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Struggle of the Spanish Armada The past few days have been hellish. The heretic Queen Elizabeth and her damned Protestant followers have crippled our Armada. On our night of rest at Gravelines Harbor, the English fleet attacked and set ships of fire against us. Many of our brethren have sunken into the sea of inferno but I’m sure the angels of our Lord have led them to Heaven. Even I have my doubts about this invasion. England has proven herself a worthy adversary by repelling our navy, the mighty Spanish Armada.
We are fighting our way through the English Channel but the English show no signs of wavering. We have no choice but to turn to back Spain; we have no fresh water, we’re out of food, and our ammunition is limited. Some of my comrades have resorted to eating rope! The English fleet has routed us and we are forced to fight our way around Scotland. From there we will return to Spain, hopefully alive. I have been counting the days and nights but I have lost track of time. The English have stopped their attacks for some reason but now we have a new foe.
The treacherous waters rock our armada to its will and the harsh rains beat into ships like stones. The morale of my comrades is beckoned into the depths of the ocean by this raging storm. I pray to our Lord that we will make our way safely back into our homeland. The storm has ceased its attack upon our armada. I could have sworn that we had about twice as many ships at the launch of the invasion. Our captain and our crew are growing weary from fatigue and empty bellies. Many of the ships of the armada, including our own, are splitting up and sailing into Ireland.
I’m sure our Catholic brethren will be most hospitable. There we can fill our bellies and rest before returning to Spain. As we pulled up into the harbor, we were not met with friendly eyes. Our ships were being sunk and men were washing up ashore, dead and alive. I watched in horror as our own ship was struck by the enemy. The next thing I knew, I was laying face-down on Irish ground. I could hear my comrades screaming and the sound of guns firing.
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