Stories of Elizabethan heroes : $b Stirring records of the intrepid bravery and boundless resource of the men of Queen Elizabeth's reignGilliat, Edward
History
Stories of Elizabethan heroes : $b Stirring records of the intrepid bravery and boundless resource of the men of Queen Elizabeth's reign
Gilliat, Edward
Great Britain -- Biography; Great Britain -- History -- Elizabeth, 1558-1603
On the last day of June the crews were ordered ashore. There, hard
by Magellan's gallows, an English jury or court-martial, with Winter
as president, was set to try Doughtie for treason and mutiny. The
court, after much wrangling, found the prisoner "Not guilty." But
Doughtie in the midst of the trial had boasted that he had betrayed
the Queen's secret to Burghley. Thereat Drake took his men down to
the shore and told them all how the Queen's consent had been
privately given, and how Doughtie had done his best to overthrow
their enterprise.
"They that think this man worthy of death," he shouted, "let them
with me hold up their hands." As he spoke almost every man's hand
went up.
"Thomas Doughtie, seeing no remedy but patience for himself, desired
before his death to receive the communion, which he did at the hands
of Master Fletcher, our minister, and our general himself accompanied
him in that holy action." Then in quiet sort, after taking leave of
all the company, Doughtie laid his head on the block and ended his
life. Then Drake addressed his men. He forgave John Doughtie, but
said all discords must cease, and the gentleman must haul and draw
with the mariner. From that moment discipline was established, and
there were no more quarrels.
The _Pelican_, the _Elizabeth_, and the _Marygold_, the only ships
that remained, now set sail, and on August 20, 1578, hove to before
the Straits of Magellan. It was here that Drake changed the name of
his ship to the _Golden Hind_, perhaps in compliment to his friend
Sir Christopher Hatton, who bore it in his arms.
So rapid was the passage through the Straits that in a fortnight they
had reached the Pacific. Drake's intention was to steer north and
get out of the nipping cold, but a gale from the north-east came on
and lasted three weeks, when the _Marygold_ went down, and Winter,
after waiting a month for Drake within the Straits, went home. Drake
in the _Golden Hind_ was swept south of Cape Horn, "where the
Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea meet in a large and free scope."
Drake went ashore, and leaning over a promontory, amused himself by
thinking that he had been further south than any man living.
After anchoring for some time in southern islands, Drake sailed
north, and finding an Indian pilot, steered for Valparaiso.
In the harbour lay a Spanish ship waiting for a wind to carry them to
Panama with their cargo of gold and wine of Chili. When the lazy
crew saw a sail appearing, they made ready to welcome the newcomers
with a pipe of wine, and beat a drum as a merry salute.
No foreign ship had ever been seen on those western coasts; they had
no thought of danger, when a boat drew alongside, and Thomas Moon
clambered up and shouted, "Abaxo perro!" ("Down! you dog!"), and
began to lay about him lustily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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