Drake Captures the Cacafuego

1579

Off the Pacific coast of Peru, Francis Drake's Golden Hind overtook the enormous Spanish silver ship Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion, called by sailors the Cacafuego. The capture yielded twenty-six tons of silver and a chest of emeralds. Drake's crew spent days transferring the treasure and celebrating. The treasure, worth perhaps half a million pounds, provided Elizabeth a return exceeding ten thousand percent on her investment.