of their ships, they had the choice, and they chose to fight
+at a distance, and never to board the big ships till they were already
+helpless.
+
+Their ships were newer, and built on different lines, and could sail
+faster. They were smaller than our modern men-of-war, but carried more
+guns for their size. They were, as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and
+of good steerage, so that the English did with them as they desired.
+And our ships being very heavy compared with the lightness of those of
+the enemy, it was impossible to come to hand-stroke with them.”
+
+The English ships were manned with sailors and gunners who could both
+sail the ships and fight the enemy. The guns were fired at the hulls
+of the Spanish ships and not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which was
+harder to aim at.
+
+The fleets met on the 21st of July, and there followed a week of
+fighting and of disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the news of their
+coming up the Channel came to those on shore, who watched beside the
+beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger must have seemed little
+less fearful than before. Those who viewed the “greatness and hugeness
+of the Spanish army” from the sea, considered that the only way to move
+them was by fire-ships.
+
+Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently through the dangers
+of the Channel; he anchored outside Calais to await the answer to the
+urgent messages he had sent to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know, the
+“Narrow Seas” were well watched by the English, and they were so helped
+by the Dutch that Parma never reached the shores of England.
+
+Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and sent down upon the Spanish
+fleet, “all burning fiercely. These worked great mischief among the
+Spanish ships (though none of them took fire), for in the panic their
+cables and anchors were slipped.”
+
+The great fight took place off Gravelines, on the Flemish coast, where
+most of the scattered ships of the Armada had drifted in the general
+confusion. The English hastened to take advantage of this confusion,
+while Sidonia was forming his fleet again into battle order. They “set
+upon the fleet of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the _Revenge_)
+and gave them a sharp fight,” while Lord Howard stopped to capture a
+helpless ship, the finest, they said, upon the sea. “And that day, Sir
+Francis’ ship was riddled with every kind of shot.”
+
+The fight went on from nine in the morning till six at night, when the
+Spanish fleet bore away, beaten, towards the north. Howard says that
+“after the fight, notwithstanding that our powder and shot was well
+near all spent, we set on a brag-countenance and gave them chase as
+though we had wanted nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had cleared
+our own coast and some part of Scotland of them.”
+
+Drake was appointed to follow the fleet, and he writes, “We have the
+army of Spain before us, and mind, with the grace of God, to wrestle
+a pull with him. There was never anything pleased me better than the
+seeing the enemy flying with a southerly wind to the northwards. God
+grant you have a good eye to the Duke of Parma: for with the grace of
+God, if we live, I doubt it not but ere it be long so to handle the
+matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he shall wish himself at St. Mary
+Port among his orange trees.”
+
+At the end of this letter he says, “I crave pardon of your honour for
+my haste, for that I had to watch this last night upon the enemy.” And
+in another letter to Walsingham he signs himself, “Your honour’s most
+ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping Francis Drake.”
+
+Many of the Spanish ships, being so crippled, were wrecked in stormy
+weather off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which were unknown to
+them, and thus the more dangerous. Not half of those who put out to
+sea ever reached Spain again. Many men were killed in battle or died
+of their wounds, and they were the most fortunate, for others were
+drowned, or perished miserably by the hands of the natives of the
+coasts. Some who escaped were put to death by the Queen’s orders, and
+some lingered in the foul prisons of that time. The instinct of savage
+cruelty revives, even in highly civilised races, in time of war, and
+spreads, like an infection.
+
+[Illustration: Fighting the Great Armada]
+
+We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder taken from the Spanish
+prisoners, of the brave looks of the vanished host, that included
+the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry. There were “breeches and
+jerkins of silk, and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold lace,
+a pair of breeches of yellow satin, drawn out with cloth of silver,
+a leather jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over with a gold and
+silver lace, a jerkin embroidered with flowers, and a blue stitched
+taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume of feathers.”
+
+For some time England was haunted by fears that the Armada would return
+to her coasts, or that Parma would avenge himself. But the reports of
+the many wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish soldiers eased this
+present anxiety. And it was well, for fever and sickness broke out
+in the English ships, and the men were dying in hundreds, “sickening
+one day and dying the next,” as the letters say. The ships had to be
+disinfected and many of the men dispersed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+EXPEDITION TO LISBON
+
+
+The great Armada was scattered, and yet the English did not feel secure
+from their enemy. The sight of that fleet so near their shores in “its
+terror and majesty,” and the memory of its vast army of well-drilled
+soldiers, left a feeling of deep uneasiness in the minds of wise men.
+“Sir,” writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind, safe find. A kingdom
+is a great wager. Sir, you know security is dangerous: and had God not
+been our best friend, we should have found it so. Some made little
+account of the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant you, all the
+world never saw such a force as theirs was....”
+
+Fortune had favoured England this time, but what if Philip built newer
+and lighter ships, and really succeeded in landing his army? They did
+not as yet know that Philip had no money to build his ships with, and
+rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.
+
+The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered great loss and a crushing
+defeat to their pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything that
+they already had, but only failed to get something they wanted very
+badly to have, and the second kind of loss matters far less than the
+first.
+
+But, on the other hand, if the English had been defeated, it is
+difficult to think how darkly their history might have been changed.
+It was this thought that made the wise men sober in the midst of the
+national joy and exultation. They saw how much England, as an island,
+must depend for strength and defence upon her navy, and they saw this
+much more clearly than before. But Drake had seen it for a long time.
+And he had seen something more. He had seen that the English navy must
+be ready and able to protect her merchant ships by distressing and
+attacking her enemies abroad, and that this was a means of keeping the
+enemy so busy abroad that he could not invade the peace of England at
+home.
+
+Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction of Philip’s navy,
+now so much crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented to a new
+expedition being fitted out, and appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir
+Francis Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two men had fought together
+in Ireland. “Black John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a famous
+fighting family, and had served in the Lowlands and in France with high
+courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion he had been made chief
+of the land forces. It is said that in one battle he went on fighting
+after three horses had been killed under him. With him went his brother
+Edward, and a famous Welsh captain, Sir Roger Williams, was his second
+in command.
+
+The objects of the expedition were: first, to distress the King of
+Spain’s ships; second, to get possession of some of the islands of the
+Azores in order to waylay the treasure ships; and, lastly, to try to
+recover for Don Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.
+
+Money for this expedition was raised from every possible source. The
+Queen gave six royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food, and arms. The
+forces were made up of soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make their
+fortunes in war, and English and Dutch sailors and recruits, most of
+whom were pressed. With this large but mixed army the generals prepared
+to face the best-trained soldiers in Europe.
+
+As usual, there were many delays. The ships were not ready to go out,
+and much of the food was consumed before they started. More was not to
+be had, though Drake and Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for
+supplies. The Queen had already begun to regard the expedition with
+disfavour. Some days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl of Essex,
+her latest Court favourite, had slipped away to sea with Sir Roger
+Williams on the _Swiftsure_. He was tired of a courtier’s life, and
+wanted to breathe freer air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The
+Queen was very angry, and sent orders for his arrest, accusing Drake
+and Norreys of aiding his escape. But they declared they knew nothing
+of his plans.
+
+About this time some Flemish ships appeared in Plymouth harbour laden
+with barley and wine, and Drake seized their cargoes in the Queen’s
+name to victual his fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather was
+so rough that several of the ships containing troops were unable to get
+beyond the Channel, but even with lesser numbers the crews were short
+of food before they reached Spain.
+
+Philip was very ill at this time, and in grave anxiety. He knew
+that Drake and the English ships might land on his coasts, that the
+French might cross the mountains with an invading force, and that the
+Portuguese might arise in rebellion to win back the crown for Don
+Antonio. This last danger seemed to Philip the most urgent, and Drake
+guessed this, and landed his men on the north-west coast at Corunna.
+
+In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s orders to distress the
+King’s ships, and also, no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry
+crews for food and plunder. The lower town of Corunna was taken, and
+much wine and food consumed and much wasted. The townsfolk were routed
+and put to the sword, and their houses burned. An attempt to take the
+upper town failed, but the English were the victors in a sharp battle
+which took place some miles from the town, and they thus secured their
+retreat to the ships and sailed away.
+
+The presence of Drake on the coasts caused great panic, for his name
+and luck had become a terror to the people. Philip felt deeply
+insulted that such an attack should be made “by a woman, mistress of
+half an island, with the help of a pirate and a common soldier.” In
+Spain, as we have seen, the command was always given to gentlemen of
+high birth and breeding and title.
+
+Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet first sighted some of the
+missing ships, and also the _Swiftsure_ with the missing Earl, who had
+“put himself into the journey against the opinion of the world, and,
+as it seemed, to the hazard of his great fortune.” The _Swiftsure_ had
+taken six prizes off Cape St. Vincent.
+
+The two generals had from the first wished to go straight to Lisbon,
+and it is thought that if they had done so, and thus given the
+Spaniards no warning of their coming, they might have had success.
+But they were hindered by the Queen’s orders to destroy the shipping
+now collected in the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander. After
+leaving Corunna, however, they decided in council not to attempt that
+port, both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the conditions did not
+favour an attack.
+
+They landed next at the Portuguese town of Peniche, which lies about
+fifty miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to land on the surf-bound
+coast, and some of the boats were upset and battered. At last, Essex
+sprang into the waves and waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed
+the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus surprised, willingly surrendered
+to Antonio as his lawful king, “The king” soon had a following of
+peasants and friars, but neither nobles nor soldiers came to help him.
+He was eager to march to Lisbon, where he thought he was sure of a
+welcome. Norreys resolved to march there overland. Drake, it is said,
+would have liked better to attack the town from the sea in his usual
+daring but successful fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the
+day; and leaving some ships at Peniche, Drake promised, if he could,
+to bring the fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth of the river
+Tagus, south of Lisbon.
+
+There, when he arrived, he waited, not liking to venture up the river
+without knowing where the soldiers were, and not liking to quit the
+sea, where he could give them the means of retreat if necessary.
+For this he was very much blamed by the soldiers at the time, and
+afterwards when he got home. The point is still disputed.
+
+Meanwhile the army was encamped outside the walls of Lisbon, but
+they never got inside. The Portuguese refused to join Don Antonio’s
+party, and the Spanish governor kept the gates shut in a grim and
+heroic defence. The English sailors were sick and hungry; they had had
+no exercise on board ship to keep them healthy, and were exhausted
+with the heat. The stores and guns were on the ships with Drake. So,
+reluctantly, they left the suburbs of Lisbon and marched to Cascaes,
+where they embarked, not without some loss, and sailed away.
+
+While they were still disputing in the councils, a fleet of German
+ships were sighted, and most of them secured. They were carrying corn
+and stores to Spain, against the rules of war, which bind countries not
+concerned in the quarrel to help neither foe. So the English seized
+sixty ships and the stores, both of which had been destined to furnish
+the new Armada of Spain.
+
+Next came into view some English ships with supplies, but also with
+angry letters from the Queen; in answer to which Essex was sent home
+bearing the news that the expedition, though diminished by sickness and
+death, still meant to sail to the Azores.
+
+On June the 8th a wind had scattered the fleet, and suddenly left it
+becalmed. The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off four English ships.
+
+The winds continued to prevent the fleet from going towards the Azores,
+and all this time hundreds of sick and wounded men were dying. After
+seventeen days at sea, they landed at the town of Vigo and burned it,
+and laid waste the country round. At length storms and sickness and
+ill-fortune drove them home, and the expedition, woefully shrunken,
+straggled miserably back. Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some
+years later. The English had done a considerable amount of damage, but
+at great cost to themselves; for the loss of life was terrible, and
+that of money very considerable. Both Norreys and Drake were called
+upon to account for their failure, and at the time Drake got the most
+of the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly judged because failure had
+never come near him before, and his successes had always been so
+brilliant. His best friends at Court were dead, and for five years he
+was not asked to act in the Queen’s service. So five years of his life
+which should have been the most active were spent in retirement, if not
+actually in “disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.”
+
+The war was carried on upon the old lines of distressing the King’s
+ships, but with very poor success. After Drake’s voyage round the
+world, which encouraged other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the
+Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully guarded. This was done by
+strongly fortifying the coast stations, by providing an armed escort,
+and a service of light ships, which went frequently to and fro with
+letters of advice and warning from the Indies to Spain.
+
+Drake had ruined this defence in 1585, and in 1588 again many of the
+guard-ships had to be used in the service of the Armada. A really
+strong English fleet might at this time have stayed the treasure, but
+Philip continued to gather in his gold, and also began, with splendid
+patience, to rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron was sent
+out under Lord Thomas Howard, and the great battle of Sir Richard
+Grenville on the _Revenge_ was fought, “the fight of the one and the
+fifty-three,” with the loss of that ship and the victory of the Spanish
+fleet. The Queen made a fighting alliance with Henry the Fourth of
+France, who was the enemy of Philip, and this she felt would help to
+keep him out of England. Philip was now trying to establish a fortified
+station on the north coast of Brittany, from which his new Armada might
+be despatched.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE LAST VOYAGE
+
+
+Drake had settled in Buckland Abbey, which he had bought from Sir
+Richard Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish ships for some
+of the different excursions against Spain, and he spent much time on
+schemes to improve Plymouth. He paid to have pure water brought to the
+town from many miles away; he had flour-mills built, that the sailors
+might have good biscuits provided for them, and he overlooked the
+work of fortifying Plymouth, and making it in all ways a strong naval
+station.
+
+As the danger of a fresh invasion by Philip grew more threatening,
+Drake was called to Court again, and it was about this time that he
+gave to the Queen his written story of the voyage to Nombre de Dios.
+
+In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged for the Indies, and after the
+usual bewildering indecision at Court, and difference of views and
+plans (delays that proved fatal to an excursion whose proper nature was
+to be swift and secret, and above all things powerful), on August 28,
+1598, Sir Francis Drake started on his last voyage.
+
+The story of the expedition begins by saying that “the Spaniard leaves
+no means untried to turn the peace of England into a cursed thraldom,
+and this is shown by his attempts, and also by his greedy desires to be
+our neighbour in Brittany, to gain so near us a quiet and safe road for
+his fleet. So the forces were sent to invade him in that kingdom from
+whence he has feathers to fly to the top of his high desires.
+
+“The invasion was glorious spoken of long before it was sent, and Sir
+Francis Drake was named General. For his very name was a great terror
+to all in those parts, and he had done many things in those countries
+to his honourable fame and profit. But entering into them as the Child
+of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed and peremptory (despotic)
+command was doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as it should seem,
+to join Sir John Hawkins as second in command. He was an old, wary man,
+and so leaden-footed” (or slow in action) “that Drake’s meat would be
+eaten before his was cooked. They were men of such different natures
+that what one desired the other commonly opposed. The journey had so
+glorious a name that crowds of volunteers came to them, and they had
+to discharge such few as they had pressed. Yet many times it was very
+doubtful if the voyage would be made, till at last the news came of a
+ship of the King of Spain, which was driven into Puerto Rico with two
+millions and a half of treasure. So her Majesty commanded them to haste
+their departure, which they did with twenty-seven ships.”
+
+The generals began to disagree soon after. Drake wanted to begin with
+an attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins thought it unnecessary and
+unwise; and, as the story says, “the fire which lay hidden in their
+stomachs began to break forth.”
+
+It was five years since Drake had fought with his old enemies. He did
+not know how much stronger the Spanish defence at sea had become,
+owing to the lessons he had given them, nor how complete Philip had
+made the protection of the traffic and the treasure-ships. He was to
+see this first at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and failed, to
+make one of his old surprise visits.
+
+The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the 29th of October, for water,
+at Guadeloupe. The _Delight_ was the last of the ships to arrive the
+next day, and she brought news that the _Francis_, a small ship of the
+company, was taken by five Spanish ships, which had been sent out by
+Philip to bring home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico. This was a great
+misfortune, because Sir John Hawkins had made known to all the company,
+“even to the basest mariners,” the places whither they were bound,
+naming Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama. Now the Spaniards would
+learn this from their prisoners, and at once send warning to the coasts.
+
+Drake wanted to give chase at once, but Hawkins was old and cautious,
+and desired to stay and mount his guns, take in water, set up his
+pinnaces, and make all things ready to meet the Spaniards.
+
+And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was sickly, Sir Francis being
+loath to breed his further disquiet.” It took four days to make those
+preparations, and always the sickness of Sir John increased. On the
+12th of October Drake brought the fleet up by a secret way to Puerto
+Rico, and about three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins died.
+
+In the evening, as Drake sat at supper, his chair was shot from under
+him, and two of his officers received their death wounds from the
+Spanish guns. The ships had to move away. The next night the English
+made a desperate effort to fire the five ships that had come for the
+treasure. Four of them were set alight, but only one was burnt, and by
+the great light she gave the Spaniards “played upon the English with
+their ordnance and small shot as if it had been fair day,” and sunk
+some of the boats.
+
+Next day Drake, undaunted by failure, determined to try and take his
+whole fleet boldly into the harbour and storm the place. But the
+Spaniards, guessing his desperate intention, and fearing his great
+courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise and armed, as they
+were, and so, at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for the English.
+
+Drake took counsel with the soldiers as to the strength of the place,
+but most of them thought it too great a risk, though one or two were
+for trying it. “The General presently said: ‘I will bring you to twenty
+places far more wealthy and easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went on
+the 15th. And here,” says the teller of the story, “I left all hope of
+good success.”
+
+On the way to Nombre de Dios they stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where
+Drake had first been wronged by the Spaniards. This town they took with
+little difficulty, and some treasure was won.
+
+On December 27th they were at Nombre de Dios, which they took with
+small resistance. But the people had been warned, and had fled and
+hidden their treasure, and the town was left very bare. So they
+resolved to “hasten with speed to Panama.” The soldiers were under the
+command of Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a brave fighter against
+the Spaniards before now in Holland and France. They started to go
+to Panama by the old road well known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed
+with the ships and burned the town. He was about to sail nearer the
+river when news came that the soldiers were returning. The road was
+only too strongly defended now, and Baskerville’s men were driven back
+with severe loss. They were a small force, and weak with the long march
+through heavy rains; their powder was wet and their food scarce and
+sodden, and Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This march,” says the
+story, “had made many swear that they would never buy gold at such a
+price again.”
+
+Drake, being disappointed of his highest hopes, now called a council to
+decide what was to be done. All the towns had been forewarned, and told
+“to be careful and look well to themselves, for that Drake and Hawkins
+were making ready in England to come upon them.” And now the company
+seem to have regarded their leader with some bitterness, as his brave
+promises failed, and the places that he used to know were found to be
+changed and formidable. Now they had to rely “upon cards and maps, he
+being at these parts at the farthest limit of his knowledge.” But
+still he proposed fresh places that had the golden sound of riches in
+their names, and gallant Baskerville said he would attempt both, one
+after another.
+
+But the winds drove them instead to a “waste island, which is counted
+the sickliest place in the Indies, and there died many of the men, and
+victuals began to grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who writes the
+story, “I was often private with our General, and I demanded of him
+why he so often begged me, being in England, to stay with him in these
+parts as long as himself.... He answered me with grief, protesting
+that he was as ignorant of the Indies as myself, and that he never
+thought any place could be so changed, as it were, from a delicious
+and pleasant arbour into a waste and desert wilderness: besides the
+variableness and changes of the wind and weather, so stormy and
+blustrous as he never saw it before. But he most wondered that since
+his coming out of England he never saw sail worth giving chase unto.
+Yet, in the greatness of his mind, he would, in the end, conclude with
+these words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath many things in store for
+us. And I know many means to do her Majesty good service and to make us
+rich, for we must have gold before we reach England.’
+
+“And since our return from Panama he never carried mirth nor joy in his
+face, yet no man he loved must show he took thought thereof. And he
+began to grow sickly. And now so many of the company were dying of the
+sickness, and food was getting so scarce, that at last he resolved ‘to
+depart and take the wind as God sent it.’”
+
+But the lurking fever in the swamp had done its work, and on January
+28, 1596, after a brief fight with illness and death, Drake “yielded up
+his spirit like a Christian to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”
+
+“The General being dead,” we are told, “most men’s hearts were bent to
+hasten for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s Child,’ they
+said, ‘was dead; things would not fall into their mouths, nor riches be
+their portions, how dearly soever they adventured for them.’”
+
+But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the command and took the remains of
+the fleet in his charge, and did not return home till he had met the
+Spaniards and fought a battle with them at sea.
+
+Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he burned that port, and sunk two of
+the ships no longer needed, and all the prizes. And there, a league
+from the shore, under seas, he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,
+heavily freighted with death and silence. But I like to think that his
+soul went a-roving again among the stars.
+
+                                THE END
+
+
+                  Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
+                          Edinburgh & London
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
+
+  --Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original
+    positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.
+  --Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.
+  --Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 67864 ***
diff --git a/67864-h/67864-h.htm b/67864-h/67864-h.htm
index 88af5af..d68113d 100644
--- a/67864-h/67864-h.htm
+++ b/67864-h/67864-h.htm
@@ -1,4330 +1,3872 @@
-<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"

-    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">

-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">

-  <head>

-    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />

-    <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />

-    <title>

-      The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Mrs. Oliver Elton&mdash;A Project Gutenberg eBook

-    </title>

-    <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" />

-    <style type="text/css">

-

-body {

-    margin-left: 10%;

-    margin-right: 10%;

-    font-size: 110%;}

-

-    h1,h2 {

-    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */

-    clear: both;}

-

-p { margin-top: .51em;

-    text-align: justify;

-    margin-bottom: .49em;

-    text-indent: 1.5em;}

-

-.ph1     {text-align: center;

-          margin-top: .51em;

-          margin-bottom: .49em;

-          font-size: xx-large;

-          font-weight: bold;

-          text-indent: 0;}

-

-.ph2     {text-align: center;

-          margin-top: .51em;

-          margin-bottom: .49em;

-          font-size: x-large;

-          font-weight: bold;

-          text-indent: 0;}

-

-hr {width: 33%;

-    margin-top: 2em;

-    margin-bottom: 2em;

-    margin-left: 33.5%;

-    margin-right: 33.5%;

-    clear: both;}

-

-.no-indent {text-indent: 0%;}

-

-hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;}

-@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} }

-hr.full {width: 40%; text-align: left; margin-left: 0; margin-top: .10em;}

-

-div.chapter {page-break-before: always;}

-h2.nobreak  {page-break-before: avoid;}

-

-table {margin-left: auto;

-       margin-right: auto;}

-

-.tdl      {text-align: left;}

-.tdr      {text-align: right;}

-.tdc      {text-align: center;}

-.tdbr     {text-align: right;

-           vertical-align: bottom;}

-.tdch     {text-align: right;

-           vertical-align: top;}

-

-.right    {margin-left: 60%;}

-

-.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */

-    /*  visibility: hidden;  */

-    position: absolute;

-    left: 92%;

-    font-size: smaller;

-    text-align: right;

-    font-style: normal;

-    font-weight: normal;

-    font-variant: normal;

-} /* page numbers */

-

-.pagenum2 { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */

-    /*  visibility: hidden;  */

-    position: absolute;

-    left: 94%;

-    font-size: smaller;

-    text-align: right;

-    padding-right: 2em;}

-

-.blockquot {

-    margin-left: 15%;

-    margin-right: 15%;}

-

-.center   {text-align: center;}

-

-.right    {text-align: right;}

-

-.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}

-

-.smaller   {font-size: 85%;}

-

-.adblock {margin-left: 20%;

-          margin-right:20%;}

-

-.caption  {font-weight: bold;

-           text-align: center;}

-

-.dropcap  {float:left;

-           font-size: 40px;

-           line-height: 22.5px;

-           padding-top: 2px;

-           padding-bottom: .25px;}

-

-.box     {border: solid black 1px;}

-

-.bgap    {margin-bottom: 4em;}

-

-.gap     {margin-top: 3em;}

-

-.x-ebookmaker-drop .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}

-

-.x-ebookmaker .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}

-

-.x-ebookmaker .figcenter {width:100%}

-

-/* Images */

-

-img {

-    max-width: 100%;

-    height: auto;}

-

-.figcenter {

-    margin: auto;

-    text-align: center;

-    page-break-inside: avoid;

-    max-width: 100%;}

-

-/* Transcriber's notes */

-.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA;

-     color: black;

-     font-size:smaller;

-     padding:0.5em;

-     margin-bottom:5em;

-     margin-left: 20%;

-     margin-right: 20%;

-     font-family:sans-serif, serif;}

-

-    </style>

-  </head>

-<body>

-<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Letitia MacColl Elton</p>

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and

-most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms

-of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online

-at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you

-are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the

-country where you are located before using this eBook.

-</div>

-

-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Story of Sir Francis Drake</p>

-<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The Children's Heroes Series</p>

-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Letitia MacColl Elton</p>

-<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: T. H. Robinson</p>

-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 18, 2022 [eBook #67864]</p>

-<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>

-  <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by University of California libraries)</p>

-<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE ***</div>

-

-<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="40%" alt="" /></div>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter adblock">

-<p class="no-indent">THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES</p>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">Edited by John Lang</span></p>

-

-<hr class="full" />

-

-<p class="ph2 center no-indent"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />

-SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p></div>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p class="center no-indent">TO<br />

-CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON</p></div>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="Frontispiece"><img class="box" src="images/i_frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the

-‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the<br />

-‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford</p></div>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<h1><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />

-SIR<br />

-FRANCIS DRAKE</h1></div>

-

-<p class="center bgap">BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON<br />

-PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 180px;">

-<img src="images/i_logo.jpg" width="180" alt="Publishers Logo"  /></div>

-

-<p class="center no-indent gap">LONDON: T. C. &amp; E. C. JACK<br />

-NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON &amp; CO.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-<div class="chapter">

-

-<p class="center no-indent">Printed by<br />

-<span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />

-Edinburgh<br />

-</p></div>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p class="ph2 nobreak">PREFACE</p></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">It</span> has not been possible, for lack of space,

-always to tell the old stories in the original

-words, which are, in almost all cases, the

-best. If any readers of this book can get

-a sight of two big volumes called “Drake

-and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett,

-they may consider themselves fortunate. In

-them there are the most fascinating reproductions

-of pictures of old fighting ships,

-and old charts or maps of the taking of

-Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine

-by Drake’s ships. Here the ships are seen

-approaching and attacking; the towns are

-shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are

-full of wonderful curly monsters. The old

-charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada

-show the shifting position of the fleets from

-day to day, and the books also contain

-many maps and a fine portrait.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p class="nobreak ph2">CONTENTS</p></div>

-

-<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="CONTENTS">

-

-<tr><td class="tdc"><small>Chapter</small></td>

-<td>&#160;</td>

-<td class="tdl"><small>Page</small></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">I.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Philip of Spain</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">II.</td>

-<td class="tdl">“The Troublesome Voyage”</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">III.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Nombre de Dios</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">IV.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Fort Diego</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">V.</td>

-<td class="tdl">The Golden Mule-trains</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">VI.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Home Again</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">VII.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Round the World</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">VIII.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Round the World (<i>continued</i>)</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">IX.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Sir Francis</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">X.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Cadiz</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">XI.</td>

-<td class="tdl">The Great Armada</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">XII.</td>

-<td class="tdl">Expedition to Lisbon</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdch">XIII.</td>

-<td class="tdl">The Last Voyage</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>

-</table>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p class="ph2 nobreak">LIST OF PICTURES</p></div>

-

-<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="LIST OF PICTURES">

-

-<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdr"><small>Page</small></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the<br />

-<i>Golden Hind</i> at Deptford</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Frontispiece"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo1">14</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo2">22</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific<br />

-Oceans from the tree-top</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo3">30</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Sir Francis Drake</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo4">72</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo5">84</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo6">94</a></td></tr>

-

-<tr><td class="tdl">Fighting the Great Armada</td>

-<td>&nbsp;</td>

-<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo7">98</a></td></tr>

-</table>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</span></p>

-<p class="nobreak ph1"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />

-SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br />

-<span class="smaller">PHILIP OF SPAIN</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">uring</span> the life of Francis Drake,

-Philip the Second of Spain was the

-most powerful king in Europe. Spain

-and the Netherlands belonged to him, parts

-of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great

-part of America. From Mexico, Peru, and

-the West Indian Islands Spanish ships

-sailed home with treasure of silver and

-gold, as they do in fairy tales, while

-Portuguese ships traded in Africa for

-slaves and gold and ivory, and had even

-ventured as far as the then little-known

-East Indies. Lastly, Philip added Portugal

-and its possessions to his vast inheritance,

-<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</span>and would have liked to hold all the world

-“for God and for Spain.” Being himself

-a good Catholic, he wished to see all men

-of that faith, and to those who did not

-believe in it he was a merciless foe, and

-he shed the blood of many martyrs.</p>

-

-<p>Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope

-more than anything in the world, as

-much as he loved England and honoured

-his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent most

-of his life in making war against the King

-of Spain in one way or another, calling it

-all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service

-done to your Majesty by your poor vassal

-(or servant) against your great enemy.”</p>

-

-<p>During Drake’s life wars about religion

-were raging in almost every European

-country. In France the struggle ended by

-most people remaining Catholics, just as

-England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always

-a Protestant country. But such changes

-really take long to come about, especially

-in days when news travelled slowly, when

-there were no trains or steamships, and no

-penny newspapers.</p>

-

-<p>Francis Drake was born when Edward

-the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse near

-Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span>quite a young child his father, who was a

-Protestant, had to fly from his country home,

-owing to an outbreak of anger among his

-Catholic neighbours. So the first stories

-the little Francis would hear must have

-been tales of this time of persecution, when

-many of his father’s friends had to hide

-in woods and caves, and lost all they possessed.

-From his very cradle he must have

-been taught to hate the “Papists.”</p>

-

-<p>The new home was rather a strange

-one, for the old books say Drake’s father

-went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a

-ship, wherein many of his younger sons

-were born. He had twelve in all, and as

-it pleased God that most of them should

-be born upon the water, so the greater

-part of them died at sea.” The father

-seems to have been a sailor at one time,

-and he now got a place among the seamen

-of the King’s Navy, to read prayers to

-them. The Navy ships were anchored off

-Chatham when not in use, and here, in an

-old unused warship, the elder Drake and

-his family made their floating home. Here

-most of the twelve boys were born, a

-troop of merry children, and many a fine

-game they must have had on the decks.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span>The sound of wind and waves must have

-been familiar to them as they went to sleep

-at nights, and they grew up strong and

-fearless, and, living as they did among

-sailors, must have early set their hearts on

-going to sea and having adventures.</p>

-

-<p>At the death of King Edward the Sixth

-the Catholic Queen Mary began to reign,

-and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over

-to marry her. He looked “very gallant,”

-they said, in his suit of white kid, covered

-with gold embroidery, and was followed by

-a train of splendid-looking Spanish nobles,

-and he brought quantities of gold and silver,

-borne on the backs of horses. But the

-English people hated the foreign marriage,

-and so strong was this feeling that in the

-winter before the wedding even the children

-in the streets shouted against the Spaniards

-and snowballed them as they went to Court.

-Perhaps Francis Drake and his brothers

-left their usual games to play at being

-Philip and the English, like some other

-lads, of whom we read that their play

-became so real and exciting that they were

-only just prevented from hanging the boy

-who acted the part of Philip. The King of

-Spain might have seen his son upon the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span>English throne, but this hope, like so many

-of his, was doomed to be defeated, for

-Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came to

-the throne.</p>

-

-<p>As Drake’s father was at this time a poor

-man, he put his son Francis to learn seamanship

-of the master of a bark or small

-ship that used to coast along the shore

-and sometimes carried merchandise to

-France and the Netherlands. At this time

-he must have had to suffer many hardships

-and to live a rough life, but he

-learned his business well, and “was so

-diligent and painstaking, and so pleased

-the old man his master by his industry,”

-that at his death he left his bark to Francis

-Drake.</p>

-

-<p>Later Drake grew weary of this little

-ship, that “only crept along the shore,”

-and longed for something more than such

-safe and simple voyaging, so he seems to have

-sold the bark and taken service with his

-kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were

-rich merchants and owned and sailed their

-ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br />

-<span class="smaller">“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> four centuries before the sixteenth,

-in which Drake lived, have been called

-the Age of Discovery. The world widened

-before men’s eyes as new lands and seas,

-new peoples, and even new stars, became

-known to them. The little country of

-Portugal was the first to begin those

-discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts

-of Africa and traded there. One of her

-mariners discovered the passage round the

-Cape of Good Hope to India, the Spice

-Islands, and China, and for long she had

-no rival in her trade.</p>

-

-<p>About fifty years before Drake was born,

-America was discovered by Christopher

-Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service

-of Spain. The ships in use in those days

-were very different to any we see now.

-There have been three kinds of ships made,

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span>ships with oars, ships with sails, and ships

-with steam. They are divided into two

-kinds, fighting ships and merchant ships.</p>

-

-<p>The old-fashioned galley was long and

-low-decked, and could be rowed or sailed.

-In the middle of the ship, between two

-platforms or upper decks, the rowers were

-chained to their seats. Three or four men

-worked each of the long oars, or <i>sweeps</i>

-as they were called. There were twenty-five

-oars or more on each side of the ship.

-The rowers or galley-slaves were generally

-prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to

-the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived

-on the benches, ill-fed and ill-clothed, with

-only an awning to cover them when in port,

-though the low sides of the ships protected

-them a little from the weather and from

-the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always

-to have released the slaves he took on

-Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they

-included “Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen,

-and Spaniards.”</p>

-

-<p>The sailors who worked the ships were

-free. The ships were always armed, at

-first with shields and spears and arrows,

-later with guns and powder. With such

-ships the Italians fought many great battles

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span>on the Mediterranean, and in such ships the

-Norsemen had invaded England and raided

-the Northern Seas; and, with his <i>caravels</i>,

-or light Spanish ships, Columbus reached

-the islands which he called the West Indies.

-In later voyages he reached the mainland

-of America, but to the day of his death he

-always believed that he had found the coast

-of Asia. Another Italian sailor, named

-Amerigo, also in the service of Spain, gave

-his name to the New World. The Italians

-had long been good sailors and ship-builders,

-and great fighters at sea, and they had the

-glory of discovering America, though they

-gained no possessions there.</p>

-

-<p>Spain, at that time the most powerful state

-in Europe, seized upon a great part of the

-new land, and found there gold and silver

-mines. The natives they first subdued and

-afterwards forced to become Christians, as

-the custom was in warfare with a Pagan

-race.</p>

-

-<p>The American Indians, however, have

-never been easy to subdue, and have always

-had an undying affection for their own way

-of life. The Spaniards found them unfitted

-for hard work in the mines. The Portuguese

-had already captured negroes in their

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span>West African settlements, and numbers of

-those were sent to America as slaves.</p>

-

-<p>From the time of Henry the Eighth the

-English were building and buying fine ships,

-and learnt to sail them so well that they

-began less and less to use the old galley

-ship with its many oars. They traded mostly

-with Spain and the Low Countries; but as

-they got better ships, and became expert

-sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to

-discover new countries and get more trade.

-They began to sail to the Canary Islands,

-to Africa, and America.</p>

-

-<p>The Hawkins family had taken a large

-part in this new activity. The elder William

-Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his

-son, John Hawkins, with whom Drake took

-service, made several voyages to the “Isles

-of the Canaries.” Having learnt something

-about the West Indies, he made several

-voyages there, carrying with him numbers

-of negroes to sell, whom he took, partly by

-the sword, and partly by other means, on

-the coast of Africa.</p>

-

-<p>Hawkins and the other adventurers who

-joined him brought home great riches. In

-the account of those early voyages we see

-the beginning of a quarrel with Spain, which

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span>was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,

-till Philip sent his great Armada to invade

-England.</p>

-

-<p>The third and most famous voyage of

-John Hawkins to the West Indies was called

-“the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in

-disaster. It was the biggest venture that had

-yet been made by the English, and Drake

-took part in it. Hawkins sailed with six

-ships. There were two “great ships” of

-the Royal Navy&mdash;the <i>Jesus</i>, commanded by

-Hawkins himself, and the <i>Minion</i>; the

-<i>William and John</i>, named after and owned

-by the Hawkins brothers; and three smaller

-ones, the <i>Swallow</i>, the <i>Angel</i>, and the <i>Judith</i>,

-the last being under the command of Francis

-Drake.</p>

-

-<p>They got slaves in Africa and sold them

-in the West Indies, though not without

-difficulty, because the Spaniards had been

-forbidden by their king to trade with the

-English. As they were about to start on

-their way home, the ships met with fearful

-storms, and as the <i>Jesus</i> was much shattered,

-Hawkins made up his mind to seek for

-haven. They were driven at last into Vera

-Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.

-Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span>repair their fleet. Now in this very port

-lay treasure which was said to be worth

-thousands of pounds. It was waiting for

-the fleet of armed ships which was to take

-it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were

-much dismayed to see the English ships,

-with their Portuguese ships and prisoners

-captured on the voyage, come, as they

-thought, to seize their treasure. It was

-this very danger they had feared when

-Hawkins first began his slave trade and

-disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.</p>

-

-<p>Next morning thirteen great ships appeared,

-and proved to be a Mexican fleet

-returning with a new Viceroy or Governor

-from King Philip. A solemn and peaceful

-agreement was made, and the Spanish

-ships were moored alongside the English

-ones, which were already in possession of

-the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards

-broke faith and fell upon the English,

-and a great and fierce fight took

-place, which lasted from ten in the morning

-until night. The <i>Angel</i> and the <i>Swallow</i>

-were sunk, and the <i>Jesus</i> so damaged that

-it could not be brought away.</p>

-

-<p>As the remaining ships were sailing away,

-the Spaniards sent two “fire ships” after

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span>them. This was not an unusual way of

-fighting in those days. The empty, burning

-ships were sent to try and fire the

-enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming,

-by the wind, an awful and terrifying

-sight. The men on the <i>Minion</i> became

-panic-stricken, and set sail without orders.

-Some of the men from the <i>Judith</i> followed

-in a small boat. The rest were forced “to

-abide the mercy of the Spaniards,” which,

-Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.</p>

-

-<p>“The same night,” he goes on, “the

-<i>Judith</i> forsook us in our great misery. In

-the end, when the wind came larger, we

-weighed anchor and set sail, seeking for

-water, of which we had very little. And

-wandering thus certain days in these unknown

-seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,

-cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and

-monkeys.”</p>

-

-<p>Some of the men asked to be put on

-land, rather than risk shipwreck and starvation

-in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins

-did, in the end, get safely home, with his

-weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of

-his feeble, starving crew. But he says that,

-if all the miseries and troubles of this

-sorrowful voyage were to be written, the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span>tale would be as long as the “Book of

-Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left

-also reached England, after weary wanderings

-and years of terrible sufferings. Some

-were put to death as heretics, and others

-were sent to the galleys as slaves. Others,

-more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,

-where the monks made kind and

-gentle masters.</p>

-

-<p>Five days before Hawkins reached England,

-the little <i>Judith</i> struggled into Plymouth

-Harbour with Drake and his load

-of men. William Hawkins sent him at

-once to London on horseback, “post, post

-haste,” as the old letters say. He carried

-letters to the Lords of Council, and

-to Sir William Cecil, the Chief Secretary

-of the Queen. So he rode swiftly along

-the country roads, only stopping to fling

-himself off one weary, smoking horse on

-to the back of a fresh one. The people

-would gather round him as he made the

-change, and wonder what great news was

-going to town.</p>

-

-<p>William Hawkins said in his letter: “There

-is come to Plymouth, at this present hour,

-one of the small barks of my brother’s

-fleet, and as I have neither writing nor

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span>anything else from him, I thought it good,

-and my most bounden duty, to send you

-the captain of the same bark. He is our

-kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”</p>

-

-<p>He was to tell the whole story, and the

-Queen was to hear it. He was to tell of

-the losses of John Hawkins, and of his

-absence, which his brother says “is unto

-me more grief than any other thing in the

-world.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake was much blamed at the time for

-deserting his general. It is difficult for us

-to see what he could have done. His little

-ship was crowded, and he had small store

-of food and water, and he no doubt thought

-it best to get home as soon as possible.

-His story of Spanish treachery and English

-loss must have roused the countryside.

-The excitement was at its height

-when the <i>Minion</i> appeared off Cornwall.</p>

-

-<p>A man “for goodwill” came riding to

-William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to get help.

-He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners

-and a store of fresh food and other necessaries.

-And again letters were sent to

-London with the news. Haste! haste! post

-haste!</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo1"><img class="box" src="images/i_014.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br />

-<span class="smaller">NOMBRE DE DIOS</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in January 1569 that the “troublesome

-voyage” ended for Drake, and in

-the summer of that year he married a

-Devonshire girl, named Mary Newman.

-The stories of his most famous voyages

-are found in an old book, called “Sir

-Francis Drake Revived.” This was first

-printed by his descendant, another Sir

-Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the

-First. It was written by some of the

-voyagers, and it is thought that Drake

-himself wrote part of it and corrected it.

-It is supposed that Drake presented the

-manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates

-it to her as the “first fruits” of his

-pen. He also says that his labours by

-land and sea were not more troublesome

-than the writing of it.</p>

-

-<p>After his losses and misfortunes in the

-Indies, it seems that Drake could get no

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span>amends from Spain, though he had lost

-both kinsmen, friends, and goods of some

-value. Queen Elizabeth could not think

-of making war with Philip. Her country

-was poor, her father’s navy was ruined.

-She had no proper army, and she had

-trouble enough on her hands in France

-and Scotland.</p>

-

-<p>Therefore Drake decided to help himself

-in what he was pleased to call his quarrel

-with the King of Spain. The old writer

-says that the story of his life shows how

-“so mean a person righted himself upon

-so mighty a prince. The one was in his

-own conceit the mightiest monarch in the

-world, the other only an English captain.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake now made two voyages that really

-prepared the way for his great and famous

-one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid

-his expenses by plundering ships or selling

-slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572,

-Drake started with his ship, the <i>Pascha</i>, of

-Plymouth, and the <i>Swan</i>, of Plymouth, in

-which his brother, John Drake, was captain.

-They had on board seventy-three

-men and boys. All of these came willingly,

-and had not been <i>pressed</i>, or compelled

-to serve, as the custom then was.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span></p>

-<p>Drake’s ships had a very good passage,

-and never stopped till they reached one of

-the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five

-days. Here they stayed three days to refresh

-the men, and to water the ships.

-The third day they set sail for the continent.

-They steered for a bay named formerly

-by them Port Pheasant. It was a

-fine, safe harbour. As they rowed ashore

-in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods.

-Drake manned and armed the other boats.</p>

-

-<p>When they landed, it was found that a

-certain Englishman, called John Garret, of

-Plymouth, had lately been there. Some

-mariners who had been with Drake in his

-other voyages had shown him the place.</p>

-

-<p>Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast

-to a mighty, great tree, on which these

-words were engraved:&mdash;</p>

-

-<div class="blockquot">

-<p class="center no-indent">“CAPTAIN DRAKE.</p>

-

-<p>“If you happen to come to this port,

-make haste away! for the Spaniards which

-you had with you here, the last year, have

-betrayed this place, and taken away all you

-left here. I depart from hence this present

-day of July, 1572.&mdash;Your very loving friend,</p>

-

-<p class="right no-indent">“JOHN GARRET.”</p></div>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span></p>

-

-<p>The smoke came from a fire which Garret

-and his company had made before they

-went. It had been burning for at least

-five days before Drake’s arrival. Drake

-had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,”

-made in Plymouth, and stored on

-board ship in pieces. He intended to put

-them together in this place. So the ships

-were anchored, and the place simply but

-strongly fortified with great logs.</p>

-

-<p>Next day an English boat appeared. The

-captain was James Rance, and he had

-thirty men, some of whom had been with

-Drake the year before. They brought with

-them a Spanish <i>caravel</i>, or merchant ship,

-which they had taken the day before, and

-a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.

-In seven days the pinnaces were set up

-and furnished out of the ships. Some

-negroes on a neighbouring island told them

-that the townsfolk of Nombre de Dios

-were in great fear of the <i>Cimaroons</i>, or

-“Maroons,” as our sailors called them.

-They had attacked the town of Nombre

-de Dios, and the Governor of Panama was

-to send soldiers to defend it. These were

-negroes who had fled some eighty years

-before from the cruelty of the Spaniards.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span>They had married Indian women, and had

-grown into a strong fighting tribe, who

-had two kings of their own, and lived, one

-on the east, and one on the west, of the

-road from Nombre de Dios to Panama. This

-was the road by which all the gold and

-silver from the mines of Peru was sent to

-the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped

-for Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.</p>

-

-<p>Drake hastened his plans. Three ships

-and the <i>caravel</i> were left with Captain

-Rance. He chose seventy-three men for

-the three pinnaces (the fourth was that

-taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of

-arms, and two drums and a trumpet. The

-men were drilled and given their weapons

-and arms, which had been kept up till

-then “very fair and safe in good casks.”

-Drake encouraged them to the attack. In

-the afternoon they set sail for Nombre de

-Dios, and were very near before sunset.

-They lay there under the shore, out of

-sight of the watch, till dark. Then they

-rowed near shore as quietly as possible,

-and waited for the dawn.</p>

-

-<p>But Drake found the men were getting

-nervous, so when the moon rose “he

-thought it best to persuade them it was

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span>day dawning,” and the men had not time

-to get afraid, for they got there at three

-in the morning. They landed with no difficulty.

-But the noise of bells and drums

-and shouting soon told them that the town

-was awake and alarmed. Twelve men

-were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure

-a safe retreat. Drake’s brother, with John

-Oxenham and sixteen other men, went

-round behind the King’s Treasure-house,

-and entered the eastern end of the market-place.

-Drake, with the rest, passed up the

-broad street into the market-place, with

-sound of drum and trumpets. They used

-fire-pikes, or long poles with metal points,

-to which torches of blazing tow were

-fastened, and served both to frighten the

-enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could

-see quite well by them. The terrified

-townsfolk imagined an army was marching

-upon them.</p>

-

-<p>After a sharp fight in the market-place

-the Spaniards fled. Two or three of them

-were captured, and commanded to show

-Drake the Governor’s house. But he found

-that only silver was kept there; gold,

-pearls, and jewels being carried to the

-King’s Treasure-house, not far off.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span></p>

-<p>“This house was very strongly built of

-lime and stone for safe keeping of the

-treasure. At the Governor’s house we found

-the great door open where the mules are

-generally unladen. A candle stood lighted

-on the top of the stairs, and a fair horse

-was saddled ready for the Governor himself,

-or for one of his household. By this

-light we saw a huge heap of silver in the

-lower room. It was a pile of bars of

-silver.</p>

-

-<p>“At this sight our Captain commanded

-straightly that none of us should touch a

-bar of silver. We must stand to our

-weapons, because the town was full of

-people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house,

-near the waterside, more gold and

-jewels than all our pinnaces could carry.

-This we could presently try to break open,

-though they thought it so strong.</p>

-

-<p>“But now a report was brought by some

-of our men that our pinnaces were in danger

-to be taken, and that we had better

-get aboard before day. This report was

-learnt through a negro named Diego, who

-had begged to be taken on board our

-ships when we first came. Our Captain

-sent his brother and John Oxenham to

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span>learn the truth. They found the men

-much frightened, for they saw great troops

-of armed townsfolk and soldiers running

-up and down. Presently, too, a mighty

-shower of rain fell, with a terrible storm of

-thunder and lightning. It came down

-violently, as it does in these countries.

-Before we could reach the shelter at the

-western end of the King’s Treasure-house,

-some of our bowstrings were wet, and

-some of our match and powder hurt.</p>

-

-<p>“Our men began to mutter about the

-forces of the town. But our Captain, hearing,

-told them: ‘He had brought them to

-the mouth of the treasure of the world;

-if they went without it, they might blame

-nobody but themselves afterwards.’</p>

-

-<p>“So soon as the fury of the storm was

-spent, he gave his men no time to consider

-their doubts, nor the enemy no time

-to gather themselves together. He stepped

-forward and commanded his brother and

-John Oxenham to break the King’s Treasure-house.

-The rest, with him, were to

-hold the market-place till the business

-was done.</p>

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo2"><img class="box" src="images/i_022.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios</p></div>

-

-<p>“But as he stepped forward his strength

-and sight and speech failed him, and he

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span>began to faint for loss of blood. And we

-saw it had flowed in great quantities

-upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.

-He had got it in the first encounter, but

-though he felt some pain he would not

-make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed

-it against his will. He saw that

-some of the men, having already got many

-good things, would seize any chance to

-escape further danger. But the blood that

-filled our very footprints greatly dismayed

-our company, who could not believe that

-one man could lose so much blood, and

-live.</p>

-

-<p>“Even those who were willing to risk

-more for so good a booty would in no case

-risk their Captain’s life. So they gave

-him something to drink to recover him,

-and bound his scarf about his leg to stop

-the blood. They also entreated him to be

-content to go aboard with them, there to

-have his wound searched and dressed, and

-then to return on shore again if he thought

-good.</p>

-

-<p>“This they could by no means persuade

-him to, so they joined force with fair entreaty,

-and bore him aboard his pinnace.

-Thus they gave up a rich spoil only to save

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span>their Captain’s life, being sure that, while

-they enjoyed his presence and had him

-to command them, they might recover

-enough of wealth. But if once they lost

-him they should hardly be able to get

-home again. No, nor keep that they had

-got already. Thus we embarked by break

-of day, having besides our Captain, many

-of our men wounded, though none slain

-but one trumpeter. And though our

-surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies

-and salves for their wounds, yet the

-main care of the Captain was respected by

-all the rest.</p>

-

-<p>“Before we left the harbour, we took

-with little trouble the ship of wine for the

-greater comfort of our company. And

-though they shot at us from the town we

-carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals.

-Here we cured our wounded men, and

-refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens

-which we found there abounding with

-great store of dainty roots and fruits.

-There was also great plenty of poultry

-and other fowls, no less strange than delicate.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br />

-<span class="smaller">FORT DIEGO</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">A</span><span class="smcap">fter</span> the return to the ship Captain

-Rance departed. But Drake had a

-new plan in his head; he meant to attack

-Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main.

-Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they

-found that the townsfolk had been warned

-that Frenchmen and Englishmen were about.

-Drake took possession of a large ship that

-was outward bound. But the townsfolk,

-hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their

-bells, fired their cannon, and got all their

-soldiers out. Next morning Drake took two

-more ships near the harbour, one of which

-was bound to Cartagena with a letter of

-warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake

-sent his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so

-ended his first attempt upon Cartagena.</p>

-

-<p>He saw that the coasts were aware of his

-presence. Yet he did not want to go away

-till he had discovered the Maroons; for

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span>his faithful negro, Diego, had told him that

-they were friendly to him as the enemy of

-Spain. This search might take time, and

-must be done in the smaller boats, which

-were swifter and could explore the rivers.

-He had not enough of men both to sail the

-boats and the pinnaces; so he now decided

-to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse

-of the other. In this way his pinnaces

-would be properly manned, and he could stay

-as long as he liked. This was accordingly

-done. For fifteen days the big ship lay

-hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the

-Spaniards think they had left the coast.

-Here Drake kept the men busy trimming

-and cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the

-ground, and building huts. Diego the negro

-was a very good builder, and knew the ways

-of the country well. The men played, too,

-at bowls and quoits, and shooting with

-arrows at targets. The smiths had brought

-forges from England and set them up.

-Every now and again the pinnaces crept

-out to sea to plunder passing ships. Much

-food was put away in different storehouses

-to serve till they had “made their voyage,”

-as they said, or “made their fortunes,” as

-we should say.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span></p>

-

-<p>Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe

-harbour, they moved to a new place, which

-they fortified and called Fort Diego. They

-now prepared to wait five months, because

-the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards

-carried no treasure by land during the

-rainy months. They were not idle during

-these months, for the ship and fort were left

-in charge of John Drake, while Captain

-Drake and John Oxenham went roving in

-the pinnaces. They had many adventures,

-being in some peril in their small boats, and

-always at the mercy of the weather, while

-at one time they were almost starving. Some

-of the men got ill with the cold and died, for

-they had little shelter on board. When they

-got back to the ships they found all things

-in good order; but they received the heavy

-news of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s

-brother, a young man of great promise.</p>

-

-<p>“Our Captain then resolved to keep close

-and go no more to sea, but supplied his

-needs, both for his own company and the

-Maroons, out of his storehouse. Then ten

-of our company fell down sick of an unknown

-disease, and most of them died in a

-few days. Later, we had thirty men sick at

-one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake,

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span>another of his brothers, died in our Captain’s

-arms.</p>

-

-<p>“We now heard from the Maroons, who

-ranged the country up and down for us, to

-learn what they might for us, that the fleet

-had arrived from Spain in Nombre de Dios.

-The Captain prepared to make his journey

-by land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon

-the charge of the ship and company and the

-Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised

-by the Maroons what provisions to

-prepare for the long and great journey, what

-kind of weapons, what store of victuals, and

-what kind of clothes. He was to take as

-many shoes as possible, because they had

-to pass so many rivers with stone and gravel.

-Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few

-were left to keep the ship, attend the sick,

-and guard the prisoners.</p>

-

-<p>“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February

-the third. At his departure our Captain gave

-this Master strict charge, in any case not to

-trust any messenger that should come in his

-name with any tokens, unless he brought his

-handwriting. This he knew could not be

-copied by the Maroons or the Spaniards.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br />

-<span class="smaller">THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">here</span> were forty-eight men of the

-party, of whom eighteen only were English.

-The Maroons carried arms and food,

-and got more food with their arrows from

-time to time. Every day they began to

-march by sunrise, and rested in the heat

-of the day in shelters made by the Maroons.

-The third day they came to a little town or

-village of the Maroons, which was much

-admired by the sailors for its beauty and

-cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says

-the story, “they have no kind of priests,

-only they held the Cross in great awe.

-But by our Captain’s persuasions, they were

-contented to leave their crosses and to

-learn the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught

-something of God’s worship.”</p>

-

-<p>They begged Drake to stay with them

-some days, but he had to hasten on. Four

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span>of the best guides amongst the Maroons

-marched on ahead, and broke boughs to

-show the path to those that followed. All

-kept strict silence. The way lay through

-cool and pleasant woods.</p>

-

-<p>“We were much encouraged because we

-were told there was a great Tree about

-half way, from which we could see at once

-both the North Sea, from whence we came,

-and the South Sea, whither we were going.</p>

-

-<p>“The fourth day we came to the height

-of the desired hill, a very high hill, lying

-east and west like a ridge between the

-two seas. It was about ten of the clock.

-Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took

-our Captain by the hand, and prayed him

-to follow him if he wished to see at once

-two seas, which he had so greatly longed

-for.</p>

-

-<p>“Here was that goodly and great high

-Tree, in which they had cut and made various

-steps to get up near the top. Here they

-had made a convenient bower, where ten

-or twelve men might easily sit. And here

-we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the

-Atlantic Ocean, whence we now came, and

-the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired.

-South and north of the Tree they

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span>had felled certain trees that the prospect

-might be clearer.</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo3"><img class="box" src="images/i_030.jpg" width="400" alt="The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

-from the tree-top" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans<br />

-from the tree-top</p>

-

-<p>“Our Captain went up to this bower, with

-the chief Maroon. He had, because of the

-breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day.

-And he saw that sea of which he had heard

-such golden reports. He prayed Almighty

-God, of His goodness, to give him life and

-leave to sail once in an English ship in

-that sea! Then he called up the rest of

-our men, and specially he told John Oxenham

-of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased

-God to grant him that happiness. He,

-understanding it, protested that, unless our

-Captain did beat him from his company,

-he would follow him, by God’s grace! Thus

-all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,

-came down, and after our repast continued

-our ordinary march through the woods.”</p>

-

-<p>The last part of the march was through

-high pampas grass. But now they began

-to get glimpses of Panama, and could at

-last see the ships in the harbour. Now

-the march had to be more secret and silent

-than ever, till at length they lay hidden in

-a grove near the high road from Panama

-to Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon

-was despatched, clothed as a negro of

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span>Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the

-town and learn when the treasure was to

-be taken from the King’s Treasure-house

-in Panama to Nombre de Dios. This

-journey to Venta Cruz was always made

-by night, because of the heat and toil of

-walking through the pampas grass. But

-from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they

-travelled always by day and not by night,

-because the way lay through fresh, cool

-woods. The mules were tied together in

-long trains, and guarded, if possible, by

-soldiers, for fear of the Maroons.</p>

-

-<p>The spy brought back news in the afternoon

-that a certain great man intended

-to go to Spain by the first ship, and was

-going that night towards Nombre de Dios

-with his daughter and family. He had

-fourteen mules, of which eight were laden

-with gold and one with jewels. There were

-also two other trains of fifty mules each,

-mostly laden with food, and with a little

-silver, which were to come out that night

-also. Upon hearing this they marched

-until they came to within two leagues of

-Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with

-half his men on one side of the way, about

-fifty paces off, in the long grass. John

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span>Oxenham, with the captain of the Maroons

-and the other half of the men, lay on the

-other side of the road at the same distance.

-In about half-an-hour’s time they could hear

-the mules both coming and going from Venta

-Cruz to Panama, where trade was lively

-when the fleet was there. The sound of

-the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore

-carried far in the still night. The men had

-been strictly charged not to stir or show

-themselves, but let all that come from Venta

-Cruz pass by quietly, for they knew the

-mules brought nothing but merchandise

-from there. But one of the men, called

-Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy

-without water,” and forgot himself, and with

-a Maroon went close to the road.</p>

-

-<p>“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz,

-well mounted, with his page running at

-his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look,

-though the Maroon, more cautious, pulled

-him down and tried to hide him. But by

-this time the gentleman had noticed that

-one half of him was white, for we had all

-put our shirts over our other clothing

-that we might be sure to know our own

-men in the pell-mell in the night. The

-cavalier put spurs to his horse, and rode

-away at a gallop to warn others.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span></p>

-<p>“The ground was hard and the night

-was still, and our Captain heard this gentleman’s

-trot change to a gallop. He suspected

-that we were discovered, but could

-not imagine by whose fault, nor had he

-time to search. The gentleman, as we

-heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,

-who, fearing Captain Drake had come to

-look for treasure on land, turned his train

-of mules aside from the way, and let the

-others which were coming pass on. Thus,

-by the recklessness of one of our company,

-and by the carefulness of that traveller, we

-were disappointed of a most rich booty.

-But we thought that God would not let

-it be taken, for likely it was well gotten by

-that Treasurer.</p>

-

-<p>“The other two mule trains, which came

-behind that of the Treasurer, were no

-sooner come up to us than we stayed and

-seized on them. One of the chief carriers,

-a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by

-what means we were discovered, and counselled

-us to shift for ourselves betimes,

-for we should encounter the whole force

-of the city and country before day would

-be about us.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake and his men were little pleased

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span>at the loss of their golden mule-trains, for

-they had only taken two horse-loads of

-silver. It was the more provoking that

-they had been betrayed by one of their own

-men. There was no help for it, and Drake

-never “grieved at things past,” so they

-decided to march back the nearest way.

-Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, said he

-“would rather die at Drake’s foot than

-leave him to his enemies.” When they got

-near Venta Cruz, they turned back the

-mules with their drivers. Outside the town

-the soldiers met them, and a fight took

-place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.</p>

-

-<p>“The soldiers shot off their whole volley,

-which, though it lightly wounded our Captain

-and several of our men, caused death

-to one only of our company, who was so

-powdered with hail-shot that we could not

-recover his life, though he continued all that

-day afterwards with us. Presently, as our

-Captain perceived their shot to come slacking,

-like the last drops of a great shower

-of rain, he gave his usual signal with his

-whistle, to answer them with our shot and

-arrows.</p>

-

-<p>“The Maroons had stept aside at first

-for terror of the shot. But seeing that we

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span>marched onwards they all rushed forward,

-one after the other, with their arrows ready

-in their bows, and their manner of country

-dance or leap, ever singing, <i>Yo Pehò! Yo

-Pehò!</i> and so got before us. They then

-continued their leap and song, after the

-manner of their country wars, till they and

-we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,

-now thoroughly encouraged, when they

-saw our resolution, broke in through the

-thickets near the town’s end, and forced

-the enemy to fly. Several of our men were

-wounded, and one Maroon was run through

-with one of their pikes, but his courage

-and mind served him so well that he revenged

-his own death ere he died, by

-giving him that deadly wound.”</p>

-

-<p>So they entered the town, and stayed

-there some hours for rest and refreshment,

-and the Maroons were allowed to carry

-away some plunder. At sunrise they

-marched away, for they had been gone

-from the ship nearly a fortnight, and had

-left the company weak and sickly. Drake

-marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary

-and disappointed men with brave promises,

-but in the hurried march they had

-often to go hungry. Three leagues from

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span>the port the Maroons had built a camp

-or village while they were away, and here

-they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had

-been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed

-he was the more willing to consent,

-that our want of shoes might be supplied

-by the Maroons, who were a great help to

-us. For all our men complained of the

-tenderness of their feet, and our Captain

-himself would join in their complaint, sometimes

-without cause, but sometimes with

-cause indeed, which made the rest to bear

-the burden more easily. These Maroons

-did us good service all the time they were

-with us. They were our spies on the

-journey, our guides, our hunters, and our

-house-wrights, and had indeed able and

-strong bodies for carrying our necessities.

