pains in preparing a worthy banquet. Copies
of Latin verses written by the Winchester scholars, praising the _Golden
Hind_ and her commander, were nailed to the masts. The banquet over,
the Queen conferred upon Drake the honour of knighthood, and issued
orders that his ship should be preserved as a monument of the glory of
the nation and of the illustrious navigator.

After a residence of two or three years on shore, Sir Francis Drake put
to sea in command of a squadron destined to attack the Spaniards
wherever they should be found. Having captured some small vessels, he
surprised Saint Jago, the chief town of the Cape de Verde Islands, and
thence sailed for the Leeward Islands, after which he visited the
principal town of San Domingo, though less booty was obtained than was
expected.

His next enterprise was directed against Carthagena, which was gallantly
captured, the Governor, Alonzo Bravo, being taken prisoner. After a
part of the city had been destroyed, a ransom of thirty thousand pounds
was accepted for the preservation of the latter. The yellow fever,
however, broke out, and carried off numbers of the victorious
Englishmen, so that projected attempts on Nombre de Dios and Panama were
abandoned, and the squadron sailed for the coast of Florida. Here two
settlements, San Augustine and Santa Helena, were burned, and then,
touching at Virginia, Drake took on board the hapless survivors of the
colony commenced the previous year by Sir Walter Raleigh.

Though the booty obtained was insignificant, the dismantling of so many
fortresses at the commencement of the war was of importance.

This was the first of many services rendered by the great navigator.
Rumours of an intended invasion of England by the Spaniards, with their
so-called Invincible Armada, induced the merchants of London to fit out
at their own expense twenty-six vessels of different sizes, which were
placed under the command of Drake. To this squadron four ships and two
pinnaces were added by the Queen, the largest of which, named the
_Bonaventura_, was commanded by Drake in person.

With this force, early in April, 1587, he sailed from Plymouth to look
out for the Spaniards. Hearing from the commanders of two Dutch vessels
that a Spanish fleet was lying at Cadiz, about to sail with stores and
ammunition of all sorts, he steered for that port, and in the course of
one day and two nights destroyed shipping amounting to ten thousand
tons.

Th