Adventures of Pirates and Sea-Rovers

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ... XI THE TAKING OF THE KING'S TREASURE-SHIP The Adventures of Sir Francis Drake, Admiral and Explorer F all the great sea-fighters who adorned the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral, or second in command, in the fight with the Armada, under Lord Howard of Effingham, was at once the most skilful navigator and the most daring and successful opponent of the Spaniard. No Englishman was more dreaded and hated by Philip of Spain than Francis Drake, and no man ever had better cause for these feelings. Drake was a very formidable foe, even for Philip, the most powerful monarch in Europe and the ruler over an empire on which the sun never set. He was no mere privateer, but a great admiral, an explorer equal to his contemporary Frobisher, one of the ablest strategists and commanders in all English history; and, above all, he was endowed with a wholesome and hearty contempt for Spanish power and Spanish fighting, which he soon managed to impart to his comrades and the sailors who fought under him. He called the King of Spain "a colossus stuffed with clouts," and proceeded to demonstrate the truth of his assertion in a way which no man could mistake. He had good reasons to hate Philip of Spain, since he was with Hawkins at San Juan de Ulloa, when the Spaniards made that treacherous attack upon the English ships which is described in preceding pages. How he soon after paid a portion of the deep debt he owed to King Philip by the taking of his Acapulco treasure-train, and some time after by the taking of his great treasure-ship, the Cacafuego, I shall endeavor to relate in this history. It was some time after the terrible catastrophe at San Juan de Ulloa before Drake could scrape together money enough for the voyage of retribution...