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To the casual eye, the treasure galleon looked to be a threatening warship bristling with armament, but surveyed from the inside she could not conceal her true purpose as a un decks held ports for nearly fifty four-pound cannon But lulled by the Spanish belief that the South Seas were their private pond, and the knowledge that none of their ships had ever been attacked or captured by a foreign raider, the Concepcion was lightly are so she could carry heavier cargo

Now feeling that his ship was in no danger, Captain de Anton casually sat on a slass at the rapidly approaching ship It never occurred to him to alert his crew for battle just to be on the safe side

He had no certain foreknowledge, not even a vague premonition that the ship he had turned to able seadog, Francis Drake, who stood on his quarterdeck and calh a telescope, with the cold eye of a shark following a trail of blood

"Damned considerate of hiaht sandy beard that tapered to a sharp point under a long swooping moustache

"The very least he could do after we've chased his wake for the past teeks," replied Tho master of the Golden Hind

"Aye, but she's a prize worth chasing"

Already laden with gold and silver bullion, a small chest of precious stones, and valuable linens and silks after capturing a score of Spanish ships since becolish vessel to sail into the Pacific, the Golden Hind, forle after a fox She was a stout and sturdy vessel with an overall length of about 31 e of 140 She was a good sailor and answered the helm well Her hull and thy refit at Plye that was to take her 55,000 kilometers (over 34,000 reatest sea epics of all time

"Do you wish to cut across her bow and rake the Spanish jackals?" Cuttill inquired

Drake dropped his long telescope, shook his head, and smiled broadly "The better part of courtesy would be to trientlemen"

Cuttill stared unco at his audacious coive battle?"

"Not damned likely her captain has a notion as to e are"

"She's twice our size," Cuttill persisted

"According to the sailors we captured at Callao de Lihteen"

"Spaniards!" Cuttill spit "They lie worse than the Irish"

Drake pointed at the unsuspecting ship approaching bow on "Spanish ship captains run rather than fight," he reminded his feisty subordinate