But it was far too late for anything to be done. Now, that foe appeared to be preparing a far more devastating strike on the south coast of England.īagg penned an urgent letter to the lord high admiral in Lon-don, demanding warships to counter the threat. Local mayors had sent a stream of letters informing him of the "daily oppression" they were facing at the hands of a little-known foe. Over the previous weeks he had received scores of complaints about attacks on Cornish fishing skiffs.
There were at least "twentye sayle upon this coast"-perhaps many more-and they were armed and ready for action.īagg was appalled by what he was told. A breathless messenger burst into the office of James Bagg, vice admiral of Cornwall, with the shocking intelligence of the arrival of enemy ships. News of the fleet's arrival flashed rapidly along the coast until it reached the naval base of Plymouth. The flags on their mainmasts depicted a human skull on a dark green background-the menacing symbol of a new and terrible enemy It was the third week of July 1625, and England was about to be attacked by the Islamic corsairs of Barbary. As the mists lifted and the summer skies cleared, it became apparent that the mysterious ships had not come in friendship. It was not the season for the return of the Newfoundland fishing fleet, nor was a foreign flotilla expected in those waters. The lookout who first sighted the vessels was perplexed. It enabled the mighty fleet to slip silently up the English Channel, unnoticed by the porters and fishermen on Cornwall's southwestern coast. A sea mist hung low in the air, veiling the horizon in a damp and diaphanous shroud. THE PALE DAWN sky gave no inkling of the terror that was about to be unleashed.
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