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.”