Drake takes his revenge

One of the most famous of all the english privateers was Sir Francis drake.in 1568 the young Drake had a narrow escape when he was forced to flee a spanish attack near Vera Cruz. Drake claimed to have been tricked, and he was determined to take his revenge upon the spaniards. Drake left England in 1572 for Nombre de Dios, intending to raid the town.but the Spanish treasure fleet had departed only a few weeks earlier, and there was little in the town worth taking. Drake then set off overland, crossing the thin strip of land known as the Isthmus of Panama. on the west coast of central america he became the first Englishman ever to set eyes on the Pacific Ocean.

Ambush! Drake planned to attack one of the Spanish mule trains that carried gold and silver from the Inca mines across the Isthmus to Nombre de Dios.on the night of the ambush he or his men to lie in wait until he gave the order to attack.he could hear the tingkling of the bells as the mule train made its way down the steep, dusty track.but one of Drake's companions was drunk, and in his excitement, jumped up in full sight of the Spanish before Drake gave the order.the element of surprise was lost, and the mule train scattered in all directions. Later Drake and his men had another opportunity to ambush a mule train, just outside Nombre de Dios. This time they managed to capture the mules and their precious treasure. Drake returned triumphantly to England with more than $ 31,000 ( worth over $ 31 million today ), mostly in the form of silver.

This article is based on the book of treasure hunters.(the search for Gold)