CHAPTER XII
THE GREAT SEA-CAPTAINS
As matters are looked at in these times, Elizabeth's relations to Spainwere exceedingly strange. To-day if two countries are not at war, theyare at peace, but in the sixteenth century it was not at all uncommonfor two rulers to annoy each other as much as possible without anyformal war, and more than once a third country joined one side or theother because in so doing there was an opportunity for gain.
Philip would have been glad to conquer England, but as long asElizabeth maintained peace with France, there was little hope forhim. Moreover, the Netherlands were keeping his hands full, and whatwas most exasperating, Elizabeth was helping the revolters. There wasone more thing to be considered, if Philip did conquer England, therewas no hope of his being able to claim the throne as long as Marywas alive. So it was that this ruler of half Europe, was really atthe mercy of that exasperating monarch, Elizabeth of England, and shehectored and tormented him to her heart's content. Early in her reignmost of her advisers would have been glad to go to war with Philip,but Elizabeth delayed. She hated war. Every year of peace enriched andstrengthened her kingdom, and moreover, even without fighting Philip,she was gaining much of the wealth and power that a Spanish conquestwould have brought her.
This gain came about through the exploits of her sea-captains. As hasbeen said before, it was regarded as an honorable occupation to getsome negroes on the African coast, carry them to the Spanish coloniesin America, and sell them for a goodly amount of Spanish gold. This wasprecisely what Sir John Hawkins did, but when he had leisurely made hisway back to England, he found himself in trouble. Elizabeth sent forhim.
"They tell me you are no better than a pirate," she said, bluntly,although her look was not so stern as Cecil would have wished.
"Your Majesty," replied Hawkins, "I am but a plain, simple sailor."
"And so my plain, simple sailors are bringing me into a war with KingPhilip?" asked Elizabeth.
Hawkins was no more afraid of the queen of England than of the king ofSpain, and he told his own grievances as frankly as if she had been oneof his men.
"Your Majesty," said he, "I took the blacks from the savage countriesof Africa, and surely there was no harm in that. I carried them toSaint Domingo, and I sold them to the planters. The governor of theisland was willing, and the planters were glad to get them. I paid theharbor dues, and I left one hundred negroes with him to pay a largerduty if the king asked more of an Englishman than he did of a Spaniard.I bought hides with the money and sent them in a Spanish vessel to besold in Spain. The king seized them, and he won't pay me a penny forthem."
"Well, my plain, simple sailor," asked the queen, "is it your will thatI and my council should go to Spain and get your hides?"
"Your Majesty," he answered, "give me a good vessel under me andplenty of sea-room, and I'll trouble no council to care for me and myright." Elizabeth was in a rarely good-natured mood. She patted thecaptain on his broad shoulder.
"I'd gladly know what the king of Spain would do with such a saucyfellow as you," she said. "You'd better go home and think no more aboutthe New World. One side of the Atlantic is enough for a man." Thecaptain withdrew, but Elizabeth bade an attendant call him back.
"Let me understand when it is your will to go on another trip," shesaid, "for no one could expect a pirate to obey his queen, and then,too, I have a vessel that might be the better for a voyage or two, evenin the hands of a simple sailor like yourself."
Cecil objected and the Spanish ambassador raged, but it was not longbefore Hawkins set out on another voyage, this time in a great ship ofthe queen's, and she as well as many of her council took shares in theenterprise. "See you to it that you do no wrong to the king of Spain,"were the queen's orders, but she lent the commander one hundred goodsoldiers. When Hawkins came back in all the glory of a successfulvoyage and with bags of Spanish coins for queen and councilors, he wasinvited to dine with his sovereign. The Spanish ambassador was alsodining at court, but he could have had little pleasure in his dinner,for he was thinking of what he should have to write to the king ofSpain. What Philip said when the letters reached him no one knows,but whenever he came to the name of Hawkins, he wrote on the margin"Beware, beware!"
On one of Hawkins's voyages went a kinsman of his own named FrancisDrake. He was a young man of medium height, with broad shoulders,reddish beard, and keen, kindly eyes. The voyage on which he went wasunsuccessful, for a Spanish ship set upon the Englishmen and robbedthem. Worse than that, there were not provisions enough to last on thetrip home, and one hundred of his comrades volunteered to take theirchances on the land that the rest of the company might be sure ofsafety.
