CHAPTER XXIX
A BRITOMARTE OF THE ARMADA
The call was sounded. It rang through every ship like a trumpet note andevery man sprang to his duty.
"On to the Dons! No Spanish Inquisition!" was the watch-cry of theEnglish navy, and with great difficulty, for the wind was against them,they steered for the open sea.
It was not until the next day that they came within sight of the Armada.The most powerful fleet that had ever been known since the beginning oftime. Blest by the pope, sent forth amid the prayers and the fastings ofthe people, the fleet had been cleared of every unclean thing, forhaughty England who styled herself the mistress of the seas was to behumbled upon her own element and made to yield her lands to theforeigners.
The great Spanish ships, built high like castles and towers, stretched inthe form of a crescent measuring at least seven miles from horn to horn.They came slowly on, and, although under full sail, yet as though thewinds labored and the ocean sighed under the burden of it, says Camden.When they reached the open channel Lord Howard discovered his policy tohis men.
They were not to come to close quarters with the towering, unwieldygalleons, but to pour broadside after broadside into them at a distanceand to bide their opportunity to fall upon them. Nearer and nearer drewthe two fleets, the Spanish preparing to begin the action at daybreak.But at two o'clock the gibbous moon arose in a clear sky and showed tothe astonished Spanish the English fleet lying in their rear just out ofcannon shot.
The next morning Lord Howard, sending before him a pinnace called theDefiance, provoked the fight by discharging a piece of her ordnance andpresently out of his own ship, called the Ark Royal, thundered upon aSpanish craft which he supposed was that of the Spanish Admiral, MedinaSidonia, but which proved to be that of Alphonso de Leon.
At the same time Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher fell terribly upon therear which was valiantly commanded by Juan Martinez de Recaldo. TheEnglish invaded, retired, and re-invaded them from every quarter withincredible celerity. The Spanish captain general was nonplused. TheEnglish ships ran in, doing as much damage as possible without coming toclose quarters, while his lumbering craft were useless to chase andcripple so agile an enemy. The great galleons and galleasses of Spaintowered beside the English ships like "Flemish dray horses beside lightArabian coursers."
Fiercer waxed the fight. Recaldo finding his vessel much battered,rejoined his chief with difficulty and Medina re-collecting his scatteredvessels held on his course. For two hours the fight continued, and thenLord Howard thought best to retire to await the coming of other shipswhich had not yet left the harbor.
Flushed and elated with the victory, with not a single vessel andscarcely a man lost, the English exulted that the great Armada which hadbeen devised to strike terror into their hearts was not so invincibleafter all.
"Is it not glorious, Edward," cried Francis Stafford from a coil of ropeupon which she had thrown herself. "How the Dons flew! Oh, 'tis enough tostir a stone to enthusiasm!"
"'Twould be glorious, Francis, were it not for thee," answered the youth."The thought that thou art here hampers my every action, and always am Ilooking to see that thou art safe. Would thou wert in England; even inthe Tower so that thou wert not here."
"And wherefore? Do I not bear myself as becomes an English lad?" criedFrancis. "In all the wide world there is no place that I would rather bethan upon the deck of the Ark Royal. So from henceforth speak no more ofthis. And, Edward, drop no hint of my sex to any. Wherefore should not anEnglish maiden espouse the cause of her country as well as an Englishyouth? Thou seest that there are lads here as maiden like in appearanceas I. Give no thought to me, I beseech you."
"I will speak of it no more, Francis," rejoined Devereaux. "And yet Iwould that thou wert not here."
The girl turned from him impatiently, and hastily joined a group ofwhich the admiral was the centre; for Lord Howard had taken them upon hisown vessel.
The next night the air was stormy and the night dark. The English fleetwas startled by an explosion on one of the Spanish ships and soon theflames were seen to spring high into the air. But other ships went to heraid and the fire was soon quenched, but the principal galleon of Sevillecommanded by Pedro de Valdez collided with another vessel and, herforemast being broken, was forsaken and became a prey to Sir FrancisDrake.
Dark as the night was, Lord Howard on the Ark Royal, accompanied by twoships only--the Mary and the Rose--hotly pursued the Spaniards. The restof the English fleet lay still because Drake had neglected to carry alighted lantern in the poop of his vessel as had been commanded.
At break of day, having a prosperous north wind, the Spaniards bore downupon the English, but the English, to take advantage of the wind, turnedwestward. And then began a series of maneuvres in which each fleetcontended to deprive each other of the benefit of the wind. The contestdid not last long and before noon the English having slipped between theArmada and the land bore down upon them right before the wind.
And then began a fierce fight which was waged with varying success. For,while in one place the English valiantly rescued the ships of Londonwhich were hemmed in by the Spaniards, in another Recaldo, being indanger, was disengaged with no less resolution by the Spaniards. Neverbefore was such lightning and thunder of artillery heard, most of which,notwithstanding, went vainly from the Spanish, flying clear over theEnglish ships. Only Cock, an Englishman, died gloriously in the midst ofhis enemies upon his own small bark.
