In 1573, Francis Drake returned to Panama hoping to cause as much discomfiture as possible to the Spanish bullion trade. As his party of Englishmen climbed a densely-forested ridge in Darien, their local guide pointed out a tree from which a man could see the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific too — well aware that this was Drake’s dream.

Drake climbed the tree to the specially-made viewing platform, and gazed on what he had sacrificed so much to see. At that moment he conceived a new ambition: to sail an English ship on the Pacific Ocean. While the others enjoyed the view, he told John Oxenham of his new dream, and Oxenham vowed they would pursue it together.

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