-Yea, many times when some of our company

-fainted with sickness of weariness,

-two Maroons would carry him with ease

-between them, two miles together; and at

-other times, when need was, they would

-show themselves no less valiant than industrious,

-and of good judgment.</p>

-

-<p>“From this town our Captain despatched

-a Maroon with a token and a certain order

-to the master. He, all those weeks, kept

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span>good watch against the enemy, and shifted

-in the woods for fresh food, for the relief

-and recovery of our men left on board.”</p>

-

-<p>When the messenger reached the shore

-he hailed those on the ship, who quickly

-fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s

-token, the golden toothpick, and gave the

-message, which was to tell the master to

-meet him at a certain river. When the

-master looked at the toothpick, he saw

-written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.”

-Then he believed the messenger, and prepared

-what provision he had, and repaired

-to the mouth of the river. About three

-o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace,

-and there was double rejoicing. The

-wanderers seemed strangely changed in

-face and plight to those who had lived in

-rest and plenty on board ship. Drake, indeed,

-was less so than the others. The

-fasting and hard marches had done much,

-but still more “their inward grief, for that

-they returned without that golden treasure

-they hoped for, did show her print and

-footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was

-determined to repeat the attempt.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br />

-<span class="smaller">HOME AGAIN</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> well knew that delay and idleness

-would soon spoil the spirits of

-his men, so he at once divided them into

-two companies, under himself and John

-Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces

-in different directions and seek for food and

-plunder. Some of the Maroons were dismissed

-with gifts, and the rest remained

-with a few men on board ship. The

-Governor of Panama had warned the towns

-so well that it was useless to attempt them

-at present. Drake, in the <i>Minion</i>, took a

-frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat

-lighter, to go on its way. John Oxenham,

-in the <i>Bear</i>, took a frigate well laden with

-food of all kinds. Drake was so pleased

-with this ship, which was strong and new

-and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war

-in place of the sunken ship. And the

-<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span>company were heartened with a feast and

-much good cheer that Easter Day.</p>

-

-<p>Next day the pinnaces met with a

-French captain out of Newhaven, whose

-ship was greatly distressed for want of

-food and water. Drake relieved him, and

-the captains exchanged gifts and compliments.

-The French captain sent Drake

-“a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged

-to Henry the Third of France, and had in

-return a chain of gold and a tablet. This

-captain brought them the news of the

-Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day, and

-said he thought “those Frenchmen the

-happiest who were furthest from France,

-now no longer France but Frenzy.” He

-had heard famous reports of their riches,

-and wanted to know how he also could

-“make his voyage.” They resolved, after

-consultation, to take him and twenty of his

-men to serve for halves. They now sent

-for the Maroons.</p>

-

-<p>A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen,

-fifteen Englishmen, and some Maroons.

-They sailed with a frigate and two

-pinnaces towards a river called Rio Francisco,

-to the west of Nombre de Dios.

-There was not enough water to sail the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span>frigate, so she was left in charge of a

-mariner to await the return of the pinnaces.

-They went on, and landed both captains

-with their force. Those in charge of the

-pinnaces were ordered to be there the

-fourth day without fail. The land party

-went on through the woods towards the

-high road from Panama to Nombre de

-Dios, where the mules now went daily.

-They marched, as before, in silence. They

-stayed all night a mile from the road, in

-great stillness, and refreshed themselves.

-They could hear the carpenters working on

-their ships, which they did at nights because

-of the fierce heat of the day. Next

-morning, the 1st of April, they heard such

-a number of bells that the Maroons rejoiced

-exceedingly, and assured them they

-should now have more gold and silver than

-they could carry away. And so it came to

-pass.</p>

-

-<p>For three trains appeared, one of fifty

-mules and two of seventy each, and every

-mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver,

-amounting to nearly 30 tons. The leaders

-of the mules were taken by the heads, and

-all the rest lay down, as they always do.

-The fifteen soldiers who guarded each

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span>train were routed, but not before they had

-wounded the French captain sorely, and

-slain one of the Maroons. They took what

-silver and gold they could carry, and buried

-the rest in the burrows made in the earth

-by the great land crabs under old fallen

-trees, and in the sand and gravel of a

-shallow river.</p>

-

-<p>After two hours they marched back

-through the woods, but had to leave the

-French captain to rest and recover from

-his wound. Two of his men willingly

-stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman

-was found to be missing. He had got

-drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder,

-and lost himself in the woods. They

-afterwards found he was taken by the

-Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture,

-revealed to them where the treasure was

-hidden.</p>

-

-<p>When they reached the river’s mouth,

-they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at sea,

-which had come out to search the coasts.

-This made them fear their own pinnaces

-were taken. But a storm in the night

-forced the Spaniards to go home, and also

-delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind

-was so contrary and so strong that they

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span>could only get half way. For this reason

-they had fortunately been unseen by the

-Spaniards.</p>

-

-<p>“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared

-lest they had taken our pinnaces, and compelled

-our men by torture to confess where

-his ships and frigate were. In this great

-doubt and perplexity the company feared

-that all means of returning to their country

-were cut off, and that their treasure would

-then serve them to small purpose. But

-our Captain comforted and encouraged us

-all, saying: ‘We should venture no further

-than he did. It was no time now to fear,

-but rather to haste to prevent that which

-was feared. If the enemy have prevailed

-against our pinnaces (which God forbid!),

-yet they must have time to search them,

-time to examine the mariners, time to execute

-their resolution after it is determined.

-Before all those times be taken, we may

-get to our ships, if ye will, though not

-possibly by land, because of the hills,

-thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us,

-therefore, make a raft with the trees that

-are here in readiness, as offering themselves,

-being brought down to the river

-happily by this last storm, and let us put

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span>ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will

-be the other?’</p>

-

-<p>“John Smith offered himself, and two

-Frenchmen that could swim very well desired

-they might accompany our Captain,

-as did the Maroons likewise. They had

-prayed our Captain very earnestly to march

-by land, though it was a sixteen-days’

-journey, in case the ship had been surprised,

-that he might abide with them

-always. Pedro was most eager in this,

-who was fain to be left behind because he

-could not row.</p>

-

-<p>“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a

-sail of a biscuit-sack was prepared; an oar

-was shaped out of a young tree to serve

-instead of a rudder, to direct their course

-before the wind.</p>

-

-<p>“At his departure, our Captain comforted

-the company by promising ‘that, if it

-pleased God he should put his foot in

-safety on board his frigate, he would, by

-one means or other, get them all on

-board, in spite of all the Spaniards in

-the Indies!’</p>

-

-<p>“In this manner pulling off to sea, he

-sailed some three leagues, sitting up to the

-waist continually in water, and up to the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span>armpits at every surge of the waves, for

-the space of six hours upon this raft. And

-what with the parching of the sun and what

-with the beating of salt water, they had all

-of them their skins much fretted away.</p>

-

-<p>“At length God gave them the sight of

-two pinnaces turning towards them with

-much wind, but with far greater joy to him

-than can easily be guessed. So he did

-cheerfully declare to those three with him,

-that ‘they were our pinnaces! and that

-all was safe, so there was no cause of

-fear!’</p>

-

-<p>“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the

-raft, nor suspecting any such matter, by

-reason of the wind, and night growing on,

-were forced to run into a cove behind the

-point, to take shelter for the night. Our

-Captain seeing this, and gathering that they

-would anchor there, put his raft ashore, and

-ran round the point by land, where he found

-them. They, upon sight of him, made as

-much haste as they could to take him and

-his company on board. For our Captain, on

-purpose to see what haste they could and

-would make in extremity, himself ran in

-great haste, and so made the other three

-with him, as if they had been chased by

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span>the enemy. And so those on board suspected,

-because they saw so few with him.</p>

-

-<p>“And after his coming on board, when

-they demanded ‘how his company did?’ he

-answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that

-all went scarce well. But he, willing to rid

-all doubts, and fill them with joy, took out

-of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God

-that ‘our voyage was made!’”</p>

-

-<p>They then rowed up the river and rescued

-the others, and brought back such of the

-treasure as they had been able to carry with

-them, and all returned to the ships by dawn.

-There Drake divided the treasure equally

-by weight between the French and the

-English. During the next fortnight everything

-was set in order, and the <i>Pascha</i> given

-to the Spanish prisoners to go home in.

-Meanwhile a party was sent out to try and

-rescue the French captain and to seek for the

-buried treasure. One only of the Frenchmen

-managed to escape and was saved. Much

-of the treasure had been discovered by the

-Spaniards, but not all, and the party returned

-very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver

-and a few quoits of gold. The Frenchmen

-now left them, having got their shares of

-the treasure. The ships parted when passing

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span>close by Cartagena, which they did in the

-sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St.

-George on the main top of the frigate, with

-silk streamers and ancients (national flags)

-down to the water.”</p>

-

-<p>Later on they anchored to trim and rig

-the frigates and stow away the provisions,

-and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so

-that the Maroons might have the ironwork.

-One of the last days Drake desired Pedro

-and three of the chief Maroons to go through

-both his frigates and see what they liked.

-He promised to give them whatever they

-asked, unless he could not get back to

-England without it. But Pedro set his

-heart on the scimitar which the French

-captain had given to Drake; and knowing

-Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for

-it or praise it. But at last he bribed one

-of the company to ask for him, with a fine

-quoit of gold, and promised to give four

-others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but he

-wished to please Pedro, who deserved so

-well, so he gave it to him with many good

-words. Pedro received it with no little joy,

-and asked Drake to accept the four pieces

-of gold, as a token of his thankfulness and

-a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span>received it graciously, but did not keep it

-for himself but caused it to be cast into

-the whole adventure, saying that “if he had

-not been helped to that place he would never

-have got such a thing, and it was only just

-that those who shared his burden in setting

-him to sea should enjoy a share of the

-benefits.”</p>

-

-<p>“Thus with good love and liking, we took

-our leave of that people. We took many

-ships during our abode in those parts, yet

-never burnt nor sunk any, unless they acted

-as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap

-us. And of all the men taken in those

-vessels, we never offered any kind of violence

-to any, after they were once come into our

-power. For we either dismissed them in

-safety, or kept them with us some longer

-time. If so, we provided for them as for

-ourselves, and secured them from the rage

-of the Maroons against them, till at last,

-the danger of their discovering where our

-ships lay being past, for which cause only

-we kept them prisoners, we set them also

-free.</p>

-

-<p>“We now intended to sail home the directest

-and speediest way, and this we happily

-performed, even beyond our own expectations,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span>

-and so arrived at Plymouth, on Sunday

-about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.</p>

-

-<p>“And the news of our Captain’s return

-being brought unto his people, did so speedily

-pass over all the church, and fill their minds

-with delight and desire to see him, that very

-few or none remained with the preacher. All

-hastened to see the evidence of God’s love

-and blessing towards our gracious Queen

-and country by the fruit of our Captain’s

-labour and success.</p>

-

-<p class="center no-indent">“TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br />

-<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">S</span><span class="smcap">o</span> we see that both of Drake’s ships, the

-<i>Pascha</i> and the <i>Swan</i>, were left behind

-in the West Indies, and he made a quick

-voyage home in the well-built Spanish

-frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for

-two years after his return to Plymouth.

-There is a legend that he kept on the

-seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable

-and unwilling to go to war with the

-King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage

-the sort of warfare that Drake and

-the other rovers had so successfully carried

-on against him.</p>

-

-<p>Such companies of adventurers as these

-that sailed under Drake and Hawkins did

-a large part of the work of the navy in

-the time of Elizabeth. The country was

-saved the expense which private persons

-were willing to pay to furnish the ships.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span>The Queen herself is known to have shared

-in the expenses and plunder of some such

-expeditions, and so she thriftily laid up

-treasure in England’s empty money-chests.

-But some of her older councillors disliked

-exceedingly this way of getting rich, and

-would rather it had been done openly in

-war, or not at all.</p>

-

-<p>To Drake it seems to have been a very

-simple affair. He wished, in the first place,

-as the old book says, “to lick himself whole

-of the damage he had received from the

-Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion

-to the Spaniards, but not to the French

-or to the natives of the West Indies. And

-Drake considered his own cause so just

-that he never made a secret of his doings.

-He went at his own risk, for should he be

-taken by the enemy his country had no

-power to protect him, as she was not openly

-at war with Spain. But, on the other

-hand, he was secretly encouraged, and his

-gains were immense.</p>

-

-<p>In the second place, Drake wished to

-attack and injure the Roman Catholic faith

-whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen

-had told him that this was a lawful

-aim. How earnestly he believed it we can

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span>see from the story, where he tried to

-persuade the Maroons to “leave their

-crosses,” which to him were the sign of

-the hated religion. The terrible tale of

-the massacre of the Protestants on St.

-Bartholomew’s Day told him by the French

-captain (who himself fell into the hands

-of the Spaniards, as we have seen), must

-have inflamed this feeling in his soul and

-in those of his men. It made them more

-eager than ever to fight the enemies of

-their own faith.</p>

-

-<p>Then, too, the Spaniards founded their

-rights to own the New World upon a

-grant from one of the Popes; and the

-English, now no longer Catholics, denied

-his power to give it, and claimed the right

-for themselves to explore and conquer and

-keep what share they could get.</p>

-

-<p>The King of Spain looked upon Drake

-as a pirate, but he could not find out how

-far he had been secretly encouraged by

-Elizabeth, and Drake was not punished, in

-spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But

-he was prevented from sailing away again

-on a voyage of discovery, though his friends

-and brothers went, and among them John

-Oxenham, who was hanged as a pirate by

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span>the Spaniards because he had no commission

-or formal leave from the Queen or the

-Government to trade in the West Indies.</p>

-

-<p>During this interval Drake took service

-in Ireland, under the Earl of Essex, furnishing

-his own ships, “and doing excellent

-service both by sea and land at the

-winning of divers strong forts.” The work

-he took a part in was as harsh and cruel

-as any that was ever done by fire and sword

-to make Ireland more desolate. Here he

-met Thomas Doughty, one of the household

-of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier,

-who became his friend, and sailed with him

-on his next voyage.</p>

-

-<p>The story of this voyage is told under the

-name of “The World Encompassed,” and

-in it Drake is said “to have turned up a

-furrow about the whole world.” In 1520

-Magellan had discovered the passage

-south of America from the Atlantic to the

-Pacific Ocean, since called by his name.

-Many adventurers had tried to follow him,

-but all their efforts had ended in disaster,

-and the Straits had an uncanny name

-among sailors, and “were counted so terrible

-in those days that the very thoughts

-of attempting them were dreadful.”</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span></p>

-<p>Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships&mdash;the

-<i>Pelican</i>, which was his flagship, the

-<i>Elizabeth</i>, the <i>Marigold</i>, the <i>Swan</i>, and the

-<i>Christopher</i>. They took a hundred and sixty

-men and plentiful provisions and stores for

-the long and dangerous voyage. They also

-took pinnaces which could be set up when

-wanted. Nor did Drake forget to “make

-provision for ornament and delight, carrying

-to this purpose with him expert musicians,

-rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,

-yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being

-of pure silver).”</p>

-

-<p>They started on November 15, 1577, but

-were forced by a gale to put back into

-Plymouth for repairs, and started out again

-on December 13. The sailors were not

-told the real aim of the voyage, which was

-to “sail upon those seas greatly longed

-for.” They were too full of fears and fancies.

-The unknown was haunted in their minds

-with devils and hurtful spirits, and in those

-days people still believed in magic.</p>

-

-<p>They picked up several prizes on their

-way out, notably a large Portuguese ship,

-whose cargo of wine and food was valuable

-to the English ships. Drake sent the passengers

-and crew on shore, but kept the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span>pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account

-of the voyage, and was most useful, as he

-knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s

-main cares on this voyage, we are told,

-was to keep the fleet together as much as

-possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh

-the men, “wearied with long toils at sea,”

-as often as possible. He decided to lessen

-the number of the ships, for “fewer ships

-keep better company,” and he looked for a

-harbour to anchor in.</p>

-

-<p>“Our General,” says the book, “especially

-in matters of moment, was never one to rely

-only on other men’s care, how trusty or

-skilful soever they might seem to be. But

-always scorning danger, and refusing no toil,

-he was wont himself to be one, whosoever

-was a second, at every turn, where courage,

-skill, or industry was to be employed.

-Neither would he at any time entrust the

-discovery of these dangers to another’s

-pains, but rather to his own experience in

-searching out and sounding of them.”</p>

-

-<p>So in this case Drake himself went out in

-the boat and rowed into the bay. The <i>Swan</i>,

-the <i>Christopher</i>, and the prize were sacrificed,

-their stores being used for the other

-ships.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span></p>

-<p>On the 20th of June they anchored in a

-very good harbour, called by Magellan Port

-St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the

-land, and in this place Magellan is supposed

-to have executed some disobedient and rebellious

-men of his company. In this port

-Drake began to “inquire diligently into the

-actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and

-found them not to be such as he looked for.”</p>

-

-<p>(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill

-Drake or desert him, and take his place as

-commander, or at any rate to force him to

-go back, to the ruin of the voyage.)</p>

-

-<p>“Whereupon the company was called together,

-and the particulars of the cause made

-known to them, which were found partly by

-Master Doughty’s own confession, and

-partly by the evidence of the fact, to be

-true. Which when our General saw,

-although his private affection to Master

-Doughty (as he then in the presence of us

-all sacredly protested) was great; yet the

-care he had of the state of the voyage, of

-the expectation of her Majesty, and of the

-honour of his country, did more touch him

-(as indeed it ought) than the private respect

-of one man. So that the cause being

-thoroughly heard, and all things done in

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span>good order, as near as might be to the

-course of our laws in England, it was concluded

-that Master Doughty should receive

-punishment according to the quality of

-the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but

-patience for himself, desired before his

-death to receive the Communion, which he

-did, at the hands of our minister, and our

-General himself accompanied him in that

-holy action....</p>

-

-<p>“And after this holy repast, they dined

-also at the same table together, as cheerfully,

-in sobriety, as ever in their lives they

-had done aforetime, each cheering up the

-other, and taking their leave, by drinking

-each to other, as if some journey only had

-been in hand.</p>

-

-<p>“And the place of execution being ready,

-he having embraced our General, and taken

-his leave of all the company, with prayer for

-the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet

-sort laid his head to the block, where he

-ended his life. This being done, our General

-made various speeches to the whole company,

-persuading us to unity, obedience,

-love and regard of our voyage. And to help

-us to this, he willed every man the next

-Sunday following to prepare himself to receive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span>

-the Communion, as Christian brethren

-and friends ought to do, which was done

-in very reverent sort, and so with good

-contentment every man went about his

-business.”</p>

-

-<p>On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still

-continued, Drake ordered the whole ships’

-companies ashore. They all went into a

-large tent, and the minister offered to make

-a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”

-said Drake, “I must preach this day myself,

-although I have small skill in preaching....

-I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing

-up hath not been in learning.”</p>

-

-<p>He then told them that for what he was

-going to say he would answer in England

-and before her Majesty. He and his men were

-far away from their country and friends, and

-discords and mutiny had grown up among

-them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it

-doth take my wits from me to think on it.

-Here is such quarrels between the sailors

-and the gentlemen as it doth make me mad

-to hear it. But, my masters, I must have

-it left [off], for I must have the gentleman

-to haul and draw with the mariner, and the

-mariner with the gentleman. What, let us

-show ourselves all to be of a company, and

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span>let us not give occasion to the enemy to

-rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would

-know him that would refuse to set his hand

-to a rope, but I know there is not any such

-here....”</p>

-

-<p>He then offered to send any home that

-liked in the <i>Marigold</i>, a well-furnished ship;

-“but let them take heed that they go homeward,

-for if I find them in my way I will

-surely sink them, therefore you shall have

-time to consider here until to-morrow; for

-by my troth I must needs be plain with you

-now.”</p>

-

-<p>“Yet the voice was that none would return,

-they would all take such part as he

-did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,”

-they were told to forget the past, and “wishing

-all men to be friends, he willed them to

-depart about their business.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br />

-<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD (<i>continued</i>)</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">O</span><span class="smcap">n</span> the 20th of August the three ships

-entered the Straits of Magellan. Before

-the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of

-black stars,” of Cape Virgins, at the entrance

-against which the beating seas looked like

-whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the

-Queen. The name of the <i>Pelican</i> also was

-changed to the <i>Golden Hind</i> in remembrance

-of Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher

-Hatton, whose crest was a golden

-hind. In sixteen days they reached the

-“South Sea,” Drake himself having rowed

-on ahead of the fleet with some of his

-gentlemen to find out the passage. He

-had meant to land, and leave “a monument

-of her Majesty graven in metal,” which

-he had brought with him for that purpose,

-but there was no anchoring, as the wind

-did not let them stay; for a fearful storm

-<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span>arose and separated the ships, and threatened

-to send them all to the bottom of the sea.

-The <i>Marigold</i>, indeed, went down with all

-hands, and the <i>Elizabeth</i>, “partly by the

-negligence of those that had charge of her,

-partly through a kind of desire that some

-in her had to be out of all those troubles

-and to be at home again, returned back the

-same way by which they came forward, and

-so coasting Brazil, they arrived in England

-on June 2nd the year following.” So that

-now, as the story quaintly says, the other

-ship, if she had been still called the <i>Pelican</i>,

-would indeed have been a pelican alone in

-the wilderness. Never did they think there

-had been such a storm “since Noah’s Flood,”

-for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was

-driven south of the continent of America.

-At this time it was generally believed that

-another great continent stretched to the

-south of the Straits, which was called

-the unknown land, “wherein many strange

-monsters lived.” And now, when Drake had

-discovered this idea to be false, their troubles

-ended for the time, the storm ceased, but

-they were in great grief for the loss of their

-friends, and still hoped to meet the missing

-ships again.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span></p>

-

-<p>They sailed northwards along the coast

-of America till they landed on an island to

-get water. Here they were treacherously

-attacked by Indians, who took them to be

-the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who

-were in the boat were all wounded, and

-Drake’s faithful servant, Diego the negro,

-died of his wounds, and one other. Drake

-himself was shot in the face under the right

-eye, and badly wounded in the head. They

-were in the worst case, because the chief

-doctor was dead, and the other in the <i>Elizabeth</i>.

-There was none left them but a boy,

-“whose goodwill was more than any skill

-he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and

-“the putting to of every man’s help,” all

-were cured in the end.</p>

-

-<p>They sailed on, and having picked up a

-friendly Indian who served as a pilot, they

-reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship

-which was lying in the harbour was seized,

-and then the town and the Spaniards

-discovered that Drake had reached the

-shores of the Pacific. On the coast the ship

-was trimmed and the pinnace put together,

-in which Drake himself set out to search

-the creeks and inlets where the ship could

-not sail. Grief for the absence of their

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span>friends still remained with them. Still

-searching for the lost ships, they sailed

-northwards on to Lima, where they got the

-news that a great Spanish ship had sailed

-from there a fortnight before, laden with

-treasure. Drake at once gave chase, hoping

-to take her before she reached Panama.

-The first man who sighted her was promised

-a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken

-and captured off Cape San Francisco. She

-was “the great glory of the South Sea,” and

-laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all

-of which the English took. After six days

-the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat

-lighter than before,” to Panama. To the

-master of the ship, Saint Juan de Anton, he

-gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with

-the missing English ships.</p>

-

-<p>“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth

-God that you should chance to meet with

-this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray

-you use him well, according to my word and

-promise given unto them. And if you want

-anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan

-de Anton, I pray you pay them double the

-value for it, which I will satisfy again, and

-command your men not to do any hurt; desiring

-you, for the Passion of Christ, if you

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span>fall into any danger, that you will not despair

-of God’s mercy, for He will defend you and

-preserve you from all danger, and bring us

-to our desired haven, to whom be all honour,

-glory, and praise for ever and ever. Amen.&mdash;Your

-sorrowful Captain, whose heart is

-heavy for you,&mdash;<span class="smcap">Francis Drake</span>.”</p>

-

-<p>The next prizes captured yielded treasure

-of a different kind, though equally precious.

-These were some charts with sailing directions,

-taken from two China pilots. The

-owner of the next large Spanish ship

-captured by Drake has left an interesting

-account of him.</p>

-

-<p>He says that “the English General is the

-same who took Nombre de Dios five years

-ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and

-his name is Francis Drake. He is about

-thirty-five years of age, of small size, with

-a reddish beard, and is one of the greatest

-sailors that exist, both from his skill and

-his power of commanding. His ship is of

-near four hundred tons, sails well, and has

-a hundred men all in the prime of life, and

-as well trained for war as if they had been

-old soldiers of Italy. Each one is specially

-careful to keep his arms clean. He treats

-them with affection and they him with

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span>respect. He has with him nine or ten gentlemen,

-younger sons of the leading men in

-England, who form his council. He calls

-them together on every occasion and hears

-what they have to say, but he is not bound

-by their advice, though he may be guided

-by it. He has no privacy; those of whom

-I speak all dine at his table, as well as a

-Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from

-England, but who never spoke a word while

-I was on board. The service is of silver,

-richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He

-has, too, all possible luxuries, even to perfumes,

-many of which he told me were given

-him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen

-sits down or puts on his hat in his presence

-without repeated permission. He dines and

-sups to the music of violins. His ship carries

-thirty large guns and a great quantity of

-ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can

-do necessary repairs. He has two artists

-who portray the coast in its own colours,

-a thing which troubled me much to see, because

-everything is put so naturally that any

-one following him will have no difficulty.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake wished to find his way home by

-the north of America into the Atlantic.

-But in this he was not successful, for the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span>weather was very severe, and tried the

-men too much; meanwhile, they found a

-convenient haven in a little bay above the

-harbour of San Francisco, and now known

-as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a

-month, repairing a leak in the ship and

-refreshing the men. They then set sail,

-and saw nothing but air and sea for sixty-eight

-days, till they reached some islands.

-These they named the “Islands of Thieves,”

-on account of the behaviour of the natives.

-In November they came to the islands of

-the Moluccas, where Drake had a splendid

-reception.</p>

-

-<p>They then sailed on till they arrived at a

-little island, which they called the “Island of

-Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and

-set up forges to repair the ironwork of the

-ship and the iron-hooped casks. Those

-that were sickly soon grew well and strong

-in this happy island.</p>

-

-<p>On the 9th of January the ship ran aground

-on a dangerous shoal, and struck twice on it;

-“knocking twice at the door of death, which

-no doubt had opened the third time.”</p>

-

-<p>Nothing but instant death was expected,

-and the whole ship’s company fell to praying.

-As soon as the prayers were said,

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span>Drake spoke to the men, telling them how

-they must think of their souls, and speaking

-of the joys of heaven “with comfortable

-speeches.” But he also encouraged

-them to bestir themselves, and he himself

-set the example, and got the pumps to

-work, and freed the ship of water. The

-ship was fast upon “hard and pinching

-rocks, and did tell us plain she expected

-continually her speedy despatch as soon

-as the sea and winds should come ... so

-that if we stay with her we must perish

-with her.” The other plan, of leaving her

-for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse

-than a thousand deaths.”</p>

-

-<p>After taking the Communion and listening

-to a sermon, they eased the ship by

-casting goods into the sea&mdash;“three ton of

-cloves, eight big guns, and certain meal

-and beans”; making, as an old writer says,

-a kind of gruel of the sea round about.

-After they had been in this state from

-eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next

-afternoon, all in a moment the wind changed,

-and “the happy gale drove them off the

-rocks again, and made of them glad men.”</p>

-

-<p>The rest of the homeward voyage was

-less adventurous, and on the 18th of June

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span>they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a

-most stately thing, and the fairest cape we

-saw in the whole circumference of the

-earth.”</p>

-

-<p>On the 26th of September they “safely,

-and with joyful minds and thankful hearts,

-arrived at Plymouth, having been away

-three years.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br />

-<span class="smaller">SIR FRANCIS</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake

-returned from his three years’ voyage.

-Wynter had brought the news home that

-Drake had entered the Straits of Magellan,

-but since then only vague rumours of his

-death at the hands of the Spaniards had

-reached England. Had he met such a fate,

-Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and

-his party at Court would not have been sorry;

-for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid

-a war with Spain.</p>

-

-<p>This was more to be dreaded than ever,

-as at the death of the King of Portugal

-Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions,

-and was now the most powerful prince

-in Europe, since he owned the splendid

-Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only

-warships for the protection of his treasure-ships,

-and they could not be spared. He

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span>was now known to be preparing, in his

-slow way, a great Armada.</p>

-

-<p>But Drake had not been hanged for a

-pirate, and this the Spaniards knew very well.

-They clamoured for the restoration of his

-plunder, or the forfeit of his life. At this

-time an army of Italian and Spanish soldiers,

-under the command of a famous Spanish

-officer, had been landed in Ireland to help

-the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against

-Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said

-to have been sent by the orders of the Pope.

-Finding the prospects of success too poor,

-the Spanish officer withdrew his men, and

-they escaped by sea; but the Italian soldiers,

-who numbered 600, were overpowered by the

-English, and all except a few officers, who

-could pay a ransom, were slaughtered in cold

-blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a

-secret blow in Elizabeth’s fashion was met

-by her with cruelty as relentless as his own;

-but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse

-for refusing to make an inquiry into Drake’s

-doings in the West.</p>

-

-<p>“The news of his home-coming in England

-was,” we are told, “by this his strange

-wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange,

-and of all men held impossible and incredible.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span>But both proving true, it fortuned that many

-misliked it and reproached him. Besides

-all this there were others that devised and

-divulged” (made up and spread about) “all

-possible disgraces” (base charges) “against

-Drake and his followers, terming him the

-Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet

-nevertheless the people generally with exceeding

-admiration applauded his wonderful

-long adventures and rich prize.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake at once sent a message to tell the

-Queen of his return. He was told he had

-nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court.

-He took with him some horseloads of gold

-and silver and jewels. The Queen treated

-him with great favour, and refused to take

-the advice of Burghley and others, who

-wished to send the treasure back to Spain.

-Unlike them she took her share of the

-profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had

-brought for her. “But it grieved him not

-a little,” we are told, “that some prime

-courtiers refused the gold he offered them,

-as gotten by piracy.” He and his men had

-made golden fortunes.</p>

-

-<p>The Spanish Ambassador naturally

-“burned with passion” against Drake, and

-considered his presence at Court an insult

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span>to his king. “For he passes much time

-with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by

-whom he is highly favoured.”</p>

-

-<p>It was an insult Philip still felt himself

-unable to avenge. Elizabeth had made a

-fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best

-generals knew the difficulties of an attack

-on England thus strengthened. Besides,

-the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping,

-were his desperate enemies; for they were

-fighting for faith and country and freedom,

-and to do this makes bold soldiers. So Philip

-the prudent had to content himself with

-making plans for his great Armada.</p>

-

-<p>Meantime Drake sunned himself in the

-Court favour, and books and pictures and

-songs were made in his praise.</p>

-

-<p>The <i>Golden Hind</i> was brought ashore at

-Deptford, and became a resort for sightseers.

-But in spite of much patching she became

-so old that she had to be broken up, and the

-last of her timbers were made into a chair,

-which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library.

-So the ship ends her days far away from the

-sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs that

-used to make merry and dance on her decks.</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo4"><img class="box" src="images/i_072.jpg" width="400" alt="SIR FRANCIS DRAKE" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>

-

-<p>On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State

-visit to the ship, and ordered that it should

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span>be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was

-served on board, and there, before the eyes

-of hundreds of onlookers, Elizabeth knighted

-the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that

-the King of Spain had demanded Drake’s

-head, and now she had a gold sword to cut

-it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the

-Spaniards, who were still raging over their

-stolen treasure.</p>

-

-<p>But there were some not in Spain who also

-thirsted for revenge upon Drake. Thomas

-Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving

-foe. The case was never brought to Court

-or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote

-a letter in which he said “that when the

-Queen did knight Drake she did then knight

-the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the

-foulest thief, and the crudest murderer that

-ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him

-to try and murder Drake. We hear that

-he was put in prison, and we never hear of

-his release.</p>

-

-<p>In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth.

-In 1583 his wife died. He was

-then a member of Parliament.  Two years

-later he married Mary Sydenham. He never

-had any children.</p>

-

-<p>The Queen now appointed Drake among

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span>others to inquire into the state of the navy;

-he was to see to the repairing of ships, to

-the building of new ones, and to the means

-of furnishing them with stores in case of

-sudden war. From this time onwards the

-thought of a Spanish invasion was a constant

-fear in the minds of the English people. But

-Philip was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling

-to be the first to begin a war. Elizabeth

-changed her mind and her plans in a way

-that must have been maddening to the men

-who did her work. One good result of her

-indecision was that England was better prepared

-for the invasion. In those long years

-of private warfare money had been gathering,

-and the navy made strong and ready for

-work. But for men of action, who like to

-make a plan and stick to it, and go through

-with it at all costs, Elizabeth’s delays and

-recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.</p>

-

-<p>In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English

-corn-ships trading in his own ports. Then,

-at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition

-against the Spanish settlements was got

-ready and sent out. He had about thirty

-ships, commanded by some of the most

-famous captains of the time, men like

-Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span>

-fought against the Armada. His

-general of the soldiers was Christopher

-Carleill, “a man of long experience in wars

-both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards

-said to direct the service “most like

-a wise commander.” Drake’s ship was the

-<i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.</p>

-

-<p>After a week spent in capturing ships,

-the fleet anchored at the Bayona Islands,

-off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona

-was forced to make terms. He sent “some

-refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes,

-and marmalade, and such like.” The people,

-filled with terror, were seen to remove their

-possessions into boats to go up the Vigo

-River, inland, for safety. Many of these were

-seized; most of them were loaded only

-with household stuff, but one contained

-the “church stuff of the high church of

-Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair

-embossed work and double-gilt all over,

-having cost them a great mass of money.”</p>

-

-<p>The fleet now went on its way by the

-Canary Islands. When Santiago was

-reached, Carleill landed with a thousand

-troops and took possession of the fortress

-and the town, for both had been forsaken.

-Here they planted the great flag, “which

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span>had nothing on it but the plain English

-cross; and it was placed towards the sea,

-that our fleet might see St. George’s Cross

-flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were

-found ready loaded in various places about

-the town, and orders were given that these

-should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s

-Majesty’s Coronation day, being the 17th

-of November, after the yearly custom in England.

-These were so answered again by the

-guns out of all the ships in the fleet, as it was

-strange to hear such a thundering noise last

-so long together.” No treasure was taken

-at Santiago, but there was food and wine.

-The town was given to the flames in revenge

-for wrongs done to old William

-Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.</p>

-

-<p>They had not been many days at sea

-before a mortal sickness suddenly broke

-out among the men. They anchored off

-some islands, where the Indians treated

-them very kindly, carried fresh water to

-the ships, and gave them food and tobacco.

-The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used

-against the infection of the mysterious sickness

-which was killing the men by hundreds.

-They passed Christmas on an island to refresh

-the sick and cleanse and air the ships.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span></p>

-<p>Then Drake resolved, with the consent of

-his council, to attack the city of St. Domingo,

-while his forces were “in their best strength.”

-This was the oldest and most important city

-in the Indies, and was famous for its beauty

-and strength. It had never been attempted

-before, although it was so rich, because it

-was strongly fortified.</p>

-

-<p>Some boats were sent on in advance of

-the fleet. They learned from a pilot, whose

-boat they captured, that the Castle of St.

-Domingo was well armed, and that it was

-almost impossible to land on the dangerous

-coast; but he showed them a possible

-point ten miles from the harbour. In

-some way Drake had sent messages to the

-Maroons, who lived on the hills behind the

-town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the

-soldiers were landed, Drake himself steering

-a boat through the surf. The Maroons met

-them, having killed the Spanish watchman.</p>

-

-<p>“Our General, having seen us all landed

-in safety to the west of that brave city of

-St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing

-us to God and the good conduct of

-Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”</p>

-

-<p>The troops divided and met in the market-place;

-and as those in the castle were

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span>preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the

-sea, they were surprised from behind by

-the soldiers marching upon them with flags

-flying and music playing. The fleet ceased

-firing while the fate of the town was decided

-in a battle. By night Drake was in

-possession of the castle, the harbour, and

-shipping. One of the ships captured they

-named the <i>New Year’s Gift</i>.</p>

-

-<p>But after all there was little of the fabled

-treasure to be found. The labour in the

-gold and silver mines had killed the native

-Indians, and the mines were no longer

-worked. There was plenty of food and

-wine to be had, woollen and linen cloth

-and silk. But there was little silver; the

-rich people used dishes of china and cups

-of glass, and their beautiful furniture was

-useless as plunder. The town had to pay a

-large sum of money for its ransom, and the

-English stayed a month, and fed at its

-expense, and took away with them guns

-and merchandise and food and numbers of

-galley-slaves, whom they set free.</p>

-

-<p>Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish

-Main, was the last town to be taken, and

-it had been warned. It had natural defences,

-which made it very difficult to attack.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span>Drake, as we know, had been there before,

-and often, since then, he must have dreamed

-of taking it. He triumphantly steered his

-fleet by a very difficult channel into the

-outer harbour. He then threatened the

-fort with his guns while the soldiers were

-secretly landed by night. They made their

-way to the town by the shore, “wading in

-the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned

-stakes which had been placed in the ground

-in readiness for them. They also routed a

-company of horse soldiers sent out from

-the fort, as the place where they met was

-so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for

-horses. So they pushed on till they made

-a “furious entry” into the town, nor paused

-till the market-place was won, and the people

-fled into the country, where they had already

-sent their wives and children.</p>

-

-<p>A large price or ransom was paid for this

-town, equal, it is said, to a quarter of a

-million of our money; but it was far less

-than Drake had at first demanded. But

-“the inconvenience of continual death”

-forced them to go, for the sickness was

-still taking its prey from among the men,

-and it also forced them to give up an

-attempt upon Nombre de Dios and Panama.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span>The voyage had been disappointing in the

-matter of plunder. Most of the treasure

-had been taken away from the towns before

-the English came, and many of the

-officers had died.</p>

-

-<p>They considered the idea of remaining

-in Cartagena and sending home for more

-troops. They would have had a fine position;

-but they decided that their strength

-was not enough to hold the town and also

-man the fleet against a possible attack by

-the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser

-ransom was accepted; the officers offering

-to give up their shares to the “poor men,

-both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured

-their lives against the great enemy.”

-They then returned to England, only stopping

-to water the ships. They landed

-again at St. Augustine, on the coast of

-Florida, where they destroyed a fort and

-took away the guns and a pay-chest containing

-two thousand pounds.</p>

-

-<p>“And so, God be thanked, we in good

-safety arrived at Portsmouth the 28th of

-July 1586, to the great glory of God, and

-to no small honour to our Prince, our

-Country, and Ourselves.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br />

-<span class="smaller">CADIZ</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">W</span><span class="smcap">hen</span> Drake returned to England, it

-was to hear the news of the “Babington

-plot.” This was a plot to assassinate

-Elizabeth, and to place Mary of

-Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was

-beheaded. In Philip’s eyes the time had

-at last become ripe for an invasion of England.

-Now that Mary was dead, there

-was less danger of France and Scotland

-joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant

-of John of Gaunt, could put in a claim

-that the throne of England, at the death

-of Elizabeth, should come to himself or his

-daughter.</p>

-

-<p>The Armada was getting ready to sail

-in the summer. In April, however, Drake

-was sent out again with a small fleet.

-His flag-ship was again the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.

-His second in command was

-William Borough.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span></p>

-

-<p>His orders were “to prevent the joining

-together of the King of Spain’s fleet

-out of their different ports. To keep

-victuals from them. To follow them in

-case they should come out towards England

-or Ireland. To cut off as many of

-them as he could, and prevent their landing.

-To set upon the West Indian ships

-as they came or went.”</p>

-

-<p>But no sooner was he instructed than the

-Queen changed her bold orders to milder

-ones. He was not to enter any port by

-force, nor to offer violence to any towns,

-or ships in harbour. But Drake had got

-away to sea without the second orders,

-and acted on the first.</p>

-

-<p>He had heard that the ships were gathering

-in Cadiz harbour, and there he decided

-boldly to seek for them. The outer

-and inner harbours of Cadiz were crowded

-with shipping, most of which was getting

-ready for the invasion of England. Drake’s

-fleet sailed in, routed the defending galleys,

-and made havoc among the ships,

-about thirty-seven of which were captured,

-burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging

-to the Marquis of Santa Cruz.

-They carried away four ships laden with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span>

-wine, oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing

-thence,” as Drake says, “at our

-pleasure, with as much honour as we could

-wish.” They were chased by Spanish galleys,

-which did little harm, for the wind

-favoured the English as they sailed away

-from Cadiz.</p>

-

-<p>The Spaniards thought Drake had gone

-to stop the treasure fleet. But Drake

-wished to stop the Armada, which was a

-much greater affair. He knew now that

-Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at

-Lisbon. Ships were gathering in the north

-of Spain. Recalde, one of the best Spanish

-commanders, was waiting with a small fleet

-off Cape St. Vincent to protect the treasure

-fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big

-ships had escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour.

-The ships were to meet in Lisbon,

-where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and

-food.</p>

-

-<p>Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and

-took his ships safely into Lisbon. Drake

-resolved to secure the station he had left.

-This was the castle of Sagres, near Cape

-St. Vincent. His own officers were staggered

-with the boldness of his plan, and

-Borough solemnly protested. He had urged

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span>caution before Cadiz harbour; again he

-pleaded for a council of war. He was of

-an older school of seamen than Drake, and

-was horrified at the ways of the man who

-was born, as it has been said, “to break

-rules.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake was most indignant at his action,

-and put him under arrest, while Borough

-expected daily that “the Admiral would

-have executed upon me his bloodthirsty

-desire, as he did upon Doughty.”</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo5"><img class="box" src="images/i_084.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</p>

-

-<p>After reading the accounts of Drake in

-the stories of the different voyages, we can

-understand how his men adored his spirit,

-and flocked to his ship to serve under

-his flag. To them there was something

-magical, and to the Spaniards something

-uncanny, in his luck. The English called

-him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish

-called him “the Devil.” But some of the

-officers who served with him must have

-liked him less. He made his plans swiftly,

-and generally well; but the doing of them

-had to be swift and sure. Like many

-great men he knew he was right, but

-could not stop to reason or argue about

-his course. He acted upon the instinct of

-his genius, with a sure and shining faith

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span>in himself, which must have been hateful

-to smaller men. In the days of his later

-voyages, when he had not the undivided

-control of his expedition, he failed, as he

-never did when he was alone, “with the

-ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once

-said.</p>

-

-<p>The taking of the castle of Sagres

-seemed almost an impossibility, so well

-did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the

-fort. Drake himself commanded the attack

-on land, and in the end helped to carry

-and pile the faggots against the castle

-gate. The commander was slain, and then

-the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took

-possession of one of the best places on

-the coast of Spain for ships to anchor

-and get water.</p>

-

-<p>Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken

-and burnt fifty ships laden with wood and

-hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa

-Cruz was waiting to make his water-casks.

-The loss of these did much damage to the

-Armada, and helped to ruin it.</p>

-

-<p>On the 10th of May, having disarmed the

-fort of Sagres by throwing the big guns

-over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought

-his fleet to anchor in Cascaes Bay, south

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span>of Lisbon. He seems to have judged

-Lisbon too strong to attack from the sea.

-He was prepared to “distress the ships”

-had they come out; and he offered battle

-to Santa Cruz, who, however, was short of

-powder and shot, and had no ships ready

-as yet for action.</p>

-

-<p>So Drake went back to Sagres to clean

-his ships and refresh his men. He then

-sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the

-ships, and on the few that were left the

-men were anxious to go home. The ship

-on which Borough was still a prisoner deserted.

-Drake believed that Borough was

-responsible for this; and, though he was

-beyond reach, in his anger Drake sentenced

-him, with his chief officers, to death as

-mutineers.</p>

-

-<p>Drake went on with his nine remaining

-ships, and came upon a splendid prize, the

-big <i>San Felipe</i>, the greatest ship in all

-Portugal, richly laden with spice, china,

-silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This

-prize was valued at nearly a million pounds;

-and, besides, she carried secret papers of

-great value concerning the East India trade.</p>

-

-<p>On the 26th of June, Drake returned

-home after his brilliant campaign. Santa

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span>Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him,

-but it was too late.</p>

-

-<p>Borough was not found guilty by the

-court of law where Drake accused him;

-but his grief of mind endured long. Some

-time after, he wrote that “he was very fain

-to ease it as he might, hoping in good time

-he should.”</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br />

-<span class="smaller">THE GREAT ARMADA</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake’s</span> raid upon the Spanish coast

-made it impossible for the Armada to

-sail in 1587. But after waiting so long

-Philip made his preparations with an almost

-feverish haste. The death of his great

-general, Santa Cruz, hindered his plans very

-much. Santa Cruz was a commander of

-experience and renown, and the man most

-fitted, both by his rank and his qualities, to

-undertake “the enterprise of England.”</p>

-

-<p>The man chosen to succeed him was the

-Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose exalted

-rank seems to have been his chief claim to

-the difficult place into which he was thrust

-by Philip. He had no desire to take the

-place; he wrote to Philip and told him quite

-simply that he was no seaman, and knew

-little about naval fighting and less about

-England. But he was ordered to take the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span>fleet into the English Channel and take possession

-of Margate. He was then to send

-ships to bring the Duke of Parma and his

-army in safety to England, when Parma was

-to assume the command of the expedition.</p>

-

-<p>But, after all, the Armada was not ready

-to sail till July 1588, and the months between

-then and January were filled by the English

-with preparations for defence. They had to

-face the difficulties, much greater then than

-now, of keeping both men and ships on the

-seas, and yet fit for action. Life on board

-ship tried the men very severely. We have

-seen how often sickness broke out among

-the sailors if they were kept long to their

-crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding

-of both navies seems to have been a task of

-great difficulty. This was due to the hurried

-demand for vast quantities of stores, such

-as biscuit and salt meat The Spaniards, too,

-owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost their

-water-casks, and had to depend on new ones

-of unseasoned wood, which leaked.</p>

-

-<p>Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was

-made Lord High Admiral of England, and

-Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John

-Hawkins his Rear-Admiral. With them

-served many other famous men, such as

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span>Fenner, Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour,

-and many younger men from noble families.

-All were working hard, with spirits stretched

-to an unusual pitch of endurance. In the

-letters they wrote about the business in hand

-to the Queen and her Ministers of State

-there is a note of high courage and defiance;

-and a distant echo comes down to us from

-the dim old letters of all the stir and bustle

-as the men gathered to the ships, and of the

-hum of excitement about the clamouring

-dockyards. The shipwrights were working

-day and night Lord Howard says he has

-been on board every ship “where any man

-may creep,” and thanks God for their good

-state, and that “never a one of them knows

-what a leak means.” Sir William Wynter

-tells how badly the ships had suffered in the

-winter storms, but adds: “Our ships doth

-show themselves like gallants here. I assure

-you it will do a man’s heart good to behold

-them; and would to God the Prince of Parma

-were upon the seas with all his forces, and

-we in the view of them; then I doubt not but

-that you should hear we would make his

-enterprises very unpleasant to him.”</p>

-

-<p>The ships are always spoken of like live

-creatures, and their personal histories are

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span>well known and remembered. Lord Howard

-says of his Ark (which was bought of Sir

-Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray

-you tell her Majesty from me that her money

-was well given for the Ark <i>Ralegh</i>, for I

-think her the odd (only) ship in the world

-for all conditions; and truly I think there

-can no great ship make me change and go

-out of her.” And again: “I mean not to

-change out of her I am in for any ship that

-ever was made.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship

-the <i>Revenge</i>” which was so famous then and

-afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes

-from on board “the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>,

-the fortunate ship where Sir Francis Drake

-received all his good haps.” Howard and

-Drake, with other commanders of experience,

-were of one mind; they wanted to go out and

-meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain,

-and so prevent the Spanish fleet from ever

-reaching England.</p>

-

-<p>Howard pressed this opinion as that of

-men whom the world judged to be the

-wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was

-unwilling to send the fleet away, and she

-still talked of making peace.</p>

-

-<p>Both the Spaniards and the English were

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span>persuaded that God was fighting with them.

-Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that

-as the cause was the cause of God, he could

-not fail. In England Drake was saying that

-“the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote

-to the Queen: “God mightily defend my

-gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;

-not doubting that all the world shall know

-and see that her Majesty’s little army, guided

-by the finger of God, shall beat down the

-pride of His enemies and hers, to His great

-glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon

-our enemies as necessarily the enemies of

-God.</p>

-

-<p>Howard’s letters show a very noble mind.

-He grudged no time or labour in the ordering

-of his fleet, down to the smallest matters.

-He is full of care for the mariners, and is

-anxious that they should be well paid and

-fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the

-other seamen of greater experience than

-himself.</p>

-

-<p>The fleet did at last go out, but was

-driven back by the winds; and suddenly,

-after the fret and worry and strain of all

-those months, there is a pause, and Howard

-writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you with any

-long letter; we are at this present otherwise

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span>occupied than with writing. Upon Friday,

-at Plymouth, I received intelligence that

-there was a great number of ships descried

-off the Lizard: whereupon, although the

-wind was very scant, we first warped out

-of harbour that night, and upon Saturday

-turned out very hardly, the wind being at

-south-west; and about three of the clock in

-the afternoon, descried the Spanish fleet, and

-did what we could to work for the wind,

-which by this morning we had recovered....

-At nine of the clock we gave them fight,

-which continued until one.... Sir, the captains

-in her Majesty’s ships have behaved

-themselves most bravely and like men hitherto,

-and I doubt not will continue, to their

-great commendation.... Sir, the southerly

-wind that brought us back from the coast

-of Spain brought them out.”</p>

-

-<p>William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth,

-writes that the “Spanish fleet was

-in view of this town yesternight, and the

-Lord Admiral passed to the sea and out of

-sight.” They could see the fleets fighting,

-the English being to windward of the enemy.

-He was sending out men as fast as he could

-find ships to carry them.</p>

-

-<p>There is a legend that Drake and his

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span>officers were playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe

-when the news that the Armada was in the

-Channel was brought to him by the captain of

-a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his game,

-the story says, saying there was time to do

-that and to beat the Spaniards too.</p>

-

-<p>As the Spanish ships lay in the English

-Channel, blinded with the mist and rain, the

-Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen

-of Falmouth were brought away who

-had that evening seen the English fleet go

-out of Plymouth, “under the charge of the

-English Admiral and of Drake.”</p>

-

-<p>The Spaniards had come out ready to fight

-in the old way, in which they had won so

-many brilliant victories. They had always

-fought their naval battles with great armies

-on great ships, much as they would fight on

-land. The soldiers despised big guns, and

-liked better the bravery of a close fight,

-“with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The

-sailors were not prepared to fight at all, but

-with the help of slaves they sailed the big

-galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm

-of smaller troop-ships and store-ships that

-swelled the numbers of the fleet which

-carried an army.</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 541px;">

-<a id="illo6"><img class="box" src="images/i_094.jpg" width="541" alt="Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe</p>

-<p>The numbers of the ships on both sides

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span>are now said to have been not so very unequal.

-If the Spaniards could have fought

-in their own way, they must have been easily

-victorious. But the English had got the

-wind at their back and the enemy in front

-of them, and being better masters of their

-ships, they had the choice, and they chose

-to fight at a distance, and never to board

-the big ships till they were already helpless.</p>

-

-<p>Their ships were newer, and built on different

-lines, and could sail faster. They were

-smaller than our modern men-of-war, but

-carried more guns for their size. They were,

-as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and of

-good steerage, so that the English did with

-them as they desired. And our ships being

-very heavy compared with the lightness of

-those of the enemy, it was impossible to

-come to hand-stroke with them.”</p>

-

-<p>The English ships were manned with

-sailors and gunners who could both sail the

-ships and fight the enemy. The guns were

-fired at the hulls of the Spanish ships and

-not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which

-was harder to aim at.</p>

-

-<p>The fleets met on the 21st of July, and

-there followed a week of fighting and of

-disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span>news of their coming up the Channel came

-to those on shore, who watched beside the

-beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger

-must have seemed little less fearful than

-before. Those who viewed the “greatness

-and hugeness of the Spanish army” from

-the sea, considered that the only way to

-move them was by fire-ships.</p>

-

-<p>Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently

-through the dangers of the Channel;

-he anchored outside Calais to await the

-answer to the urgent messages he had sent

-to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know,

-the “Narrow Seas” were well watched by

-the English, and they were so helped by

-the Dutch that Parma never reached the

-shores of England.</p>

-

-<p>Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and

-sent down upon the Spanish fleet, “all burning

-fiercely. These worked great mischief

-among the Spanish ships (though none of

-them took fire), for in the panic their cables

-and anchors were slipped.”</p>

-

-<p>The great fight took place off Gravelines,

-on the Flemish coast, where most of the

-scattered ships of the Armada had drifted

-in the general confusion. The English

-hastened to take advantage of this confusion,

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span>while Sidonia was forming his fleet again

-into battle order. They “set upon the fleet

-of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the

-<i>Revenge</i>) and gave them a sharp fight,” while

-Lord Howard stopped to capture a helpless

-ship, the finest, they said, upon the

-sea. “And that day, Sir Francis’ ship was

-riddled with every kind of shot.”</p>

-

-<p>The fight went on from nine in the morning

-till six at night, when the Spanish fleet bore

-away, beaten, towards the north. Howard

-says that “after the fight, notwithstanding

-that our powder and shot was well near all

-spent, we set on a brag-countenance and

-gave them chase as though we had wanted

-nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had

-cleared our own coast and some part of

-Scotland of them.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake was appointed to follow the fleet,

-and he writes, “We have the army of Spain

-before us, and mind, with the grace of God,

-to wrestle a pull with him. There was

-never anything pleased me better than the

-seeing the enemy flying with a southerly

-wind to the northwards. God grant you

-have a good eye to the Duke of Parma:

-for with the grace of God, if we live, I doubt

-it not but ere it be long so to handle the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span>matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he

-shall wish himself at St. Mary Port among

-his orange trees.”</p>

-

-<p>At the end of this letter he says, “I crave

-pardon of your honour for my haste, for that

-I had to watch this last night upon the

-enemy.” And in another letter to Walsingham

-he signs himself, “Your honour’s most

-ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping

-Francis Drake.”</p>

-

-<p>Many of the Spanish ships, being so

-crippled, were wrecked in stormy weather

-off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which

-were unknown to them, and thus the more

-dangerous. Not half of those who put out

-to sea ever reached Spain again. Many

-men were killed in battle or died of their

-wounds, and they were the most fortunate,

-for others were drowned, or perished miserably

-by the hands of the natives of the coasts.

-Some who escaped were put to death by the

-Queen’s orders, and some lingered in the

-foul prisons of that time. The instinct of

-savage cruelty revives, even in highly civilised

-races, in time of war, and spreads, like an

-infection.</p>

-

-<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">

-<a id="illo7"><img class="box" src="images/i_098.jpg" width="400" alt="Fighting the Great Armada" /></a></div>

-

-<p class="caption no-indent">Fighting the Great Armada</p>

-

-<p>We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder

-taken from the Spanish prisoners, of the

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span>brave looks of the vanished host, that included

-the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry.

-There were “breeches and jerkins of silk,

-and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold

-lace, a pair of breeches of yellow satin,

-drawn out with cloth of silver, a leather

-jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over

-with a gold and silver lace, a jerkin embroidered

-with flowers, and a blue stitched

-taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume

-of feathers.”</p>

-

-<p>For some time England was haunted

-by fears that the Armada would return to

-her coasts, or that Parma would avenge

-himself. But the reports of the many

-wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish

-soldiers eased this present anxiety. And

-it was well, for fever and sickness broke

-out in the English ships, and the men were

-dying in hundreds, “sickening one day and

-dying the next,” as the letters say. The

-ships had to be disinfected and many of

-the men dispersed.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br />

-<span class="smaller">EXPEDITION TO LISBON</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> great Armada was scattered, and

-yet the English did not feel secure

-from their enemy. The sight of that fleet

-so near their shores in “its terror and

-majesty,” and the memory of its vast army

-of well-drilled soldiers, left a feeling of deep

-uneasiness in the minds of wise men. “Sir,”

-writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind,

-safe find. A kingdom is a great wager. Sir,

-you know security is dangerous: and had

-God not been our best friend, we should have

-found it so. Some made little account of

-the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant

-you, all the world never saw such a force

-as theirs was....”</p>

-

-<p>Fortune had favoured England this time,

-but what if Philip built newer and lighter

-ships, and really succeeded in landing his

-army? They did not as yet know that Philip

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span>had no money to build his ships with, and

-rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.</p>

-

-<p>The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered

-great loss and a crushing defeat to their

-pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything

-that they already had, but only failed

-to get something they wanted very badly

-to have, and the second kind of loss matters

-far less than the first.</p>

-

-<p>But, on the other hand, if the English had

-been defeated, it is difficult to think how

-darkly their history might have been changed.

-It was this thought that made the wise men

-sober in the midst of the national joy and

-exultation. They saw how much England,

-as an island, must depend for strength and

-defence upon her navy, and they saw this

-much more clearly than before. But Drake

-had seen it for a long time. And he had

-seen something more. He had seen that

-the English navy must be ready and able

-to protect her merchant ships by distressing

-and attacking her enemies abroad, and that

-this was a means of keeping the enemy so

-busy abroad that he could not invade the

-peace of England at home.</p>

-

-<p>Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction

-of Philip’s navy, now so much

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span>crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented

-to a new expedition being fitted out, and

-appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir Francis

-Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two

-men had fought together in Ireland. “Black

-John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a

-famous fighting family, and had served in

-the Lowlands and in France with high

-courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion

-he had been made chief of the land

-forces. It is said that in one battle he went

-on fighting after three horses had been

-killed under him. With him went his

-brother Edward, and a famous Welsh captain,

-Sir Roger Williams, was his second in

-command.</p>

-

-<p>The objects of the expedition were: first,

-to distress the King of Spain’s ships; second,

-to get possession of some of the islands of

-the Azores in order to waylay the treasure

-ships; and, lastly, to try to recover for Don

-Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.</p>

-

-<p>Money for this expedition was raised from

-every possible source. The Queen gave six

-royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food,

-and arms. The forces were made up of

-soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make

-their fortunes in war, and English and

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span>Dutch sailors and recruits, most of whom

-were pressed. With this large but mixed

-army the generals prepared to face the best-trained

-soldiers in Europe.</p>

-

-<p>As usual, there were many delays. The

-ships were not ready to go out, and much

-of the food was consumed before they started.

