Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-09-29
AMATEUR PIRATES.
Sir Francis brakes First Attempt In the
Art of Piracy.

Sir Francis brakes First Attempt In the
Art of Piracy.
Frank R. Stockton contributes to
st. Nicholas a series of articles on
THE Buccaneers of Our Coast" In
his characteristic vein Mr.. Stockton
says:
Spain was not at war with Eng
land, and when Drake sailed with
four small ships into the port of the
little town of Nombre de Dios in
the middle of the night the inhabit-
ants of the town were as much as
tonished as the people of Perth Am
boy would be if four armed vessels
were to steam into Raritan bay and
endeavor to take possession of the
town. The peaceful Spanish towns
people were not at war with any civ
ilized nation, and they could not I'M
der stand why bands of armed men
should invade their streets, enter
the market place, fire their calivers,
Or muskets, into the air, and then
sound a trumpet loud enough to
wake up everybody in the place.
Just outside of the town the invad-
ers had left number of their men,
and when these heard the trumpet
in the market place, they also fired
their guns. ALI this noise and hub
bub so frightened the good people
of the town that many of them
jumped from their beds, and, with
out stopping to dress, fled to the
mountains. But all the citizens were
not such towards, and IA or Is of
them armed themselves and went
out to defend their town from the
unknown invaders.
Beginners in any trade or profess
sion, whether it be the playing of
the piano, the painting of pictures,
or the pursuit of piracy, are often
tinlid and distrustful of themselves;
SO it happened on this occasion with
Francis Drake and his men, who
were merely amateur pirates and
showed very plainly that they did
not yet understand their business.
When the is Spanish citizens came
into the market place and found
there the little body of armed Eng
lishmen, they Immediately fired
upon them, not knowing or caring
who they were This brave resist
ance seems to have frightened Drake
and his men almost as much as
their trumpets and guns had fright
ened the citizens, and the English
Immediately retreated from the
town. When they reached the place
where they had left the rest of their
party, they found that these had al.
ready run away and taken to the
boats. Consequently Drake and his
men were obliged partly to undress
themselves and to wade out to the
little ships. The Englishmen Sc
cured no booty whatever, and they
killed only one Spaniard, and he
was a man who had been looking
out of a window to see what was
the matter.
Whether or not brakes conscience
had anything to do with the bun
Cling manner in which he made this
first attempt at piracy we cannot
say, but he soon gave his conscience
a holiday and undertook some very
successful robbing enterprises. He
received information from some ma
tives that train of mules was com
ing across the isthmus of Panama,
loaded with gold and silver bullion
and guarded only by their drivers,
for the merchants who owned all
this treasure had no idea that there
was any one in that part of the
world who would commit robbery
upon them. But Drake and his
men soon proved that they could
hold up train of mules as easily
as some of the masked robbers in
our western country hold up train
of cars. All the gold was taken,
but the silver was too heavy for the
amateur pirates to carry.