ault, and once more so hotly was the advantage pursued
that in one rush the whole town was captured. The garrison fled across
the bridge to the hills, and the next day, when Drake brought up the
fleet to bear upon the fort, that also was evacuated.

No success was ever better earned and few more richly rewarded.
Cartagena was the capital of the Spanish Main, and though much younger
than Santo Domingo it was far wealthier. It yielded rich loot for the
men; and for his shareholders Drake, after a long negotiation, succeeded
in exacting a ransom of a hundred ten thousand ducats, besides what he
got for an adjacent monastery. Though to all this plunder Drake could
add the consolation that he had destroyed the galleys and shipping which
crowded the port, and blown up the harbor fort which the Spaniards had
forgotten to include in the convention, he was still unsatisfied. Well
knowing that by an advance up the Chagres River in his boats Panama lay
at his mercy, he was resolved with its capture to crown the campaign;
but as he lay in Cartagena the sickness, which had never really ceased,
broke out again with new virulence, and made such havoc with his force
that he had reluctantly to confess that Panama must wait. To capture it
with the crippled means at his command was impossible, and the only
question was whether Cartagena should be held till he could return with
reenforcements.

The soldiers declared themselves ready to undertake the task; but in a
full council of war it was finally decided that no strategical advantage
would be gained at all proportional to the risk that would be run in
further weakening the fleet, and on the last day of March the signal to
make sail home was flying from the Elizabeth Bonaventura. So severely,
however, did they suffer from the weather and want of water that it was
nearly two months before they reached the coast of Florida. Still Drake
found time and energy to destroy and plunder the Spanish settlement at
St. Augustine, and relieve Raleigh's exhausted colony in Virginia. With
the remnants of the settlers on board, he weighed for England, and on
July 28, 1586, he was writing from Plymouth to Lord Burghley laconically
reporting his return; and, apologizing for having missed the Plate fleet
by only twelve hours' sail--"the reason best known to God"--he declared
that he and his fleet were ready at once to strike again in any
direction the Queen would be pleased to indicate.

"There is a very