-More was not to be had, though Drake and

-Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for

-supplies. The Queen had already begun to

-regard the expedition with disfavour. Some

-days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl

-of Essex, her latest Court favourite, had

-slipped away to sea with Sir Roger Williams

-on the <i>Swiftsure</i>. He was tired of a

-courtier’s life, and wanted to breathe freer

-air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The

-Queen was very angry, and sent orders for

-his arrest, accusing Drake and Norreys of

-aiding his escape. But they declared they

-knew nothing of his plans.</p>

-

-<p>About this time some Flemish ships appeared

-in Plymouth harbour laden with

-barley and wine, and Drake seized their

-cargoes in the Queen’s name to victual his

-fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather

-was so rough that several of the ships containing

-troops were unable to get beyond

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span>the Channel, but even with lesser numbers

-the crews were short of food before they

-reached Spain.</p>

-

-<p>Philip was very ill at this time, and in

-grave anxiety. He knew that Drake and

-the English ships might land on his coasts,

-that the French might cross the mountains

-with an invading force, and that the Portuguese

-might arise in rebellion to win back

-the crown for Don Antonio. This last

-danger seemed to Philip the most urgent,

-and Drake guessed this, and landed his men

-on the north-west coast at Corunna.</p>

-

-<p>In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s

-orders to distress the King’s ships, and also,

-no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry

-crews for food and plunder. The lower town

-of Corunna was taken, and much wine and

-food consumed and much wasted. The

-townsfolk were routed and put to the sword,

-and their houses burned. An attempt to

-take the upper town failed, but the English

-were the victors in a sharp battle which took

-place some miles from the town, and they

-thus secured their retreat to the ships and

-sailed away.</p>

-

-<p>The presence of Drake on the coasts

-caused great panic, for his name and luck

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span>had become a terror to the people. Philip

-felt deeply insulted that such an attack

-should be made “by a woman, mistress of

-half an island, with the help of a pirate and

-a common soldier.” In Spain, as we have

-seen, the command was always given to

-gentlemen of high birth and breeding and

-title.</p>

-

-<p>Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet

-first sighted some of the missing ships, and

-also the <i>Swiftsure</i> with the missing Earl,

-who had “put himself into the journey against

-the opinion of the world, and, as it seemed,

-to the hazard of his great fortune.” The

-<i>Swiftsure</i> had taken six prizes off Cape St.

-Vincent.</p>

-

-<p>The two generals had from the first

-wished to go straight to Lisbon, and it is

-thought that if they had done so, and thus

-given the Spaniards no warning of their

-coming, they might have had success. But

-they were hindered by the Queen’s orders

-to destroy the shipping now collected in

-the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander.

-After leaving Corunna, however, they decided

-in council not to attempt that port,

-both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the

-conditions did not favour an attack.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span></p>

-

-<p>They landed next at the Portuguese

-town of Peniche, which lies about fifty

-miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to

-land on the surf-bound coast, and some of

-the boats were upset and battered. At

-last, Essex sprang into the waves and

-waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed

-the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus

-surprised, willingly surrendered to Antonio

-as his lawful king, “The king” soon had

-a following of peasants and friars, but

-neither nobles nor soldiers came to help

-him. He was eager to march to Lisbon,

-where he thought he was sure of a welcome.

-Norreys resolved to march there

-overland. Drake, it is said, would have

-liked better to attack the town from the

-sea in his usual daring but successful

-fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the

-day; and leaving some ships at Peniche,

-Drake promised, if he could, to bring the

-fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth

-of the river Tagus, south of Lisbon.</p>

-

-<p>There, when he arrived, he waited, not

-liking to venture up the river without

-knowing where the soldiers were, and not

-liking to quit the sea, where he could give

-them the means of retreat if necessary.

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span>For this he was very much blamed by the

-soldiers at the time, and afterwards when

-he got home. The point is still disputed.</p>

-

-<p>Meanwhile the army was encamped outside

-the walls of Lisbon, but they never

-got inside. The Portuguese refused to join

-Don Antonio’s party, and the Spanish governor

-kept the gates shut in a grim and

-heroic defence. The English sailors were

-sick and hungry; they had had no exercise

-on board ship to keep them healthy, and

-were exhausted with the heat. The stores

-and guns were on the ships with Drake.

-So, reluctantly, they left the suburbs of

-Lisbon and marched to Cascaes, where

-they embarked, not without some loss, and

-sailed away.</p>

-

-<p>While they were still disputing in the

-councils, a fleet of German ships were

-sighted, and most of them secured. They

-were carrying corn and stores to Spain,

-against the rules of war, which bind countries

-not concerned in the quarrel to help

-neither foe. So the English seized sixty

-ships and the stores, both of which had

-been destined to furnish the new Armada

-of Spain.</p>

-

-<p>Next came into view some English ships

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span>with supplies, but also with angry letters

-from the Queen; in answer to which Essex

-was sent home bearing the news that the

-expedition, though diminished by sickness

-and death, still meant to sail to the Azores.</p>

-

-<p>On June the 8th a wind had scattered

-the fleet, and suddenly left it becalmed.

-The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off

-four English ships.</p>

-

-<p>The winds continued to prevent the fleet

-from going towards the Azores, and all this

-time hundreds of sick and wounded men

-were dying. After seventeen days at sea,

-they landed at the town of Vigo and burned

-it, and laid waste the country round. At

-length storms and sickness and ill-fortune

-drove them home, and the expedition, woefully

-shrunken, straggled miserably back.

-Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some

-years later. The English had done a considerable

-amount of damage, but at great

-cost to themselves; for the loss of life

-was terrible, and that of money very considerable.

-Both Norreys and Drake were

-called upon to account for their failure,

-and at the time Drake got the most of

-the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly

-judged because failure had never come

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span>near him before, and his successes had

-always been so brilliant. His best friends

-at Court were dead, and for five years he

-was not asked to act in the Queen’s service.

-So five years of his life which should have

-been the most active were spent in retirement,

-if not actually in “disgrace with

-fortune and men’s eyes.”</p>

-

-<p>The war was carried on upon the old

-lines of distressing the King’s ships, but

-with very poor success. After Drake’s

-voyage round the world, which encouraged

-other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the

-Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully

-guarded. This was done by strongly fortifying

-the coast stations, by providing an

-armed escort, and a service of light ships,

-which went frequently to and fro with

-letters of advice and warning from the

-Indies to Spain.</p>

-

-<p>Drake had ruined this defence in 1585,

-and in 1588 again many of the guard-ships

-had to be used in the service of the

-Armada. A really strong English fleet

-might at this time have stayed the treasure,

-but Philip continued to gather in his gold,

-and also began, with splendid patience, to

-rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span>was sent out under Lord Thomas Howard,

-and the great battle of Sir Richard Grenville

-on the <i>Revenge</i> was fought, “the fight of

-the one and the fifty-three,” with the loss of

-that ship and the victory of the Spanish fleet.

-The Queen made a fighting alliance with

-Henry the Fourth of France, who was the

-enemy of Philip, and this she felt would

-help to keep him out of England. Philip

-was now trying to establish a fortified

-station on the north coast of Brittany,

-from which his new Armada might be

-despatched.</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter">

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span></p>

-<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br />

-<span class="smaller">THE LAST VOYAGE</span></h2></div>

-

-<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> had settled in Buckland Abbey,

-which he had bought from Sir Richard

-Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish

-ships for some of the different excursions

-against Spain, and he spent much

-time on schemes to improve Plymouth. He

-paid to have pure water brought to the

-town from many miles away; he had flour-mills

-built, that the sailors might have

-good biscuits provided for them, and he

-overlooked the work of fortifying Plymouth,

-and making it in all ways a strong naval

-station.</p>

-

-<p>As the danger of a fresh invasion by

-Philip grew more threatening, Drake was

-called to Court again, and it was about

-this time that he gave to the Queen his

-written story of the voyage to Nombre de

-Dios.</p>

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span></p>

-<p>In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged

-for the Indies, and after the usual bewildering

-indecision at Court, and difference

-of views and plans (delays that proved

-fatal to an excursion whose proper nature

-was to be swift and secret, and above all

-things powerful), on August 28, 1598, Sir

-Francis Drake started on his last voyage.</p>

-

-<p>The story of the expedition begins by

-saying that “the Spaniard leaves no means

-untried to turn the peace of England into

-a cursed thraldom, and this is shown by

-his attempts, and also by his greedy desires

-to be our neighbour in Brittany, to gain

-so near us a quiet and safe road for his

-fleet. So the forces were sent to invade

-him in that kingdom from whence he has

-feathers to fly to the top of his high

-desires.</p>

-

-<p>“The invasion was glorious spoken of

-long before it was sent, and Sir Francis

-Drake was named General. For his very

-name was a great terror to all in those

-parts, and he had done many things in

-those countries to his honourable fame and

-profit. But entering into them as the Child

-of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed

-and peremptory (despotic) command was

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span>doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as

-it should seem, to join Sir John Hawkins

-as second in command. He was an old,

-wary man, and so leaden-footed” (or slow

-in action) “that Drake’s meat would be eaten

-before his was cooked. They were men of

-such different natures that what one desired

-the other commonly opposed. The journey

-had so glorious a name that crowds of

-volunteers came to them, and they had to

-discharge such few as they had pressed.

-Yet many times it was very doubtful if the

-voyage would be made, till at last the news

-came of a ship of the King of Spain, which

-was driven into Puerto Rico with two

-millions and a half of treasure. So her

-Majesty commanded them to haste their

-departure, which they did with twenty-seven

-ships.”</p>

-

-<p>The generals began to disagree soon

-after. Drake wanted to begin with an

-attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins

-thought it unnecessary and unwise; and,

-as the story says, “the fire which lay

-hidden in their stomachs began to break

-forth.”</p>

-

-<p>It was five years since Drake had fought

-with his old enemies. He did not know

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span>how much stronger the Spanish defence at

-sea had become, owing to the lessons he

-had given them, nor how complete Philip

-had made the protection of the traffic and

-the treasure-ships. He was to see this first

-at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and

-failed, to make one of his old surprise visits.</p>

-

-<p>The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the

-29th of October, for water, at Guadeloupe.

-The <i>Delight</i> was the last of the ships to

-arrive the next day, and she brought news

-that the <i>Francis</i>, a small ship of the company,

-was taken by five Spanish ships,

-which had been sent out by Philip to bring

-home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico.

-This was a great misfortune, because Sir

-John Hawkins had made known to all the

-company, “even to the basest mariners,”

-the places whither they were bound, naming

-Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama.

-Now the Spaniards would learn this from

-their prisoners, and at once send warning

-to the coasts.</p>

-

-<p>Drake wanted to give chase at once, but

-Hawkins was old and cautious, and desired

-to stay and mount his guns, take in water,

-set up his pinnaces, and make all things

-ready to meet the Spaniards.</p>

-

-<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span></p>

-

-<p>And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was

-sickly, Sir Francis being loath to breed his

-further disquiet.” It took four days to

-make those preparations, and always the

-sickness of Sir John increased. On the

-12th of October Drake brought the fleet up

-by a secret way to Puerto Rico, and about

-three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins

-died.</p>

-

-<p>In the evening, as Drake sat at supper,

-his chair was shot from under him, and

-two of his officers received their death

-wounds from the Spanish guns. The ships

-had to move away. The next night the

-English made a desperate effort to fire the

-five ships that had come for the treasure.

-Four of them were set alight, but only

-one was burnt, and by the great light she

-gave the Spaniards “played upon the English

-with their ordnance and small shot as

-if it had been fair day,” and sunk some of

-the boats.</p>

-

-<p>Next day Drake, undaunted by failure,

-determined to try and take his whole fleet

-boldly into the harbour and storm the

-place. But the Spaniards, guessing his

-desperate intention, and fearing his great

-courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span>

-and armed, as they were, and so,

-at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for

-the English.</p>

-

-<p>Drake took counsel with the soldiers as

-to the strength of the place, but most of

-them thought it too great a risk, though

-one or two were for trying it. “The

-General presently said: ‘I will bring you

-to twenty places far more wealthy and

-easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went

-on the 15th. And here,” says the teller

-of the story, “I left all hope of good

-success.”</p>

-

-<p>On the way to Nombre de Dios they

-stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where Drake

-had first been wronged by the Spaniards.

-This town they took with little difficulty,

-and some treasure was won.</p>

-

-<p>On December 27th they were at Nombre

-de Dios, which they took with small resistance.

-But the people had been warned,

-and had fled and hidden their treasure, and

-the town was left very bare. So they resolved

-to “hasten with speed to Panama.”

-The soldiers were under the command of

-Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a

-brave fighter against the Spaniards before

-now in Holland and France. They started

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span>to go to Panama by the old road well

-known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed

-with the ships and burned the town. He

-was about to sail nearer the river when

-news came that the soldiers were returning.

-The road was only too strongly defended

-now, and Baskerville’s men were driven

-back with severe loss. They were a small

-force, and weak with the long march

-through heavy rains; their powder was wet

-and their food scarce and sodden, and

-Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This

-march,” says the story, “had made many

-swear that they would never buy gold at

-such a price again.”</p>

-

-<p>Drake, being disappointed of his highest

-hopes, now called a council to decide what

-was to be done. All the towns had been

-forewarned, and told “to be careful and

-look well to themselves, for that Drake

-and Hawkins were making ready in England

-to come upon them.” And now the

-company seem to have regarded their leader

-with some bitterness, as his brave promises

-failed, and the places that he used to know

-were found to be changed and formidable.

-Now they had to rely “upon cards and

-maps, he being at these parts at the farthest

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span>limit of his knowledge.” But still he proposed

-fresh places that had the golden

-sound of riches in their names, and gallant

-Baskerville said he would attempt both,

-one after another.</p>

-

-<p>But the winds drove them instead to a

-“waste island, which is counted the sickliest

-place in the Indies, and there died

-many of the men, and victuals began to

-grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who

-writes the story, “I was often private with

-our General, and I demanded of him why

-he so often begged me, being in England,

-to stay with him in these parts as long as

-himself.... He answered me with grief,

-protesting that he was as ignorant of the

-Indies as myself, and that he never thought

-any place could be so changed, as it were,

-from a delicious and pleasant arbour into

-a waste and desert wilderness: besides the

-variableness and changes of the wind and

-weather, so stormy and blustrous as he

-never saw it before. But he most wondered

-that since his coming out of England

-he never saw sail worth giving chase

-unto. Yet, in the greatness of his mind,

-he would, in the end, conclude with these

-words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span>many things in store for us. And I know

-many means to do her Majesty good service

-and to make us rich, for we must

-have gold before we reach England.’</p>

-

-<p>“And since our return from Panama he

-never carried mirth nor joy in his face, yet

-no man he loved must show he took

-thought thereof. And he began to grow

-sickly. And now so many of the company

-were dying of the sickness, and food was

-getting so scarce, that at last he resolved

-‘to depart and take the wind as God

-sent it.’”</p>

-

-<p>But the lurking fever in the swamp had

-done its work, and on January 28, 1596,

-after a brief fight with illness and death,

-Drake “yielded up his spirit like a Christian

-to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”</p>

-

-<p>“The General being dead,” we are told,

-“most men’s hearts were bent to hasten

-for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s

-Child,’ they said, ‘was dead; things

-would not fall into their mouths, nor riches

-be their portions, how dearly soever they

-adventured for them.’”</p>

-

-<p>But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the

-command and took the remains of the fleet

-in his charge, and did not return home till

-<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span>he had met the Spaniards and fought a

-battle with them at sea.</p>

-

-<p>Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he

-burned that port, and sunk two of the ships

-no longer needed, and all the prizes. And

-there, a league from the shore, under seas,

-he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,

-heavily freighted with death and silence.

-But I like to think that his soul went

-a-roving again among the stars.</p>

-

-<p class="no-indent center">THE END</p>

-

-<p class="no-indent center">Printed by <span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />

-Edinburgh &amp; London</p>

-

-<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />

-

-<div class="chapter transnote">

-<p class="ph2 nobreak"><span class="smcap">Transcriber’s Notes</span></p>

-

-<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original

-positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.</p>

-

-<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.</p>

-

-<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.</p></div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE ***</div>

-<div style='text-align:left'>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Updated editions will replace the previous one&#8212;the old editions will

-be renamed.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright

-law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,

-so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United

-States without permission and without paying copyright

-royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part

-of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG&#8482;

-concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,

-and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following

-the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use

-of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for

-copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very

-easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation

-of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project

-Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away&#8212;you may

-do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected

-by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark

-license, especially commercial redistribution.

-</div>

-

-<div style='margin-top:1em; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE</div>

-<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE</div>

-<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-To protect the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting the free

-distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work

-(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase &#8220;Project

-Gutenberg&#8221;), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; License available with this file or online at

-www.gutenberg.org/license.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>

-Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to

-and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property

-(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all

-the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or

-destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in your

-possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work and you do not agree to be bound

-by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person

-or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.B. &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is a registered trademark. It may only be

-used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who

-agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few

-things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works

-even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See

-paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works if you follow the terms of this

-agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (&#8220;the

-Foundation&#8221; or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection

-of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works. Nearly all the individual

-works in the collection are in the public domain in the United

-States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the

-United States and you are located in the United States, we do not

-claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,

-displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as

-all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope

-that you will support the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting

-free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; name associated with the work. You can easily

-comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the

-same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License when

-you share it without charge with others.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern

-what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are

-in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,

-check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this

-agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,

-distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any

-other Project Gutenberg&#8482; work. The Foundation makes no

-representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any

-country other than the United States.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other

-immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License must appear

-prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work (any work

-on which the phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; appears, or with which the

-phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is associated) is accessed, displayed,

-performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

-</div>

-

-<blockquote>

-  <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most

-    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions

-    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms

-    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online

-    at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you

-    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws

-    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

-  </div>

-</blockquote>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is

-derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not

-contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the

-copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in

-the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are

-redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase &#8220;Project

-Gutenberg&#8221; associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply

-either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or

-obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is posted

-with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution

-must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any

-additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms

-will be linked to the Project Gutenberg&#8482; License for all works

-posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the

-beginning of this work.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this

-work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg&#8482;.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this

-electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without

-prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with

-active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; License.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,

-compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including

-any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access

-to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work in a format

-other than &#8220;Plain Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other format used in the official

-version posted on the official Project Gutenberg&#8482; website

-(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense

-to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means

-of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original &#8220;Plain

-Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other form. Any alternate format must include the

-full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,

-performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg&#8482; works

-unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing

-access to or distributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works

-provided that:

-</div>

-

-<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'>

-    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>

-        &#8226; You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from

-        the use of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works calculated using the method

-        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed

-        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, but he has

-        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project

-        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid

-        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are

-        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty

-        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project

-        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in

-        Section 4, &#8220;Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg

-        Literary Archive Foundation.&#8221;

-    </div>

-

-    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>

-        &#8226; You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies

-        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he

-        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all

-        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue

-        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-        works.

-    </div>

-

-    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>

-        &#8226; You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of

-        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the

-        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of

-        receipt of the work.

-    </div>

-

-    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>

-        &#8226; You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free

-        distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works.

-    </div>

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work or group of works on different terms than

-are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing

-from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of

-the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark. Contact the Foundation as set

-forth in Section 3 below.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable

-effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread

-works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may

-contain &#8220;Defects,&#8221; such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate

-or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other

-intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or

-other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or

-cannot be read by your equipment.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the &#8220;Right

-of Replacement or Refund&#8221; described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project

-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, and any other party distributing a Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all

-liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal

-fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT

-LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE

-PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE

-TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE

-LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR

-INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH

-DAMAGE.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a

-defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can

-receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a

-written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you

-received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium

-with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you

-with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in

-lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person

-or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second

-opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If

-the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing

-without further opportunities to fix the problem.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth

-in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you &#8216;AS-IS&#8217;, WITH NO

-OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT

-LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied

-warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of

-damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement

-violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the

-agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or

-limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or

-unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the

-remaining provisions.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the

-trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone

-providing copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in

-accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the

-production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,

-including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of

-the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this

-or any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, (b) alteration, modification, or

-additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, and (c) any

-Defect you cause.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>

-Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg&#8482;

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; is synonymous with the free distribution of

-electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of

-computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It

-exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations

-from people in all walks of life.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the

-assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg&#8482;&#8217;s

-goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg&#8482; collection will

-remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project

-Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure

-and permanent future for Project Gutenberg&#8482; and future

-generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see

-Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>

-Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit

-501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the

-state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal

-Revenue Service. The Foundation&#8217;s EIN or federal tax identification

-number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by

-U.S. federal laws and your state&#8217;s laws.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-The Foundation&#8217;s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,

-Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up

-to date contact information can be found at the Foundation&#8217;s website

-and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>

-Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; depends upon and cannot survive without widespread

-public support and donations to carry out its mission of

-increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be

-freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest

-array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations

-($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt

-status with the IRS.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating

-charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United

-States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a

-considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up

-with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations

-where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND

-DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state

-visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we

-have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition

-against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who

-approach us with offers to donate.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make

-any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from

-outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation

-methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other

-ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To

-donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>

-Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project

-Gutenberg&#8482; concept of a library of electronic works that could be

-freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and

-distributed Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks with only a loose network of

-volunteer support.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks are often created from several printed

-editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in

-the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not

-necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper

-edition.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-Most people start at our website which has the main PG search

-facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>.

