De Leyva, the most popular officer in the Armada, had with him in
his ship two hundred and fifty young nobles of the oldest families
in Spain. He was twice wrecked. The first time all reached the
shore in safety, and were protected by O'Niel, who was virtually
the sovereign of the north of Ulster. He treated them kindly for
a time. They then took to sea again, but were finally wrecked off
Dunluce, and all on board save five perished miserably. Over eight
thousand Spaniards died on the Irish coast. Eleven hundred were put
to death by Bingham, three thousand murdered by the Irish, the rest
drowned; and of the whole Armada but fifty-four vessels, carrying
between nine and ten thousand worn out men, reached Spain, and of
the survivors a large proportion afterwards died from the effects
of the sufferings they had endured.
CHAPTER X
THE WAR IN HOLLAND
In the confusion caused by the collision of the Active with the
Spanish galleon no one had noticed the accident which had befallen
Geoffrey Vickars, and his brother's distress was great when, on the
ship getting free from among the Spaniards, he discovered that
Geoffrey was missing. He had been by his side on the poop but
a minute before the mast fell, and had no doubt that he had been
carried overboard by its wreck. That he had survived he had not
the least hope, and when a week later the Active on her way back
towards the Thames was driven into Harwich, he at once landed and
carried the sad news to his parents.
Pages:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215