My British Empire

  Chapter 499 The Disappearing Drake Passage

  Thanks to the rediscovery of the Strait of Magellan, Drake's prestige instantly increased to the peak, and the sailors' trust in the captain also increased day by day.

  However, when Drake said that he would start from the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego and continue to explore this unknown sea area, everyone was taken aback, even the trusted first officer hastily sighed in disbelief.

   When this order was passed on to another ship, Patton was taken aback. He, who never persuaded him to give up searching for the Strait of Magellan, could not wait to board the "Pacific" and asked angrily:

   "My lord captain, do you know what the choice you are about to make really means?"

  Barton asked with a stern face, word by word, with cannibalistic eyes in his eyes.

   "Of course, my Mr. Button, I am very sober at this time, and I am fully aware of the decision I am about to make!"

  Drake didn't frighten him at all, stared into his eyes with wide eyes, and said seriously and loudly.

  The two looked at each other like this, the sea wind blowing their rough and dirty long hair, for a while, the boat was quiet.

   "Francis Drake, I hope this is your last irrational decision and the last time for all of us to tolerate you!"

  Finally, Barton closed his eyes, said in a desolate manner, feeling down.

   While staring at this personal assistant for a long time, Drake remained unmoved at all, with a calm and composed expression.

   Hearing Barton's dejected words, he finally showed a happy smile.

   "Good luck! Captain Patton!" Drake shouted at him as he watched Patton return to his ship.

   "Good luck to you too, bold Captain Drake!" Barton didn't look back, just raised his right hand, waved it casually, and said in a casual tone.

   In this way, Drake turned around with a full face, and shouted loudly at the wait-and-see first mate and sailors:

   "What are you looking at, why don't you do anything? Turn the rudder to the south and move forward at a constant speed!"

   "Hey! I thought it was going to be a good show, but who knows, Captain Barton was the one who was scared!"

   "I already knew that the captain would win, who doesn't know the name of the bold Drake!"

   "Hahahaha, I won this time, I'm sorry everyone! God bless you!"

  Hearing this, Drake felt a black line on his forehead. He never thought that he had become someone else's bet.

  Thinking of this, his yelling became louder.

   "It seems that you are too relaxed, who wants to clean the deck again?"

  As soon as these words came out, the crew immediately dispersed, like ice and snow meeting the sun, without a trace.

  Among the three ships, the two of Barton and Drake decided to continue their journey, while the remaining ship supported by the Hawkins family naturally chose to surrender helplessly.

  As they sailed south, Tierra del Fuego gradually disappeared from their eyes, and the weather became colder and colder. From time to time, icebergs could be seen floating by, which shocked everyone into a cold sweat.

   "My God, so many icebergs, hit one, we're all game over!"

  The first mate put on a shabby sheepskin jacket, gasped, and said in surprise, his face turned paler and paler.

   "Yes! The weather is getting colder and colder, icebergs are appearing more frequently, and the sea conditions are getting more and more dangerous!" Drake agreed, looking at the undulating sea ahead.

   "It seems that we really can't find the legendary Southern Continent, and it's getting more and more dangerous!" The first officer frowned and tried to persuade.

"Since the conditions don't allow it, let's forget about it!" Drake felt the increasingly strong westerly wind, and the sails were bulging and making noise, so he turned his head and smiled at the worried first mate said.

   "Go directly through this indescribably wide strait! I want to know if it can reach the west coast!"

  The first mate, who was a little happy at first, turned bitter again.

   "Hahaha!" Drake didn't feel sad at all, but laughed heartily.

  Then, the three ships changed direction and started heading west. The strong westerly wind saved them a lot of energy.

  However, along the way, there are many disasters and disasters. Hurricanes are commonplace, and they pass by ships from time to time. If you don’t pay attention, the ship may be destroyed.

   Moreover, the huge waves made people pale even more. The waves as high as dozens of feet, once photographed, the ship fell apart not far away.

  Drake, who was still beating drums in his heart, was still a little hesitant about moving on. A major event happened, so he immediately decided to turn around and go back.

   Captain Patton is dead.

  Captain Patton, together with the 300-ton merchant ship he was driving, and more than 80 sailors on board, were swept to the bottom of the sea along with huge waves.

  Feeling the drops of water on his mouth, tasting the sea water that was saltier than the Atlantic Ocean, leaning on the railing, Drake closed his eyes, his clothes were wet, and his heart was full of bitterness.

  He couldn't forget that Barton had worked so hard to support him for so many years and assisted him to complete mission after mission.

   I remember that before this mission, Barton told him that he wanted to go back to his hometown, buy dozens of acres of land, and be with his wife and son.

   Moreover, he also imagined that he would send his son to study and take an official exam in the future, so that future generations would become high-ranking figures.

  The bitterness of the sea water, I don’t know if it’s the taste or the heart, Drake can’t figure it out anymore!

   "Captain—" the first mate looked at the expressionless Drake, hesitant to speak.

   "It's okay! I'm fine, let's go back, turn the rudder back, this strait will definitely lead to the west coast!" Drake wiped his face, took a breath, and said calmly on the surface.

   "Okay!" The first officer froze for a moment, then nodded blankly.

  As the direction of the ship changed, all the sailors also smiled and cheered endlessly.

   And Drake didn't care about the actions of the sailors, but he still looked at the sea and didn't say a word.

  After going through untold hardships, two ships with more than 200 people, more than a month passed, and after avoiding malicious merchant ships one after another, Drake and others finally returned to Plymouth Harbor.

   This time, although they left quietly, when they returned, the news that they had found a new route had already spread throughout the port.

  At the port pier, thousands of people joyfully welcomed them, the great heroes of England.

  The city hall prepared a medal for Drake, and held a grand banquet. The famous noble officials in Devon County all came to participate, and it was extremely lively.

   After attending the banquet, Drake came to the Hawkins family mansion with a smell of alcohol all over his body.

   "Drake, my cousin, you really brought me a big surprise!" John Hawkins hugged him warmly, and then said happily.

   "Barton Strait, that new route is called Barton Strait!" Drake stated with a serious face.

  (end of this chapter)