Two-Thirds Of The Booty Were To
Belong To The Adventurers; The Remaining Third Was To Be Divided Among
The Men Employed In The Expedition.
Drake's armament of 1585 was the greatest that had ever crossed the
Atlantic.
After plundering some vessels at the Vigo river, he sailed
for the West Indies by way of the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands,
hoisted the English flag over Santiago and burnt the town, crossed the
Atlantic in eighteen days, and arrived at Dominica. At daybreak, on
New Year's Day, 1586, Drake's soldiers landed in Espanola, a few miles
to the west of the capital, and before evening Carlile and Powell had
entered the city, which the colonists only saved from destruction by
the payment of a heavy ransom. Drake's plan was to do exactly the same
at Carthagena and Nombre de Dios, and thence to strike across the
isthmus and secure the treasure that lay waiting for transport at
Panama. Drake held St. Domingo for a month, and Carthagena for six
weeks. He was compelled to forego the further prosecution of his
enterprise. A deadly fever, which had attacked the men during the
sojourn at Santiago, still continued its ravages. In existing
circumstances, even had Nombre de Dios been successfully attacked, the
march to Panama was out of the question; and after consultation with
the military commanders, Drake resolved on sailing home at once by way
of Florida. He brought back with him all the colonists who had been
left by Sir Richard Greenville in 'Virginia.' Drake had offered either
to furnish them with stores, and to leave them a ship, or to take them
home.
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