itself not worth
the risk. He ran on to the Cape de Verde Islands. He had measured his
time too narrowly. The gold fleet had arrived and had gone. He had
missed it by twelve hours, 'the reason,' as he said with a sigh, 'best
known to God.' The chance of prize-money was lost, but the political
purpose of the expedition could still be completed. The Cape de Verde
Islands could not sail away, and a beginning could be made with Sant
Iago. Sant Iago was a thriving, well-populated town, and down in Drake's
book as specially needing notice, some Plymouth sailors having been
recently murdered there. Christopher Carlile, always handy and
trustworthy, was put on shore with a thousand men to attack the place on
the undefended side. The Spanish commander, the bishop, and most of the
people fled, as at Vigo, into the mountains with their plate and money.
Carlile entered without opposition, and flew St. George's Cross from the
castle as a signal to the fleet. Drake came in, landed the rest of his
force, and took possession. It happened to be the 17th of November--the
anniversary of the Queen's accession--and ships and batteries, dressed
out with English flags, celebrated the occasion with salvoes of cannon.
Houses and magazines were then searched and plundered. Wine was found in
large quantities, rich merchandise for the Indian trade, and other
valuables. Of gold and silver nothing--it had all been removed. Drake
waited for a fortnight, hoping that the Spaniards would treat for the
ransom of the city. When they made no sign, he marched twelve miles
inland to a village where the Governor and the bishop were said to have
taken refuge. But the village was found deserted. The Spaniards had
gone to the mountains, where it was useless to follow them, and were too
proud to bargain with a pirate chief. Sant Iago was a beautifully built
city, and Drake would perhaps have spared it; but a ship-boy who had
strayed was found murdered and barbarously mutilated. The order was
given to burn. Houses, magazines, churches, public buildings were turned
to ashes, and the work being finished Drake went on, as Santa Cruz
expected, for the Spanish West Indies. The Spaniards were magnificent in
all that they did and touched. They built their cities in their new
possessions on the most splendid models of the Old World. St. Domingo
and Carthagena had their castles and cathedrals, palaces, squares, and
streets, grand and solid as those at Cadiz and Seville, and