CO
Presented to the
LIBRARY of the
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
by
KNOX COLLEGE
LIVES AND VOYAGES
DRAKE, CAVENDISH, AND DAMPIER
INCLUDING A VIEW OF THE
HISTORY OF THE BUCCANEERS.
WITH THREE PORTRAITS ENGRAVED BY HORSBURGH.
THIRD EDITION.
EDINBURGH:
OLIVER & BOYD, TWEEDDALE COURT
AND SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., LONDON.
MDCCCXXXVII.
/07/i.
"T97T
[ENTERED IN STATIONERS' HALL.]
Printed by Oliver & Boyd,
Tweeddale Court, High Street, Edinburgh.
PREFACE
TO TxHE THIRD EDITION.
THIS volume is devoted to the LIVES of three of the
most eminent men whom England has at any time
sent forth into the field of her most brilliant achieve-
ments : and the relation of their Voyages, Discover-
ies, and Adventures, is, to a certain extent, the his-
tory of her naval power and reputation. If the first
aspiring thoughts of British youth are inseparably
connected with maritime enterprise, with the perils
and vicissitudes, the novel and romantic incidents,
the valour, daring, and heroic endurance, which are
displayed in the narratives of the elder voyagers,
this work cannot want interest. From the very
nature of the subject, it necessarily contains much
curious and valuable instruction drawn from many
sources, but in every instance verified by a careful
examination of the original authorities.
It is believed that the personal memoirs of Drake,
Cavendish, and Dampier, which are interwoven
with the narrative of their exploits, are more accu-
rate and copious than any hitherto submitted to the
public. The career of the last-mentioned navigator
PREFACE.
is closely linked with the History of the Bucca-
neers, whose wild adventures have so powerful a
charm for the youthful mind ; and it is hoped that
the account which is given of this remarkable asso-
ciation will be found no incongruous episode in a
volume designed as a popular contribution to nau-
tical history.
The present Work, though complete in itself,
forms also an interesting chapter in the History of
the Circumnavigation of the Globe, and will be
found at once to elucidate and to receive illustra-
tion from the work on tha.t subject which has ap-
peared in the EDINBURGH CABINET LIBRARY.
EDINBURGH, May 1837.
CONTENTS
DRAKE.
CHAPTER I.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
Spirit of Maritime Enterprise in England Drake's Birth and Pa-
rentage He goes to Sea Purser of a Biscay Trader Voyage
to the Guinea Coast Sir John Hawkins Slave-trade Affair at
San Juan de Ulloa Drake returns to England Experimental
Voyages Expedition to Nombre de Dios Journey across the
Isthmus Rich Booty Returns Home Fits out Frigates Irish
Rebellion Patronage of Essex ; of Sir Christopher Hatton
Introduced at Court, Page 13
CHAPTER II.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
The Queen approves the New Expedition Drake's Squadron
Cape Cantin Muley Moloc Cape Blanco Mayo and Brava
6 CONTENTS.
The Brazilians Ostriches Natives of Seal Bay Their
Manners and Disposition Patagonians Unfortunate Affray
Stature of the Indians Port San Julian Trial and Execution of
Thomas Doughty Passage of the Strait The Natives The
Fleet separated Tierra del Fuego Fate of the Shallop's Crew
Cape Horn The Elizabethides Capture of Spanish Prizes-
Lamas with Treasure Capture of the Cacafuego The Hind
proceeds in Search of a North-east Passage Indians of New
Albion discovered Their singular Manners Drake crosses the
Pacific The Ladrones The Moluccas Remarkable Preserva-
tion Barateve Java The Voyage Home The Cape of Good
Hope Arrival at Plymouth Drake's Fame The Queen visits
his Ship, Page 29
CHAPTER III.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
Commencement of Hostilities with Spain Drake takes San Jago
Cruelty of the Portuguese Storming of San Domingo and Car-
thagena The Fever of the West Indies Sir Walter Raleigh's
Colony Drake destroys the Spanish Shipping Observations on
his Character The Spanish Armada Capture of the Galleon of
Don Pedro Valdez Expedition to restore Don Antonio Expe-
dition with Hawkins to the Spanish Settlements in the West
Indies Attempt against Porto Rico Failure of Baskerville's
Expedition across the Isthmus Death of Drake Estimate of
his Character and public Services, 100
CONTENTS. 7
CAVENDISH.
CHAPTER IV.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
Policy of Queen Elizabeth Public Spirit of the English Nobility
Ancestry of Cavendish His Voyage to Virginia Equipment
of his Squadron for an Expedition to the South Sea Discovery
of Port Desire Colony of Don Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Natives of the Straits Indian Tributaries of Santa Maria-
Escape of Tome Hernandez A Watering-party cut off Capture
of Spanish Ships Use of Torture by Cavendish Payta captured
Cacique of Puna Skirmish with the Spaniards March into
the Woods Progress of the Squadron Capture of the Santa
Anna Cavendish steers for the Ladrones Description of the
Natives Treachery of a Spanish Pilot Rencounter with a
Party of Spaniards Passes the Moluccas Anchors at Java
Remarkable Customs of the Inhabitants The Desire passes the
Cape of Good Hope Reaches St Helena Arrives at Ply-
mouth, Page 125
CHAPTER V.
SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH TO THE SOUTH SEA.
New Expedition to the South Sea Attack on the Portuguese Set-
tlementsDelay of the Squadron Letter of Cavendish Rela-
tion by Jane Sufferings in Magellan's Straits Separation of
Davis Davis' Southern Islands Piety of the Captain Natives
of Port Desire Nine Men lost Homeward Voyage of Davis
Adventures of Cavendish He loses Twenty-four Men Un-
fortunate Affair at Spirito Santo Indignation of Cavendish
Separation of the Roebuck Discontent of the Crew Firmness
of the Commander They miss St Helena Death of Cavendish
His Character, 160
O CONTENTS.
DAMPIER.
CHAPTER VI.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
Origin of the Buccaneers Cattle-hunters of Cuba and Hayti
Policy of France and England Cruelty to the Caribs Seizure of
St Christopher's Buccaneer Settlement of Tortuga Customs of
the Buccaneers Their Maxims Manner of dividing their Spoil
Their Dress and Character Capture of Jamaica Enterprise
of Le Grand Francois, Portuguez, and Mansvelt The Bucca-
neer Chief L'Olonnois His CrueltiesManners of the Buccaneers
Montbars the Exterminator First Expedition of Morgan
Pillage of Puerto del Principe Storming of Porto Bello H eroism
of the Spanish Governor Capture of Maracaibo and Gibraltar
Stratagems of Morgan Projected Buccaneer Settlement Storm-
ing of the Castle of Chagre March of the Buccaneers to Panama
Battle with the Spaniards Cruelty of the Freebooters Return
of the Buccaneers to Chagre Perfidy of Morgan Proclamation
of the Governor of Jamaica Concluding History of Morgan
The Buccaneers again increase Capture of Vera Cruz They
direct their Attention to Peru Narrative of Dumpier, Page 182
CHAPTER VII.
ADVENTURES AMONG THE WOOD-CUTTERS AND
BUCCANEERS.
Ancestry and Education of Dampier His Voyage to Java Goes
to Jamaica as a Planter Becomes a Logwood-cutter in Cam-
peachy Habits of the Wood-cutters Appearance of the Coun-
tryIts Natural Productions The Wild Pine Snakes Ants
*> /
CONTENTS. 9
The Humming-bird Alligators Dampier loses himself in the
Woods Copartnership with three Scotchmen Dreadful Hurri-
cane in the Bay Its Consequences Beef Island Thelndians
John d'Acosta Mode of hocksing Cattle Dampier joins the
Buccaneers The Manatee, or Sea-cow The River Tobasco
Indians under the Spanish Priests Their Manners and Condi-
tion Attack of Alvarado Escape of the Buccaneers from the
Spanish Armadilloes Munjack Dampier rejoins the Logwood-
cutters Returns to England, Page 236
CHAPTER VIII.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
Dampier leaves England for Jamaica Joins the Buccaneers
Assault of Porto Bello Description of the Mosquito Indians
Their Ingenuity in Fishing In using the Harpoon Acuteness
of their Senses Their Customs The Buccaneers under Captain
Sharp cross the Isthmus of Darien Sea-fight in the Road of
Panama Differences among the Buccaneers Sharp leaves the
South Sea Retreat of Dampier and a Party of Buccaneers across
the Isthmus Difficulties of the Journey They reach the Sam-
ballas Isles Cruise of Dampier with the Buccaneers Adven-
tures of Wafer among the Indians of the Darien Carthagena
and the Monastery there Pearl-fishery Dutch Governor
Wreck of the French Fleet Stratagem of. a French Buccaneer-
Pillage of Rio de la Hacha The Tropic-bird Iguanas Negro
Doctor Dampier's farther Adventures indicated, 275
CHAPTER IX.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
Dampier's new Voyage Cape de Verd Isles Bachelor's Delight
Falkland Isles Mosquito William Nautical Remarks of
a 2
10 CONTENTS.
Dampier Junction of Cook and Eaton The Galapagos Islands
Death of Cook Escape of the Buccaneers Descent at Ama-
palla Spanish Indians The Buccaneers separate La Plata
and Manta The Cygnet joins the Buccaneers Descent on Paita
Attempt on Guayaquil Dampier's Scheme of working the
Mines Indians of St Jago The Buccaneers watch the Plate-
fleet Battle in the Bay of Panama Assault of Leon Dampier
remains in the Cygnet His Sickness Crosses the Pacific
Island of Guahan Mindanao Its Customs The Buccaneers
desert Swan Future Cruise of the Cygnet Pulo Condore The
Bashee Isles Character and Manners of the Islanders Cruise
to New Holland The Country and People The Nicobar Isl-
ands Dampier leaves the Buccaneers His Voyage to Acheen
Voyages with Captains Bowry and Weldon Remains at
Bencoolen Prince Jeoly Dampier's Return to England Pub-
lication of his Voyages Page 29<>
CHAPTER X.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
Voyage of Discovery to New Holland and New Guinea Dampier
on the Coast of New Holland Dirk Hatichs' Reede Appear-
ance and Productions of the Country Discoveries on the North-
ern Coasts Plants and Animals Appearance and Character of
the Natives Voyage to New Guinea New Islands and their
Productions Discovery of King William's Island Slinger's
Bay Manners of the Natives Discovery of Cape St George
and Cape Orford Natives of Port Montague Their suspicious
and inhospitable Character Affray with the Natives Volcanic
Island Discovery of Nova Britannia Islands in Dampier's
Strait Return to King William's Island, and Second Voyage to
CONTENTS. 1 1
the Coast of New Holland Dampier's Shipwreck Ungrateful
Reception His Voyage in the St George Bad Conduct of his
Officers His Imprisonment by the Dutch Return to England
Voyage in the Duke Account of the celebrated Alexander
Selkirk Testimony borne to the Merits of Dampier Reflections
on his Character and Fate The End, Page 384
PORTRAITS.
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, To face the Title-page.
THOMAS CAVENDISH, Page 125
WILLIAM DAJIPIER, 182
DRAKE.
CHAPTER I.
Life of Sir Francis Drake.
