Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/148

 13* REIGN- OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 64. away sped the Pelican due north, with every stitch of her canvas spread. A gold chain was promised to the first man who caught sight of the Cacafuego. A sail was seen the second day of the chase : it was not the vessel which they were in pursuit of, but the prize was worth the having. They took eighty pounds' weight of j gold in wedges, the purest which they yet had seen. They took a great gold crucifix set with emeralds as large as pigeons' eggs. They were carrying off the ship herself, but the delay had given time to two half- armed Spanish cruisers to overtake them, which the Viceroy of Callao, as soon as he had recovered from his amazement, despatched in chase. Not caring therefore to keep their prize, they left it to join its friends. The cruisers, not liking the report which they received, went back to Lima for more guns and men, and then came slowly up the coast apin, but too late to overtake the English rover. 1 f / For eight hundred miles the Pelican flew on. At length, one degree to the north of the line, off Quito, and close to the shore, a look-out on the mast-head cried out that he saw the chase and claimed the promised chain ; she was recognized by peculiarities in her sails, of which they had received exact information at Lima. There lay the Cacafuego ; if they could take her their 1 'Sabido estoporeldicho Virrey, envio tras el dos navios armados, y habiendose cstos vuelto con el navio que el dicho Ingles llevava robado por no ir bien aderescados para po- derle seguir, los torno a aderescar y enviar en su seguimento hasta Pa- nama.' Relacion de lo que se sabe del Corsario Ingles por cartas del Virrey de Peru, de 18 de Hebrero y 21 de Manjo, 1579 : MSS. Simaneas