A BRITOMARTE OF THE ARMADA
The call was sounded. It rang through every ship like a trumpet note and
every man sprang to his duty.
"On to the Dons! No Spanish Inquisition!" was the watch-cry of the
English navy, and with great difficulty, for the wind was against them,
they steered for the open sea.
It was not until the next day that they came within sight of the Armada.
The most powerful fleet that had ever been known since the beginning of
time. Blest by the pope, sent forth amid the prayers and the fastings of
the people, the fleet had been cleared of every unclean thing, for
haughty England who styled herself the mistress of the seas was to be
humbled upon her own element and made to yield her lands to the
foreigners.
The great Spanish ships, built high like castles and towers, stretched in
the form of a crescent measuring at least seven miles from horn to horn.
They came slowly on, and, although under full sail, yet as though the
winds labored and the ocean sighed under the burden of it, says Camden.
When they reached the open channel Lord Howard discovered his policy to
his men.
They were not to come to close quarters with the towering, unwieldy
galleons, but to pour broadside after broadside into them at a distance
and to bide their opportunity to fall upon them. Nearer and nearer drew
the two fleets, the Spanish preparing to begin the action at daybreak.
But at two o'clock the gibbous moon arose in a clear sky and showed to
the astonished Spanish the English fleet lying in their rear just out of
cannon shot.
The next morning Lord Howard, sending before him a pinnace called the
Defiance, provoked the fight by discharging a piece of her ordnance and
presently out of his own ship, called the Ark Royal, thundered upon a
Spanish craft which he supposed was that of the Spanish Admiral, Medina
Sidonia, but which proved to be that of Alphonso de Leon.
At the same time Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher fell terribly upon the
rear which was valiantly commanded by Juan Martinez de Recaldo. The
English invaded, retired, and re-invaded them from every quarter with
incredible celerity. The Spanish captain general was nonplused. The
English ships ran in, doing as much damage as possible without coming to
close quarters, while his lumbering craft were useless to chase and
cripple so agile an enemy. The great galleons and galleasses of Spain
towered beside the English ships like "Flemish dray horses beside light
Arabian coursers."
Fiercer waxed the fight. Recaldo finding his vessel much battered,
rejoined his chief with difficulty and Medina re-collecting his scattered
vessels held on his course. For two hours the fight continued, and then
Lord Howard thought best to retire to await the coming of other ships
which had not yet left the harbor.
Flushed and elated with the victory, with not a single vessel and
scarcely a man lost, the English exulted that the great Armada which had
been devised to strike terror into their hearts was not so invincible
after all.
"Is it not glorious, Edward," cried Francis Stafford from a coil of rope
upon which she had thrown herself. "How the Dons flew! Oh, 'tis enough to
stir a stone to enthusiasm!"
"'Twould be glorious, Francis, were it not for thee," answered the youth.
"The thought that thou art here hampers my every action, and always am I
looking to see that thou art safe. Would thou wert in England; even in
the Tower so that thou wert not here."
"And wherefore? Do I not bear myself as becomes an English lad?" cried
Francis. "In all the wide world there is no place that I would rather be
than upon the deck of the Ark Royal. So from henceforth speak no more of
this. And, Edward, drop no hint of my sex to any. Wherefore should not an
English maiden espouse the cause of her country as well as an English
youth? Thou seest that there are lads here as maiden like in appearance
as I. Give no thought to me, I beseech you."
"I will speak of it no more, Francis," rejoined Devereaux. "And yet I
would that thou wert not here."
The girl turned from him impatiently, and hastily joined a group of
which the admiral was the centre; for Lord Howard had taken them upon his
own vessel.
The next night the air was stormy and the night dark. The English fleet
was startled by an explosion on one of the Spanish ships and soon the
flames were seen to spring high into the air. But other ships went to her
aid and the fire was soon quenched, but the principal galleon of Seville
commanded by Pedro de Valdez collided with another vessel and, her
foremast being broken, was forsaken and became a prey to Sir Francis
Drake.
Dark as the night was, Lord Howard on the Ark Royal, accompanied by two
ships only--the Mary and the Rose--hotly pursued the Spaniards. The rest
of the English fleet lay still because Drake had neglected to carry a
lighted lantern in the poop of his vessel as had been commanded.
At break of day, having a prosperous north wind, the Spaniards bore down
upon the English, but the English, to take advantage of the wind, turned
westward. And then began a series of maneuvres in which each fleet
contended to deprive each other of the benefit of the wind. The contest
did not last long and before noon the English having slipped between the
Armada and the land bore down upon them right before the wind.
And then began a fierce fight which was waged with varying success. For,
while in one place the English valiantly rescued the ships of London
which were hemmed in by the Spaniards, in another Recaldo, being in
danger, was disengaged with no less resolution by the Spaniards. Never
before was such lightning and thunder of artillery heard, most of which,
notwithstanding, went vainly from the Spanish, flying clear over the
English ships. Only Cock, an Englishman, died gloriously in the midst of
his enemies upon his own small bark.
