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    Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake
    Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake
    Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake
    Ebook246 pages4 hours

    Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake

    By N. Beetham Stark

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    About this ebook

    Condor is a young man who is in love with the sea, but his twin brother, Hugh, does not share his passion. Thirst for adventure puts the two young men on a ship with Francis Drake. Drake harbors incredible ambition and does whatever is necessary to advance his career. He is also paranoid and forces Condor, who is an unusually large and strong man, to vow to serve him as bodyguard for life. Condor feels trapped, and when his brother mysteriously disappears, he risks the wrath of Drake on several occasions while he seeks his brother both in Panama and Europe. Condor sails around the world with Drake. Every mile deepens his disgust for the man. He also takes part in the battle with the great Spanish Armada. When he finally breaks away from Drake, he finds his lost brother after many foot-sore miles in a Spanish monastery. The ending gets intense when Condor finds the love of his life and tries to win her affection. This is a story of brotherly devotion, greed, cruelty and revenge.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherN. Beetham Stark
    Release dateJul 24, 2015
    ISBN9780998000008
    Condor: Flying in Drake's Wake
    Author

    N. Beetham Stark

    Nellie Beetham Stark was born November 20, 1933, in Norwich, Connecticut to Theodore and Dorothy Pendleton Beetham. She attended the Norwich Free Academy and later Connecticut College in New London, CT before graduating with a MA and a Ph.D. degree in Botany (Ecology) from Duke University.Stark worked for the U.S. Forest Service as a botanist for six years and then joined the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada where she worked on desert and forest ecology and later tropical nutrient cycling. She has consulted in many countries, working for some time in Russia, Australia and South America. She developed the theory that explains why tropical white sand soils cannot grow good food crops and described the decline processes of soils. She has also developed a science of surethology, or survival behavior which describes how humans must adapt to their environments if they hope to survive long term. She has 96 professional publications and has published in four languages.Her life long hobby has been English history, with emphasis on naval history. Her family came originally from Tristan Da Cunha in the South Atlantic in the early 1900’s. Her grandfather was a whale ship captain for a time which spurred her interest in naval history. She also paints pictures of sailing ships which she has used as covers for her historical novels. She has built several scale models of sailing ships and does extensive research on ships and naval history, traveling to England once yearly.Stark was awarded the Connecticut Medal by Connecticut College in 1986 and the Distinguished Native Daughter Award for South Eastern Connecticut in 1985. She was named outstanding Forestry Professor three times by the students of the University of Montana, School of Forestry.Today she writes historical novels, mostly set in England. She has published some 21 novels in the past twenty years, mostly on the internet. She lives on a farm in Oregon and raises hay and cows.Stark's two most popular book series are:Early Irish-English History1. The Twins of Torsh, 44 A.D. to 90 A.D.1. Rolf "The Red" MacCanna, 796-8462. An Irishman's Revenge, 1066-11124. Brothers 4, 1180-12165. Edward's Right Hand, 1272-13076. We Three Kings, 1377-1422The Napoleonic Wars at Sea (Benjamin Rundel)1. Humble Launching - A Story of a Little Boy Growing Up at Sea, 17872. Midshipman Rundel - The Wandering Midshipman, 17953. Mediterranean Madness - The Luckless Leftenant Rundel, 17974. The Adventures of Leftenant Rundel, 1797-17995. Forever Leftenant Rundel, 1800-18036. Captain Rundel I – Trafalgar and Beyond, 1803-18067. Captain Rundel II – Give Me a Fair Wind, 1806-18098. Captain Rundel III – Bend Me a Sail, 1810-18139. Admiral Rundel – 1814-1846

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      Book preview

      Condor - N. Beetham Stark

      CONDOR

      Flying in Drake's Wake

      1550-1598 AD

      by N. Beetham Stark

      Published by N. Beetham Stark at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2015 by N. Beetham Stark

      Published in The United States of America

      ISBN 978-0-9980000-0-8

      This book was published in Oregon in the United States through Smashwords and Amazon.com. All rights are reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the author or the agent. Paid downloads are permitted.

      This is a true history as seen through the eyes of fictitious characters.

