Soon after this King Philip of Spain began to prepare an enormous
fleet, and though he told Queen Elizabeth that it was not intended to
be used against England, Sir Francis Drake, who was now in command of
a small fleet of British ships, maintained that it could be for no
other purpose.
[Illustration: DRAKE'S SHIP, THE "GOLDEN HIND."]
And a secret letter was shortly afterwards intercepted which proved
that his suspicions were right.
Drake went off with his fleet and sailed up and down the Spanish coast
destroying their ships and stores wherever he could find them, and
thus he hindered their preparations for war. In this way he sank or
burnt some 12,000 tons of shipping, which meant a great many ships in
those days.
He merely described it in his report as, "singeing the Spanish King's
beard."
At the end of 1588, the great Spanish fleet--the Armada--was ready,
and sailed against England. But there were a fine lot of British
admirals and men awaiting it, for besides Lord Charles Howard of
Effingham, the Lord High Admiral, there were Frobisher, and Davis,
Walter Raleigh, and Francis Drake.
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