Parentage of Cavendish—Sails with Sir Richard Grenville to the West Indies—Introduced to the Queen—Fits out expedition for the South Sea—Sails from Plymouth—Lands at Sierra Leone—Attacks a negro town—Passage across the Atlantic—Anchors off coast of Brazil—Puts into Port Desire—Large size of natives—Attacked by them—Enters the Straits of Magellan—A deserted Spanish colony—One man rescued—San Felipe visited—Port Famine—Enters the Pacific—The squadron puts into Mocha—Obtains provisions by a mistake of the natives—An expedition on shore at Quintero—Twelve of the crew cut off—Anchors off Moron Moreno—Degraded natives—Proceedings at Areca—Prisoners taken and tortured—Payta plundered—The island of Paria and its wealthy cacique—The English surprised by Spaniards—Several killed—Cavendish burns the place—Several vessels captured—Cocoa found on board a prize—Some persons made prisoners on shore held captive till provisions are brought—In search of the Manilla galleon—She is attacked and captured—The prisoners well treated—The Santa Anna set on fire—The Desire and Content set sail—Ersola, a pilot, carried off—The Content lost sight of—No tidings ever received of her—The ship touches at Guham and proceeds on to the Philippines—Treachery of Ersola discovered—He is hung—A Spanish frigate put to flight—Death of Captain Havers—Java reached—Reception by the Rajah—The Indian Ocean crossed—A tempest—Passes the Cape of Good Hope—Touches at Saint Helena—Hears of the defeat of the Spanish Armada—Enters Plymouth with silken sails—Knighted by Queen Elizabeth—Sails on a second voyage—Numerous disasters—Dies of a broken heart.
At an early age Thomas Cavendish, by the death of his father, William Cavendish, of Trunley Saint Martin, in the county of Suffolk, became an orphan, and the possessor of that goodly estate on which he was born. From his childhood he had been wont to gaze on the ocean, which rolled in front of the family mansion, and thus at an early age he became enamoured of a sea life.
Instead of spending his time in hunting and hawking, or other field sports, and indulging in the luxurious ease which his wealth would have allowed, as soon as he had power over his fortune, after following the Court of her Majesty for a short period, he resolved to undertake some noble enterprise which might bring credit to himself and redound to the honour of his country.
Hearing that Sir Richard Grenville, afterwards so celebrated, was about to sail, for the purpose of founding a colony in Virginia, in 1585, he fitted out a vessel at his own cost, of which he took command, and sailed in the fleet of that brave captain. Although he gained but small profit by the voyage, he obtained a considerable amount of nautical skill, and a knowledge of the islands of the West Indies, among which the squadron cruised before returning home.
Not satisfied with this short voyage, having conversed with several of those who had sailed with Drake, and with other pilots and mariners, he resolved on undertaking an expedition which might rival that of the renowned navigator who had a short time before returned in triumph from his voyage round the world in the richly-laden Golden Hind.
Through the recommendation of his friend Lord Hunsdon, he received a licence from the Queen to cruise against her enemies, and he lost no time in fitting out three vessels. These were the Desire, of one hundred and twenty tons burden, in which he sailed as Admiral, the Content, of sixty tons, and the Hugh Gallant, a bark of forty tons, carrying altogether one hundred and twenty-three officers, seamen, and soldiers. Having embarked near his own house at Harwich on the 10th of July, 1586, on board the Desire, he sailed thence for Plymouth, where his little squadron was directed to rendezvous.
Those were days when gentlemen considered it necessary to settle all disputes with the sword, and unhappily one of his followers, Mr Hope, having engaged in a duel, was mortally wounded, though he insisted on returning to his ship.
On the 21st of July, all things being ready, the anchors were weighed, and the little squadron sailed out of Plymouth Sound. On the 25th the hapless Mr Hope died of his wound. The next day five large Spanish vessels were seen, which, steering for the Desire, attacked her; but the Admiral plied his guns so vigorously that they were glad to escape, having done no material damage.
Having sighted various places, on the 26th of August the squadron put into the harbour of Sierra Leone. The following day two negroes came off and gave the information that there was a Portuguese vessel higher up the harbour. In order to learn more about her, some of the crew went on shore and danced and amused themselves with the negroes, from whom they learned that it would be impossible to approach her with the ships. Disappointed in this. Cavendish and seventy of his men landed the following day, attacked the town, set some of the houses on fire, and took what little spoil they could find. On their return the negroes who had fled, having rallied in a wood, shot poisoned arrows at them, and hurt three or four. Notwithstanding this, the crew again landed for the purpose of filling their water-casks and washing their clothes. While they were thus occupied a party of negroes rushed out upon them from the woods, and shooting their arrows, hurt several of the men, among whom was a soldier, who, breaking off the shaft, allowed the head to remain in the wound rather than have it cut out. It being poisoned, his body swelled and became black, and he died the next morning.
Touching at the Cape de Verde Islands, the squadron steered a west-south-west course across the Atlantic, and on the 31st of October sighted a lofty mountain in Brazil, twenty-four leagues from Cape Frio. The next day the ships came to an anchor between the island of San Sebastian and the main. Here the greater part of a month was spent in setting up a pinnace, preparing casks, and other necessary works.