The Spanish ambassador,
now Don Bernardino de Mendoza, in informing Philip of what was intended,
advised him to send out orders for the instant sinking of every English
ship, and the execution of every English sailor, that appeared on either
side the isthmus in West Indian waters. The orders were despatched, but
so impossible it seemed that an English pirate could reach the Pacific,
that the attention was confined to the Caribbean Sea, and not a hint of
alarm was sent across to the other side.
On November 15, 1577, the _Pelican_ and her consort sailed out of
Plymouth Sound. The elements frowned on their start. On the second day
they were caught in a winter gale. The _Pelican_ sprung her mainmast,
and they put back to refit and repair. But Drake defied auguries. Before
the middle of December all was again in order. The weather mended, and
with a fair wind and smooth water they made a fast run across the Bay of
Biscay and down the coast to the Cape de Verde Islands. There taking up
the north-east trades, they struck across the Atlantic, crossed the
line, and made the South American continent in latitude 33 deg. South. They
passed the mouth of the Plate River, finding to their astonishment fresh
water at the ship's side in fifty-four fathoms.
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