Spirit of Maritime Enterprise in England Drake's Birth and Pa-
rentage He goes to Sea Purser of a Biscay Trader Voyage
to the Guinea Coast Sir John Hawkins Slave-trade Affair at
San Juan de Ulloa Drake returns to England Experimental
Voyages Expedition to Nombre de Dios Journey across the
Isthmus Rich Booty Returns Home Fits out Frigates Irish
Rebellion Patronage of Essex ; of Sir Christopher Hatton
Introduced at Court.
THE life of Sir Francis Drake belongs to a period
of our history eminently distinguished by the ar-
dour and success with which maritime adventure
was prosecuted. The expedition of Magellan denies
to this eminent man the honour of being the first to
sail round the world ; but he was the first English-
man and the first commander who accomplished
that exploit, for the illustrious leader who preceded
him lost his life before the voyage was completed.""
His labours, while they imparted a fresh spirit to
the hearts of his countrymen and opened a new
path for the exercise of their energies, also extended
* A full account of the Discovery of the South Sea, and of the
voyages of Magellan and other precursors of Drake, has already
appeared in the Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. XXL, entitled
" Historical Account of the Circumnavigation of the Globe, and of
the Progress of Discovery in the Pacific Ocean, from the Voyage
of Magellan to the Death of Cook."
14 LIFE OP SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
the limits of geographical knowledge, and gave addi-
tional countries to the map of the globe. He dispelled
the terrors with which superstition had invested the
only entrance then known to the waters of the
Pacific; he discovered the dreaded promontory of
Cape Horn ; and added the extensive coasts of New
Albion to the dominions of his sovereign.
In that age, though navigation as v a science was
very imperfect, enterprise had reached its height,
and, in the breasts of the more celebrated voyagers,
was ennobled by soaring and generous motives. In-
spired by the love of adventure and the ambition
of discovery and conquest, the leaders regarded the
spoils, which formed the sole object of their merce-
nary followers, chiefly as the means of rewarding
faithful service, or of achieving new exploits. The
same zeal, which led the Spaniards to propagate the
faith or enlarge the empire of their monarch in the
New World, animated the English in extending the
glory of their native land and of Elizabeth, and in
chastising and despoiling the e ' proud Don," then re-
garded as her most formidable enemy. There was
thus imparted somewhat of a lofty and romantic cha-
racter, even to expeditions undertaken for the pro-
motion of private interests. In the instance of Ra-
leigh, for example, " chivalry had left the land and
launched upon the deep ;" and Sir Philip Sidney,
the knight who " nourished high thoughts in a heart
of courtesy," would have accompanied Drake in his
daring career, had not his purpose been overruled by
the commands of his royal mistress.
It is the proud prerogative of such men as per-
form signal services to their country to excite curio-
sity as to their birth and parentage ; but these, in
7
LIFE OP SIB FRANCIS DRAKE. 15
the case of our hero, appear to be involved in consi-
derable obscurity. The navigator himself informed
Camden, that he was of mean extraction.* His
father, Edmond Drake of Tavistock,t received the
rudiments of a liberal education, and, embracing the
Protestant opinions, sought safety from persecution
by flying into Kent, where he obtained holy orders.
In the commencement of her reign, Elizabeth was
wont to station a fleet in the river Medway, on
board of which he was employed as chaplain. This
probably led to the mistake of Stowe, who calls him
a sailor ; but his son, undoubtedly the best authority
on this subject, affirmed distinctly on several occa-
sions, that his father was ordained deacon, and be-
came vicar of the church of Upnor.J Francis was
the eldest of twelve brothers, and born in the year
1544 in a cottage about a mile to the south-west of
Tavistock, on the banks of the Tavy, which was in
existence little more than thirty years ago. The boy,
brought up from his infancy in the vicinity of the
royal fleet, || seems to have acquired an early passion
Caraden's Annals of Elizabeth, in Rennet's " Compleat History
of England" (3 vols folio, London, 1706), vol. ii. p. 477.
t Stowe's Annals (folio, London, 1615), p. 80/.
Camden's Annals, ut supra.
" There is something peculiarly beautiful in this spot. It is
so sequestered that it seems shut out from all the world ; all is
tranquil and in harmony ; there is cheerfulness in the verdure of the
meadows; the little plot of grass is thickly set with tufts of daisies and
with white clover. Here stood the old barn-looking cottage ( for it was
no better) in which Drake first drew breath, with its antique win-
dows, and all its character of past times about it, till it was pulled
down to give place to an ox -stall, or some such common appendage,
to the farm-house hard by. Mr Bray made a slight sketch of it, which
was very incorrectly copied in the etching which appeared in
Lewis's Views of the Tavy." Mrs Bray's Borders of the Tamar
and the Tavy (3 vols 8vo, London, 1836), vol. ii. p. 168.
|| " For the protection of the fleet," says Kent, an excellent na-
val historian, " a fort was erected on the banks of the Medway.
16 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
for a naval life ; and his father, poor, and encum-
bered with a numerous family, was not disposed to
thwart his inclination. " He put him," says Cam-
den, " to the master of a bark, his neighbour,
who held him hard to his business in the vessel,
with which he used to coast along the shore, and
sometimes to carry merchandise into Zealand and
France."*
In this manner he speedily acquired that prac-
tical knowledge of his profession, which made him
in his youth as experienced a seaman as he after-
wards became an able commander. His fidelity
and diligence gained the good-will and regard of
his master, who, dying a bachelor, bequeathed his
ship to young Drake ;t and thus, in the active
and vigilant discharge of his first humble duties,
was laid the sure foundation of future eminence
and prosperity. At the early age of eighteen he
became purser of a bark frequenting the ports of
Biscay ;J he soon afterwards engaged in the slave-
trade, which had been opened not many years be-
fore by the enterprise of some adventurers belonging
to the city of London, and about this time (1567) at-
tracted the attention of his reputed relation, Captain
John Hawkins. The inhumanity of such commerce
was not denounced till a much later period.
This, from the name of an adjacent village, was called Upnor Castle,
and overlooked the road in which the ships were usually at an-
chor." Kent's Biographia Nautica (3 vols 8vo, London, 1777),
vol. ii. p. 145. Drake's father, as Sir Francis told Camden, was
Vicar of Upnor ; and thus it is evident that the boyhood of the
future navigator was spent among sailors.
* Camden's Annals, vol. ii. p. 478. -f Ibid.
J Biographia Britannica (2d edition), vol. v. p. 343, art. Drake.
That Sir John Hawkins was a kinsman of Drake seems ex-
ceedingly improbable, as Sir Francis, in mentioning his parentage
to Camden, says nothing of any such relationship.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 17
The regular course of this traffic, the most lu-
crative in which England had ever been engaged,
was to repair first to the Guinea coast for the
human cargo, obtained by fraud and violence, and
then to the Spanish islands and the colonies on the
Main, where the Africans were bartered for silver,
sugar, hides, and other commodities. The history
of the first voyage is that of every succeeding one :
" Master John Hawkins passed to Sierra Leona,
where he stayed some good time, and got into his
possession, partly by the sworde, and partly by
other meanes, to the number of 300 negros at the
least, with which praye he sayled over the ocean
sea unto the island of Hispaniola."*
Few expeditions had been made from England
to this El Dorado, when Drake, at the age of
twenty-two, desirous of extending his professional
knowledge and of participating in the gains of the
trade, embarked for Guinea in the squadron of
Hawkins ; being intrusted with the command of
the Judith,t a bark of fifty tons, one of the smallest
vessels in the fleet.J
Having completed his cargo of slaves, the navi-
gator just named took the usual course to the Ca-
naries and Spanish America, that he might ex-
change his freight for wares more valued at home.
In passing he stormed the town of Rio de la
Hacha, because the governor, in obedience to the
commands of the king his master, refused to engage
in trade with him. This very unjustifiable attack
Hakluyt (3 vols folio, London, 1600), vol. iii. p. 500.
f Miles Philips' Relation, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 470.
Hawkins' Personal Narrative, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 524.
Ibid. p. 522.
18 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
upon a nation with which his country was then at
peace, exasperated the Spaniards, and certainly af-
fords some palliation of the treachery which they
subsequently displayed towards the English. When
off the coast of Florida, Hawkins was driven by se-
vere gales to seek shelter in the port of San Juan
de Ulloa. When the squadron, consisting of six ships,
entered the harbour, the inhabitants believed them
to be a Spanish fleet which was hourly expected ;
and those who went on board were in some con-
sternation on discovering their mistake. The com-
mander, who from the first professed that he came
in peace and friendship, to obtain refuge from stress
of weather and procure provisions for his money and
merchandise, treated them with civility, but thought
it prudent to detain two persons of consequence as
hostages till assured of the terms on which he was
to be received. The temptation of twelve merchant-
ships lying in the port, laden with goods estimated
at 200,000, did not shake his integrity, though he
was aware that they might easily be overmastered
by his force. It is however candidly confessed by
him, that he dreaded the displeasure of the queen.*
A messenger was despatched to the Viceroy of Mex-
ico ; but before any answer could be returned the
expected squadron appeared, and the situation of
the Englishman became uneasy and critical. The
vessels now arrived had on board a cargo valued at
about 1,800,000. If he prevented them from en-
tering the bay, they ran imminent risk of destruc-
tion j and if admitted, his own safety was put in
jeopardy, the haven being confined, the town po-
pulous, and the inhabitants ready, as he suspected,
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 523.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 19
to practise any treachery. At last the viceroy
agreed to the terms stipulated, which were, a sup-
ply of provisions to the strangers on fair terms;
the peaceable repair of their ships ; the temporary
cession of a fortified island, which lay across and
commanded the port; andthe interchange of hostages.
On the faith of this treaty the fleet was allowed to
sail in ; mutual salutations were fired by the ships
of both nations, which were followed by visits and
civilities between the officers and the seamen.
But for the anticipated anger of Elizabeth, Haw-
kins would willingly have hazarded an action, not-
withstanding his disparity of force; yet he now
suffered himself to be lulled into temporary security,
by relying on a truce, which the Spaniards intended
should bind them only till they could violate it with
impunity. Their squadron was reinforced by a
thousand men secretly conveyed from the land. An
unusual bustle and shifting of soldiers and weapons
from deck to deck were noticed by the voyagers; and
their demand for explanation was answered by an
instant attack on all sides.* The Minion, and the
Judith, the small vessel commanded by Drake,
were the only English ships that escaped ; and their
safety was accomplished solely by the valour and con-
* Narrative by Sir John Hawkins, in Purchas' Pilgrims (5 vols
folio, London, 1625-26), part. iv. p. 1177- We learn from an in-
teresting account of the action, entitled Job Hortop's Relation
(Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 490), that Hawkins was at dinner when the
Spanish trumpets gave the signal for the attack, his false friend,
Don Augustine de Villa Nueva, being beside him, who, having a
dagger concealed in his sleeve, had undertaken to murder him; but
this purpose was detected. Villa Nueva was imprisoned in the
steward's room, and the captain, springing on deck, saw the Spaniards
issue out of their hulk and board the Minion, which lay close to
them, upon which he cried out with a loud voice, " God and St
George ! upon those traitorous villains, and rescue the Minion !"
20 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
duct of their captains, after a desperate though
short conflict. The others were destroyed, and
many of the sailors were rather butchered in cold
blood than killed in action. The party which oc-
cupied the insular fort, struck with alarm, fled to-
wards the barks at the beginning of the fight, and
in the attempt were massacred without mercy.
