l the rigging sending out great tongues of fire forward,
backward, sideways threatening total destruction to anything that came
within their reach.

"Pull, Francis," cried Devereaux bending with desperate strength to the
oars. "Pull for your life."

The girl obeyed with a will. And now from the ships of Spain there went
up a fearful cry. A panic seized upon them at sight of those awful
burning vessels. They cried out that not only was there danger of fire
but that they contained deadly engines also. Everything was in confusion.
Panic-stricken they weighed anchor, cut their cables, hoisted their sails
and struck for the open sea, every ship afoul of her neighbor. A huge
galleass had her rudder broken and drifted helplessly with the tide.

[Illustration: "_PULL, PULL FOR YOUR LIFE!_"]

With shouts and cries of joy the English fleet sailed after the Armada.
Meantime the small boats pulled hastily for the nearest English vessel,
but so suddenly did the Spanish scatter, and the English change to take
advantage of their flight, that the position of the boats became
dangerous in the extreme: for what with the high wind, the burning ships,
the rolling of the deep, the helter-skelter flight of the Armada and the
pursuit of the English their position was, to say the least, precarious.

Devereaux changed the course of his boat several times, but as he was
borne in spite of himself among the Spanish vessels he cried despairingly
to Francis,

"It is of no avail, Francis. We must die."

"Look!" was the girl's reply.

Full well upon them bore a galleon, The Saint Matthew.

"Dogs of heretics," cried the commander from the poop of the vessel,
"die!"

"Ned, dear Ned!" shrieked Francis, throwing herself upon him, striving to
shield him from the bullets and arrows that rained about them. The lad
gave her one look, and opened his lips to reply when, with a shout of
wild joy from the sailors, The Revenge glided in between the frail bark
and her towering foe.

"Heave ho," cried Francis Drake in stentorian tones. "Lie to, my lads.
Did'st think we'd leave such likely lads to perish? Nay; below with ye,"
as they were pulled on deck. "Ye have done your part. The rest of us will
now bear the brunt of action."

And the English fleet swept on to deal the final blow to His Most
Catholic Majesty, Philip of Spain's, Invincible Armada.

CHAPTER XXX

PARDON AND HAPPINESS

The final blow which sent the Armada flying northward ha