      Cover art is by N. Beetham Stark

      Acknowledgements

      The author is indebted to Harry Kelsey, Sir Francis Drake, The Queen’s Pirate, 1998, for insights into the life of Sir Francis Drake. Also useful were: Samuel Bawlf, The Secret Voyage of Sir Francis Drake, 2004, and Angus Konstam, The Spanish Armada, 2009 and many other sources. Sir Francis Drake by Peter Whitfield also provided insights into the life of Drake.

      This book is dedicated to Tarsie, Picotso and Kapuchkie.

      Loyalty is a timeless virtue men of all ages can relate to.

      Greed is a trait to which many men fall victim.

      Table of Contents

      Chapter 1 Hungry Birds In The Nest

      Chapter 2 Catholics Swimming In A Protestant Sea

      Chapter 3 A Roaming Bard In France

      Chapter 4 Sailing Around A Huge World

      Chapter 5 Wandering Through Spain, Seeking Hugh

      Chapter 6 Preparing For War

      Chapter 7 The Great Armada

      Chapter 8 Escape and Adventure

      Chapter 9 A Knock At The Door

      Chapter 10 Peace At Last

      Introduction

      This historical novel is about loyalty and greed. It is also about two twin brothers who carry an unusual degree of loyalty through their lives. Fate brings them under the command of a man who is obsessed by greed. It is his greed that repeatedly interferes with their loyalty to one another. This story is based on the true life adventures of Sir Francis Drake, but is not specifically about him. It is about two Irish sailors, twins, who sail under his command and whose lives are mangled by their dedication to their commander and the love of the sea. As you will see, they view Drake from a different perspective normally reported by historians of the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, and her subjects.

      Condor and Hugh Cochrane were born near Arklow in Ireland about 1550. They are twins but for some reason Condor grows to be a tall, strong man while Hugh is smaller and not as strong. They are orphaned sons of an Irish fisherman who died during a storm in the Irish sea. Their mother is hard pressed to provide for her two sons and finally moves to England where she is fortunate enough to obtain a position as royal seamstress. Eventually the sons grow to manhood and Condor becomes a fine bowman and respected carpenter. Hugh excels at language and becomes a scholar destined for the cloth. But he is secretly Catholic and England is Protestant. The English are didactic in their beliefs. He faces a severe test of his beliefs which will deny him a chance to develop his skill as a scholar.

      When news comes of the thrilling exploits of John Hawkins, and his father, William, part time pirates and merchantmen who turn to slave trading as a means of making a living, the two brothers join them. Inevitably, they come to know the young Drake who is just a seaman and not yet a known pirate. When he decides to establish his own ship and raid the Spanish treasure ships and ports on the Spanish Main, he insists on taking Condor with him. Condor is an accomplished piper on the Irish pipes and Drake is captivated by the mournful, whining sound of the bagpipes. Drake recognizes the strength of Condor as a leader and loyal seaman and binds him with an oath to stay at his side as his body guard for life. Condor comes to hate Drake, but cannot break his oath and set himself free from Drake’s dominance. The two men come close to blows often, but Condor backs down, knowing the temper of his commander. He has seen men hanged for only slight infractions of Drake’s Protestant laws.

      When Hugh is caught in an infidelity with a Cimarron beauty, and the young woman is known to be pregnant, the Cimarron’s capture Hugh at night after the raid on the Spanish mule train carrying millions in Spanish gold and silver. Condor tries to get free of Drake to seek his brother, but is unable to do so. He is valuable to Drake and is put in charge of the captured treasure. Condor does manage to spend some time in Panama searching for his brother, Hugh, but is told that the Cimarrones would have either killed him or sold Hugh to a Spanish or Dutch sea captain as a slave. Condor is certain that his brother is still alive. He has no choice but to return reluctantly to Drake’s command and his honorary imprisonment.