Such an engagement in a narrow port, each of the
English vessels being surrounded and attacked by
three or four of the enemy, presented a scene of havoc
and confusion almost unparalleled in the records of
maritime warfare. By the obstinate courage of the
adventurers in this unequal combat, the Spanish
admiral's ship and several others were burnt and
sunk.*
Placed between the fortress and the still numerous
fleet, and raked by an incessant fire, it was won-
derful that even one of the English ships got away.
Hawkins reached Britain in the Minion, after in-
credible hardships, having left the port without pro-
visions or water, his decks crowded with men who
had escaped the general slaughter, many of them
wounded. The relation of their sufferings, produced
as they were by the treachery and inhumanity of the
Spaniards, must have made an indelible impression
in England, where the popular feeling was already
strongly excited against this cruel nation. The de-
tails given by Miles Philips of the calamities of the
passage are too revolting to be transferred to this
narrative, but may be imagined from the words of
the commander : " If all the miseries and trouble-
some affaires of this sorowfull voyage should be per-
fectly and throughly written, there should neede a
* Relation of Miles Philips } in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 473.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 21
painefull man with his pen, and as great a time as
he had that wrote the Lives and Deathes of the
Martyrs."* The Judith is said by Hawkins to
have forsaken him in his great distress. As the ships
parted company in the night, the separation may
have been unintentional. It is certain, at all events,
that Drake completed his homeward voyage with
less hardship and difficulty than the other.
In this expedition he lost his whole fortune ; and
hence was laid the foundation of that hatred and
distrust of the Spaniards, which must have palliated
many of his subsequent actions, and reconciled his
countrymen to conduct they might not so readily
have pardoned in one less sinned against. A divine
belonging to the fleet has obtained the credit of en-
forcing the justice of making reprisals on the whole
nation for the wrong inflicted by a few ; but this
might well be a spontaneous feeling, in a brave young
man burning with resentment at the perfidy by which
his comrades had been murdered, and himself be-
trayed and beggared. It has been quaintly said by
Fuller, " that the case was clear in sea-divinity ."t
The King of Spain's subjects had undone Mr Drake,
and therefore Mr Drake was entitled to take the
best satisfaction he could on the subjects of the King
of Spain.
This doctrine was very popular in England, where
still
" the good old rule
,1 t P i i
Sufficed them, the simple plan,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can."
* Hawkins' Personal Narrative, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 525. The
work of Fox, which is here alluded to, was published in the English
language at London in 1563.
t Holy State (folio, London, 1651), p. 124.
22 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
The scheme of our navigator, for a new expedition
against the colonies in America, was accordingly
nosponer made public than he^fr"n.d numbers of
volunteersjtnd] friendsrejdjMto'proniQte so_praise-
wor^thy ajdesign as that which he waspresumed to
entertajnjjand who, althouglTthey hajTno_personal
quarrelof their ownpwere^ready to^jdopt his, if
the ijssue^rom^ treasures with
the Jamaof which all JEuroperung. But he was not
yet prepared for the full development of his pro-
jects, and, in all probability, it was but gradually
that they arose in his own mind.
The infamous transactions of San Juan de Ulloa
took place in September 1568, and in 1570 Drake
engaged in his first adventure with two ships, the
Dragon and the Swan. In the following year he
sailed with only the latter.* That the means of
undertaking any voyage were placed in the hands
of so young a man, is highly creditable to his cha-
racter and good conduct. These might be called
preparatory or experimental enterprises, in which
he carefully reconnoitred the scene of future ex-
ploits ; improved his acquaintance with the islands
and coasts of South America; and amassed the
wealth which enabled him to extend his sphere of
discovery, and at once to enrich himself and his
owners.
Thus instructed, in 1572 he made his first bold
and daring attempt at reprisal. His squadron con-
sisted of two vessels of small burthen, the Pacha,
of seventy tons, commanded by himself, and the
Swan, of twenty-five tons, once more afloat, of
which his brother John was captain. Three pin-
* Biographia Britannica, vol. v. p. 344.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 23
naces, so constructed that they could be taken to
pieces or joined at pleasure, were put on board,
and his whole force consisted of seventy-three men
and boys. It appears, however, that after reach-
ing America he was joined, in a harbour which in
his former voyage he had named Port Pheasant, by
a vessel belonging to the Isle of Wight, commanded
by Captain Rawse.
On the 24th May he sailed from Plymouth, and
on the 22d July, in the night, made an attack on
Nombre de Dios.* This town was at that time what
Porto Bello, a much more convenient station, after-
wards became, the entrepot between the commodi-
ties of Old Spain and the wealth of Mexico and Peru ;
and in point of riches was imagined to be inferior
only to Panama on the western shore. It was, how-
ever, merely a stage in the transmission of treasure
and merchandise ; and at particular seasons the
town, which did not at any period exceed thirty
houses, was almost deserted. Drake's force is esti-
mated at about 150 men, half of which he left at a
small fort, and with the other division advanced in
cautious silence to the marketplace, when he or-
dered the calivers to be discharged, and the bugle
to be loudly sounded, the trumpet in the fort re-
plying, and the men firing at the same time. The
alarmed Spaniards, startled from their sleep, believed
the place to be attacked on all sides : some scarcely
awake fled to the mountains ; but a band of four-
teen or fifteen rallied, and, arming themselves with
* A relation of this adventure, written by Philip Nichols, preacher,
and afterwards published by Sir Francis Drake, nephew, neir, and
godson of the navigator, is both less accurate and circumstantial
than the .narrative of Lopez Vaz, who, if not an eyewitness, was
near the spot, and conversant with the actors and spectators.
24 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
harquebusses, repaired to the scene of action.* Disco-
vering the small number of the assailants, they took
courage, and fired their pieces, by which they killed
the trumpeter and wounded Drake. The men in
the fort, no longer hearing the bugle, which had
been the preconcerted signal, while the firing con-
tinued more briskly than before, became alarmed,
and fled to their pinnaces.
When their companions, retiring on the stronghold,
found it evacuated, they shared in the panic, has-
tened to the shore, leaving their equipments behind,
and by wading and swimming reached the boats.
One Spaniard looking from a window was killed
by a random shot.t
Disappointed of the rich booty expected in the
town, Drake, on information obtained from the
Cimarrones, a savage tribe in the isthmus, resolved
to intercept the mules employed in carrying treasure
from Panama to Nombre de Dios. Leaving his
small squadron moored within the Sound of Darien,
he set out, with some of his men and a number of
the barbarians, to attack this caravan ; but the plan,
although well laid, was in the first instance frus-
trated by a drunken seaman.
It was in this expedition that he first beheld the
Pacific, and received that vivid inspiration, which,
according to Camden, left him no rest in his mind
till he had accomplished his purpose of sailing an
English ship on its waters. The account of this
adventure, as given in one original history, is so inte-
resting and picturesque that we transfer it without
mutilation. After travelling certain days, it is said,
Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt. vol. iii. pp. 525, 526.
p. 526.
LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 25
" we came to the height of the desired hill (lying east
and west like a ridge between the two seas) about ten
of the clock ; where the chiefest of the Cimarrones
took our captain by the hand, and prayed him to
follow him. Here was that goodly and great high
tree, in which they had cut and made divers steps
to ascend near to the top, where they had made a
convenient bower, wherein ten or twelve men might
easily sit ; and from thence we might see the Atlan-
tic Ocean we came from, and the South Atlantic so
much desired. South and north of this tree they
had felled certain trees that the prospect might be
the clearer.
" After our captain had ascended to this bower
with the chief Cimarrone, and having, as it pleased
God at this time, by reason of the breeze, a very
fair day, had seen that sea of which he had heard
such golden reports ; he besought Almighty God of
his goodness to give him life and leave to sail once
in an English ship in that sea. And then, calling up
all the rest of our men, acquainted John Oxenham
especially with this his petition and purpose, if it
would please God to grant him that happiness : who,
understanding it, presently protested, that unless
our captain did beat him from his company, he
would follow him by God's grace."*
* Sir Francis Drake Revived (4to, London, 1653), p. 54, quoted
in Burney's Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. i. pp. 293, 294. It may be
mentioned that Oxenham was the first Englishman that spread his
sails on the Pacific. In the year 1575, incited by rumours of the
riches of Panama, " he determined to do that which never any
man before enterprised." Landing- on the north side of Darien,
he marched across the narrow neck of land, and having built a pin-
nace, embarked on the South Sea, and took two prizes. While
recrossing the isthmus he was taken captive, and was afterwards
executed at Lima Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 527- Purchas, part iv.
26 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
This enthusiasm of a noble ambition did not,
however, divert the thoughts of the adventurer from
enterprises of a more questionable description. Dis-
appointed at Nombre de Dios, and baffled in his de-
sign of intercepting the Spanish treasure, he now
unexpectedly met with a string of fifty mules laden
with gold and silver. Of the former, the greater
part was carried off, but the latter, being too heavy
for conveyance across the mountains, was concealed
in the shallow bed of a river till an opportunity
should occur for its removal. One of the seamen,
however, having fallen into the hands of the Spa-
niards, was put to the torture, and compelled to
discover the place where it lay; so that a party
which Drake subsequently despatched found very
little of it remaining. Two days after this exploit
he surprised Venta Cruz, a commercial station
between Panama and Nombre de Dios, where,
according to the Spanish account, he killed six or
seven merchants, set fire to the place, and destroy-
ed goods to the amount of 200,000 ducats. He
then retired to his ships, just in time to escape
a body of 300 Spaniards who had collected to at-
tack him.*
In this expedition a trait of character is recorded,
which at once marks the generosity and enlightened
policy of this great seaman. To the cacique of the
friendly Cimarrones he presented his own cutlass,
for which the chief had discovered a great long-
ing. In return the warrior gave him four large
wedges of gold, which Drake, declining to appro-
* Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 526. Fuller's Holy State,
p. 126. Prince's Worthies of Devon (4to, London, 1810), p. 31J.
tIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. 27
priate, threw into the common stock, saying " he
thought it but just that such as bore the charge
of so uncertain a voyage on his credit should share
the utmost advantage that voyage produced."* This
was considerable, and good fortune attended him to
the end of his enterprise; for he reached the Scilly
Isles in twenty-three days after leaving Cape Flo-
rida, probably the quickest passage that had yet
been made. It was in time of public service, on
Sunday the 9th August 1573, that he sailed into
Plymouth; and "news of his return being car-
ried into the church, there remained few or no
people with the preacher ; all running out to ob-
serve the blessing of God upon the dangerous ad-
ventures and endeavours of the captain, who had
wasted one year, two months, and some odd days
in this voyage."t
His next undertaking was of a more ambitious
character. With the wealth acquired thus gallantly,
and, in the opinion of most of his contemporaries,
fairly and honourably, though the means may not be
approved by the moral standard of a more enlightened
age, he fitted out three stout frigates, which, with
himself as a volunteer, he placed at the disposal of
Walter, earl of Essex, father of the celebrated fa-
vourite of Queen Elizabeth. : Of these he was
naturally appointed commander, and performed good
service in subduing the rebellion in Ireland. His
former reputation and his late exploits had now
acquired for him high fame and noble patronage.
He became known to her majesty through the intro-
* Biographia Britannica, vol. v. p. 344.
f Prince's Worthies of Devon, p. 318.
$ Stowe's Annals, p. 80J.
