Slavery -- West Indies; Spanish Main; West Indies -- History
In 1595, when there were no longer any fears of a Spanish landing, Drake
determined on another voyage, and this time with Sir John Hawkins.
Getting together six of the Queen's ships and twenty-one other vessels,
they arrived safely at the Caribbee Islands, where Hawkins became sick
and died. Drake then went on to Porto Rico and attacked the capital, but
could do nothing more than capture a few vessels from under the guns of
the forts. Going to the Main he captured Rio de la Hacha and a fishing
village named Rancheria. These he held for ransom, but was dissatisfied
with the number of pearls offered by private persons, the Governor
refusing to give anything, and burnt both town and village. Santa Martha
was also taken, and then Nombre de Dios, but he found that the treasure
had been removed, the inhabitants taking to the forest when they heard
his fearful name. Sir Thomas Baskerville took seven hundred and fifty
men to go over to Panama, but returned much discouraged by the
difficulties of the road. Drake finally burnt Nombre de Dios and every
vessel in the harbour down to the smallest boats.
After that, sickness began to tell upon the expedition, and Drake
himself was stricken with dysentery. When on the point of death he rose
from his bed, put on his full dress of admiral, called his men and gave
them a farewell address, then, sinking down exhausted he died
immediately afterwards. Several captains and other important officers
also died, and they even lost the chief surgeon; after that, nothing was
left but to return home. Off Cuba they were attacked by a Spanish fleet
of twenty vessels, sent out to intercept them, with which they kept up
a running fight until the enemy were left behind.
On their arrival in England in May, 1596, the sad news of the death of
Drake overshadowed all the glory of the expedition. In Spain, however,
it was published for general information, and the people congratulated
each other that at last their enemy was gone. Henry Savile, in his
"Libel of Spanish Lies," said "it did ease the stomachs of the timorous
Spaniards greatly to hear of the death of him whose life was a scourge
and a continual plague to them." No wonder that the news was so
grateful, for none was so daring, and no name like that of Drake ever
came to be used as a bogey with which to frighten their children.
Yet there were many gallant adventurers in the Indies at that very time.
Sir Robert Dudley and Sir Walter Ralegh were both at Trinidad in 1595,
and for several years before and after the English rovers were plentiful
in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1591 the _Content_ was successfully defended
against six Spanish men-of-war, and the galleons were obliged to sail in
large squadrons. What with the dangers of storms and the enemy, it was
stated that of a hundred and twenty-three vessels expected in Spain
during that year, only twenty-five arrived safe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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