Drake made up his mind that the king of Spain should pay for his ownlost investment and his kinsman's captured hides to say nothing ofreprisal for the suffering and perhaps death of the hundred brave menwho had sacrificed themselves for their comrades. He did very littletalking about his plans, but there were sailors enough in Plymouth whowere ready to go anywhere with him, and he had friends who were willingto invest in any undertaking that he would lead. He set sail forAmerica.
He was not going out vaguely into the west, hoping that somewhere hemight pick up something worth bringing home, he had a very definiteplan. He sailed straight for Panama and landed. There he waited. Whilehe was waiting, he climbed a tall tree one day, and far to the westwardthe Pacific Ocean spread out before him. "If the almighty God will giveme life," said he, "I'll sail a ship in those waters before many years."
After a while he and his men heard bits of Spanish song, the tinklingof bells on the necks of mules, and the sound of the feet of theanimals striking upon the well-trodden path. Then the English dashedout, for this was King Philip's treasure train that once a year pacedleisurely up the path with the output of the mines, with gold, silver,emeralds, and diamonds. There were more than the ship could carry,says the old story. The ship could easily come again, the ocean wasfree; so they buried the great bars of silver and steered for England.
When Drake arrived, he made no boast of what he had done, he dividedthe treasure and did no talking. He read books on geography, he studiedcharts and globes, he questioned seamen who had been on the fartherside of the ocean, and he had more than one interview with the queenand different members of her council. To agree as a council to supportDrake would be to declare war against Spain, and it would not answer tohave the names of the councilors who invested in the enterprise madepublic, but many a one among them, and even the queen herself was readyto fill a coffer or two with good Spanish gold.
The preparations were so unusual that the voyage could not be keptsecret. "I pray your Majesty," wrote the Spanish ambassador to Philip,"I pray you order your planters in the New World to hang everyEnglishman upon whom they can lay hands, and bid your sailors sinkevery ship that comes in their sight."
The two vessels, one of one hundred and twenty tons and one of eightytons, with three little sloops, were made ready. Everything aboutthem was put in the best order possible for fighting or for sailing.Luxuries were not forgotten, for this keen young sailor did not scornthe elegancies of life. There was handsome furniture finely carved.There was a beautiful silver service for his table, every pieceengraved with the arms of his family. His cooking utensils were ofsilver. He had a liberal supply of perfumes, many of them the gift ofthe queen. Expert musicians were on board, for this luxurious captainmust dine and sup to the sound of music.
With his men he was ever kindly, even affectionate, and he was notafraid to share their work if there was need, but they knew him for onethat could command, and they never failed in their respect. Nine or tenmen formed his council. He decided all questions himself, but he everlistened attentively to what they had to say. They dined at his table,but not one of them ventured to be seated in his presence or to wear ahat without the invitation of their commander. November 15, 1577, thelittle fleet set sail at five o'clock in the afternoon--on a one day'svoyage it proved, for the _Golden Hind_, Drake's own
ship, was injuredin the "forcible storm and tempests" that arose, and he had to go backto land.
Three years later many a man in England was troubled about the deeds ofthis commander who was so fond of perfumes and music and silver plate,for there were stories abroad of what he had done on the other side ofthe sea. Philip was furious; the Spanish ambassador raged, and morethan one who had invested in Drake's venture every shilling that hecould raise would have rejoiced to lose his money if he could have beensure that Drake would never return. In the midst of the anxiety anduncertainty, some eager to have him come in safely and others tremblingat the thought of his arrival, there was a mighty roaring of the signalguns at Plymouth Harbor, for Drake had returned, and he had been aroundthe world.
On a little hill, somewhat withdrawn from the crowd that stood shoutingand cheering to see the ship come in, stood two men, the elder graveand troubled, the younger eager and excited.
"I verily believe," said the elder, "that you would willingly be amongthose doltish screamers on the shore yonder."
"It's not so bad a thing, is it, for a man to know that his money hascome back to him doubled ten, twelve, perhaps a hundred times? It'slittle wonder that they scream."
"That goes as it may," returned the elder, "but the gold in that vesselis devil's gold. If half the tales be true, Francis Drake is no betterthan a pirate. Has he not burned settlements, stolen treasure, and sunkgalleons?"
"Well, what of it, if they be those of Spain?" asked the young manindifferently, shading his eyes to see the ships more clearly.
