THE GREAT BUCCANEER.

Grey River Argus, 25 September 1911, Page 8

THE GREAT BUCCANEER.

The great Francis Ditaike, foremost of Elizabethan admirals, lias .had more liiteratume • devoted to his name and fame thajn any other sailor save Nelson, but the new life wrdtten by Lady Eliott-Dirake stands alone in the extent, of the personal information that it supplies. Lady Eliot^Diraloe, who has had access to family records, says that there is 'no doubt at all that the hero was a youngeir child of John and Margery Drake, of Grownsdale, in Devon. He went to sea when quite a child, and in 1567, at the age of. twenty-one he voyaged to the West Indies as second in command under John Hawkins, one of this, most distinguished of h's contemporaries. When homewaijd 'bound they were driven by a storm into she harbor of San Juan; da Weloa and weue ' basely betrayed by the Spanish Governor \yhile refittingi Drake and Hawkins escaped safely to Plymouth, but Drake's' cousin 'was captured apd tortured to de;ath by the Inquisition. Four years later Dirake sailied from Plymouth in o'-ider that hej "might right himself" with the King of Spain. He had two ships of sevpnty tons and. twi^ntiffiVe tate Wurdeii, with seventy three men and boys, and he seized the. Spanish porfe of Nomb're de DJos. His two .brothers were killed and, -"Filancis Drafce himself was. so severely wounded, in the' as gault that the 'venture was abandoned. It was after he had secured the favour of Queen Elizabeth and joined the. Navy, that his great successes began. In 1578 ho passed through tho Straits, of Magellan in the Golden Hind, of 100 tons, ' and at Liima heard th« joyful news that he was in the wake of the great Spanish g-alleon Neuestra Senora de la Conception., bound, for Panama with a cargo of gold and silver. Drake pursued and on March "1, 1578, he iboarded the' Spaniard, and .removed to the Golden Hind gold and siiveT ingots emeralds, pearls and diamonds to the value of some £700,000, a sum that represented in those days the ransom of a kingdom. The courage of the Spaniards, who cJutnumbered the English fosree 'by at least' five to onfe, disappeared befoiia Drake's fiery zeal.

The Tour de 1 Fnamoe— the longest and most valuable road race of Europe — was won by Gaxniig-ou. The physical efforts put forth by the riders in this great roaid -contest appear to< b € almost ibeyond htimani endurance In fifteen stages, wilih only ome day's rest 'between each, <fhe riders covered 3,293 miles in 190. hr. 52 mm ariaimg time equal to an (average speed of 17.4 ■■males a ahour for the full distance 1 .. The contest was decided on points. The "winner's average was 16.8 miles an) hour; out of 80 .starters 28 finished tiiei course.