The English ships being of lesser build than the Spanish invaded the
Spaniards with great dexterity and having discharged their ordnance
withdrew into the open sea and leveled all their shot with a certain and
successful aim at the ponderous Spanish vessels.
And still the English admiral thought it not best to grapple and risk the
fortune of a hand-to-hand fight. For the enemy had a strong and well
appointed army aboard which he lacked, and, their ships standing higher
than his own vessels, threatened nothing less than certain destruction to
those fighting them from below. This was the most fierce and bloody
skirmish of all, though it only resulted in the capture of one huge
galleon and a few small craft by the English. There was a mutual
cessation of hostilities for all the next day for the wind fell dead and
each fleet was compelled to drift idly with the tide.
The calm was still unbroken when the next day dawned, the twenty-fifth
day of the month sacred to St. James, the patron saint of Spain. A small
galleon of Portugal called the Saint Anne being unable to keep pace with
the rest of the fleet was set upon by a number of small English craft,
seeing which three of the great galleasses rowed furiously to her aid.
Lord Howard's Ark Royal, the Golden Lion of his brother, Lord Sheffield's
Bear, and others towed by fisher boats met them with such salvos of shot
that, had not the Spanish fleet come up to rescue them, they would have
shared the fate of Valdez. After this time the galleasses would not fight
again. The wind sprang up by noon and the fight became general. All
afternoon it raged, and then, terribly battered, the Armada would fight
no more; but, "gathering into a roundel" set all sail for Calais, where
Medina hoped to find a force from the French to help him and then to
Dunkirk to join with Parma and the great flotilla of the Netherlands.
And so with a full southwest wind the Spanish fleet went on, the English
fleet following them. It was determined not to attack them until they
reached the straits of Calais, where Lord Seymour and William Winter
would join the navy.
Meantime Lord Howard conferred Knighthood upon John Hawkins, Martin
Frobisher, Thomas Howard, Lord Sheffield and Roger Townsend for valor and
fortitude. And now from every bay and harbor of England there put forth
numbers of small craft hired by the youth of England, who hastened to
join themselves to the fleet, for the Spanish fleet, though battered and
dispirited, was not yet broken, and should it be joined by the forces
which Medina expected all would indeed go ill with England.
The Armada anchored in Calais Roads and within cannon shot of it lay the
English fleet. The next day being the Sabbath both fleets observed the
day with appropriate services, the loud chants of the Spaniard mingling
strangely with the hymns of the English.
Francis Stafford, wearied and fatigued, retired to the cabin and, finding
it deserted, swung a hammock in one corner and clambering into it was
soon fast asleep.
"I tell thee, Drake," 'twas the voice of Lord Howard that awakened her,
"the queen must have been inspired to invent so ingenious a device. If it
succeeds----"
"It will succeed, my lord," interrupted Drake positively, "That is if
there can be found men who will adventure it. But it will take cool heads
and stout hearts and an absolute fearlessness of danger. I think I know
two men who will go but there must be others."
Instantly the girl sat upright in the hammock.
"My lord," she cried, "send me."
Lord Howard and Sir Francis Drake started in astonishment.
"Boy, I thought thee asleep," cried the admiral. "How long hast thou been
awake?"
"But just to hear you say that you needed men for some service," answered
Francis, springing lightly out of the hammock.
"I said men, not boys," said Drake smiling.
"Speak not so, Sir Francis," reproved the admiral. "The lad hath borne
well his part though he is so slight and maiden-like."
"And there is this to be considered," went on Francis eagerly. "I have
escaped from the Tower. My father, as ye know, is an exile. What lies
before me but imprisonment, or that worse than death, exilement from my
native land. 'Twere better to send me whatever may be the hazard than
others who can illy be spared."
"Listen, boy, and thou shalt hear what the enterprise is. I trow that it
will quell even thy brave spirit, burning though it be with valor. This
night some of our ships covered over with rosin and pitch and filled with
sulphur, gunpowder and other combustibles, are to be sent into the midst
of the Spanish, fired and set adrift amongst them. 'Tis fraught with
great danger and peril to the lives of those who adventure it."
"Still let me be one of them," pleaded the girl earnestly.
"There is much in the lad's favor," said Drake meditatively. "He speaks
truth when he declares that it would be best to send one who lies under
the queen's disfavor than another."
"Yes; and if successfully performed it may bring him pardon. Elizabeth
cannot but look with favor upon those who help to carry out a project
devised by herself. Drake, I give my consent for the lad to go."
"Perchance Edward Devereaux----" began Francis and then paused. What
right had she to bring another into peril that might result in loss of
life? But Lord Howard laughingly said:
"Another youth, Sir Francis, who burns to distinguish himself."
"Then let him have his chance," was the vice-admiral's reply. "You and I
would have jumped at such opportunity, my lord."
