"she craved my advice; and I told Her
Majesty the only way was to annoy him by the Indies." Then he told her
his great plan for raiding the Pacific, where no outsider had ever
been, and where the Spaniards were working their will without a thought
of danger. Elizabeth at once fell in with Drake's idea and "did swear
by her Crown that if any within her Realm did give the King of Spain to
understand hereof they should lose their heads therefor." The secret
had to be very well kept, even from Burleigh, who was then more or less
like what a Prime Minister is now. Burleigh was a very cautious man,
afraid of bringing on an open war with Spain. Elizabeth herself did
not want open war; but she was ready to go all lengths just short of
that. In those days, and for the next two centuries, a good deal of
fighting could go on at sea and round about oversea possessions without
bringing on a regular war in Europe. But for Elizabeth to have shown
her hand now would have put Philip at least on his guard and perhaps
spoilt Drake's game altogether. So the secret was carefully hidden
from every one likely to tell Mendoza, the lynx-eyed ambassador of
Spain. That Elizabeth was right in all she did is more than we can
say. But with enemies like Philip of Spain and Mary Queen of Scots
(both ready to have her murdered, if that could be safely done) she had
to hit back as best she could.

"The Famous Voyage of Sir Francis Drake into the South Sea, and
therehence about the whole Globe of the Earth, begun in the Yeare of
our Lord 1577" is the greatest raid in history. His fleet was small
enough, compared with what we know of fleets today. But it did
wonderful work for all that. The flagship _Golden Hind_ was of only a
hundred tons. The four others were smaller still. There were less
than two hundred men, all told. Yet with these Drake sailed off to
raid the whole Pacific seaboard of New Spain. He took "great store of
wildfire, chain-shot, harquebusses, pistols, corslets, bows, and other
weapons. Neither had he omitted to make provision for ornament and
delight, carrying with him expert musicians, rich furniture, and divers
shows of curious workmanship, whereby the magnificence of his native
country might amongst all nations be the more admired."

Sou'sou'west went Drake until he reached the "Land of Devils" in South
America, northeast of Montevideo. Terrific storms raised tremendous
seas through which the five little vessels