His parentage—Early voyages—Sails for Jamaica as a planter—Visits Bay of Campeachy—Turns logwood-cutter—His adventures—Joins the buccaneers—Succeeds—Returns to England—Marries—Again goes to Jamaica—Captured by buccaneers, and takes part in several expeditions in the South Sea—Recrosses the Isthmus of Darien, and reaches the Samballas Islands—Joins Captain Tristan—The prizes sold to the Dutch—Goes to Virginia—Joins the Revenge—Captain Cook sails for the South Seas—Puts into the Sherbro’ River—Cook treacherously captures a Dane—The name of the Bachelor’s Delight given to her—Cape Horn doubled—Steers for Juan Fernandez—Falls in with the Nicholas—Meeting of the Mosquito Indians, Will and Robin, at Juan Fernandez—Several vessels captured on the coast—A design on Truxillo abandoned—Death of Cook—Buried on shore—Narrow escape of the party on shore—Davis elected captain—Transactions at Amapalla—Eaton and Davis separate—Davis joined by other pirates—Paita attacked and burnt—Attempt on Guayaquil abandoned—A packet-boat captured—Hear of the sailing of the Plata fleet—Lay in wait for it off New Panama—Attempts of the Spaniards with a fire-ship—Large parties of pirates unite—Plan to attack Panama—Encounters a Spanish fleet—Stratagem of the Spaniards to place the pirates in a disadvantageous position—The Spanish fleet escapes—Lexa and Leon plundered—Swan proposes to cross the Pacific—Santa Pecaque plundered—A large body of the rovers massacred—The prisoners set on shore on a desert island—The Cygnet prepared for crossing the Pacific—Dampier cured of a dropsy.
Few British seamen have seen so much of the world, or have gone through more remarkable adventures, with the power of describing them, than William Dampier. He was born in 1652, near Yeovil, in Somersetshire, on the farm of his father, a well-to-do yeoman, who sent him at an early age to a good school, where he acquired some classical knowledge. He was afterwards removed to another, where he learned writing and arithmetic.
Having shown a strong inclination for the sea, on the death of his parents his guardians apprenticed him to a shipmaster at Weymouth, with whom he made a voyage to France, and in the following year one to Newfoundland; but suffering from the cold, he got disgusted with a sailor’s life, and settled for a short time with a brother in Somersetshire.
His longing for adventure, however, soon revived, and hearing of an outward-bound East Indiaman about to sail for Bantam in Java, knowing that at all events he should be warm enough there, he shipped on board of her before the mast.
Having gained considerable nautical experience, he returned home, and after again living on shore with his brother, he entered on board the Royal Princess man-of-war, commanded by Sir Edward Spragge. In this ship he took part in two sanguinary fights; but falling ill, he was sent to hospital on shore, thus missing the last engagement in which his brave commander was killed.
On his recovery he accepted an offer from his brother’s landlord, Colonel Hellier, to go out as under-manager to an estate in Jamaica. He accordingly sailed, and after visiting several islands, reached Jamaica. Growing weary, however, of a planter’s life, he made trips in different traders, carrying goods along the coast, by which he gained a thorough knowledge of the harbours and bays of the island.
In August, 1675, he sailed on board a vessel bound for the island of Trist, in the Bay of Campeachy. He here became enamoured of the free life of the logwood-cutters, and after his return to Jamaica, having supplied himself with tools, a gun, and store of powder and shot, as well as a tent, he again sailed for the island of Trist. He now began to keep a regular journal, which tells us of his adventures while engaged as a logwood-cutter. They are amongst the most interesting of his life, while his notes on the natural history of the country show his accuracy as an observer. The logwood-cutters varied their occupation by hunting the wild cattle, and on one occasion Dampier nearly perished by having lost his way in the woods. During his wanderings he had the unpleasant reflection that a short time before six or seven of the crew of a Boston ship had died, in the vain endeavour to find their way to the shore.
On another occasion he was, while crossing a small savannah with his companions, who had gone on ahead, nearly losing his life. He perceived the strong scent of an alligator; directly afterwards he stumbled over one, and fell into the water. Recovering, he shouted to the other men, but they, terror-stricken, were flying towards the woods. A second, and even a third time he fell, every moment expecting to be seized by the jaws of the horrid monster; but he at length got safely on shore. An alligator had a few days before actually seized one of his comrades by the knee, but the man had the presence of mind to wait until the brute relinquished his grip to take a firmer hold, when he rammed the butt-end of his musket down its throat, and scampered off.
During a hurricane he was deprived of his stock of provisions. Having no means of procuring a fresh supply, he was compelled to join a company of buccaneers, or privateers as he called them, with whom he spent a year before he could make his escape, pillaging the Spaniards and making descents on native villages. While with the freebooters a Spanish fort was attacked, but they lost ten men killed or desperately wounded, and obtained little booty, except the flesh of some thirty bullocks, some Indian corn, poultry, and a number of tame parrots.
While the vessels of the buccaneers were encumbered by the live stock and provisions they had obtained, they were attacked by some Spanish armadillos, which they succeeded, however, in beating off. After this adventure Dampier returned to the island of Trist, and was so successful in his occupation as a woodcutter, that he was enabled to return to England in 1678. Here he married a young woman attached to the Duchess of Grafton’s family, but after spending about half a year at home he again sailed for Jamaica, carrying out a quantity of goods to exchange for the commodities most in request among the woodcutters.