"Go you then, Stafford, to Master Devereaux and tell him privately of the
enterprise. 'Twill be naught against him if he chooses not to accompany
the expedition. If he should so select, come to me, both of you."
Francis eagerly sought young Devereaux. It so chanced that he stood for
the moment apart from his fellows. Joining him she said in a low tone:
"Edward, do you wish to adventure a most perilous undertaking?"
"Marry! Francis Stafford! how canst thou ask such question? Thou knowest
that I burn to do something. It chafes me to be so inactive while in such
near distance lies the Spaniard."
"Then hearken! This night ships besmeared with pitch and rosin and filled
with combustibles are to be sent into the midst of yon fleet. Two men are
already chosen to guide them thither, and thou and I can accompany them
also. But the admiral bids me say that it may be dangerous."
"Huzzah!" pealed forth from the lips of the youth like the blast of a
trumpet.
"Hush!" whispered Francis. "He desires it not to be made public. Come to
him."
She could scarce keep pace with his eagerness as he bounded before her
into the presence of the English commanders.
"I thank you, my lords," he said bowing to them, "for this opportunity.
When shall we be off?"
The two men could not forbear a smile.
"There is no hurry, Devereaux," said Lord Howard. "It will be after night
falls before the ships are started. Art sure that the peril is well
understood? It may be that you will not come back."
"It may be so, sir," answered the young man. "Sir Francis or any one of
us may be taken in the next engagement. But who would preserve life if by
giving it he may keep England and England's queen from the invader?"
"Spoken like a true Englishman, lad," cried Drake heartily. "Now, my
lord, these two will return with me and, in God's name, with my two Devon
men we shall this night so put upon the Spaniards as they shall ne'er
dream of setting foot on English soil again."
"Go," said the lord admiral placing an arm about the neck of each. "Go,
my lads. My hopes and prayers go with you. And should aught happen to
ye, the queen shall know that ye died in her service. And so fare you
well."
"Fare you well," answered they both and followed after Drake to his own
boat--The Revenge.
About two o'clock Monday morning eight ships smeared all over the outside
with pitch and rosin, their ordnance loaded with stones and bullets and
filled with sulphur and other materials suddenly combustible glided out
from among the English fleet and took their way silently toward the
Spanish ships lying so serenely at anchor. The night was cloudy. The moon
was late in its last quarter and did not rise till morning. The darkness
favored their enterprise. The wind blew in long, low gusts from the
westward which drove them full upon the Armada. Presently as the dark
forms of the ships bore full upon the Spanish vessels a tiny spark of
light gleamed like a twinkling star at the stern of the boats. For a
second it wavered and flickered and then in a moment more a red glare
lighted up the heavens and cast a lurid glow upon the two fleets, the
cliffs of England and the sea and showing plainly two boats--with Young
and Prowse, the two men of Devon in one; Francis and Edward in the
other.
With a rush and roar the flames leaped madly from stem to stern and up
through all the rigging sending out great tongues of fire forward,
backward, sideways threatening total destruction to anything that came
within their reach.
"Pull, Francis," cried Devereaux bending with desperate strength to the
oars. "Pull for your life."
The girl obeyed with a will. And now from the ships of Spain there went
up a fearful cry. A panic seized upon them at sight of those awful
burning vessels. They cried out that not only was there danger of fire
but that they contained deadly engines also. Everything was in confusion.
Panic-stricken they weighed anchor, cut their cables, hoisted their sails
and struck for the open sea, every ship afoul of her neighbor. A huge
galleass had her rudder broken and drifted helplessly with the tide.
[Illustration: "_PULL, PULL FOR YOUR LIFE!_"]
With shouts and cries of joy the English fleet sailed after the Armada.
Meantime the small boats pulled hastily for the nearest English vessel,
but so suddenly did the Spanish scatter, and the English change to take
advantage of their flight, that the position of the boats became
dangerous in the extreme: for what with the high wind, the burning ships,
the rolling of the deep, the helter-skelter flight of the Armada and the
pursuit of the English their position was, to say the least, precarious.
Devereaux changed the course of his boat several times, but as he was
borne in spite of himself among the Spanish vessels he cried despairingly
to Francis,
"It is of no avail, Francis. We must die."
"Look!" was the girl's reply.
Full well upon them bore a galleon, The Saint Matthew.
"Dogs of heretics," cried the commander from the poop of the vessel,
"die!"
"Ned, dear Ned!" shrieked Francis, throwing herself upon him, striving to
shield him from the bullets and arrows that rained about them. The lad
gave her one look, and opened his lips to reply when, with a shout of
wild joy from the sailors, The Revenge glided in between the frail bark
and her towering foe.
"Heave ho," cried Francis Drake in stentorian tones. "Lie to, my lads.
Did'st think we'd leave such likely lads to perish? Nay; below with ye,"
as they were pulled on deck. "Ye have done your part. The rest of us will
now bear the brunt of action."
And the English fleet swept on to deal the final blow to His Most
Catholic Majesty, Philip of Spain's, Invincible Armada.