Hildebrand; or, The Days of Queen Elizabeth, An Historic Romance, Vol. 3 of 3Anonymous
History
Hildebrand; or, The Days of Queen Elizabeth, An Historic Romance, Vol. 3 of 3
Anonymous
Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603 -- Fiction
as all hope was now lost, it would not be better to blow the ship
up, when the whole vessel sustained a violent shock, and started
to her very centre. The dense smoke prevented him from discerning
what had occasioned the agitation, but he supposed, and truly,
that some other ship, not seeing her in the smoke, had run into
her bows, and so come in collision with her. The next moment, his
conjecture was established; and a tremendous cry of “Clifford
to the rescue!” with the rush of a host of feet, assured him of
coming succour.
The tall form of Hildebrand, looking still taller in the smoke,
soon incurred the Admiral’s notice, and filled his undaunted
bosom with new ardour. The rescue swept down the deck like a
thunderbolt. So rapid was its progress, that the Admiral scarcely
had time, in the confusion, to draw back his men, so that it had
nearly slaughtered friends and foes together. It cleared the
deck in a moment; and, in the hurry of retreat, not a few of
the Spaniards, rather than be captured, leaped overboard, and
perished in the sea. The leeward ship had kept up a fire till
just before, but she was now silent, and loud cries of “Raleigh!
a Raleigh!” which rose from her deck, indicated that she had been
boarded by the English. The cries were still in progress, when,
covered with grime and gore, and flushed with victory, Hildebrand
presented himself before the Admiral.
“Captain Clifford, thou hast done nobly!” cried the Admiral,
grasping his hand. “But let us not tarry to talk. We must push
our advantage to the utmost.”
“Mean’st thou to board the enemy, my Lord?” asked Hildebrand,
touching his helmet.
“On the instant,” answered the Admiral. “Now, my lads!” he added,
in a loud voice, “forward! for God and the Queen!”
A loud shout of “Hurrah for Effingham!” uttered by the whole
crew, responded to his appeal, and all hands sprang to windward,
and proceeded to clamber up the enemy’s bulwarks. They met no
opposition. The enemy, without making the slightest resistance,
struck his flag, and gave them quiet possession of the ship.
The atmosphere was now comparatively clear, and, from the more
elevated deck of the captured ship, the Admiral could view,
without interruption, the entire field of action. The battle was
over. From sixteen of the enemy, alone a match for the entire
fleet of England, proudly floated
“The flag that’s braved a thousand years
The battle and the breeze!”
Eight more had been sunk, five had been blown up, and the
remainder, including the redoubted Admiral, were seen in full
flight, followed closely by Drake. The invincible armada was
virtually annihilated, and, as he turned to the lower deck, the
Lord Admiral, with a proud smile, caught Hildebrand by the arm,
and bade him thank God for victory.
“’T is a right glorious one, my Lord,” answered Hildebrand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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