=24. Sir Francis Drake.= A most daring English seaman was Sir Francis Drake. From boyhood days he had been a sailor. His cousin, Captain Hawkins, gave him command of a ship against Mexico, but the Spaniards fell upon it, killed many of the sailors, and took all they had. Drake came back ruined, and eager to take revenge. Besides, he hated the Spaniards because he thought they were plotting to kill Elizabeth, the Queen of England. In 1573 Drake returned to England with his ship loaded with gold and precious stones, captured from the Spaniards on the Isthmus of Panama. [Sidenote: =Begins his most famous voyage=] =25. Drake's Voyage around the World.= After four years Drake, with four small but fast vessels, sailed direct for the Strait of Magellan. He was determined to sail the Pacific, which he had seen while on the Isthmus of Panama. In June his fleet entered the harbor of Patagonia where Magellan had spent the winter more than fifty years before. After destroying his smallest vessel, which was leaky, Drake sailed to the entrance of the Strait. Here he changed the name of his ship from the _Pelican_ to the _Golden Hind_, with ceremonies fitting the occasion. The fleet passed safely through the Strait, but as it sailed out into the Pacific a terrible storm scattered the ships. One went down, and one returned to England, believing that Drake's ship, the _Golden Hind_, had been destroyed. [Illustration: SIR FRANCIS DRAKE _From the original portrait attributed to Sir Antonis van Moor, in the possession of Viscount Dillon, at Ditchly Park, England_] But Drake had a bold heart, good sailors, and a stout ship. After the storm he sailed north to Valparaiso, where his men saw the first great treasure ship. The Spanish sailors jumped overboard, and left four hundred pounds of gold to Drake and his men. Week after week Drake sailed northward until he reached Peru, the land conquered by Pizarro. [Sidenote: =Capturing treasure ships on the Pacific coast=] Another great treasure ship had just sailed for Panama. Away sped the _Golden Hind_ in swift pursuit. For a thousand miles, day and night, the chase went on. One evening, just at dark, the little ship rushed upon the great vessel, and captured her. What a rich haul! More than twenty tons of silver bars, thirteen chests of silver coin, one hundredweight of gold, besides a great store of precious stones. [Illustration: DRAKE'S CHAIR, OXFORD UNIVERSITY _It was made from the timbers of the "Golden Hind"_] [Sidenote: =The "Golden Hind" winters in California=]