      Condor manages to escape from Drake again. He wanders France for almost two years in search of his brother. He reasons that the Cimarrones would have sold his brother to either a French of Dutch merchant captain. The Low Countries now belong to Spain. Knowing his brother’s weaknesses as a seaman, he reasons that his captors would quickly have disposed of him to a monastery or dumped him ashore somewhere close to port. Eventually Condor returns to Plymouth, nearly naked and starved. Unfortunately, before he can escape inland, Drake’s men spot him and turn him over to Drake. The powerful leader reminds Condor of his vow of loyalty to him, gives him a meal and places him in his service once again. Condor is bound by his vow made as an innocent youth and cannot break that vow even though his only wish is to seek his brother on land. Through good fortune, he misses the involvement of Drake’s ships in the Irish invasion.

      Condor is forced to follow Drake on his voyage around the world. Condor feels as if there is an unbreakable tie between himself and Drake. He is forced to take part in many destructive raids and frequent inhumane treatment of the native peoples as Drake sails around the world. Condor is ready to fight to get his freedom, but Drake holds him to his vow of loyalty. Condor is frequently asked to do things that are against his religion (Catholic) and his conscience. Drake demands that all of his men attend Protestant services, which distresses Condor even more. He cannot convert and swears that he never will become a ‘Lutheran’, even if he must give up his life. He sees Drake as the personification of the Protestant religion and cannot accept a religion where men pray on their knees one minute and then prey on innocent, unarmed ships and ports the next. He and his friend, Declyn O’Neal, also an Irishman, share many adventures together.

      I do not attempt to describe all of Drake’s adventures on his trips to the West Indies or around the world. There is simply too much to cover. I have chosen incidents which show the nature of the man and the atmosphere of the times.

      Once again during the raid on Cadiz, Condor escapes from the Spanish and spends a year and a half walking through Spain, in search of Hugh, singing an Irish song that he and his brother knew as children. When he is captured by Spanish soldiers, he is put aboard a hulk which is eventually captured by the English and once again falls into the hands of Drake. He serves during the battles against the Spanish Armada and is wounded at the Battle of Gravelines. Condor is put in hospital at Plymouth after the battle and when he recovers, he manages to escape from Drake’s clutches and heads back to Spain to seek his brother.

      When he finds Hugh, he is amazed to hear what has become of him and how his life has played out. He is now a monk. Just prior to meeting his brother Condor meets and falls in love with the widowed Senora Amara. There is much more to the story from this point on.

      Note: The events in Drake’s life are portrayed as accurately as possible. What happens to Condor and Hugh is fictitious, but true to the conditions of the times. This is a story of two imperfect religions, Protestant and Catholic, battling against each other in the early days of piracy when huge profits turned the minds of men to greed and plunder. It is the story of Protestant England against Catholic Spain and France when both religions fought for the control of the souls of men and the riches of the West Indies. It is also the story of undying loyalty, frustrated by burgeoning greed.

      Chapter 1: Hungry Birds In The Nest

      Surely Condor was the first babe to emerge from his mother’s womb. He would have arrived screaming and fighting, large at his birthing. His brother, Hugh, arrived just behind him, a carbon copy of his brother but much smaller. The twins were born into poverty, although their earliest years were fine when their father could sail to the Irish sea and bring in good catches of fish to sell.

      But then a storm of epic proportions came up while Donal Cochrane was at sea fishing. He rarely sailed so far into the open ocean, but this day he had a fine catch and the fish seemed to be biting with no regard for their lives. When the storm hit, he was quite far from Ireland. He had no time to turn back to his home port near Arklow because the force of the storm drove his small boat out into the open ocean. He was more intent on riding out the storm within his small boat than under it. Before long, he knew that he was sinking fast and had no way of bailing the insistent ocean from his small boat. Donal and his tiny fishing skiff soon became the victim of St. George’s Channel. No one knew of his fate until after two weeks when he did not return home.

      A tearstained wife, Kira, awaited the words of the local villagers. Many had lost men at sea in that fateful storm and she was one of them. All of her prayers and supplications could not bring her Donal back. She turned to her two sons, now about seven years old and tried to explain why their father would never return to hold them on his knees and play ‘horsie’ with them ever again. It was hard to explain death to youngsters but not nearly as hard as it would be for her to find work so she could feed them. She often left them for hours at a time, wandering the streets of the local village seeking work, any work that would bring money to feed them. Those long periods of being without a parent brought the two boys close together. She was an excellent seamstress, but would gladly wash clothes, clean houses or do any work that would bring her money to feed her hungry birds, as she called them.

