134 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 64. was in the hands of the English. The wreck was cut away, the ship cleared, and her head turned to the sea ; by daybreak even the line of the Andes had become invisible, and at leisure, in the open ocean, the work of rifling began. The full value of the plunder taken in this ship was never accurately confessed. It remained a secret between Drake and the Queen. In a schedule afterwards published, he acknowledged to have found in the Cacafuego alone twenty- six tons of silver bullion, thirteen chests of coined silver, and almost a hundred- weight of gold. But as will be seen by-and-by, this was only so much as the Spaniards could prove to have been on board. ^ There was a further mass, the amount of which it is impossible to guess, of which no account was ever rendered, and ' a great store ' besides, of pearls, emeralds, and diamonds, supposed to have been of enormous richness. The Spanish Government roughly estimated their loss afterwards at a million and a half of ducats, which Elizabeth did not pretend to be ex- aggerated. 1 The total treasure appropriated was per- haps therefore considerably greater. Leaving part of his crew in possession, and removing the master of the Cacafuego on board the Pelican, Drake, being ' greatly satisfied,' did not care to remain longer in the neighbourhood of the scene of his exploit.- The two ships sailed leisurely northward side by side. San Juan de Anton, so the master was named, remained with his captor till he had recovered from his wound, 1 The gold ducat was equal to about nine shillings and sixpence.
