Match the words in bold to their meaning.
1 on board
2 remaining
3 route
4 violent
5 ports
6 treasure
7 Eventually
8 fortune
a strong
b on the ship
с way
d harbours
e left
f sum of money
g In the end
h valuable objects
The master Thief of the Unknown World
In 1577, five ships left Plymouth with Francis Drake and 160 other men on board to sail around the world. Three years later, only one ship, the Golden Hind, returned to England.
After crossing the Atlantic, Drake left two ships on the east coast of South America. With the three remaining ships, he then found a new route around the bottom of the continent, but when they reached the Pacific, violent storms destroyed one of the ships and caused another to turn back to England.
Next, the Golden Hind sailed north along the coast of South America, attacking Spanish ports. This was because, at that time, the Spanish controlled all the gold from "The New World' and Drake wanted it. Drake also captured Spanish ships and stole their maps and treasure. The Spanish called him The Master Thief of the Unknown World'.
Finally, Drake sailed to North America and then crossed the Pacific to the Moluccas Islands in the southwest. Eventually, he sailed round the southern tip of Africa and arrived in England in September, 1580.
When Drake returned, he was knighted1 by Elizabeth I. He was the first Englishman to sail around the world. He had made many discoveries and had brought back an amazing fortune in treasure.