The English ships being of lesser build than the Spanish invaded theSpaniards with great dexterity and having discharged their ordnancewithdrew into the open sea and leveled all their shot with a certain andsuccessful aim at the ponderous Spanish vessels.
And still the English admiral thought it not best to grapple and risk thefortune of a hand-to-hand fight. For the enemy had a strong and wellappointed army aboard which he lacked, and, their ships standing higherthan his own vessels, threatened nothing less than certain destruction tothose fighting them from below. This was the most fierce and bloodyskirmish of all, though it only resulted in the capture of one hugegalleon and a few small craft by the English. There was a mutualcessation of hostilities for all the next day for the wind fell dead andeach fleet was compelled to drift idly with the tide.
The calm was still unbroken when the next day dawned, the twenty-fifthday of the month sacred to St. James, the patron saint of Spain. A smallgalleon of Portugal called the Saint Anne being unable to keep pace withthe rest of the fleet was set upon by a number of small English craft,seeing which three of the great galleasses rowed furiously to her aid.Lord Howard's Ark Royal, the Golden Lion of his brother, Lord Sheffield'sBear, and others towed by fisher boats met them with such salvos of shotthat, had not the Spanish fleet come up to rescue them, they would haveshared the fate of Valdez. After this time the galleasses would not fightagain. The wind sprang up by noon and the fight became general. Allafternoon it raged, and then, terribly battered, the Armada would fightno more; but, "gathering into a roundel" set all sail for Calais, whereMedina hoped to find a force from the French to help him and then toDunkirk to join with Parma and the great flotilla of the Netherlands.
And so with a full southwest wind the Spanish fleet went on, the Englishfleet following them. It was determined not to attack them until theyreached the straits of Calais, where Lord Seymour and William Winterwould join the navy.
Meantime Lord Howard conferred Knighthood upon John Hawkins, MartinFrobisher, Thomas Howard, Lord Sheffield and Roger Townsend for valor andfortitude. And now from every bay and harbor of England there put forthnumbers of small craft hired by the youth of England, who hastened tojoin themselves to the fleet, for the Spanish fleet, though battered anddispirited, was not yet broken, and should it be joined by the forceswhich Medina expected all would indeed go ill with England.
The Armada anchored in Calais Roads and within cannon shot of it lay theEnglish fleet. The next day being the Sabbath both fleets observed theday with appropriate servic
es, the loud chants of the Spaniard minglingstrangely with the hymns of the English.
Francis Stafford, wearied and fatigued, retired to the cabin and, findingit deserted, swung a hammock in one corner and clambering into it wassoon fast asleep.
"I tell thee, Drake," 'twas the voice of Lord Howard that awakened her,"the queen must have been inspired to invent so ingenious a device. If itsucceeds----"
"It will succeed, my lord," interrupted Drake positively, "That is ifthere can be found men who will adventure it. But it will take cool headsand stout hearts and an absolute fearlessness of danger. I think I knowtwo men who will go but there must be others."
Instantly the girl sat upright in the hammock.
"My lord," she cried, "send me."
Lord Howard and Sir Francis Drake started in astonishment.
"Boy, I thought thee asleep," cried the admiral. "How long hast thou beenawake?"
"But just to hear you say that you needed men for some service," answeredFrancis, springing lightly out of the hammock.
"I said men, not boys," said Drake smiling.
"Speak not so, Sir Francis," reproved the admiral. "The lad hath bornewell his part though he is so slight and maiden-like."
"And there is this to be considered," went on Francis eagerly. "I haveescaped from the Tower. My father, as ye know, is an exile. What liesbefore me but imprisonment, or that worse than death, exilement from mynative land. 'Twere better to send me whatever may be the hazard thanothers who can illy be spared."
"Listen, boy, and thou shalt hear what the enterprise is. I trow that itwill quell even thy brave spirit, burning though it be with valor. Thisnight some of our ships covered over with rosin and pitch and filled withsulphur, gunpowder and other combustibles, are to be sent into the midstof the Spanish, fired and set adrift amongst them. 'Tis fraught withgreat danger and peril to the lives of those who adventure it."
"Still let me be one of them," pleaded the girl earnestly.
"There is much in the lad's favor," said Drake meditatively. "He speakstruth when he declares that it would be best to send one who lies underthe queen's disfavor than another."
"Yes; and if successfully performed it may bring him pardon. Elizabethcannot but look with favor upon those who help to carry out a projectdevised by herself. Drake, I give my consent for the lad to go."
"Perchance Edward Devereaux----" began Francis and then paused. Whatright had she to bring another into peril that might result in loss oflife? But Lord Howard laughingly said:
"Another youth, Sir Francis, who burns to distinguish himself."
"Then let him have his chance," was the vice-admiral's reply. "You and Iwould have jumped at such opportunity, my lord."
