4}
hatches, and had the Spaniards trapped while his men went ashore to
sack the town. One Spaniard had succeeded in swimming across to warn
the port.[7] When Drake landed, the entire population had fled to the
hills. Rich plunder in wedges of pure gold, and gems, was carried off
from the fort. Not a drop of blood was shed. Crews of the scuttled
vessels were set ashore, the dismantled ships sent drifting to open
sea. The whole fiasco was conducted as harmlessly as a melodrama, with
a moral thrown in; for were not these zealous Protestants despoiling
these zealous Catholics, whose zeal, in turn, had led them to despoil
the Indian? There was a moral; but it wore a coat of many colors.

[Illustration: Francis Drake.]

The Indian was rewarded, and a Greek pilot forced on board to steer to
Lima, the great treasury of Peruvian gold. Giving up all hope of the
other English vessels joining him, Drake had paused at Coquimbo to put
together a small sloop, when down swooped five hundred Spanish
soldiers. In the wild scramble for the _Golden Hind_, one sailor was
left behind. He was torn to pieces by the Spaniards before the eyes of
Drake's crew. Northling again sailed Drake, piloted inshore by the
Greek to Tarapaca, where Spanish treasure was sent out over the hills
to await the call of ship; and sure enough, sound asleep in the
sunlight, fatigued from his trip lay a Spanish carrier, {155} thirteen
bars of silver piled beside him on the sand. When that carrier
wakened, the ship had called! Farther on the English moored and went
inland to see if more treasure might be coming over the hills. Along
the sheep trails came a lad whistling as he drove eight Peruvian sheep
laden with black leather sacks full of gold.

Drake's men were intoxicated with their success. It was impossible to
attack Panama with only the _Golden Hind_; but what if the _Golden
Hind_ could catch the _Glory of the South Seas_--the splendid Spanish
galleon that yearly carried Peruvian gold up to Panama? Drake gained
first news of the treasure ship being afloat while he was rifling three
barks at Aricara below Lima; but he knew coureurs were already speeding
overland to warn the capital against the _Golden Hind_. Drake pressed
sail to outstrip the land messenger, and glided into Callao, the port
of Lima, before the thirty ships lying dismantled had the slightest
inkling of his presence.

Viceroy Don Francisco de Toledo of Lima thought the overland