The Golden Galleon: Being a Narrative of the Adventures of Master Gilbert Oglander, and of how, in the Year 1591, he fought under the gallant Sir Richard Grenville in the Great Sea-fight off Flores, on board her Majesty's Ship the RevengeLeighton, Robert
History
The Golden Galleon: Being a Narrative of the Adventures of Master Gilbert Oglander, and of how, in the Year 1591, he fought under the gallant Sir Richard Grenville in the Great Sea-fight off Flores, on board her Majesty's Ship the Revenge
Roland Grenville, who had been drafted on board the _San Andrea_, was
the only one of our friends who was not shipwrecked. He was taken to
Lisbon, where, after having endured great privations in prison (whereof
much might be told), he fell in with the gallant Captain Monson, escaped
to Cadiz, was again imprisoned, and finally rescued by the Earl of Essex
on the occasion of the famous expedition against that Spanish
stronghold.
For three days the _Santa Maria_ was buffeted about in the storm. From
her watery decks Gilbert Oglander and Timothy Trollope saw many a
galleon go down, and not only such galleons as had been of Don Alonzo De
Bassan's fleet, but many others of the treasure-ships, which took with
them to the bottom their wealthy cargoes of silver and gold. On the
morning of the fourth day, when the tempest was at its height, she fell
in with the flag-ship, whose foremast was gone by the board, and whose
sails were but so many ragged ribbons flying from her yards. Her rudder
was gone, and she was helpless. Nor was the _Santa Maria_ in any better
case, for only her main-mast was standing, and the great waves washed
over her, threatening to swamp her at every moment. The two ships came
close together, and their white-faced and frightened seamen could see
each other's faces from deck to deck. They drew apart when the deeper
darkness of night came on, but in the morning they were again within
sight, beating about in the perilous channel between the islands of St.
George and Graciosa.
There was a slight lull in the storm in the afternoon, and the commander
of the _Santa Maria_ thought he might succeed in gaining some shelter
under the lee of the island of Graciosa. He had his ship put about, and
approaching the _St. Paul_ attempted to cross her bows, but a sudden
change in the wind drove him to leeward, and before anyone on board
realized their peril the two vessels crashed together with fearful
force. So great was the impact that Don Alonzo's galleon heeled over
until her larboard bulwarks were for a moment under water. But she
righted herself again and sailed on, leaving many of her men who had
been upon her open decks floundering in the sea. Among these was Philip
Oglander.
Philip was a good swimmer, and when he rose to the surface he struck
out, shook the water from his dripping hair, and looked around. His own
ship was now drawing away, forced onward by the storm. He turned and saw
the high bows of the _Santa Maria_ towering above him, with her timbers
broken and wrecked, and the water pouring into the yawning gap. The
galleon plunged forward, staggered, rolled, then plunged forward again
with her bow buried deep in a sea of foam. She did not lift herself now,
but first her forward part sank lower and lower, the waves swept over
her, seeming to rejoice in their conquest, and presently, with a great
gurgling sound, the vessel disappeared.
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