-</div>

-

-<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>

-This website includes information about Project Gutenberg&#8482;,

-including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary

-Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to

-subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

-</div>

-

-</div>

-</body>

-</html>

+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" />
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />
+    <title>
+      The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Mrs. Oliver Elton&mdash;A Project Gutenberg eBook
+    </title>
+    <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" />
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+body {
+    margin-left: 10%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+    font-size: 110%;}
+
+    h1,h2 {
+    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+    clear: both;}
+
+p { margin-top: .51em;
+    text-align: justify;
+    margin-bottom: .49em;
+    text-indent: 1.5em;}
+
+.ph1     {text-align: center;
+          margin-top: .51em;
+          margin-bottom: .49em;
+          font-size: xx-large;
+          font-weight: bold;
+          text-indent: 0;}
+
+.ph2     {text-align: center;
+          margin-top: .51em;
+          margin-bottom: .49em;
+          font-size: x-large;
+          font-weight: bold;
+          text-indent: 0;}
+
+hr {width: 33%;
+    margin-top: 2em;
+    margin-bottom: 2em;
+    margin-left: 33.5%;
+    margin-right: 33.5%;
+    clear: both;}
+
+.no-indent {text-indent: 0%;}
+
+hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;}
+@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} }
+hr.full {width: 40%; text-align: left; margin-left: 0; margin-top: .10em;}
+
+div.chapter {page-break-before: always;}
+h2.nobreak  {page-break-before: avoid;}
+
+table {margin-left: auto;
+       margin-right: auto;}
+
+.tdl      {text-align: left;}
+.tdr      {text-align: right;}
+.tdc      {text-align: center;}
+.tdbr     {text-align: right;
+           vertical-align: bottom;}
+.tdch     {text-align: right;
+           vertical-align: top;}
+
+.right    {margin-left: 60%;}
+
+.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 92%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    font-style: normal;
+    font-weight: normal;
+    font-variant: normal;
+} /* page numbers */
+
+.pagenum2 { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 94%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    padding-right: 2em;}
+
+.blockquot {
+    margin-left: 15%;
+    margin-right: 15%;}
+
+.center   {text-align: center;}
+
+.right    {text-align: right;}
+
+.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+.smaller   {font-size: 85%;}
+
+.adblock {margin-left: 20%;
+          margin-right:20%;}
+
+.caption  {font-weight: bold;
+           text-align: center;}
+
+.dropcap  {float:left;
+           font-size: 40px;
+           line-height: 22.5px;
+           padding-top: 2px;
+           padding-bottom: .25px;}
+
+.box     {border: solid black 1px;}
+
+.bgap    {margin-bottom: 4em;}
+
+.gap     {margin-top: 3em;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker-drop .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .figcenter {width:100%}
+
+/* Images */
+
+img {
+    max-width: 100%;
+    height: auto;}
+
+.figcenter {
+    margin: auto;
+    text-align: center;
+    page-break-inside: avoid;
+    max-width: 100%;}
+
+/* Transcriber's notes */
+.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA;
+     color: black;
+     font-size:smaller;
+     padding:0.5em;
+     margin-bottom:5em;
+     margin-left: 20%;
+     margin-right: 20%;
+     font-family:sans-serif, serif;}
+
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 67864 ***</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="40%" alt="" /></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter adblock">
+<p class="no-indent">THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">Edited by John Lang</span></p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<p class="ph2 center no-indent"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="center no-indent">TO<br />
+CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="Frontispiece"><img class="box" src="images/i_frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the
+‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the<br />
+‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<h1><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR<br />
+FRANCIS DRAKE</h1></div>
+
+<p class="center bgap">BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON<br />
+PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 180px;">
+<img src="images/i_logo.jpg" width="180" alt="Publishers Logo"  /></div>
+
+<p class="center no-indent gap">LONDON: T. C. &amp; E. C. JACK<br />
+NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON &amp; CO.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p class="center no-indent">Printed by<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />
+Edinburgh<br />
+</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak">PREFACE</p></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">It</span> has not been possible, for lack of space,
+always to tell the old stories in the original
+words, which are, in almost all cases, the
+best. If any readers of this book can get
+a sight of two big volumes called “Drake
+and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett,
+they may consider themselves fortunate. In
+them there are the most fascinating reproductions
+of pictures of old fighting ships,
+and old charts or maps of the taking of
+Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine
+by Drake’s ships. Here the ships are seen
+approaching and attacking; the towns are
+shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are
+full of wonderful curly monsters. The old
+charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada
+show the shifting position of the fleets from
+day to day, and the books also contain
+many maps and a fine portrait.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="nobreak ph2">CONTENTS</p></div>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr><td class="tdc"><small>Chapter</small></td>
+<td>&#160;</td>
+<td class="tdl"><small>Page</small></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">I.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Philip of Spain</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">II.</td>
+<td class="tdl">“The Troublesome Voyage”</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">III.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Nombre de Dios</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">IV.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Fort Diego</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">V.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Golden Mule-trains</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VI.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Home Again</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Round the World</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Round the World (<i>continued</i>)</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">IX.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Sir Francis</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">X.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Cadiz</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XI.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Great Armada</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Expedition to Lisbon</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Last Voyage</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak">LIST OF PICTURES</p></div>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="LIST OF PICTURES">
+
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdr"><small>Page</small></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the<br />
+<i>Golden Hind</i> at Deptford</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Frontispiece"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo1">14</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo2">22</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific<br />
+Oceans from the tree-top</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo3">30</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Sir Francis Drake</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo4">72</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo5">84</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo6">94</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Fighting the Great Armada</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo7">98</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</span></p>
+<p class="nobreak ph1"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br />
+<span class="smaller">PHILIP OF SPAIN</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">uring</span> the life of Francis Drake,
+Philip the Second of Spain was the
+most powerful king in Europe. Spain
+and the Netherlands belonged to him, parts
+of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great
+part of America. From Mexico, Peru, and
+the West Indian Islands Spanish ships
+sailed home with treasure of silver and
+gold, as they do in fairy tales, while
+Portuguese ships traded in Africa for
+slaves and gold and ivory, and had even
+ventured as far as the then little-known
+East Indies. Lastly, Philip added Portugal
+and its possessions to his vast inheritance,
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</span>and would have liked to hold all the world
+“for God and for Spain.” Being himself
+a good Catholic, he wished to see all men
+of that faith, and to those who did not
+believe in it he was a merciless foe, and
+he shed the blood of many martyrs.</p>
+
+<p>Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope
+more than anything in the world, as
+much as he loved England and honoured
+his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent most
+of his life in making war against the King
+of Spain in one way or another, calling it
+all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service
+done to your Majesty by your poor vassal
+(or servant) against your great enemy.”</p>
+
+<p>During Drake’s life wars about religion
+were raging in almost every European
+country. In France the struggle ended by
+most people remaining Catholics, just as
+England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always
+a Protestant country. But such changes
+really take long to come about, especially
+in days when news travelled slowly, when
+there were no trains or steamships, and no
+penny newspapers.</p>
+
+<p>Francis Drake was born when Edward
+the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse near
+Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span>quite a young child his father, who was a
+Protestant, had to fly from his country home,
+owing to an outbreak of anger among his
+Catholic neighbours. So the first stories
+the little Francis would hear must have
+been tales of this time of persecution, when
+many of his father’s friends had to hide
+in woods and caves, and lost all they possessed.
+From his very cradle he must have
+been taught to hate the “Papists.”</p>
+
+<p>The new home was rather a strange
+one, for the old books say Drake’s father
+went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a
+ship, wherein many of his younger sons
+were born. He had twelve in all, and as
+it pleased God that most of them should
+be born upon the water, so the greater
+part of them died at sea.” The father
+seems to have been a sailor at one time,
+and he now got a place among the seamen
+of the King’s Navy, to read prayers to
+them. The Navy ships were anchored off
+Chatham when not in use, and here, in an
+old unused warship, the elder Drake and
+his family made their floating home. Here
+most of the twelve boys were born, a
+troop of merry children, and many a fine
+game they must have had on the decks.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span>The sound of wind and waves must have
+been familiar to them as they went to sleep
+at nights, and they grew up strong and
+fearless, and, living as they did among
+sailors, must have early set their hearts on
+going to sea and having adventures.</p>
+
+<p>At the death of King Edward the Sixth
+the Catholic Queen Mary began to reign,
+and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over
+to marry her. He looked “very gallant,”
+they said, in his suit of white kid, covered
+with gold embroidery, and was followed by
+a train of splendid-looking Spanish nobles,
+and he brought quantities of gold and silver,
+borne on the backs of horses. But the
+English people hated the foreign marriage,
+and so strong was this feeling that in the
+winter before the wedding even the children
+in the streets shouted against the Spaniards
+and snowballed them as they went to Court.
+Perhaps Francis Drake and his brothers
+left their usual games to play at being
+Philip and the English, like some other
+lads, of whom we read that their play
+became so real and exciting that they were
+only just prevented from hanging the boy
+who acted the part of Philip. The King of
+Spain might have seen his son upon the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span>English throne, but this hope, like so many
+of his, was doomed to be defeated, for
+Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came to
+the throne.</p>
+
+<p>As Drake’s father was at this time a poor
+man, he put his son Francis to learn seamanship
+of the master of a bark or small
+ship that used to coast along the shore
+and sometimes carried merchandise to
+France and the Netherlands. At this time
+he must have had to suffer many hardships
+and to live a rough life, but he
+learned his business well, and “was so
+diligent and painstaking, and so pleased
+the old man his master by his industry,”
+that at his death he left his bark to Francis
+Drake.</p>
+
+<p>Later Drake grew weary of this little
+ship, that “only crept along the shore,”
+and longed for something more than such
+safe and simple voyaging, so he seems to have
+sold the bark and taken service with his
+kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were
+rich merchants and owned and sailed their
+ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br />
+<span class="smaller">“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> four centuries before the sixteenth,
+in which Drake lived, have been called
+the Age of Discovery. The world widened
+before men’s eyes as new lands and seas,
+new peoples, and even new stars, became
+known to them. The little country of
+Portugal was the first to begin those
+discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts
+of Africa and traded there. One of her
+mariners discovered the passage round the
+Cape of Good Hope to India, the Spice
+Islands, and China, and for long she had
+no rival in her trade.</p>
+
+<p>About fifty years before Drake was born,
+America was discovered by Christopher
+Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service
+of Spain. The ships in use in those days
+were very different to any we see now.
+There have been three kinds of ships made,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span>ships with oars, ships with sails, and ships
+with steam. They are divided into two
+kinds, fighting ships and merchant ships.</p>
+
+<p>The old-fashioned galley was long and
+low-decked, and could be rowed or sailed.
+In the middle of the ship, between two
+platforms or upper decks, the rowers were
+chained to their seats. Three or four men
+worked each of the long oars, or <i>sweeps</i>
+as they were called. There were twenty-five
+oars or more on each side of the ship.
+The rowers or galley-slaves were generally
+prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to
+the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived
+on the benches, ill-fed and ill-clothed, with
+only an awning to cover them when in port,
+though the low sides of the ships protected
+them a little from the weather and from
+the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always
+to have released the slaves he took on
+Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they
+included “Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen,
+and Spaniards.”</p>
+
+<p>The sailors who worked the ships were
+free. The ships were always armed, at
+first with shields and spears and arrows,
+later with guns and powder. With such
+ships the Italians fought many great battles
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span>on the Mediterranean, and in such ships the
+Norsemen had invaded England and raided
+the Northern Seas; and, with his <i>caravels</i>,
+or light Spanish ships, Columbus reached
+the islands which he called the West Indies.
+In later voyages he reached the mainland
+of America, but to the day of his death he
+always believed that he had found the coast
+of Asia. Another Italian sailor, named
+Amerigo, also in the service of Spain, gave
+his name to the New World. The Italians
+had long been good sailors and ship-builders,
+and great fighters at sea, and they had the
+glory of discovering America, though they
+gained no possessions there.</p>
+
+<p>Spain, at that time the most powerful state
+in Europe, seized upon a great part of the
+new land, and found there gold and silver
+mines. The natives they first subdued and
+afterwards forced to become Christians, as
+the custom was in warfare with a Pagan
+race.</p>
+
+<p>The American Indians, however, have
+never been easy to subdue, and have always
+had an undying affection for their own way
+of life. The Spaniards found them unfitted
+for hard work in the mines. The Portuguese
+had already captured negroes in their
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span>West African settlements, and numbers of
+those were sent to America as slaves.</p>
+
+<p>From the time of Henry the Eighth the
+English were building and buying fine ships,
+and learnt to sail them so well that they
+began less and less to use the old galley
+ship with its many oars. They traded mostly
+with Spain and the Low Countries; but as
+they got better ships, and became expert
+sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to
+discover new countries and get more trade.
+They began to sail to the Canary Islands,
+to Africa, and America.</p>
+
+<p>The Hawkins family had taken a large
+part in this new activity. The elder William
+Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his
+son, John Hawkins, with whom Drake took
+service, made several voyages to the “Isles
+of the Canaries.” Having learnt something
+about the West Indies, he made several
+voyages there, carrying with him numbers
+of negroes to sell, whom he took, partly by
+the sword, and partly by other means, on
+the coast of Africa.</p>
+
+<p>Hawkins and the other adventurers who
+joined him brought home great riches. In
+the account of those early voyages we see
+the beginning of a quarrel with Spain, which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span>was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,
+till Philip sent his great Armada to invade
+England.</p>
+
+<p>The third and most famous voyage of
+John Hawkins to the West Indies was called
+“the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in
+disaster. It was the biggest venture that had
+yet been made by the English, and Drake
+took part in it. Hawkins sailed with six
+ships. There were two “great ships” of
+the Royal Navy&mdash;the <i>Jesus</i>, commanded by
+Hawkins himself, and the <i>Minion</i>; the
+<i>William and John</i>, named after and owned
+by the Hawkins brothers; and three smaller
+ones, the <i>Swallow</i>, the <i>Angel</i>, and the <i>Judith</i>,
+the last being under the command of Francis
+Drake.</p>
+
+<p>They got slaves in Africa and sold them
+in the West Indies, though not without
+difficulty, because the Spaniards had been
+forbidden by their king to trade with the
+English. As they were about to start on
+their way home, the ships met with fearful
+storms, and as the <i>Jesus</i> was much shattered,
+Hawkins made up his mind to seek for
+haven. They were driven at last into Vera
+Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.
+Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span>repair their fleet. Now in this very port
+lay treasure which was said to be worth
+thousands of pounds. It was waiting for
+the fleet of armed ships which was to take
+it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were
+much dismayed to see the English ships,
+with their Portuguese ships and prisoners
+captured on the voyage, come, as they
+thought, to seize their treasure. It was
+this very danger they had feared when
+Hawkins first began his slave trade and
+disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning thirteen great ships appeared,
+and proved to be a Mexican fleet
+returning with a new Viceroy or Governor
+from King Philip. A solemn and peaceful
+agreement was made, and the Spanish
+ships were moored alongside the English
+ones, which were already in possession of
+the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards
+broke faith and fell upon the English,
+and a great and fierce fight took
+place, which lasted from ten in the morning
+until night. The <i>Angel</i> and the <i>Swallow</i>
+were sunk, and the <i>Jesus</i> so damaged that
+it could not be brought away.</p>
+
+<p>As the remaining ships were sailing away,
+the Spaniards sent two “fire ships” after
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span>them. This was not an unusual way of
+fighting in those days. The empty, burning
+ships were sent to try and fire the
+enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming,
+by the wind, an awful and terrifying
+sight. The men on the <i>Minion</i> became
+panic-stricken, and set sail without orders.
+Some of the men from the <i>Judith</i> followed
+in a small boat. The rest were forced “to
+abide the mercy of the Spaniards,” which,
+Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.</p>
+
+<p>“The same night,” he goes on, “the
+<i>Judith</i> forsook us in our great misery. In
+the end, when the wind came larger, we
+weighed anchor and set sail, seeking for
+water, of which we had very little. And
+wandering thus certain days in these unknown
+seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,
+cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and
+monkeys.”</p>
+
+<p>Some of the men asked to be put on
+land, rather than risk shipwreck and starvation
+in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins
+did, in the end, get safely home, with his
+weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of
+his feeble, starving crew. But he says that,
+if all the miseries and troubles of this
+sorrowful voyage were to be written, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span>tale would be as long as the “Book of
+Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left
+also reached England, after weary wanderings
+and years of terrible sufferings. Some
+were put to death as heretics, and others
+were sent to the galleys as slaves. Others,
+more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,
+where the monks made kind and
+gentle masters.</p>
+
+<p>Five days before Hawkins reached England,
+the little <i>Judith</i> struggled into Plymouth
+Harbour with Drake and his load
+of men. William Hawkins sent him at
+once to London on horseback, “post, post
+haste,” as the old letters say. He carried
+letters to the Lords of Council, and
+to Sir William Cecil, the Chief Secretary
+of the Queen. So he rode swiftly along
+the country roads, only stopping to fling
+himself off one weary, smoking horse on
+to the back of a fresh one. The people
+would gather round him as he made the
+change, and wonder what great news was
+going to town.</p>
+
+<p>William Hawkins said in his letter: “There
+is come to Plymouth, at this present hour,
+one of the small barks of my brother’s
+fleet, and as I have neither writing nor
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span>anything else from him, I thought it good,
+and my most bounden duty, to send you
+the captain of the same bark. He is our
+kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>He was to tell the whole story, and the
+Queen was to hear it. He was to tell of
+the losses of John Hawkins, and of his
+absence, which his brother says “is unto
+me more grief than any other thing in the
+world.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was much blamed at the time for
+deserting his general. It is difficult for us
+to see what he could have done. His little
+ship was crowded, and he had small store
+of food and water, and he no doubt thought
+it best to get home as soon as possible.
+His story of Spanish treachery and English
+loss must have roused the countryside.
+The excitement was at its height
+when the <i>Minion</i> appeared off Cornwall.</p>
+
+<p>A man “for goodwill” came riding to
+William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to get help.
+He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners
+and a store of fresh food and other necessaries.
+And again letters were sent to
+London with the news. Haste! haste! post
+haste!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo1"><img class="box" src="images/i_014.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br />
+<span class="smaller">NOMBRE DE DIOS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in January 1569 that the “troublesome
+voyage” ended for Drake, and in
+the summer of that year he married a
+Devonshire girl, named Mary Newman.
+The stories of his most famous voyages
+are found in an old book, called “Sir
+Francis Drake Revived.” This was first
+printed by his descendant, another Sir
+Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the
+First. It was written by some of the
+voyagers, and it is thought that Drake
+himself wrote part of it and corrected it.
+It is supposed that Drake presented the
+manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates
+it to her as the “first fruits” of his
+pen. He also says that his labours by
+land and sea were not more troublesome
+than the writing of it.</p>
+
+<p>After his losses and misfortunes in the
+Indies, it seems that Drake could get no
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span>amends from Spain, though he had lost
+both kinsmen, friends, and goods of some
+value. Queen Elizabeth could not think
+of making war with Philip. Her country
+was poor, her father’s navy was ruined.
+She had no proper army, and she had
+trouble enough on her hands in France
+and Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore Drake decided to help himself
+in what he was pleased to call his quarrel
+with the King of Spain. The old writer
+says that the story of his life shows how
+“so mean a person righted himself upon
+so mighty a prince. The one was in his
+own conceit the mightiest monarch in the
+world, the other only an English captain.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake now made two voyages that really
+prepared the way for his great and famous
+one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid
+his expenses by plundering ships or selling
+slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572,
+Drake started with his ship, the <i>Pascha</i>, of
+Plymouth, and the <i>Swan</i>, of Plymouth, in
+which his brother, John Drake, was captain.
+They had on board seventy-three
+men and boys. All of these came willingly,
+and had not been <i>pressed</i>, or compelled
+to serve, as the custom then was.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span></p>
+<p>Drake’s ships had a very good passage,
+and never stopped till they reached one of
+the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five
+days. Here they stayed three days to refresh
+the men, and to water the ships.
+The third day they set sail for the continent.
+They steered for a bay named formerly
+by them Port Pheasant. It was a
+fine, safe harbour. As they rowed ashore
+in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods.
+Drake manned and armed the other boats.</p>
+
+<p>When they landed, it was found that a
+certain Englishman, called John Garret, of
+Plymouth, had lately been there. Some
+mariners who had been with Drake in his
+other voyages had shown him the place.</p>
+
+<p>Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast
+to a mighty, great tree, on which these
+words were engraved:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p class="center no-indent">“CAPTAIN DRAKE.</p>
+
+<p>“If you happen to come to this port,
+make haste away! for the Spaniards which
+you had with you here, the last year, have
+betrayed this place, and taken away all you
+left here. I depart from hence this present
+day of July, 1572.&mdash;Your very loving friend,</p>
+
+<p class="right no-indent">“JOHN GARRET.”</p></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span></p>
+
+<p>The smoke came from a fire which Garret
+and his company had made before they
+went. It had been burning for at least
+five days before Drake’s arrival. Drake
+had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,”
+made in Plymouth, and stored on
+board ship in pieces. He intended to put
+them together in this place. So the ships
+were anchored, and the place simply but
+strongly fortified with great logs.</p>
+
+<p>Next day an English boat appeared. The
+captain was James Rance, and he had
+thirty men, some of whom had been with
+Drake the year before. They brought with
+them a Spanish <i>caravel</i>, or merchant ship,
+which they had taken the day before, and
+a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.
+In seven days the pinnaces were set up
+and furnished out of the ships. Some
+negroes on a neighbouring island told them
+that the townsfolk of Nombre de Dios
+were in great fear of the <i>Cimaroons</i>, or
+“Maroons,” as our sailors called them.
+They had attacked the town of Nombre
+de Dios, and the Governor of Panama was
+to send soldiers to defend it. These were
+negroes who had fled some eighty years
+before from the cruelty of the Spaniards.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span>They had married Indian women, and had
+grown into a strong fighting tribe, who
+had two kings of their own, and lived, one
+on the east, and one on the west, of the
+road from Nombre de Dios to Panama. This
+was the road by which all the gold and
+silver from the mines of Peru was sent to
+the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped
+for Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.</p>
+
+<p>Drake hastened his plans. Three ships
+and the <i>caravel</i> were left with Captain
+Rance. He chose seventy-three men for
+the three pinnaces (the fourth was that
+taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of
+arms, and two drums and a trumpet. The
+men were drilled and given their weapons
+and arms, which had been kept up till
+then “very fair and safe in good casks.”
+Drake encouraged them to the attack. In
+the afternoon they set sail for Nombre de
+Dios, and were very near before sunset.
+They lay there under the shore, out of
+sight of the watch, till dark. Then they
+rowed near shore as quietly as possible,
+and waited for the dawn.</p>
+
+<p>But Drake found the men were getting
+nervous, so when the moon rose “he
+thought it best to persuade them it was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span>day dawning,” and the men had not time
+to get afraid, for they got there at three
+in the morning. They landed with no difficulty.
+But the noise of bells and drums
+and shouting soon told them that the town
+was awake and alarmed. Twelve men
+were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure
+a safe retreat. Drake’s brother, with John
+Oxenham and sixteen other men, went
+round behind the King’s Treasure-house,
+and entered the eastern end of the market-place.
+Drake, with the rest, passed up the
+broad street into the market-place, with
+sound of drum and trumpets. They used
+fire-pikes, or long poles with metal points,
+to which torches of blazing tow were
+fastened, and served both to frighten the
+enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could
+see quite well by them. The terrified
+townsfolk imagined an army was marching
+upon them.</p>
+
+<p>After a sharp fight in the market-place
+the Spaniards fled. Two or three of them
+were captured, and commanded to show
+Drake the Governor’s house. But he found
+that only silver was kept there; gold,
+pearls, and jewels being carried to the
+King’s Treasure-house, not far off.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span></p>
+<p>“This house was very strongly built of
+lime and stone for safe keeping of the
+treasure. At the Governor’s house we found
+the great door open where the mules are
+generally unladen. A candle stood lighted
+on the top of the stairs, and a fair horse
+was saddled ready for the Governor himself,
+or for one of his household. By this
+light we saw a huge heap of silver in the
+lower room. It was a pile of bars of
+silver.</p>
+
+<p>“At this sight our Captain commanded
+straightly that none of us should touch a
+bar of silver. We must stand to our
+weapons, because the town was full of
+people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house,
+near the waterside, more gold and
+jewels than all our pinnaces could carry.
+This we could presently try to break open,
+though they thought it so strong.</p>
+
+<p>“But now a report was brought by some
+of our men that our pinnaces were in danger
+to be taken, and that we had better
+get aboard before day. This report was
+learnt through a negro named Diego, who
+had begged to be taken on board our
+ships when we first came. Our Captain
+sent his brother and John Oxenham to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span>learn the truth. They found the men
+much frightened, for they saw great troops
+of armed townsfolk and soldiers running
+up and down. Presently, too, a mighty
+shower of rain fell, with a terrible storm of
+thunder and lightning. It came down
+violently, as it does in these countries.
+Before we could reach the shelter at the
+western end of the King’s Treasure-house,
+some of our bowstrings were wet, and
+some of our match and powder hurt.</p>
+
+<p>“Our men began to mutter about the
+forces of the town. But our Captain, hearing,
+told them: ‘He had brought them to
+the mouth of the treasure of the world;
+if they went without it, they might blame
+nobody but themselves afterwards.’</p>
+
+<p>“So soon as the fury of the storm was
+spent, he gave his men no time to consider
+their doubts, nor the enemy no time
+to gather themselves together. He stepped
+forward and commanded his brother and
+John Oxenham to break the King’s Treasure-house.
+The rest, with him, were to
+hold the market-place till the business
+was done.</p>
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo2"><img class="box" src="images/i_022.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios</p></div>
+
+<p>“But as he stepped forward his strength
+and sight and speech failed him, and he
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span>began to faint for loss of blood. And we
+saw it had flowed in great quantities
+upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.
+He had got it in the first encounter, but
+though he felt some pain he would not
+make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed
+it against his will. He saw that
+some of the men, having already got many
+good things, would seize any chance to
+escape further danger. But the blood that
+filled our very footprints greatly dismayed
+our company, who could not believe that
+one man could lose so much blood, and
+live.</p>
+
+<p>“Even those who were willing to risk
+more for so good a booty would in no case
+risk their Captain’s life. So they gave
+him something to drink to recover him,
+and bound his scarf about his leg to stop
+the blood. They also entreated him to be
+content to go aboard with them, there to
+have his wound searched and dressed, and
+then to return on shore again if he thought
+good.</p>
+
+<p>“This they could by no means persuade
+him to, so they joined force with fair entreaty,
+and bore him aboard his pinnace.
+Thus they gave up a rich spoil only to save
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span>their Captain’s life, being sure that, while
+they enjoyed his presence and had him
+to command them, they might recover
+enough of wealth. But if once they lost
+him they should hardly be able to get
+home again. No, nor keep that they had
+got already. Thus we embarked by break
+of day, having besides our Captain, many
+of our men wounded, though none slain
+but one trumpeter. And though our
+surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies
+and salves for their wounds, yet the
+main care of the Captain was respected by
+all the rest.</p>
+
+<p>“Before we left the harbour, we took
+with little trouble the ship of wine for the
+greater comfort of our company. And
+though they shot at us from the town we
+carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals.
+Here we cured our wounded men, and
+refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens
+which we found there abounding with
+great store of dainty roots and fruits.
+There was also great plenty of poultry
+and other fowls, no less strange than delicate.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br />
+<span class="smaller">FORT DIEGO</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">A</span><span class="smcap">fter</span> the return to the ship Captain
+Rance departed. But Drake had a
+new plan in his head; he meant to attack
+Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main.
+Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they
+found that the townsfolk had been warned
+that Frenchmen and Englishmen were about.
+Drake took possession of a large ship that
+was outward bound. But the townsfolk,
+hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their
+bells, fired their cannon, and got all their
+soldiers out. Next morning Drake took two
+more ships near the harbour, one of which
+was bound to Cartagena with a letter of
+warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake
+sent his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so
+ended his first attempt upon Cartagena.</p>
+
+<p>He saw that the coasts were aware of his
+presence. Yet he did not want to go away
+till he had discovered the Maroons; for
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span>his faithful negro, Diego, had told him that
+they were friendly to him as the enemy of
+Spain. This search might take time, and
+must be done in the smaller boats, which
+were swifter and could explore the rivers.
+He had not enough of men both to sail the
+boats and the pinnaces; so he now decided
+to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse
+of the other. In this way his pinnaces
+would be properly manned, and he could stay
+as long as he liked. This was accordingly
+done. For fifteen days the big ship lay
+hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the
+Spaniards think they had left the coast.
+Here Drake kept the men busy trimming
+and cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the
+ground, and building huts. Diego the negro
+was a very good builder, and knew the ways
+of the country well. The men played, too,
+at bowls and quoits, and shooting with
+arrows at targets. The smiths had brought
+forges from England and set them up.
+Every now and again the pinnaces crept
+out to sea to plunder passing ships. Much
+food was put away in different storehouses
+to serve till they had “made their voyage,”
+as they said, or “made their fortunes,” as
+we should say.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span></p>
+
+<p>Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe
+harbour, they moved to a new place, which
+they fortified and called Fort Diego. They
+now prepared to wait five months, because
+the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards
+carried no treasure by land during the
+rainy months. They were not idle during
+these months, for the ship and fort were left
+in charge of John Drake, while Captain
+Drake and John Oxenham went roving in
+the pinnaces. They had many adventures,
+being in some peril in their small boats, and
+always at the mercy of the weather, while
+at one time they were almost starving. Some
+of the men got ill with the cold and died, for
+they had little shelter on board. When they
+got back to the ships they found all things
+in good order; but they received the heavy
+news of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s
+brother, a young man of great promise.</p>
+
+<p>“Our Captain then resolved to keep close
+and go no more to sea, but supplied his
+needs, both for his own company and the
+Maroons, out of his storehouse. Then ten
+of our company fell down sick of an unknown
+disease, and most of them died in a
+few days. Later, we had thirty men sick at
+one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span>another of his brothers, died in our Captain’s
+arms.</p>
+
+<p>“We now heard from the Maroons, who
+ranged the country up and down for us, to
+learn what they might for us, that the fleet
+had arrived from Spain in Nombre de Dios.
+The Captain prepared to make his journey
+by land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon
+the charge of the ship and company and the
+Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised
+by the Maroons what provisions to
+prepare for the long and great journey, what
+kind of weapons, what store of victuals, and
+what kind of clothes. He was to take as
+many shoes as possible, because they had
+to pass so many rivers with stone and gravel.
+Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few
+were left to keep the ship, attend the sick,
+and guard the prisoners.</p>
+
+<p>“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February
+the third. At his departure our Captain gave
+this Master strict charge, in any case not to
+trust any messenger that should come in his
+name with any tokens, unless he brought his
+handwriting. This he knew could not be
+copied by the Maroons or the Spaniards.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">here</span> were forty-eight men of the
+party, of whom eighteen only were English.
+The Maroons carried arms and food,
+and got more food with their arrows from
+time to time. Every day they began to
+march by sunrise, and rested in the heat
+of the day in shelters made by the Maroons.
+The third day they came to a little town or
+village of the Maroons, which was much
+admired by the sailors for its beauty and
+cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says
+the story, “they have no kind of priests,
+only they held the Cross in great awe.
+But by our Captain’s persuasions, they were
+contented to leave their crosses and to
+learn the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught
+something of God’s worship.”</p>
+
+<p>They begged Drake to stay with them
+some days, but he had to hasten on. Four
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span>of the best guides amongst the Maroons
+marched on ahead, and broke boughs to
+show the path to those that followed. All
+kept strict silence. The way lay through
+cool and pleasant woods.</p>
+
+<p>“We were much encouraged because we
+were told there was a great Tree about
+half way, from which we could see at once
+both the North Sea, from whence we came,
+and the South Sea, whither we were going.</p>
+
+<p>“The fourth day we came to the height
+of the desired hill, a very high hill, lying
+east and west like a ridge between the
+two seas. It was about ten of the clock.
+Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took
+our Captain by the hand, and prayed him
+to follow him if he wished to see at once
+two seas, which he had so greatly longed
+for.</p>
+
+<p>“Here was that goodly and great high
+Tree, in which they had cut and made various
+steps to get up near the top. Here they
+had made a convenient bower, where ten
+or twelve men might easily sit. And here
+we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the
+Atlantic Ocean, whence we now came, and
+the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired.
+South and north of the Tree they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span>had felled certain trees that the prospect
+might be clearer.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo3"><img class="box" src="images/i_030.jpg" width="400" alt="The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
+from the tree-top" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans<br />
+from the tree-top</p>
+
+<p>“Our Captain went up to this bower, with
+the chief Maroon. He had, because of the
+breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day.
+And he saw that sea of which he had heard
+such golden reports. He prayed Almighty
+God, of His goodness, to give him life and
+leave to sail once in an English ship in
+that sea! Then he called up the rest of
+our men, and specially he told John Oxenham
+of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased
+God to grant him that happiness. He,
+understanding it, protested that, unless our
+Captain did beat him from his company,
+he would follow him, by God’s grace! Thus
+all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,
+came down, and after our repast continued
+our ordinary march through the woods.”</p>
+
+<p>The last part of the march was through
+high pampas grass. But now they began
+to get glimpses of Panama, and could at
+last see the ships in the harbour. Now
+the march had to be more secret and silent
+than ever, till at length they lay hidden in
+a grove near the high road from Panama
+to Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon
+was despatched, clothed as a negro of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span>Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the
+town and learn when the treasure was to
+be taken from the King’s Treasure-house
+in Panama to Nombre de Dios. This
+journey to Venta Cruz was always made
+by night, because of the heat and toil of
+walking through the pampas grass. But
+from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they
+travelled always by day and not by night,
+because the way lay through fresh, cool
+woods. The mules were tied together in
+long trains, and guarded, if possible, by
+soldiers, for fear of the Maroons.</p>
+
+<p>The spy brought back news in the afternoon
+that a certain great man intended
+to go to Spain by the first ship, and was
+going that night towards Nombre de Dios
+with his daughter and family. He had
+fourteen mules, of which eight were laden
+with gold and one with jewels. There were
+also two other trains of fifty mules each,
+mostly laden with food, and with a little
+silver, which were to come out that night
+also. Upon hearing this they marched
+until they came to within two leagues of
+Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with
+half his men on one side of the way, about
+fifty paces off, in the long grass. John
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span>Oxenham, with the captain of the Maroons
+and the other half of the men, lay on the
+other side of the road at the same distance.
+In about half-an-hour’s time they could hear
+the mules both coming and going from Venta
+Cruz to Panama, where trade was lively
+when the fleet was there. The sound of
+the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore
+carried far in the still night. The men had
+been strictly charged not to stir or show
+themselves, but let all that come from Venta
+Cruz pass by quietly, for they knew the
+mules brought nothing but merchandise
+from there. But one of the men, called
+Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy
+without water,” and forgot himself, and with
+a Maroon went close to the road.</p>
+
+<p>“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz,
+well mounted, with his page running at
+his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look,
+though the Maroon, more cautious, pulled
+him down and tried to hide him. But by
+this time the gentleman had noticed that
+one half of him was white, for we had all
+put our shirts over our other clothing
+that we might be sure to know our own
+men in the pell-mell in the night. The
+cavalier put spurs to his horse, and rode
+away at a gallop to warn others.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span></p>
+<p>“The ground was hard and the night
+was still, and our Captain heard this gentleman’s
+trot change to a gallop. He suspected
+that we were discovered, but could
+not imagine by whose fault, nor had he
+time to search. The gentleman, as we
+heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,
+who, fearing Captain Drake had come to
+look for treasure on land, turned his train
+of mules aside from the way, and let the
+others which were coming pass on. Thus,
+by the recklessness of one of our company,
+and by the carefulness of that traveller, we
+were disappointed of a most rich booty.
+But we thought that God would not let
+it be taken, for likely it was well gotten by
+that Treasurer.</p>
+
+<p>“The other two mule trains, which came
+behind that of the Treasurer, were no
+sooner come up to us than we stayed and
+seized on them. One of the chief carriers,
+a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by
+what means we were discovered, and counselled
+us to shift for ourselves betimes,
+for we should encounter the whole force
+of the city and country before day would
+be about us.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake and his men were little pleased
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span>at the loss of their golden mule-trains, for
+they had only taken two horse-loads of
+silver. It was the more provoking that
+they had been betrayed by one of their own
+men. There was no help for it, and Drake
+never “grieved at things past,” so they
+decided to march back the nearest way.
+Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, said he
+“would rather die at Drake’s foot than
+leave him to his enemies.” When they got
+near Venta Cruz, they turned back the
+mules with their drivers. Outside the town
+the soldiers met them, and a fight took
+place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.</p>
+
+<p>“The soldiers shot off their whole volley,
+which, though it lightly wounded our Captain
+and several of our men, caused death
+to one only of our company, who was so
+powdered with hail-shot that we could not
+recover his life, though he continued all that
+day afterwards with us. Presently, as our
+Captain perceived their shot to come slacking,
+like the last drops of a great shower
+of rain, he gave his usual signal with his
+whistle, to answer them with our shot and
+arrows.</p>
+
+<p>“The Maroons had stept aside at first
+for terror of the shot. But seeing that we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span>marched onwards they all rushed forward,
+one after the other, with their arrows ready
+in their bows, and their manner of country
+dance or leap, ever singing, <i>Yo Pehò! Yo
+Pehò!</i> and so got before us. They then
+continued their leap and song, after the
+manner of their country wars, till they and
+we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,
+now thoroughly encouraged, when they
+saw our resolution, broke in through the
+thickets near the town’s end, and forced
+the enemy to fly. Several of our men were
+wounded, and one Maroon was run through
+with one of their pikes, but his courage
+and mind served him so well that he revenged
+his own death ere he died, by
+giving him that deadly wound.”</p>
+
+<p>So they entered the town, and stayed
+there some hours for rest and refreshment,
+and the Maroons were allowed to carry
+away some plunder. At sunrise they
+marched away, for they had been gone
+from the ship nearly a fortnight, and had
+left the company weak and sickly. Drake
+marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary
+and disappointed men with brave promises,
+but in the hurried march they had
+often to go hungry. Three leagues from
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span>the port the Maroons had built a camp
+or village while they were away, and here
+they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had
+been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed
+he was the more willing to consent,
+that our want of shoes might be supplied
+by the Maroons, who were a great help to
+us. For all our men complained of the
+tenderness of their feet, and our Captain
+himself would join in their complaint, sometimes
+without cause, but sometimes with
+cause indeed, which made the rest to bear
+the burden more easily. These Maroons
+did us good service all the time they were
+with us. They were our spies on the
+journey, our guides, our hunters, and our
+house-wrights, and had indeed able and
+strong bodies for carrying our necessities.
+Yea, many times when some of our company
+fainted with sickness of weariness,
+two Maroons would carry him with ease
+between them, two miles together; and at
+other times, when need was, they would
+show themselves no less valiant than industrious,
+and of good judgment.</p>
+
+<p>“From this town our Captain despatched
+a Maroon with a token and a certain order
+to the master. He, all those weeks, kept
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span>good watch against the enemy, and shifted
+in the woods for fresh food, for the relief
+and recovery of our men left on board.”</p>
+
+<p>When the messenger reached the shore
+he hailed those on the ship, who quickly
+fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s
+token, the golden toothpick, and gave the
+message, which was to tell the master to
+meet him at a certain river. When the
+master looked at the toothpick, he saw
+written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.”
+Then he believed the messenger, and prepared
+what provision he had, and repaired
+to the mouth of the river. About three
+o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace,
+and there was double rejoicing. The
+wanderers seemed strangely changed in
+face and plight to those who had lived in
+rest and plenty on board ship. Drake, indeed,
+was less so than the others. The
+fasting and hard marches had done much,
+but still more “their inward grief, for that
+they returned without that golden treasure
+they hoped for, did show her print and
+footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was
+determined to repeat the attempt.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br />
+<span class="smaller">HOME AGAIN</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> well knew that delay and idleness
+would soon spoil the spirits of
+his men, so he at once divided them into
+two companies, under himself and John
+Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces
+in different directions and seek for food and
+plunder. Some of the Maroons were dismissed
+with gifts, and the rest remained
+with a few men on board ship. The
+Governor of Panama had warned the towns
+so well that it was useless to attempt them
+at present. Drake, in the <i>Minion</i>, took a
+frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat
+lighter, to go on its way. John Oxenham,
+in the <i>Bear</i>, took a frigate well laden with
+food of all kinds. Drake was so pleased
+with this ship, which was strong and new
+and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war
+in place of the sunken ship. And the
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span>company were heartened with a feast and
+much good cheer that Easter Day.</p>
+
+<p>Next day the pinnaces met with a
+French captain out of Newhaven, whose
+ship was greatly distressed for want of
+food and water. Drake relieved him, and
+the captains exchanged gifts and compliments.
+The French captain sent Drake
+“a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged
+to Henry the Third of France, and had in
+return a chain of gold and a tablet. This
+captain brought them the news of the
+Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day, and
+said he thought “those Frenchmen the
+happiest who were furthest from France,
+now no longer France but Frenzy.” He
+had heard famous reports of their riches,
+and wanted to know how he also could
+“make his voyage.” They resolved, after
+consultation, to take him and twenty of his
+men to serve for halves. They now sent
+for the Maroons.</p>
+
+<p>A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen,
+fifteen Englishmen, and some Maroons.
+They sailed with a frigate and two
+pinnaces towards a river called Rio Francisco,
+to the west of Nombre de Dios.
+There was not enough water to sail the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span>frigate, so she was left in charge of a
+mariner to await the return of the pinnaces.
+They went on, and landed both captains
+with their force. Those in charge of the
+pinnaces were ordered to be there the
+fourth day without fail. The land party
+went on through the woods towards the
+high road from Panama to Nombre de
+Dios, where the mules now went daily.
+They marched, as before, in silence. They
+stayed all night a mile from the road, in
+great stillness, and refreshed themselves.
+They could hear the carpenters working on
+their ships, which they did at nights because
+of the fierce heat of the day. Next
+morning, the 1st of April, they heard such
+a number of bells that the Maroons rejoiced
+exceedingly, and assured them they
+should now have more gold and silver than
+they could carry away. And so it came to
+pass.</p>
+
+<p>For three trains appeared, one of fifty
+mules and two of seventy each, and every
+mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver,
+amounting to nearly 30 tons. The leaders
+of the mules were taken by the heads, and
+all the rest lay down, as they always do.
+The fifteen soldiers who guarded each
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span>train were routed, but not before they had
+wounded the French captain sorely, and
+slain one of the Maroons. They took what
+silver and gold they could carry, and buried
+the rest in the burrows made in the earth
+by the great land crabs under old fallen
+trees, and in the sand and gravel of a
+shallow river.</p>
+
+<p>After two hours they marched back
+through the woods, but had to leave the
+French captain to rest and recover from
+his wound. Two of his men willingly
+stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman
+was found to be missing. He had got
+drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder,
+and lost himself in the woods. They
+afterwards found he was taken by the
+Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture,
+revealed to them where the treasure was
+hidden.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the river’s mouth,
+they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at sea,
+which had come out to search the coasts.
+This made them fear their own pinnaces
+were taken. But a storm in the night
+forced the Spaniards to go home, and also
+delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind
+was so contrary and so strong that they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span>could only get half way. For this reason
+they had fortunately been unseen by the
+Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p>“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared
+lest they had taken our pinnaces, and compelled
+our men by torture to confess where
+his ships and frigate were. In this great
+doubt and perplexity the company feared
+that all means of returning to their country
+were cut off, and that their treasure would
+then serve them to small purpose. But
+our Captain comforted and encouraged us
+all, saying: ‘We should venture no further
+than he did. It was no time now to fear,
+but rather to haste to prevent that which
+was feared. If the enemy have prevailed
+against our pinnaces (which God forbid!),
+yet they must have time to search them,
+time to examine the mariners, time to execute
+their resolution after it is determined.
+Before all those times be taken, we may
+get to our ships, if ye will, though not
+possibly by land, because of the hills,
+thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us,
+therefore, make a raft with the trees that
+are here in readiness, as offering themselves,
+being brought down to the river
+happily by this last storm, and let us put
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span>ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will
+be the other?’</p>
+
+<p>“John Smith offered himself, and two
+Frenchmen that could swim very well desired
+they might accompany our Captain,
+as did the Maroons likewise. They had
+prayed our Captain very earnestly to march
+by land, though it was a sixteen-days’
+journey, in case the ship had been surprised,
+that he might abide with them
+always. Pedro was most eager in this,
+who was fain to be left behind because he
+could not row.</p>
+
+<p>“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a
+sail of a biscuit-sack was prepared; an oar
+was shaped out of a young tree to serve
+instead of a rudder, to direct their course
+before the wind.</p>
+
+<p>“At his departure, our Captain comforted
+the company by promising ‘that, if it
+pleased God he should put his foot in
+safety on board his frigate, he would, by
+one means or other, get them all on
+board, in spite of all the Spaniards in
+the Indies!’</p>
+
+<p>“In this manner pulling off to sea, he
+sailed some three leagues, sitting up to the
+waist continually in water, and up to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span>armpits at every surge of the waves, for
+the space of six hours upon this raft. And
+what with the parching of the sun and what
+with the beating of salt water, they had all
+of them their skins much fretted away.</p>
+
+<p>“At length God gave them the sight of
+two pinnaces turning towards them with
+much wind, but with far greater joy to him
+than can easily be guessed. So he did
+cheerfully declare to those three with him,
+that ‘they were our pinnaces! and that
+all was safe, so there was no cause of
+fear!’</p>
+
+<p>“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the
+raft, nor suspecting any such matter, by
+reason of the wind, and night growing on,
+were forced to run into a cove behind the
+point, to take shelter for the night. Our
+Captain seeing this, and gathering that they
+would anchor there, put his raft ashore, and
+ran round the point by land, where he found
+them. They, upon sight of him, made as
+much haste as they could to take him and
+his company on board. For our Captain, on
+purpose to see what haste they could and
+would make in extremity, himself ran in
+great haste, and so made the other three
+with him, as if they had been chased by
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span>the enemy. And so those on board suspected,
+because they saw so few with him.</p>
+
+<p>“And after his coming on board, when
+they demanded ‘how his company did?’ he
+answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that
+all went scarce well. But he, willing to rid
+all doubts, and fill them with joy, took out
+of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God
+that ‘our voyage was made!’”</p>
+
+<p>They then rowed up the river and rescued
+the others, and brought back such of the
+treasure as they had been able to carry with
+them, and all returned to the ships by dawn.
+There Drake divided the treasure equally
+by weight between the French and the
+English. During the next fortnight everything
+was set in order, and the <i>Pascha</i> given
+to the Spanish prisoners to go home in.
+Meanwhile a party was sent out to try and
+rescue the French captain and to seek for the
+buried treasure. One only of the Frenchmen
+managed to escape and was saved. Much
+of the treasure had been discovered by the
+Spaniards, but not all, and the party returned
+very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver
+and a few quoits of gold. The Frenchmen
+now left them, having got their shares of
+the treasure. The ships parted when passing
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span>close by Cartagena, which they did in the
+sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St.
+George on the main top of the frigate, with
+silk streamers and ancients (national flags)
+down to the water.”</p>
+
+<p>Later on they anchored to trim and rig
+the frigates and stow away the provisions,
+and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so
+that the Maroons might have the ironwork.
+One of the last days Drake desired Pedro
+and three of the chief Maroons to go through
+both his frigates and see what they liked.
+He promised to give them whatever they
+asked, unless he could not get back to
+England without it. But Pedro set his
+heart on the scimitar which the French
+captain had given to Drake; and knowing
+Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for
+it or praise it. But at last he bribed one
+of the company to ask for him, with a fine
+quoit of gold, and promised to give four
+others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but he
+wished to please Pedro, who deserved so
+well, so he gave it to him with many good
+words. Pedro received it with no little joy,
+and asked Drake to accept the four pieces
+of gold, as a token of his thankfulness and
+a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span>received it graciously, but did not keep it
+for himself but caused it to be cast into
+the whole adventure, saying that “if he had
+not been helped to that place he would never
+have got such a thing, and it was only just
+that those who shared his burden in setting
+him to sea should enjoy a share of the
+benefits.”</p>
+
+<p>“Thus with good love and liking, we took
+our leave of that people. We took many
+ships during our abode in those parts, yet
+never burnt nor sunk any, unless they acted
+as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap
+us. And of all the men taken in those
+vessels, we never offered any kind of violence
+to any, after they were once come into our
+power. For we either dismissed them in
+safety, or kept them with us some longer
+time. If so, we provided for them as for
+ourselves, and secured them from the rage
+of the Maroons against them, till at last,
+the danger of their discovering where our
+ships lay being past, for which cause only
+we kept them prisoners, we set them also
+free.</p>
+
+<p>“We now intended to sail home the directest
+and speediest way, and this we happily
+performed, even beyond our own expectations,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span>
+and so arrived at Plymouth, on Sunday
+about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.</p>
+
+<p>“And the news of our Captain’s return
+being brought unto his people, did so speedily
+pass over all the church, and fill their minds
+with delight and desire to see him, that very
+few or none remained with the preacher. All
+hastened to see the evidence of God’s love
+and blessing towards our gracious Queen
+and country by the fruit of our Captain’s
+labour and success.</p>
+
+<p class="center no-indent">“TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br />
+<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">S</span><span class="smcap">o</span> we see that both of Drake’s ships, the
+<i>Pascha</i> and the <i>Swan</i>, were left behind
+in the West Indies, and he made a quick
+voyage home in the well-built Spanish
+frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for
+two years after his return to Plymouth.
+There is a legend that he kept on the
+seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable
+and unwilling to go to war with the
+King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage
+the sort of warfare that Drake and
+the other rovers had so successfully carried
+on against him.</p>
+
+<p>Such companies of adventurers as these
+that sailed under Drake and Hawkins did
+a large part of the work of the navy in
+the time of Elizabeth. The country was
+saved the expense which private persons
+were willing to pay to furnish the ships.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span>The Queen herself is known to have shared
+in the expenses and plunder of some such
+expeditions, and so she thriftily laid up
+treasure in England’s empty money-chests.
+But some of her older councillors disliked
+exceedingly this way of getting rich, and
+would rather it had been done openly in
+war, or not at all.</p>
+
+<p>To Drake it seems to have been a very
+simple affair. He wished, in the first place,
+as the old book says, “to lick himself whole
+of the damage he had received from the
+Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion
+to the Spaniards, but not to the French
+or to the natives of the West Indies. And
+Drake considered his own cause so just
+that he never made a secret of his doings.
+He went at his own risk, for should he be
+taken by the enemy his country had no
+power to protect him, as she was not openly
+at war with Spain. But, on the other
+hand, he was secretly encouraged, and his
+gains were immense.</p>
+
+<p>In the second place, Drake wished to
+attack and injure the Roman Catholic faith
+whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen
+had told him that this was a lawful
+aim. How earnestly he believed it we can
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span>see from the story, where he tried to
+persuade the Maroons to “leave their
+crosses,” which to him were the sign of
+the hated religion. The terrible tale of
+the massacre of the Protestants on St.
+Bartholomew’s Day told him by the French
+captain (who himself fell into the hands
+of the Spaniards, as we have seen), must
+have inflamed this feeling in his soul and
+in those of his men. It made them more
+eager than ever to fight the enemies of
+their own faith.</p>
+
+<p>Then, too, the Spaniards founded their
+rights to own the New World upon a
+grant from one of the Popes; and the
+English, now no longer Catholics, denied
+his power to give it, and claimed the right
+for themselves to explore and conquer and
+keep what share they could get.</p>
+
+<p>The King of Spain looked upon Drake
+as a pirate, but he could not find out how
+far he had been secretly encouraged by
+Elizabeth, and Drake was not punished, in
+spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But
+he was prevented from sailing away again
+on a voyage of discovery, though his friends
+and brothers went, and among them John
+Oxenham, who was hanged as a pirate by
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span>the Spaniards because he had no commission
+or formal leave from the Queen or the
+Government to trade in the West Indies.</p>
+
+<p>During this interval Drake took service
+in Ireland, under the Earl of Essex, furnishing
+his own ships, “and doing excellent
+service both by sea and land at the
+winning of divers strong forts.” The work
+he took a part in was as harsh and cruel
+as any that was ever done by fire and sword
+to make Ireland more desolate. Here he
+met Thomas Doughty, one of the household
+of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier,
+who became his friend, and sailed with him
+on his next voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The story of this voyage is told under the
+name of “The World Encompassed,” and
+in it Drake is said “to have turned up a
+furrow about the whole world.” In 1520
+Magellan had discovered the passage
+south of America from the Atlantic to the
+Pacific Ocean, since called by his name.
+Many adventurers had tried to follow him,
+but all their efforts had ended in disaster,
+and the Straits had an uncanny name
+among sailors, and “were counted so terrible
+in those days that the very thoughts
+of attempting them were dreadful.”</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span></p>
+<p>Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships&mdash;the
+<i>Pelican</i>, which was his flagship, the
+<i>Elizabeth</i>, the <i>Marigold</i>, the <i>Swan</i>, and the
+<i>Christopher</i>. They took a hundred and sixty
+men and plentiful provisions and stores for
+the long and dangerous voyage. They also
+took pinnaces which could be set up when
+wanted. Nor did Drake forget to “make
+provision for ornament and delight, carrying
+to this purpose with him expert musicians,
+rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,
+yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being
+of pure silver).”</p>
+
+<p>They started on November 15, 1577, but
+were forced by a gale to put back into
+Plymouth for repairs, and started out again
+on December 13. The sailors were not
+told the real aim of the voyage, which was
+to “sail upon those seas greatly longed
+for.” They were too full of fears and fancies.
+The unknown was haunted in their minds
+with devils and hurtful spirits, and in those
+days people still believed in magic.</p>
+
+<p>They picked up several prizes on their
+way out, notably a large Portuguese ship,
+whose cargo of wine and food was valuable
+to the English ships. Drake sent the passengers
+and crew on shore, but kept the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span>pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account
+of the voyage, and was most useful, as he
+knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s
+main cares on this voyage, we are told,
+was to keep the fleet together as much as
+possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh
+the men, “wearied with long toils at sea,”
+as often as possible. He decided to lessen
+the number of the ships, for “fewer ships
+keep better company,” and he looked for a
+harbour to anchor in.</p>
+
+<p>“Our General,” says the book, “especially
+in matters of moment, was never one to rely
+only on other men’s care, how trusty or
+skilful soever they might seem to be. But
+always scorning danger, and refusing no toil,
+he was wont himself to be one, whosoever
+was a second, at every turn, where courage,
+skill, or industry was to be employed.
+Neither would he at any time entrust the
+discovery of these dangers to another’s
+pains, but rather to his own experience in
+searching out and sounding of them.”</p>
+
+<p>So in this case Drake himself went out in
+the boat and rowed into the bay. The <i>Swan</i>,
+the <i>Christopher</i>, and the prize were sacrificed,
+their stores being used for the other
+ships.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span></p>
+<p>On the 20th of June they anchored in a
+very good harbour, called by Magellan Port
+St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the
+land, and in this place Magellan is supposed
+to have executed some disobedient and rebellious
+men of his company. In this port
+Drake began to “inquire diligently into the
+actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and
+found them not to be such as he looked for.”</p>
+
+<p>(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill
+Drake or desert him, and take his place as
+commander, or at any rate to force him to
+go back, to the ruin of the voyage.)</p>
+
+<p>“Whereupon the company was called together,
+and the particulars of the cause made
+known to them, which were found partly by
+Master Doughty’s own confession, and
+partly by the evidence of the fact, to be
+true. Which when our General saw,
+although his private affection to Master
+Doughty (as he then in the presence of us
+all sacredly protested) was great; yet the
+care he had of the state of the voyage, of
+the expectation of her Majesty, and of the
+honour of his country, did more touch him
+(as indeed it ought) than the private respect
+of one man. So that the cause being
+thoroughly heard, and all things done in
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span>good order, as near as might be to the
+course of our laws in England, it was concluded
+that Master Doughty should receive
+punishment according to the quality of
+the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but
+patience for himself, desired before his
+death to receive the Communion, which he
+did, at the hands of our minister, and our
+General himself accompanied him in that
+holy action....</p>
+
+<p>“And after this holy repast, they dined
+also at the same table together, as cheerfully,
+in sobriety, as ever in their lives they
+had done aforetime, each cheering up the
+other, and taking their leave, by drinking
+each to other, as if some journey only had
+been in hand.</p>
+
+<p>“And the place of execution being ready,
+he having embraced our General, and taken
+his leave of all the company, with prayer for
+the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet
+sort laid his head to the block, where he
+ended his life. This being done, our General
+made various speeches to the whole company,
+persuading us to unity, obedience,
+love and regard of our voyage. And to help
+us to this, he willed every man the next
+Sunday following to prepare himself to receive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span>
+the Communion, as Christian brethren
+and friends ought to do, which was done
+in very reverent sort, and so with good
+contentment every man went about his
+business.”</p>
+
+<p>On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still
+continued, Drake ordered the whole ships’
+companies ashore. They all went into a
+large tent, and the minister offered to make
+a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”
+said Drake, “I must preach this day myself,
+although I have small skill in preaching....
+I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing
+up hath not been in learning.”</p>
+
+<p>He then told them that for what he was
+going to say he would answer in England
+and before her Majesty. He and his men were
+far away from their country and friends, and
+discords and mutiny had grown up among
+them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it
+doth take my wits from me to think on it.
+Here is such quarrels between the sailors
+and the gentlemen as it doth make me mad
+to hear it. But, my masters, I must have
+it left [off], for I must have the gentleman
+to haul and draw with the mariner, and the
+mariner with the gentleman. What, let us
+show ourselves all to be of a company, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span>let us not give occasion to the enemy to
+rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would
+know him that would refuse to set his hand
+to a rope, but I know there is not any such
+here....”</p>
+
+<p>He then offered to send any home that
+liked in the <i>Marigold</i>, a well-furnished ship;
+“but let them take heed that they go homeward,
+for if I find them in my way I will
+surely sink them, therefore you shall have
+time to consider here until to-morrow; for
+by my troth I must needs be plain with you
+now.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yet the voice was that none would return,
+they would all take such part as he
+did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,”
+they were told to forget the past, and “wishing
+all men to be friends, he willed them to
+depart about their business.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD (<i>continued</i>)</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">O</span><span class="smcap">n</span> the 20th of August the three ships
+entered the Straits of Magellan. Before
+the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of
+black stars,” of Cape Virgins, at the entrance
+against which the beating seas looked like
+whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the
+Queen. The name of the <i>Pelican</i> also was
+changed to the <i>Golden Hind</i> in remembrance
+of Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher
+Hatton, whose crest was a golden
+hind. In sixteen days they reached the
+“South Sea,” Drake himself having rowed
+on ahead of the fleet with some of his
+gentlemen to find out the passage. He
+had meant to land, and leave “a monument
+of her Majesty graven in metal,” which
+he had brought with him for that purpose,
+but there was no anchoring, as the wind
+did not let them stay; for a fearful storm
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span>arose and separated the ships, and threatened
+to send them all to the bottom of the sea.
+The <i>Marigold</i>, indeed, went down with all
+hands, and the <i>Elizabeth</i>, “partly by the
+negligence of those that had charge of her,
+partly through a kind of desire that some
+in her had to be out of all those troubles
+and to be at home again, returned back the
+same way by which they came forward, and
+so coasting Brazil, they arrived in England
+on June 2nd the year following.” So that
+now, as the story quaintly says, the other
+ship, if she had been still called the <i>Pelican</i>,
+would indeed have been a pelican alone in
+the wilderness. Never did they think there
+had been such a storm “since Noah’s Flood,”
+for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was
+driven south of the continent of America.
+At this time it was generally believed that
+another great continent stretched to the
+south of the Straits, which was called
+the unknown land, “wherein many strange
+monsters lived.” And now, when Drake had
+discovered this idea to be false, their troubles
+ended for the time, the storm ceased, but
+they were in great grief for the loss of their
+friends, and still hoped to meet the missing
+ships again.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span></p>
+
+<p>They sailed northwards along the coast
+of America till they landed on an island to
+get water. Here they were treacherously
+attacked by Indians, who took them to be
+the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who
+were in the boat were all wounded, and
+Drake’s faithful servant, Diego the negro,
+died of his wounds, and one other. Drake
+himself was shot in the face under the right
+eye, and badly wounded in the head. They
+were in the worst case, because the chief
+doctor was dead, and the other in the <i>Elizabeth</i>.
+There was none left them but a boy,
+“whose goodwill was more than any skill
+he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and
+“the putting to of every man’s help,” all
+were cured in the end.</p>
+
+<p>They sailed on, and having picked up a
+friendly Indian who served as a pilot, they
+reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship
+which was lying in the harbour was seized,
+and then the town and the Spaniards
+discovered that Drake had reached the
+shores of the Pacific. On the coast the ship
+was trimmed and the pinnace put together,
+in which Drake himself set out to search
+the creeks and inlets where the ship could
+not sail. Grief for the absence of their
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span>friends still remained with them. Still
+searching for the lost ships, they sailed
+northwards on to Lima, where they got the
+news that a great Spanish ship had sailed
+from there a fortnight before, laden with
+treasure. Drake at once gave chase, hoping
+to take her before she reached Panama.
+The first man who sighted her was promised
+a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken
+and captured off Cape San Francisco. She
+was “the great glory of the South Sea,” and
+laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all
+of which the English took. After six days
+the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat
+lighter than before,” to Panama. To the
+master of the ship, Saint Juan de Anton, he
+gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with
+the missing English ships.</p>
+
+<p>“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth
+God that you should chance to meet with
+this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray
+you use him well, according to my word and
+promise given unto them. And if you want
+anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan
+de Anton, I pray you pay them double the
+value for it, which I will satisfy again, and
+command your men not to do any hurt; desiring
+you, for the Passion of Christ, if you
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span>fall into any danger, that you will not despair
+of God’s mercy, for He will defend you and
+preserve you from all danger, and bring us
+to our desired haven, to whom be all honour,
+glory, and praise for ever and ever. Amen.&mdash;Your
+sorrowful Captain, whose heart is
+heavy for you,&mdash;<span class="smcap">Francis Drake</span>.”</p>
+
+<p>The next prizes captured yielded treasure
+of a different kind, though equally precious.
+These were some charts with sailing directions,
+taken from two China pilots. The
+owner of the next large Spanish ship
+captured by Drake has left an interesting
+account of him.</p>
+
+<p>He says that “the English General is the
+same who took Nombre de Dios five years
+ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and
+his name is Francis Drake. He is about
+thirty-five years of age, of small size, with
+a reddish beard, and is one of the greatest
+sailors that exist, both from his skill and
+his power of commanding. His ship is of
+near four hundred tons, sails well, and has
+a hundred men all in the prime of life, and
+as well trained for war as if they had been
+old soldiers of Italy. Each one is specially
+careful to keep his arms clean. He treats
+them with affection and they him with
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span>respect. He has with him nine or ten gentlemen,
+younger sons of the leading men in
+England, who form his council. He calls
+them together on every occasion and hears
+what they have to say, but he is not bound
+by their advice, though he may be guided
+by it. He has no privacy; those of whom
+I speak all dine at his table, as well as a
+Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from
+England, but who never spoke a word while
+I was on board. The service is of silver,
+richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He
+has, too, all possible luxuries, even to perfumes,
+many of which he told me were given
+him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen
+sits down or puts on his hat in his presence
+without repeated permission. He dines and
+sups to the music of violins. His ship carries
+thirty large guns and a great quantity of
+ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can
+do necessary repairs. He has two artists
+who portray the coast in its own colours,
+a thing which troubled me much to see, because
+everything is put so naturally that any
+one following him will have no difficulty.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake wished to find his way home by
+the north of America into the Atlantic.
+But in this he was not successful, for the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span>weather was very severe, and tried the
+men too much; meanwhile, they found a
+convenient haven in a little bay above the
+harbour of San Francisco, and now known
+as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a
+month, repairing a leak in the ship and
+refreshing the men. They then set sail,
+and saw nothing but air and sea for sixty-eight
+days, till they reached some islands.
+These they named the “Islands of Thieves,”
+on account of the behaviour of the natives.
+In November they came to the islands of
+the Moluccas, where Drake had a splendid
+reception.</p>
+
+<p>They then sailed on till they arrived at a
+little island, which they called the “Island of
+Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and
+set up forges to repair the ironwork of the
+ship and the iron-hooped casks. Those
+that were sickly soon grew well and strong
+in this happy island.</p>
+
+<p>On the 9th of January the ship ran aground
+on a dangerous shoal, and struck twice on it;
+“knocking twice at the door of death, which
+no doubt had opened the third time.”</p>
+
+<p>Nothing but instant death was expected,
+and the whole ship’s company fell to praying.
+As soon as the prayers were said,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span>Drake spoke to the men, telling them how
+they must think of their souls, and speaking
+of the joys of heaven “with comfortable
+speeches.” But he also encouraged
+them to bestir themselves, and he himself
+set the example, and got the pumps to
+work, and freed the ship of water. The
+ship was fast upon “hard and pinching
+rocks, and did tell us plain she expected
+continually her speedy despatch as soon
+as the sea and winds should come ... so
+that if we stay with her we must perish
+with her.” The other plan, of leaving her
+for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse
+than a thousand deaths.”</p>
+
+<p>After taking the Communion and listening
+to a sermon, they eased the ship by
+casting goods into the sea&mdash;“three ton of
+cloves, eight big guns, and certain meal
+and beans”; making, as an old writer says,
+a kind of gruel of the sea round about.
+After they had been in this state from
+eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next
+afternoon, all in a moment the wind changed,
+and “the happy gale drove them off the
+rocks again, and made of them glad men.”</p>
+
+<p>The rest of the homeward voyage was
+less adventurous, and on the 18th of June
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span>they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a
+most stately thing, and the fairest cape we
+saw in the whole circumference of the
+earth.”</p>
+
+<p>On the 26th of September they “safely,
+and with joyful minds and thankful hearts,
+arrived at Plymouth, having been away
+three years.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br />
+<span class="smaller">SIR FRANCIS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake
+returned from his three years’ voyage.
+Wynter had brought the news home that
+Drake had entered the Straits of Magellan,
+but since then only vague rumours of his
+death at the hands of the Spaniards had
+reached England. Had he met such a fate,
+Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and
+his party at Court would not have been sorry;
+for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid
