m the lips of the youth like the blast of a
trumpet.

"Hush!" whispered Francis. "He desires it not to be made public. Come to
him."

She could scarce keep pace with his eagerness as he bounded before her
into 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 night
falls before the ships are started. Art sure that the peril is well
understood? It may be that you will not come back."

"It may be so, sir," answered the young man. "Sir Francis or any one of
us may be taken in the next engagement. But who would preserve life if by
giving it he may keep England and England's queen from the invader?"

"Spoken like a true Englishman, lad," cried Drake heartily. "Now, my
lord, these two will return with me and, in God's name, with my two Devon
men we shall this night so put upon the Spaniards as they shall ne'er
dream 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 to
ye, the queen shall know that ye died in her service. And so fare you
well."

"Fare you well," answered they both and followed after Drake to his own
boat--The Revenge.

About two o'clock Monday morning eight ships smeared all over the outside
with pitch and rosin, their ordnance loaded with stones and bullets and
filled with sulphur and other materials suddenly combustible glided out
from among the English fleet and took their way silently toward the
Spanish ships lying so serenely at anchor. The night was cloudy. The moon
was late in its last quarter and did not rise till morning. The darkness
favored their enterprise. The wind blew in long, low gusts from the
westward which drove them full upon the Armada. Presently as the dark
forms of the ships bore full upon the Spanish vessels a tiny spark of
light gleamed like a twinkling star at the stern of the boats. For a
second it wavered and flickered and then in a moment more a red glare
lighted up the heavens and cast a lurid glow upon the two fleets, the
cliffs of England and the sea and showing plainly two boats--with Young
and Prowse, the two men of Devon in one; Francis and Edward in the
other.

With a rush and roar the flames leaped madly from stem to stern and up
through al