Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a large quantity of plate and jewellery. None of the wide-eyed Eng-
lishmen had ever seen such treasure, worth perhaps £40,000,000 in
modern value.
The voyage was 'made'. That fact lifted a great weight of anxiety
from Drake's mind. Until the capture of this stunning prize he was
fearful about his reception in England. Enemies would be waiting.
There would be accusations to be faced - murder, piracy, needless
risk of ships and men. Elizabeth and Burghley would not hesitate to
throw him to the wolves if the political situation required it. But now
he had an insurance against persecution. No one, not the queen, nor
her council, and certainly not his powerful backers would quibble
over legal or diplomatic niceties if he brought home such a vast
profit.
Reaching home was now Drake's sole objective. But how? To re-
turn the way he had come was out of the question. Spanish warships
were already in pursuit and merchant captains and garrison com-
manders would be on the lookout for the English corsairs. That left
two possibilities; the mythical Straits of Anian and the known but
nightmarish western route. Neither was much more attractive than
running the gauntlet of the angry Spaniards.
Drake's first move was to stand out to sea to avoid his pursuers.
Then he headed north-westwards, intending to pick up the coast of
North America and follow it in search of the passage which would,
if the geographers were right, bring him back to the Atlantic. The
Golden Hind
reached a high Pacific latitude and may have been on
a parallel with modern Vancouver before wind and weather forced
her to turn back. It was cold. There were frequent fogs and fierce
north-westerly gales blew intermittently. By the time the heavily-
laden ship had been at sea for fifty days she was leaking badly and
food supplies were dangerously low. Drake turned eastwards, ur-
gently seeking an anchorage. Eventually, he found a haven on the