"Nothing of it if a man cares for naught but gold, nothing of it to himwhose empty moneybags are a sorer grief to him than the ill that issure to come to England from this wild and savage piracy."
"You mean that old leaden foot will bestir himself?"
"Philip is slow, but he will strike at last."
"Let him. One Englishman can meet two Spaniards any day."
"He boasts best who boasts last," said the elder. "Remember that everySpaniard has his hands full of gold from the American mines."
"And it is you yourself who are blaming Captain Drake for taking itfrom them," laughed the young fellow gaily. "Goodby, uncle, I'm goingdown among the wicked folk to see the ships come to shore."
For once the stories were not equal to the reality. In the holds ofDrake's vessels were such masses of treasure that men hardly venturedeven to estimate it. Vast quantities were carried to the Tower ofLondon. Drake made most costly gifts to the nobles, but some of themrefused to accept anything from the "master thief of the unknownworld," as they called him.
"He is nothing but a robber," declared they, "and he will bring warupon us."
"Is it robbery, demanded others, to take from Spain what Spain hasstolen from us? How else can a man get his rights? Has not Philip takenour ships, hindered our commerce, captured our sailors, and torturedthem to make them give up the true faith? Have we not a clear right totake reprisal when and where we can?"
"It is a lawful prize," reasoned others, "and if war is to come, thisSpanish gold will save taxes and fight many a battle for us."
The Spanish ambassador went straight to the queen and said gravely, "Ipresent from my master, the king of Spain, a request that the pirateDrake be surrendered to him."
"The king of Spain is generous with his presents," answered Elizabethflippantly. "For this one I return him all due thanks."
"Your Majesty," said the ambassador, "this man Drake has sunk ourships, stolen our treasure, and interfered with our possessions in theNew World."
"If you can prove his misdeeds to my satisfaction," rejoined thequeen with a little yawn, "this wonderful treasure of yours shallbe restored, though one might think it was but fair payment for therebellions that Spain has caused in Ireland--or does my good friendPhilip claim Ireland too for his own? As for his possessions in the NewWorld, I don't know what right the Pope has to give away continents.The sea and the air are free to all, and neither Pope nor Spain cankeep my brave captains from sailing the ocean, I doubt whether I couldkeep them from it myself. Shall we talk of other matters? You have anexcellent taste in music, and here is a rare bit of song that has butnewly come to me:--
"'The little pretty nightingale Among the leaves green--'"
"Your Majesty," broke in the exasperated ambassador, "if I report thisscene to King Philip, matters will come to the cannon."
"You really shouldn't say such things," said Elizabeth with acoquettish glance at the enraged Spaniard, and she added quietly, "Ifyou do, I shall have to throw you into one of my dungeons."
Elizabeth made Drake a knight, she wore his jewels in her crown, andshe dined with him on board the _Golden Hind_. She often had him atcourt, and never wearied of hearing the story of his adventures.
Elizabeth signing the death warrant of MaryStuart.--_From painting by Liezen-Mayer._]
"Tell me of the savages," she commanded, and Drake began:--
"We saw them moving about under the trees, and when we came near, theypaddled out to meet us. They made a long speech with many gestures,and it seemed as if they couldn't do us reverence enough. The next daythey came again, and this time they brought a great ragged bunch ofcrow's feathers. The man who stood at the king's right hand kneltbefore me and touched the ground with his forehead three times. Then hegave me the feathers. I noticed that the king's guards all wore suchbunches on their heads, so I stuck them in my red cap as well as ever Icould, and the savages all danced around me and made the most unearthlyscreeching that I ever heard. Then they began to show us their woundsand sores, and made signs that we should blow on them to heal them. Igave them plasters and lotions. They ought to do some good, for theywere mixed on a day that Dr. Dee said would make any medicine of worth."
"Tell me about the _Cacafuego_," bade the queen, and Drake said:--
"We took a Spanish ship, and one of the sailors said, 'Let me go freeand I will tell you such news as you never heard before.' I promised,and he said, 'There's a ship not far ahead of you, her name is the_Cacafuego_, and if you can catch her, you'll have such a prize asyou never saw in a dream--and I'll get my revenge on her captain forthis,' he muttered, and then he put his hand on a great red scar on hisforehead. We chased her to Payta, but she had gone to Panama, and whenwe came to Panama, she was somewhere else. 'I'll give a gold chain tothe first man that sees her,' I said, and, your Majesty, if I had evengiven an order to drop anchor, I verily believe every man of them wouldhave climbed the masthead. Well, about three o'clock one afternoon mypage John caught sight of her, and we pursued. Oh, but it was glorious!I wish you had been there!" said the sturdy sailor, forgetting for amoment that he was addressing the sovereign of England.
