let every man take good notice of
and let him write it down. For I will speak nothing but what I will
answer it in England, yea, and before Her Majesty." He reminded them of
the great adventure before them and went on.

"Now by the life of God this mutiny and dissension must cease. Here is
such controversy between the gentlemen and the sailors that it doth make
me mad to hear it. I must have the gentleman to haul with the mariner
and the mariner with the gentleman. I would know him that would refuse
to set his hand to a rope--but I know there is not any such here.

"Any who desire to go home may go in the _Marygold_, but let them take
care that they do go home, for if I find them in my way I will sink
them."

Then beginning with Wynter he reduced every officer to the ranks
forthwith, reprimanded known offenders, and wound up with this appeal:

"We have set by the ears three mighty sovereigns, and if this voyage
have not success we shall be a scorning unto our enemies and a blot on
our country forever. What triumph would it not be for Spain and
Portugal! The like of this would never more be tried!" Then he gave
every man his former rank and dismissed them. Moone, meeting Will
Harvest that night by the light of a bonfire, was the only man who dared
venture a comment. "We was spoilin' for a lickin'," he said, "and we got
it. I do hope and trust we'll keep out o' mischief till Frankie gets us
home to Plymouth, Hol'." Will grinned back cheerfully, and there was a
subdued laugh from the group about the fire. The fleet was itself again.

Adventure after adventure succeeded, wilder than minstrel ever sang. The
_Marygold_ went down with all hands; Wynter in the _Elizabeth_,
believing the Admiral lost, turned homeward; the _Christopher_ and the
_Swan_ had already been broken up. All alone the little _Golden Hynde_,
blown southward, sailed around Cape Horn and proved the Antarctic
continent a myth. Then Drake steered northward after more than two
month's tossing on the uncharted seas, to revictual his ship in Spanish
ports, fill his hold with the rich cargoes of one prize ship after
another, and capture at last the great annual treasure-ship _Nuestra
Senora de la Concepcion_, nicknamed the _Spitfire_ because she was
better armed than most of the ships plying on that coast. As they
ballasted the _Golden Hynde_ with silver from her huge hulk the jesting
seamen dubbed her the _Spit-silver_. The little flagship was literally
bri