The flag of Spain on the mast of the _Santa
Ana_ descended, and the white flag and red cross of St. George soon
floated in its place. Then arose a mighty cheer, and the triumphant
hurrahs of the English proclaimed the victory to the anxious watchers on
shore. But three huge Spanish galleons were rowed to the scene to
recover the Portuguese ship, and Howard towed the _Ark Royal_ and the
_Golden Lion_ to fight them. It was a desperately unequal fight, and the
boats were for a time hidden from view by the smoke, but in the end the
cheers of the English announced that the galleons had been driven off
and the _Santa Ana_ lost to Spain.
The Armada continued its progress towards the Straits of Dover, with the
English hanging on, and anchored off Calais; but by this time the
English fleet had been reinforced by many ships raised by private
gentlemen and others, which brought the number to about 140. Howard now
decided to draw the Spanish fleet from its anchorage, and Drake, turning
eight of his oldest ships into fire-ships, distributed them in the night
amongst the enemy, ordering the crews to set them on fire and then
return in their small boats. The ships were piled up with inflammable
material, with their guns loaded, and when these exploded, the Spaniards
were so terrified that they unfurled their sails, cut their cables, and
so lost their anchors.
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