"So do I," declared Elizabeth, and she too forgot that she was a queen,she forgot everything but the wild adventures that the man before herhad met. Drake went on:--
"We fired across her bow, but she wouldn't stop. Then we shot threepieces of ordnance and struck down her mizzen mast, and we boarded her.A man could wade up to his waist in the treasure in her hold. Therewere thirteen chests full of Spanish reals, there were six and twentytons of silver, and fourscore pounds of gold, and there were jewels andprecious stones. Your Majesty can see them in the Tower, but oh, howthey glittered and flashed and sparkled in the dark hold of the vesselwhen we broke open the caskets and turned the light of the lanterns onthem, and how the dons swore at us! It's many a month that they shoulddo penance for that day's work."
"I really wonder that you didn't excommunicate them as you did your ownchaplain," said Elizabeth.
"They were only swearing, and he was a coward," explained Drake. "A manwho'll go about among the sailors before a fight and tell them he isnot sure that it is the will of God to give them the victory ought tobe excommunicated, he ought to be hanged."
"Tell me again just what you said," demanded the queen, "that I maysee what penalty you deserve for daring to show dishonor to one of mychaplains."
"I chained him by the leg to the forehat
ch," replied Drake, "and Isaid, 'Francis Fletcher, I do here excommunicate thee out of the churchof God, and I renounce thee to the devil and all his angels;' and thenI tied a riband around his arm, and I said, 'If so be that you dare tounbind this riband, you'll swing from that yardarm as sure as my nameis Francis Drake.'"
"And what was it you wrote on the riband?" asked the queen, though wellknowing the answer.
"I wrote 'Francis Fletcher, the falsest knave that liveth.' I don't seehow I could have done less."
"Neither do I," agreed Elizabeth heartily, "and it would but ill becomeme to differ with a man who has just given me a New Albion. Where sayyou that my new domain lies?"
"On the western shores of North America," answered Drake, "andperchance, your Majesty, this new domain may stretch into Asia itself,for the western land reaches much farther west than I had thought, andit may be that in the far north the New World touches the old."
"Then I am perhaps queen of the Indies," said Elizabeth with a smile."Now go, my brave sailor, but see to it that you come soon to courtagain, for there is much more that I would know of this wicked journeyof yours."
So it was that these bold buccaneers went on their voyages, not so muchfor adventure or discovery as for the sake of gold. The easiest way toget gold was to take it from the Spanish settlements in America, butwhen Drake sailed, the Spaniards on the eastern coast of America werebecoming wary. Too many of their treasure ships had been attacked andtoo many of their settlements robbed for them to live as carelessly ashad been the case in the earlier days. Spanish ships on the Atlanticwere manned with men who could fight, and Spanish settlements on theeastern coast of America were guarded and fortified.
On the Pacific shore matters were different. Spanish gold from thefabulously rich mines of Peru was carried leisurely up the coast invessels manned chiefly by negro slaves. At Panama it was unloaded andtaken across the isthmus. Then it was carefully guarded, and vesselswell supplied with Spanish troops bore it across the ocean to thetreasure vaults of Philip. It did not occur to the Spaniards that evenan English corsair would venture to round Cape Horn, and when Drakeappeared among the unprotected ships and the unfortified settlements,he found an easy prey. It was less dangerous for him to cross thePacific and double the Cape of Good Hope than to return to Englandamong the Spanish vessels on the Atlantic; and that is why Drake wasthe first Englishman to sail around the world.
These English buccaneers sailed under a sort of roving commission fromthe queen. They were to give her a share of their profits, but theyknew well that if they could not extricate themselves from any troublethat they might fall into with Philip, she would make no effort todefend them, but would declare that they had had orders to do no harmto her "good friend, the king of Spain." Still, the prizes of successwere so enormous and the charm of adventure so enticing that therewas no lack of bold leaders to rob the coffers of Spain, to fill thetreasury of Elizabeth, and to prepare experienced seamen for the greatstruggle that awaited England when Philip "of the leaden foot" shouldat last arise and show his might.