+a war with Spain.</p>
+
+<p>This was more to be dreaded than ever,
+as at the death of the King of Portugal
+Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions,
+and was now the most powerful prince
+in Europe, since he owned the splendid
+Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only
+warships for the protection of his treasure-ships,
+and they could not be spared. He
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span>was now known to be preparing, in his
+slow way, a great Armada.</p>
+
+<p>But Drake had not been hanged for a
+pirate, and this the Spaniards knew very well.
+They clamoured for the restoration of his
+plunder, or the forfeit of his life. At this
+time an army of Italian and Spanish soldiers,
+under the command of a famous Spanish
+officer, had been landed in Ireland to help
+the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against
+Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said
+to have been sent by the orders of the Pope.
+Finding the prospects of success too poor,
+the Spanish officer withdrew his men, and
+they escaped by sea; but the Italian soldiers,
+who numbered 600, were overpowered by the
+English, and all except a few officers, who
+could pay a ransom, were slaughtered in cold
+blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a
+secret blow in Elizabeth’s fashion was met
+by her with cruelty as relentless as his own;
+but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse
+for refusing to make an inquiry into Drake’s
+doings in the West.</p>
+
+<p>“The news of his home-coming in England
+was,” we are told, “by this his strange
+wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange,
+and of all men held impossible and incredible.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span>But both proving true, it fortuned that many
+misliked it and reproached him. Besides
+all this there were others that devised and
+divulged” (made up and spread about) “all
+possible disgraces” (base charges) “against
+Drake and his followers, terming him the
+Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet
+nevertheless the people generally with exceeding
+admiration applauded his wonderful
+long adventures and rich prize.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake at once sent a message to tell the
+Queen of his return. He was told he had
+nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court.
+He took with him some horseloads of gold
+and silver and jewels. The Queen treated
+him with great favour, and refused to take
+the advice of Burghley and others, who
+wished to send the treasure back to Spain.
+Unlike them she took her share of the
+profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had
+brought for her. “But it grieved him not
+a little,” we are told, “that some prime
+courtiers refused the gold he offered them,
+as gotten by piracy.” He and his men had
+made golden fortunes.</p>
+
+<p>The Spanish Ambassador naturally
+“burned with passion” against Drake, and
+considered his presence at Court an insult
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span>to his king. “For he passes much time
+with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by
+whom he is highly favoured.”</p>
+
+<p>It was an insult Philip still felt himself
+unable to avenge. Elizabeth had made a
+fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best
+generals knew the difficulties of an attack
+on England thus strengthened. Besides,
+the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping,
+were his desperate enemies; for they were
+fighting for faith and country and freedom,
+and to do this makes bold soldiers. So Philip
+the prudent had to content himself with
+making plans for his great Armada.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime Drake sunned himself in the
+Court favour, and books and pictures and
+songs were made in his praise.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Golden Hind</i> was brought ashore at
+Deptford, and became a resort for sightseers.
+But in spite of much patching she became
+so old that she had to be broken up, and the
+last of her timbers were made into a chair,
+which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library.
+So the ship ends her days far away from the
+sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs that
+used to make merry and dance on her decks.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo4"><img class="box" src="images/i_072.jpg" width="400" alt="SIR FRANCIS DRAKE" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>
+
+<p>On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State
+visit to the ship, and ordered that it should
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span>be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was
+served on board, and there, before the eyes
+of hundreds of onlookers, Elizabeth knighted
+the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that
+the King of Spain had demanded Drake’s
+head, and now she had a gold sword to cut
+it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the
+Spaniards, who were still raging over their
+stolen treasure.</p>
+
+<p>But there were some not in Spain who also
+thirsted for revenge upon Drake. Thomas
+Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving
+foe. The case was never brought to Court
+or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote
+a letter in which he said “that when the
+Queen did knight Drake she did then knight
+the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the
+foulest thief, and the crudest murderer that
+ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him
+to try and murder Drake. We hear that
+he was put in prison, and we never hear of
+his release.</p>
+
+<p>In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth.
+In 1583 his wife died. He was
+then a member of Parliament.  Two years
+later he married Mary Sydenham. He never
+had any children.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen now appointed Drake among
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span>others to inquire into the state of the navy;
+he was to see to the repairing of ships, to
+the building of new ones, and to the means
+of furnishing them with stores in case of
+sudden war. From this time onwards the
+thought of a Spanish invasion was a constant
+fear in the minds of the English people. But
+Philip was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling
+to be the first to begin a war. Elizabeth
+changed her mind and her plans in a way
+that must have been maddening to the men
+who did her work. One good result of her
+indecision was that England was better prepared
+for the invasion. In those long years
+of private warfare money had been gathering,
+and the navy made strong and ready for
+work. But for men of action, who like to
+make a plan and stick to it, and go through
+with it at all costs, Elizabeth’s delays and
+recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.</p>
+
+<p>In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English
+corn-ships trading in his own ports. Then,
+at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition
+against the Spanish settlements was got
+ready and sent out. He had about thirty
+ships, commanded by some of the most
+famous captains of the time, men like
+Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span>
+fought against the Armada. His
+general of the soldiers was Christopher
+Carleill, “a man of long experience in wars
+both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards
+said to direct the service “most like
+a wise commander.” Drake’s ship was the
+<i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.</p>
+
+<p>After a week spent in capturing ships,
+the fleet anchored at the Bayona Islands,
+off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona
+was forced to make terms. He sent “some
+refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes,
+and marmalade, and such like.” The people,
+filled with terror, were seen to remove their
+possessions into boats to go up the Vigo
+River, inland, for safety. Many of these were
+seized; most of them were loaded only
+with household stuff, but one contained
+the “church stuff of the high church of
+Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair
+embossed work and double-gilt all over,
+having cost them a great mass of money.”</p>
+
+<p>The fleet now went on its way by the
+Canary Islands. When Santiago was
+reached, Carleill landed with a thousand
+troops and took possession of the fortress
+and the town, for both had been forsaken.
+Here they planted the great flag, “which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span>had nothing on it but the plain English
+cross; and it was placed towards the sea,
+that our fleet might see St. George’s Cross
+flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were
+found ready loaded in various places about
+the town, and orders were given that these
+should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s
+Majesty’s Coronation day, being the 17th
+of November, after the yearly custom in England.
+These were so answered again by the
+guns out of all the ships in the fleet, as it was
+strange to hear such a thundering noise last
+so long together.” No treasure was taken
+at Santiago, but there was food and wine.
+The town was given to the flames in revenge
+for wrongs done to old William
+Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.</p>
+
+<p>They had not been many days at sea
+before a mortal sickness suddenly broke
+out among the men. They anchored off
+some islands, where the Indians treated
+them very kindly, carried fresh water to
+the ships, and gave them food and tobacco.
+The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used
+against the infection of the mysterious sickness
+which was killing the men by hundreds.
+They passed Christmas on an island to refresh
+the sick and cleanse and air the ships.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span></p>
+<p>Then Drake resolved, with the consent of
+his council, to attack the city of St. Domingo,
+while his forces were “in their best strength.”
+This was the oldest and most important city
+in the Indies, and was famous for its beauty
+and strength. It had never been attempted
+before, although it was so rich, because it
+was strongly fortified.</p>
+
+<p>Some boats were sent on in advance of
+the fleet. They learned from a pilot, whose
+boat they captured, that the Castle of St.
+Domingo was well armed, and that it was
+almost impossible to land on the dangerous
+coast; but he showed them a possible
+point ten miles from the harbour. In
+some way Drake had sent messages to the
+Maroons, who lived on the hills behind the
+town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the
+soldiers were landed, Drake himself steering
+a boat through the surf. The Maroons met
+them, having killed the Spanish watchman.</p>
+
+<p>“Our General, having seen us all landed
+in safety to the west of that brave city of
+St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing
+us to God and the good conduct of
+Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”</p>
+
+<p>The troops divided and met in the market-place;
+and as those in the castle were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span>preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the
+sea, they were surprised from behind by
+the soldiers marching upon them with flags
+flying and music playing. The fleet ceased
+firing while the fate of the town was decided
+in a battle. By night Drake was in
+possession of the castle, the harbour, and
+shipping. One of the ships captured they
+named the <i>New Year’s Gift</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But after all there was little of the fabled
+treasure to be found. The labour in the
+gold and silver mines had killed the native
+Indians, and the mines were no longer
+worked. There was plenty of food and
+wine to be had, woollen and linen cloth
+and silk. But there was little silver; the
+rich people used dishes of china and cups
+of glass, and their beautiful furniture was
+useless as plunder. The town had to pay a
+large sum of money for its ransom, and the
+English stayed a month, and fed at its
+expense, and took away with them guns
+and merchandise and food and numbers of
+galley-slaves, whom they set free.</p>
+
+<p>Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish
+Main, was the last town to be taken, and
+it had been warned. It had natural defences,
+which made it very difficult to attack.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span>Drake, as we know, had been there before,
+and often, since then, he must have dreamed
+of taking it. He triumphantly steered his
+fleet by a very difficult channel into the
+outer harbour. He then threatened the
+fort with his guns while the soldiers were
+secretly landed by night. They made their
+way to the town by the shore, “wading in
+the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned
+stakes which had been placed in the ground
+in readiness for them. They also routed a
+company of horse soldiers sent out from
+the fort, as the place where they met was
+so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for
+horses. So they pushed on till they made
+a “furious entry” into the town, nor paused
+till the market-place was won, and the people
+fled into the country, where they had already
+sent their wives and children.</p>
+
+<p>A large price or ransom was paid for this
+town, equal, it is said, to a quarter of a
+million of our money; but it was far less
+than Drake had at first demanded. But
+“the inconvenience of continual death”
+forced them to go, for the sickness was
+still taking its prey from among the men,
+and it also forced them to give up an
+attempt upon Nombre de Dios and Panama.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span>The voyage had been disappointing in the
+matter of plunder. Most of the treasure
+had been taken away from the towns before
+the English came, and many of the
+officers had died.</p>
+
+<p>They considered the idea of remaining
+in Cartagena and sending home for more
+troops. They would have had a fine position;
+but they decided that their strength
+was not enough to hold the town and also
+man the fleet against a possible attack by
+the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser
+ransom was accepted; the officers offering
+to give up their shares to the “poor men,
+both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured
+their lives against the great enemy.”
+They then returned to England, only stopping
+to water the ships. They landed
+again at St. Augustine, on the coast of
+Florida, where they destroyed a fort and
+took away the guns and a pay-chest containing
+two thousand pounds.</p>
+
+<p>“And so, God be thanked, we in good
+safety arrived at Portsmouth the 28th of
+July 1586, to the great glory of God, and
+to no small honour to our Prince, our
+Country, and Ourselves.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br />
+<span class="smaller">CADIZ</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">W</span><span class="smcap">hen</span> Drake returned to England, it
+was to hear the news of the “Babington
+plot.” This was a plot to assassinate
+Elizabeth, and to place Mary of
+Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was
+beheaded. In Philip’s eyes the time had
+at last become ripe for an invasion of England.
+Now that Mary was dead, there
+was less danger of France and Scotland
+joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant
+of John of Gaunt, could put in a claim
+that the throne of England, at the death
+of Elizabeth, should come to himself or his
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p>The Armada was getting ready to sail
+in the summer. In April, however, Drake
+was sent out again with a small fleet.
+His flag-ship was again the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.
+His second in command was
+William Borough.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span></p>
+
+<p>His orders were “to prevent the joining
+together of the King of Spain’s fleet
+out of their different ports. To keep
+victuals from them. To follow them in
+case they should come out towards England
+or Ireland. To cut off as many of
+them as he could, and prevent their landing.
+To set upon the West Indian ships
+as they came or went.”</p>
+
+<p>But no sooner was he instructed than the
+Queen changed her bold orders to milder
+ones. He was not to enter any port by
+force, nor to offer violence to any towns,
+or ships in harbour. But Drake had got
+away to sea without the second orders,
+and acted on the first.</p>
+
+<p>He had heard that the ships were gathering
+in Cadiz harbour, and there he decided
+boldly to seek for them. The outer
+and inner harbours of Cadiz were crowded
+with shipping, most of which was getting
+ready for the invasion of England. Drake’s
+fleet sailed in, routed the defending galleys,
+and made havoc among the ships,
+about thirty-seven of which were captured,
+burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging
+to the Marquis of Santa Cruz.
+They carried away four ships laden with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span>
+wine, oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing
+thence,” as Drake says, “at our
+pleasure, with as much honour as we could
+wish.” They were chased by Spanish galleys,
+which did little harm, for the wind
+favoured the English as they sailed away
+from Cadiz.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards thought Drake had gone
+to stop the treasure fleet. But Drake
+wished to stop the Armada, which was a
+much greater affair. He knew now that
+Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at
+Lisbon. Ships were gathering in the north
+of Spain. Recalde, one of the best Spanish
+commanders, was waiting with a small fleet
+off Cape St. Vincent to protect the treasure
+fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big
+ships had escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour.
+The ships were to meet in Lisbon,
+where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and
+food.</p>
+
+<p>Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and
+took his ships safely into Lisbon. Drake
+resolved to secure the station he had left.
+This was the castle of Sagres, near Cape
+St. Vincent. His own officers were staggered
+with the boldness of his plan, and
+Borough solemnly protested. He had urged
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span>caution before Cadiz harbour; again he
+pleaded for a council of war. He was of
+an older school of seamen than Drake, and
+was horrified at the ways of the man who
+was born, as it has been said, “to break
+rules.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was most indignant at his action,
+and put him under arrest, while Borough
+expected daily that “the Admiral would
+have executed upon me his bloodthirsty
+desire, as he did upon Doughty.”</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo5"><img class="box" src="images/i_084.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</p>
+
+<p>After reading the accounts of Drake in
+the stories of the different voyages, we can
+understand how his men adored his spirit,
+and flocked to his ship to serve under
+his flag. To them there was something
+magical, and to the Spaniards something
+uncanny, in his luck. The English called
+him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish
+called him “the Devil.” But some of the
+officers who served with him must have
+liked him less. He made his plans swiftly,
+and generally well; but the doing of them
+had to be swift and sure. Like many
+great men he knew he was right, but
+could not stop to reason or argue about
+his course. He acted upon the instinct of
+his genius, with a sure and shining faith
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span>in himself, which must have been hateful
+to smaller men. In the days of his later
+voyages, when he had not the undivided
+control of his expedition, he failed, as he
+never did when he was alone, “with the
+ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once
+said.</p>
+
+<p>The taking of the castle of Sagres
+seemed almost an impossibility, so well
+did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the
+fort. Drake himself commanded the attack
+on land, and in the end helped to carry
+and pile the faggots against the castle
+gate. The commander was slain, and then
+the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took
+possession of one of the best places on
+the coast of Spain for ships to anchor
+and get water.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken
+and burnt fifty ships laden with wood and
+hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa
+Cruz was waiting to make his water-casks.
+The loss of these did much damage to the
+Armada, and helped to ruin it.</p>
+
+<p>On the 10th of May, having disarmed the
+fort of Sagres by throwing the big guns
+over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought
+his fleet to anchor in Cascaes Bay, south
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span>of Lisbon. He seems to have judged
+Lisbon too strong to attack from the sea.
+He was prepared to “distress the ships”
+had they come out; and he offered battle
+to Santa Cruz, who, however, was short of
+powder and shot, and had no ships ready
+as yet for action.</p>
+
+<p>So Drake went back to Sagres to clean
+his ships and refresh his men. He then
+sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the
+ships, and on the few that were left the
+men were anxious to go home. The ship
+on which Borough was still a prisoner deserted.
+Drake believed that Borough was
+responsible for this; and, though he was
+beyond reach, in his anger Drake sentenced
+him, with his chief officers, to death as
+mutineers.</p>
+
+<p>Drake went on with his nine remaining
+ships, and came upon a splendid prize, the
+big <i>San Felipe</i>, the greatest ship in all
+Portugal, richly laden with spice, china,
+silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This
+prize was valued at nearly a million pounds;
+and, besides, she carried secret papers of
+great value concerning the East India trade.</p>
+
+<p>On the 26th of June, Drake returned
+home after his brilliant campaign. Santa
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span>Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him,
+but it was too late.</p>
+
+<p>Borough was not found guilty by the
+court of law where Drake accused him;
+but his grief of mind endured long. Some
+time after, he wrote that “he was very fain
+to ease it as he might, hoping in good time
+he should.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE GREAT ARMADA</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake’s</span> raid upon the Spanish coast
+made it impossible for the Armada to
+sail in 1587. But after waiting so long
+Philip made his preparations with an almost
+feverish haste. The death of his great
+general, Santa Cruz, hindered his plans very
+much. Santa Cruz was a commander of
+experience and renown, and the man most
+fitted, both by his rank and his qualities, to
+undertake “the enterprise of England.”</p>
+
+<p>The man chosen to succeed him was the
+Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose exalted
+rank seems to have been his chief claim to
+the difficult place into which he was thrust
+by Philip. He had no desire to take the
+place; he wrote to Philip and told him quite
+simply that he was no seaman, and knew
+little about naval fighting and less about
+England. But he was ordered to take the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span>fleet into the English Channel and take possession
+of Margate. He was then to send
+ships to bring the Duke of Parma and his
+army in safety to England, when Parma was
+to assume the command of the expedition.</p>
+
+<p>But, after all, the Armada was not ready
+to sail till July 1588, and the months between
+then and January were filled by the English
+with preparations for defence. They had to
+face the difficulties, much greater then than
+now, of keeping both men and ships on the
+seas, and yet fit for action. Life on board
+ship tried the men very severely. We have
+seen how often sickness broke out among
+the sailors if they were kept long to their
+crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding
+of both navies seems to have been a task of
+great difficulty. This was due to the hurried
+demand for vast quantities of stores, such
+as biscuit and salt meat The Spaniards, too,
+owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost their
+water-casks, and had to depend on new ones
+of unseasoned wood, which leaked.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was
+made Lord High Admiral of England, and
+Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John
+Hawkins his Rear-Admiral. With them
+served many other famous men, such as
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span>Fenner, Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour,
+and many younger men from noble families.
+All were working hard, with spirits stretched
+to an unusual pitch of endurance. In the
+letters they wrote about the business in hand
+to the Queen and her Ministers of State
+there is a note of high courage and defiance;
+and a distant echo comes down to us from
+the dim old letters of all the stir and bustle
+as the men gathered to the ships, and of the
+hum of excitement about the clamouring
+dockyards. The shipwrights were working
+day and night Lord Howard says he has
+been on board every ship “where any man
+may creep,” and thanks God for their good
+state, and that “never a one of them knows
+what a leak means.” Sir William Wynter
+tells how badly the ships had suffered in the
+winter storms, but adds: “Our ships doth
+show themselves like gallants here. I assure
+you it will do a man’s heart good to behold
+them; and would to God the Prince of Parma
+were upon the seas with all his forces, and
+we in the view of them; then I doubt not but
+that you should hear we would make his
+enterprises very unpleasant to him.”</p>
+
+<p>The ships are always spoken of like live
+creatures, and their personal histories are
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span>well known and remembered. Lord Howard
+says of his Ark (which was bought of Sir
+Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray
+you tell her Majesty from me that her money
+was well given for the Ark <i>Ralegh</i>, for I
+think her the odd (only) ship in the world
+for all conditions; and truly I think there
+can no great ship make me change and go
+out of her.” And again: “I mean not to
+change out of her I am in for any ship that
+ever was made.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship
+the <i>Revenge</i>” which was so famous then and
+afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes
+from on board “the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>,
+the fortunate ship where Sir Francis Drake
+received all his good haps.” Howard and
+Drake, with other commanders of experience,
+were of one mind; they wanted to go out and
+meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain,
+and so prevent the Spanish fleet from ever
+reaching England.</p>
+
+<p>Howard pressed this opinion as that of
+men whom the world judged to be the
+wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was
+unwilling to send the fleet away, and she
+still talked of making peace.</p>
+
+<p>Both the Spaniards and the English were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span>persuaded that God was fighting with them.
+Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that
+as the cause was the cause of God, he could
+not fail. In England Drake was saying that
+“the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote
+to the Queen: “God mightily defend my
+gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;
+not doubting that all the world shall know
+and see that her Majesty’s little army, guided
+by the finger of God, shall beat down the
+pride of His enemies and hers, to His great
+glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon
+our enemies as necessarily the enemies of
+God.</p>
+
+<p>Howard’s letters show a very noble mind.
+He grudged no time or labour in the ordering
+of his fleet, down to the smallest matters.
+He is full of care for the mariners, and is
+anxious that they should be well paid and
+fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the
+other seamen of greater experience than
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet did at last go out, but was
+driven back by the winds; and suddenly,
+after the fret and worry and strain of all
+those months, there is a pause, and Howard
+writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you with any
+long letter; we are at this present otherwise
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span>occupied than with writing. Upon Friday,
+at Plymouth, I received intelligence that
+there was a great number of ships descried
+off the Lizard: whereupon, although the
+wind was very scant, we first warped out
+of harbour that night, and upon Saturday
+turned out very hardly, the wind being at
+south-west; and about three of the clock in
+the afternoon, descried the Spanish fleet, and
+did what we could to work for the wind,
+which by this morning we had recovered....
+At nine of the clock we gave them fight,
+which continued until one.... Sir, the captains
+in her Majesty’s ships have behaved
+themselves most bravely and like men hitherto,
+and I doubt not will continue, to their
+great commendation.... Sir, the southerly
+wind that brought us back from the coast
+of Spain brought them out.”</p>
+
+<p>William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth,
+writes that the “Spanish fleet was
+in view of this town yesternight, and the
+Lord Admiral passed to the sea and out of
+sight.” They could see the fleets fighting,
+the English being to windward of the enemy.
+He was sending out men as fast as he could
+find ships to carry them.</p>
+
+<p>There is a legend that Drake and his
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span>officers were playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe
+when the news that the Armada was in the
+Channel was brought to him by the captain of
+a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his game,
+the story says, saying there was time to do
+that and to beat the Spaniards too.</p>
+
+<p>As the Spanish ships lay in the English
+Channel, blinded with the mist and rain, the
+Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen
+of Falmouth were brought away who
+had that evening seen the English fleet go
+out of Plymouth, “under the charge of the
+English Admiral and of Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards had come out ready to fight
+in the old way, in which they had won so
+many brilliant victories. They had always
+fought their naval battles with great armies
+on great ships, much as they would fight on
+land. The soldiers despised big guns, and
+liked better the bravery of a close fight,
+“with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The
+sailors were not prepared to fight at all, but
+with the help of slaves they sailed the big
+galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm
+of smaller troop-ships and store-ships that
+swelled the numbers of the fleet which
+carried an army.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 541px;">
+<a id="illo6"><img class="box" src="images/i_094.jpg" width="541" alt="Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe</p>
+<p>The numbers of the ships on both sides
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span>are now said to have been not so very unequal.
+If the Spaniards could have fought
+in their own way, they must have been easily
+victorious. But the English had got the
+wind at their back and the enemy in front
+of them, and being better masters of their
+ships, they had the choice, and they chose
+to fight at a distance, and never to board
+the big ships till they were already helpless.</p>
+
+<p>Their ships were newer, and built on different
+lines, and could sail faster. They were
+smaller than our modern men-of-war, but
+carried more guns for their size. They were,
+as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and of
+good steerage, so that the English did with
+them as they desired. And our ships being
+very heavy compared with the lightness of
+those of the enemy, it was impossible to
+come to hand-stroke with them.”</p>
+
+<p>The English ships were manned with
+sailors and gunners who could both sail the
+ships and fight the enemy. The guns were
+fired at the hulls of the Spanish ships and
+not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which
+was harder to aim at.</p>
+
+<p>The fleets met on the 21st of July, and
+there followed a week of fighting and of
+disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span>news of their coming up the Channel came
+to those on shore, who watched beside the
+beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger
+must have seemed little less fearful than
+before. Those who viewed the “greatness
+and hugeness of the Spanish army” from
+the sea, considered that the only way to
+move them was by fire-ships.</p>
+
+<p>Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently
+through the dangers of the Channel;
+he anchored outside Calais to await the
+answer to the urgent messages he had sent
+to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know,
+the “Narrow Seas” were well watched by
+the English, and they were so helped by
+the Dutch that Parma never reached the
+shores of England.</p>
+
+<p>Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and
+sent down upon the Spanish fleet, “all burning
+fiercely. These worked great mischief
+among the Spanish ships (though none of
+them took fire), for in the panic their cables
+and anchors were slipped.”</p>
+
+<p>The great fight took place off Gravelines,
+on the Flemish coast, where most of the
+scattered ships of the Armada had drifted
+in the general confusion. The English
+hastened to take advantage of this confusion,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span>while Sidonia was forming his fleet again
+into battle order. They “set upon the fleet
+of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the
+<i>Revenge</i>) and gave them a sharp fight,” while
+Lord Howard stopped to capture a helpless
+ship, the finest, they said, upon the
+sea. “And that day, Sir Francis’ ship was
+riddled with every kind of shot.”</p>
+
+<p>The fight went on from nine in the morning
+till six at night, when the Spanish fleet bore
+away, beaten, towards the north. Howard
+says that “after the fight, notwithstanding
+that our powder and shot was well near all
+spent, we set on a brag-countenance and
+gave them chase as though we had wanted
+nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had
+cleared our own coast and some part of
+Scotland of them.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was appointed to follow the fleet,
+and he writes, “We have the army of Spain
+before us, and mind, with the grace of God,
+to wrestle a pull with him. There was
+never anything pleased me better than the
+seeing the enemy flying with a southerly
+wind to the northwards. God grant you
+have a good eye to the Duke of Parma:
+for with the grace of God, if we live, I doubt
+it not but ere it be long so to handle the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span>matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he
+shall wish himself at St. Mary Port among
+his orange trees.”</p>
+
+<p>At the end of this letter he says, “I crave
+pardon of your honour for my haste, for that
+I had to watch this last night upon the
+enemy.” And in another letter to Walsingham
+he signs himself, “Your honour’s most
+ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping
+Francis Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>Many of the Spanish ships, being so
+crippled, were wrecked in stormy weather
+off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which
+were unknown to them, and thus the more
+dangerous. Not half of those who put out
+to sea ever reached Spain again. Many
+men were killed in battle or died of their
+wounds, and they were the most fortunate,
+for others were drowned, or perished miserably
+by the hands of the natives of the coasts.
+Some who escaped were put to death by the
+Queen’s orders, and some lingered in the
+foul prisons of that time. The instinct of
+savage cruelty revives, even in highly civilised
+races, in time of war, and spreads, like an
+infection.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo7"><img class="box" src="images/i_098.jpg" width="400" alt="Fighting the Great Armada" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Fighting the Great Armada</p>
+
+<p>We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder
+taken from the Spanish prisoners, of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span>brave looks of the vanished host, that included
+the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry.
+There were “breeches and jerkins of silk,
+and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold
+lace, a pair of breeches of yellow satin,
+drawn out with cloth of silver, a leather
+jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over
+with a gold and silver lace, a jerkin embroidered
+with flowers, and a blue stitched
+taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume
+of feathers.”</p>
+
+<p>For some time England was haunted
+by fears that the Armada would return to
+her coasts, or that Parma would avenge
+himself. But the reports of the many
+wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish
+soldiers eased this present anxiety. And
+it was well, for fever and sickness broke
+out in the English ships, and the men were
+dying in hundreds, “sickening one day and
+dying the next,” as the letters say. The
+ships had to be disinfected and many of
+the men dispersed.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br />
+<span class="smaller">EXPEDITION TO LISBON</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> great Armada was scattered, and
+yet the English did not feel secure
+from their enemy. The sight of that fleet
+so near their shores in “its terror and
+majesty,” and the memory of its vast army
+of well-drilled soldiers, left a feeling of deep
+uneasiness in the minds of wise men. “Sir,”
+writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind,
+safe find. A kingdom is a great wager. Sir,
+you know security is dangerous: and had
+God not been our best friend, we should have
+found it so. Some made little account of
+the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant
+you, all the world never saw such a force
+as theirs was....”</p>
+
+<p>Fortune had favoured England this time,
+but what if Philip built newer and lighter
+ships, and really succeeded in landing his
+army? They did not as yet know that Philip
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span>had no money to build his ships with, and
+rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered
+great loss and a crushing defeat to their
+pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything
+that they already had, but only failed
+to get something they wanted very badly
+to have, and the second kind of loss matters
+far less than the first.</p>
+
+<p>But, on the other hand, if the English had
+been defeated, it is difficult to think how
+darkly their history might have been changed.
+It was this thought that made the wise men
+sober in the midst of the national joy and
+exultation. They saw how much England,
+as an island, must depend for strength and
+defence upon her navy, and they saw this
+much more clearly than before. But Drake
+had seen it for a long time. And he had
+seen something more. He had seen that
+the English navy must be ready and able
+to protect her merchant ships by distressing
+and attacking her enemies abroad, and that
+this was a means of keeping the enemy so
+busy abroad that he could not invade the
+peace of England at home.</p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction
+of Philip’s navy, now so much
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span>crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented
+to a new expedition being fitted out, and
+appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir Francis
+Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two
+men had fought together in Ireland. “Black
+John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a
+famous fighting family, and had served in
+the Lowlands and in France with high
+courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion
+he had been made chief of the land
+forces. It is said that in one battle he went
+on fighting after three horses had been
+killed under him. With him went his
+brother Edward, and a famous Welsh captain,
+Sir Roger Williams, was his second in
+command.</p>
+
+<p>The objects of the expedition were: first,
+to distress the King of Spain’s ships; second,
+to get possession of some of the islands of
+the Azores in order to waylay the treasure
+ships; and, lastly, to try to recover for Don
+Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.</p>
+
+<p>Money for this expedition was raised from
+every possible source. The Queen gave six
+royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food,
+and arms. The forces were made up of
+soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make
+their fortunes in war, and English and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span>Dutch sailors and recruits, most of whom
+were pressed. With this large but mixed
+army the generals prepared to face the best-trained
+soldiers in Europe.</p>
+
+<p>As usual, there were many delays. The
+ships were not ready to go out, and much
+of the food was consumed before they started.
+More was not to be had, though Drake and
+Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for
+supplies. The Queen had already begun to
+regard the expedition with disfavour. Some
+days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl
+of Essex, her latest Court favourite, had
+slipped away to sea with Sir Roger Williams
+on the <i>Swiftsure</i>. He was tired of a
+courtier’s life, and wanted to breathe freer
+air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The
+Queen was very angry, and sent orders for
+his arrest, accusing Drake and Norreys of
+aiding his escape. But they declared they
+knew nothing of his plans.</p>
+
+<p>About this time some Flemish ships appeared
+in Plymouth harbour laden with
+barley and wine, and Drake seized their
+cargoes in the Queen’s name to victual his
+fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather
+was so rough that several of the ships containing
+troops were unable to get beyond
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span>the Channel, but even with lesser numbers
+the crews were short of food before they
+reached Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Philip was very ill at this time, and in
+grave anxiety. He knew that Drake and
+the English ships might land on his coasts,
+that the French might cross the mountains
+with an invading force, and that the Portuguese
+might arise in rebellion to win back
+the crown for Don Antonio. This last
+danger seemed to Philip the most urgent,
+and Drake guessed this, and landed his men
+on the north-west coast at Corunna.</p>
+
+<p>In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s
+orders to distress the King’s ships, and also,
+no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry
+crews for food and plunder. The lower town
+of Corunna was taken, and much wine and
+food consumed and much wasted. The
+townsfolk were routed and put to the sword,
+and their houses burned. An attempt to
+take the upper town failed, but the English
+were the victors in a sharp battle which took
+place some miles from the town, and they
+thus secured their retreat to the ships and
+sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>The presence of Drake on the coasts
+caused great panic, for his name and luck
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span>had become a terror to the people. Philip
+felt deeply insulted that such an attack
+should be made “by a woman, mistress of
+half an island, with the help of a pirate and
+a common soldier.” In Spain, as we have
+seen, the command was always given to
+gentlemen of high birth and breeding and
+title.</p>
+
+<p>Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet
+first sighted some of the missing ships, and
+also the <i>Swiftsure</i> with the missing Earl,
+who had “put himself into the journey against
+the opinion of the world, and, as it seemed,
+to the hazard of his great fortune.” The
+<i>Swiftsure</i> had taken six prizes off Cape St.
+Vincent.</p>
+
+<p>The two generals had from the first
+wished to go straight to Lisbon, and it is
+thought that if they had done so, and thus
+given the Spaniards no warning of their
+coming, they might have had success. But
+they were hindered by the Queen’s orders
+to destroy the shipping now collected in
+the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander.
+After leaving Corunna, however, they decided
+in council not to attempt that port,
+both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the
+conditions did not favour an attack.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span></p>
+
+<p>They landed next at the Portuguese
+town of Peniche, which lies about fifty
+miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to
+land on the surf-bound coast, and some of
+the boats were upset and battered. At
+last, Essex sprang into the waves and
+waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed
+the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus
+surprised, willingly surrendered to Antonio
+as his lawful king, “The king” soon had
+a following of peasants and friars, but
+neither nobles nor soldiers came to help
+him. He was eager to march to Lisbon,
+where he thought he was sure of a welcome.
+Norreys resolved to march there
+overland. Drake, it is said, would have
+liked better to attack the town from the
+sea in his usual daring but successful
+fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the
+day; and leaving some ships at Peniche,
+Drake promised, if he could, to bring the
+fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth
+of the river Tagus, south of Lisbon.</p>
+
+<p>There, when he arrived, he waited, not
+liking to venture up the river without
+knowing where the soldiers were, and not
+liking to quit the sea, where he could give
+them the means of retreat if necessary.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span>For this he was very much blamed by the
+soldiers at the time, and afterwards when
+he got home. The point is still disputed.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the army was encamped outside
+the walls of Lisbon, but they never
+got inside. The Portuguese refused to join
+Don Antonio’s party, and the Spanish governor
+kept the gates shut in a grim and
+heroic defence. The English sailors were
+sick and hungry; they had had no exercise
+on board ship to keep them healthy, and
+were exhausted with the heat. The stores
+and guns were on the ships with Drake.
+So, reluctantly, they left the suburbs of
+Lisbon and marched to Cascaes, where
+they embarked, not without some loss, and
+sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>While they were still disputing in the
+councils, a fleet of German ships were
+sighted, and most of them secured. They
+were carrying corn and stores to Spain,
+against the rules of war, which bind countries
+not concerned in the quarrel to help
+neither foe. So the English seized sixty
+ships and the stores, both of which had
+been destined to furnish the new Armada
+of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Next came into view some English ships
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span>with supplies, but also with angry letters
+from the Queen; in answer to which Essex
+was sent home bearing the news that the
+expedition, though diminished by sickness
+and death, still meant to sail to the Azores.</p>
+
+<p>On June the 8th a wind had scattered
+the fleet, and suddenly left it becalmed.
+The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off
+four English ships.</p>
+
+<p>The winds continued to prevent the fleet
+from going towards the Azores, and all this
+time hundreds of sick and wounded men
+were dying. After seventeen days at sea,
+they landed at the town of Vigo and burned
+it, and laid waste the country round. At
+length storms and sickness and ill-fortune
+drove them home, and the expedition, woefully
+shrunken, straggled miserably back.
+Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some
+years later. The English had done a considerable
+amount of damage, but at great
+cost to themselves; for the loss of life
+was terrible, and that of money very considerable.
+Both Norreys and Drake were
+called upon to account for their failure,
+and at the time Drake got the most of
+the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly
+judged because failure had never come
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span>near him before, and his successes had
+always been so brilliant. His best friends
+at Court were dead, and for five years he
+was not asked to act in the Queen’s service.
+So five years of his life which should have
+been the most active were spent in retirement,
+if not actually in “disgrace with
+fortune and men’s eyes.”</p>
+
+<p>The war was carried on upon the old
+lines of distressing the King’s ships, but
+with very poor success. After Drake’s
+voyage round the world, which encouraged
+other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the
+Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully
+guarded. This was done by strongly fortifying
+the coast stations, by providing an
+armed escort, and a service of light ships,
+which went frequently to and fro with
+letters of advice and warning from the
+Indies to Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Drake had ruined this defence in 1585,
+and in 1588 again many of the guard-ships
+had to be used in the service of the
+Armada. A really strong English fleet
+might at this time have stayed the treasure,
+but Philip continued to gather in his gold,
+and also began, with splendid patience, to
+rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span>was sent out under Lord Thomas Howard,
+and the great battle of Sir Richard Grenville
+on the <i>Revenge</i> was fought, “the fight of
+the one and the fifty-three,” with the loss of
+that ship and the victory of the Spanish fleet.
+The Queen made a fighting alliance with
+Henry the Fourth of France, who was the
+enemy of Philip, and this she felt would
+help to keep him out of England. Philip
+was now trying to establish a fortified
+station on the north coast of Brittany,
+from which his new Armada might be
+despatched.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE LAST VOYAGE</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> had settled in Buckland Abbey,
+which he had bought from Sir Richard
+Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish
+ships for some of the different excursions
+against Spain, and he spent much
+time on schemes to improve Plymouth. He
+paid to have pure water brought to the
+town from many miles away; he had flour-mills
+built, that the sailors might have
+good biscuits provided for them, and he
+overlooked the work of fortifying Plymouth,
+and making it in all ways a strong naval
+station.</p>
+
+<p>As the danger of a fresh invasion by
+Philip grew more threatening, Drake was
+called to Court again, and it was about
+this time that he gave to the Queen his
+written story of the voyage to Nombre de
+Dios.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span></p>
+<p>In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged
+for the Indies, and after the usual bewildering
+indecision at Court, and difference
+of views and plans (delays that proved
+fatal to an excursion whose proper nature
+was to be swift and secret, and above all
+things powerful), on August 28, 1598, Sir
+Francis Drake started on his last voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the expedition begins by
+saying that “the Spaniard leaves no means
+untried to turn the peace of England into
+a cursed thraldom, and this is shown by
+his attempts, and also by his greedy desires
+to be our neighbour in Brittany, to gain
+so near us a quiet and safe road for his
+fleet. So the forces were sent to invade
+him in that kingdom from whence he has
+feathers to fly to the top of his high
+desires.</p>
+
+<p>“The invasion was glorious spoken of
+long before it was sent, and Sir Francis
+Drake was named General. For his very
+name was a great terror to all in those
+parts, and he had done many things in
+those countries to his honourable fame and
+profit. But entering into them as the Child
+of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed
+and peremptory (despotic) command was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span>doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as
+it should seem, to join Sir John Hawkins
+as second in command. He was an old,
+wary man, and so leaden-footed” (or slow
+in action) “that Drake’s meat would be eaten
+before his was cooked. They were men of
+such different natures that what one desired
+the other commonly opposed. The journey
+had so glorious a name that crowds of
+volunteers came to them, and they had to
+discharge such few as they had pressed.
+Yet many times it was very doubtful if the
+voyage would be made, till at last the news
+came of a ship of the King of Spain, which
+was driven into Puerto Rico with two
+millions and a half of treasure. So her
+Majesty commanded them to haste their
+departure, which they did with twenty-seven
+ships.”</p>
+
+<p>The generals began to disagree soon
+after. Drake wanted to begin with an
+attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins
+thought it unnecessary and unwise; and,
+as the story says, “the fire which lay
+hidden in their stomachs began to break
+forth.”</p>
+
+<p>It was five years since Drake had fought
+with his old enemies. He did not know
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span>how much stronger the Spanish defence at
+sea had become, owing to the lessons he
+had given them, nor how complete Philip
+had made the protection of the traffic and
+the treasure-ships. He was to see this first
+at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and
+failed, to make one of his old surprise visits.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the
+29th of October, for water, at Guadeloupe.
+The <i>Delight</i> was the last of the ships to
+arrive the next day, and she brought news
+that the <i>Francis</i>, a small ship of the company,
+was taken by five Spanish ships,
+which had been sent out by Philip to bring
+home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico.
+This was a great misfortune, because Sir
+John Hawkins had made known to all the
+company, “even to the basest mariners,”
+the places whither they were bound, naming
+Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama.
+Now the Spaniards would learn this from
+their prisoners, and at once send warning
+to the coasts.</p>
+
+<p>Drake wanted to give chase at once, but
+Hawkins was old and cautious, and desired
+to stay and mount his guns, take in water,
+set up his pinnaces, and make all things
+ready to meet the Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span></p>
+
+<p>And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was
+sickly, Sir Francis being loath to breed his
+further disquiet.” It took four days to
+make those preparations, and always the
+sickness of Sir John increased. On the
+12th of October Drake brought the fleet up
+by a secret way to Puerto Rico, and about
+three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins
+died.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening, as Drake sat at supper,
+his chair was shot from under him, and
+two of his officers received their death
+wounds from the Spanish guns. The ships
+had to move away. The next night the
+English made a desperate effort to fire the
+five ships that had come for the treasure.
+Four of them were set alight, but only
+one was burnt, and by the great light she
+gave the Spaniards “played upon the English
+with their ordnance and small shot as
+if it had been fair day,” and sunk some of
+the boats.</p>
+
+<p>Next day Drake, undaunted by failure,
+determined to try and take his whole fleet
+boldly into the harbour and storm the
+place. But the Spaniards, guessing his
+desperate intention, and fearing his great
+courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span>
+and armed, as they were, and so,
+at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for
+the English.</p>
+
+<p>Drake took counsel with the soldiers as
+to the strength of the place, but most of
+them thought it too great a risk, though
+one or two were for trying it. “The
+General presently said: ‘I will bring you
+to twenty places far more wealthy and
+easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went
+on the 15th. And here,” says the teller
+of the story, “I left all hope of good
+success.”</p>
+
+<p>On the way to Nombre de Dios they
+stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where Drake
+had first been wronged by the Spaniards.
+This town they took with little difficulty,
+and some treasure was won.</p>
+
+<p>On December 27th they were at Nombre
+de Dios, which they took with small resistance.
+But the people had been warned,
+and had fled and hidden their treasure, and
+the town was left very bare. So they resolved
+to “hasten with speed to Panama.”
+The soldiers were under the command of
+Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a
+brave fighter against the Spaniards before
+now in Holland and France. They started
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span>to go to Panama by the old road well
+known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed
+with the ships and burned the town. He
+was about to sail nearer the river when
+news came that the soldiers were returning.
+The road was only too strongly defended
+now, and Baskerville’s men were driven
+back with severe loss. They were a small
+force, and weak with the long march
+through heavy rains; their powder was wet
+and their food scarce and sodden, and
+Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This
+march,” says the story, “had made many
+swear that they would never buy gold at
+such a price again.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake, being disappointed of his highest
+hopes, now called a council to decide what
+was to be done. All the towns had been
+forewarned, and told “to be careful and
+look well to themselves, for that Drake
+and Hawkins were making ready in England
+to come upon them.” And now the
+company seem to have regarded their leader
+with some bitterness, as his brave promises
+failed, and the places that he used to know
+were found to be changed and formidable.
+Now they had to rely “upon cards and
+maps, he being at these parts at the farthest
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span>limit of his knowledge.” But still he proposed
+fresh places that had the golden
+sound of riches in their names, and gallant
+Baskerville said he would attempt both,
+one after another.</p>
+
+<p>But the winds drove them instead to a
+“waste island, which is counted the sickliest
+place in the Indies, and there died
+many of the men, and victuals began to
+grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who
+writes the story, “I was often private with
+our General, and I demanded of him why
+he so often begged me, being in England,
+to stay with him in these parts as long as
+himself.... He answered me with grief,
+protesting that he was as ignorant of the
+Indies as myself, and that he never thought
+any place could be so changed, as it were,
+from a delicious and pleasant arbour into
+a waste and desert wilderness: besides the
+variableness and changes of the wind and
+weather, so stormy and blustrous as he
+never saw it before. But he most wondered
+that since his coming out of England
+he never saw sail worth giving chase
+unto. Yet, in the greatness of his mind,
+he would, in the end, conclude with these
+words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span>many things in store for us. And I know
+many means to do her Majesty good service
+and to make us rich, for we must
+have gold before we reach England.’</p>
+
+<p>“And since our return from Panama he
+never carried mirth nor joy in his face, yet
+no man he loved must show he took
+thought thereof. And he began to grow
+sickly. And now so many of the company
+were dying of the sickness, and food was
+getting so scarce, that at last he resolved
+‘to depart and take the wind as God
+sent it.’”</p>
+
+<p>But the lurking fever in the swamp had
+done its work, and on January 28, 1596,
+after a brief fight with illness and death,
+Drake “yielded up his spirit like a Christian
+to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”</p>
+
+<p>“The General being dead,” we are told,
+“most men’s hearts were bent to hasten
+for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s
+Child,’ they said, ‘was dead; things
+would not fall into their mouths, nor riches
+be their portions, how dearly soever they
+adventured for them.’”</p>
+
+<p>But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the
+command and took the remains of the fleet
+in his charge, and did not return home till
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span>he had met the Spaniards and fought a
+battle with them at sea.</p>
+
+<p>Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he
+burned that port, and sunk two of the ships
+no longer needed, and all the prizes. And
+there, a league from the shore, under seas,
+he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,
+heavily freighted with death and silence.
+But I like to think that his soul went
+a-roving again among the stars.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent center">THE END</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent center">Printed by <span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />
+Edinburgh &amp; London</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter transnote">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak"><span class="smcap">Transcriber’s Notes</span></p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original
+positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.</p></div>
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 67864 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/old/67864-0.txt b/old/67864-0.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cce1059
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-0.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2756 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by
+Letitia MacColl Elton
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: The Story of Sir Francis Drake
+       The Children's Heroes Series
+
+Author: Letitia MacColl Elton
+
+Illustrator: T. H. Robinson
+
+Release Date: April 18, 2022 [eBook #67864]
+
+Language: English
+
+Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+             at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images
+             generously made available by University of California
+             libraries)
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS
+DRAKE ***
+
+
+
+
+
+  THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES
+
+  EDITED BY JOHN LANG
+
+
+  THE STORY OF
+  SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+
+
+
+  TO
+  CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON
+
+
+[Illustration: Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the ‘Golden
+Hind’ at Deptford]
+
+
+  THE STORY OF
+
+  SIR
+  FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+  BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON
+  PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON
+
+  LONDON: T. C. & E. C. JACK
+  NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
+
+
+
+
+  Printed by
+  BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
+  Edinburgh
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+It has not been possible, for lack of space, always to tell the old
+stories in the original words, which are, in almost all cases, the
+best. If any readers of this book can get a sight of two big volumes
+called “Drake and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett, they may
+consider themselves fortunate. In them there are the most fascinating
+reproductions of pictures of old fighting ships, and old charts or maps
+of the taking of Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine by Drake’s
+ships. Here the ships are seen approaching and attacking; the towns
+are shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are full of wonderful curly
+monsters. The old charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada show the
+shifting position of the fleets from day to day, and the books also
+contain many maps and a fine portrait.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  Chapter                                        Page
+
+       I. Philip of Spain                          1
+      II. “The Troublesome Voyage”                 6
+     III. Nombre de Dios                          15
+      IV. Fort Diego                              25
+       V. The Golden Mule-trains                  29
+      VI. Home Again                              39
+     VII. Round the World                         50
+    VIII. Round the World (_continued_)           60
+      IX. Sir Francis                             69
+       X. Cadiz                                   81
+      XI. The Great Armada                        88
+     XII. Expedition to Lisbon                   100
+    XIII. The Last Voyage                        111
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF PICTURES
+
+
+                                                     Page
+
+  Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the
+    _Golden Hind_ at Deptford             _Frontispiece_
+  Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage      14
+  Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios                     22
+  The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific
+    Oceans from the tree-top                          30
+  Sir Francis Drake                                   72
+  Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle                84
+  Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe                      94
+  Fighting the Great Armada                           98
+
+
+
+
+THE STORY OF
+
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+PHILIP OF SPAIN
+
+
+During the life of Francis Drake, Philip the Second of Spain was the
+most powerful king in Europe. Spain and the Netherlands belonged to
+him, parts of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great part of America.
+From Mexico, Peru, and the West Indian Islands Spanish ships sailed
+home with treasure of silver and gold, as they do in fairy tales, while
+Portuguese ships traded in Africa for slaves and gold and ivory, and
+had even ventured as far as the then little-known East Indies. Lastly,
+Philip added Portugal and its possessions to his vast inheritance, and
+would have liked to hold all the world “for God and for Spain.” Being
+himself a good Catholic, he wished to see all men of that faith, and to
+those who did not believe in it he was a merciless foe, and he shed the
+blood of many martyrs.
+
+Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope more than anything in the world, as
+much as he loved England and honoured his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent
+most of his life in making war against the King of Spain in one way or
+another, calling it all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service done to
+your Majesty by your poor vassal (or servant) against your great enemy.”
+
+During Drake’s life wars about religion were raging in almost every
+European country. In France the struggle ended by most people remaining
+Catholics, just as England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always a
+Protestant country. But such changes really take long to come about,
+especially in days when news travelled slowly, when there were no
+trains or steamships, and no penny newspapers.
+
+Francis Drake was born when Edward the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse
+near Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was quite a young child his
+father, who was a Protestant, had to fly from his country home, owing
+to an outbreak of anger among his Catholic neighbours. So the first
+stories the little Francis would hear must have been tales of this time
+of persecution, when many of his father’s friends had to hide in woods
+and caves, and lost all they possessed. From his very cradle he must
+have been taught to hate the “Papists.”
+
+The new home was rather a strange one, for the old books say Drake’s
+father went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a ship, wherein many of
+his younger sons were born. He had twelve in all, and as it pleased God
+that most of them should be born upon the water, so the greater part of
+them died at sea.” The father seems to have been a sailor at one time,
+and he now got a place among the seamen of the King’s Navy, to read
+prayers to them. The Navy ships were anchored off Chatham when not in
+use, and here, in an old unused warship, the elder Drake and his family
+made their floating home. Here most of the twelve boys were born, a
+troop of merry children, and many a fine game they must have had on the
+decks. The sound of wind and waves must have been familiar to them as
+they went to sleep at nights, and they grew up strong and fearless,
+and, living as they did among sailors, must have early set their hearts
+on going to sea and having adventures.
+
+At the death of King Edward the Sixth the Catholic Queen Mary began to
+reign, and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over to marry her. He
+looked “very gallant,” they said, in his suit of white kid, covered
+with gold embroidery, and was followed by a train of splendid-looking
+Spanish nobles, and he brought quantities of gold and silver, borne
+on the backs of horses. But the English people hated the foreign
+marriage, and so strong was this feeling that in the winter before the
+wedding even the children in the streets shouted against the Spaniards
+and snowballed them as they went to Court. Perhaps Francis Drake and
+his brothers left their usual games to play at being Philip and the
+English, like some other lads, of whom we read that their play became
+so real and exciting that they were only just prevented from hanging
+the boy who acted the part of Philip. The King of Spain might have seen
+his son upon the English throne, but this hope, like so many of his,
+was doomed to be defeated, for Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came
+to the throne.
+
+As Drake’s father was at this time a poor man, he put his son Francis
+to learn seamanship of the master of a bark or small ship that used to
+coast along the shore and sometimes carried merchandise to France and
+the Netherlands. At this time he must have had to suffer many hardships
+and to live a rough life, but he learned his business well, and “was so
+diligent and painstaking, and so pleased the old man his master by his
+industry,” that at his death he left his bark to Francis Drake.
+
+Later Drake grew weary of this little ship, that “only crept along
+the shore,” and longed for something more than such safe and simple
+voyaging, so he seems to have sold the bark and taken service with his
+kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were rich merchants and owned and
+sailed their ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”
+
+
+The four centuries before the sixteenth, in which Drake lived, have
+been called the Age of Discovery. The world widened before men’s eyes
+as new lands and seas, new peoples, and even new stars, became known
+to them. The little country of Portugal was the first to begin those
+discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts of Africa and traded there.
+One of her mariners discovered the passage round the Cape of Good Hope
+to India, the Spice Islands, and China, and for long she had no rival
+in her trade.
+
+About fifty years before Drake was born, America was discovered by
+Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service of Spain. The
+ships in use in those days were very different to any we see now. There
+have been three kinds of ships made, ships with oars, ships with
+sails, and ships with steam. They are divided into two kinds, fighting
+ships and merchant ships.
+
+The old-fashioned galley was long and low-decked, and could be rowed
+or sailed. In the middle of the ship, between two platforms or upper
+decks, the rowers were chained to their seats. Three or four men
+worked each of the long oars, or _sweeps_ as they were called. There
+were twenty-five oars or more on each side of the ship. The rowers or
+galley-slaves were generally prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to
+the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived on the benches, ill-fed
+and ill-clothed, with only an awning to cover them when in port, though
+the low sides of the ships protected them a little from the weather and
+from the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always to have released the
+slaves he took on Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they included
+“Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen, and Spaniards.”
+
+The sailors who worked the ships were free. The ships were always
+armed, at first with shields and spears and arrows, later with guns and
+powder. With such ships the Italians fought many great battles on the
+Mediterranean, and in such ships the Norsemen had invaded England and
+raided the Northern Seas; and, with his _caravels_, or light Spanish
+ships, Columbus reached the islands which he called the West Indies.
+In later voyages he reached the mainland of America, but to the day
+of his death he always believed that he had found the coast of Asia.
+Another Italian sailor, named Amerigo, also in the service of Spain,
+gave his name to the New World. The Italians had long been good sailors
+and ship-builders, and great fighters at sea, and they had the glory of
+discovering America, though they gained no possessions there.
+
+Spain, at that time the most powerful state in Europe, seized upon a
+great part of the new land, and found there gold and silver mines. The
+natives they first subdued and afterwards forced to become Christians,
+as the custom was in warfare with a Pagan race.
+
+The American Indians, however, have never been easy to subdue, and
+have always had an undying affection for their own way of life.
+The Spaniards found them unfitted for hard work in the mines. The
+Portuguese had already captured negroes in their West African
+settlements, and numbers of those were sent to America as slaves.
+
+From the time of Henry the Eighth the English were building and buying
+fine ships, and learnt to sail them so well that they began less and
+less to use the old galley ship with its many oars. They traded mostly
+with Spain and the Low Countries; but as they got better ships, and
+became expert sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to discover new
+countries and get more trade. They began to sail to the Canary Islands,
+to Africa, and America.
+
+The Hawkins family had taken a large part in this new activity. The
+elder William Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his son, John Hawkins,
+with whom Drake took service, made several voyages to the “Isles of
+the Canaries.” Having learnt something about the West Indies, he made
+several voyages there, carrying with him numbers of negroes to sell,
+whom he took, partly by the sword, and partly by other means, on the
+coast of Africa.
+
+Hawkins and the other adventurers who joined him brought home great
+riches. In the account of those early voyages we see the beginning of a
+quarrel with Spain, which was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,
+till Philip sent his great Armada to invade England.
+
+The third and most famous voyage of John Hawkins to the West Indies was
+called “the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in disaster. It was the
+biggest venture that had yet been made by the English, and Drake took
+part in it. Hawkins sailed with six ships. There were two “great ships”
+of the Royal Navy--the _Jesus_, commanded by Hawkins himself, and the
+_Minion_; the _William and John_, named after and owned by the Hawkins
+brothers; and three smaller ones, the _Swallow_, the _Angel_, and the
+_Judith_, the last being under the command of Francis Drake.
+
+They got slaves in Africa and sold them in the West Indies, though
+not without difficulty, because the Spaniards had been forbidden by
+their king to trade with the English. As they were about to start on
+their way home, the ships met with fearful storms, and as the _Jesus_
+was much shattered, Hawkins made up his mind to seek for haven. They
+were driven at last into Vera Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.
+Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and repair their fleet. Now
+in this very port lay treasure which was said to be worth thousands of
+pounds. It was waiting for the fleet of armed ships which was to take
+it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were much dismayed to see the
+English ships, with their Portuguese ships and prisoners captured on
+the voyage, come, as they thought, to seize their treasure. It was this
+very danger they had feared when Hawkins first began his slave trade
+and disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.
+
+Next morning thirteen great ships appeared, and proved to be a Mexican
+fleet returning with a new Viceroy or Governor from King Philip. A
+solemn and peaceful agreement was made, and the Spanish ships were
+moored alongside the English ones, which were already in possession of
+the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards broke faith and fell
+upon the English, and a great and fierce fight took place, which lasted
+from ten in the morning until night. The _Angel_ and the _Swallow_ were
+sunk, and the _Jesus_ so damaged that it could not be brought away.
+
+As the remaining ships were sailing away, the Spaniards sent two
+“fire ships” after them. This was not an unusual way of fighting in
+those days. The empty, burning ships were sent to try and fire the
+enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming, by the wind, an awful
+and terrifying sight. The men on the _Minion_ became panic-stricken,
+and set sail without orders. Some of the men from the _Judith_ followed
+in a small boat. The rest were forced “to abide the mercy of the
+Spaniards,” which, Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.
+
+“The same night,” he goes on, “the _Judith_ forsook us in our great
+misery. In the end, when the wind came larger, we weighed anchor and
+set sail, seeking for water, of which we had very little. And wandering
+thus certain days in these unknown seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,
+cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and monkeys.”
+
+Some of the men asked to be put on land, rather than risk shipwreck and
+starvation in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins did, in the end, get safely
+home, with his weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of his feeble,
+starving crew. But he says that, if all the miseries and troubles of
+this sorrowful voyage were to be written, the tale would be as long
+as the “Book of Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left also reached
+England, after weary wanderings and years of terrible sufferings. Some
+were put to death as heretics, and others were sent to the galleys as
+slaves. Others, more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,
+where the monks made kind and gentle masters.
+
+Five days before Hawkins reached England, the little _Judith_ struggled
+into Plymouth Harbour with Drake and his load of men. William Hawkins
+sent him at once to London on horseback, “post, post haste,” as the old
+letters say. He carried letters to the Lords of Council, and to Sir
+William Cecil, the Chief Secretary of the Queen. So he rode swiftly
+along the country roads, only stopping to fling himself off one weary,
+smoking horse on to the back of a fresh one. The people would gather
+round him as he made the change, and wonder what great news was going
+to town.
+
+William Hawkins said in his letter: “There is come to Plymouth, at this
+present hour, one of the small barks of my brother’s fleet, and as I
+have neither writing nor anything else from him, I thought it good,
+and my most bounden duty, to send you the captain of the same bark. He
+is our kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”
+
+He was to tell the whole story, and the Queen was to hear it. He was
+to tell of the losses of John Hawkins, and of his absence, which his
+brother says “is unto me more grief than any other thing in the world.”
+
+Drake was much blamed at the time for deserting his general. It is
+difficult for us to see what he could have done. His little ship was
+crowded, and he had small store of food and water, and he no doubt
+thought it best to get home as soon as possible. His story of Spanish
+treachery and English loss must have roused the countryside. The
+excitement was at its height when the _Minion_ appeared off Cornwall.
+
+A man “for goodwill” came riding to William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to
+get help. He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners and a store of
+fresh food and other necessaries. And again letters were sent to London
+with the news. Haste! haste! post haste!
+
+[Illustration: Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+NOMBRE DE DIOS
+
+
+It was in January 1569 that the “troublesome voyage” ended for Drake,
+and in the summer of that year he married a Devonshire girl, named Mary
+Newman. The stories of his most famous voyages are found in an old
+book, called “Sir Francis Drake Revived.” This was first printed by
+his descendant, another Sir Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the
+First. It was written by some of the voyagers, and it is thought that
+Drake himself wrote part of it and corrected it. It is supposed that
+Drake presented the manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates it
+to her as the “first fruits” of his pen. He also says that his labours
+by land and sea were not more troublesome than the writing of it.
+
+After his losses and misfortunes in the Indies, it seems that Drake
+could get no amends from Spain, though he had lost both kinsmen,
+friends, and goods of some value. Queen Elizabeth could not think of
+making war with Philip. Her country was poor, her father’s navy was
+ruined. She had no proper army, and she had trouble enough on her hands
+in France and Scotland.
+
+Therefore Drake decided to help himself in what he was pleased to call
+his quarrel with the King of Spain. The old writer says that the story
+of his life shows how “so mean a person righted himself upon so mighty
+a prince. The one was in his own conceit the mightiest monarch in the
+world, the other only an English captain.”
+
+Drake now made two voyages that really prepared the way for his great
+and famous one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid his expenses by
+plundering ships or selling slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572, Drake
+started with his ship, the _Pascha_, of Plymouth, and the _Swan_, of
+Plymouth, in which his brother, John Drake, was captain. They had on
+board seventy-three men and boys. All of these came willingly, and had
+not been _pressed_, or compelled to serve, as the custom then was.
+
+Drake’s ships had a very good passage, and never stopped till they
+reached one of the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five days. Here they
+stayed three days to refresh the men, and to water the ships. The third
+day they set sail for the continent. They steered for a bay named
+formerly by them Port Pheasant. It was a fine, safe harbour. As they
+rowed ashore in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods. Drake manned and
+armed the other boats.
+
+When they landed, it was found that a certain Englishman, called John
+Garret, of Plymouth, had lately been there. Some mariners who had been
+with Drake in his other voyages had shown him the place.
+
+Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast to a mighty, great tree,
+on which these words were engraved:--
+
+                            “CAPTAIN DRAKE.
+
+ “If you happen to come to this port, make haste away! for the
+ Spaniards which you had with you here, the last year, have betrayed
+ this place, and taken away all you left here. I depart from hence this
+ present day of July, 1572.--Your very loving friend,
+
+                                      “JOHN GARRET.”
+
+The smoke came from a fire which Garret and his company had made before
+they went. It had been burning for at least five days before Drake’s
+arrival. Drake had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,” made in
+Plymouth, and stored on board ship in pieces. He intended to put them
+together in this place. So the ships were anchored, and the place
+simply but strongly fortified with great logs.
+
+Next day an English boat appeared. The captain was James Rance, and he
+had thirty men, some of whom had been with Drake the year before. They
+brought with them a Spanish _caravel_, or merchant ship, which they had
+taken the day before, and a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.
+In seven days the pinnaces were set up and furnished out of the ships.
+Some negroes on a neighbouring island told them that the townsfolk of
+Nombre de Dios were in great fear of the _Cimaroons_, or “Maroons,” as
+our sailors called them. They had attacked the town of Nombre de Dios,
+and the Governor of Panama was to send soldiers to defend it. These
+were negroes who had fled some eighty years before from the cruelty of
+the Spaniards. They had married Indian women, and had grown into a
+strong fighting tribe, who had two kings of their own, and lived, one
+on the east, and one on the west, of the road from Nombre de Dios to
+Panama. This was the road by which all the gold and silver from the
+mines of Peru was sent to the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped for
+Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.
+
+Drake hastened his plans. Three ships and the _caravel_ were left with
+Captain Rance. He chose seventy-three men for the three pinnaces (the
+fourth was that taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of arms, and two
+drums and a trumpet. The men were drilled and given their weapons and
+arms, which had been kept up till then “very fair and safe in good
+casks.” Drake encouraged them to the attack. In the afternoon they set
+sail for Nombre de Dios, and were very near before sunset. They lay
+there under the shore, out of sight of the watch, till dark. Then they
+rowed near shore as quietly as possible, and waited for the dawn.
+
+But Drake found the men were getting nervous, so when the moon rose “he
+thought it best to persuade them it was day dawning,” and the men had
+not time to get afraid, for they got there at three in the morning.
+They landed with no difficulty. But the noise of bells and drums and
+shouting soon told them that the town was awake and alarmed. Twelve
+men were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure a safe retreat. Drake’s
+brother, with John Oxenham and sixteen other men, went round behind the
+King’s Treasure-house, and entered the eastern end of the market-place.
+Drake, with the rest, passed up the broad street into the market-place,
+with sound of drum and trumpets. They used fire-pikes, or long poles
+with metal points, to which torches of blazing tow were fastened, and
+served both to frighten the enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could
+see quite well by them. The terrified townsfolk imagined an army was
+marching upon them.
+
+After a sharp fight in the market-place the Spaniards fled. Two or
+three of them were captured, and commanded to show Drake the Governor’s
+house. But he found that only silver was kept there; gold, pearls, and
+jewels being carried to the King’s Treasure-house, not far off.
+
+“This house was very strongly built of lime and stone for safe keeping
+of the treasure. At the Governor’s house we found the great door open
+where the mules are generally unladen. A candle stood lighted on the
+top of the stairs, and a fair horse was saddled ready for the Governor
+himself, or for one of his household. By this light we saw a huge heap
+of silver in the lower room. It was a pile of bars of silver.
+
+“At this sight our Captain commanded straightly that none of us should
+touch a bar of silver. We must stand to our weapons, because the town
+was full of people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house, near the
+waterside, more gold and jewels than all our pinnaces could carry. This
+we could presently try to break open, though they thought it so strong.
+
+“But now a report was brought by some of our men that our pinnaces were
+in danger to be taken, and that we had better get aboard before day.
+This report was learnt through a negro named Diego, who had begged to
+be taken on board our ships when we first came. Our Captain sent his
+brother and John Oxenham to learn the truth. They found the men much
+frightened, for they saw great troops of armed townsfolk and soldiers
+running up and down. Presently, too, a mighty shower of rain fell, with
