The Surgeon's Apprentice - John Biggins

Chapter Eleven
e next day, which was the 30th of October, just after
midday and at thirty-six degrees of latitude, we sighted a
great many sails over the horizon to westward. We thought
at rst that we must have stumbled unwitting upon the
Spanish plate eet – and wondered in that case how we
might take it, given that we had but thirty-four vessels,
whilst the Spaniards would certainly be twice or three times
as many. But two of our ketches having been sent to
reconnoitre, we soon learned that they were the Earl of
Essex’s ships together with those of the Earl of Denbigh,
fty-one vessels in all, which had been scattered by the
storm but had reassembled some fty leagues to the west of
Cape Saint Vincent. With them were four small shing
carracks out of Lisbon which they had taken the day before,
one of which had been blown out to sea the previous week
and was in such desperate necessity when they came upon
her that her crew were drinking their own urine for lack of
water. e Portugalers told us that the silver eet was
indeed on its way, and that four of its galleons had already
arrived at Lisbon ahead of the rest. Sir Edward (we heard)
was mighty suspicious of this intelligence, and thought the
carracks might have been sent out on purpose to beguile us.
But at least our armada was together once more, so it might
now proceed to business.
And what that business was to be, might at last be
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