Every big ship
in the Armada sent boats hurrying off to know what orders Sidonia had
to give them. But Sidonia had none. That the Sea-Dogs had worked out
of Plymouth so quickly and were all together in a single fleet was
something he had not reckoned on, and something Philip's silly plan had
not provided for. Still, the Armada had one advantage left, the
weather-gage; for the southwest wind was piping up again, blowing from
the Armada to the English. Yet even this advantage was soon lost, not
by any change of wind, but by English seamanship. For while eight
English vessels held the attention of the Armada, by working about
between it and the shore, the rest of Drake's fleet stole off to sea,
got safely out of sight, tacked to windward with splendid skill, edged
in toward the Armada when sea-room west of it was gained, and then,
next morning, to the still more intense surprise of the Armada, came
down to attack it, having won the weather-gage by sailing round behind
it in the night.
This was the decisive stroke. The fight itself was simply the
slaughter of a floating army by a fleet.
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