+a terrible storm of thunder and lightning. It came down violently, as
+it does in these countries. Before we could reach the shelter at the
+western end of the King’s Treasure-house, some of our bowstrings were
+wet, and some of our match and powder hurt.
+
+“Our men began to mutter about the forces of the town. But our Captain,
+hearing, told them: ‘He had brought them to the mouth of the treasure
+of the world; if they went without it, they might blame nobody but
+themselves afterwards.’
+
+“So soon as the fury of the storm was spent, he gave his men no time
+to consider their doubts, nor the enemy no time to gather themselves
+together. He stepped forward and commanded his brother and John Oxenham
+to break the King’s Treasure-house. The rest, with him, were to hold
+the market-place till the business was done.
+
+[Illustration: Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios]
+
+“But as he stepped forward his strength and sight and speech failed
+him, and he began to faint for loss of blood. And we saw it had
+flowed in great quantities upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.
+He had got it in the first encounter, but though he felt some pain he
+would not make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed it against his
+will. He saw that some of the men, having already got many good things,
+would seize any chance to escape further danger. But the blood that
+filled our very footprints greatly dismayed our company, who could not
+believe that one man could lose so much blood, and live.
+
+“Even those who were willing to risk more for so good a booty would in
+no case risk their Captain’s life. So they gave him something to drink
+to recover him, and bound his scarf about his leg to stop the blood.
+They also entreated him to be content to go aboard with them, there to
+have his wound searched and dressed, and then to return on shore again
+if he thought good.
+
+“This they could by no means persuade him to, so they joined force
+with fair entreaty, and bore him aboard his pinnace. Thus they gave
+up a rich spoil only to save their Captain’s life, being sure that,
+while they enjoyed his presence and had him to command them, they might
+recover enough of wealth. But if once they lost him they should hardly
+be able to get home again. No, nor keep that they had got already.
+Thus we embarked by break of day, having besides our Captain, many of
+our men wounded, though none slain but one trumpeter. And though our
+surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies and salves for their
+wounds, yet the main care of the Captain was respected by all the rest.
+
+“Before we left the harbour, we took with little trouble the ship of
+wine for the greater comfort of our company. And though they shot at
+us from the town we carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals. Here we
+cured our wounded men, and refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens
+which we found there abounding with great store of dainty roots and
+fruits. There was also great plenty of poultry and other fowls, no less
+strange than delicate.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+FORT DIEGO
+
+
+After the return to the ship Captain Rance departed. But Drake had a
+new plan in his head; he meant to attack Cartagena, the capital of
+the Spanish Main. Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they found
+that the townsfolk had been warned that Frenchmen and Englishmen were
+about. Drake took possession of a large ship that was outward bound.
+But the townsfolk, hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their bells,
+fired their cannon, and got all their soldiers out. Next morning
+Drake took two more ships near the harbour, one of which was bound to
+Cartagena with a letter of warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake sent
+his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so ended his first attempt upon
+Cartagena.
+
+He saw that the coasts were aware of his presence. Yet he did not
+want to go away till he had discovered the Maroons; for his faithful
+negro, Diego, had told him that they were friendly to him as the
+enemy of Spain. This search might take time, and must be done in the
+smaller boats, which were swifter and could explore the rivers. He had
+not enough of men both to sail the boats and the pinnaces; so he now
+decided to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse of the other.
+In this way his pinnaces would be properly manned, and he could stay
+as long as he liked. This was accordingly done. For fifteen days the
+big ship lay hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the Spaniards think
+they had left the coast. Here Drake kept the men busy trimming and
+cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the ground, and building huts. Diego
+the negro was a very good builder, and knew the ways of the country
+well. The men played, too, at bowls and quoits, and shooting with
+arrows at targets. The smiths had brought forges from England and set
+them up. Every now and again the pinnaces crept out to sea to plunder
+passing ships. Much food was put away in different storehouses to
+serve till they had “made their voyage,” as they said, or “made their
+fortunes,” as we should say.
+
+Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe harbour, they moved to a new
+place, which they fortified and called Fort Diego. They now prepared to
+wait five months, because the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards
+carried no treasure by land during the rainy months. They were not
+idle during these months, for the ship and fort were left in charge of
+John Drake, while Captain Drake and John Oxenham went roving in the
+pinnaces. They had many adventures, being in some peril in their small
+boats, and always at the mercy of the weather, while at one time they
+were almost starving. Some of the men got ill with the cold and died,
+for they had little shelter on board. When they got back to the ships
+they found all things in good order; but they received the heavy news
+of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s brother, a young man of great
+promise.
+
+“Our Captain then resolved to keep close and go no more to sea, but
+supplied his needs, both for his own company and the Maroons, out of
+his storehouse. Then ten of our company fell down sick of an unknown
+disease, and most of them died in a few days. Later, we had thirty
+men sick at one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake, another of his
+brothers, died in our Captain’s arms.
+
+“We now heard from the Maroons, who ranged the country up and down for
+us, to learn what they might for us, that the fleet had arrived from
+Spain in Nombre de Dios. The Captain prepared to make his journey by
+land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon the charge of the ship and company
+and the Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised by the Maroons what
+provisions to prepare for the long and great journey, what kind of
+weapons, what store of victuals, and what kind of clothes. He was to
+take as many shoes as possible, because they had to pass so many rivers
+with stone and gravel. Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few were
+left to keep the ship, attend the sick, and guard the prisoners.
+
+“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February the third. At his departure
+our Captain gave this Master strict charge, in any case not to trust
+any messenger that should come in his name with any tokens, unless
+he brought his handwriting. This he knew could not be copied by the
+Maroons or the Spaniards.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS
+
+
+There were forty-eight men of the party, of whom eighteen only were
+English. The Maroons carried arms and food, and got more food with
+their arrows from time to time. Every day they began to march by
+sunrise, and rested in the heat of the day in shelters made by the
+Maroons. The third day they came to a little town or village of the
+Maroons, which was much admired by the sailors for its beauty and
+cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says the story, “they have no kind
+of priests, only they held the Cross in great awe. But by our Captain’s
+persuasions, they were contented to leave their crosses and to learn
+the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught something of God’s worship.”
+
+They begged Drake to stay with them some days, but he had to hasten
+on. Four of the best guides amongst the Maroons marched on ahead, and
+broke boughs to show the path to those that followed. All kept strict
+silence. The way lay through cool and pleasant woods.
+
+“We were much encouraged because we were told there was a great Tree
+about half way, from which we could see at once both the North Sea,
+from whence we came, and the South Sea, whither we were going.
+
+“The fourth day we came to the height of the desired hill, a very high
+hill, lying east and west like a ridge between the two seas. It was
+about ten of the clock. Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took our
+Captain by the hand, and prayed him to follow him if he wished to see
+at once two seas, which he had so greatly longed for.
+
+“Here was that goodly and great high Tree, in which they had cut
+and made various steps to get up near the top. Here they had made a
+convenient bower, where ten or twelve men might easily sit. And here
+we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the Atlantic Ocean, whence
+we now came, and the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired. South
+and north of the Tree they had felled certain trees that the prospect
+might be clearer.
+
+[Illustration: The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
+from the tree-top]
+
+“Our Captain went up to this bower, with the chief Maroon. He had,
+because of the breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day. And he saw
+that sea of which he had heard such golden reports. He prayed Almighty
+God, of His goodness, to give him life and leave to sail once in an
+English ship in that sea! Then he called up the rest of our men, and
+specially he told John Oxenham of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased
+God to grant him that happiness. He, understanding it, protested that,
+unless our Captain did beat him from his company, he would follow him,
+by God’s grace! Thus all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,
+came down, and after our repast continued our ordinary march through
+the woods.”
+
+The last part of the march was through high pampas grass. But now they
+began to get glimpses of Panama, and could at last see the ships in the
+harbour. Now the march had to be more secret and silent than ever, till
+at length they lay hidden in a grove near the high road from Panama to
+Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon was despatched, clothed as a negro
+of Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the town and learn when the
+treasure was to be taken from the King’s Treasure-house in Panama to
+Nombre de Dios. This journey to Venta Cruz was always made by night,
+because of the heat and toil of walking through the pampas grass. But
+from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they travelled always by day and not
+by night, because the way lay through fresh, cool woods. The mules were
+tied together in long trains, and guarded, if possible, by soldiers,
+for fear of the Maroons.
+
+The spy brought back news in the afternoon that a certain great man
+intended to go to Spain by the first ship, and was going that night
+towards Nombre de Dios with his daughter and family. He had fourteen
+mules, of which eight were laden with gold and one with jewels. There
+were also two other trains of fifty mules each, mostly laden with food,
+and with a little silver, which were to come out that night also. Upon
+hearing this they marched until they came to within two leagues of
+Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with half his men on one side of the
+way, about fifty paces off, in the long grass. John Oxenham, with
+the captain of the Maroons and the other half of the men, lay on the
+other side of the road at the same distance. In about half-an-hour’s
+time they could hear the mules both coming and going from Venta Cruz
+to Panama, where trade was lively when the fleet was there. The sound
+of the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore carried far in the
+still night. The men had been strictly charged not to stir or show
+themselves, but let all that come from Venta Cruz pass by quietly, for
+they knew the mules brought nothing but merchandise from there. But
+one of the men, called Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy without
+water,” and forgot himself, and with a Maroon went close to the road.
+
+“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz, well mounted, with his page
+running at his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look, though the
+Maroon, more cautious, pulled him down and tried to hide him. But by
+this time the gentleman had noticed that one half of him was white, for
+we had all put our shirts over our other clothing that we might be sure
+to know our own men in the pell-mell in the night. The cavalier put
+spurs to his horse, and rode away at a gallop to warn others.
+
+“The ground was hard and the night was still, and our Captain heard
+this gentleman’s trot change to a gallop. He suspected that we were
+discovered, but could not imagine by whose fault, nor had he time to
+search. The gentleman, as we heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,
+who, fearing Captain Drake had come to look for treasure on land,
+turned his train of mules aside from the way, and let the others which
+were coming pass on. Thus, by the recklessness of one of our company,
+and by the carefulness of that traveller, we were disappointed of a
+most rich booty. But we thought that God would not let it be taken, for
+likely it was well gotten by that Treasurer.
+
+“The other two mule trains, which came behind that of the Treasurer,
+were no sooner come up to us than we stayed and seized on them. One of
+the chief carriers, a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by what
+means we were discovered, and counselled us to shift for ourselves
+betimes, for we should encounter the whole force of the city and
+country before day would be about us.”
+
+Drake and his men were little pleased at the loss of their golden
+mule-trains, for they had only taken two horse-loads of silver. It was
+the more provoking that they had been betrayed by one of their own men.
+There was no help for it, and Drake never “grieved at things past,” so
+they decided to march back the nearest way. Pedro, the chief of the
+Maroons, said he “would rather die at Drake’s foot than leave him to
+his enemies.” When they got near Venta Cruz, they turned back the mules
+with their drivers. Outside the town the soldiers met them, and a fight
+took place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.
+
+“The soldiers shot off their whole volley, which, though it lightly
+wounded our Captain and several of our men, caused death to one only
+of our company, who was so powdered with hail-shot that we could not
+recover his life, though he continued all that day afterwards with us.
+Presently, as our Captain perceived their shot to come slacking, like
+the last drops of a great shower of rain, he gave his usual signal with
+his whistle, to answer them with our shot and arrows.
+
+“The Maroons had stept aside at first for terror of the shot. But
+seeing that we marched onwards they all rushed forward, one after
+the other, with their arrows ready in their bows, and their manner of
+country dance or leap, ever singing, _Yo Pehò! Yo Pehò!_ and so got
+before us. They then continued their leap and song, after the manner of
+their country wars, till they and we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,
+now thoroughly encouraged, when they saw our resolution, broke in
+through the thickets near the town’s end, and forced the enemy to fly.
+Several of our men were wounded, and one Maroon was run through with
+one of their pikes, but his courage and mind served him so well that he
+revenged his own death ere he died, by giving him that deadly wound.”
+
+So they entered the town, and stayed there some hours for rest and
+refreshment, and the Maroons were allowed to carry away some plunder.
+At sunrise they marched away, for they had been gone from the ship
+nearly a fortnight, and had left the company weak and sickly. Drake
+marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary and disappointed men with
+brave promises, but in the hurried march they had often to go hungry.
+Three leagues from the port the Maroons had built a camp or village
+while they were away, and here they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had
+been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed he was the more willing to
+consent, that our want of shoes might be supplied by the Maroons, who
+were a great help to us. For all our men complained of the tenderness
+of their feet, and our Captain himself would join in their complaint,
+sometimes without cause, but sometimes with cause indeed, which made
+the rest to bear the burden more easily. These Maroons did us good
+service all the time they were with us. They were our spies on the
+journey, our guides, our hunters, and our house-wrights, and had
+indeed able and strong bodies for carrying our necessities. Yea, many
+times when some of our company fainted with sickness of weariness, two
+Maroons would carry him with ease between them, two miles together;
+and at other times, when need was, they would show themselves no less
+valiant than industrious, and of good judgment.
+
+“From this town our Captain despatched a Maroon with a token and a
+certain order to the master. He, all those weeks, kept good watch
+against the enemy, and shifted in the woods for fresh food, for the
+relief and recovery of our men left on board.”
+
+When the messenger reached the shore he hailed those on the ship, who
+quickly fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s token, the golden
+toothpick, and gave the message, which was to tell the master to meet
+him at a certain river. When the master looked at the toothpick, he saw
+written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.” Then he believed the messenger,
+and prepared what provision he had, and repaired to the mouth of the
+river. About three o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace, and
+there was double rejoicing. The wanderers seemed strangely changed in
+face and plight to those who had lived in rest and plenty on board
+ship. Drake, indeed, was less so than the others. The fasting and hard
+marches had done much, but still more “their inward grief, for that
+they returned without that golden treasure they hoped for, did show her
+print and footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was determined to repeat
+the attempt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+HOME AGAIN
+
+
+Drake well knew that delay and idleness would soon spoil the spirits
+of his men, so he at once divided them into two companies, under
+himself and John Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces in different
+directions and seek for food and plunder. Some of the Maroons were
+dismissed with gifts, and the rest remained with a few men on board
+ship. The Governor of Panama had warned the towns so well that it was
+useless to attempt them at present. Drake, in the _Minion_, took a
+frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat lighter, to go on its way.
+John Oxenham, in the _Bear_, took a frigate well laden with food of all
+kinds. Drake was so pleased with this ship, which was strong and new
+and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war in place of the sunken
+ship. And the company were heartened with a feast and much good cheer
+that Easter Day.
+
+Next day the pinnaces met with a French captain out of Newhaven, whose
+ship was greatly distressed for want of food and water. Drake relieved
+him, and the captains exchanged gifts and compliments. The French
+captain sent Drake “a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged to Henry
+the Third of France, and had in return a chain of gold and a tablet.
+This captain brought them the news of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s
+Day, and said he thought “those Frenchmen the happiest who were
+furthest from France, now no longer France but Frenzy.” He had heard
+famous reports of their riches, and wanted to know how he also could
+“make his voyage.” They resolved, after consultation, to take him and
+twenty of his men to serve for halves. They now sent for the Maroons.
+
+A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen, fifteen Englishmen, and some
+Maroons. They sailed with a frigate and two pinnaces towards a river
+called Rio Francisco, to the west of Nombre de Dios. There was not
+enough water to sail the frigate, so she was left in charge of a
+mariner to await the return of the pinnaces. They went on, and landed
+both captains with their force. Those in charge of the pinnaces were
+ordered to be there the fourth day without fail. The land party went on
+through the woods towards the high road from Panama to Nombre de Dios,
+where the mules now went daily. They marched, as before, in silence.
+They stayed all night a mile from the road, in great stillness, and
+refreshed themselves. They could hear the carpenters working on their
+ships, which they did at nights because of the fierce heat of the day.
+Next morning, the 1st of April, they heard such a number of bells that
+the Maroons rejoiced exceedingly, and assured them they should now have
+more gold and silver than they could carry away. And so it came to pass.
+
+For three trains appeared, one of fifty mules and two of seventy each,
+and every mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver, amounting to nearly
+30 tons. The leaders of the mules were taken by the heads, and all the
+rest lay down, as they always do. The fifteen soldiers who guarded each
+train were routed, but not before they had wounded the French captain
+sorely, and slain one of the Maroons. They took what silver and gold
+they could carry, and buried the rest in the burrows made in the earth
+by the great land crabs under old fallen trees, and in the sand and
+gravel of a shallow river.
+
+After two hours they marched back through the woods, but had to leave
+the French captain to rest and recover from his wound. Two of his men
+willingly stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman was found to be
+missing. He had got drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder, and
+lost himself in the woods. They afterwards found he was taken by the
+Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture, revealed to them where the
+treasure was hidden.
+
+When they reached the river’s mouth, they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at
+sea, which had come out to search the coasts. This made them fear their
+own pinnaces were taken. But a storm in the night forced the Spaniards
+to go home, and also delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind was so
+contrary and so strong that they could only get half way. For this
+reason they had fortunately been unseen by the Spaniards.
+
+“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared lest they had taken our
+pinnaces, and compelled our men by torture to confess where his ships
+and frigate were. In this great doubt and perplexity the company
+feared that all means of returning to their country were cut off, and
+that their treasure would then serve them to small purpose. But our
+Captain comforted and encouraged us all, saying: ‘We should venture no
+further than he did. It was no time now to fear, but rather to haste to
+prevent that which was feared. If the enemy have prevailed against our
+pinnaces (which God forbid!), yet they must have time to search them,
+time to examine the mariners, time to execute their resolution after
+it is determined. Before all those times be taken, we may get to our
+ships, if ye will, though not possibly by land, because of the hills,
+thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us, therefore, make a raft with
+the trees that are here in readiness, as offering themselves, being
+brought down to the river happily by this last storm, and let us put
+ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will be the other?’
+
+“John Smith offered himself, and two Frenchmen that could swim very
+well desired they might accompany our Captain, as did the Maroons
+likewise. They had prayed our Captain very earnestly to march by land,
+though it was a sixteen-days’ journey, in case the ship had been
+surprised, that he might abide with them always. Pedro was most eager
+in this, who was fain to be left behind because he could not row.
+
+“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a sail of a biscuit-sack was
+prepared; an oar was shaped out of a young tree to serve instead of a
+rudder, to direct their course before the wind.
+
+“At his departure, our Captain comforted the company by promising
+‘that, if it pleased God he should put his foot in safety on board his
+frigate, he would, by one means or other, get them all on board, in
+spite of all the Spaniards in the Indies!’
+
+“In this manner pulling off to sea, he sailed some three leagues,
+sitting up to the waist continually in water, and up to the armpits at
+every surge of the waves, for the space of six hours upon this raft.
+And what with the parching of the sun and what with the beating of salt
+water, they had all of them their skins much fretted away.
+
+“At length God gave them the sight of two pinnaces turning towards
+them with much wind, but with far greater joy to him than can easily
+be guessed. So he did cheerfully declare to those three with him, that
+‘they were our pinnaces! and that all was safe, so there was no cause
+of fear!’
+
+“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the raft, nor suspecting any such
+matter, by reason of the wind, and night growing on, were forced to
+run into a cove behind the point, to take shelter for the night. Our
+Captain seeing this, and gathering that they would anchor there, put
+his raft ashore, and ran round the point by land, where he found them.
+They, upon sight of him, made as much haste as they could to take him
+and his company on board. For our Captain, on purpose to see what haste
+they could and would make in extremity, himself ran in great haste, and
+so made the other three with him, as if they had been chased by the
+enemy. And so those on board suspected, because they saw so few with
+him.
+
+“And after his coming on board, when they demanded ‘how his company
+did?’ he answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that all went scarce
+well. But he, willing to rid all doubts, and fill them with joy, took
+out of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God that ‘our voyage was
+made!’”
+
+They then rowed up the river and rescued the others, and brought back
+such of the treasure as they had been able to carry with them, and
+all returned to the ships by dawn. There Drake divided the treasure
+equally by weight between the French and the English. During the next
+fortnight everything was set in order, and the _Pascha_ given to the
+Spanish prisoners to go home in. Meanwhile a party was sent out to try
+and rescue the French captain and to seek for the buried treasure. One
+only of the Frenchmen managed to escape and was saved. Much of the
+treasure had been discovered by the Spaniards, but not all, and the
+party returned very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver and a few
+quoits of gold. The Frenchmen now left them, having got their shares of
+the treasure. The ships parted when passing close by Cartagena, which
+they did in the sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St. George on
+the main top of the frigate, with silk streamers and ancients (national
+flags) down to the water.”
+
+Later on they anchored to trim and rig the frigates and stow away the
+provisions, and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so that the Maroons
+might have the ironwork. One of the last days Drake desired Pedro and
+three of the chief Maroons to go through both his frigates and see what
+they liked. He promised to give them whatever they asked, unless he
+could not get back to England without it. But Pedro set his heart on
+the scimitar which the French captain had given to Drake; and knowing
+Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for it or praise it. But at
+last he bribed one of the company to ask for him, with a fine quoit of
+gold, and promised to give four others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but
+he wished to please Pedro, who deserved so well, so he gave it to him
+with many good words. Pedro received it with no little joy, and asked
+Drake to accept the four pieces of gold, as a token of his thankfulness
+and a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He received it
+graciously, but did not keep it for himself but caused it to be cast
+into the whole adventure, saying that “if he had not been helped to
+that place he would never have got such a thing, and it was only just
+that those who shared his burden in setting him to sea should enjoy a
+share of the benefits.”
+
+“Thus with good love and liking, we took our leave of that people. We
+took many ships during our abode in those parts, yet never burnt nor
+sunk any, unless they acted as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap
+us. And of all the men taken in those vessels, we never offered any
+kind of violence to any, after they were once come into our power. For
+we either dismissed them in safety, or kept them with us some longer
+time. If so, we provided for them as for ourselves, and secured them
+from the rage of the Maroons against them, till at last, the danger of
+their discovering where our ships lay being past, for which cause only
+we kept them prisoners, we set them also free.
+
+“We now intended to sail home the directest and speediest way, and this
+we happily performed, even beyond our own expectations, and so arrived
+at Plymouth, on Sunday about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.
+
+“And the news of our Captain’s return being brought unto his people,
+did so speedily pass over all the church, and fill their minds with
+delight and desire to see him, that very few or none remained with the
+preacher. All hastened to see the evidence of God’s love and blessing
+towards our gracious Queen and country by the fruit of our Captain’s
+labour and success.
+
+                     “TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ROUND THE WORLD
+
+
+So we see that both of Drake’s ships, the _Pascha_ and the _Swan_, were
+left behind in the West Indies, and he made a quick voyage home in the
+well-built Spanish frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for two years
+after his return to Plymouth. There is a legend that he kept on the
+seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable and unwilling to go to
+war with the King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage the sort
+of warfare that Drake and the other rovers had so successfully carried
+on against him.
+
+Such companies of adventurers as these that sailed under Drake and
+Hawkins did a large part of the work of the navy in the time of
+Elizabeth. The country was saved the expense which private persons were
+willing to pay to furnish the ships. The Queen herself is known to
+have shared in the expenses and plunder of some such expeditions, and
+so she thriftily laid up treasure in England’s empty money-chests. But
+some of her older councillors disliked exceedingly this way of getting
+rich, and would rather it had been done openly in war, or not at all.
+
+To Drake it seems to have been a very simple affair. He wished, in the
+first place, as the old book says, “to lick himself whole of the damage
+he had received from the Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion to
+the Spaniards, but not to the French or to the natives of the West
+Indies. And Drake considered his own cause so just that he never made
+a secret of his doings. He went at his own risk, for should he be
+taken by the enemy his country had no power to protect him, as she was
+not openly at war with Spain. But, on the other hand, he was secretly
+encouraged, and his gains were immense.
+
+In the second place, Drake wished to attack and injure the Roman
+Catholic faith whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen had told
+him that this was a lawful aim. How earnestly he believed it we can
+see from the story, where he tried to persuade the Maroons to “leave
+their crosses,” which to him were the sign of the hated religion. The
+terrible tale of the massacre of the Protestants on St. Bartholomew’s
+Day told him by the French captain (who himself fell into the hands of
+the Spaniards, as we have seen), must have inflamed this feeling in
+his soul and in those of his men. It made them more eager than ever to
+fight the enemies of their own faith.
+
+Then, too, the Spaniards founded their rights to own the New World
+upon a grant from one of the Popes; and the English, now no longer
+Catholics, denied his power to give it, and claimed the right for
+themselves to explore and conquer and keep what share they could get.
+
+The King of Spain looked upon Drake as a pirate, but he could not find
+out how far he had been secretly encouraged by Elizabeth, and Drake
+was not punished, in spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But he was
+prevented from sailing away again on a voyage of discovery, though his
+friends and brothers went, and among them John Oxenham, who was hanged
+as a pirate by the Spaniards because he had no commission or formal
+leave from the Queen or the Government to trade in the West Indies.
+
+During this interval Drake took service in Ireland, under the Earl of
+Essex, furnishing his own ships, “and doing excellent service both by
+sea and land at the winning of divers strong forts.” The work he took
+a part in was as harsh and cruel as any that was ever done by fire and
+sword to make Ireland more desolate. Here he met Thomas Doughty, one of
+the household of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier, who became
+his friend, and sailed with him on his next voyage.
+
+The story of this voyage is told under the name of “The World
+Encompassed,” and in it Drake is said “to have turned up a furrow about
+the whole world.” In 1520 Magellan had discovered the passage south of
+America from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, since called by his
+name. Many adventurers had tried to follow him, but all their efforts
+had ended in disaster, and the Straits had an uncanny name among
+sailors, and “were counted so terrible in those days that the very
+thoughts of attempting them were dreadful.”
+
+Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships--the _Pelican_, which was
+his flagship, the _Elizabeth_, the _Marigold_, the _Swan_, and the
+_Christopher_. They took a hundred and sixty men and plentiful
+provisions and stores for the long and dangerous voyage. They also took
+pinnaces which could be set up when wanted. Nor did Drake forget to
+“make provision for ornament and delight, carrying to this purpose with
+him expert musicians, rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,
+yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being of pure silver).”
+
+They started on November 15, 1577, but were forced by a gale to put
+back into Plymouth for repairs, and started out again on December 13.
+The sailors were not told the real aim of the voyage, which was to
+“sail upon those seas greatly longed for.” They were too full of fears
+and fancies. The unknown was haunted in their minds with devils and
+hurtful spirits, and in those days people still believed in magic.
+
+They picked up several prizes on their way out, notably a large
+Portuguese ship, whose cargo of wine and food was valuable to the
+English ships. Drake sent the passengers and crew on shore, but kept
+the pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account of the voyage, and
+was most useful, as he knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s main
+cares on this voyage, we are told, was to keep the fleet together as
+much as possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh the men, “wearied
+with long toils at sea,” as often as possible. He decided to lessen
+the number of the ships, for “fewer ships keep better company,” and he
+looked for a harbour to anchor in.
+
+“Our General,” says the book, “especially in matters of moment, was
+never one to rely only on other men’s care, how trusty or skilful
+soever they might seem to be. But always scorning danger, and refusing
+no toil, he was wont himself to be one, whosoever was a second, at
+every turn, where courage, skill, or industry was to be employed.
+Neither would he at any time entrust the discovery of these dangers to
+another’s pains, but rather to his own experience in searching out and
+sounding of them.”
+
+So in this case Drake himself went out in the boat and rowed into the
+bay. The _Swan_, the _Christopher_, and the prize were sacrificed,
+their stores being used for the other ships.
+
+On the 20th of June they anchored in a very good harbour, called by
+Magellan Port St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the land, and in
+this place Magellan is supposed to have executed some disobedient and
+rebellious men of his company. In this port Drake began to “inquire
+diligently into the actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and found them
+not to be such as he looked for.”
+
+(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill Drake or desert him, and take
+his place as commander, or at any rate to force him to go back, to the
+ruin of the voyage.)
+
+“Whereupon the company was called together, and the particulars of the
+cause made known to them, which were found partly by Master Doughty’s
+own confession, and partly by the evidence of the fact, to be true.
+Which when our General saw, although his private affection to Master
+Doughty (as he then in the presence of us all sacredly protested)
+was great; yet the care he had of the state of the voyage, of the
+expectation of her Majesty, and of the honour of his country, did more
+touch him (as indeed it ought) than the private respect of one man. So
+that the cause being thoroughly heard, and all things done in good
+order, as near as might be to the course of our laws in England, it was
+concluded that Master Doughty should receive punishment according to
+the quality of the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but patience for
+himself, desired before his death to receive the Communion, which he
+did, at the hands of our minister, and our General himself accompanied
+him in that holy action....
+
+“And after this holy repast, they dined also at the same table
+together, as cheerfully, in sobriety, as ever in their lives they had
+done aforetime, each cheering up the other, and taking their leave, by
+drinking each to other, as if some journey only had been in hand.
+
+“And the place of execution being ready, he having embraced our
+General, and taken his leave of all the company, with prayer for
+the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet sort laid his head to
+the block, where he ended his life. This being done, our General
+made various speeches to the whole company, persuading us to unity,
+obedience, love and regard of our voyage. And to help us to this,
+he willed every man the next Sunday following to prepare himself to
+receive the Communion, as Christian brethren and friends ought to do,
+which was done in very reverent sort, and so with good contentment
+every man went about his business.”
+
+On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still continued, Drake ordered
+the whole ships’ companies ashore. They all went into a large tent, and
+the minister offered to make a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”
+said Drake, “I must preach this day myself, although I have small skill
+in preaching.... I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing up hath not
+been in learning.”
+
+He then told them that for what he was going to say he would answer
+in England and before her Majesty. He and his men were far away from
+their country and friends, and discords and mutiny had grown up among
+them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it doth take my wits from
+me to think on it. Here is such quarrels between the sailors and the
+gentlemen as it doth make me mad to hear it. But, my masters, I must
+have it left [off], for I must have the gentleman to haul and draw with
+the mariner, and the mariner with the gentleman. What, let us show
+ourselves all to be of a company, and let us not give occasion to the
+enemy to rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would know him that
+would refuse to set his hand to a rope, but I know there is not any
+such here....”
+
+He then offered to send any home that liked in the _Marigold_, a
+well-furnished ship; “but let them take heed that they go homeward, for
+if I find them in my way I will surely sink them, therefore you shall
+have time to consider here until to-morrow; for by my troth I must
+needs be plain with you now.”
+
+“Yet the voice was that none would return, they would all take such
+part as he did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,” they were told
+to forget the past, and “wishing all men to be friends, he willed them
+to depart about their business.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+ROUND THE WORLD (_continued_)
+
+
+On the 20th of August the three ships entered the Straits of Magellan.
+Before the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of black stars,” of Cape
+Virgins, at the entrance against which the beating seas looked like
+whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the Queen. The name of the
+_Pelican_ also was changed to the _Golden Hind_ in remembrance of
+Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher Hatton, whose crest was
+a golden hind. In sixteen days they reached the “South Sea,” Drake
+himself having rowed on ahead of the fleet with some of his gentlemen
+to find out the passage. He had meant to land, and leave “a monument of
+her Majesty graven in metal,” which he had brought with him for that
+purpose, but there was no anchoring, as the wind did not let them stay;
+for a fearful storm arose and separated the ships, and threatened to
+send them all to the bottom of the sea. The _Marigold_, indeed, went
+down with all hands, and the _Elizabeth_, “partly by the negligence of
+those that had charge of her, partly through a kind of desire that some
+in her had to be out of all those troubles and to be at home again,
+returned back the same way by which they came forward, and so coasting
+Brazil, they arrived in England on June 2nd the year following.” So
+that now, as the story quaintly says, the other ship, if she had been
+still called the _Pelican_, would indeed have been a pelican alone in
+the wilderness. Never did they think there had been such a storm “since
+Noah’s Flood,” for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was driven south
+of the continent of America. At this time it was generally believed
+that another great continent stretched to the south of the Straits,
+which was called the unknown land, “wherein many strange monsters
+lived.” And now, when Drake had discovered this idea to be false,
+their troubles ended for the time, the storm ceased, but they were in
+great grief for the loss of their friends, and still hoped to meet the
+missing ships again.
+
+They sailed northwards along the coast of America till they landed
+on an island to get water. Here they were treacherously attacked by
+Indians, who took them to be the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who
+were in the boat were all wounded, and Drake’s faithful servant, Diego
+the negro, died of his wounds, and one other. Drake himself was shot in
+the face under the right eye, and badly wounded in the head. They were
+in the worst case, because the chief doctor was dead, and the other in
+the _Elizabeth_. There was none left them but a boy, “whose goodwill
+was more than any skill he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and “the
+putting to of every man’s help,” all were cured in the end.
+
+They sailed on, and having picked up a friendly Indian who served as
+a pilot, they reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship which was
+lying in the harbour was seized, and then the town and the Spaniards
+discovered that Drake had reached the shores of the Pacific. On the
+coast the ship was trimmed and the pinnace put together, in which Drake
+himself set out to search the creeks and inlets where the ship could
+not sail. Grief for the absence of their friends still remained with
+them. Still searching for the lost ships, they sailed northwards on
+to Lima, where they got the news that a great Spanish ship had sailed
+from there a fortnight before, laden with treasure. Drake at once gave
+chase, hoping to take her before she reached Panama. The first man who
+sighted her was promised a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken and
+captured off Cape San Francisco. She was “the great glory of the South
+Sea,” and laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all of which the
+English took. After six days the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat
+lighter than before,” to Panama. To the master of the ship, Saint
+Juan de Anton, he gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with the
+missing English ships.
+
+“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth God that you should chance to
+meet with this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you use him well,
+according to my word and promise given unto them. And if you want
+anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray you pay
+them double the value for it, which I will satisfy again, and command
+your men not to do any hurt; desiring you, for the Passion of Christ,
+if you fall into any danger, that you will not despair of God’s mercy,
+for He will defend you and preserve you from all danger, and bring us
+to our desired haven, to whom be all honour, glory, and praise for
+ever and ever. Amen.--Your sorrowful Captain, whose heart is heavy for
+you,--FRANCIS DRAKE.”
+
+The next prizes captured yielded treasure of a different kind, though
+equally precious. These were some charts with sailing directions,
+taken from two China pilots. The owner of the next large Spanish ship
+captured by Drake has left an interesting account of him.
+
+He says that “the English General is the same who took Nombre de Dios
+five years ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and his name is Francis
+Drake. He is about thirty-five years of age, of small size, with a
+reddish beard, and is one of the greatest sailors that exist, both
+from his skill and his power of commanding. His ship is of near four
+hundred tons, sails well, and has a hundred men all in the prime of
+life, and as well trained for war as if they had been old soldiers of
+Italy. Each one is specially careful to keep his arms clean. He treats
+them with affection and they him with respect. He has with him nine
+or ten gentlemen, younger sons of the leading men in England, who form
+his council. He calls them together on every occasion and hears what
+they have to say, but he is not bound by their advice, though he may
+be guided by it. He has no privacy; those of whom I speak all dine
+at his table, as well as a Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from
+England, but who never spoke a word while I was on board. The service
+is of silver, richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He has, too,
+all possible luxuries, even to perfumes, many of which he told me were
+given him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen sits down or puts on
+his hat in his presence without repeated permission. He dines and sups
+to the music of violins. His ship carries thirty large guns and a great
+quantity of ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can do necessary
+repairs. He has two artists who portray the coast in its own colours,
+a thing which troubled me much to see, because everything is put so
+naturally that any one following him will have no difficulty.”
+
+Drake wished to find his way home by the north of America into the
+Atlantic. But in this he was not successful, for the weather was very
+severe, and tried the men too much; meanwhile, they found a convenient
+haven in a little bay above the harbour of San Francisco, and now known
+as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a month, repairing a leak in the
+ship and refreshing the men. They then set sail, and saw nothing but
+air and sea for sixty-eight days, till they reached some islands. These
+they named the “Islands of Thieves,” on account of the behaviour of the
+natives. In November they came to the islands of the Moluccas, where
+Drake had a splendid reception.
+
+They then sailed on till they arrived at a little island, which they
+called the “Island of Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and set up
+forges to repair the ironwork of the ship and the iron-hooped casks.
+Those that were sickly soon grew well and strong in this happy island.
+
+On the 9th of January the ship ran aground on a dangerous shoal, and
+struck twice on it; “knocking twice at the door of death, which no
+doubt had opened the third time.”
+
+Nothing but instant death was expected, and the whole ship’s company
+fell to praying. As soon as the prayers were said, Drake spoke to the
+men, telling them how they must think of their souls, and speaking of
+the joys of heaven “with comfortable speeches.” But he also encouraged
+them to bestir themselves, and he himself set the example, and got
+the pumps to work, and freed the ship of water. The ship was fast
+upon “hard and pinching rocks, and did tell us plain she expected
+continually her speedy despatch as soon as the sea and winds should
+come ... so that if we stay with her we must perish with her.” The
+other plan, of leaving her for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse than
+a thousand deaths.”
+
+After taking the Communion and listening to a sermon, they eased the
+ship by casting goods into the sea--“three ton of cloves, eight big
+guns, and certain meal and beans”; making, as an old writer says, a
+kind of gruel of the sea round about. After they had been in this state
+from eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next afternoon, all in a
+moment the wind changed, and “the happy gale drove them off the rocks
+again, and made of them glad men.”
+
+The rest of the homeward voyage was less adventurous, and on the 18th
+of June they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a most stately thing, and
+the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth.”
+
+On the 26th of September they “safely, and with joyful minds and
+thankful hearts, arrived at Plymouth, having been away three years.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+SIR FRANCIS
+
+
+It was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake returned from his three years’
+voyage. Wynter had brought the news home that Drake had entered the
+Straits of Magellan, but since then only vague rumours of his death at
+the hands of the Spaniards had reached England. Had he met such a fate,
+Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and his party at Court would not
+have been sorry; for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid a war
+with Spain.
+
+This was more to be dreaded than ever, as at the death of the King of
+Portugal Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions, and was
+now the most powerful prince in Europe, since he owned the splendid
+Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only warships for the protection
+of his treasure-ships, and they could not be spared. He was now known
+to be preparing, in his slow way, a great Armada.
+
+But Drake had not been hanged for a pirate, and this the Spaniards
+knew very well. They clamoured for the restoration of his plunder, or
+the forfeit of his life. At this time an army of Italian and Spanish
+soldiers, under the command of a famous Spanish officer, had been
+landed in Ireland to help the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against
+Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said to have been sent by the
+orders of the Pope. Finding the prospects of success too poor, the
+Spanish officer withdrew his men, and they escaped by sea; but the
+Italian soldiers, who numbered 600, were overpowered by the English,
+and all except a few officers, who could pay a ransom, were slaughtered
+in cold blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a secret blow in
+Elizabeth’s fashion was met by her with cruelty as relentless as his
+own; but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse for refusing to make an
+inquiry into Drake’s doings in the West.
+
+“The news of his home-coming in England was,” we are told, “by this
+his strange wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange, and of all men
+held impossible and incredible. But both proving true, it fortuned
+that many misliked it and reproached him. Besides all this there were
+others that devised and divulged” (made up and spread about) “all
+possible disgraces” (base charges) “against Drake and his followers,
+terming him the Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet nevertheless the
+people generally with exceeding admiration applauded his wonderful long
+adventures and rich prize.”
+
+Drake at once sent a message to tell the Queen of his return. He was
+told he had nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court. He took with
+him some horseloads of gold and silver and jewels. The Queen treated
+him with great favour, and refused to take the advice of Burghley and
+others, who wished to send the treasure back to Spain. Unlike them
+she took her share of the profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had
+brought for her. “But it grieved him not a little,” we are told, “that
+some prime courtiers refused the gold he offered them, as gotten by
+piracy.” He and his men had made golden fortunes.
+
+The Spanish Ambassador naturally “burned with passion” against Drake,
+and considered his presence at Court an insult to his king. “For he
+passes much time with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by whom he is
+highly favoured.”
+
+It was an insult Philip still felt himself unable to avenge. Elizabeth
+had made a fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best generals knew
+the difficulties of an attack on England thus strengthened. Besides,
+the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping, were his desperate enemies; for
+they were fighting for faith and country and freedom, and to do this
+makes bold soldiers. So Philip the prudent had to content himself with
+making plans for his great Armada.
+
+Meantime Drake sunned himself in the Court favour, and books and
+pictures and songs were made in his praise.
+
+The _Golden Hind_ was brought ashore at Deptford, and became a resort
+for sightseers. But in spite of much patching she became so old that
+she had to be broken up, and the last of her timbers were made into a
+chair, which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library. So the ship ends
+her days far away from the sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs
+that used to make merry and dance on her decks.
+
+[Illustration: SIR FRANCIS DRAKE]
+
+On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State visit to the ship, and
+ordered that it should be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was
+served on board, and there, before the eyes of hundreds of onlookers,
+Elizabeth knighted the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that the
+King of Spain had demanded Drake’s head, and now she had a gold sword
+to cut it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the Spaniards, who were
+still raging over their stolen treasure.
+
+But there were some not in Spain who also thirsted for revenge upon
+Drake. Thomas Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving foe. The case
+was never brought to Court or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote
+a letter in which he said “that when the Queen did knight Drake she did
+then knight the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the foulest thief,
+and the crudest murderer that ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him
+to try and murder Drake. We hear that he was put in prison, and we
+never hear of his release.
+
+In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth. In 1583 his wife died. He was
+then a member of Parliament. Two years later he married Mary Sydenham.
+He never had any children.
+
+The Queen now appointed Drake among others to inquire into the state
+of the navy; he was to see to the repairing of ships, to the building
+of new ones, and to the means of furnishing them with stores in case of
+sudden war. From this time onwards the thought of a Spanish invasion
+was a constant fear in the minds of the English people. But Philip
+was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling to be the first to begin a war.
+Elizabeth changed her mind and her plans in a way that must have
+been maddening to the men who did her work. One good result of her
+indecision was that England was better prepared for the invasion. In
+those long years of private warfare money had been gathering, and the
+navy made strong and ready for work. But for men of action, who like
+to make a plan and stick to it, and go through with it at all costs,
+Elizabeth’s delays and recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.
+
+In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English corn-ships trading in his own
+ports. Then, at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition against the
+Spanish settlements was got ready and sent out. He had about thirty
+ships, commanded by some of the most famous captains of the time, men
+like Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards fought against the
+Armada. His general of the soldiers was Christopher Carleill, “a man of
+long experience in wars both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards
+said to direct the service “most like a wise commander.” Drake’s ship
+was the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_.
+
+After a week spent in capturing ships, the fleet anchored at the Bayona
+Islands, off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona was forced to make terms.
+He sent “some refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes, and
+marmalade, and such like.” The people, filled with terror, were seen to
+remove their possessions into boats to go up the Vigo River, inland,
+for safety. Many of these were seized; most of them were loaded only
+with household stuff, but one contained the “church stuff of the high
+church of Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair embossed work
+and double-gilt all over, having cost them a great mass of money.”
+
+The fleet now went on its way by the Canary Islands. When Santiago was
+reached, Carleill landed with a thousand troops and took possession
+of the fortress and the town, for both had been forsaken. Here they
+planted the great flag, “which had nothing on it but the plain English
+cross; and it was placed towards the sea, that our fleet might see St.
+George’s Cross flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were found ready
+loaded in various places about the town, and orders were given that
+these should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s Majesty’s Coronation
+day, being the 17th of November, after the yearly custom in England.
+These were so answered again by the guns out of all the ships in the
+fleet, as it was strange to hear such a thundering noise last so long
+together.” No treasure was taken at Santiago, but there was food and
+wine. The town was given to the flames in revenge for wrongs done to
+old William Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.
+
+They had not been many days at sea before a mortal sickness suddenly
+broke out among the men. They anchored off some islands, where the
+Indians treated them very kindly, carried fresh water to the ships, and
+gave them food and tobacco. The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used
+against the infection of the mysterious sickness which was killing the
+men by hundreds. They passed Christmas on an island to refresh the sick
+and cleanse and air the ships.
+
+Then Drake resolved, with the consent of his council, to attack the
+city of St. Domingo, while his forces were “in their best strength.”
+This was the oldest and most important city in the Indies, and was
+famous for its beauty and strength. It had never been attempted before,
+although it was so rich, because it was strongly fortified.
+
+Some boats were sent on in advance of the fleet. They learned from a
+pilot, whose boat they captured, that the Castle of St. Domingo was
+well armed, and that it was almost impossible to land on the dangerous
+coast; but he showed them a possible point ten miles from the harbour.
+In some way Drake had sent messages to the Maroons, who lived on the
+hills behind the town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the soldiers
+were landed, Drake himself steering a boat through the surf. The
+Maroons met them, having killed the Spanish watchman.
+
+“Our General, having seen us all landed in safety to the west of that
+brave city of St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing us to God
+and the good conduct of Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”
+
+The troops divided and met in the market-place; and as those in the
+castle were preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the sea, they were
+surprised from behind by the soldiers marching upon them with flags
+flying and music playing. The fleet ceased firing while the fate of the
+town was decided in a battle. By night Drake was in possession of the
+castle, the harbour, and shipping. One of the ships captured they named
+the _New Year’s Gift_.
+
+But after all there was little of the fabled treasure to be found. The
+labour in the gold and silver mines had killed the native Indians, and
+the mines were no longer worked. There was plenty of food and wine to
+be had, woollen and linen cloth and silk. But there was little silver;
+the rich people used dishes of china and cups of glass, and their
+beautiful furniture was useless as plunder. The town had to pay a large
+sum of money for its ransom, and the English stayed a month, and fed at
+its expense, and took away with them guns and merchandise and food and
+numbers of galley-slaves, whom they set free.
+
+Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main, was the last town to be
+taken, and it had been warned. It had natural defences, which made
+it very difficult to attack. Drake, as we know, had been there
+before, and often, since then, he must have dreamed of taking it. He
+triumphantly steered his fleet by a very difficult channel into the
+outer harbour. He then threatened the fort with his guns while the
+soldiers were secretly landed by night. They made their way to the town
+by the shore, “wading in the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned
+stakes which had been placed in the ground in readiness for them. They
+also routed a company of horse soldiers sent out from the fort, as the
+place where they met was so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for
+horses. So they pushed on till they made a “furious entry” into the
+town, nor paused till the market-place was won, and the people fled
+into the country, where they had already sent their wives and children.
+
+A large price or ransom was paid for this town, equal, it is said, to a
+quarter of a million of our money; but it was far less than Drake had
+at first demanded. But “the inconvenience of continual death” forced
+them to go, for the sickness was still taking its prey from among the
+men, and it also forced them to give up an attempt upon Nombre de
+Dios and Panama. The voyage had been disappointing in the matter of
+plunder. Most of the treasure had been taken away from the towns before
+the English came, and many of the officers had died.
+
+They considered the idea of remaining in Cartagena and sending home for
+more troops. They would have had a fine position; but they decided that
+their strength was not enough to hold the town and also man the fleet
+against a possible attack by the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser
+ransom was accepted; the officers offering to give up their shares to
+the “poor men, both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured their
+lives against the great enemy.” They then returned to England, only
+stopping to water the ships. They landed again at St. Augustine, on the
+coast of Florida, where they destroyed a fort and took away the guns
+and a pay-chest containing two thousand pounds.
+
+“And so, God be thanked, we in good safety arrived at Portsmouth the
+28th of July 1586, to the great glory of God, and to no small honour to
+our Prince, our Country, and Ourselves.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+CADIZ
+
+
+When Drake returned to England, it was to hear the news of the
+“Babington plot.” This was a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, and to
+place Mary of Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was beheaded. In
+Philip’s eyes the time had at last become ripe for an invasion of
+England. Now that Mary was dead, there was less danger of France and
+Scotland joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant of John of Gaunt,
+could put in a claim that the throne of England, at the death of
+Elizabeth, should come to himself or his daughter.
+
+The Armada was getting ready to sail in the summer. In April, however,
+Drake was sent out again with a small fleet. His flag-ship was again
+the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_. His second in command was William Borough.
+
+His orders were “to prevent the joining together of the King of Spain’s
+fleet out of their different ports. To keep victuals from them. To
+follow them in case they should come out towards England or Ireland. To
+cut off as many of them as he could, and prevent their landing. To set
+upon the West Indian ships as they came or went.”
+
+But no sooner was he instructed than the Queen changed her bold orders
+to milder ones. He was not to enter any port by force, nor to offer
+violence to any towns, or ships in harbour. But Drake had got away to
+sea without the second orders, and acted on the first.
+
+He had heard that the ships were gathering in Cadiz harbour, and there
+he decided boldly to seek for them. The outer and inner harbours of
+Cadiz were crowded with shipping, most of which was getting ready for
+the invasion of England. Drake’s fleet sailed in, routed the defending
+galleys, and made havoc among the ships, about thirty-seven of which
+were captured, burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging to the
+Marquis of Santa Cruz. They carried away four ships laden with wine,
+oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing thence,” as Drake says, “at
+our pleasure, with as much honour as we could wish.” They were chased
+by Spanish galleys, which did little harm, for the wind favoured the
+English as they sailed away from Cadiz.
+
+The Spaniards thought Drake had gone to stop the treasure fleet. But
+Drake wished to stop the Armada, which was a much greater affair.
+He knew now that Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at Lisbon.
+Ships were gathering in the north of Spain. Recalde, one of the best
+Spanish commanders, was waiting with a small fleet off Cape St. Vincent
+to protect the treasure fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big ships had
+escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour. The ships were to meet in Lisbon,
+where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and food.
+
+Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and took his ships safely into
+Lisbon. Drake resolved to secure the station he had left. This
+was the castle of Sagres, near Cape St. Vincent. His own officers
+were staggered with the boldness of his plan, and Borough solemnly
+protested. He had urged caution before Cadiz harbour; again he pleaded
+for a council of war. He was of an older school of seamen than Drake,
+and was horrified at the ways of the man who was born, as it has been
+said, “to break rules.”
+
+Drake was most indignant at his action, and put him under arrest, while
+Borough expected daily that “the Admiral would have executed upon me
+his bloodthirsty desire, as he did upon Doughty.”
+
+[Illustration: Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle]
+
+After reading the accounts of Drake in the stories of the different
+voyages, we can understand how his men adored his spirit, and flocked
+to his ship to serve under his flag. To them there was something
+magical, and to the Spaniards something uncanny, in his luck. The
+English called him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish called him “the
+Devil.” But some of the officers who served with him must have liked
+him less. He made his plans swiftly, and generally well; but the doing
+of them had to be swift and sure. Like many great men he knew he was
+right, but could not stop to reason or argue about his course. He acted
+upon the instinct of his genius, with a sure and shining faith in
+himself, which must have been hateful to smaller men. In the days
+of his later voyages, when he had not the undivided control of his
+expedition, he failed, as he never did when he was alone, “with the
+ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once said.
+
+The taking of the castle of Sagres seemed almost an impossibility, so
+well did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the fort. Drake himself
+commanded the attack on land, and in the end helped to carry and pile
+the faggots against the castle gate. The commander was slain, and then
+the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took possession of one of the best
+places on the coast of Spain for ships to anchor and get water.
+
+Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken and burnt fifty ships laden
+with wood and hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa Cruz was waiting
+to make his water-casks. The loss of these did much damage to the
+Armada, and helped to ruin it.
+
+On the 10th of May, having disarmed the fort of Sagres by throwing
+the big guns over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought his fleet to
+anchor in Cascaes Bay, south of Lisbon. He seems to have judged Lisbon
+too strong to attack from the sea. He was prepared to “distress the
+ships” had they come out; and he offered battle to Santa Cruz, who,
+however, was short of powder and shot, and had no ships ready as yet
+for action.
+
+So Drake went back to Sagres to clean his ships and refresh his men.
+He then sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the ships, and on the
+few that were left the men were anxious to go home. The ship on which
+Borough was still a prisoner deserted. Drake believed that Borough was
+responsible for this; and, though he was beyond reach, in his anger
+Drake sentenced him, with his chief officers, to death as mutineers.
+
+Drake went on with his nine remaining ships, and came upon a splendid
+prize, the big _San Felipe_, the greatest ship in all Portugal, richly
+laden with spice, china, silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This
+prize was valued at nearly a million pounds; and, besides, she carried
+secret papers of great value concerning the East India trade.
+
+On the 26th of June, Drake returned home after his brilliant campaign.
+Santa Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him, but it was too late.
+
+Borough was not found guilty by the court of law where Drake accused
+him; but his grief of mind endured long. Some time after, he wrote
+that “he was very fain to ease it as he might, hoping in good time he
+should.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE GREAT ARMADA
+
+
+Drake’s raid upon the Spanish coast made it impossible for the Armada
+to sail in 1587. But after waiting so long Philip made his preparations
+with an almost feverish haste. The death of his great general, Santa
+Cruz, hindered his plans very much. Santa Cruz was a commander of
+experience and renown, and the man most fitted, both by his rank and
+his qualities, to undertake “the enterprise of England.”
+
+The man chosen to succeed him was the Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose
+exalted rank seems to have been his chief claim to the difficult place
+into which he was thrust by Philip. He had no desire to take the place;
+he wrote to Philip and told him quite simply that he was no seaman, and
+knew little about naval fighting and less about England. But he was
+ordered to take the fleet into the English Channel and take possession
+of Margate. He was then to send ships to bring the Duke of Parma and
+his army in safety to England, when Parma was to assume the command of
+the expedition.
+
+But, after all, the Armada was not ready to sail till July 1588, and
+the months between then and January were filled by the English with
+preparations for defence. They had to face the difficulties, much
+greater then than now, of keeping both men and ships on the seas, and
+yet fit for action. Life on board ship tried the men very severely. We
+have seen how often sickness broke out among the sailors if they were
+kept long to their crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding of both
+navies seems to have been a task of great difficulty. This was due to
+the hurried demand for vast quantities of stores, such as biscuit and
+salt meat The Spaniards, too, owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost
+their water-casks, and had to depend on new ones of unseasoned wood,
+which leaked.
+
+Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was made Lord High Admiral
+of England, and Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John Hawkins his
+Rear-Admiral. With them served many other famous men, such as Fenner,
+Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour, and many younger men from noble
+families. All were working hard, with spirits stretched to an unusual
+pitch of endurance. In the letters they wrote about the business in
+hand to the Queen and her Ministers of State there is a note of high
+courage and defiance; and a distant echo comes down to us from the
+dim old letters of all the stir and bustle as the men gathered to the
+ships, and of the hum of excitement about the clamouring dockyards. The
+shipwrights were working day and night Lord Howard says he has been on
+board every ship “where any man may creep,” and thanks God for their
+good state, and that “never a one of them knows what a leak means.” Sir
+William Wynter tells how badly the ships had suffered in the winter
+storms, but adds: “Our ships doth show themselves like gallants here. I
+assure you it will do a man’s heart good to behold them; and would to
+God the Prince of Parma were upon the seas with all his forces, and we
+in the view of them; then I doubt not but that you should hear we would
+make his enterprises very unpleasant to him.”
+
+The ships are always spoken of like live creatures, and their personal
+histories are well known and remembered. Lord Howard says of his Ark
+(which was bought of Sir Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray you
+tell her Majesty from me that her money was well given for the Ark
+_Ralegh_, for I think her the odd (only) ship in the world for all
+conditions; and truly I think there can no great ship make me change
+and go out of her.” And again: “I mean not to change out of her I am in
+for any ship that ever was made.”
+
+Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship the _Revenge_” which was so
+famous then and afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes from on board
+“the _Elizabeth Bonaventure_, the fortunate ship where Sir Francis
+Drake received all his good haps.” Howard and Drake, with other
+commanders of experience, were of one mind; they wanted to go out and
+meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain, and so prevent the Spanish
+fleet from ever reaching England.
+
+Howard pressed this opinion as that of men whom the world judged to
+be the wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was unwilling to send the
+fleet away, and she still talked of making peace.
+
+Both the Spaniards and the English were persuaded that God was
+fighting with them. Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that as
+the cause was the cause of God, he could not fail. In England Drake
+was saying that “the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote to the
+Queen: “God mightily defend my gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;
+not doubting that all the world shall know and see that her Majesty’s
+little army, guided by the finger of God, shall beat down the pride of
+His enemies and hers, to His great glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon
+our enemies as necessarily the enemies of God.
+
+Howard’s letters show a very noble mind. He grudged no time or labour
+in the ordering of his fleet, down to the smallest matters. He is full
+of care for the mariners, and is anxious that they should be well paid
+and fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the other seamen of greater
+experience than himself.
+
+The fleet did at last go out, but was driven back by the winds; and
+suddenly, after the fret and worry and strain of all those months,
+there is a pause, and Howard writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you
+with any long letter; we are at this present otherwise occupied than
+with writing. Upon Friday, at Plymouth, I received intelligence that
+there was a great number of ships descried off the Lizard: whereupon,
+although the wind was very scant, we first warped out of harbour that
+night, and upon Saturday turned out very hardly, the wind being at
+south-west; and about three of the clock in the afternoon, descried
+the Spanish fleet, and did what we could to work for the wind, which
+by this morning we had recovered.... At nine of the clock we gave them
+fight, which continued until one.... Sir, the captains in her Majesty’s
+ships have behaved themselves most bravely and like men hitherto, and
+I doubt not will continue, to their great commendation.... Sir, the
+southerly wind that brought us back from the coast of Spain brought
+them out.”
+
+William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth, writes that the “Spanish fleet
+was in view of this town yesternight, and the Lord Admiral passed to
+the sea and out of sight.” They could see the fleets fighting, the
+English being to windward of the enemy. He was sending out men as fast
+as he could find ships to carry them.
+
+There is a legend that Drake and his officers were playing bowls on
+Plymouth Hoe when the news that the Armada was in the Channel was
+brought to him by the captain of a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his
+game, the story says, saying there was time to do that and to beat the
+Spaniards too.
+
+As the Spanish ships lay in the English Channel, blinded with the mist
+and rain, the Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen of Falmouth
+were brought away who had that evening seen the English fleet go out of
+Plymouth, “under the charge of the English Admiral and of Drake.”
+
+The Spaniards had come out ready to fight in the old way, in which they
+had won so many brilliant victories. They had always fought their naval
+battles with great armies on great ships, much as they would fight on
+land. The soldiers despised big guns, and liked better the bravery of a
+close fight, “with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The sailors were not
+prepared to fight at all, but with the help of slaves they sailed the
+big galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm of smaller troop-ships
+and store-ships that swelled the numbers of the fleet which carried an
+army.
+
+[Illustration: Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe]
+
+The numbers of the ships on both sides are now said to have been
+not so very unequal. If the Spaniards could have fought in their own
+way, they must have been easily victorious. But the English had got the
+wind at their back and the enemy in front of them, and being better
+masters of their ships, they had the choice, and they chose to fight
+at a distance, and never to board the big ships till they were already
+helpless.
+
+Their ships were newer, and built on different lines, and could sail
+faster. They were smaller than our modern men-of-war, but carried more
+guns for their size. They were, as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and
+of good steerage, so that the English did with them as they desired.
+And our ships being very heavy compared with the lightness of those of
+the enemy, it was impossible to come to hand-stroke with them.”
+
+The English ships were manned with sailors and gunners who could both
+sail the ships and fight the enemy. The guns were fired at the hulls
+of the Spanish ships and not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which was
+harder to aim at.
+
+The fleets met on the 21st of July, and there followed a week of
+fighting and of disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the news of their
+coming up the Channel came to those on shore, who watched beside the
+beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger must have seemed little
+less fearful than before. Those who viewed the “greatness and hugeness
+of the Spanish army” from the sea, considered that the only way to move
+them was by fire-ships.
+
+Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently through the dangers
+of the Channel; he anchored outside Calais to await the answer to the
+urgent messages he had sent to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know, the
+“Narrow Seas” were well watched by the English, and they were so helped
+by the Dutch that Parma never reached the shores of England.
+
+Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and sent down upon the Spanish
+fleet, “all burning fiercely. These worked great mischief among the
+Spanish ships (though none of them took fire), for in the panic their
+cables and anchors were slipped.”
+
+The great fight took place off Gravelines, on the Flemish coast, where
+most of the scattered ships of the Armada had drifted in the general
+confusion. The English hastened to take advantage of this confusion,
+while Sidonia was forming his fleet again into battle order. They “set
+upon the fleet of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the _Revenge_)
+and gave them a sharp fight,” while Lord Howard stopped to capture a
+helpless ship, the finest, they said, upon the sea. “And that day, Sir
+Francis’ ship was riddled with every kind of shot.”
+
+The fight went on from nine in the morning till six at night, when the
+Spanish fleet bore away, beaten, towards the north. Howard says that
+“after the fight, notwithstanding that our powder and shot was well
+near all spent, we set on a brag-countenance and gave them chase as
+though we had wanted nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had cleared
+our own coast and some part of Scotland of them.”
+
+Drake was appointed to follow the fleet, and he writes, “We have the
+army of Spain before us, and mind, with the grace of God, to wrestle
+a pull with him. There was never anything pleased me better than the
+seeing the enemy flying with a southerly wind to the northwards. God
+grant you have a good eye to the Duke of Parma: for with the grace of
+God, if we live, I doubt it not but ere it be long so to handle the
+matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he shall wish himself at St. Mary
+Port among his orange trees.”
+
+At the end of this letter he says, “I crave pardon of your honour for
+my haste, for that I had to watch this last night upon the enemy.” And
+in another letter to Walsingham he signs himself, “Your honour’s most
+ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping Francis Drake.”
+
+Many of the Spanish ships, being so crippled, were wrecked in stormy
+weather off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which were unknown to
+them, and thus the more dangerous. Not half of those who put out to
+sea ever reached Spain again. Many men were killed in battle or died
+of their wounds, and they were the most fortunate, for others were
+drowned, or perished miserably by the hands of the natives of the
+coasts. Some who escaped were put to death by the Queen’s orders, and
+some lingered in the foul prisons of that time. The instinct of savage
+cruelty revives, even in highly civilised races, in time of war, and
+spreads, like an infection.
+
+[Illustration: Fighting the Great Armada]
+
+We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder taken from the Spanish
+prisoners, of the brave looks of the vanished host, that included
+the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry. There were “breeches and
+jerkins of silk, and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold lace,
+a pair of breeches of yellow satin, drawn out with cloth of silver,
+a leather jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over with a gold and
+silver lace, a jerkin embroidered with flowers, and a blue stitched
+taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume of feathers.”
+
+For some time England was haunted by fears that the Armada would return
+to her coasts, or that Parma would avenge himself. But the reports of
+the many wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish soldiers eased this
+present anxiety. And it was well, for fever and sickness broke out
+in the English ships, and the men were dying in hundreds, “sickening
+one day and dying the next,” as the letters say. The ships had to be
+disinfected and many of the men dispersed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+EXPEDITION TO LISBON
+
+
+The great Armada was scattered, and yet the English did not feel secure
+from their enemy. The sight of that fleet so near their shores in “its
+terror and majesty,” and the memory of its vast army of well-drilled
+soldiers, left a feeling of deep uneasiness in the minds of wise men.
+“Sir,” writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind, safe find. A kingdom
+is a great wager. Sir, you know security is dangerous: and had God not
+been our best friend, we should have found it so. Some made little
+account of the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant you, all the
+world never saw such a force as theirs was....”
+
+Fortune had favoured England this time, but what if Philip built newer
+and lighter ships, and really succeeded in landing his army? They did
+not as yet know that Philip had no money to build his ships with, and
+rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.
+
+The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered great loss and a crushing
+defeat to their pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything that
+they already had, but only failed to get something they wanted very
+badly to have, and the second kind of loss matters far less than the
+first.
+
+But, on the other hand, if the English had been defeated, it is
+difficult to think how darkly their history might have been changed.
+It was this thought that made the wise men sober in the midst of the
+national joy and exultation. They saw how much England, as an island,
+must depend for strength and defence upon her navy, and they saw this
+much more clearly than before. But Drake had seen it for a long time.
+And he had seen something more. He had seen that the English navy must
+be ready and able to protect her merchant ships by distressing and
+attacking her enemies abroad, and that this was a means of keeping the
+enemy so busy abroad that he could not invade the peace of England at
+home.
+
+Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction of Philip’s navy,
+now so much crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented to a new
+expedition being fitted out, and appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir
+Francis Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two men had fought together
+in Ireland. “Black John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a famous
+fighting family, and had served in the Lowlands and in France with high
+courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion he had been made chief
+of the land forces. It is said that in one battle he went on fighting
+after three horses had been killed under him. With him went his brother
+Edward, and a famous Welsh captain, Sir Roger Williams, was his second
+in command.
+
+The objects of the expedition were: first, to distress the King of
+Spain’s ships; second, to get possession of some of the islands of the
+Azores in order to waylay the treasure ships; and, lastly, to try to
+recover for Don Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.
+
+Money for this expedition was raised from every possible source. The
+Queen gave six royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food, and arms. The
+forces were made up of soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make their
+fortunes in war, and English and Dutch sailors and recruits, most of
+whom were pressed. With this large but mixed army the generals prepared
+to face the best-trained soldiers in Europe.
+
