Here a calm fell upon the fleets, and they remained
motionless for a whole day. But about midnight a breeze sprang up and Lord
Howard put into effect a scheme he had devised the previous day. He had
made a number of fire-ships by filling eight vessels with pitch, sulphur,
and other combustibles, and these were now set on fire and sent down the
wind against the Spanish fleet.

It was with terror that the Spaniards beheld the coming of these flaming
ships. They remembered vividly the havoc occasioned by fire-ships at the
siege of Antwerp. The darkness of the night added to their fears, and
panic spread from end to end of the fleet. All discipline vanished;
self-preservation was the sole thought of each crew. Some took time to
weigh their anchors, but others, in wild haste, cut their cables, and soon
the ships were driving blindly before the wind, some running afoul of each
other and being completely disabled by the shock.

When day dawned Lord Howard saw with the highest satisfaction the results
of his stratagem. The Spanish fleet was in the utmost disorder, its ships
widely dispersed. His own fleet had just been strengthened, and he at once
made an impetuous attack upon the scattered Armada. The battle began at
four in the morning and lasted till six in the evening, the Spaniards
fighting with great bravery but doing little execution. Many of their
ships were greatly damaged, and ten of the largest were sunk, run aground,
or captured. The principal galeas, or large galley, manned with three
hundred galley slaves and having on board four hundred soldiers, was
driven ashore near Calais, and nearly all the Spaniards were killed or
drowned in attempting to reach land. The rowers were set at liberty.

The Spanish admiral was greatly dejected by this series of misfortunes. As
yet the English had lost but one small ship and about one hundred men,
while his losses had been so severe that he began to dread the destruction
of the entire fleet. He could not without great danger remain where he
was. His ships were too large to approach nearer to the coast of Flanders.
Philip had declined to secure a suitable harbor in Zealand, as advised.
The Armada was a great and clumsy giant, from which Lord Howard's much
smaller fleet had not fled in terror, as had been expected, and which now
was in such a condition that there was nothing left for it but to try and
return to Spain.

But the getting there was not easy. A return through the Cha