28 LIFE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE.
duction of her vice-chamberlain and privy-council-
lor, Sir Christopher Hatton, a distinction doubly
desirable, as it promised assistance in that great de-
sign which lay next his heart, inciting him night
and day to the performance of his vow.*
Though, in the enthusiasm of the moment of in-
spiration, Drake had betrayed his project, yet when
the time came for its accomplishment he maintained
an almost suspicious reserve, revolving in his mind his
favourite enterprise without confiding it to any one.
His character through life was that of a man who
listens to every one's counsel, but follows his own ;
and doubtless in the purpose he meditated there
was no judgment so well-informed and ripe.
* Camden's Annals, vol. ii. p. 478.
DRAKE S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
29
CHAPTER II.
Drakes Circumnavigation.
The Queen approves the New Expedition Drake's Squadron
Cape Cantin Muley Moloc Cape Blanco Mayo and Brava
The Brazilians Ostriches Natives of Seal Bay Their
Manners and Disposition Patagonians Unfortunate Affray
Stature of the Indians Port San Julian Trial and Execution of
Thomas Doughty Passage of the Strait The Natives The
Fleet separated Tierra del Fuego Fate of the Shallop's Crew
Cape Horn The Elizabethides Capture of Spanish Prizes-
Lamas with Treasure Capture of the Cacafuego The Hind
proceeds in Search of a North-east Passage Indians of New
Albion discovered Their singular Manners Drake crosses the
Pacific The Ladrones The Moluccas Remarkable Preserva-
tion Barateve Java The Voyage Home The Cape of Good
Hope Arrival at Plymouth Drake's Fame The Queen visits
his Ship.
in fhp ypar 1&77, w^ra still
ft f t
fhmigh tfrf* national pjnmnsify
of agoTPssinn
and if Elizabeth did not absolutely discountenance,
her policy forbade an open approval of a project so
equivocalasjhat which Drake contemplated. There
cannotrEowever, be any doubt.that the plan of his
integflecTVoyage was laidj^ejgrelier majesty, who,
once"cdnvmced of its importance and_of the glory and
advantage which might be de^iyed_tojier kingdom
from its prosperous issue, waTeasily reconciled to the
justice ofwhat appeared so expedient. The design
accordingiyleems at lasftoTiave received her de-
30 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
cided though secret approbation. In one narrative
it is even affirmed that the commander held a
royal commission ;* but, though this is not very
probable, there appears no reason to discredit the
statement, that at a parting interview the queen
presented him with a sword, adding this emphatic
speech, " We do account that he which striketh at
thee, Drake, striketh at us." If this verbal warrant
does not save him from the charge of piracy, it will
at least divide the shame with his sovereign.
The celebrity already enjoyed by the navigator
may be gathered from the readiness with which
friends and admirers intrusted to him their ships
and the means of equipping an expedition, whereof
the destination lay hid in his own bosom. Nor,
though the frightful sufferings of Hawkins' crew and
more recent disasters were still fresh in the public
memory, did he lack able and active officers or sea-
men, eager to follow him blindfold in his mysterious
enterprise. To the more sordid, the hope of spoil
might perhaps form the only incentive; but many,
without doubt, were influenced by nobler motives.
The fleet was ostensibly fitted out for a trading
voyage to Alexandria ; though this pretence deceived
no one, and least of all the watchful Spaniards. It
consisted of five ships, the largest of which, named
the Pelican and not exceeding 120 tons burden,
was commanded by the captain-general. The others
were, the Elizabeth, a bark of 80 tons, placed
under Captain John Winter; the Swan, a fly-boat
of 50 tons, Captain John Chester ; the Marygold, a
bark of 30 tons, Captain John Thomas ; and the
Christopher, a pinnace of 15 tons, Captain Thomas
* Prince's Worthies of Devon, p. 318.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 31
Moone. The Benedict, of 12 tons, accompanied the
Elizabeth ; and the frames of four small vessels were
taken out, to be set up as they were wanted. Drake,
like Columbus and Cook, preferred at all times
vessels of light weight to ships of large and un-
wieldy size, as better fitted for threading narrow and
intricate channels, and coasting unknown shores.
The crews of his little squadron consisted of one
hundred and sixty-four men, " gentlemen and sail-
ers ;"* and we are informed by Princet that he did
not omit " provision for ornament and delight, carry-
ing with him expert musicians, rich furniture (all
the vessels for his table, yea, many belonging to his
cook-room, being of pure silver), with divers shows
of all sorts of curious workmanship, whereby the
civility and magnificence of his native country
might, among all nations whither he should come,
be the more admired." The anxiety displayed for
the proper equipment of his fleet, the extent of the
preparations, the quantity of the arms and stores,
and the improbability that its leader, after his late
exploits, should undertake a peaceful expedition for
traffic, had, in part, betrayed his intentions before he
left England ; but when, after being some days at
sea, he appointed, in case of separation, a rendez-
vous at an island in the Atlantic, on the coast of Bar-
bary, no doubt could remain that his enterprise
pointed to an object more distant and important
than Alexandria.
Though it is probable that the bold design of
crossing the Pacific was not at first contemplated by
Drake, and only suggested by the circumstances in
which he was afterwards placed, he is not the less
* Hakiayt,~voL~iiL p. 732. fTVorthles^Devon, p. 318.
32 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
entitled to the praise he has often received for re-
solving on the hazardous enterprise of penetrating
with so small a force the channel explored by Ma-
gellan, and of adventuring into unknown seas to
contend with an enemy possessed of such power
and resources. The voyage through the straits
had so long been abandoned by the Spaniards,
that the passage was currently reported to have
closed up ; and among that nation a superstitious
prejudice was conceived against all farther attempts
in the South Sea, which, it was asserted, had proved
fatal to every one who had engaged in the discovery
or even in the navigation of its waters.
On the 15th day of November the squadron set
sail, but, encountering a violent storm, was next
morning forced into Falmouth ; the mainmast of
the Pelican being cut away, and the Marygold driven
on shore and shattered. This was a disheartening
commencement ; but, notwithstanding, the adven-
turers, after refitting at Plymouth, took a second
departure on the 13th December.*
Proceeding prosperously, on Christmas-day they
reached Cape Cantin, on the coast of Barbary, and
on the 27th found a safe and convenient harbour
in Mogadore, an island of moderate height and
nearly a league in circuit, lying about a mile from
the mainland. Having sent a boat to sound, they
entered the port by the north approach, the southern
access being found rocky and shallow. Here Drake
anchored that he might put together one of the
pinnaces for service ; and, while thus engaged,
some Moors appeared, displaying a white flag, and
making signals to be taken on board. Two of su-
* Biographia Britannica, vol. v. p. 345. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 730.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 33
perior condition were brought to the ships, a sea-
man being left as a hostage for their safe return. The
strangers were courteously received and hospitably
regaled by the captain-general, who presented them
with linen, shoes, and a javelin. When sent on shore
the mariner was restored ; and next day, as several
loaded camels were seen approaching, it was natur-
ally presumed that their burdens were provisions
and merchandise, and the English despatched a boat
to trade. On reaching the land, a sailor, more alert
than his comrades, leaped among the Moors, and was
instantly snatched up and thrown across a horse,
when the whole party set off at a round gallop. The
crew, instead of attempting to rescue their companion,
consulted their personal safety by an immediate re-
treat to the ships. Indignant at this treachery,
Drake landed in order to recover his countryman or
inflict vengeance on the natives, but was compelled
to return without accomplishing his object. It was
subsequently ascertained that this violence was com-
mitted with the view of supplying information to
the king, the famous Muley Moloc, respecting an ar-
mament then fitting out by the Portuguese against
his territories, an invasion that soon afterwards
took place, and of which the results are well known.
Before the prisoner was dismissed from his examina-
tion, the ships had sailed ; but he was well treated,
and permitted to return to England by the first op-
portunity which occurred.*
The fleet, having taken in wood, sailed on the
31st December, and on the 17th January 1578
reached Cape Blanco, having on the cruise captured
three caunters, as the Spanish fishing-boats were
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 95. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 730.
34 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
called, and two caravels, one of which was after-
wards set at liberty. A ship, surprised with only
two men on board, shared the same fate. At this pro-
montory they remained four days to fish j and while
on shore the commander exercised his crews in arms,
thus studying both their health and the maintenance
of good discipline.* From the stores of the fisher-
men they selected such commodities as they wanted ;
but fresh water was at this season so scarce that, in-
stead of obtaining a supply, Drake, compassionating
the condition of the natives, who came down from
the heights offering ambergris and gums in exchange
for it, generously filled their leathern bags without
accepting any recompense, and otherwise treated
them humanely and hospitably. Having here re-
leased four of the prizes, the voyagers sailed on the
22d, carrying with them a caunter of 40 tons burden,
for which the owners received, as a slight indem-
nification, the pinnace Benedict. After six days
they came to anchor at the west side of Mayo, an
island where, according to the information of one
of their prisoners, abundance of dried goat's flesh
might be had, the inhabitants preparing a store an-
nually for the use of the passing ships. But the
people, mostly herdsmen and husbandmen employed
by the Portuguese of the island of San Jago, would
have no intercourse with the English, having pro-
bably been warned of danger.t Next day a party
of sixty-two men landed, commanded by Captain
Winter and Thomas Doughty. They repaired to
what was described as the capital, by which must
be understood only the principal aggregation of
cabins or huts ; but the natives had fled, having pre-
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 96. f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 731.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 35
viously salted the springs. The country appeared
fertile, especially in the valleys ; and in the depth of
the European winter they feasted on ripe and deli-
cious grapes. The land also produced cocoa-nuts,
and they saw abundance of goats and wild hens ;
though these, as well as fresh water, were unfortu-
nately too far distant from the ships to be available.
Salt produced by the heat of the sun formed here
an article of commerce, and one of the prizes made
was a caravel employed in that traffic.*
Leaving Mayo on the 30th, they captured, on
the south-west side of San Jago, a Portuguese vessel
bound to Brazil, laden with wine, cloth, and general
merchandise, and having numerous passengers on
board. The command of this bark was given to
Doughty, who was soon afterwards superseded by
Thomas Drake, a brother of the commodore. This
is the first time we hear of offences being charged
against the former ill-fated person ; who is said to
have appropriated to his own use certain presents,
probably given by the Portuguese prisoners as bribes
to obtain good usage. These captives Drake dis-
missed at the first convenient place, giving every
passenger his wearing- apparel, and presenting them
with a butt of wine and other provisions, and with
the pinnace he had set up at Mogadore.t He de-
tained the pilot, Nuno da Silva, an expert mariner,
who was well acquainted with the coast of Brazil,
and afterwards published a minute and accurate
account of the voyage. :f
Here, in the vicinity of the place named by the
Portuguese Isla del Fogo or the Burning Island, from
Haklnyt, vol. iii. p. 731. f Ibid. p. 732.
$ Ibid. p. 742. Narrative of Nuno da Silva.
36 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
" a consuming fire, the matter whereof is said to be
sulphur/' lies a spot, described in the early narratives
as a terrestrial paradise, " a most pleasante iland,
the trees whereof are alwayes greene, and sweete,
and faire to looke upon; in respect whereof they
call it Ilha Brava, that is, The Brave Island. From
the bankes thereof into the sea doe run in many
places reasonable streames of fresh water," with
which ships may easily be supplied. There was,
however, no convenient harbour nor anchorage to
be found ; the volcanic tops of Del Fogo, " burn-
ing not so high in the ayre, but the rootes of Brava
are quenched as low in the sea."*
The navigators now approached the equinoctial
line, where they were sometimes becalmed, and at
others tossed by stormy tempests and seas. In their
progress they were chiefly indebted to the copious
rains for a seasonable supply of water. They also
caught dolphins, bonitos, and flying-fish, which fell
on the decks, " wherehence they could not rise againe
for want of moisture, for when their wings are drie
they cannot flie."t On the 2d of February they
had left the shore of Brava, and on the 28th of
March the Portuguese prize, which was their wine-
cellar and store, was separated in a tempest, but to
their great satisfaction rejoined them next day. On
the 5th of April they made the coast of Brazil, in
31 30'J south ; and the natives having discovered the
ships, lighted great fires, performed various incan-
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 732. f Ibid.
