FRANCIS DRAKE, Admiral, or as that officer was then generally denominated, general, of the expedition, in the ship called the Pelican, which name she bore until she entered the South Sea, when it was changed to the Golden Hind. He was born about 1537,[N] and died on board his ship near Porto Bello, Jan. 28, 1596.
JOHN WINTER, Vice-Admiral, in the Elizabeth. He continued in the voyage till the passing of the Straits of Magellan, when a storm, which for its fury and duration, had never been known to him or his companions, made every heart quail but the Admiral's, and compelled him, for his own safety, as he contended, to forsake the voyage and return to England. How many returned with him, we have no means of knowing, at present.
To form an estimate of the violence of the tempest which deprived Drake of all his ships but that in which he himself was, one must recur to the original Journal of the voyage before noticed. That the reader may have an idea of that curious work, and lest he may never see it, a short extract will here be introduced. The writer of the Journal was in the Admiral's ship, to which it applies.
"For such was the present danger by forcing and continuall flawes, that we were rather to looke for present death then hope for any deliuery, if God almightie should not make the way for vs. The winds were such as if the bowels of the earth had set all at libertie; or as if all the clouds vnder heauen had beene called together, to lay their force vpon that one place: The seas, which by nature and of themselues are heauie, and of a weightie substance, were rowled vp from the depths, euen from the roots of the rockes, as if it had beene a scroll of parchment, which by the extremity of heate runneth together: and being aloft were carried in most strange manner and abundance, as feathers or drifts of snow, by the violence of the winds, to water the exceeding tops of high and loftie mountaines. Our anchors, as false friends in such a danger, gaue ouer their holdfast, and as if it had beene with horror of the thing, did shrinke downe to hide themselues in this miserable storme; committing the distressed ship and helpelesse men to the vncertaine and rowling seas, which tossed them, like a ball in a racket. In this case, to let fall more anchors would auaile vs nothing; for being driuen from our first place at anchoring, so vnmeasurable was the depth, that 500. fathome would fetch no ground: So that the violent storme without intermission; the impossibility to come to anchor; the want of opportunitie to spread any sayle; the most mad seas; the lee shores; the dangerous rocks; the contrary and most intolerable winds; the impossible passage out; the desperate tarrying there; and ineuitable perils on euery side, did lay before vs so small likelihood to escape present destruction, that if the speciall providence of God himselfe had not supported vs, we could neuer haue endured that wofull state: as being inuironed with most terrible and most fearfull judgements round about. For truly it was more likely that the mountaines should have beene rent in sunder, from the top to the bottome, and cast headlong into the sea, by these vnnatural winds, than that we, by any helpe or cunning of man, should free the life of any one amongst vs.
"Notwithstanding, the same God of mercy which delivered Ionas out of the Whales belly, and heareth all those that call vpon him faithfully, in their distresse; looked downe from heauen, beheld our teares, and heard our humble petitions, ioyned with holy vowes. Euen God (whom not the winds and seas alone, but euen the diuels themselues and powers of hell obey) did so wonderfully free vs, and make our way open before vs, as it were by his holy Angels still guiding and conducting vs, that more then the affright and amaze of this estate, we received no part of damage in all the things that belonged vnto vs.
"But escaping from these straites and miseries, as it were through the needles ey (that God might haue the greater glory in our deliuery) by the great and effectuall care and trauell of our Generall, the Lord's instrument therein; we could now no longer forbeare, but must needes finde some place of refuge, as well to provide water, wood, and other necessaries, as to comfort our men, thus worne and tired out, by so many and so long intollerable toyles: the like whereof, its to be supposed, no traveller hath felt, neither hath there ever beene, such a tempest (that any records make mention of) so violent, and of such continuance, since Noahs flood; for as hath beene sayd, it lasted from September 7. to October 28, full 52 dayes."
Though this extract be long, we have given but the closing part of the description of the storm. When we consider that it was winter in that region, and the nature of those seas, the storm (of which we have heard so much,) which overtook Columbus sinks into comparative insignificance.
We cannot close this lengthened digression, (if so it may be considered,) without an extract from a Poem on the Death of Drake by Charles Fitz-Geffrey; who in the following passage seems to have had the wild scenes of Terra del Fuego, in a dismal winter's night, vividly before him:—
"Huge mountain islands of congealed ice,
Floating (like Delos) on the stormy main,
Could not deter him from his enterprise,
Nor blood congealing winter's freezing pain,
Enforce him, coward like, turn back again:
Valor in greatest danger shines most bright,
As full-faced Phœbe in the darkest night."
JOHN THOMAS, captain of the Marigold. He was lost with all his company, after the expedition had passed the Straits of Magellan, in the terrible tempest, just described, among the islands of Terra del Fuego.
JOHN CHESTER, captain of the Swan. He probably continued throughout the voyage.
THOMAS MOONE, captain of the Christopher. He was with Drake in his early voyages to South America, and seems always to have been with him and to have followed his fortunes as long as he lived, and to have died almost at the same time with his beloved commander; not however from disease like him, but by the hand of his enemy, being killed by the Spaniards.
THOMAS DRAKE, the youngest brother of the Admiral. He does not appear to have been in any command at the outset of the voyage, but was soon after raised to the command of one of the ships. At this time he was probably about 18 years of age. He continued with his brother in most of his voyages afterwards, was with him in his last voyage, and in command of a ship. From him are descended the Drakes of Buckland, and of several other places in the south of Devonshire.
FRANCIS FLETCHER, chaplain to the expedition. He kept a journal of the voyage, a copy of which in MS. is said still to be seen in the British Museum, and from which the account before mentioned is supposed to be principally made up.