Barry Deane Stewart

Drake's Dilemma Barry Deane Stewart

Sir Francis Drake has a dilemma. He is famous and rich as a result of his plundering of Spanish treasure, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and his historic voyage around the world in 1577-1580. More than a decade later, many of his exploits and discoveries from that epic voyage are still unknown to the world. Queen Elizabeth confiscated all of his journals, drawings, and charts and refuses to allow any of them to be published; she's afraid of further antagonizing the Spanish and wants to keep the new discoveries secret. How can he ensure that his achievements are not lost forever? What should he do? Vice President Ray Cartwright has a dilemma. As an antiquarian book collector, he is approached with a manuscript said to be created by Sir Francis Drake four hundred years ago; the sale requires his keeping the document secret. The offer and its conditions seem ridiculous. After all, there is not a single known original document of Francis Drake's related to his historic voyage around the world in the 1570s. Is it fake? Is it stolen? Is it a political set-up to sidetrack his run for the presidency? What should he do?