Another account says 38 south. In determining the latitude
or longitude, the authority of Burney is generally followed in this
volume, as his eminent practical skill makes his observations on the
discrepancies in the different accounts of great value.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 37
tations, and offered sacrifices, as was imagined, to
their demons, that they might raise storms to sink
the strangers. To these diabolical arts the mari-
ners doubtless attributed the violent lightning,
thunder, and rain, which they encountered in this
latitude.*
Near a headland, named by them Cape Joy, the
air was mild and salubrious, the soil rich and fertile.
Troops of wild deer, " large and mightie," were the
only living creatures seen on this part of the coast,
though the foot-prints of men of large stature were
traced on the ground. Some seals were caught
here ; for on no occasion did the crews neglect to se-
cure a supply of fresh provisions. On the 14th of
April, they anchored within the entrance of the Rio
de la Plata, the appointed rendezvous in case of
separation after leaving the Cape de Verd Islands ;
and here the caunter, which had separated in a
gale on the 7th, rejoined, when the expedition sailed
eighteen leagues farther into the river, where they
killed "certaine sea-wolves commonly called seales."t
Having obtained fresh water, and finding no good
harbour, the fleet on the 27th stood out to sea, and
steered to the southward. The Swan parted com-
pany the first night, and the caunter, ever apt to go
astray, was separated ten days afterwards. On the
12th May, in 47 south, a headland was descried,
within which was a bay that promised safe har-
bourage ; but the entrance being rocky, Drake an-
chored for the night at the distance of some miles
from the shore, and on the following morning went
off in a boat to explore the inlet. J Before he made
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 732. f Ibid.
$ Voyage of John Winter, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 750.
38 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
the land, a thick fog, succeeded by bad weather,
concealed from him the sight of the fleet; upon
which the several ships' companies became alarmed
for their leader, in whom all their hopes of fortune,
fame, and even of safety, were placed. The Mary-
gold stood into the bay, picked up the captain-
general, and came to anchor ; but in the mean time
the other vessels, as the gale increased, were com-
pelled to stand out to sea. Next day Drake landed
again, and several natives came in sight, to whom
a white flag was waved in token of amity, and as a
signal to approach ; but, though they seemed to ac-
knowledge the symbol of peace, they kept at a wary
distance.
The commander now ordered fires to be lighted
as signals to the ships ; and they all rejoined, ex-
cept the Swan, and the Mary, as the Portuguese
prize was now named.*
In a sort of storehouse here, amongst the rocks,
above fifty dried ostriches, besides other fowls, were
found deposited by the savages. It was suggest-
ed by some of the English that these had been
left as a donation ; and Drake, whether believing
or not in so rare an instance of hospitality, ap-
propriated them to the use of his company. It is
a charitable conjecture of Burney, that some pre-
sent was left in return. The manner in which the
ostriches were snared deserves to be noticed. Plumes
of feathers being affixed to a piece of wood so as to
resemble the head and neck of the animal, the
hunter concealed himself behind these decoys, and,
moving onwards, drove his prey into some narrow
* Barney's Chronological H istory of the Discoveries in the South
Sea (5 vols 4to, London, 1803-1817), vol. i. p. 312.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 39
tongue of land, across which strong nets were placed.
The return of the birds, which run, but cannot fly,*
being thus intercepted, they were hunted and cap-
tured by means of dogs.t
The choice of the place in which the fleet now lay
had been dictated by necessity alone. On the 15th
it was abandoned, and on the 17th anchorage was
found in a good port, in 47 30' south. Here seals
were so plentiful that upwards of 200 were slaughter-
ed in an hour. J While a party was filling the water-
casks, killing seals, and salting fowls for future pro-
vision, Drake in the Pelican, and Captain Winter
in the Elizabeth, set out on different courses in quest
of the Swan and the Portuguese prize. On the
same day the captain-general fell in with the first-
named vessel, and, before attempting the straits,
formed the prudent resolution of diminishing the
cares and hazards of the voyage by reducing the
number of his ships. The Swan was accordingly
broken up for firewood, after all her materials and
stores had been removed.
When the squadron had been here several days,
a party of the natives came to the shore, dancing,
leaping, and making signs of invitation to a few sea-
men, who were on a small island which at low water
communicated with the mainland. They were a
handsome, strong, agile race, lively and alert.
Their only covering was the skin of an animal,
which, worn about their middle when walking, was
It is to be understood that in this volume objects of Natural
History are often described according to the notions of early voy-
agers, and not as farther observation and discovery would warrant.
j- The World Encompassed, p. 19, quoted in Burney, vol. i.
p. 312.
+ Hakluyt, voL iii. pp. 733, 751. Ibid. p. 733.
40 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
wrapped round their shoulders while they squatted
or lay on the ground. Their bodies were painted
after a grotesque fashion. Though fancy and inge-
nuity were displayed in the figures, and in the
contrast and variety of colours, it is reasonable to
conclude that the practice had its origin in utility,
and was adopted either as a means of exciting terror
in war, or as a defence against cold, ornament
being at first only a secondary consideration, though,
as in more refined regions, it sometimes usurped the
place of the principal object.* White moons were
exhibited to advantage on a black ground, and black
suns on a white one ; some had one shoulder black
and the other white ; but these were probably per-
sons who carried the mode to the extreme.t
Perceiving that the signals were interpreted in
a friendly way, Drake despatched a boat with such
small wares as were likely to be acceptable to
the natives. As it approached the land, two of
the group, who had been standing on a height,
moved swiftly down, but stopt short at a little dis-
tance. The presents were fastened to a stake, and
left on the shore ; and after the seamen put off they
were removed. In return, such arms and ornaments
as the savages wore were deposited on the beach,
or fastened to the same pole.J Thus a friendly if
not a very profitable traffic was established. For
such trifles as the English bestowed, they gave in
return the only articles they possessed to which
value was attached. These were bows an ell in
" Johnson's Life of Drake, Works (edit. Oxford, 1825), vol. vi.
p. 347.
f Burney, vol. i. p. 314. Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 733, 751.
Burney, vol. i. p. 313.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 41
length,* arrows made of reeds and pointed with
flint, feathers, and carved bones. Some of them
" had on their heads the similitude of horns,"t
a singular ornament still used by the Californians.
By one of the voyagers they are described as of large
stature ; but neither the account which appears to
have been authorized by Drake, nor the original nar-
rative of Captain Winter, drawn up by Cliffe, cor-
roborates this assertion. They are spoken of as peo-
ple of a strong make, middle-sized, and extremely
active. J They were of a gay and cheerful disposi-
tion ; the sound of the trumpets delighted them ;
and they danced merrily with the sailors. " One
of the giants," says Fletcher, in his manuscript ac-
count of the voyage, " standing with our men tak-
ing their morning's draught, showed himself so fa-
miliar, that he also would do as they did, and taking
a glass in his hand (being strong Canary wine), it
came no sooner to his lips than it took him by the
nose, and so suddenly entered his head, that he was
so drunk, or at least so overcome, that he fell on his
bottom, not able to stand ; yet he held the glass fast
in his hand, without spilling any of the wine, and
when he came to himself, he tried again, and tast-
ing, by degrees got to the bottom, from which time
he took such a liking to the wine, that having learnt
the name, he would every morning come down the
mountains with a mighty cry of 'Wine! wine! wine!'
continuing the same till he arrived at the tent."
Their principal article of food was the flesh of seals,
and sometimes that of other animals ; all which they
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 751. f Ibid. p. 733.
+ Ibid. p. 732.
MS. Account by Francis Fletcher, in Burney, vol. i. p. 316.
42 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
roasted, or rather scorched for a few minutes, in
large lumps of six pounds weight, and then devour-
ed nearly raw, " men and women tearing it in
pieces with their teeth like lions."*
The fleet sailed from Seal Bay, as this place was
named, on the 3d June, and on the ]2th came to an-
chor in an inlet where they remained two days, dur-
ing which they dismantled the caunter, and allowed
her to drift ; and thus, by reducing their force, di-
minished the danger of separation. From the 14th
to the 17th June they cruised in search of the Mary,
the Portuguese prize, and then came to anchor in a
bay in 50 20' south. On the 19th the missing ves-
sel was found, and next day the whole squadron
moored in Port San Julian, in 49 30' south ; where,
says one relation, " we found a gibbet standing
upon the maine, which we supposed to be the place
where Magellan did execution upon some of his
disobedient and rebellious company ."t So soon as
the ships were safely stationed, Drake and several
of his officers went off in a boat to examine the
capabilities of the coast, and on landing, met two of
the natives, who appeared to give them welcome.
A few trifles presented to them were accepted
with pleasure, and they were apparently delighted
by the dexterity with which the gunner used the
English bow in a trial of skill, sending his ar-
rows so far beyond their best range. Nothing,
however, can be more fickle and capricious than
the friendship of most uncivilized tribes. A savage
of less amiable disposition than his companions ap-
* MS. Account by Francis Fletcher, in Burney, vol. i. p. 315.
f- Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 733. Winter's relation in Hakluyt, vol.
iii. p. 751, states that they found the bones of their dead bodies.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 43
preached, and with menacing gestures signified to
the crew to be gone. Robert Winter, displeased
with the interruption given to their pastime by this
churlish fellow, between jest and earnest bent his
bow, partly in intimidation, but also to show the
superiority of our archery. The string unfortunately
snapped ; and while he was repairing it, a sudden
shower of arrows wounded him in the shoulder and
the side. Oliver, the gunner, instantly levelled his
piece ; but it missed fire, and the attempt proved the
signal for his destruction. He was pierced through
with a shaft, which, entering his breast, came out
at his back, and he died instantly. At this critical
moment Drake commanded the rest of the party to
cover themselves with their targets, and advance
upon the savages, whose forces were rapidly increas-
ing. With his usual presence of mind, too, he di-
rected his men to break every arrow aimed at them,
as the assailants must thus soon expend their stock.
The captain-general probably remembered at this
juncture that, in the conflict where Magellan lost
his life, the shafts were picked up by the people of
Matan, and repeatedly used, as they drove the
Spaniards into the water. At the same instant
in which he gave the order, he seized the gunner's
piece, and taking aim at the man who had killed
Oliver, shot him in the belly. This turned the fate
of the hour, and probably prevented the massacre of
the voyagers ; for numbers of Patagonians were
seen hastening from the woods to support their
countrymen, when the cries of the wounded man
struck with panic those already engaged, and the
whole fled. It was not thought prudent to pursue
them, nor even to tarry on shore ; Mr Winter was
44 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
therefore borne off to the ships, where he soon after-
wards died of his wounds. In the haste of embark-
ation the body of the gunner was left; but next
day it was found uninjured, save that an English
arrow had been thrust into the left eye. The clothes
were in part stripped off, and formed into a pillow
or truss, which was placed under the head of the
corpse.*
This unfortunate affray appears to have been
more the consequence of misunderstanding than of
design ; and the usage of the dead body, as well as
the subsequent conduct of the natives, evince a less
revengeful and ferocious disposition than is commonly
displayed even among the mildest savages when
inflamed by recent battle. During the remainder
of the time that the fleet lay here no farther mo-
lestation was offered to the navigators.