+As usual, there were many delays. The ships were not ready to go out,
+and much of the food was consumed before they started. More was not to
+be had, though Drake and Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for
+supplies. The Queen had already begun to regard the expedition with
+disfavour. Some days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl of Essex,
+her latest Court favourite, had slipped away to sea with Sir Roger
+Williams on the _Swiftsure_. He was tired of a courtier’s life, and
+wanted to breathe freer air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The
+Queen was very angry, and sent orders for his arrest, accusing Drake
+and Norreys of aiding his escape. But they declared they knew nothing
+of his plans.
+
+About this time some Flemish ships appeared in Plymouth harbour laden
+with barley and wine, and Drake seized their cargoes in the Queen’s
+name to victual his fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather was
+so rough that several of the ships containing troops were unable to get
+beyond the Channel, but even with lesser numbers the crews were short
+of food before they reached Spain.
+
+Philip was very ill at this time, and in grave anxiety. He knew
+that Drake and the English ships might land on his coasts, that the
+French might cross the mountains with an invading force, and that the
+Portuguese might arise in rebellion to win back the crown for Don
+Antonio. This last danger seemed to Philip the most urgent, and Drake
+guessed this, and landed his men on the north-west coast at Corunna.
+
+In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s orders to distress the
+King’s ships, and also, no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry
+crews for food and plunder. The lower town of Corunna was taken, and
+much wine and food consumed and much wasted. The townsfolk were routed
+and put to the sword, and their houses burned. An attempt to take the
+upper town failed, but the English were the victors in a sharp battle
+which took place some miles from the town, and they thus secured their
+retreat to the ships and sailed away.
+
+The presence of Drake on the coasts caused great panic, for his name
+and luck had become a terror to the people. Philip felt deeply
+insulted that such an attack should be made “by a woman, mistress of
+half an island, with the help of a pirate and a common soldier.” In
+Spain, as we have seen, the command was always given to gentlemen of
+high birth and breeding and title.
+
+Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet first sighted some of the
+missing ships, and also the _Swiftsure_ with the missing Earl, who had
+“put himself into the journey against the opinion of the world, and,
+as it seemed, to the hazard of his great fortune.” The _Swiftsure_ had
+taken six prizes off Cape St. Vincent.
+
+The two generals had from the first wished to go straight to Lisbon,
+and it is thought that if they had done so, and thus given the
+Spaniards no warning of their coming, they might have had success.
+But they were hindered by the Queen’s orders to destroy the shipping
+now collected in the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander. After
+leaving Corunna, however, they decided in council not to attempt that
+port, both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the conditions did not
+favour an attack.
+
+They landed next at the Portuguese town of Peniche, which lies about
+fifty miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to land on the surf-bound
+coast, and some of the boats were upset and battered. At last, Essex
+sprang into the waves and waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed
+the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus surprised, willingly surrendered
+to Antonio as his lawful king, “The king” soon had a following of
+peasants and friars, but neither nobles nor soldiers came to help him.
+He was eager to march to Lisbon, where he thought he was sure of a
+welcome. Norreys resolved to march there overland. Drake, it is said,
+would have liked better to attack the town from the sea in his usual
+daring but successful fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the
+day; and leaving some ships at Peniche, Drake promised, if he could,
+to bring the fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth of the river
+Tagus, south of Lisbon.
+
+There, when he arrived, he waited, not liking to venture up the river
+without knowing where the soldiers were, and not liking to quit the
+sea, where he could give them the means of retreat if necessary.
+For this he was very much blamed by the soldiers at the time, and
+afterwards when he got home. The point is still disputed.
+
+Meanwhile the army was encamped outside the walls of Lisbon, but
+they never got inside. The Portuguese refused to join Don Antonio’s
+party, and the Spanish governor kept the gates shut in a grim and
+heroic defence. The English sailors were sick and hungry; they had had
+no exercise on board ship to keep them healthy, and were exhausted
+with the heat. The stores and guns were on the ships with Drake. So,
+reluctantly, they left the suburbs of Lisbon and marched to Cascaes,
+where they embarked, not without some loss, and sailed away.
+
+While they were still disputing in the councils, a fleet of German
+ships were sighted, and most of them secured. They were carrying corn
+and stores to Spain, against the rules of war, which bind countries not
+concerned in the quarrel to help neither foe. So the English seized
+sixty ships and the stores, both of which had been destined to furnish
+the new Armada of Spain.
+
+Next came into view some English ships with supplies, but also with
+angry letters from the Queen; in answer to which Essex was sent home
+bearing the news that the expedition, though diminished by sickness and
+death, still meant to sail to the Azores.
+
+On June the 8th a wind had scattered the fleet, and suddenly left it
+becalmed. The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off four English ships.
+
+The winds continued to prevent the fleet from going towards the Azores,
+and all this time hundreds of sick and wounded men were dying. After
+seventeen days at sea, they landed at the town of Vigo and burned it,
+and laid waste the country round. At length storms and sickness and
+ill-fortune drove them home, and the expedition, woefully shrunken,
+straggled miserably back. Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some
+years later. The English had done a considerable amount of damage, but
+at great cost to themselves; for the loss of life was terrible, and
+that of money very considerable. Both Norreys and Drake were called
+upon to account for their failure, and at the time Drake got the most
+of the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly judged because failure had
+never come near him before, and his successes had always been so
+brilliant. His best friends at Court were dead, and for five years he
+was not asked to act in the Queen’s service. So five years of his life
+which should have been the most active were spent in retirement, if not
+actually in “disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes.”
+
+The war was carried on upon the old lines of distressing the King’s
+ships, but with very poor success. After Drake’s voyage round the
+world, which encouraged other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the
+Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully guarded. This was done by
+strongly fortifying the coast stations, by providing an armed escort,
+and a service of light ships, which went frequently to and fro with
+letters of advice and warning from the Indies to Spain.
+
+Drake had ruined this defence in 1585, and in 1588 again many of the
+guard-ships had to be used in the service of the Armada. A really
+strong English fleet might at this time have stayed the treasure, but
+Philip continued to gather in his gold, and also began, with splendid
+patience, to rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron was sent
+out under Lord Thomas Howard, and the great battle of Sir Richard
+Grenville on the _Revenge_ was fought, “the fight of the one and the
+fifty-three,” with the loss of that ship and the victory of the Spanish
+fleet. The Queen made a fighting alliance with Henry the Fourth of
+France, who was the enemy of Philip, and this she felt would help to
+keep him out of England. Philip was now trying to establish a fortified
+station on the north coast of Brittany, from which his new Armada might
+be despatched.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+THE LAST VOYAGE
+
+
+Drake had settled in Buckland Abbey, which he had bought from Sir
+Richard Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish ships for some
+of the different excursions against Spain, and he spent much time on
+schemes to improve Plymouth. He paid to have pure water brought to the
+town from many miles away; he had flour-mills built, that the sailors
+might have good biscuits provided for them, and he overlooked the
+work of fortifying Plymouth, and making it in all ways a strong naval
+station.
+
+As the danger of a fresh invasion by Philip grew more threatening,
+Drake was called to Court again, and it was about this time that he
+gave to the Queen his written story of the voyage to Nombre de Dios.
+
+In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged for the Indies, and after the
+usual bewildering indecision at Court, and difference of views and
+plans (delays that proved fatal to an excursion whose proper nature was
+to be swift and secret, and above all things powerful), on August 28,
+1598, Sir Francis Drake started on his last voyage.
+
+The story of the expedition begins by saying that “the Spaniard leaves
+no means untried to turn the peace of England into a cursed thraldom,
+and this is shown by his attempts, and also by his greedy desires to be
+our neighbour in Brittany, to gain so near us a quiet and safe road for
+his fleet. So the forces were sent to invade him in that kingdom from
+whence he has feathers to fly to the top of his high desires.
+
+“The invasion was glorious spoken of long before it was sent, and Sir
+Francis Drake was named General. For his very name was a great terror
+to all in those parts, and he had done many things in those countries
+to his honourable fame and profit. But entering into them as the Child
+of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed and peremptory (despotic)
+command was doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as it should seem,
+to join Sir John Hawkins as second in command. He was an old, wary man,
+and so leaden-footed” (or slow in action) “that Drake’s meat would be
+eaten before his was cooked. They were men of such different natures
+that what one desired the other commonly opposed. The journey had so
+glorious a name that crowds of volunteers came to them, and they had
+to discharge such few as they had pressed. Yet many times it was very
+doubtful if the voyage would be made, till at last the news came of a
+ship of the King of Spain, which was driven into Puerto Rico with two
+millions and a half of treasure. So her Majesty commanded them to haste
+their departure, which they did with twenty-seven ships.”
+
+The generals began to disagree soon after. Drake wanted to begin with
+an attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins thought it unnecessary and
+unwise; and, as the story says, “the fire which lay hidden in their
+stomachs began to break forth.”
+
+It was five years since Drake had fought with his old enemies. He did
+not know how much stronger the Spanish defence at sea had become,
+owing to the lessons he had given them, nor how complete Philip had
+made the protection of the traffic and the treasure-ships. He was to
+see this first at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and failed, to
+make one of his old surprise visits.
+
+The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the 29th of October, for water,
+at Guadeloupe. The _Delight_ was the last of the ships to arrive the
+next day, and she brought news that the _Francis_, a small ship of the
+company, was taken by five Spanish ships, which had been sent out by
+Philip to bring home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico. This was a great
+misfortune, because Sir John Hawkins had made known to all the company,
+“even to the basest mariners,” the places whither they were bound,
+naming Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama. Now the Spaniards would
+learn this from their prisoners, and at once send warning to the coasts.
+
+Drake wanted to give chase at once, but Hawkins was old and cautious,
+and desired to stay and mount his guns, take in water, set up his
+pinnaces, and make all things ready to meet the Spaniards.
+
+And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was sickly, Sir Francis being
+loath to breed his further disquiet.” It took four days to make those
+preparations, and always the sickness of Sir John increased. On the
+12th of October Drake brought the fleet up by a secret way to Puerto
+Rico, and about three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins died.
+
+In the evening, as Drake sat at supper, his chair was shot from under
+him, and two of his officers received their death wounds from the
+Spanish guns. The ships had to move away. The next night the English
+made a desperate effort to fire the five ships that had come for the
+treasure. Four of them were set alight, but only one was burnt, and by
+the great light she gave the Spaniards “played upon the English with
+their ordnance and small shot as if it had been fair day,” and sunk
+some of the boats.
+
+Next day Drake, undaunted by failure, determined to try and take his
+whole fleet boldly into the harbour and storm the place. But the
+Spaniards, guessing his desperate intention, and fearing his great
+courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise and armed, as they
+were, and so, at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for the English.
+
+Drake took counsel with the soldiers as to the strength of the place,
+but most of them thought it too great a risk, though one or two were
+for trying it. “The General presently said: ‘I will bring you to twenty
+places far more wealthy and easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went on
+the 15th. And here,” says the teller of the story, “I left all hope of
+good success.”
+
+On the way to Nombre de Dios they stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where
+Drake had first been wronged by the Spaniards. This town they took with
+little difficulty, and some treasure was won.
+
+On December 27th they were at Nombre de Dios, which they took with
+small resistance. But the people had been warned, and had fled and
+hidden their treasure, and the town was left very bare. So they
+resolved to “hasten with speed to Panama.” The soldiers were under the
+command of Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a brave fighter against
+the Spaniards before now in Holland and France. They started to go
+to Panama by the old road well known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed
+with the ships and burned the town. He was about to sail nearer the
+river when news came that the soldiers were returning. The road was
+only too strongly defended now, and Baskerville’s men were driven back
+with severe loss. They were a small force, and weak with the long march
+through heavy rains; their powder was wet and their food scarce and
+sodden, and Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This march,” says the
+story, “had made many swear that they would never buy gold at such a
+price again.”
+
+Drake, being disappointed of his highest hopes, now called a council to
+decide what was to be done. All the towns had been forewarned, and told
+“to be careful and look well to themselves, for that Drake and Hawkins
+were making ready in England to come upon them.” And now the company
+seem to have regarded their leader with some bitterness, as his brave
+promises failed, and the places that he used to know were found to be
+changed and formidable. Now they had to rely “upon cards and maps, he
+being at these parts at the farthest limit of his knowledge.” But
+still he proposed fresh places that had the golden sound of riches in
+their names, and gallant Baskerville said he would attempt both, one
+after another.
+
+But the winds drove them instead to a “waste island, which is counted
+the sickliest place in the Indies, and there died many of the men, and
+victuals began to grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who writes the
+story, “I was often private with our General, and I demanded of him
+why he so often begged me, being in England, to stay with him in these
+parts as long as himself.... He answered me with grief, protesting
+that he was as ignorant of the Indies as myself, and that he never
+thought any place could be so changed, as it were, from a delicious
+and pleasant arbour into a waste and desert wilderness: besides the
+variableness and changes of the wind and weather, so stormy and
+blustrous as he never saw it before. But he most wondered that since
+his coming out of England he never saw sail worth giving chase unto.
+Yet, in the greatness of his mind, he would, in the end, conclude with
+these words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath many things in store for
+us. And I know many means to do her Majesty good service and to make us
+rich, for we must have gold before we reach England.’
+
+“And since our return from Panama he never carried mirth nor joy in his
+face, yet no man he loved must show he took thought thereof. And he
+began to grow sickly. And now so many of the company were dying of the
+sickness, and food was getting so scarce, that at last he resolved ‘to
+depart and take the wind as God sent it.’”
+
+But the lurking fever in the swamp had done its work, and on January
+28, 1596, after a brief fight with illness and death, Drake “yielded up
+his spirit like a Christian to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”
+
+“The General being dead,” we are told, “most men’s hearts were bent to
+hasten for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s Child,’ they
+said, ‘was dead; things would not fall into their mouths, nor riches be
+their portions, how dearly soever they adventured for them.’”
+
+But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the command and took the remains of
+the fleet in his charge, and did not return home till he had met the
+Spaniards and fought a battle with them at sea.
+
+Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he burned that port, and sunk two of
+the ships no longer needed, and all the prizes. And there, a league
+from the shore, under seas, he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,
+heavily freighted with death and silence. But I like to think that his
+soul went a-roving again among the stars.
+
+                                THE END
+
+
+                  Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
+                          Edinburgh & London
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
+
+  --Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original
+    positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.
+  --Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.
+  --Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS
+DRAKE ***
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
+be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the
+United States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
+the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
+of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
+copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
+easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
+of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
+Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
+do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
+by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
+license, especially commercial redistribution.
+
+START: FULL LICENSE
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
+person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
+1.E.8.
+
+1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
+Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country other than the United States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
+on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+
+  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
+  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
+  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
+  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
+  United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
+  you are located before using this eBook.
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
+other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
+Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+provided that:
+
+* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
+  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+  Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
+  works.
+
+* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+  receipt of the work.
+
+* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
+the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
+forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
+www.gutenberg.org
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
+Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
+to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website
+and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without
+widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
+state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+
+Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
+facility: www.gutenberg.org
+
+This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
diff --git a/67864-0.zip b/old/67864-0.zip
index e5ab2c2..e5ab2c2 100644
--- a/67864-0.zip
+++ b/old/67864-0.zip
diff --git a/67864-h.zip b/old/67864-h.zip
index d51f761..d51f761 100644
--- a/67864-h.zip
+++ b/old/67864-h.zip
diff --git a/old/67864-h/67864-h.htm b/old/67864-h/67864-h.htm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52b0cf1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/67864-h.htm
@@ -0,0 +1,4330 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" />
+    <title>
+      The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Mrs. Oliver Elton&mdash;A Project Gutenberg eBook
+    </title>
+    <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" />
+    <style type="text/css">
+
+body {
+    margin-left: 10%;
+    margin-right: 10%;
+    font-size: 110%;}
+
+    h1,h2 {
+    text-align: center; /* all headings centered */
+    clear: both;}
+
+p { margin-top: .51em;
+    text-align: justify;
+    margin-bottom: .49em;
+    text-indent: 1.5em;}
+
+.ph1     {text-align: center;
+          margin-top: .51em;
+          margin-bottom: .49em;
+          font-size: xx-large;
+          font-weight: bold;
+          text-indent: 0;}
+
+.ph2     {text-align: center;
+          margin-top: .51em;
+          margin-bottom: .49em;
+          font-size: x-large;
+          font-weight: bold;
+          text-indent: 0;}
+
+hr {width: 33%;
+    margin-top: 2em;
+    margin-bottom: 2em;
+    margin-left: 33.5%;
+    margin-right: 33.5%;
+    clear: both;}
+
+.no-indent {text-indent: 0%;}
+
+hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;}
+@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} }
+hr.full {width: 40%; text-align: left; margin-left: 0; margin-top: .10em;}
+
+div.chapter {page-break-before: always;}
+h2.nobreak  {page-break-before: avoid;}
+
+table {margin-left: auto;
+       margin-right: auto;}
+
+.tdl      {text-align: left;}
+.tdr      {text-align: right;}
+.tdc      {text-align: center;}
+.tdbr     {text-align: right;
+           vertical-align: bottom;}
+.tdch     {text-align: right;
+           vertical-align: top;}
+
+.right    {margin-left: 60%;}
+
+.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 92%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    font-style: normal;
+    font-weight: normal;
+    font-variant: normal;
+} /* page numbers */
+
+.pagenum2 { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */
+    /*  visibility: hidden;  */
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 94%;
+    font-size: smaller;
+    text-align: right;
+    padding-right: 2em;}
+
+.blockquot {
+    margin-left: 15%;
+    margin-right: 15%;}
+
+.center   {text-align: center;}
+
+.right    {text-align: right;}
+
+.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
+
+.smaller   {font-size: 85%;}
+
+.adblock {margin-left: 20%;
+          margin-right:20%;}
+
+.caption  {font-weight: bold;
+           text-align: center;}
+
+.dropcap  {float:left;
+           font-size: 40px;
+           line-height: 22.5px;
+           padding-top: 2px;
+           padding-bottom: .25px;}
+
+.box     {border: solid black 1px;}
+
+.bgap    {margin-bottom: 4em;}
+
+.gap     {margin-top: 3em;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker-drop .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;}
+
+.x-ebookmaker .figcenter {width:100%}
+
+/* Images */
+
+img {
+    max-width: 100%;
+    height: auto;}
+
+.figcenter {
+    margin: auto;
+    text-align: center;
+    page-break-inside: avoid;
+    max-width: 100%;}
+
+/* Transcriber's notes */
+.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA;
+     color: black;
+     font-size:smaller;
+     padding:0.5em;
+     margin-bottom:5em;
+     margin-left: 20%;
+     margin-right: 20%;
+     font-family:sans-serif, serif;}
+
+    </style>
+  </head>
+<body>
+<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Story of Sir Francis Drake, by Letitia MacColl Elton</p>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
+are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the
+country where you are located before using this eBook.
+</div>
+
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Story of Sir Francis Drake</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>The Children's Heroes Series</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Letitia MacColl Elton</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: T. H. Robinson</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: April 18, 2022 [eBook #67864]</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
+  <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by University of California libraries)</p>
+<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE ***</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/cover.jpg" width="40%" alt="" /></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter adblock">
+<p class="no-indent">THE CHILDREN’S HEROES SERIES</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">Edited by John Lang</span></p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<p class="ph2 center no-indent"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="center no-indent">TO<br />
+CHARLES SUTHERLAND ELTON</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="Frontispiece"><img class="box" src="images/i_frontispiece.jpg" width="400" alt="Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the
+‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on board the<br />
+‘Golden Hind’ at Deptford</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<h1><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR<br />
+FRANCIS DRAKE</h1></div>
+
+<p class="center bgap">BY MRS. OLIVER ELTON<br />
+PICTURES BY T. H. ROBINSON</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 180px;">
+<img src="images/i_logo.jpg" width="180" alt="Publishers Logo"  /></div>
+
+<p class="center no-indent gap">LONDON: T. C. &amp; E. C. JACK<br />
+NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON &amp; CO.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p class="center no-indent">Printed by<br />
+<span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />
+Edinburgh<br />
+</p></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak">PREFACE</p></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="smcap">It</span> has not been possible, for lack of space,
+always to tell the old stories in the original
+words, which are, in almost all cases, the
+best. If any readers of this book can get
+a sight of two big volumes called “Drake
+and the Tudor Navy,” by Julian Corbett,
+they may consider themselves fortunate. In
+them there are the most fascinating reproductions
+of pictures of old fighting ships,
+and old charts or maps of the taking of
+Cartagena, St. Domingo, and St. Augustine
+by Drake’s ships. Here the ships are seen
+approaching and attacking; the towns are
+shown, and the soldiers, and the seas are
+full of wonderful curly monsters. The old
+charts of the invasion of the Spanish Armada
+show the shifting position of the fleets from
+day to day, and the books also contain
+many maps and a fine portrait.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="nobreak ph2">CONTENTS</p></div>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="CONTENTS">
+
+<tr><td class="tdc"><small>Chapter</small></td>
+<td>&#160;</td>
+<td class="tdl"><small>Page</small></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">I.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Philip of Spain</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">II.</td>
+<td class="tdl">“The Troublesome Voyage”</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">III.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Nombre de Dios</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">IV.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Fort Diego</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">V.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Golden Mule-trains</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VI.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Home Again</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Round the World</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">VIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Round the World (<i>continued</i>)</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">IX.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Sir Francis</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">X.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Cadiz</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XI.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Great Armada</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">Expedition to Lisbon</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdch">XIII.</td>
+<td class="tdl">The Last Voyage</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak">LIST OF PICTURES</p></div>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" summary="LIST OF PICTURES">
+
+<tr><td colspan="2">&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdr"><small>Page</small></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Queen Elizabeth knighting Drake on Board the<br />
+<i>Golden Hind</i> at Deptford</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#Frontispiece"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake carrying to Court the News of his Voyage</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo1">14</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake wounded at Nombre de Dios</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo2">22</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific<br />
+Oceans from the tree-top</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo3">30</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Sir Francis Drake</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo4">72</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo5">84</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Drake at Bowls on Plymouth Hoe</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo6">94</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdl">Fighting the Great Armada</td>
+<td>&nbsp;</td>
+<td class="tdbr"><a href="#illo7">98</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</span></p>
+<p class="nobreak ph1"><span class="smaller">THE STORY OF</span><br />
+SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br />
+<span class="smaller">PHILIP OF SPAIN</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">uring</span> the life of Francis Drake,
+Philip the Second of Spain was the
+most powerful king in Europe. Spain
+and the Netherlands belonged to him, parts
+of Italy, France, and Germany, and a great
+part of America. From Mexico, Peru, and
+the West Indian Islands Spanish ships
+sailed home with treasure of silver and
+gold, as they do in fairy tales, while
+Portuguese ships traded in Africa for
+slaves and gold and ivory, and had even
+ventured as far as the then little-known
+East Indies. Lastly, Philip added Portugal
+and its possessions to his vast inheritance,
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</span>and would have liked to hold all the world
+“for God and for Spain.” Being himself
+a good Catholic, he wished to see all men
+of that faith, and to those who did not
+believe in it he was a merciless foe, and
+he shed the blood of many martyrs.</p>
+
+<p>Now Drake hated Philip and the Pope
+more than anything in the world, as
+much as he loved England and honoured
+his own Queen Elizabeth. He spent most
+of his life in making war against the King
+of Spain in one way or another, calling it
+all, as he told Queen Elizabeth, “service
+done to your Majesty by your poor vassal
+(or servant) against your great enemy.”</p>
+
+<p>During Drake’s life wars about religion
+were raging in almost every European
+country. In France the struggle ended by
+most people remaining Catholics, just as
+England, after Elizabeth’s reign, was always
+a Protestant country. But such changes
+really take long to come about, especially
+in days when news travelled slowly, when
+there were no trains or steamships, and no
+penny newspapers.</p>
+
+<p>Francis Drake was born when Edward
+the Sixth was king, in a farmhouse near
+Tavistock in Devonshire; but while he was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span>quite a young child his father, who was a
+Protestant, had to fly from his country home,
+owing to an outbreak of anger among his
+Catholic neighbours. So the first stories
+the little Francis would hear must have
+been tales of this time of persecution, when
+many of his father’s friends had to hide
+in woods and caves, and lost all they possessed.
+From his very cradle he must have
+been taught to hate the “Papists.”</p>
+
+<p>The new home was rather a strange
+one, for the old books say Drake’s father
+went to Kent, “to inhabit in the hull of a
+ship, wherein many of his younger sons
+were born. He had twelve in all, and as
+it pleased God that most of them should
+be born upon the water, so the greater
+part of them died at sea.” The father
+seems to have been a sailor at one time,
+and he now got a place among the seamen
+of the King’s Navy, to read prayers to
+them. The Navy ships were anchored off
+Chatham when not in use, and here, in an
+old unused warship, the elder Drake and
+his family made their floating home. Here
+most of the twelve boys were born, a
+troop of merry children, and many a fine
+game they must have had on the decks.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span>The sound of wind and waves must have
+been familiar to them as they went to sleep
+at nights, and they grew up strong and
+fearless, and, living as they did among
+sailors, must have early set their hearts on
+going to sea and having adventures.</p>
+
+<p>At the death of King Edward the Sixth
+the Catholic Queen Mary began to reign,
+and Philip, then Prince of Spain, came over
+to marry her. He looked “very gallant,”
+they said, in his suit of white kid, covered
+with gold embroidery, and was followed by
+a train of splendid-looking Spanish nobles,
+and he brought quantities of gold and silver,
+borne on the backs of horses. But the
+English people hated the foreign marriage,
+and so strong was this feeling that in the
+winter before the wedding even the children
+in the streets shouted against the Spaniards
+and snowballed them as they went to Court.
+Perhaps Francis Drake and his brothers
+left their usual games to play at being
+Philip and the English, like some other
+lads, of whom we read that their play
+became so real and exciting that they were
+only just prevented from hanging the boy
+who acted the part of Philip. The King of
+Spain might have seen his son upon the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span>English throne, but this hope, like so many
+of his, was doomed to be defeated, for
+Mary died childless, and Elizabeth came to
+the throne.</p>
+
+<p>As Drake’s father was at this time a poor
+man, he put his son Francis to learn seamanship
+of the master of a bark or small
+ship that used to coast along the shore
+and sometimes carried merchandise to
+France and the Netherlands. At this time
+he must have had to suffer many hardships
+and to live a rough life, but he
+learned his business well, and “was so
+diligent and painstaking, and so pleased
+the old man his master by his industry,”
+that at his death he left his bark to Francis
+Drake.</p>
+
+<p>Later Drake grew weary of this little
+ship, that “only crept along the shore,”
+and longed for something more than such
+safe and simple voyaging, so he seems to have
+sold the bark and taken service with his
+kinsmen, the Hawkins brothers, who were
+rich merchants and owned and sailed their
+ships. And so began Drake’s roving life.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br />
+<span class="smaller">“THE TROUBLESOME VOYAGE”</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> four centuries before the sixteenth,
+in which Drake lived, have been called
+the Age of Discovery. The world widened
+before men’s eyes as new lands and seas,
+new peoples, and even new stars, became
+known to them. The little country of
+Portugal was the first to begin those
+discoveries. Her ships explored the coasts
+of Africa and traded there. One of her
+mariners discovered the passage round the
+Cape of Good Hope to India, the Spice
+Islands, and China, and for long she had
+no rival in her trade.</p>
+
+<p>About fifty years before Drake was born,
+America was discovered by Christopher
+Columbus, an Italian sailor in the service
+of Spain. The ships in use in those days
+were very different to any we see now.
+There have been three kinds of ships made,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span>ships with oars, ships with sails, and ships
+with steam. They are divided into two
+kinds, fighting ships and merchant ships.</p>
+
+<p>The old-fashioned galley was long and
+low-decked, and could be rowed or sailed.
+In the middle of the ship, between two
+platforms or upper decks, the rowers were
+chained to their seats. Three or four men
+worked each of the long oars, or <i>sweeps</i>
+as they were called. There were twenty-five
+oars or more on each side of the ship.
+The rowers or galley-slaves were generally
+prisoners taken in war, and to “be sent to
+the galleys” was a terrible fate. They lived
+on the benches, ill-fed and ill-clothed, with
+only an awning to cover them when in port,
+though the low sides of the ships protected
+them a little from the weather and from
+the fire of the enemy. Drake seems always
+to have released the slaves he took on
+Spanish galleys. Once, we are told, they
+included “Turks, Greeks, Negroes, Frenchmen,
+and Spaniards.”</p>
+
+<p>The sailors who worked the ships were
+free. The ships were always armed, at
+first with shields and spears and arrows,
+later with guns and powder. With such
+ships the Italians fought many great battles
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span>on the Mediterranean, and in such ships the
+Norsemen had invaded England and raided
+the Northern Seas; and, with his <i>caravels</i>,
+or light Spanish ships, Columbus reached
+the islands which he called the West Indies.
+In later voyages he reached the mainland
+of America, but to the day of his death he
+always believed that he had found the coast
+of Asia. Another Italian sailor, named
+Amerigo, also in the service of Spain, gave
+his name to the New World. The Italians
+had long been good sailors and ship-builders,
+and great fighters at sea, and they had the
+glory of discovering America, though they
+gained no possessions there.</p>
+
+<p>Spain, at that time the most powerful state
+in Europe, seized upon a great part of the
+new land, and found there gold and silver
+mines. The natives they first subdued and
+afterwards forced to become Christians, as
+the custom was in warfare with a Pagan
+race.</p>
+
+<p>The American Indians, however, have
+never been easy to subdue, and have always
+had an undying affection for their own way
+of life. The Spaniards found them unfitted
+for hard work in the mines. The Portuguese
+had already captured negroes in their
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span>West African settlements, and numbers of
+those were sent to America as slaves.</p>
+
+<p>From the time of Henry the Eighth the
+English were building and buying fine ships,
+and learnt to sail them so well that they
+began less and less to use the old galley
+ship with its many oars. They traded mostly
+with Spain and the Low Countries; but as
+they got better ships, and became expert
+sailors, they wanted to go farther away, to
+discover new countries and get more trade.
+They began to sail to the Canary Islands,
+to Africa, and America.</p>
+
+<p>The Hawkins family had taken a large
+part in this new activity. The elder William
+Hawkins had sailed to Brazil; and his
+son, John Hawkins, with whom Drake took
+service, made several voyages to the “Isles
+of the Canaries.” Having learnt something
+about the West Indies, he made several
+voyages there, carrying with him numbers
+of negroes to sell, whom he took, partly by
+the sword, and partly by other means, on
+the coast of Africa.</p>
+
+<p>Hawkins and the other adventurers who
+joined him brought home great riches. In
+the account of those early voyages we see
+the beginning of a quarrel with Spain, which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span>was to last through the reign of Elizabeth,
+till Philip sent his great Armada to invade
+England.</p>
+
+<p>The third and most famous voyage of
+John Hawkins to the West Indies was called
+“the troublesome voyage,” for it ended in
+disaster. It was the biggest venture that had
+yet been made by the English, and Drake
+took part in it. Hawkins sailed with six
+ships. There were two “great ships” of
+the Royal Navy&mdash;the <i>Jesus</i>, commanded by
+Hawkins himself, and the <i>Minion</i>; the
+<i>William and John</i>, named after and owned
+by the Hawkins brothers; and three smaller
+ones, the <i>Swallow</i>, the <i>Angel</i>, and the <i>Judith</i>,
+the last being under the command of Francis
+Drake.</p>
+
+<p>They got slaves in Africa and sold them
+in the West Indies, though not without
+difficulty, because the Spaniards had been
+forbidden by their king to trade with the
+English. As they were about to start on
+their way home, the ships met with fearful
+storms, and as the <i>Jesus</i> was much shattered,
+Hawkins made up his mind to seek for
+haven. They were driven at last into Vera
+Cruz, the port of the city of Mexico.
+Here they sheltered, hoping to buy food and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span>repair their fleet. Now in this very port
+lay treasure which was said to be worth
+thousands of pounds. It was waiting for
+the fleet of armed ships which was to take
+it safely back to Spain. The Spaniards were
+much dismayed to see the English ships,
+with their Portuguese ships and prisoners
+captured on the voyage, come, as they
+thought, to seize their treasure. It was
+this very danger they had feared when
+Hawkins first began his slave trade and
+disturbed the peace of the Spanish colonies.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning thirteen great ships appeared,
+and proved to be a Mexican fleet
+returning with a new Viceroy or Governor
+from King Philip. A solemn and peaceful
+agreement was made, and the Spanish
+ships were moored alongside the English
+ones, which were already in possession of
+the harbour. However, the Spaniards afterwards
+broke faith and fell upon the English,
+and a great and fierce fight took
+place, which lasted from ten in the morning
+until night. The <i>Angel</i> and the <i>Swallow</i>
+were sunk, and the <i>Jesus</i> so damaged that
+it could not be brought away.</p>
+
+<p>As the remaining ships were sailing away,
+the Spaniards sent two “fire ships” after
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span>them. This was not an unusual way of
+fighting in those days. The empty, burning
+ships were sent to try and fire the
+enemies’ ships, and were borne along, flaming,
+by the wind, an awful and terrifying
+sight. The men on the <i>Minion</i> became
+panic-stricken, and set sail without orders.
+Some of the men from the <i>Judith</i> followed
+in a small boat. The rest were forced “to
+abide the mercy of the Spaniards,” which,
+Hawkins says, he doubts was very little.</p>
+
+<p>“The same night,” he goes on, “the
+<i>Judith</i> forsook us in our great misery. In
+the end, when the wind came larger, we
+weighed anchor and set sail, seeking for
+water, of which we had very little. And
+wandering thus certain days in these unknown
+seas, hunger forced us to eat hides,
+cats and dogs, mice, rats, parrots, and
+monkeys.”</p>
+
+<p>Some of the men asked to be put on
+land, rather than risk shipwreck and starvation
+in the overcrowded boat. Hawkins
+did, in the end, get safely home, with his
+weather-beaten ship, and the survivors of
+his feeble, starving crew. But he says that,
+if all the miseries and troubles of this
+sorrowful voyage were to be written, the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span>tale would be as long as the “Book of
+Martyrs.” Some of the men that were left
+also reached England, after weary wanderings
+and years of terrible sufferings. Some
+were put to death as heretics, and others
+were sent to the galleys as slaves. Others,
+more fortunate, were sent to serve in monasteries,
+where the monks made kind and
+gentle masters.</p>
+
+<p>Five days before Hawkins reached England,
+the little <i>Judith</i> struggled into Plymouth
+Harbour with Drake and his load
+of men. William Hawkins sent him at
+once to London on horseback, “post, post
+haste,” as the old letters say. He carried
+letters to the Lords of Council, and
+to Sir William Cecil, the Chief Secretary
+of the Queen. So he rode swiftly along
+the country roads, only stopping to fling
+himself off one weary, smoking horse on
+to the back of a fresh one. The people
+would gather round him as he made the
+change, and wonder what great news was
+going to town.</p>
+
+<p>William Hawkins said in his letter: “There
+is come to Plymouth, at this present hour,
+one of the small barks of my brother’s
+fleet, and as I have neither writing nor
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span>anything else from him, I thought it good,
+and my most bounden duty, to send you
+the captain of the same bark. He is our
+kinsman, and is called Francis Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>He was to tell the whole story, and the
+Queen was to hear it. He was to tell of
+the losses of John Hawkins, and of his
+absence, which his brother says “is unto
+me more grief than any other thing in the
+world.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was much blamed at the time for
+deserting his general. It is difficult for us
+to see what he could have done. His little
+ship was crowded, and he had small store
+of food and water, and he no doubt thought
+it best to get home as soon as possible.
+His story of Spanish treachery and English
+loss must have roused the countryside.
+The excitement was at its height
+when the <i>Minion</i> appeared off Cornwall.</p>
+
+<p>A man “for goodwill” came riding to
+William Hawkins, at Plymouth, to get help.
+He sent a bark, with thirty-four mariners
+and a store of fresh food and other necessaries.
+And again letters were sent to
+London with the news. Haste! haste! post
+haste!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo1"><img class="box" src="images/i_014.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake carrying to Court the news of his voyage</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br />
+<span class="smaller">NOMBRE DE DIOS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in January 1569 that the “troublesome
+voyage” ended for Drake, and in
+the summer of that year he married a
+Devonshire girl, named Mary Newman.
+The stories of his most famous voyages
+are found in an old book, called “Sir
+Francis Drake Revived.” This was first
+printed by his descendant, another Sir
+Francis Drake, in the reign of Charles the
+First. It was written by some of the
+voyagers, and it is thought that Drake
+himself wrote part of it and corrected it.
+It is supposed that Drake presented the
+manuscript to Queen Elizabeth, for he dedicates
+it to her as the “first fruits” of his
+pen. He also says that his labours by
+land and sea were not more troublesome
+than the writing of it.</p>
+
+<p>After his losses and misfortunes in the
+Indies, it seems that Drake could get no
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span>amends from Spain, though he had lost
+both kinsmen, friends, and goods of some
+value. Queen Elizabeth could not think
+of making war with Philip. Her country
+was poor, her father’s navy was ruined.
+She had no proper army, and she had
+trouble enough on her hands in France
+and Scotland.</p>
+
+<p>Therefore Drake decided to help himself
+in what he was pleased to call his quarrel
+with the King of Spain. The old writer
+says that the story of his life shows how
+“so mean a person righted himself upon
+so mighty a prince. The one was in his
+own conceit the mightiest monarch in the
+world, the other only an English captain.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake now made two voyages that really
+prepared the way for his great and famous
+one to Nombre de Dios. He probably paid
+his expenses by plundering ships or selling
+slaves. On the 24th day of May 1572,
+Drake started with his ship, the <i>Pascha</i>, of
+Plymouth, and the <i>Swan</i>, of Plymouth, in
+which his brother, John Drake, was captain.
+They had on board seventy-three
+men and boys. All of these came willingly,
+and had not been <i>pressed</i>, or compelled
+to serve, as the custom then was.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span></p>
+<p>Drake’s ships had a very good passage,
+and never stopped till they reached one of
+the West Indian Islands, in twenty-five
+days. Here they stayed three days to refresh
+the men, and to water the ships.
+The third day they set sail for the continent.
+They steered for a bay named formerly
+by them Port Pheasant. It was a
+fine, safe harbour. As they rowed ashore
+in one boat, smoke was seen in the woods.
+Drake manned and armed the other boats.</p>
+
+<p>When they landed, it was found that a
+certain Englishman, called John Garret, of
+Plymouth, had lately been there. Some
+mariners who had been with Drake in his
+other voyages had shown him the place.</p>
+
+<p>Garret had left a plate of lead, nailed fast
+to a mighty, great tree, on which these
+words were engraved:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p class="center no-indent">“CAPTAIN DRAKE.</p>
+
+<p>“If you happen to come to this port,
+make haste away! for the Spaniards which
+you had with you here, the last year, have
+betrayed this place, and taken away all you
+left here. I depart from hence this present
+day of July, 1572.&mdash;Your very loving friend,</p>
+
+<p class="right no-indent">“JOHN GARRET.”</p></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span></p>
+
+<p>The smoke came from a fire which Garret
+and his company had made before they
+went. It had been burning for at least
+five days before Drake’s arrival. Drake
+had brought with him “three dainty pinnaces,”
+made in Plymouth, and stored on
+board ship in pieces. He intended to put
+them together in this place. So the ships
+were anchored, and the place simply but
+strongly fortified with great logs.</p>
+
+<p>Next day an English boat appeared. The
+captain was James Rance, and he had
+thirty men, some of whom had been with
+Drake the year before. They brought with
+them a Spanish <i>caravel</i>, or merchant ship,
+which they had taken the day before, and
+a pinnace. They joined Drake’s expedition.
+In seven days the pinnaces were set up
+and furnished out of the ships. Some
+negroes on a neighbouring island told them
+that the townsfolk of Nombre de Dios
+were in great fear of the <i>Cimaroons</i>, or
+“Maroons,” as our sailors called them.
+They had attacked the town of Nombre
+de Dios, and the Governor of Panama was
+to send soldiers to defend it. These were
+negroes who had fled some eighty years
+before from the cruelty of the Spaniards.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span>They had married Indian women, and had
+grown into a strong fighting tribe, who
+had two kings of their own, and lived, one
+on the east, and one on the west, of the
+road from Nombre de Dios to Panama. This
+was the road by which all the gold and
+silver from the mines of Peru was sent to
+the port of Nombre de Dios, to be shipped
+for Spain. It was carried by trains of mules.</p>
+
+<p>Drake hastened his plans. Three ships
+and the <i>caravel</i> were left with Captain
+Rance. He chose seventy-three men for
+the three pinnaces (the fourth was that
+taken by Captain Rance), took plenty of
+arms, and two drums and a trumpet. The
+men were drilled and given their weapons
+and arms, which had been kept up till
+then “very fair and safe in good casks.”
+Drake encouraged them to the attack. In
+the afternoon they set sail for Nombre de
+Dios, and were very near before sunset.
+They lay there under the shore, out of
+sight of the watch, till dark. Then they
+rowed near shore as quietly as possible,
+and waited for the dawn.</p>
+
+<p>But Drake found the men were getting
+nervous, so when the moon rose “he
+thought it best to persuade them it was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span>day dawning,” and the men had not time
+to get afraid, for they got there at three
+in the morning. They landed with no difficulty.
+But the noise of bells and drums
+and shouting soon told them that the town
+was awake and alarmed. Twelve men
+were left to keep the pinnaces and ensure
+a safe retreat. Drake’s brother, with John
+Oxenham and sixteen other men, went
+round behind the King’s Treasure-house,
+and entered the eastern end of the market-place.
+Drake, with the rest, passed up the
+broad street into the market-place, with
+sound of drum and trumpets. They used
+fire-pikes, or long poles with metal points,
+to which torches of blazing tow were
+fastened, and served both to frighten the
+enemy and to light Drake’s men, who could
+see quite well by them. The terrified
+townsfolk imagined an army was marching
+upon them.</p>
+
+<p>After a sharp fight in the market-place
+the Spaniards fled. Two or three of them
+were captured, and commanded to show
+Drake the Governor’s house. But he found
+that only silver was kept there; gold,
+pearls, and jewels being carried to the
+King’s Treasure-house, not far off.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span></p>
+<p>“This house was very strongly built of
+lime and stone for safe keeping of the
+treasure. At the Governor’s house we found
+the great door open where the mules are
+generally unladen. A candle stood lighted
+on the top of the stairs, and a fair horse
+was saddled ready for the Governor himself,
+or for one of his household. By this
+light we saw a huge heap of silver in the
+lower room. It was a pile of bars of
+silver.</p>
+
+<p>“At this sight our Captain commanded
+straightly that none of us should touch a
+bar of silver. We must stand to our
+weapons, because the town was full of
+people. There was in the King’s Treasure-house,
+near the waterside, more gold and
+jewels than all our pinnaces could carry.
+This we could presently try to break open,
+though they thought it so strong.</p>
+
+<p>“But now a report was brought by some
+of our men that our pinnaces were in danger
+to be taken, and that we had better
+get aboard before day. This report was
+learnt through a negro named Diego, who
+had begged to be taken on board our
+ships when we first came. Our Captain
+sent his brother and John Oxenham to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span>learn the truth. They found the men
+much frightened, for they saw great troops
+of armed townsfolk and soldiers running
+up and down. Presently, too, a mighty
+shower of rain fell, with a terrible storm of
+thunder and lightning. It came down
+violently, as it does in these countries.
+Before we could reach the shelter at the
+western end of the King’s Treasure-house,
+some of our bowstrings were wet, and
+some of our match and powder hurt.</p>
+
+<p>“Our men began to mutter about the
+forces of the town. But our Captain, hearing,
+told them: ‘He had brought them to
+the mouth of the treasure of the world;
+if they went without it, they might blame
+nobody but themselves afterwards.’</p>
+
+<p>“So soon as the fury of the storm was
+spent, he gave his men no time to consider
+their doubts, nor the enemy no time
+to gather themselves together. He stepped
+forward and commanded his brother and
+John Oxenham to break the King’s Treasure-house.
+The rest, with him, were to
+hold the market-place till the business
+was done.</p>
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo2"><img class="box" src="images/i_022.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake wounded at Nombre-de-Dios</p></div>
+
+<p>“But as he stepped forward his strength
+and sight and speech failed him, and he
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span>began to faint for loss of blood. And we
+saw it had flowed in great quantities
+upon the sand out of a wound in his leg.
+He had got it in the first encounter, but
+though he felt some pain he would not
+make it known till he fainted, and so betrayed
+it against his will. He saw that
+some of the men, having already got many
+good things, would seize any chance to
+escape further danger. But the blood that
+filled our very footprints greatly dismayed
+our company, who could not believe that
+one man could lose so much blood, and
+live.</p>
+
+<p>“Even those who were willing to risk
+more for so good a booty would in no case
+risk their Captain’s life. So they gave
+him something to drink to recover him,
+and bound his scarf about his leg to stop
+the blood. They also entreated him to be
+content to go aboard with them, there to
+have his wound searched and dressed, and
+then to return on shore again if he thought
+good.</p>
+
+<p>“This they could by no means persuade
+him to, so they joined force with fair entreaty,
+and bore him aboard his pinnace.
+Thus they gave up a rich spoil only to save
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span>their Captain’s life, being sure that, while
+they enjoyed his presence and had him
+to command them, they might recover
+enough of wealth. But if once they lost
+him they should hardly be able to get
+home again. No, nor keep that they had
+got already. Thus we embarked by break
+of day, having besides our Captain, many
+of our men wounded, though none slain
+but one trumpeter. And though our
+surgeons were kept busy in providing remedies
+and salves for their wounds, yet the
+main care of the Captain was respected by
+all the rest.</p>
+
+<p>“Before we left the harbour, we took
+with little trouble the ship of wine for the
+greater comfort of our company. And
+though they shot at us from the town we
+carried our prize to the Isle of Victuals.
+Here we cured our wounded men, and
+refreshed ourselves in the goodly gardens
+which we found there abounding with
+great store of dainty roots and fruits.
+There was also great plenty of poultry
+and other fowls, no less strange than delicate.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br />
+<span class="smaller">FORT DIEGO</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">A</span><span class="smcap">fter</span> the return to the ship Captain
+Rance departed. But Drake had a
+new plan in his head; he meant to attack
+Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish Main.
+Sailing into the harbour in the evening, they
+found that the townsfolk had been warned
+that Frenchmen and Englishmen were about.
+Drake took possession of a large ship that
+was outward bound. But the townsfolk,
+hearing of it, took the alarm, rang out their
+bells, fired their cannon, and got all their
+soldiers out. Next morning Drake took two
+more ships near the harbour, one of which
+was bound to Cartagena with a letter of
+warning against “Captain Drake.” Drake
+sent his Spanish prisoners on shore, and so
+ended his first attempt upon Cartagena.</p>
+
+<p>He saw that the coasts were aware of his
+presence. Yet he did not want to go away
+till he had discovered the Maroons; for
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span>his faithful negro, Diego, had told him that
+they were friendly to him as the enemy of
+Spain. This search might take time, and
+must be done in the smaller boats, which
+were swifter and could explore the rivers.
+He had not enough of men both to sail the
+boats and the pinnaces; so he now decided
+to burn one of the ships and make a storehouse
+of the other. In this way his pinnaces
+would be properly manned, and he could stay
+as long as he liked. This was accordingly
+done. For fifteen days the big ship lay
+hidden in the Sound of Darien, to make the
+Spaniards think they had left the coast.
+Here Drake kept the men busy trimming
+and cleaning the pinnaces, clearing the
+ground, and building huts. Diego the negro
+was a very good builder, and knew the ways
+of the country well. The men played, too,
+at bowls and quoits, and shooting with
+arrows at targets. The smiths had brought
+forges from England and set them up.
+Every now and again the pinnaces crept
+out to sea to plunder passing ships. Much
+food was put away in different storehouses
+to serve till they had “made their voyage,”
+as they said, or “made their fortunes,” as
+we should say.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span></p>
+
+<p>Later, Port Plenty being found an unsafe
+harbour, they moved to a new place, which
+they fortified and called Fort Diego. They
+now prepared to wait five months, because
+the Maroons had told them that the Spaniards
+carried no treasure by land during the
+rainy months. They were not idle during
+these months, for the ship and fort were left
+in charge of John Drake, while Captain
+Drake and John Oxenham went roving in
+the pinnaces. They had many adventures,
+being in some peril in their small boats, and
+always at the mercy of the weather, while
+at one time they were almost starving. Some
+of the men got ill with the cold and died, for
+they had little shelter on board. When they
+got back to the ships they found all things
+in good order; but they received the heavy
+news of the death of John Drake, the Captain’s
+brother, a young man of great promise.</p>
+
+<p>“Our Captain then resolved to keep close
+and go no more to sea, but supplied his
+needs, both for his own company and the
+Maroons, out of his storehouse. Then ten
+of our company fell down sick of an unknown
+disease, and most of them died in a
+few days. Later, we had thirty men sick at
+one time. Among the rest, Joseph Drake,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span>another of his brothers, died in our Captain’s
+arms.</p>
+
+<p>“We now heard from the Maroons, who
+ranged the country up and down for us, to
+learn what they might for us, that the fleet
+had arrived from Spain in Nombre de Dios.
+The Captain prepared to make his journey
+by land to Panama. He gave Elias Hixon
+the charge of the ship and company and the
+Spanish prisoners. Our Captain was advised
+by the Maroons what provisions to
+prepare for the long and great journey, what
+kind of weapons, what store of victuals, and
+what kind of clothes. He was to take as
+many shoes as possible, because they had
+to pass so many rivers with stone and gravel.
+Twenty-eight of our men had died. A few
+were left to keep the ship, attend the sick,
+and guard the prisoners.</p>
+
+<p>“We started on Shrove Tuesday, February
+the third. At his departure our Captain gave
+this Master strict charge, in any case not to
+trust any messenger that should come in his
+name with any tokens, unless he brought his
+handwriting. This he knew could not be
+copied by the Maroons or the Spaniards.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE GOLDEN MULE-TRAINS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">here</span> were forty-eight men of the
+party, of whom eighteen only were English.
+The Maroons carried arms and food,
+and got more food with their arrows from
+time to time. Every day they began to
+march by sunrise, and rested in the heat
+of the day in shelters made by the Maroons.
+The third day they came to a little town or
+village of the Maroons, which was much
+admired by the sailors for its beauty and
+cleanliness. “As to their religion,” says
+the story, “they have no kind of priests,
+only they held the Cross in great awe.
+But by our Captain’s persuasions, they were
+contented to leave their crosses and to
+learn the Lord’s Prayer, and to be taught
+something of God’s worship.”</p>
+
+<p>They begged Drake to stay with them
+some days, but he had to hasten on. Four
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span>of the best guides amongst the Maroons
+marched on ahead, and broke boughs to
+show the path to those that followed. All
+kept strict silence. The way lay through
+cool and pleasant woods.</p>
+
+<p>“We were much encouraged because we
+were told there was a great Tree about
+half way, from which we could see at once
+both the North Sea, from whence we came,
+and the South Sea, whither we were going.</p>
+
+<p>“The fourth day we came to the height
+of the desired hill, a very high hill, lying
+east and west like a ridge between the
+two seas. It was about ten of the clock.
+Then Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, took
+our Captain by the hand, and prayed him
+to follow him if he wished to see at once
+two seas, which he had so greatly longed
+for.</p>
+
+<p>“Here was that goodly and great high
+Tree, in which they had cut and made various
+steps to get up near the top. Here they
+had made a convenient bower, where ten
+or twelve men might easily sit. And here
+we might, with no difficulty, plainly see the
+Atlantic Ocean, whence we now came, and
+the South Atlantic (Pacific) so much desired.
+South and north of the Tree they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span>had felled certain trees that the prospect
+might be clearer.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo3"><img class="box" src="images/i_030.jpg" width="400" alt="The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
+from the tree-top" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">The Maroon Chief showing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans<br />
+from the tree-top</p>
+
+<p>“Our Captain went up to this bower, with
+the chief Maroon. He had, because of the
+breeze, as it pleased God, a very fair day.
+And he saw that sea of which he had heard
+such golden reports. He prayed Almighty
+God, of His goodness, to give him life and
+leave to sail once in an English ship in
+that sea! Then he called up the rest of
+our men, and specially he told John Oxenham
+of his prayer and purpose, if it pleased
+God to grant him that happiness. He,
+understanding it, protested that, unless our
+Captain did beat him from his company,
+he would follow him, by God’s grace! Thus
+all, quite satisfied with a sight of the seas,
+came down, and after our repast continued
+our ordinary march through the woods.”</p>
+
+<p>The last part of the march was through
+high pampas grass. But now they began
+to get glimpses of Panama, and could at
+last see the ships in the harbour. Now
+the march had to be more secret and silent
+than ever, till at length they lay hidden in
+a grove near the high road from Panama
+to Nombre de Dios. From here a Maroon
+was despatched, clothed as a negro of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span>Panama, as a spy. He was to go into the
+town and learn when the treasure was to
+be taken from the King’s Treasure-house
+in Panama to Nombre de Dios. This
+journey to Venta Cruz was always made
+by night, because of the heat and toil of
+walking through the pampas grass. But
+from Venta Cruz to Nombre de Dios they
+travelled always by day and not by night,
+because the way lay through fresh, cool
+woods. The mules were tied together in
+long trains, and guarded, if possible, by
+soldiers, for fear of the Maroons.</p>
+
+<p>The spy brought back news in the afternoon
+that a certain great man intended
+to go to Spain by the first ship, and was
+going that night towards Nombre de Dios
+with his daughter and family. He had
+fourteen mules, of which eight were laden
+with gold and one with jewels. There were
+also two other trains of fifty mules each,
+mostly laden with food, and with a little
+silver, which were to come out that night
+also. Upon hearing this they marched
+until they came to within two leagues of
+Venta Cruz. Then Drake lay down with
+half his men on one side of the way, about
+fifty paces off, in the long grass. John
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span>Oxenham, with the captain of the Maroons
+and the other half of the men, lay on the
+other side of the road at the same distance.
+In about half-an-hour’s time they could hear
+the mules both coming and going from Venta
+Cruz to Panama, where trade was lively
+when the fleet was there. The sound of
+the deep-voiced bells which the mules wore
+carried far in the still night. The men had
+been strictly charged not to stir or show
+themselves, but let all that come from Venta
+Cruz pass by quietly, for they knew the
+mules brought nothing but merchandise
+from there. But one of the men, called
+Robert Pike, had “drunk too much brandy
+without water,” and forgot himself, and with
+a Maroon went close to the road.</p>
+
+<p>“And when a cavalier from Venta Cruz,
+well mounted, with his page running at
+his stirrup, passed by, he rose up to look,
+though the Maroon, more cautious, pulled
+him down and tried to hide him. But by
+this time the gentleman had noticed that
+one half of him was white, for we had all
+put our shirts over our other clothing
+that we might be sure to know our own
+men in the pell-mell in the night. The
+cavalier put spurs to his horse, and rode
+away at a gallop to warn others.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span></p>
+<p>“The ground was hard and the night
+was still, and our Captain heard this gentleman’s
+trot change to a gallop. He suspected
+that we were discovered, but could
+not imagine by whose fault, nor had he
+time to search. The gentleman, as we
+heard afterwards, warned the Treasurer,
+who, fearing Captain Drake had come to
+look for treasure on land, turned his train
+of mules aside from the way, and let the
+others which were coming pass on. Thus,
+by the recklessness of one of our company,
+and by the carefulness of that traveller, we
+were disappointed of a most rich booty.
+But we thought that God would not let
+it be taken, for likely it was well gotten by
+that Treasurer.</p>
+
+<p>“The other two mule trains, which came
+behind that of the Treasurer, were no
+sooner come up to us than we stayed and
+seized on them. One of the chief carriers,
+a very sensible fellow, told our Captain by
+what means we were discovered, and counselled
+us to shift for ourselves betimes,
+for we should encounter the whole force
+of the city and country before day would
+be about us.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake and his men were little pleased
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span>at the loss of their golden mule-trains, for
+they had only taken two horse-loads of
+silver. It was the more provoking that
+they had been betrayed by one of their own
+men. There was no help for it, and Drake
+never “grieved at things past,” so they
+decided to march back the nearest way.
+Pedro, the chief of the Maroons, said he
+“would rather die at Drake’s foot than
+leave him to his enemies.” When they got
+near Venta Cruz, they turned back the
+mules with their drivers. Outside the town
+the soldiers met them, and a fight took
+place upon Drake’s refusing to surrender.</p>
+
+<p>“The soldiers shot off their whole volley,
+which, though it lightly wounded our Captain
+and several of our men, caused death
+to one only of our company, who was so
+powdered with hail-shot that we could not
+recover his life, though he continued all that
+day afterwards with us. Presently, as our
+Captain perceived their shot to come slacking,
+like the last drops of a great shower
+of rain, he gave his usual signal with his
+whistle, to answer them with our shot and
+arrows.</p>
+
+<p>“The Maroons had stept aside at first
+for terror of the shot. But seeing that we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span>marched onwards they all rushed forward,
+one after the other, with their arrows ready
+in their bows, and their manner of country
+dance or leap, ever singing, <i>Yo Pehò! Yo
+Pehò!</i> and so got before us. They then
+continued their leap and song, after the
+manner of their country wars, till they and
+we overtook the enemy. Our Maroons,
+now thoroughly encouraged, when they
+saw our resolution, broke in through the
+thickets near the town’s end, and forced
+the enemy to fly. Several of our men were
+wounded, and one Maroon was run through
+with one of their pikes, but his courage
+and mind served him so well that he revenged
+his own death ere he died, by
+giving him that deadly wound.”</p>
+
+<p>So they entered the town, and stayed
+there some hours for rest and refreshment,
+and the Maroons were allowed to carry
+away some plunder. At sunrise they
+marched away, for they had been gone
+from the ship nearly a fortnight, and had
+left the company weak and sickly. Drake
+marched cheerfully, and urged on his weary
+and disappointed men with brave promises,
+but in the hurried march they had
+often to go hungry. Three leagues from
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span>the port the Maroons had built a camp
+or village while they were away, and here
+they persuaded Drake to stop, as it had
+been built “only for his sake.” “And indeed
+he was the more willing to consent,
+that our want of shoes might be supplied
+by the Maroons, who were a great help to
+us. For all our men complained of the
+tenderness of their feet, and our Captain
+himself would join in their complaint, sometimes
+without cause, but sometimes with
+cause indeed, which made the rest to bear
+the burden more easily. These Maroons
+did us good service all the time they were
+with us. They were our spies on the
+journey, our guides, our hunters, and our
+house-wrights, and had indeed able and
+strong bodies for carrying our necessities.
+Yea, many times when some of our company
+fainted with sickness of weariness,
+two Maroons would carry him with ease
+between them, two miles together; and at
+other times, when need was, they would
+show themselves no less valiant than industrious,
+and of good judgment.</p>
+
+<p>“From this town our Captain despatched
+a Maroon with a token and a certain order
+to the master. He, all those weeks, kept
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span>good watch against the enemy, and shifted
+in the woods for fresh food, for the relief
+and recovery of our men left on board.”</p>
+
+<p>When the messenger reached the shore
+he hailed those on the ship, who quickly
+fetched him on board. He showed Drake’s
+token, the golden toothpick, and gave the
+message, which was to tell the master to
+meet him at a certain river. When the
+master looked at the toothpick, he saw
+written on it, “By me, Francis Drake.”
+Then he believed the messenger, and prepared
+what provision he had, and repaired
+to the mouth of the river. About three
+o’clock Drake and his men saw the pinnace,
+and there was double rejoicing. The
+wanderers seemed strangely changed in
+face and plight to those who had lived in
+rest and plenty on board ship. Drake, indeed,
+was less so than the others. The
+fasting and hard marches had done much,
+but still more “their inward grief, for that
+they returned without that golden treasure
+they hoped for, did show her print and
+footsteps in their faces.” But Drake was
+determined to repeat the attempt.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br />
+<span class="smaller">HOME AGAIN</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> well knew that delay and idleness
+would soon spoil the spirits of
+his men, so he at once divided them into
+two companies, under himself and John
+Oxenham, to go roving in the two pinnaces
+in different directions and seek for food and
+plunder. Some of the Maroons were dismissed
+with gifts, and the rest remained
+with a few men on board ship. The
+Governor of Panama had warned the towns
+so well that it was useless to attempt them
+at present. Drake, in the <i>Minion</i>, took a
+frigate of gold and dismissed it, somewhat
+lighter, to go on its way. John Oxenham,
+in the <i>Bear</i>, took a frigate well laden with
+food of all kinds. Drake was so pleased
+with this ship, which was strong and new
+and shapely, that he kept her as a man-of-war
+in place of the sunken ship. And the
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span>company were heartened with a feast and
+much good cheer that Easter Day.</p>
+
+<p>Next day the pinnaces met with a
+French captain out of Newhaven, whose
+ship was greatly distressed for want of
+food and water. Drake relieved him, and
+the captains exchanged gifts and compliments.
+The French captain sent Drake
+“a gilt fair scimitar” which had belonged
+to Henry the Third of France, and had in
+return a chain of gold and a tablet. This
+captain brought them the news of the
+Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day, and
+said he thought “those Frenchmen the
+happiest who were furthest from France,
+now no longer France but Frenzy.” He
+had heard famous reports of their riches,
+and wanted to know how he also could
+“make his voyage.” They resolved, after
+consultation, to take him and twenty of his
+men to serve for halves. They now sent
+for the Maroons.</p>
+
+<p>A party was made up of twenty Frenchmen,
+fifteen Englishmen, and some Maroons.
+They sailed with a frigate and two
+pinnaces towards a river called Rio Francisco,
+to the west of Nombre de Dios.
+There was not enough water to sail the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span>frigate, so she was left in charge of a
+mariner to await the return of the pinnaces.
+They went on, and landed both captains
+with their force. Those in charge of the
+pinnaces were ordered to be there the
+fourth day without fail. The land party
+went on through the woods towards the
+high road from Panama to Nombre de
+Dios, where the mules now went daily.
+They marched, as before, in silence. They
+stayed all night a mile from the road, in
+great stillness, and refreshed themselves.
+They could hear the carpenters working on
+their ships, which they did at nights because
+of the fierce heat of the day. Next
+morning, the 1st of April, they heard such
+a number of bells that the Maroons rejoiced
+exceedingly, and assured them they
+should now have more gold and silver than
+they could carry away. And so it came to
+pass.</p>
+
+<p>For three trains appeared, one of fifty
+mules and two of seventy each, and every
+mule carried 300 lbs. weight of silver,
+amounting to nearly 30 tons. The leaders
+of the mules were taken by the heads, and
+all the rest lay down, as they always do.
+The fifteen soldiers who guarded each
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span>train were routed, but not before they had
+wounded the French captain sorely, and
+slain one of the Maroons. They took what
+silver and gold they could carry, and buried
+the rest in the burrows made in the earth
+by the great land crabs under old fallen
+trees, and in the sand and gravel of a
+shallow river.</p>
+
+<p>After two hours they marched back
+through the woods, but had to leave the
+French captain to rest and recover from
+his wound. Two of his men willingly
+stayed with him. Later on a third Frenchman
+was found to be missing. He had got
+drunk, and overloaded himself with plunder,
+and lost himself in the woods. They
+afterwards found he was taken by the
+Spaniards in the evening, and, upon torture,
+revealed to them where the treasure was
+hidden.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached the river’s mouth,
+they saw seven Spanish pinnaces at sea,
+which had come out to search the coasts.
+This made them fear their own pinnaces
+were taken. But a storm in the night
+forced the Spaniards to go home, and also
+delayed the English pinnaces, for the wind
+was so contrary and so strong that they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span>could only get half way. For this reason
+they had fortunately been unseen by the
+Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p>“But our Captain, seeing their ships, feared
+lest they had taken our pinnaces, and compelled
+our men by torture to confess where
+his ships and frigate were. In this great
+doubt and perplexity the company feared
+that all means of returning to their country
+were cut off, and that their treasure would
+then serve them to small purpose. But
+our Captain comforted and encouraged us
+all, saying: ‘We should venture no further
+than he did. It was no time now to fear,
+but rather to haste to prevent that which
+was feared. If the enemy have prevailed
+against our pinnaces (which God forbid!),
+yet they must have time to search them,
+time to examine the mariners, time to execute
+their resolution after it is determined.
+Before all those times be taken, we may
+get to our ships, if ye will, though not
+possibly by land, because of the hills,
+thickets, and rivers, yet by water. Let us,
+therefore, make a raft with the trees that
+are here in readiness, as offering themselves,
+being brought down to the river
+happily by this last storm, and let us put
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span>ourselves to sea! I will be one, who will
+be the other?’</p>
+
+<p>“John Smith offered himself, and two
+Frenchmen that could swim very well desired
+they might accompany our Captain,
+as did the Maroons likewise. They had
+prayed our Captain very earnestly to march
+by land, though it was a sixteen-days’
+journey, in case the ship had been surprised,
+that he might abide with them
+always. Pedro was most eager in this,
+who was fain to be left behind because he
+could not row.</p>
+
+<p>“The raft was fitted and fast bound; a
+sail of a biscuit-sack was prepared; an oar
+was shaped out of a young tree to serve
+instead of a rudder, to direct their course
+before the wind.</p>
+
+<p>“At his departure, our Captain comforted
+the company by promising ‘that, if it
+pleased God he should put his foot in
+safety on board his frigate, he would, by
+one means or other, get them all on
+board, in spite of all the Spaniards in
+the Indies!’</p>
+
+<p>“In this manner pulling off to sea, he
+sailed some three leagues, sitting up to the
+waist continually in water, and up to the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span>armpits at every surge of the waves, for
+the space of six hours upon this raft. And
+what with the parching of the sun and what
+with the beating of salt water, they had all
+of them their skins much fretted away.</p>
+
+<p>“At length God gave them the sight of
+two pinnaces turning towards them with
+much wind, but with far greater joy to him
+than can easily be guessed. So he did
+cheerfully declare to those three with him,
+that ‘they were our pinnaces! and that
+all was safe, so there was no cause of
+fear!’</p>
+
+<p>“But look, the pinnaces not seeing the
+raft, nor suspecting any such matter, by
+reason of the wind, and night growing on,
+were forced to run into a cove behind the
+point, to take shelter for the night. Our
+Captain seeing this, and gathering that they
+would anchor there, put his raft ashore, and
+ran round the point by land, where he found
+them. They, upon sight of him, made as
+much haste as they could to take him and
+his company on board. For our Captain, on
+purpose to see what haste they could and
+would make in extremity, himself ran in
+great haste, and so made the other three
+with him, as if they had been chased by
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span>the enemy. And so those on board suspected,
+because they saw so few with him.</p>
+
+<p>“And after his coming on board, when
+they demanded ‘how his company did?’ he
+answered coldly, ‘Well!’ They all feared that
+all went scarce well. But he, willing to rid
+all doubts, and fill them with joy, took out
+of his bosom a quoit of gold, thanking God
+that ‘our voyage was made!’”</p>
+
+<p>They then rowed up the river and rescued
+the others, and brought back such of the
+treasure as they had been able to carry with
+them, and all returned to the ships by dawn.
+There Drake divided the treasure equally
+by weight between the French and the
+English. During the next fortnight everything
+was set in order, and the <i>Pascha</i> given
+to the Spanish prisoners to go home in.
+Meanwhile a party was sent out to try and
+rescue the French captain and to seek for the
+buried treasure. One only of the Frenchmen
+managed to escape and was saved. Much
+of the treasure had been discovered by the
+Spaniards, but not all, and the party returned
+very cheerful, with thirteen bars of silver
+and a few quoits of gold. The Frenchmen
+now left them, having got their shares of
+the treasure. The ships parted when passing
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span>close by Cartagena, which they did in the
+sight of all the fleet, “with a flag of St.
+George on the main top of the frigate, with
+silk streamers and ancients (national flags)
+down to the water.”</p>
+
+<p>Later on they anchored to trim and rig
+the frigates and stow away the provisions,
+and they tore up and burnt the pinnaces so
+that the Maroons might have the ironwork.
+One of the last days Drake desired Pedro
+and three of the chief Maroons to go through
+both his frigates and see what they liked.
+He promised to give them whatever they
+asked, unless he could not get back to
+England without it. But Pedro set his
+heart on the scimitar which the French
+captain had given to Drake; and knowing
+Drake liked it no less, he dared not ask for
+it or praise it. But at last he bribed one
+of the company to ask for him, with a fine
+quoit of gold, and promised to give four
+others to Drake. Drake was sorry, but he
+wished to please Pedro, who deserved so
+well, so he gave it to him with many good
+words. Pedro received it with no little joy,
+and asked Drake to accept the four pieces
+of gold, as a token of his thankfulness and
+a pledge of his faithfulness through life. He
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span>received it graciously, but did not keep it
+for himself but caused it to be cast into
+the whole adventure, saying that “if he had
+not been helped to that place he would never
+have got such a thing, and it was only just
+that those who shared his burden in setting
+him to sea should enjoy a share of the
+benefits.”</p>
+
+<p>“Thus with good love and liking, we took
+our leave of that people. We took many
+ships during our abode in those parts, yet
+never burnt nor sunk any, unless they acted
+as men-of-war against us, or tried to trap
+us. And of all the men taken in those
+vessels, we never offered any kind of violence
+to any, after they were once come into our
+power. For we either dismissed them in
+safety, or kept them with us some longer
+time. If so, we provided for them as for
+ourselves, and secured them from the rage
+of the Maroons against them, till at last,
+the danger of their discovering where our
+ships lay being past, for which cause only
+we kept them prisoners, we set them also
+free.</p>
+
+<p>“We now intended to sail home the directest
+and speediest way, and this we happily
+performed, even beyond our own expectations,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span>
+and so arrived at Plymouth, on Sunday
+about sermon-time, August the 9th, 1573.</p>
+
+<p>“And the news of our Captain’s return
+being brought unto his people, did so speedily
+pass over all the church, and fill their minds
+with delight and desire to see him, that very
+few or none remained with the preacher. All
+hastened to see the evidence of God’s love
+and blessing towards our gracious Queen
+and country by the fruit of our Captain’s
+labour and success.</p>
+
+<p class="center no-indent">“TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br />
+<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">S</span><span class="smcap">o</span> we see that both of Drake’s ships, the
+<i>Pascha</i> and the <i>Swan</i>, were left behind
+in the West Indies, and he made a quick
+voyage home in the well-built Spanish
+frigate. We hear nothing of Drake for
+two years after his return to Plymouth.
+There is a legend that he kept on the
+seas near Ireland. Elizabeth was still unable
+and unwilling to go to war with the
+King of Spain, but she was willing to encourage
+the sort of warfare that Drake and
+the other rovers had so successfully carried
+on against him.</p>
+
+<p>Such companies of adventurers as these
+that sailed under Drake and Hawkins did
+a large part of the work of the navy in
+the time of Elizabeth. The country was
+saved the expense which private persons
+were willing to pay to furnish the ships.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span>The Queen herself is known to have shared
