Under the rule of Queen Elizabeth England became noted for her bold
and daring seamen. These seamen were really pirates, or sea robbers;
but their occupation in those days was looked upon as a lawful one
by all except the people whom they plundered.
[Illustration: Sir Francis Drake.]
Queen Elizabeth encouraged the seafaring men to make voyages to the
New World, and also to attack the Spanish ships, because she was
displeased at the way the Spaniards were behaving.
The Spaniards had grown very rich and powerful by means of the wealth
they had obtained in America, and in their pride they did not treat
the other nations properly. They had no idea of fairness. They were
selfish and wanted everything for Spain.
The English people thought that the best place to attack the Spaniards
was in the New World. They well knew that if they could cut off the
supply of gold and silver which the Spanish nation was receiving from
South America and the Indies, that nation would suffer.
Sir Francis Drake, a brave young knight of Elizabeth's court, formed
a plan to teach the Spaniards a lesson. This plan was approved by the
queen, and Drake was promised glory and riches if he should succeed
in carrying it out.
In November, 1577, Drake sailed from Plymouth, England, with a fleet
of five vessels and one hundred and sixty-four men. He told every one
that he was going to make a voyage to Alexandria, as he did not wish
the Spaniards to know that he intended to cross the Atlantic.
After a voyage of about five months, as they were sailing quietly along
one evening, the crew saw strange fires in the distance. At first the
sailors were alarmed; but on sailing nearer they saw that the fires
were on the shore of a strange country, which Drake knew to be South
America.
The natives had built these immense bonfires near the water and were
preparing for some religious rites.
These natives were friendly, and Drake, after procuring some fresh
supplies, sailed on, as he was in haste to reach Peru. The fleet soon
entered the Strait of Magellan, and sailed through without any mishap.
On an island in the strait they found a great number of fowl of the
size of geese, which could not fly. The crew shot about three thousand
of these birds, and now, having plenty of provisions, they began the
journey up the west coast of South America.
The Spaniards, never dreaming that any one would have the courage to
try to reach their lands by way of the Strait of Magellan, had made
no attempt to defend themselves from attack from the south. They feared
that their enemies might come down upon them by way of the isthmus,
and strong forces had been placed there to prevent any one from
crossing; but all the southern ports were defenseless.
So Drake and his men sailed up the coast, dropping in at different
harbors, boldly taking everything of value that they saw, and then
gayly sailing away, laughing at the surprise they left behind them.
At one place Drake found a Spanish ship laden with spoils, ready to
sail to Spain. The English quickly took possession of her, set her
crew ashore, and carried her out to sea. There they found that she
had on board pure gold amounting to thirty-seven thousand Spanish
ducats, stores of good wine, and other treasure.
At one place where they landed Drake himself found a Spaniard lying
asleep near the shore, with thirteen bars of silver by his side. The
Englishmen took the silver and went quietly away, leaving the man to
finish his nap.
[Illustration: Drake and the Sleeping Spaniard.]
Farther on they met a Spaniard and an Indian boy driving eight llamas,
as the sheep of that country are called, toward Peru. Each llama had
on its back two bags of leather, and in each bag was fifty pounds of
silver. This silver Drake ordered to be placed on his ship, and then
he sailed away.
Many other places were visited in this manner, and much treasure was
collected; but it was not until Drake reached Lima that the English
understood the great wealth of that country. About twelve ships were
in the harbor, some fully laden, and all unprotected, as the Spaniards
never dreamed of attack. These ships Drake proceeded to lighten of
their cargo by removing it to his own ships.
He then gave chase to another vessel, which he heard was laden with
still greater treasure. This vessel he soon found, and the cargo proved
to be very valuable. Thirteen chests of plate, many tons of gold and
silver, jewels, precious stones, and quantities of silk and linen were
taken.
As you may suppose, after continuing this work for some time Drake's
ships were very well loaded, and he and his companions began to think
about returning to England. Drake felt that it would not be safe for
him to return through the Strait of Magellan, as he knew the Spaniards
would be expecting him. So he decided to sail across the Pacific Ocean
to the Molucca Islands, and complete his journey by circumnavigating
the globe.
He was at this time becalmed in the tropics, and therefore headed his
ships north, hoping to find the trade wind, which would carry him
across the Pacific. After proceeding north along a strange coast for
nearly a month, during which time the weather gradually became colder
and colder, Drake decided to enter a harbor and anchor his vessels.
The people of the country were friendly, and as the English treated
them well, they remained so. They admired the brave Sir Francis Drake
so much that they begged him to stay with them and be their king.
But Drake had no desire to be king over an Indian tribe. He wanted
to get back to his own good Queen Elizabeth and tell her of all the
wonderful things that had happened to him. So he took possession of
this country for England, and called it New Albion.
New Albion was the land which is at present known as California, and
the bay in which Drake anchored is just north of San Francisco Bay.
Then Drake prepared his ships for the voyage home, hoisted anchor,
and was soon sailing away in the direction of the Moluccas. These
islands he reached after a long voyage, and after visiting several
of the Indies he proceeded across the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good
Hope and thence northward to England. He reached home in September,
1580, after an absence of three years.
How glad Queen Elizabeth was to see him! She granted him the honor
of knighthood, and in other ways showed her pride in her brave subject.
Drake's ship, the _Golden Hind_, was placed in a dock at Deptford,
where it stood for many years. People used to take their children to
see it, and they would tell them about the _Golden Hind_, the good
ship in which sailed the brave general, Sir Francis Drake, when he
taught the Spaniards a lesson.
When the timber of the ship began to decay, a chair was made of some
of it and given to Oxford University, where it may be seen to this
day.