      After two years of seeing her children grow gaunt and their faces wan and drawn, she made a fateful decision. She packed them up with her small bundle of personal items and boarded a boat set for Swansea. The children could not comprehend what was happening. They had never left their tiny hut before and they cowered against her skirts, wondering what would become of them in this strange world called, ‘England.’ Perhaps if they had known the truth, they would have wailed in unison for their mother to turn back, but they had no idea concerning their futures. They obeyed her with extreme loyalty.

      At Swansea, Kira walked the streets looking for work, but no one needed a seamstress there. No one needed to have their clothes washed or fish nets mended either. So she picked her two boys up and they headed across

      England for London. She had heard that the Queen often had work for Irish who would work cheaply. They begged for food on their way, but their accent quickly betrayed them as ‘shiftless Irish’ and they often went to sleep hungry at night under a haystack. Kira had come from a good family, one that believed in educating their children in language. She had learned her English well, but could not shake the accent. She spoke a bit of French and Spanish as well and endeavored to teach her sons language when she could find time, but mostly her efforts were spent in searching for food. Fortunately, Condor had become an excellent archer at the tender age of nine. He was able to make his own bow and arrows and with a little effort at relieving geese of their feathers, he could fletch his arrows as well. They were frequently chased from farmsteads for sleeping under hay stacks or harassing the ducks and geese. But Condor was able to shoot birds, and now and then a hind or a hart and they did manage to survive the foot sore trip.

      Once in London, Kira asked where the Queen lived. Some people just laughed at her as a crazy woman. Most everyone with any sense knew that the queen lived in the largest, finest castle in all of London. One kindly gentleman pointed to the Tower and said that she might find the Queen there. That should have made things easy, but knowing where she lived was one thing, getting an audience with even the Queen’s least servant to ask for work was another. With no game to hunt in London, they were forced to beg once again. Kira listened carefully to the speech of the locals and was able to imitate it well enough to get an interview after two months. She had run across one of the Queen’s serving maids just outside of a pub. The lassie had promised to get her an interview with the Queen’s chamberlain.

      When the fateful interview came, Kira was faced with her travel worn clothes. She had nothing to wear that would give her even a slight chance to survive the interview. But she fancied her hair, cleaned her nails, washed her face in the Thames and went forward with a brave face. The gentleman who came to speak with her was about to throw her out until she mentioned that she was a fine seamstress.

      I have always made my own clothes, sire. I am most capable of doing fine needle work, as she showed him the seams of her dress. He was clearly impressed. He left, ordering her to ‘Wait here." The chamberlain returned with a partially sewn camisole, or something resembling one. Kira had never seen such a garment before. The chamberlain handed her needle and thread and asked her to finish the seams. Kira examined the work and found that the stitches were uneven, some were too loose and some too tight. Whoever had begun the work was not proficient with the needle. She took up the work, ripped out the original seams and four hours later it was completed.

      All the time she worried about her boys who were waiting outside the castle, probably in search of mischief. If they did not find some evil to do, it would certainly find them. She knew her boys all too well. She also knew that they were loyal to one another to the point that neither would ever tell on the other when mischief was at issue.

      When the chamberlain returned, he picked up the work, looked long at the stitches. Kira was uneasy. The man turned the work over and over. Finally he said, in all of my years in this post I have never seen finer work. Where did you learn to make such fine, close stitches, my lady?

      My mother was a seamstress and she taught me all that I know of the art, sire.

      We have just lost our head seamstress. She passed after a short illness. What is your religious belief?

      The question had come so unexpectedly that Kira had no idea how to answer. She hesitated for an embarrassingly long time. Then she said, All people believe in God, sire.

      That is not enough, my lady. Do you believe in the Catholic God or the Protestant God?

      Kira knew that the English had been declared to be Protestant by King Henry VIII. She realized that to survive she must profess to believe in something that was foreign to her. Nothing could have pained her more than to have to profess to being a ‘Lutheran’ as the English were known at the time.

      I worship as a Lutheran, sire, she replied, secretly begging God and all the saints to forgive her for the sin that she had just committed.