The stature of these tribes, and of the barbarians
inhabiting the northern margin of the straits, has
been the subject of dispute from the voyage of Ma-
gellan to our own times. Cliffe says, " These men
be of no such stature as the Spaniardes report, being
but of the height of Englishmen : for I have scene
men in England taller then I could see any of them.
But peradventure," he continues, " the Spaniard
did not thinke that any Englishmen would have
come thither so soone to have disproved them in
this and divers others of their notorious lies."t
The author of " The World Encompassed" makes
the height of these people seven feet and a half. It
is not unlikely that the mists, haze, and storms,
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 751. World Encompassed, quoted in
Burney, vol. i. pp. 317, 318.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 751, 752. See also Edinburgh Cabinet
Library, No. XXI. p. 199-201.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 45
through which they were often partially seen on
this wild coast, perched on a rock or grovelling on
the ground, may be the origin of the pigmies and
giants of the early navigators ; but that tribes pos-
sessing a tall though not gigantic stature were seen
in the South Sea Islands, and also on the western
shores of the continent of America, near its southern
extremity, does not admit of doubt.*
While the fleet lay at Port San Julian an event
occurred, which some authors have considered as the
most questionable act in the life of its commander.
Thomas Doughty, a man of talent, and probably
of an ill-regulated ambition, had served in the
squadron, and it is said enjoyed in a high degree the
affection and confidence of the captain-general, who
must have voluntarily selected him as one of his com-
pany. He was at this place accused of conspiracy
and mutiny ; of a design to massacre Drake and the
principal officers, and thus defeat the objects of the ex-
* The Patagonian race is still among the least known of all the
tribes of the New World. There is no doubt, however, of its exist-
ence, nor of the fact that it is characterized by proportions generally
exceeding the ordinary dimensions of mankind. The Patagonian
people are of limited numbers, and inhabit the eastern shores of the
most southern point of the American continent, under a cold and steril
clime. They wander about from one district to another, and are
but imperfectly civilized. Their dispositions, however, are peace-
able, although their great bodily strength would seem to fit them
for warlike enterprise; but it frequently happens that gigantic forms
are not accompanied by a corresponding increase of physical energy.
The average height of these people' is about six feet, a stature
which is also extremely common among the chiefs and nobles of
the South Sea Islands. The complexion of the Patagonians is
tawny ; their hair, of which the colour is black or brown, is lank,
and for the most part very long. It appears that they have
succeeded in the training of horses, an unusual accomplishment in
a tribe otherwise so uncivilized; but this, of course, must have
been a comparatively modern exercise of their ingenuity, as these
animals were unknown in America prior to the period of the Spanish
conquest.
C
46 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
pedition. The details of this unfortunate transaction
are scanty, obscure, and perplexed ; and no contem-
porary writer notices any specific ground of charge.
Cliffe dismisses the subject in this brief sentence,
" Mr Thomas Doughty was brought to his an-
swere, was accused and convicted of certaine articles,
and by Mr Drake condemned."* The account in
tc The World Encompassed" is more elaborate, but
though it assumes the tone of an apology for the
commander, is not much more satisfactory. It con-
tains strong general accusations, without any record
of the facts, or proof of the allegations. These
early chroniclers appear either thoroughly satisfied
of the guilt of the culprit, or indifferent to the
propriety of convincing others of the justice and
necessity of his sentence. Doughty had pre-
viously been called in question for accepting gifts
or bribes while in the Portuguese prize; and ac-
cording to one account the treason for which he
suffered was of old date. Before the fleet left Ply-
mouth, it is said, he had been hatching plots against
his commander, who refused to believe " that a
person whom he so dearly loved would conceive
such evil purposes against him, till at length per-
ceiving that the manifold practices grew daily more
and more, and that lenity and favour did little good,
he thought it high time to call these practices into
question ; and therefore, setting good watch over
him, and assembling all his captains and gentlemen
of his company together, he propounded to them the
good parts which were in the gentleman, the great
good-will and inward affection, more than brotherly,
which he had ever since his first acquaintance borne
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p, 752.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 47
him, not omitting the respect which was had of him
among no mean personages in England ; and after-
wards delivered the letters which were written to
him (Drake), with the particulars from time to
time, which had been observed not so much by him-
self as by his good friends ; not only at sea, but
even at Plymouth ; not bare words, but writings ; not
writings alone, but actions, tending to the overthrow
of the service in hand and making away of his per-
son. Proofs were required and alleged, so many
and so evident, that the gentleman himself, stricken
with remorse of his inconsiderate and unkind deal-
ing, acknowledged himself to have deserved death,
yea, many deaths ; for that he conspired, not only
the overthrow of the action, but of the principal
actor also."* The account continues in the same
strain, asserting that forty of the principal men
of the squadron adjudged the culprit to death,
and gave this sentence under their hands and
seals, leaving the manner to the captain, who al-
lowed the unfortunate man the choice of being
abandoned on the coast, taken back to England to
answer to the lords of the queen's council, or exe-
cuted on the spot. He chose the last, " desiring
only," it is said, " that he and the general might
once more receive the holy communion together
before his death, and that he might not die other
than the death of a gentleman." Drake accordingly
received the sacrament with the condemned man,
and afterwards they dined together " at the same
table, as cheerfully in sobriety as ever in their lives
they had done ; and taking their leave, by drinking
to each other, as if some short journey only had
* World Encompassed, p. 32, cited by Burney, voL i. p. 320.
48 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
been in hand." Without farther delay, all things
being in readiness, Doughty walked forth, and hav-
ing requested the bystanders to pray for him, sub-
mitted his neck to the executioner.*
Camden's version of this transaction does not dif-
fer materially from the above. But the chaplain of
the fleet, Francis Fletcher, left in manuscript a
journal of the voyage, now deposited in the Bri-
tish Museum, which contradicts many of the state-
ments in the other relations. He asserts that the
criminal utterly denied, upon his salvation, the truth
of the charges against him, both at the time of com-
municating, and at the hour and moment of his exe-
cution. There is nothing in this narrative that can
warrant the belief of a choice of life or death hav-
ing been given him upon any conditions ; and it is
evident that, in the opinion of its author, Doughty
was an innocent man, the victim of a conspiracy not
rigidly sifted by the commander, and in which the
actors too probably consulted his secret wishes. The
accuracy of Fletcher, however, in other parts of his
narrative, appears questionable, and that portion of
it which relates to this occurrence may not be more
unimpeachable than the rest.
The fleet had not long left England when the
affair of the Portuguese prisoners, in which, though
there might be dishonour, there was certainly no
crime deserving the punishment of death, was
brought against him. But in Port San Julian, the
chaplain remarks, " more dangerous matter is laid
to his charge, and by the same persons (John Brewer,
Edward Bright, and others of their friends), name-
ly, for words spoken by him to them in the general's
* World Encompassed, p. 32.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 49
garden at Plymouth, long before our departure,
which had been their part or duty to have dis-
covered them at the time, and not to have concealed
them for a time and place not so fitting."* Besides
the vague charges made of plots and mutinous con-
duct, and the singular offence of being " an emu-
lator of the glory of his commander," another cause
is assigned for the fate of this gentleman, which, if
it were supported by reasonable proof, would fix a
deeper stigma on the character of Drake. In Eng-
land, under Elizabeth, the age of dark intrigue had
succeeded the times of ferocity and open violence ;
but the dependents of the leading men in the state
were still as criminally subservient to the flagitious
designs of their patrons as when their daggers were
freely drawn in their service. It was alleged, that
the captain carried this unfortunate man to sea to rid
the powerful Earl of Leicester of a dangerous prater,
and in time and place convenient to revenge his
quarrel.t
It is probable that the intimacy of Doughty with
the great navigator had commenced in Ireland, as
both had served under Walter, first earl of Essex ;
and it is affirmed, that the real crime of the former
consisted in his having accused Leicester of causing
poison to be administered to his noble rival, of which
few men in England believed him wholly guiltless.
On the other hand, Essex was the patron of Drake,
who, it is plausibly argued, was thus much more likely
to protect than punish a friend to that nobleman. It
* Fletcher's MS. Account, quoted by Burney, vol. i. p. 321.
J* " Multi de nece illius varie disseruere, nee deerant qui cre-
derent Dracum in secretis raandatis a Leicestrio habuisse, ut
Doughteium quovis raodo tolleret interficeretque, quia hssexium
Leicestrii scelere sublatum vulgo jactaverat." Robert! Johnstoni
Historia Rerum Britannicarura. Amstel. 1655, p. 67.
50 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
may be farther pleaded in his behalf, that, with the
exception of the chaplain, no man nor officer in the
fleet has recorded any objection to the justice of the
sentence, though the affair, after the return of the ex-
pedition, was canvassed in England.* In his whole
course of life Drake maintained the character of in-
tegrity and humanity ; nor was he deficient in gene-
rosity. He at all times discovered a strong sense of
religion and of moral obligation, except in the case of
the Spaniards and Portuguese, for which, however,
"sea-divinity" and the public morals of that age were
sufficient exculpation. That to conceal the crimes or
execute the vengeance of Leicester he could have put
an innocent man to death, is too monstrous for belief;
and that, conscious of the deepest injustice, he should
have gone through the solemn religious observances
which preceded the execution of his brother-officer,
presents a picture of hypocrisy and cold-blooded
cruelty almost incredible. The case seems to resolve
itself into the simple necessity of keeping up discipline
in the squadron, and maintaining that personal
authority which, in a commander, is a duty even
more important than self-preservation. Drake's no-
tions of this might have been somewhat overstrain-
ed ; nor is it unlikely that he unconsciously imbibed
slight feelings of jealousy of " this emulator of his
glory."t Every one who mentions Doughty speaks
* In a relation (written by himself) of the marvellous adventures
of Peter Carder, a shipwrecked seaman, belonging to Drake's fleet,
we find that when, after his long detention and miraculous escape
from the savages and the " Portugals," he returned to England, on
being examined before the queen, she questioned him "of the man-
ner of Master Dowtie's execution." Purchas, part iv. p. 1190.
j- It is not improbable, that to the jealousy with which Drake is
said to have regarded the talents and enterprise of Doughty, may
be traced the origin of a legend still current in the birthplace of
the great navigator, where he is famous, among the common people,
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 51
of him as a man of great endowments : Mr Fletcher
is warm in his praise ; Camden,* even when relat-
ing his crimes, calls him " an industrious and stout
man/' and, it would appear, that he was of sufficient
consequence to be imagined the cause of disquiet to
the all-powerful Leicester.
