nt and in high spirits. All night long sentinels watched the
English fleet expecting to see it send boat loads of men ashore; ready
to signal the news with beacon fires and torches. But all night long the
English fleet lay dark and silent in the offing.

The morning of May 30 dawned. It was clear and bright, the sea was
smooth, the wind just sufficient to fill the sails. There could be no
fitter day for a landing or for an approach to the harbor to bombard the
forts and city. The sentinels on Morro counted all thirty of Drake's
vessels, drawn up in line. Now and then one swept out in pursuit of some
incautious or uninformed coasting vessel, but did not go far. The whole
fleet maintained order as if in preparation for some great concerted
operation.

Hours passed and nothing was done. At mid-afternoon some boats were sent
toward the shore near Chorrera, and the watchers on Morro signaled to La
Fuerza that a landing was being made; only a little later to recall the
tidings as those of a false alarm. Night came on, and again under cover
of darkness it was imagined that Drake's men were seen approaching
Chorrera. Every man in Havana remained awake with arms in hand, but the
night waned and daylight showed the fleet still motionless and the shore
at Chorrera still untouched. Thus for three days and nights the tension
was maintained. The thirty English vessels lay off Havana, firing not a
shot, sending not a man ashore, and making no sign of their commander's
purpose.

Then the suspense was ended, to the relief of many but to the
disappointment of some. On June 4th the English fleet spread all its
canvas and sailed away, heading north and east, and vanished forever
from the sight of the watchers at Havana. Not the Cuban capital but the
chief city of Florida was to be its prey, and presently word came back
that Drake had attacked and captured the town and fortress of St.
Augustine, which Menendez had built and in the building of which he had
drawn so sorely upon the scanty resources of Cuba. Quinones regretted
that Havana had not been attacked, confident that the result would have
been disastrous to the assailants. He took, however, all possible
precautions against a surprise by a possible return of the English
fleet. The coast patrols to Matanzas and beyond were maintained and
vessels were sent out as scouts to follow in Drake's track and watch for
his turning.

But no more was seen of Drake or heard of him until the end