History of the United Netherlands, 1588c | Page 8

that Sunday afternoon," said Hawkins.
Medina Sidonia hoisted the royal standard at the fore, and the whole
fleet did its utmost, which was little, to offer general battle. It was in
vain. The English, following at the heels of the enemy, refused all such
invitations, and attacked only the rear-guard of the Armada, where
Recalde commanded. That admiral, steadily maintaining his post, faced
his nimble antagonists, who continued to teaze, to maltreat, and to
elude him, while the rest of the fleet proceeded slowly up the Channel
closely, followed by the enemy. And thus the running fight continued
along the coast, in full view of Plymouth, whence boats with
reinforcements and volunteers were perpetually arriving to the English
ships, until the battle had drifted quite out of reach of the town.
Already in this first "small fight" the Spaniards had learned a lesson,
and might even entertain a doubt of their invincibility. But before the

sun set there were more serious disasters. Much powder and shot had
been expended by the Spaniards to very little purpose, and so a
master-gunner on board Admiral Oquendo's flag-ship was reprimanded
for careless ball- practice. The gunner, who was a Fleming, enraged
with his captain, laid a train to the powder-magazine, fired it, and threw
himself into the sea. Two decks blew up. The into the clouds, carrying
with it the paymaster- general of the fleet, a large portion of treasure,
and nearly two hundred men.' The ship was a wreck, but it was possible
to save the rest of the crew. So Medina Sidonia sent light vessels to
remove them, and wore with his flag-ship, to defend Oquendo, who had
already been fastened upon by his English pursuers. But the Spaniards,
not being so light in hand as their enemies, involved themselves in
much embarrassment by this manoeuvre; and there was much falling
foul of each other, entanglement of rigging, and carrying away of yards.
Oquendo's men, however, were ultimately saved, and taken to other
ships.
Meantime Don Pedro de Valdez, commander of the Andalusian
squadron, having got his galleon into collision with two or three
Spanish ships successively, had at last carried away his fore-mast close
to the deck, and the wreck had fallen against his main-mast. He lay
crippled and helpless, the Armada was slowly deserting him, night was
coming on, the sea was running high, and the English, ever hovering
near, were ready to grapple with him. In vain did Don Pedro fire signals
of distress. The captain-general, even as though the unlucky galleon
had not been connected with the Catholic fleet--calmly fired a gun to
collect his scattered ships, and abandoned Valdez to his fate. "He left
me comfortless in sight of the whole fleet," said poor Pedro, "and
greater inhumanity and unthankfulness I think was never heard of
among men."
Yet the Spaniard comported himself most gallantly. Frobisher, in the
largest ship of the English fleet, the Triumph, of 1100 tons, and
Hawkins in the Victory, of 800, cannonaded him at a distance, but,
night coming on, he was able to resist; and it was not till the following
morning that he surrendered to the Revenge.
Drake then received the gallant prisoner on board his flagship--much to
the disgust and indignation of Frobisher and Hawkins, thus
disappointed of their prize and ransom-money--treated him with much

courtesy, and gave his word of honour that he and his men should be
treated fairly like good prisoners of war. This pledge was redeemed, for
it was not the English, as it was the Spanish custom, to convert captives
into slaves, but only to hold them for ransom. Valdez responded to
Drake's politeness by kissing his hand, embracing him, and
overpowering him with magnificent compliments. He was then sent on
board the Lord-Admiral, who received him with similar urbanity, and
expressed his regret that so distinguished a personage should have been
so coolly deserted by the Duke of Medina. Don Pedro then returned to
the Revenge, where, as the guest of Drake, he was a witness to all
subsequent events up to the 10th of August, on which day he was sent
to London with some other officers, Sir Francis claiming his ransom as
his lawful due.
Here certainly was no very triumphant beginning for the Invincible
Armada. On the very first day of their being in presence of the English
fleet--then but sixty-seven in number, and vastly their inferior in size
and weight of metal--they had lost the flag ships of the Guipuzcoan and
of the Andalusian squadrons, with a general-admiral, 450 officers and,
men, and some 100,000 ducats of treasure. They had been
out-manoeuvred, out-sailed, and thoroughly maltreated by their
antagonists, and they had been unable to inflict a single blow in return.
Thus the "small fight" had been a cheerful one