Immediately after the execution, Drake, who to
his other qualities added the gift of a bold natural
eloquence, addressed his whole company, exhort-
ing them to " unitie, obedience, love, and regard of
our voyage ; and for the better confirmation thereof
willed every man the next Sunday following to
prepare himselfe to receive the communion, as Chris-
tian brethren and friends ought to doe ; which was
done in very reverent sort, and so with good con-
tentment every man went about his businesse."t
Doubt and darkness will, however, always hang
over this transaction, were it only for the simple
reason that no formal record was kept of the proceed-
ings. Doughty was interred along with Mr Winter
and the gunner on an island in the harbour ; and
the chaplain relates, that he erected a stone, and carv-
as a magician of marvellous power. " The story says, that whilst
he was once sailing in foreign seas he had on board the vessel a
boy of uncommonly quick parts. In order to put them to the proof,
Sir Francis questioned the youth, and bade him tell what might be
their antipodes at that moment The boy without hesitation told
him Barton Place (for so Buckland Abbey was then called), the
admiral's own mansion in his native county. After the ship had
made some further progress, Sir Francis repeated his question, and
the answer he received was, that they were then at the anti-
podes of London Bridge. Drake, surprised at the accuracy of the
boy's knowledge, exclaimed, ' Hast thou, too, a devil ? If I let
thee live, there will be one a greater man than I am in the world ;'
and, so saying, he threw the lad overboard into the sea, where he
perished." Mrs Bray's Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy, vol.
uTp. 173.
* Annals of Elizabeth, in Rennet, vol. ii. p. 478.
t Hakluyt, voL iii. p. 733.
52 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
edon it the names of these unfortunate Englishmen,
and the date of their burial.*
The ships, by the breaking up of the Portuguese
prize, which had become leaky, were now reduced
to three ; and being " trimmed" and supplied with
wood and water, and such other necessaries as could
be obtained, they sailed from this " port accursed"t
on the 17th August. Cliffe relates, that while they
lay here the weather, though in July and August,
was colder than at midwinter in Britain.^ On
the 20th they made Cape de las Virgenes, entered
the Strait of Magellan, and on the 24th anchored
tliirty leagues within it. Here Drake changed the
name of his ship, calling her, in compliment to his
friend Sir Christopher Hatton, the Golden Hind,
which was probably a part of the armorial bearings
of the knight.
The eastern mouth of the channel was found about
a league broad ; the land bare and flat. On the
north side Indians were seen making great fires;
but on the south no inhabitants appeared. The
length was computed at 110 leagues. The tide was
seen to rise (setting in from both sides) about five
fathoms. It met about the middle, but rather nearer
to the western entrance. The narrowest part of the
strait was a league across ; elsewhere it was two,
three, and four leagues in breadth. Where the ships
came to anchor on the 24th were three small islands,
on which they killed 3000 " of birds (penguins)
having no wings, but short pineons, which serve
* Fletcher's MS. Narrative, quoted in Burney's Chron. Hist.
DISCOY., vol. i. p. 323.
t Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 791.
+ Winter's Narrative by Cliffe, in H
akluyt, vol. iii. p. 752.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 53
their turne in swimming." They were as " fat as
an English goose."*
' f The land on both sides," it is said, " is very huge
and mountainous,, the lower mountains whereof, al-
though they be monstrous and wonderfull to looke
upon for their height, yet there are others which in
height exceede them in a strange maner, reaching
themselves above their fellowes so high, thatbetweene
them did appeare three regions of cloudes. These
mountaines are covered with snow: at both the
southerly and easterly partes of the streight there
are islands, among which the sea hath his indraught
into the streights, even as it hath in the maine en-
trance of the freat (frith or firth). This streight is
extreme cold, with frost and snow continually ; the
trees seeme to stoope with the burden of the weather,
and yet are greene continually, and many good and
sweete herbes doe very plentifully grow and increase
under them."t
Near the western extremity a number of narrow
channels, with which the whole of that side abounds,
occasioned some difficulty in the navigation; and
Drake, with his usual caution, brought the fleet
to anchor near an island, while he went out in his
boat to explore these various openings into the South
Sea. Soon after some natives of a small stature
were seen close at hand, in a skiff constructed of
the bark of trees, of which material the people also
formed vessels for domestic use. The canoes were
semicircular, being high in the prow and stern;
and the seams were secured by a lacing of thongs
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 734. Ibid. p. 752. Relation of Nuno da
Silva. Ibid. p. 743.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 734. Purchas, part i. p. 49.
54 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
of seal-skill, fitted so nicely that there was little
leakage. The tools of these ingenious savages were
formed of the shell of a very large species of
muscle, found in the straits, and which was observed
to contain seed-pearls. These they prepared so skil-
fully as to cut the hardest wood, and even bone.
One of their dwellings, which might however be but
a fishing-hut, was seen rudely formed of poles stuck
in the ground, over which skins were stretched.*
Early in September the western entrance was
reached ; and, on the 6th of the same month, Drake
attained the long-desired happiness of sailing an
English ship on the South Sea.t It is well known
that Magellan had discovered and passed through
this famous strait in 1520,J that six years after-
wards it was again penetrated by Loyasa, and that,
in 1558, it was accurately examined by Juan Ladril-
Ieros, who had sailed with this view from Val-
divia. Drake was the fourth person who performed
the passage, and he accomplished the arduous ad^
venture with greater speed || and better fortune than
had attended any of his predecessors. The tem-
perature was also much milder than had been ex-
perienced by former navigators ; or perhaps the Eng-
lish seamen were more hardy than those of Spain,
and complained less of the cold.
One main object contemplated by Drake was the
discovery of a North-east Passage, by following the
bold and novel track his genius had chalked out,
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 324.
f Hakluyt, vol. lii. p. 734.
$ Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. XXI. p. 44.
Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. i. pp. 248, 249.
II Nuno da Silva makes the time spent in passing the straits only
twelve days, and it could not be above seventeen, where months had
been occupied by less fortunate or skilful navigators.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 55
and in which he might still hope to anticipate
all other adventurers, whether their career com-
menced from the east or the west. On clearing the
straits he accordingly held a north-west course,
and in two days the fleet had advanced seventy
leagues.* Here it was overtaken by a violent gale,
which, blowing steadily from the north-east, drove
them into 57 south latitude, and 200 leagues to the
west of the straits. While they were still scudding
before the tempest under bare poles, a partial eclipse
of the lunar orb was observed at six o'clock in the af-
ternoon of the 15th ; but, says a narrator, " Neyther
did the eclipticall conflict of the moone impayre our
state, nor her clearing againe amend us a whit, but
the accustomed eclipse of the sea continued in his
force, wee being darkened more then the moone
sevenfold."t
On the 24th the weather became more moderate,
the wind shifted, and they partly retraced their
course, standing for seven days to the north-east.
During this time land was seen, near which a vain
attempt was made to anchor. But their troubles
were not yet at an end : once more a violent gale
sprung up, and on the 30th the Mary gold, Captain
Thomas' ship, was separated from the Elizabeth and
the Golden Hind. The two last succeeded in gain-
ing the coast ; but the other was borne to sea by
the force of the tempest, and never more heard of;
even conjecture is silent as to her fate. On the
evening of the 7th October, her more fortunate con-
sorts reached a harbour near the western entrance
* Cliffe's Account of Winter's Voyage, in Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 752.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 734. Purchas, part i. p. 50.
j Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 744.
56 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
of Magellan's Straits ; and in this place, which was
afterwards named the Bay of Parting of Friends,
they intended to await the return of fair weather.*
But during the night the cable of the Hind being
broken, she was driven to sea ; and Winter, in the
Elizabeth, made no attempt to follow his commander.
On the contrary, heartily tired of a voyage which had
hitherto been so disastrous, he next day sailed east-
ward into the straits, with a secret determination to
direct his course towards home. Edward Cliffe, one
of his company, and whose relation concludes with
the return of the vessel to England, denies that the
seamen had any intention to abandon Drake ; and
even asserts that some faint efforts were made to dis-
cover and rejoin his ship. Anchoring in a bay within
the narrows, fires were kindled on the shore as a sig-
nal to the admiral, should he seek them in that di-
rection. This duty discharged, they sought more
secure harbourage in a place which they named Port
Health, from the rapid recovery of the crew, who
from cold, wet, and fatigue, had lately suffered so
much. In the large muscles and other shellfish
which were found here they obtained pleasant and
restorative food. Having remained till the begin-
ning of November, the voyage was formally aban-
doned, " -by Mr Winter's compulsion, " it is said,
" full sore against the mariners' minds ;"t and this
officer alleged that he now despaired of the captain-
general's safety, or of being able to gain the shores
of the imagined Ophir of Peru.J
It was the llth November before he cleared the
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 734. f Ibid. p. 752.
Cliffe's Narrative of Winter's Voyage, in Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 752.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 57
passage, a voyage that had been only once per-
formed by Juan Ladrilleros, as already mentioned,
at the distance of twenty years. In the month of
June in the following season he reached England,
with the credit of having achieved the navigation of the
straits eastward, and the shame of deserting his com-
mander against the wishes of his company, whose
fidelity to their great leader was unshaken, and
their ardour in prosecuting the enterprise unabated.
The narrative reverts to the fortunes of the Golden
Hind. By a continued course of stormy weather,
Drake was once more driven back to 55 south,
when he j udged it expedient to seek shelter among
the islands or broken land of Tierra del Fuego,
where, together with a supply of wholesome herbs
and fresh water, was enjoyed a pleasant repose from
the incessant fatigues of the last month.* But this
interval of ease was of short duration ; for a gale
having arisen, they were again carried out to sea,
suffering the farther calamity of being separated
from the shallop, in which were eight seamen with
a very scanty supply of provisions.
While the Hind was still impelled to the south-
ward, the sloop was, in the first instance, so for-
tunate as to regain the straits, where the men salted
and stored penguins for their future wants. They
soon lost all hope of rejoining the captain-general ;
and, steering eastward, they succeeded in making,
first, Port San Julian, and afterwards Rio de la
Plata, where six of them, wandering in quest of
food, were attacked by a party of savages. All
were wounded with arrows ; but, while four were
made prisoners, two escaped to join their comrades
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 32J.
58 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
left in charge of the boat. They were closely pur-
sued, and, before the natives were beaten back
and the vessel got off, every one of the party was
more or less hurt. They rowed to a small island at
three leagues' distance, where two of them died of
the injuries they had received. Soon afterwards
their little ship was dashed to pieces in a storm.*
On the desolate place, to which the two mariners
were thus confined, no fresh water was to be found ;
and though they contrived to subsist upon eels, small
crabs, and a species of fruit resembling an orange,
their sufferings from intense thirst came to an ex-
tremity almost too painful and revolting to be re-
lated. At the end of two months a plank ten feet
long, which had drifted from Rio de la Plata, was
picked up ; and having fastened to it smaller sticks,
and laid in a store of provisions, piously committing
themselves to God, they embarked on this miserable
conveyance, and after three days and two nights
made the mainland which had so long tantalized
their sight. " At our comming first on land," says
Peter Carder, " we found a little river of very sweet
and pleasant water, where William Pitcher, my
onely comfort and companion (although I diswaded
him to the contrary), overdranke himselfe, being
pinched before with extreame thirst; and, to my
unspeakable griefe and discomfort, within halfe an
hour after dyed in my presence, whom I buried as
well as I could in the sand."t Carder was now
left alone ; and the history of his residence among
* Narrative of Peter Carder, in Purchas' Pilgrims, part iv. pp.
1187, 1188.
+ Narrative of Peter Carder, in Purchas' Pilgrims, part iv. p.
1 188. In the margin the quaint divine thus notices this incident :
" Pitcher break es with drinking- fresh water."