"Go you then, Stafford, to Master Devereaux and tell him privately of theenterprise. 'Twill be naught against him if he chooses not to accompanythe expedition. If he should so select, come to me, both of you."
Francis eagerly sought young Devereaux. It so chanced that he stood forthe moment apart from his fellows. Joining him she said in a low tone:
"Edward, do you wish to adventure a most perilous undertaking?"
"Marry! Francis Stafford! how canst thou ask such question? Thou knowestthat I burn to do something. It chafes me to be so inactive while in suchnear distance lies the Spaniard."
"Then hearken! This night ships besmeared with pitch and rosin and filledwith combustibles are to be sent into the midst of yon fleet. Two men arealready chosen to guide them thither, and thou and I can accompany themalso. But the admiral bids me say that it may be dangerous."
"Huzzah!" pealed forth from the lips of the youth like the blast of atrumpet.
"Hush!" whispered Francis. "He desires it not to be made public. Come tohim."
She could scarce keep pace with his eagerness as he bounded before herinto the presence of the English commanders.
"I thank you, my lords," he said bowing to them, "for this opportunity.When shall we be off?"
The two men could not forbear a smile.
"There is no hurry, Devereaux," said Lord Howard. "It will be after nightfalls before the ships are started. Art sure that the peril is wellunderstood? It may be that you will not come back."
"It may be so, sir," answered the young man. "Sir Francis or any one ofus may be taken in the next engagement. But who would preserve life if bygiving it he may keep England and England's queen from the invader?"
"Spoken like a true Englishman, lad," cried Drake heartily. "Now, mylord, these two will return with me and, in God's name, with my two Devonmen we shall this night so put upon the Spaniards as they shall ne'erdream of setting foot on English soil again."
"Go," said the lord admiral placing an arm about the neck of each. "Go,my lads. My hopes and prayers go with you. And should aught happen toye, the queen shall know that ye died in her service. And so fare youwell."
"Fare you well," answered they both and followed after Drake to his ownboat--The Revenge.
About two o'clock Monday morning eight ships smeared all over the outsidewith pitch and rosin, their ordnance loaded with stones and bullets andfilled with sulphur and other materials suddenly combustible glided outfrom among the English fleet and took their way silently toward theSpanish ships lying so serenely at anchor. The night was cloudy. The moonwas late in its last quarter and did not rise till morning. The darknessfavored their enterprise. The wind blew in long, low gusts from thewestward which drove them full upon the Armada. Presently as the darkforms of the ships bore full upon the Spanish vessels a tiny spark oflight gleamed like a twinkling star at the stern of the boats. For asecond it wavered and flickered and then in a moment more a red glarelighted up the heavens and cast a lurid glow upon the two fleets, thecliffs of England and the sea and showing plainly two boats--with Youngand Prowse, the two men of Devon in one; Francis and Edward in theother.
With a rush and roar the flames leaped madly from stem to stern and upthrough all the rigging sending out great tongues of fire forward,backward, sideways threatening total destruction to anything that camewithin their reach.
"Pull, Francis," cried Devereaux bending with desperate strength to theoars. "Pull for your life."
The girl obeyed with a will. And now from the ships of Spain there wentup a fearful cry. A panic seized upon them at sight of those awfulburning vessels. They cried out that not only was there danger of firebut that they contained deadly engines also. Everything was in confusion.Panic-stricken they weighed anchor, cut their cables, hoisted their sailsand struck for the open sea, every ship afoul of her neighbor. A hugegalleass had her rudder broken and drifted helplessly with the tide.
"_PULL, PULL FOR YOUR LIFE!_"]
With shouts and cries of joy the English fleet sailed after the Armada.Meantime the small boats pulled hastily for the nearest English vessel,but so suddenly did the Spanish scatter, and the English change to takeadvantage of their flight, that the position of the boats becamedangerous in the extreme: for what with the high wind, the burning ships,the rolling of the deep, the helter-skelter flight of the Armada and thepursuit of the English their position was, to say the least, precarious.
Devereaux changed the course of his boat several times, but as he wasborne in spite of himself among the Spanish vessels he cried despairinglyto Francis,
"It is of no avail, Francis. We must die."
"Look!" was the girl's reply.
Full well upon them bore a galleon, The Saint Matthew.
"Dogs of heretics," cried the commander from the poop of the vessel,"die!"
"Ned, dear Ned!" shrieked Francis, throwing herself upon him, striving toshield him from the bullets and arrows that rained about them. The ladgave her one look, and opened his lips to reply when, with a shout ofwild joy from the sailors, The Revenge glided in between the frail barkand her towering foe.
"Heave ho," cried Francis Drake in stentorian tones. "Lie to, my lads.Did'st think we'd leave such likely lads to perish? Nay; below with ye,"as they were pulled on deck. "Ye have done your
part. The rest of us willnow bear the brunt of action."
And the English fleet swept on to deal the final blow to His MostCatholic Majesty, Philip of Spain's, Invincible Armada.
In Doublet and Hose: A Story for Girls Page 29
