Chapter Twenty Three.
Dampier’s voyages, continued—A.D. 1699.
Dampier in command of the Roebuck—Voyage to New Holland—Visits the shore—The first kangaroo seen—Failure of attempt to catch a native—The ship, refitted at Timor, sails for New Guinea—Coasts along the shore—Beautiful birds seen—Intercourse with the natives-Provisions obtained—A volcano seen—A waterspout nears the ship—Meets a Chinese vessel, and hears of the Dutch settlements—Goes to Batavia—Rotten state of the Roebuck—Sails for England—Founders off Ascension—The crew landed—Residence on the island—Taken off by the Anglesey—Sails for Barbadoes—Dampier returns to England—His services overlooked—Sails in command of a squadron for the South Seas—Rounds Cape Horn—Fight with a French ship—Clipperton runs off with the tender and his commander’s commission—Attempts to take the galleon—Defeated—Headed by Funnell, the crew mutiny, and part go off in a prize—Puna plundered—The Saint George destroyed—Her guns and stores put on board a prize—Sails for the East Indian Archipelago—Taken by the Dutch, and imprisoned—Escapes—Reaches England—Loss of credit—Joins Captain Woodes Rogers as pilot on board the Duke—She, with the Duchess, Captain Courtney, sails for the South Seas—Come off Juan Fernandez—Discover Alexander Selkirk, the original of “Robinson Crusoe”—His residence on the island—The sick landed—The ships sail—Prizes captured—Guayaquil attacked and plundered—The Manilla galleon captured—Rich booty—Prisoners well treated—Another galleon attacked—Privateers beaten off—Sail by way of Guam for Java—Sickness of crew—The Marquis sold—The ships return home—Dampier falls into poverty—Time and place of his death unknown.
The desire to discover new countries having revived among the English in the reign of William the Third, we next hear of Dampier in 1699, in command of the Roebuck, a king’s ship fitted out for a voyage to examine the coasts of New Holland and New Guinea. She carried twelve guns and a crew of fifty men, with provisions for twenty months, but was old and crazy. She sailed from the Downs on the 14th of January, and after touching at the Cape de Verdes,
shaped a course round the Cape of Good Hope. On the morning of the 2nd of August the mainland of New Holland was seen, but no anchorage being found, and bad weather coming on, she was obliged to stand off until the 5th, when she again stood in, and brought up in Shark’s Bay. Among the animals Dampier saw on shore was one he describes as a sort of raccoon, differing from that of the West Indies chiefly as to the legs, for these have very short fore legs, but go jumping on the hind ones as the others do. This probably is the first description given of the small kangaroo of New Holland. He mentions different sorts of blossoming trees of several colours, but mostly blue, and smelling very sweet and fragrant. There were also beautiful and variegated flowers growing on the ground. The great want was for water, and for this a long search was made at different parts of the coast. At length a boat was sent ashore with an armed party carrying pickaxes and shovels. Three natives were seen, who retired; but when they observed the men beginning to dig, a large number collected, and with angry gestures ordered the strangers to begone.
At length, Dampier, accompanied by an active fellow, went forward to try and conciliate them; but still they kept aloof. Being anxious to capture one who might show them water, the commander allowed his companion to try and run one of them down. On being overtaken, they faced about, threatening their pursuer and Dampier with their spears. The former, though armed with a cutlass, was unable to keep them at bay, and Dampier, to save his life, was compelled to fire over their heads. The savages, seeing no harm was done, only uttered the words, “Pooh, pooh!” On this Dampier again fired, and one native fell, enabling the sailor to escape. Dampier on this turned back with his men, abandoning his attempt to capture a native, and being very sorry for what had happened. One only of the party, who appeared to be the chief, had his face painted with white pigment, to make him look more fierce.
In vain search was made for the huts of the natives. Some animals were seen resembling wolves, lean as skeletons,—probably dingoes. At last some brackish water was found, and the Roebuck proceeded to Timor. Here the ship, being refitted and the crew refreshed, Dampier sailed on the 20th of December for the coast of New Guinea. It was made on the 1st of January, 1700, and appeared to be high, level land, covered with trees. The party who went on shore in the boats obtained fruits of unknown kinds, and a stately land fowl, about the size of a poultry-yard cock, sky-coloured with a white spot, surrounded by others of a reddish hue on the wings, and a huge bunch of feathers on the crown, was shot.