      But you are Irish are you not?

      Yes, sire.

      Good! You are hired as our new head seamstress. You may live in a small room here in the castle. You may be asked to travel with the queen from time to time to other royal residences. My assistant will show you to your room.

      Sire, there is one thing which I have not told you. I have two twin sons who must stay with me.

      There was a long pause. How old are they?

      They are twins, sire. Nine almost ten years of age.

      Are they well disciplined?

      Aye, they are. They are most quiet and dutiful, doing as their mother tells them always. I will have to say a bucketful of ‘Hail Mary’s’ to atone for that one, she thought.

      Very well. We’ll give this a try. Bring them in. I’ll send my assistant to meet you at the gate and direct you to your quarters. But know my lady that if there is any trouble with these boys, you may be relieved of your position without warning.

      Yes sire!

      And so their new lives at the Tower began. Kira warned the boys about the last words said by the chamberlain. Any trouble from you boys and we will lose our position. You know what that means. Getting them to sit still through the Protestant service was a challenge, but Kira could wield a heavy hand when it was needed and it was needed almost daily.

      This proved to be a difficult problem for the boys. They were accustomed to getting into mischief of the lesser kind, but troublesome all the same. They promised to be on their best behavior, if they might be allowed to hunt in the nearby woods. Kira worked magic with the Queen’s head scullery cook and they were allowed to hunt if they agreed to turn over their catches to the scullery. It took a bit of doing with the royal huntsmen as well to make it all happen. The boys soon realized that they were able to sleep in a bed each night, out of reach of evil drafts and ‘biteys’ and that they were eating quite well. That was enough for them to reconsider before planning any serious mischief. They had never experienced such security before and it was comforting.

      Condor made a better bow for himself and one for Hugh as well. They spent the first six months in good weather hunting and fishing, always dutifully bringing their catches to the scullery. Mandy, the scullery maid, took a liking to them and began to see that they were fed well, often on leftovers from the royal tables. Condor began to grow rapidly, reaching his near full height by his twelfth birthday. They came to know the wood better than any of the Queen’s men and lived there as much as they could.

      One day they were out hunting when Condor spotted a large hart some distance away in a clump of shrubs. Silently he pointed to the animal and both boys raised their bows, notched arrows and took aim. They both knew that a shot at that distance was near impossible and that they would probably miss, but they were contented with the challenge. Hugh loosed his arrow first. It hit a tree just to the right of the hart. Condor’s arrow winged its way close behind and went straight to the animal, just behind the left leg and to his heart. Condor let out a whoop of joy and headed for the stricken animal.

      Just then he spotted two well dressed noblemen from the court. They had not come to know any of the courtiers because they were not permitted into the main chambers or the great hall. One gentleman was dressed in a dark green tunic with lighter green breeks. He called over to Condor and his brother, Ho, there, my good men. That was an unbelievable shot! Which one of you brought down that fine animal?

      It was I. sire, replied Condor a slight bit of pride in his voice.

      I doubt that any archer in Her Majesty’s archers could have done better and most not as well. Who are you, my good man?

      They approached each other. Condor said, I am Condor Cochrane, sire, son of Kira Cochrane who is head seamstress to Her Majesty.

      And how do you come by permission to hunt in Her Majesty’s forest?

      We have permission from the chamberlain, sire. Just then Hugh caught up with them. This is my brother, Hugh.

      You know that the Queen is struggling with the Spanish over their war with the Protestant Low Countries. She will be in need of good archers soon, I am sure. I should speak with the head Archer and see if we can find a spot for you in Her Majesty’s Guards. How old are you, son?

      I have nearly fourteen years behind me, sire. My brother, Hugh. is also fourteen.

      You look like brothers all except for size, replied Lord Burnham. Has your brother any special skills?

      He is excellent with language, sire. He is more the scholarly type.

      I shall speak with your mother tonight. I believe I know her. We will see if there is not some work that we can put you two youngster to besides clearing the Queen’s woods of fine hart.

      The boys moved to the side of the stricken hart. The two men watched approvingly as Condor and Hugh quickly gutted and skinned the animal.

      By their supper the next night, it was decided. Condor

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