The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-11-04
A HERO OF THE SEA
BY JAMES PARTON.

Think of a boy of eighteen owning
and commanding a ship! This was
the case, We are told with Drake
another of those Heroes of the Sea
whose deeds shed such lustre upon
the age of Shakespeare and Elizabeth.
The ship, was small. it is true, and
the voyages it made were short; still
it was a ship, and it was sailed (suc-
cessfully, too,) by lad of eighteen.
| The way it came about was this:
| Francis Drake, born on the south
ern coast of England about the year
I545, was one of the twelve sons of
chaplain in the navy. The father of
this fine family of boys began life as
a farmer; but having renounced the
Catholic religion, and joined the
Church of England, Queen Elizabeth,
who liked to encourage such con-
versions made a naval chaplain of
him, and afterwards gave him small
living on shore. Francis, the eldest
of his sons, was educated at the ex-
penSe of relative of the family, that
valiant seaman Admiral Sir John
Hawkins. 1t was probably the sue
cess and renown of this admiral
that induced Francis Drake and most
of his brothers to the sea.
He did not, however, get into a
ship, as the sailors say, Through the
cabin window" When he was about
twelve years old he was regularly ap-
prenticed to the captain of small
vessel trading with Holland and
France, in which, he took the place
of cabin boy. The cabin boy of a
ship, in former times, like the young
est apprentice in the shop, was re-
quired to do all the odd, disagreeable
jobs, such as greasing the mast, wash
ing the dishes, furling the top-mast
sail. coiling up the ropes, tarring the
cable, and feeding the pig. Young
Drake performed his duties so well,
learned his business SO thoroughly,
and won the confidence and affec-
ton of his captain to such degree,
that the captain, dying when Drake
was eighteen, bequeathed him his
vessel. The young man soon proved
his fitness to command Having
made one successful voyage to the
western ports of France, he sailed
next to Africa, and brought home a
good share of the gold dust and ele-
plants tusks of Guinea.
On his return to England, he found
his kinsman and patron, Sir John
Hawkins, preparing fleet, aided by
Queen Elizabeth, for grand raiding
voyage to Guinea and the West In
dies.
| This Admiral Hawkins will be long
remembered as the Englishman who
J began the African slave trade. Twice
already he had visited the coast
of Guinea, and, partly by purchase
and partly by artifce, had filled his
ship with negroes, whom he sold to
the Spaniards in the West Indies at
an enormous profit. No one then
saw anything wrong in the traffic. On
the contrary, the whole world ap-
| plauded it, and the queen herself be-
slowed upon Hawkins unusual marks
of appreciation. She permitted him
to add to his coat of arms the figure
ofa bound African; she received him
at court, and gave every encourage
ment to his continuing his trade in
| slaves. Captain Drake, too, discov-
ering what was afoot, sold his own
vessel, invested all his property in
the new expedition. and was appoint
ed to the command of one of its
largest ships.
Having reached the coast of Guinea,
five hundrednegroes werequickly pro
cured, for the purpose of selling them.
An unforeseen difficulty arose; OF
ders had come from Spain forbidding
| all trade between the Spanish colo
nies and foreign nations. AT another
port, however, Hawkins succeeded
in selling his miserable cargo; but on
his way home he was attacked by a
Spanish fleet, and he escaped but
with two of his six vessels, and with
the loss of all the property invested
in the enterprise. Captain Drake
succeeded in rescuing his ship from
the foe, but he reached England a
ruined man.
Although the king of Spain was
already meditating the conquest OF
England, the two nations were still al
peace and Captain Drake therefore
applied to the Spanish government
for the restoration of the property
unlawfully seized His demands be.
ing disregarded, he swore to take by
force what had been denied to hi:
solicitations.
Never was an oath better kept. II
I572, he contrived to equip and arm
, two small vessels, and obtained from
the queen commission such as wa:
| requisite for his purpose. Joined b,
third vessel in the South American
waters, he suddenly descended upor
the coasts of Granada plundered tht
r settlements, burnt the Spanish ship
ping, and held the whole region a
his mercy. He returned to Eng
land laden with prodigious booty
enough to make him one of the rich
est private persons in Europe. Thi!
sudden attack upon a defenseles
people was hailed III England as /;
most heroic and proper act, and TIL,
queen received him with distinguish
ed favor. We must not, however
judge of those times by modern
standards. Spain and England