+in the expenses and plunder of some such
+expeditions, and so she thriftily laid up
+treasure in England’s empty money-chests.
+But some of her older councillors disliked
+exceedingly this way of getting rich, and
+would rather it had been done openly in
+war, or not at all.</p>
+
+<p>To Drake it seems to have been a very
+simple affair. He wished, in the first place,
+as the old book says, “to lick himself whole
+of the damage he had received from the
+Spaniards.” So he acted in pirate-fashion
+to the Spaniards, but not to the French
+or to the natives of the West Indies. And
+Drake considered his own cause so just
+that he never made a secret of his doings.
+He went at his own risk, for should he be
+taken by the enemy his country had no
+power to protect him, as she was not openly
+at war with Spain. But, on the other
+hand, he was secretly encouraged, and his
+gains were immense.</p>
+
+<p>In the second place, Drake wished to
+attack and injure the Roman Catholic faith
+whenever and wherever he could. Churchmen
+had told him that this was a lawful
+aim. How earnestly he believed it we can
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span>see from the story, where he tried to
+persuade the Maroons to “leave their
+crosses,” which to him were the sign of
+the hated religion. The terrible tale of
+the massacre of the Protestants on St.
+Bartholomew’s Day told him by the French
+captain (who himself fell into the hands
+of the Spaniards, as we have seen), must
+have inflamed this feeling in his soul and
+in those of his men. It made them more
+eager than ever to fight the enemies of
+their own faith.</p>
+
+<p>Then, too, the Spaniards founded their
+rights to own the New World upon a
+grant from one of the Popes; and the
+English, now no longer Catholics, denied
+his power to give it, and claimed the right
+for themselves to explore and conquer and
+keep what share they could get.</p>
+
+<p>The King of Spain looked upon Drake
+as a pirate, but he could not find out how
+far he had been secretly encouraged by
+Elizabeth, and Drake was not punished, in
+spite of Philip’s urgent complaints. But
+he was prevented from sailing away again
+on a voyage of discovery, though his friends
+and brothers went, and among them John
+Oxenham, who was hanged as a pirate by
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span>the Spaniards because he had no commission
+or formal leave from the Queen or the
+Government to trade in the West Indies.</p>
+
+<p>During this interval Drake took service
+in Ireland, under the Earl of Essex, furnishing
+his own ships, “and doing excellent
+service both by sea and land at the
+winning of divers strong forts.” The work
+he took a part in was as harsh and cruel
+as any that was ever done by fire and sword
+to make Ireland more desolate. Here he
+met Thomas Doughty, one of the household
+of the Earl of Essex, a scholar and a soldier,
+who became his friend, and sailed with him
+on his next voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The story of this voyage is told under the
+name of “The World Encompassed,” and
+in it Drake is said “to have turned up a
+furrow about the whole world.” In 1520
+Magellan had discovered the passage
+south of America from the Atlantic to the
+Pacific Ocean, since called by his name.
+Many adventurers had tried to follow him,
+but all their efforts had ended in disaster,
+and the Straits had an uncanny name
+among sailors, and “were counted so terrible
+in those days that the very thoughts
+of attempting them were dreadful.”</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span></p>
+<p>Drake’s fleet was made up of five ships&mdash;the
+<i>Pelican</i>, which was his flagship, the
+<i>Elizabeth</i>, the <i>Marigold</i>, the <i>Swan</i>, and the
+<i>Christopher</i>. They took a hundred and sixty
+men and plentiful provisions and stores for
+the long and dangerous voyage. They also
+took pinnaces which could be set up when
+wanted. Nor did Drake forget to “make
+provision for ornament and delight, carrying
+to this purpose with him expert musicians,
+rich furniture (all the vessels for his table,
+yea, many belonging to the cook-room, being
+of pure silver).”</p>
+
+<p>They started on November 15, 1577, but
+were forced by a gale to put back into
+Plymouth for repairs, and started out again
+on December 13. The sailors were not
+told the real aim of the voyage, which was
+to “sail upon those seas greatly longed
+for.” They were too full of fears and fancies.
+The unknown was haunted in their minds
+with devils and hurtful spirits, and in those
+days people still believed in magic.</p>
+
+<p>They picked up several prizes on their
+way out, notably a large Portuguese ship,
+whose cargo of wine and food was valuable
+to the English ships. Drake sent the passengers
+and crew on shore, but kept the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span>pilot, Numa da Silva, who gives one account
+of the voyage, and was most useful, as he
+knew the coasts so well. One of Drake’s
+main cares on this voyage, we are told,
+was to keep the fleet together as much as
+possible, to get fresh water, and to refresh
+the men, “wearied with long toils at sea,”
+as often as possible. He decided to lessen
+the number of the ships, for “fewer ships
+keep better company,” and he looked for a
+harbour to anchor in.</p>
+
+<p>“Our General,” says the book, “especially
+in matters of moment, was never one to rely
+only on other men’s care, how trusty or
+skilful soever they might seem to be. But
+always scorning danger, and refusing no toil,
+he was wont himself to be one, whosoever
+was a second, at every turn, where courage,
+skill, or industry was to be employed.
+Neither would he at any time entrust the
+discovery of these dangers to another’s
+pains, but rather to his own experience in
+searching out and sounding of them.”</p>
+
+<p>So in this case Drake himself went out in
+the boat and rowed into the bay. The <i>Swan</i>,
+the <i>Christopher</i>, and the prize were sacrificed,
+their stores being used for the other
+ships.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span></p>
+<p>On the 20th of June they anchored in a
+very good harbour, called by Magellan Port
+St. Julian. Here a gibbet stood upon the
+land, and in this place Magellan is supposed
+to have executed some disobedient and rebellious
+men of his company. In this port
+Drake began to “inquire diligently into the
+actions of Master Thomas Doughty, and
+found them not to be such as he looked for.”</p>
+
+<p>(Doughty is said to have plotted to kill
+Drake or desert him, and take his place as
+commander, or at any rate to force him to
+go back, to the ruin of the voyage.)</p>
+
+<p>“Whereupon the company was called together,
+and the particulars of the cause made
+known to them, which were found partly by
+Master Doughty’s own confession, and
+partly by the evidence of the fact, to be
+true. Which when our General saw,
+although his private affection to Master
+Doughty (as he then in the presence of us
+all sacredly protested) was great; yet the
+care he had of the state of the voyage, of
+the expectation of her Majesty, and of the
+honour of his country, did more touch him
+(as indeed it ought) than the private respect
+of one man. So that the cause being
+thoroughly heard, and all things done in
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span>good order, as near as might be to the
+course of our laws in England, it was concluded
+that Master Doughty should receive
+punishment according to the quality of
+the offence. And he, seeing no remedy but
+patience for himself, desired before his
+death to receive the Communion, which he
+did, at the hands of our minister, and our
+General himself accompanied him in that
+holy action....</p>
+
+<p>“And after this holy repast, they dined
+also at the same table together, as cheerfully,
+in sobriety, as ever in their lives they
+had done aforetime, each cheering up the
+other, and taking their leave, by drinking
+each to other, as if some journey only had
+been in hand.</p>
+
+<p>“And the place of execution being ready,
+he having embraced our General, and taken
+his leave of all the company, with prayer for
+the Queen’s Majesty and our realm, in quiet
+sort laid his head to the block, where he
+ended his life. This being done, our General
+made various speeches to the whole company,
+persuading us to unity, obedience,
+love and regard of our voyage. And to help
+us to this, he willed every man the next
+Sunday following to prepare himself to receive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span>
+the Communion, as Christian brethren
+and friends ought to do, which was done
+in very reverent sort, and so with good
+contentment every man went about his
+business.”</p>
+
+<p>On the 11th of August, as quarrelling still
+continued, Drake ordered the whole ships’
+companies ashore. They all went into a
+large tent, and the minister offered to make
+a sermon. “Nay, soft, Master Fletcher,”
+said Drake, “I must preach this day myself,
+although I have small skill in preaching....
+I am a very bad speaker, for my bringing
+up hath not been in learning.”</p>
+
+<p>He then told them that for what he was
+going to say he would answer in England
+and before her Majesty. He and his men were
+far away from their country and friends, and
+discords and mutiny had grown up among
+them. “By the life of God,” said Drake, “it
+doth take my wits from me to think on it.
+Here is such quarrels between the sailors
+and the gentlemen as it doth make me mad
+to hear it. But, my masters, I must have
+it left [off], for I must have the gentleman
+to haul and draw with the mariner, and the
+mariner with the gentleman. What, let us
+show ourselves all to be of a company, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span>let us not give occasion to the enemy to
+rejoice at our decay and overthrow. I would
+know him that would refuse to set his hand
+to a rope, but I know there is not any such
+here....”</p>
+
+<p>He then offered to send any home that
+liked in the <i>Marigold</i>, a well-furnished ship;
+“but let them take heed that they go homeward,
+for if I find them in my way I will
+surely sink them, therefore you shall have
+time to consider here until to-morrow; for
+by my troth I must needs be plain with you
+now.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yet the voice was that none would return,
+they would all take such part as he
+did.” And so, after more of such “preaching,”
+they were told to forget the past, and “wishing
+all men to be friends, he willed them to
+depart about their business.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">ROUND THE WORLD (<i>continued</i>)</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">O</span><span class="smcap">n</span> the 20th of August the three ships
+entered the Straits of Magellan. Before
+the “high and steep grey cliffs, full of
+black stars,” of Cape Virgins, at the entrance
+against which the beating seas looked like
+whales spouting, the fleet did homage to the
+Queen. The name of the <i>Pelican</i> also was
+changed to the <i>Golden Hind</i> in remembrance
+of Drake’s “friend and favourer,” Sir Christopher
+Hatton, whose crest was a golden
+hind. In sixteen days they reached the
+“South Sea,” Drake himself having rowed
+on ahead of the fleet with some of his
+gentlemen to find out the passage. He
+had meant to land, and leave “a monument
+of her Majesty graven in metal,” which
+he had brought with him for that purpose,
+but there was no anchoring, as the wind
+did not let them stay; for a fearful storm
+<span class="pagenum2" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span>arose and separated the ships, and threatened
+to send them all to the bottom of the sea.
+The <i>Marigold</i>, indeed, went down with all
+hands, and the <i>Elizabeth</i>, “partly by the
+negligence of those that had charge of her,
+partly through a kind of desire that some
+in her had to be out of all those troubles
+and to be at home again, returned back the
+same way by which they came forward, and
+so coasting Brazil, they arrived in England
+on June 2nd the year following.” So that
+now, as the story quaintly says, the other
+ship, if she had been still called the <i>Pelican</i>,
+would indeed have been a pelican alone in
+the wilderness. Never did they think there
+had been such a storm “since Noah’s Flood,”
+for it lasted fifty-two days. The ship was
+driven south of the continent of America.
+At this time it was generally believed that
+another great continent stretched to the
+south of the Straits, which was called
+the unknown land, “wherein many strange
+monsters lived.” And now, when Drake had
+discovered this idea to be false, their troubles
+ended for the time, the storm ceased, but
+they were in great grief for the loss of their
+friends, and still hoped to meet the missing
+ships again.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span></p>
+
+<p>They sailed northwards along the coast
+of America till they landed on an island to
+get water. Here they were treacherously
+attacked by Indians, who took them to be
+the hated Spaniards. The nine persons who
+were in the boat were all wounded, and
+Drake’s faithful servant, Diego the negro,
+died of his wounds, and one other. Drake
+himself was shot in the face under the right
+eye, and badly wounded in the head. They
+were in the worst case, because the chief
+doctor was dead, and the other in the <i>Elizabeth</i>.
+There was none left them but a boy,
+“whose goodwill was more than any skill
+he had.” But, owing to Drake’s advice, and
+“the putting to of every man’s help,” all
+were cured in the end.</p>
+
+<p>They sailed on, and having picked up a
+friendly Indian who served as a pilot, they
+reached the harbour of Valparaiso. A ship
+which was lying in the harbour was seized,
+and then the town and the Spaniards
+discovered that Drake had reached the
+shores of the Pacific. On the coast the ship
+was trimmed and the pinnace put together,
+in which Drake himself set out to search
+the creeks and inlets where the ship could
+not sail. Grief for the absence of their
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span>friends still remained with them. Still
+searching for the lost ships, they sailed
+northwards on to Lima, where they got the
+news that a great Spanish ship had sailed
+from there a fortnight before, laden with
+treasure. Drake at once gave chase, hoping
+to take her before she reached Panama.
+The first man who sighted her was promised
+a chain of gold. The ship was overtaken
+and captured off Cape San Francisco. She
+was “the great glory of the South Sea,” and
+laden with gold, silver, plate, and jewels, all
+of which the English took. After six days
+the Spanish ship was dismissed, “somewhat
+lighter than before,” to Panama. To the
+master of the ship, Saint Juan de Anton, he
+gave a letter to protect him if he fell in with
+the missing English ships.</p>
+
+<p>“Master Winter,” it says, “if it pleaseth
+God that you should chance to meet with
+this ship of Saint Juan de Anton, I pray
+you use him well, according to my word and
+promise given unto them. And if you want
+anything that is in this ship of Saint Juan
+de Anton, I pray you pay them double the
+value for it, which I will satisfy again, and
+command your men not to do any hurt; desiring
+you, for the Passion of Christ, if you
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span>fall into any danger, that you will not despair
+of God’s mercy, for He will defend you and
+preserve you from all danger, and bring us
+to our desired haven, to whom be all honour,
+glory, and praise for ever and ever. Amen.&mdash;Your
+sorrowful Captain, whose heart is
+heavy for you,&mdash;<span class="smcap">Francis Drake</span>.”</p>
+
+<p>The next prizes captured yielded treasure
+of a different kind, though equally precious.
+These were some charts with sailing directions,
+taken from two China pilots. The
+owner of the next large Spanish ship
+captured by Drake has left an interesting
+account of him.</p>
+
+<p>He says that “the English General is the
+same who took Nombre de Dios five years
+ago. He is a cousin of John Hawkins, and
+his name is Francis Drake. He is about
+thirty-five years of age, of small size, with
+a reddish beard, and is one of the greatest
+sailors that exist, both from his skill and
+his power of commanding. His ship is of
+near four hundred tons, sails well, and has
+a hundred men all in the prime of life, and
+as well trained for war as if they had been
+old soldiers of Italy. Each one is specially
+careful to keep his arms clean. He treats
+them with affection and they him with
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span>respect. He has with him nine or ten gentlemen,
+younger sons of the leading men in
+England, who form his council. He calls
+them together on every occasion and hears
+what they have to say, but he is not bound
+by their advice, though he may be guided
+by it. He has no privacy; those of whom
+I speak all dine at his table, as well as a
+Portuguese pilot whom he has brought from
+England, but who never spoke a word while
+I was on board. The service is of silver,
+richly gilt, and engraved with his arms. He
+has, too, all possible luxuries, even to perfumes,
+many of which he told me were given
+him by the Queen. None of these gentlemen
+sits down or puts on his hat in his presence
+without repeated permission. He dines and
+sups to the music of violins. His ship carries
+thirty large guns and a great quantity of
+ammunition, as well as craftsmen who can
+do necessary repairs. He has two artists
+who portray the coast in its own colours,
+a thing which troubled me much to see, because
+everything is put so naturally that any
+one following him will have no difficulty.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake wished to find his way home by
+the north of America into the Atlantic.
+But in this he was not successful, for the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span>weather was very severe, and tried the
+men too much; meanwhile, they found a
+convenient haven in a little bay above the
+harbour of San Francisco, and now known
+as “Drake’s Bay.” Here they stayed a
+month, repairing a leak in the ship and
+refreshing the men. They then set sail,
+and saw nothing but air and sea for sixty-eight
+days, till they reached some islands.
+These they named the “Islands of Thieves,”
+on account of the behaviour of the natives.
+In November they came to the islands of
+the Moluccas, where Drake had a splendid
+reception.</p>
+
+<p>They then sailed on till they arrived at a
+little island, which they called the “Island of
+Crabs.” Here they pitched their tents, and
+set up forges to repair the ironwork of the
+ship and the iron-hooped casks. Those
+that were sickly soon grew well and strong
+in this happy island.</p>
+
+<p>On the 9th of January the ship ran aground
+on a dangerous shoal, and struck twice on it;
+“knocking twice at the door of death, which
+no doubt had opened the third time.”</p>
+
+<p>Nothing but instant death was expected,
+and the whole ship’s company fell to praying.
+As soon as the prayers were said,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span>Drake spoke to the men, telling them how
+they must think of their souls, and speaking
+of the joys of heaven “with comfortable
+speeches.” But he also encouraged
+them to bestir themselves, and he himself
+set the example, and got the pumps to
+work, and freed the ship of water. The
+ship was fast upon “hard and pinching
+rocks, and did tell us plain she expected
+continually her speedy despatch as soon
+as the sea and winds should come ... so
+that if we stay with her we must perish
+with her.” The other plan, of leaving her
+for the pinnace, seemed to them “worse
+than a thousand deaths.”</p>
+
+<p>After taking the Communion and listening
+to a sermon, they eased the ship by
+casting goods into the sea&mdash;“three ton of
+cloves, eight big guns, and certain meal
+and beans”; making, as an old writer says,
+a kind of gruel of the sea round about.
+After they had been in this state from
+eight o’clock at night till four o’clock next
+afternoon, all in a moment the wind changed,
+and “the happy gale drove them off the
+rocks again, and made of them glad men.”</p>
+
+<p>The rest of the homeward voyage was
+less adventurous, and on the 18th of June
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span>they passed the Cape of Good Hope, “a
+most stately thing, and the fairest cape we
+saw in the whole circumference of the
+earth.”</p>
+
+<p>On the 26th of September they “safely,
+and with joyful minds and thankful hearts,
+arrived at Plymouth, having been away
+three years.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br />
+<span class="smaller">SIR FRANCIS</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">I</span><span class="smcap">t</span> was in the autumn of 1580 that Drake
+returned from his three years’ voyage.
+Wynter had brought the news home that
+Drake had entered the Straits of Magellan,
+but since then only vague rumours of his
+death at the hands of the Spaniards had
+reached England. Had he met such a fate,
+Sir William Cecil (now Lord Burghley) and
+his party at Court would not have been sorry;
+for they disliked piracy, and wished to avoid
+a war with Spain.</p>
+
+<p>This was more to be dreaded than ever,
+as at the death of the King of Portugal
+Philip had seized his crown and vast possessions,
+and was now the most powerful prince
+in Europe, since he owned the splendid
+Portuguese fleet. Hitherto, Philip had only
+warships for the protection of his treasure-ships,
+and they could not be spared. He
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span>was now known to be preparing, in his
+slow way, a great Armada.</p>
+
+<p>But Drake had not been hanged for a
+pirate, and this the Spaniards knew very well.
+They clamoured for the restoration of his
+plunder, or the forfeit of his life. At this
+time an army of Italian and Spanish soldiers,
+under the command of a famous Spanish
+officer, had been landed in Ireland to help
+the Catholic Irish in their rebellion against
+Queen Elizabeth. These soldiers were said
+to have been sent by the orders of the Pope.
+Finding the prospects of success too poor,
+the Spanish officer withdrew his men, and
+they escaped by sea; but the Italian soldiers,
+who numbered 600, were overpowered by the
+English, and all except a few officers, who
+could pay a ransom, were slaughtered in cold
+blood. Thus Philip’s attempt to strike a
+secret blow in Elizabeth’s fashion was met
+by her with cruelty as relentless as his own;
+but Elizabeth made this attempt an excuse
+for refusing to make an inquiry into Drake’s
+doings in the West.</p>
+
+<p>“The news of his home-coming in England
+was,” we are told, “by this his strange
+wealth, so far-fetched, marvellous strange,
+and of all men held impossible and incredible.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span>But both proving true, it fortuned that many
+misliked it and reproached him. Besides
+all this there were others that devised and
+divulged” (made up and spread about) “all
+possible disgraces” (base charges) “against
+Drake and his followers, terming him the
+Master Thief of the Unknown World. Yet
+nevertheless the people generally with exceeding
+admiration applauded his wonderful
+long adventures and rich prize.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake at once sent a message to tell the
+Queen of his return. He was told he had
+nothing to fear, and was summoned to Court.
+He took with him some horseloads of gold
+and silver and jewels. The Queen treated
+him with great favour, and refused to take
+the advice of Burghley and others, who
+wished to send the treasure back to Spain.
+Unlike them she took her share of the
+profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had
+brought for her. “But it grieved him not
+a little,” we are told, “that some prime
+courtiers refused the gold he offered them,
+as gotten by piracy.” He and his men had
+made golden fortunes.</p>
+
+<p>The Spanish Ambassador naturally
+“burned with passion” against Drake, and
+considered his presence at Court an insult
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span>to his king. “For he passes much time
+with the Queen,” he wrote to Philip, “by
+whom he is highly favoured.”</p>
+
+<p>It was an insult Philip still felt himself
+unable to avenge. Elizabeth had made a
+fresh treaty with France, and Philip’s best
+generals knew the difficulties of an attack
+on England thus strengthened. Besides,
+the Dutch, whom Elizabeth was helping,
+were his desperate enemies; for they were
+fighting for faith and country and freedom,
+and to do this makes bold soldiers. So Philip
+the prudent had to content himself with
+making plans for his great Armada.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime Drake sunned himself in the
+Court favour, and books and pictures and
+songs were made in his praise.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Golden Hind</i> was brought ashore at
+Deptford, and became a resort for sightseers.
+But in spite of much patching she became
+so old that she had to be broken up, and the
+last of her timbers were made into a chair,
+which is still kept in a quiet Oxford library.
+So the ship ends her days far away from the
+sound of the sea, and of the gay throngs that
+used to make merry and dance on her decks.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo4"><img class="box" src="images/i_072.jpg" width="400" alt="SIR FRANCIS DRAKE" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">SIR FRANCIS DRAKE</p>
+
+<p>On the 4th of April the Queen paid a State
+visit to the ship, and ordered that it should
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span>be preserved for ever. A fine banquet was
+served on board, and there, before the eyes
+of hundreds of onlookers, Elizabeth knighted
+the “pirate captain.” She said jestingly that
+the King of Spain had demanded Drake’s
+head, and now she had a gold sword to cut
+it off. Thus Elizabeth openly defied the
+Spaniards, who were still raging over their
+stolen treasure.</p>
+
+<p>But there were some not in Spain who also
+thirsted for revenge upon Drake. Thomas
+Doughty’s young brother was his unforgiving
+foe. The case was never brought to Court
+or indeed to light; but young Doughty wrote
+a letter in which he said “that when the
+Queen did knight Drake she did then knight
+the greatest knave, the vilest villain, the
+foulest thief, and the crudest murderer that
+ever was born.” The Spaniards bribed him
+to try and murder Drake. We hear that
+he was put in prison, and we never hear of
+his release.</p>
+
+<p>In 1581 Drake was made Mayor of Plymouth.
+In 1583 his wife died. He was
+then a member of Parliament.  Two years
+later he married Mary Sydenham. He never
+had any children.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen now appointed Drake among
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span>others to inquire into the state of the navy;
+he was to see to the repairing of ships, to
+the building of new ones, and to the means
+of furnishing them with stores in case of
+sudden war. From this time onwards the
+thought of a Spanish invasion was a constant
+fear in the minds of the English people. But
+Philip was unready, and Elizabeth unwilling
+to be the first to begin a war. Elizabeth
+changed her mind and her plans in a way
+that must have been maddening to the men
+who did her work. One good result of her
+indecision was that England was better prepared
+for the invasion. In those long years
+of private warfare money had been gathering,
+and the navy made strong and ready for
+work. But for men of action, who like to
+make a plan and stick to it, and go through
+with it at all costs, Elizabeth’s delays and
+recalls were bewildering and unreasonable.</p>
+
+<p>In 1585 Philip seized a fleet of English
+corn-ships trading in his own ports. Then,
+at last, Drake’s long-talked-of expedition
+against the Spanish settlements was got
+ready and sent out. He had about thirty
+ships, commanded by some of the most
+famous captains of the time, men like
+Fenner, Frobisher, and Wynter, who afterwards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span>
+fought against the Armada. His
+general of the soldiers was Christopher
+Carleill, “a man of long experience in wars
+both by sea and land,” and who was afterwards
+said to direct the service “most like
+a wise commander.” Drake’s ship was the
+<i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.</p>
+
+<p>After a week spent in capturing ships,
+the fleet anchored at the Bayona Islands,
+off Vigo Bay. The Governor of Bayona
+was forced to make terms. He sent “some
+refreshing, as bread, wine, oil, apples, grapes,
+and marmalade, and such like.” The people,
+filled with terror, were seen to remove their
+possessions into boats to go up the Vigo
+River, inland, for safety. Many of these were
+seized; most of them were loaded only
+with household stuff, but one contained
+the “church stuff of the high church of
+Vigo ... a great cross of silver of very fair
+embossed work and double-gilt all over,
+having cost them a great mass of money.”</p>
+
+<p>The fleet now went on its way by the
+Canary Islands. When Santiago was
+reached, Carleill landed with a thousand
+troops and took possession of the fortress
+and the town, for both had been forsaken.
+Here they planted the great flag, “which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span>had nothing on it but the plain English
+cross; and it was placed towards the sea,
+that our fleet might see St. George’s Cross
+flourish in the enemy’s fortress.” Guns were
+found ready loaded in various places about
+the town, and orders were given that these
+should be shot off “in honour of the Queen’s
+Majesty’s Coronation day, being the 17th
+of November, after the yearly custom in England.
+These were so answered again by the
+guns out of all the ships in the fleet, as it was
+strange to hear such a thundering noise last
+so long together.” No treasure was taken
+at Santiago, but there was food and wine.
+The town was given to the flames in revenge
+for wrongs done to old William
+Hawkins of Plymouth some years before.</p>
+
+<p>They had not been many days at sea
+before a mortal sickness suddenly broke
+out among the men. They anchored off
+some islands, where the Indians treated
+them very kindly, carried fresh water to
+the ships, and gave them food and tobacco.
+The tobacco was a welcome gift, to be used
+against the infection of the mysterious sickness
+which was killing the men by hundreds.
+They passed Christmas on an island to refresh
+the sick and cleanse and air the ships.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span></p>
+<p>Then Drake resolved, with the consent of
+his council, to attack the city of St. Domingo,
+while his forces were “in their best strength.”
+This was the oldest and most important city
+in the Indies, and was famous for its beauty
+and strength. It had never been attempted
+before, although it was so rich, because it
+was strongly fortified.</p>
+
+<p>Some boats were sent on in advance of
+the fleet. They learned from a pilot, whose
+boat they captured, that the Castle of St.
+Domingo was well armed, and that it was
+almost impossible to land on the dangerous
+coast; but he showed them a possible
+point ten miles from the harbour. In
+some way Drake had sent messages to the
+Maroons, who lived on the hills behind the
+town. At midnight, on New Year’s Day, the
+soldiers were landed, Drake himself steering
+a boat through the surf. The Maroons met
+them, having killed the Spanish watchman.</p>
+
+<p>“Our General, having seen us all landed
+in safety to the west of that brave city of
+St. Domingo, returned to his fleet, bequeathing
+us to God and the good conduct of
+Master Carleill, our Lieutenant-General.”</p>
+
+<p>The troops divided and met in the market-place;
+and as those in the castle were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span>preparing to meet Drake’s attack from the
+sea, they were surprised from behind by
+the soldiers marching upon them with flags
+flying and music playing. The fleet ceased
+firing while the fate of the town was decided
+in a battle. By night Drake was in
+possession of the castle, the harbour, and
+shipping. One of the ships captured they
+named the <i>New Year’s Gift</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But after all there was little of the fabled
+treasure to be found. The labour in the
+gold and silver mines had killed the native
+Indians, and the mines were no longer
+worked. There was plenty of food and
+wine to be had, woollen and linen cloth
+and silk. But there was little silver; the
+rich people used dishes of china and cups
+of glass, and their beautiful furniture was
+useless as plunder. The town had to pay a
+large sum of money for its ransom, and the
+English stayed a month, and fed at its
+expense, and took away with them guns
+and merchandise and food and numbers of
+galley-slaves, whom they set free.</p>
+
+<p>Cartagena, the capital of the Spanish
+Main, was the last town to be taken, and
+it had been warned. It had natural defences,
+which made it very difficult to attack.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span>Drake, as we know, had been there before,
+and often, since then, he must have dreamed
+of taking it. He triumphantly steered his
+fleet by a very difficult channel into the
+outer harbour. He then threatened the
+fort with his guns while the soldiers were
+secretly landed by night. They made their
+way to the town by the shore, “wading in
+the sea-wash,” and so avoiding the poisoned
+stakes which had been placed in the ground
+in readiness for them. They also routed a
+company of horse soldiers sent out from
+the fort, as the place where they met was
+so “woody and scrubby” as to be unfit for
+horses. So they pushed on till they made
+a “furious entry” into the town, nor paused
+till the market-place was won, and the people
+fled into the country, where they had already
+sent their wives and children.</p>
+
+<p>A large price or ransom was paid for this
+town, equal, it is said, to a quarter of a
+million of our money; but it was far less
+than Drake had at first demanded. But
+“the inconvenience of continual death”
+forced them to go, for the sickness was
+still taking its prey from among the men,
+and it also forced them to give up an
+attempt upon Nombre de Dios and Panama.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span>The voyage had been disappointing in the
+matter of plunder. Most of the treasure
+had been taken away from the towns before
+the English came, and many of the
+officers had died.</p>
+
+<p>They considered the idea of remaining
+in Cartagena and sending home for more
+troops. They would have had a fine position;
+but they decided that their strength
+was not enough to hold the town and also
+man the fleet against a possible attack by
+the Spaniards from the sea. So the lesser
+ransom was accepted; the officers offering
+to give up their shares to the “poor men,
+both soldiers and sailors, who had adventured
+their lives against the great enemy.”
+They then returned to England, only stopping
+to water the ships. They landed
+again at St. Augustine, on the coast of
+Florida, where they destroyed a fort and
+took away the guns and a pay-chest containing
+two thousand pounds.</p>
+
+<p>“And so, God be thanked, we in good
+safety arrived at Portsmouth the 28th of
+July 1586, to the great glory of God, and
+to no small honour to our Prince, our
+Country, and Ourselves.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br />
+<span class="smaller">CADIZ</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">W</span><span class="smcap">hen</span> Drake returned to England, it
+was to hear the news of the “Babington
+plot.” This was a plot to assassinate
+Elizabeth, and to place Mary of
+Scotland on the throne. In 1587 Mary was
+beheaded. In Philip’s eyes the time had
+at last become ripe for an invasion of England.
+Now that Mary was dead, there
+was less danger of France and Scotland
+joining forces. And Philip, as a descendant
+of John of Gaunt, could put in a claim
+that the throne of England, at the death
+of Elizabeth, should come to himself or his
+daughter.</p>
+
+<p>The Armada was getting ready to sail
+in the summer. In April, however, Drake
+was sent out again with a small fleet.
+His flag-ship was again the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>.
+His second in command was
+William Borough.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span></p>
+
+<p>His orders were “to prevent the joining
+together of the King of Spain’s fleet
+out of their different ports. To keep
+victuals from them. To follow them in
+case they should come out towards England
+or Ireland. To cut off as many of
+them as he could, and prevent their landing.
+To set upon the West Indian ships
+as they came or went.”</p>
+
+<p>But no sooner was he instructed than the
+Queen changed her bold orders to milder
+ones. He was not to enter any port by
+force, nor to offer violence to any towns,
+or ships in harbour. But Drake had got
+away to sea without the second orders,
+and acted on the first.</p>
+
+<p>He had heard that the ships were gathering
+in Cadiz harbour, and there he decided
+boldly to seek for them. The outer
+and inner harbours of Cadiz were crowded
+with shipping, most of which was getting
+ready for the invasion of England. Drake’s
+fleet sailed in, routed the defending galleys,
+and made havoc among the ships,
+about thirty-seven of which were captured,
+burnt, or sunk. One was a large ship belonging
+to the Marquis of Santa Cruz.
+They carried away four ships laden with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span>
+wine, oil, biscuits, and dried fruit; “departing
+thence,” as Drake says, “at our
+pleasure, with as much honour as we could
+wish.” They were chased by Spanish galleys,
+which did little harm, for the wind
+favoured the English as they sailed away
+from Cadiz.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards thought Drake had gone
+to stop the treasure fleet. But Drake
+wished to stop the Armada, which was a
+much greater affair. He knew now that
+Santa Cruz was making his headquarters at
+Lisbon. Ships were gathering in the north
+of Spain. Recalde, one of the best Spanish
+commanders, was waiting with a small fleet
+off Cape St. Vincent to protect the treasure
+fleet when it arrived. Fifteen big
+ships had escaped the attack in Cadiz harbour.
+The ships were to meet in Lisbon,
+where Santa Cruz was collecting stores and
+food.</p>
+
+<p>Recalde succeeded in escaping Drake, and
+took his ships safely into Lisbon. Drake
+resolved to secure the station he had left.
+This was the castle of Sagres, near Cape
+St. Vincent. His own officers were staggered
+with the boldness of his plan, and
+Borough solemnly protested. He had urged
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span>caution before Cadiz harbour; again he
+pleaded for a council of war. He was of
+an older school of seamen than Drake, and
+was horrified at the ways of the man who
+was born, as it has been said, “to break
+rules.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was most indignant at his action,
+and put him under arrest, while Borough
+expected daily that “the Admiral would
+have executed upon me his bloodthirsty
+desire, as he did upon Doughty.”</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo5"><img class="box" src="images/i_084.jpg" width="400" alt="Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at the taking of Sagres Castle</p>
+
+<p>After reading the accounts of Drake in
+the stories of the different voyages, we can
+understand how his men adored his spirit,
+and flocked to his ship to serve under
+his flag. To them there was something
+magical, and to the Spaniards something
+uncanny, in his luck. The English called
+him “Fortune’s child,” and the Spanish
+called him “the Devil.” But some of the
+officers who served with him must have
+liked him less. He made his plans swiftly,
+and generally well; but the doing of them
+had to be swift and sure. Like many
+great men he knew he was right, but
+could not stop to reason or argue about
+his course. He acted upon the instinct of
+his genius, with a sure and shining faith
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span>in himself, which must have been hateful
+to smaller men. In the days of his later
+voyages, when he had not the undivided
+control of his expedition, he failed, as he
+never did when he was alone, “with the
+ships not pestered with soldiers,” as he once
+said.</p>
+
+<p>The taking of the castle of Sagres
+seemed almost an impossibility, so well
+did the rocks and steep cliffs defend the
+fort. Drake himself commanded the attack
+on land, and in the end helped to carry
+and pile the faggots against the castle
+gate. The commander was slain, and then
+the fort surrendered. Thus Drake took
+possession of one of the best places on
+the coast of Spain for ships to anchor
+and get water.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet had taken
+and burnt fifty ships laden with wood and
+hoops of seasoned wood, for which Santa
+Cruz was waiting to make his water-casks.
+The loss of these did much damage to the
+Armada, and helped to ruin it.</p>
+
+<p>On the 10th of May, having disarmed the
+fort of Sagres by throwing the big guns
+over the cliffs into the sea, Drake brought
+his fleet to anchor in Cascaes Bay, south
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span>of Lisbon. He seems to have judged
+Lisbon too strong to attack from the sea.
+He was prepared to “distress the ships”
+had they come out; and he offered battle
+to Santa Cruz, who, however, was short of
+powder and shot, and had no ships ready
+as yet for action.</p>
+
+<p>So Drake went back to Sagres to clean
+his ships and refresh his men. He then
+sailed for the Azores. A storm parted the
+ships, and on the few that were left the
+men were anxious to go home. The ship
+on which Borough was still a prisoner deserted.
+Drake believed that Borough was
+responsible for this; and, though he was
+beyond reach, in his anger Drake sentenced
+him, with his chief officers, to death as
+mutineers.</p>
+
+<p>Drake went on with his nine remaining
+ships, and came upon a splendid prize, the
+big <i>San Felipe</i>, the greatest ship in all
+Portugal, richly laden with spice, china,
+silk, and chests of gold and jewels. This
+prize was valued at nearly a million pounds;
+and, besides, she carried secret papers of
+great value concerning the East India trade.</p>
+
+<p>On the 26th of June, Drake returned
+home after his brilliant campaign. Santa
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span>Cruz had indeed gone out to chase him,
+but it was too late.</p>
+
+<p>Borough was not found guilty by the
+court of law where Drake accused him;
+but his grief of mind endured long. Some
+time after, he wrote that “he was very fain
+to ease it as he might, hoping in good time
+he should.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE GREAT ARMADA</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake’s</span> raid upon the Spanish coast
+made it impossible for the Armada to
+sail in 1587. But after waiting so long
+Philip made his preparations with an almost
+feverish haste. The death of his great
+general, Santa Cruz, hindered his plans very
+much. Santa Cruz was a commander of
+experience and renown, and the man most
+fitted, both by his rank and his qualities, to
+undertake “the enterprise of England.”</p>
+
+<p>The man chosen to succeed him was the
+Duke of Medina Sidonia, whose exalted
+rank seems to have been his chief claim to
+the difficult place into which he was thrust
+by Philip. He had no desire to take the
+place; he wrote to Philip and told him quite
+simply that he was no seaman, and knew
+little about naval fighting and less about
+England. But he was ordered to take the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span>fleet into the English Channel and take possession
+of Margate. He was then to send
+ships to bring the Duke of Parma and his
+army in safety to England, when Parma was
+to assume the command of the expedition.</p>
+
+<p>But, after all, the Armada was not ready
+to sail till July 1588, and the months between
+then and January were filled by the English
+with preparations for defence. They had to
+face the difficulties, much greater then than
+now, of keeping both men and ships on the
+seas, and yet fit for action. Life on board
+ship tried the men very severely. We have
+seen how often sickness broke out among
+the sailors if they were kept long to their
+crowded, unhealthy quarters. The feeding
+of both navies seems to have been a task of
+great difficulty. This was due to the hurried
+demand for vast quantities of stores, such
+as biscuit and salt meat The Spaniards, too,
+owing to Drake’s foresight, had lost their
+water-casks, and had to depend on new ones
+of unseasoned wood, which leaked.</p>
+
+<p>Lord Howard, a cousin of the Queen, was
+made Lord High Admiral of England, and
+Drake was his Vice-Admiral and John
+Hawkins his Rear-Admiral. With them
+served many other famous men, such as
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span>Fenner, Frobisher, Wynter, and Seymour,
+and many younger men from noble families.
+All were working hard, with spirits stretched
+to an unusual pitch of endurance. In the
+letters they wrote about the business in hand
+to the Queen and her Ministers of State
+there is a note of high courage and defiance;
+and a distant echo comes down to us from
+the dim old letters of all the stir and bustle
+as the men gathered to the ships, and of the
+hum of excitement about the clamouring
+dockyards. The shipwrights were working
+day and night Lord Howard says he has
+been on board every ship “where any man
+may creep,” and thanks God for their good
+state, and that “never a one of them knows
+what a leak means.” Sir William Wynter
+tells how badly the ships had suffered in the
+winter storms, but adds: “Our ships doth
+show themselves like gallants here. I assure
+you it will do a man’s heart good to behold
+them; and would to God the Prince of Parma
+were upon the seas with all his forces, and
+we in the view of them; then I doubt not but
+that you should hear we would make his
+enterprises very unpleasant to him.”</p>
+
+<p>The ships are always spoken of like live
+creatures, and their personal histories are
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span>well known and remembered. Lord Howard
+says of his Ark (which was bought of Sir
+Walter Raleigh by the Queen): “And I pray
+you tell her Majesty from me that her money
+was well given for the Ark <i>Ralegh</i>, for I
+think her the odd (only) ship in the world
+for all conditions; and truly I think there
+can no great ship make me change and go
+out of her.” And again: “I mean not to
+change out of her I am in for any ship that
+ever was made.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake had “her Majesty’s very good ship
+the <i>Revenge</i>” which was so famous then and
+afterwards. Lord Henry Seymour writes
+from on board “the <i>Elizabeth Bonaventure</i>,
+the fortunate ship where Sir Francis Drake
+received all his good haps.” Howard and
+Drake, with other commanders of experience,
+were of one mind; they wanted to go out and
+meet the enemy upon the coasts of Spain,
+and so prevent the Spanish fleet from ever
+reaching England.</p>
+
+<p>Howard pressed this opinion as that of
+men whom the world judged to be the
+wisest in the kingdom. But the Queen was
+unwilling to send the fleet away, and she
+still talked of making peace.</p>
+
+<p>Both the Spaniards and the English were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span>persuaded that God was fighting with them.
+Philip told the Duke of Medina Sidonia, that
+as the cause was the cause of God, he could
+not fail. In England Drake was saying that
+“the Lord is on our side”; and Fenner wrote
+to the Queen: “God mightily defend my
+gracious Mistress from the raging enemy;
+not doubting that all the world shall know
+and see that her Majesty’s little army, guided
+by the finger of God, shall beat down the
+pride of His enemies and hers, to His great
+glory.” Nowadays we do not look upon
+our enemies as necessarily the enemies of
+God.</p>
+
+<p>Howard’s letters show a very noble mind.
+He grudged no time or labour in the ordering
+of his fleet, down to the smallest matters.
+He is full of care for the mariners, and is
+anxious that they should be well paid and
+fed. He takes the advice of Drake and the
+other seamen of greater experience than
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet did at last go out, but was
+driven back by the winds; and suddenly,
+after the fret and worry and strain of all
+those months, there is a pause, and Howard
+writes: “Sir, I will not trouble you with any
+long letter; we are at this present otherwise
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span>occupied than with writing. Upon Friday,
+at Plymouth, I received intelligence that
+there was a great number of ships descried
+off the Lizard: whereupon, although the
+wind was very scant, we first warped out
+of harbour that night, and upon Saturday
+turned out very hardly, the wind being at
+south-west; and about three of the clock in
+the afternoon, descried the Spanish fleet, and
+did what we could to work for the wind,
+which by this morning we had recovered....
+At nine of the clock we gave them fight,
+which continued until one.... Sir, the captains
+in her Majesty’s ships have behaved
+themselves most bravely and like men hitherto,
+and I doubt not will continue, to their
+great commendation.... Sir, the southerly
+wind that brought us back from the coast
+of Spain brought them out.”</p>
+
+<p>William Hawkins, then Mayor of Plymouth,
+writes that the “Spanish fleet was
+in view of this town yesternight, and the
+Lord Admiral passed to the sea and out of
+sight.” They could see the fleets fighting,
+the English being to windward of the enemy.
+He was sending out men as fast as he could
+find ships to carry them.</p>
+
+<p>There is a legend that Drake and his
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span>officers were playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe
+when the news that the Armada was in the
+Channel was brought to him by the captain of
+a pinnace. Drake calmly finished his game,
+the story says, saying there was time to do
+that and to beat the Spaniards too.</p>
+
+<p>As the Spanish ships lay in the English
+Channel, blinded with the mist and rain, the
+Duke sent a boat to get news. Four fishermen
+of Falmouth were brought away who
+had that evening seen the English fleet go
+out of Plymouth, “under the charge of the
+English Admiral and of Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards had come out ready to fight
+in the old way, in which they had won so
+many brilliant victories. They had always
+fought their naval battles with great armies
+on great ships, much as they would fight on
+land. The soldiers despised big guns, and
+liked better the bravery of a close fight,
+“with hand-thrusts and push of pike.” The
+sailors were not prepared to fight at all, but
+with the help of slaves they sailed the big
+galleys and fighting ships, and the swarm
+of smaller troop-ships and store-ships that
+swelled the numbers of the fleet which
+carried an army.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 541px;">
+<a id="illo6"><img class="box" src="images/i_094.jpg" width="541" alt="Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Drake at bowls on Plymouth Hoe</p>
+<p>The numbers of the ships on both sides
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span>are now said to have been not so very unequal.
+If the Spaniards could have fought
+in their own way, they must have been easily
+victorious. But the English had got the
+wind at their back and the enemy in front
+of them, and being better masters of their
+ships, they had the choice, and they chose
+to fight at a distance, and never to board
+the big ships till they were already helpless.</p>
+
+<p>Their ships were newer, and built on different
+lines, and could sail faster. They were
+smaller than our modern men-of-war, but
+carried more guns for their size. They were,
+as the Spaniards said, “very nimble and of
+good steerage, so that the English did with
+them as they desired. And our ships being
+very heavy compared with the lightness of
+those of the enemy, it was impossible to
+come to hand-stroke with them.”</p>
+
+<p>The English ships were manned with
+sailors and gunners who could both sail the
+ships and fight the enemy. The guns were
+fired at the hulls of the Spanish ships and
+not wasted on the enemy’s rigging, which
+was harder to aim at.</p>
+
+<p>The fleets met on the 21st of July, and
+there followed a week of fighting and of
+disasters to the Spaniards. Yet as the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span>news of their coming up the Channel came
+to those on shore, who watched beside the
+beacon fires with anxious hearts, the danger
+must have seemed little less fearful than
+before. Those who viewed the “greatness
+and hugeness of the Spanish army” from
+the sea, considered that the only way to
+move them was by fire-ships.</p>
+
+<p>Sidonia had steered his great fleet magnificently
+through the dangers of the Channel;
+he anchored outside Calais to await the
+answer to the urgent messages he had sent
+to the Duke of Parma. But, as we know,
+the “Narrow Seas” were well watched by
+the English, and they were so helped by
+the Dutch that Parma never reached the
+shores of England.</p>
+
+<p>Eight fire-ships were hastily prepared and
+sent down upon the Spanish fleet, “all burning
+fiercely. These worked great mischief
+among the Spanish ships (though none of
+them took fire), for in the panic their cables
+and anchors were slipped.”</p>
+
+<p>The great fight took place off Gravelines,
+on the Flemish coast, where most of the
+scattered ships of the Armada had drifted
+in the general confusion. The English
+hastened to take advantage of this confusion,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span>while Sidonia was forming his fleet again
+into battle order. They “set upon the fleet
+of Spain (led by Sir Francis Drake in the
+<i>Revenge</i>) and gave them a sharp fight,” while
+Lord Howard stopped to capture a helpless
+ship, the finest, they said, upon the
+sea. “And that day, Sir Francis’ ship was
+riddled with every kind of shot.”</p>
+
+<p>The fight went on from nine in the morning
+till six at night, when the Spanish fleet bore
+away, beaten, towards the north. Howard
+says that “after the fight, notwithstanding
+that our powder and shot was well near all
+spent, we set on a brag-countenance and
+gave them chase as though we had wanted
+nothing (or lacked nothing) until we had
+cleared our own coast and some part of
+Scotland of them.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake was appointed to follow the fleet,
+and he writes, “We have the army of Spain
+before us, and mind, with the grace of God,
+to wrestle a pull with him. There was
+never anything pleased me better than the
+seeing the enemy flying with a southerly
+wind to the northwards. God grant you
+have a good eye to the Duke of Parma:
+for with the grace of God, if we live, I doubt
+it not but ere it be long so to handle the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span>matter with the Duke of Sidonia as he
+shall wish himself at St. Mary Port among
+his orange trees.”</p>
+
+<p>At the end of this letter he says, “I crave
+pardon of your honour for my haste, for that
+I had to watch this last night upon the
+enemy.” And in another letter to Walsingham
+he signs himself, “Your honour’s most
+ready to be commanded but now half-sleeping
+Francis Drake.”</p>
+
+<p>Many of the Spanish ships, being so
+crippled, were wrecked in stormy weather
+off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, which
+were unknown to them, and thus the more
+dangerous. Not half of those who put out
+to sea ever reached Spain again. Many
+men were killed in battle or died of their
+wounds, and they were the most fortunate,
+for others were drowned, or perished miserably
+by the hands of the natives of the coasts.
+Some who escaped were put to death by the
+Queen’s orders, and some lingered in the
+foul prisons of that time. The instinct of
+savage cruelty revives, even in highly civilised
+races, in time of war, and spreads, like an
+infection.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a id="illo7"><img class="box" src="images/i_098.jpg" width="400" alt="Fighting the Great Armada" /></a></div>
+
+<p class="caption no-indent">Fighting the Great Armada</p>
+
+<p>We get a glimpse, in an old list of plunder
+taken from the Spanish prisoners, of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span>brave looks of the vanished host, that included
+the flower of Spanish youth and chivalry.
+There were “breeches and jerkins of silk,
+and hose of velvet, all laid over with gold
+lace, a pair of breeches of yellow satin,
+drawn out with cloth of silver, a leather
+jerkin, perfumed with amber and laid over
+with a gold and silver lace, a jerkin embroidered
+with flowers, and a blue stitched
+taffety hat, with a silver band and a plume
+of feathers.”</p>
+
+<p>For some time England was haunted
+by fears that the Armada would return to
+her coasts, or that Parma would avenge
+himself. But the reports of the many
+wrecks and of the massacre of Spanish
+soldiers eased this present anxiety. And
+it was well, for fever and sickness broke
+out in the English ships, and the men were
+dying in hundreds, “sickening one day and
+dying the next,” as the letters say. The
+ships had to be disinfected and many of
+the men dispersed.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br />
+<span class="smaller">EXPEDITION TO LISBON</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">T</span><span class="smcap">he</span> great Armada was scattered, and
+yet the English did not feel secure
+from their enemy. The sight of that fleet
+so near their shores in “its terror and
+majesty,” and the memory of its vast army
+of well-drilled soldiers, left a feeling of deep
+uneasiness in the minds of wise men. “Sir,”
+writes Howard to Walsingham, “safe bind,
+safe find. A kingdom is a great wager. Sir,
+you know security is dangerous: and had
+God not been our best friend, we should have
+found it so. Some made little account of
+the Spanish force by sea: but I do warrant
+you, all the world never saw such a force
+as theirs was....”</p>
+
+<p>Fortune had favoured England this time,
+but what if Philip built newer and lighter
+ships, and really succeeded in landing his
+army? They did not as yet know that Philip
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span>had no money to build his ships with, and
+rumours of a second invasion were plentiful.</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards, it is true, had suffered
+great loss and a crushing defeat to their
+pride, but they had not, after all, lost anything
+that they already had, but only failed
+to get something they wanted very badly
+to have, and the second kind of loss matters
+far less than the first.</p>
+
+<p>But, on the other hand, if the English had
+been defeated, it is difficult to think how
+darkly their history might have been changed.
+It was this thought that made the wise men
+sober in the midst of the national joy and
+exultation. They saw how much England,
+as an island, must depend for strength and
+defence upon her navy, and they saw this
+much more clearly than before. But Drake
+had seen it for a long time. And he had
+seen something more. He had seen that
+the English navy must be ready and able
+to protect her merchant ships by distressing
+and attacking her enemies abroad, and that
+this was a means of keeping the enemy so
+busy abroad that he could not invade the
+peace of England at home.</p>
+
+<p>Elizabeth was eager to complete the destruction
+of Philip’s navy, now so much
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span>crippled. In the spring of 1589 she consented
+to a new expedition being fitted out, and
+appointed Sir John Norreys and Sir Francis
+Drake as commanders-in-chief. The two
+men had fought together in Ireland. “Black
+John Norreys,” as he was called, came of a
+famous fighting family, and had served in
+the Lowlands and in France with high
+courage and skill. During the Spanish invasion
+he had been made chief of the land
+forces. It is said that in one battle he went
+on fighting after three horses had been
+killed under him. With him went his
+brother Edward, and a famous Welsh captain,
+Sir Roger Williams, was his second in
+command.</p>
+
+<p>The objects of the expedition were: first,
+to distress the King of Spain’s ships; second,
+to get possession of some of the islands of
+the Azores in order to waylay the treasure
+ships; and, lastly, to try to recover for Don
+Antonio his lost kingdom of Portugal.</p>
+
+<p>Money for this expedition was raised from
+every possible source. The Queen gave six
+royal ships and two pinnaces, money, food,
+and arms. The forces were made up of
+soldiers, gentlemen who wished to make
+their fortunes in war, and English and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span>Dutch sailors and recruits, most of whom
+were pressed. With this large but mixed
+army the generals prepared to face the best-trained
+soldiers in Europe.</p>
+
+<p>As usual, there were many delays. The
+ships were not ready to go out, and much
+of the food was consumed before they started.
+More was not to be had, though Drake and
+Norreys wrote letter after letter begging for
+supplies. The Queen had already begun to
+regard the expedition with disfavour. Some
+days before the fleet sailed, the young Earl
+of Essex, her latest Court favourite, had
+slipped away to sea with Sir Roger Williams
+on the <i>Swiftsure</i>. He was tired of a
+courtier’s life, and wanted to breathe freer
+air, and to help to fight the Spaniards. The
+Queen was very angry, and sent orders for
+his arrest, accusing Drake and Norreys of
+aiding his escape. But they declared they
+knew nothing of his plans.</p>
+
+<p>About this time some Flemish ships appeared
+in Plymouth harbour laden with
+barley and wine, and Drake seized their
+cargoes in the Queen’s name to victual his
+fleet, and sailed early in April. The weather
+was so rough that several of the ships containing
+troops were unable to get beyond
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span>the Channel, but even with lesser numbers
+the crews were short of food before they
+reached Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Philip was very ill at this time, and in
+grave anxiety. He knew that Drake and
+the English ships might land on his coasts,
+that the French might cross the mountains
+with an invading force, and that the Portuguese
+might arise in rebellion to win back
+the crown for Don Antonio. This last
+danger seemed to Philip the most urgent,
+and Drake guessed this, and landed his men
+on the north-west coast at Corunna.</p>
+
+<p>In doing this he tried to obey the Queen’s
+orders to distress the King’s ships, and also,
+no doubt, to satisfy the craving of his hungry
+crews for food and plunder. The lower town
+of Corunna was taken, and much wine and
+food consumed and much wasted. The
+townsfolk were routed and put to the sword,
+and their houses burned. An attempt to
+take the upper town failed, but the English
+were the victors in a sharp battle which took
+place some miles from the town, and they
+thus secured their retreat to the ships and
+sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>The presence of Drake on the coasts
+caused great panic, for his name and luck
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span>had become a terror to the people. Philip
+felt deeply insulted that such an attack
+should be made “by a woman, mistress of
+half an island, with the help of a pirate and
+a common soldier.” In Spain, as we have
+seen, the command was always given to
+gentlemen of high birth and breeding and
+title.</p>
+
+<p>Four days after leaving Corunna, the fleet
+first sighted some of the missing ships, and
+also the <i>Swiftsure</i> with the missing Earl,
+who had “put himself into the journey against
+the opinion of the world, and, as it seemed,
+to the hazard of his great fortune.” The
+<i>Swiftsure</i> had taken six prizes off Cape St.
+Vincent.</p>
+
+<p>The two generals had from the first
+wished to go straight to Lisbon, and it is
+thought that if they had done so, and thus
+given the Spaniards no warning of their
+coming, they might have had success. But
+they were hindered by the Queen’s orders
+to destroy the shipping now collected in
+the northern ports, and chiefly in Santander.
+After leaving Corunna, however, they decided
+in council not to attempt that port,
+both soldiers and sailors reasoning that the
+conditions did not favour an attack.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span></p>
+
+<p>They landed next at the Portuguese
+town of Peniche, which lies about fifty
+miles north of Lisbon. It was difficult to
+land on the surf-bound coast, and some of
+the boats were upset and battered. At
+last, Essex sprang into the waves and
+waded ashore with his soldiers and climbed
+the steep cliffs. The commandant, thus
+surprised, willingly surrendered to Antonio
+as his lawful king, “The king” soon had
+a following of peasants and friars, but
+neither nobles nor soldiers came to help
+him. He was eager to march to Lisbon,
+where he thought he was sure of a welcome.
+Norreys resolved to march there
+overland. Drake, it is said, would have
+liked better to attack the town from the
+sea in his usual daring but successful
+fashion. But the soldiers’ plan carried the
+day; and leaving some ships at Peniche,
+Drake promised, if he could, to bring the
+fleet to meet them at Cascaes, at the mouth
+of the river Tagus, south of Lisbon.</p>
+
+<p>There, when he arrived, he waited, not
+liking to venture up the river without
+knowing where the soldiers were, and not
+liking to quit the sea, where he could give
+them the means of retreat if necessary.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span>For this he was very much blamed by the
+soldiers at the time, and afterwards when
+he got home. The point is still disputed.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the army was encamped outside
+the walls of Lisbon, but they never
+got inside. The Portuguese refused to join
+Don Antonio’s party, and the Spanish governor
+kept the gates shut in a grim and
+heroic defence. The English sailors were
+sick and hungry; they had had no exercise
+on board ship to keep them healthy, and
+were exhausted with the heat. The stores
+and guns were on the ships with Drake.
+So, reluctantly, they left the suburbs of
+Lisbon and marched to Cascaes, where
+they embarked, not without some loss, and
+sailed away.</p>
+
+<p>While they were still disputing in the
+councils, a fleet of German ships were
+sighted, and most of them secured. They
+were carrying corn and stores to Spain,
+against the rules of war, which bind countries
+not concerned in the quarrel to help
+neither foe. So the English seized sixty
+ships and the stores, both of which had
+been destined to furnish the new Armada
+of Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Next came into view some English ships
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span>with supplies, but also with angry letters
+from the Queen; in answer to which Essex
+was sent home bearing the news that the
+expedition, though diminished by sickness
+and death, still meant to sail to the Azores.</p>
+
+<p>On June the 8th a wind had scattered
+the fleet, and suddenly left it becalmed.
+The Lisbon galleys came out and cut off
+four English ships.</p>
+
+<p>The winds continued to prevent the fleet
+from going towards the Azores, and all this
+time hundreds of sick and wounded men
+were dying. After seventeen days at sea,
+they landed at the town of Vigo and burned
+it, and laid waste the country round. At
+length storms and sickness and ill-fortune
+drove them home, and the expedition, woefully
+shrunken, straggled miserably back.
+Don Antonio died, poor and forsaken, some
+years later. The English had done a considerable
+amount of damage, but at great
+cost to themselves; for the loss of life
+was terrible, and that of money very considerable.
+Both Norreys and Drake were
+called upon to account for their failure,
+and at the time Drake got the most of
+the blame. Perhaps he was more hardly
+judged because failure had never come
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span>near him before, and his successes had
+always been so brilliant. His best friends
+at Court were dead, and for five years he
+was not asked to act in the Queen’s service.
+So five years of his life which should have
+been the most active were spent in retirement,
+if not actually in “disgrace with
+fortune and men’s eyes.”</p>
+
+<p>The war was carried on upon the old
+lines of distressing the King’s ships, but
+with very poor success. After Drake’s
+voyage round the world, which encouraged
+other adventurers and treasure-seekers, the
+Spanish treasure-fleet had been carefully
+guarded. This was done by strongly fortifying
+the coast stations, by providing an
+armed escort, and a service of light ships,
+which went frequently to and fro with
+letters of advice and warning from the
+Indies to Spain.</p>
+
+<p>Drake had ruined this defence in 1585,
+and in 1588 again many of the guard-ships
+had to be used in the service of the
+Armada. A really strong English fleet
+might at this time have stayed the treasure,
+but Philip continued to gather in his gold,
+and also began, with splendid patience, to
+rebuild his navy. In 1591 a royal squadron
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span>was sent out under Lord Thomas Howard,
+and the great battle of Sir Richard Grenville
+on the <i>Revenge</i> was fought, “the fight of
+the one and the fifty-three,” with the loss of
+that ship and the victory of the Spanish fleet.
+The Queen made a fighting alliance with
+Henry the Fourth of France, who was the
+enemy of Philip, and this she felt would
+help to keep him out of England. Philip
+was now trying to establish a fortified
+station on the north coast of Brittany,
+from which his new Armada might be
+despatched.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span></p>
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE LAST VOYAGE</span></h2></div>
+
+<p class="no-indent"><span class="dropcap">D</span><span class="smcap">rake</span> had settled in Buckland Abbey,
+which he had bought from Sir Richard
+Grenville. He helped to prepare and furnish
+ships for some of the different excursions
+against Spain, and he spent much
+time on schemes to improve Plymouth. He
+paid to have pure water brought to the
+town from many miles away; he had flour-mills
+built, that the sailors might have
+good biscuits provided for them, and he
+overlooked the work of fortifying Plymouth,
+and making it in all ways a strong naval
+station.</p>
+
+<p>As the danger of a fresh invasion by
+Philip grew more threatening, Drake was
+called to Court again, and it was about
+this time that he gave to the Queen his
+written story of the voyage to Nombre de
+Dios.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span></p>
+<p>In 1595 a fresh expedition was arranged
+for the Indies, and after the usual bewildering
+indecision at Court, and difference
+of views and plans (delays that proved
+fatal to an excursion whose proper nature
+was to be swift and secret, and above all
+things powerful), on August 28, 1598, Sir
+Francis Drake started on his last voyage.</p>
+
+<p>The story of the expedition begins by
+saying that “the Spaniard leaves no means
+untried to turn the peace of England into
+a cursed thraldom, and this is shown by
+his attempts, and also by his greedy desires
+to be our neighbour in Brittany, to gain
+so near us a quiet and safe road for his
+fleet. So the forces were sent to invade
+him in that kingdom from whence he has
+feathers to fly to the top of his high
+desires.</p>
+
+<p>“The invasion was glorious spoken of
+long before it was sent, and Sir Francis
+Drake was named General. For his very
+name was a great terror to all in those
+parts, and he had done many things in
+those countries to his honourable fame and
+profit. But entering into them as the Child
+of Fortune, it may be that his self-willed
+and peremptory (despotic) command was
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span>doubted, and that caused her Majesty, as
+it should seem, to join Sir John Hawkins
+as second in command. He was an old,
+wary man, and so leaden-footed” (or slow
+in action) “that Drake’s meat would be eaten
+before his was cooked. They were men of
+such different natures that what one desired
+the other commonly opposed. The journey
+had so glorious a name that crowds of
+volunteers came to them, and they had to
+discharge such few as they had pressed.
+Yet many times it was very doubtful if the
+voyage would be made, till at last the news
+came of a ship of the King of Spain, which
+was driven into Puerto Rico with two
+millions and a half of treasure. So her
+Majesty commanded them to haste their
+departure, which they did with twenty-seven
+ships.”</p>
+
+<p>The generals began to disagree soon
+after. Drake wanted to begin with an
+attack upon the Canaries, and Hawkins
+thought it unnecessary and unwise; and,
+as the story says, “the fire which lay
+hidden in their stomachs began to break
+forth.”</p>
+
+<p>It was five years since Drake had fought
+with his old enemies. He did not know
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span>how much stronger the Spanish defence at
+sea had become, owing to the lessons he
+had given them, nor how complete Philip
+had made the protection of the traffic and
+the treasure-ships. He was to see this first
+at the Canary Islands, where he tried, and
+failed, to make one of his old surprise visits.</p>
+
+<p>The fleet sailed on, and anchored on the
+29th of October, for water, at Guadeloupe.
+The <i>Delight</i> was the last of the ships to
+arrive the next day, and she brought news
+that the <i>Francis</i>, a small ship of the company,
+was taken by five Spanish ships,
+which had been sent out by Philip to bring
+home the wrecked ship at Puerto Rico.
+This was a great misfortune, because Sir
+John Hawkins had made known to all the
+company, “even to the basest mariners,”
+the places whither they were bound, naming
+Puerto Rico, Nombre de Dios, and Panama.
+Now the Spaniards would learn this from
+their prisoners, and at once send warning
+to the coasts.</p>
+
+<p>Drake wanted to give chase at once, but
+Hawkins was old and cautious, and desired
+to stay and mount his guns, take in water,
+set up his pinnaces, and make all things
+ready to meet the Spaniards.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span></p>
+
+<p>And Sir John prevailed, “for that he was
+sickly, Sir Francis being loath to breed his
+further disquiet.” It took four days to
+make those preparations, and always the
+sickness of Sir John increased. On the
+12th of October Drake brought the fleet up
+by a secret way to Puerto Rico, and about
+three o’clock that afternoon Sir John Hawkins
+died.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening, as Drake sat at supper,
+his chair was shot from under him, and
+two of his officers received their death
+wounds from the Spanish guns. The ships
+had to move away. The next night the
+English made a desperate effort to fire the
+five ships that had come for the treasure.
+Four of them were set alight, but only
+one was burnt, and by the great light she
+gave the Spaniards “played upon the English
+with their ordnance and small shot as
+if it had been fair day,” and sunk some of
+the boats.</p>
+
+<p>Next day Drake, undaunted by failure,
+determined to try and take his whole fleet
+boldly into the harbour and storm the
+place. But the Spaniards, guessing his
+desperate intention, and fearing his great
+courage, sunk four ships laden with merchandise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span>
+and armed, as they were, and so,
+at a great sacrifice, blocked the way for
+the English.</p>
+
+<p>Drake took counsel with the soldiers as
+to the strength of the place, but most of
+them thought it too great a risk, though
+one or two were for trying it. “The
+General presently said: ‘I will bring you
+to twenty places far more wealthy and
+easier to be gotten;’ and hence we went
+on the 15th. And here,” says the teller
+of the story, “I left all hope of good
+success.”</p>
+
+<p>On the way to Nombre de Dios they
+stopped at Rio de la Hacha, where Drake
+had first been wronged by the Spaniards.
+This town they took with little difficulty,
+and some treasure was won.</p>
+
+<p>On December 27th they were at Nombre
+de Dios, which they took with small resistance.
+But the people had been warned,
+and had fled and hidden their treasure, and
+the town was left very bare. So they resolved
+to “hasten with speed to Panama.”
+The soldiers were under the command of
+Sir Thomas Baskerville, who had been a
+brave fighter against the Spaniards before
+now in Holland and France. They started
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span>to go to Panama by the old road well
+known to Drake. He, meanwhile, stayed
+with the ships and burned the town. He
+was about to sail nearer the river when
+news came that the soldiers were returning.
+The road was only too strongly defended
+now, and Baskerville’s men were driven
+back with severe loss. They were a small
+force, and weak with the long march
+through heavy rains; their powder was wet
+and their food scarce and sodden, and
+Baskerville decided upon a retreat. “This
+march,” says the story, “had made many
+swear that they would never buy gold at
+such a price again.”</p>
+
+<p>Drake, being disappointed of his highest
+hopes, now called a council to decide what
+was to be done. All the towns had been
+forewarned, and told “to be careful and
+look well to themselves, for that Drake
+and Hawkins were making ready in England
+to come upon them.” And now the
+company seem to have regarded their leader
+with some bitterness, as his brave promises
+failed, and the places that he used to know
+were found to be changed and formidable.
+Now they had to rely “upon cards and
+maps, he being at these parts at the farthest
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span>limit of his knowledge.” But still he proposed
+fresh places that had the golden
+sound of riches in their names, and gallant
+Baskerville said he would attempt both,
+one after another.</p>
+
+<p>But the winds drove them instead to a
+“waste island, which is counted the sickliest
+place in the Indies, and there died
+many of the men, and victuals began to
+grow scarce. Here,” says Maynarde, who
+writes the story, “I was often private with
+our General, and I demanded of him why
+he so often begged me, being in England,
+to stay with him in these parts as long as
+himself.... He answered me with grief,
+protesting that he was as ignorant of the
+Indies as myself, and that he never thought
+any place could be so changed, as it were,
+from a delicious and pleasant arbour into
+a waste and desert wilderness: besides the
+variableness and changes of the wind and
+weather, so stormy and blustrous as he
+never saw it before. But he most wondered
+that since his coming out of England
+he never saw sail worth giving chase
+unto. Yet, in the greatness of his mind,
+he would, in the end, conclude with these
+words: ‘It matters not, man; God hath
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span>many things in store for us. And I know
+many means to do her Majesty good service
+and to make us rich, for we must
+have gold before we reach England.’</p>
+
+<p>“And since our return from Panama he
+never carried mirth nor joy in his face, yet
+no man he loved must show he took
+thought thereof. And he began to grow
+sickly. And now so many of the company
+were dying of the sickness, and food was
+getting so scarce, that at last he resolved
+‘to depart and take the wind as God
+sent it.’”</p>
+
+<p>But the lurking fever in the swamp had
+done its work, and on January 28, 1596,
+after a brief fight with illness and death,
+Drake “yielded up his spirit like a Christian
+to his Creator quietly in his cabin.”</p>
+
+<p>“The General being dead,” we are told,
+“most men’s hearts were bent to hasten
+for England as soon as they might. ‘Fortune’s
+Child,’ they said, ‘was dead; things
+would not fall into their mouths, nor riches
+be their portions, how dearly soever they
+adventured for them.’”</p>
+
+<p>But Sir Thomas Baskerville assumed the
+command and took the remains of the fleet
+in his charge, and did not return home till
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span>he had met the Spaniards and fought a
+battle with them at sea.</p>
+
+<p>Before the fleet left Puerto Rico he
+burned that port, and sunk two of the ships
+no longer needed, and all the prizes. And
+there, a league from the shore, under seas,
+he left the body of Sir Francis Drake,
+heavily freighted with death and silence.
+But I like to think that his soul went
+a-roving again among the stars.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent center">THE END</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent center">Printed by <span class="smcap">Ballantyne, Hanson &amp; Co.</span><br />
+Edinburgh &amp; London</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter transnote">
+<p class="ph2 nobreak"><span class="smcap">Transcriber’s Notes</span></p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Illustrations have been moved up or down from their original
+positions to avoid interrupting the flow of adjacent paragraphs.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Archaic and variant spellings have been retained.</p>
+
+<p class="no-indent">&mdash;Hyphenation across this e-text are as originally typeset.</p></div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE ***</div>
+<div style='text-align:left'>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Updated editions will replace the previous one&#8212;the old editions will
+be renamed.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
+States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG&#8482;
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
+the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
+of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
+copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
+easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
+of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
+Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away&#8212;you may
+do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
+by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
+license, especially commercial redistribution.
+</div>
+
+<div style='margin-top:1em; font-size:1.1em; text-align:center'>START: FULL LICENSE</div>
+<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE</div>
+<div style='text-align:center;font-size:0.9em'>PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+To protect the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase &#8220;Project
+Gutenberg&#8221;), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
+or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.B. &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (&#8220;the
+Foundation&#8221; or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg&#8482; mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg&#8482; work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country other than the United States.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work (any work
+on which the phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; appears, or with which the
+phrase &#8220;Project Gutenberg&#8221; is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+</div>
+
+<blockquote>
+  <div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
+    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+    at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
+    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
+    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
+  </div>
+</blockquote>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase &#8220;Project
+Gutenberg&#8221; associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg&#8482; License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg&#8482;.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; License.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg&#8482; work in a format
+other than &#8220;Plain Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg&#8482; website
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original &#8220;Plain
+Vanilla ASCII&#8221; or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg&#8482; License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg&#8482; works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+provided that:
+</div>
+
+<div style='margin-left:0.7em;'>
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+        the use of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works calculated using the method
+        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, but he has
+        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+        Section 4, &#8220;Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+        Literary Archive Foundation.&#8221;
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+        works.
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+        receipt of the work.
+    </div>
+
+    <div style='text-indent:-0.7em'>
+        &#8226; You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+        distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482; works.
+    </div>
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
+the Project Gutenberg&#8482; trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
+forth in Section 3 below.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain &#8220;Defects,&#8221; such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the &#8220;Right
+of Replacement or Refund&#8221; described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you &#8216;AS-IS&#8217;, WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg&#8482; work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg&#8482;
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg&#8482;&#8217;s
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg&#8482; collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg&#8482; and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation&#8217;s EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state&#8217;s laws.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Foundation&#8217;s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
+Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
+to date contact information can be found at the Foundation&#8217;s website
+and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
+public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
+visit <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/donate/">www.gutenberg.org/donate</a>.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; font-size:1.1em; margin:1em 0; font-weight:bold'>
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg&#8482; electronic works
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg&#8482; concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Project Gutenberg&#8482; eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
+facility: <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>.
+</div>
+
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This website includes information about Project Gutenberg&#8482;,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+</div>
+
+</div>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/cover.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c16999
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/cover.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_014.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_014.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2cdacc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_014.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_022.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_022.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92f5026
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_022.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_030.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_030.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b3bfb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_030.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_072.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_072.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0543728
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_072.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_084.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_084.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c9734f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_084.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_094.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_094.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a051cc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_094.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_098.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_098.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4c2b72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_098.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_frontispiece.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_frontispiece.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bd6253
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_frontispiece.jpg
diff --git a/old/67864-h/images/i_logo.jpg b/old/67864-h/images/i_logo.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3610bb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/67864-h/images/i_logo.jpg