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 59
the savages on the coast of Brazil, and of his cap-
tivity among the Portuguese of Bahia de Todos los
Santos, forms an interesting chapter in the work of
the industrious Purchas. After a nine years' ab-
sence he succeeded in regaining his native country,
where he had the honour of relating his adven-
tures before Queen Elizabeth, who presented him
with twenty- two angels, and recommended him to
the protection of the Lord-high-admiral Howard.
Drake was now separated from all his companions.
His ship, driven southward farther than before,
again ran in among the islands, and, " at length,"
to use the words of an old narrator, " fell in with
the uttermost part of land towards the South Pole,
which uttermost cape or headland of all these islands
stands near in the 56th degree, without which there
is no main nor island to be seen to the southwards,
but the Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea meet in
a large and free scope/'*
On the 28th October the weather, which since
the 6th September, when they entered the Pacific,
had been nearly one continued hurricane, became
moderate, and the Golden Hind anchored within
a creek in an island of which the southern point
has long been known as Cape Horn. In this manner
Drake accidentally became the discoverer of that
celebrated promontory, nearly forty years before the
voyage of Schouten and Le Maire, who, first sailing
round it, bestowed the appellation which it now
bears, t
* World Encompassed, p. 44, quoted in Burney's Chron. Hist.
Discov. vol. i. p. 327-
f Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. XXI., Historical Account of
the Circumnavigation of the Globe, pp. 120, 121.
60 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
Sir Richard Hawkins, a son of the early friend
of Drake, relates, that he was informed by the navi-
gator himself, that " at the end of the storme he
found himselfe in fiftie degrees S.,* which was suffi-
cient testimony and proofe that he was beaten round
about the straits, for the least height of the straits
is in fiftie-two degrees and fiftie minutes, in which
stand the two entrances or mouthes. And more-
over, hee said, that standing about when the winde
changed, hee was not well able to double the
southermost iland, and so anchored under the lee
of it ; and going ashoare, carried a compasse with
him, and seeking out the southermost part of the
iland, cast himselfe downe upon the uttermost point,
groveling, and so reached out his bodie over it.
Presently he imbarked, and then recounted unto his
people, that he had beene upon the southermost
knowne land in the world, and more further to the
southwards upon it then any of them, yea, or any
man as yet knowne."t Mr Fletcher, the chaplain,
also landed, and found the spot to be three parts of
a degree farther south than any portion of the neigh-
bouring territory.
To the islands which he had thus discovered, Drake
gave the name of the Elizabethides, in honour of
his royal mistress. They were inhabited, and the
natives were frequently seen, though little appears
to have been learned of their character or customs. J
This region of the New World was by the Spanish
navigators denominated Terra Incognita., an ap-
* This is evidently a mistake of the amanuensis or printer, and
should be 56.
f- Purchas, part iv. p. 1391.
J Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov.
vol. i. p. 328.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 61
pellation which Drake considered himself warranted
in changing into Terra nunc bene Cognita.
On the 30th October, with a fair wind, he began
to steer to the north-west; but he afterwards
kept north, and sometimes north-east, that he might
not lose sight of the continent.* On the 25th
November he anchored at the island of Mocha,
near the coast of Chili, where he prepared to land.
Cattle and sheep were seen here, and also maize and
potatoes. Presents were exchanged with the natives,
and next day, in full security of their pacific dispo-
sition, a watering-party, which Drake accompanied,
rowed towards the shore. Two seamen, who pro-
ceeded to fill the casks, were instantly killed, and
the rest narrowly escaped an ambush laid for them
in case they should hasten to the assistance of their
countrymen. They were fiercely assailed with ar-
rows and stones, and every one was hurt more or
less severely. The captain himself was wounded
under the right eye ; and so close was the assault,
that the savages seized four of the oars. This un-
provoked attack was imputed by the ship's com-
pany to the hatred which the inhabitants bore to
the Spaniards, whom, it was presumed, they had
not yet learned to distinguish from other Europeans-^
In this view it was forgiven by men whose prejudices
and animosity were equal to those of the barbarians.
Sailing along the coast with the wind at south,
on the 30th November the Hind anchored in a bay
about 32 S. A boat was sent out to examine the
shores, the crew of which captured a native found
fishing in his canoe. He was kindly treated by the
* Kuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 744.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 734, 744.
02 DRAKE S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
captain-general ; a present of linen and a chopping-
knife gained his affections ; and he opened a com-
munication between the voyagers and his country-
men, who, induced by the hope of similar gifts,
brought to the ship's side a fat hog and some poul-
try.* Soon afterwards, Felipe, an intelligent Ame-
rican, repaired to the vessel. He spoke the Spanish
language, and informed them that they had by six
leagues oversailed Valparaiso, the port of San Jago,
where a vessel then lay at anchor. Observing their
regret on hearing this, and believing that they were
Spaniards, he proposed to pilot them back, an offer
which was eagerly accepted. On the 4th December
they sailed from Philip's Bay, as they called this
harbour in honour of their guide, and next morning,
without any difficulty, captured the ship named The
Grand Captain of the South, in which were found
60,000 pesos of gold, besides jewels, merchandise,
and a good store of Chili wine.t The action, ac-
cording to our modern ideas, was nothing less than
piratical ; but the accommodating morality of that
age easily reconciled their consciences to the plunder,
which was esteemed a joyful beginning : each peso
was reckoned worth eight shillings. The people of
the town, which contained only nine families, fled ;
and the English revelled in the luxury of a general
pillage of wine, bread, bacon, and other things most
acceptable to men who had been so long at sea.
In every new Spanish settlement, however small, a
church rose as it were simultaneously. The small
chapel of Valparaiso was plundered of a silver cha-
Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 734, 744.
t Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 744. Lopez Vaz, in
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 791. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735, makes the sum
in gold 25,000 pesos.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 63
lice, two cruets, and an altar-cloth, which were pre-
sented to Fletcher, the chaplain of the vessel.*
The adventurers sailed on the 8th with their prize,
taking, however, only one of the crew, a Greek named
Juan Griego, who was capable of piloting them to
Lima. Their guide, Felipe, was rewarded, and sent
on shore near his own home. From the most south-
ern point of this coasting-voyage Drake had been
continually on the outlook for the Marygold and
Elizabeth; and, the Hind being too unwieldy to
sail sufficiently near the coast, he had resolved to
build a pinnace for this duty, as well as for other
operations which he had in view. A convenient
place for this purpose was found at Coquimbo ; but
he soon discovered that the European settlers had
collected a considerable force in the neighbourhood ;
and a watering- party of fourteen men with some
difficulty escaped from a body of 300 horse and 200
foot. One sailor was killed, owing, however, to
his own braggart temerity, t
In a quieter and safer bay the pinnace was set
up, and Drake himself embarked in it to proceed in
search of the missing ships ; but, after one day's sail,
the wind becoming adverse he returned. On the
19th January 1579 the navigators quitted this har-
bour, invigorated by repose, and animated by the re-
freshments and booty obtained, as well as by the hope
of richer plunder. Their cruise along the coast was
not diversified by any incident till, accidentally
landing at Tarapaza, they found a Spaniard asleep
on the shore with thirteen bars of silver lying beside
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735.
-f- Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 745. Lopez Vaz, ibid,
p. 791. Also, Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735. World Encompassed,
quoted in Burney, vol. L p. 333.
64 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
him. " We took the silver and left the man/'* says
the contemporary account. Advancing a little far-
ther, a party which was sent ashore to procure water,
fell in with a Spaniard and a native hoy driving eight
lamas, each of which was laden with two leathern
bags, containing fifty pounds of silver, or eight hun-
dred in all. The lamas, or Peruvian sheep, are de-
scribed by the old voyagers as of the size of an ass,
with a neck like a camel, and of great strength and
steadiness, forming the beast of burden of those
countries. They were in fact the mules of the New
World ; but a much more valuable animal, as the
wool is fine and the flesh good. The credulity of the
age is strikingly displayed in the easy belief here
given to the story, that if the coast of Peru was not
literally strewed with gold, pure silver was found so
richly mixed with the soil, that every hundred-
weight of common earth yielded, on a moderate
calculation, five ounces.t
The eight lamas and their precious burden being
brought on board, the Golden Hind next entered the
port of Arica, where two or three small barks were
found quite unprotected, the crews being on shore.
In one of them were found fifty-seven wedges of silver,
of the shape and size of a brickbat, each weighing
twenty pounds. J Arica is described as a beautiful
and fertile valley. The town contained about twenty
houses, which, the Famous Voyage states, " we
would have ransacked, if our company had bene
better and more in number ; but our generall, con-
tented with the spoyle of the ships, left the towne,
* Hakluvt, vol. iii. p. 735.
j- World Encompassed, p. 56, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 334.
J Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735. Nuno da Silva says thirty-seven
bars of silver.
BRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 65
and put off againe to sea, and set sayle for Lima "
in pursuit of a vessel very richly laden, of which
he had obtained intelligence.* The ship, however,
received notice of her danger in time to land the
treasure with which she was freighted, 800 bars
of sil ver, the property of the King of Spain.t Drake,
now preparing for active measures, freed himself of
every encumbrance by setting all the sails of his
prizes, and turning them adrift whithersoever the
winds might carry them.J The arrival of these
tenantless barks on some wild coast, or lonely island,
may yet form the theme of native tradition.
Tidings that the English were upon the coast had
by this time been despatched overland to the go-
vernor at Lima ; but the difficulty of travelling in
those uncleared and trackless regions was so great
that Drake outstripped the messenger, and, on the
13th September, surprised seventeen Spanish ves-
sels lying in Callao, the port of the very city where
the viceroy had his residence. The spoil was
trifling when the number of ships is considered. In
boarding one from Panama, which was just then
entering the harbour, a seaman was killed ; though
another account says, that he was shot while pursu-
ing the enemy's vessel, which made an attempt to
escape. 1 1 In a small bark a chest of rials of plate,
and a considerable store of linens, silks, and general
merchandise, were obtained. From the prisoners the
captain learned, that thirteen days before, IT the Ca-
" Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735.
f Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 745.
Ibid, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 746.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 7$5. Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 792.
II Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 746.
^[ According to Lopez Vaz, no more than three days.
66 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
cafuego, laden with gold and silver, had sailed for
Panama, the point whence all goods were carried
across the isthmus. This information at once de-
termined the course of our navigator ; and as ships
from Callao to Panama were in the habit of touching
at intermediate places, he reckoned the treasure
already within his grasp.* As a measure of pre-
caution, the mainmasts of the two largest prizes
were cut away ; the cables of the smaller ones were
severed ; and the goods and people being previously
removed, the whole were abandoned to the mercy
of the winds and waves; while he himself bore
northward in full sail, or, when the wind slackened,
was towed on by the boats, each man straining to
reach the coveted prize.
When intelligence of Drake's proceedings at last
reached Lima, it was presumed that some of the
Spanish crews had mutinied, and that the Golden
Hind was one of their own vessels turned pirate ; so
little was an attack by the English on this side of the
continent deemed possible, or any fear entertained
that they could pass the intricate Straits of Magel-
lan. On being apprized of the unexpected truth,
and of the impending danger, Don Francisco de To-
ledo, the viceroy, immediately repaired to the port
with a force estimated by Lopez Vaz at 2000 horse
and foot.t The adventurers still remained in sight
of the harbour, nearly becalmed ; upon which two
vessels, with 200 fighting-men in each, being equip-
ped in all haste, were sent out to attack them, and
the capture of the Hind was already confidently an-
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735. Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 746. Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 792.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 792.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 67
ticipated. The same night, however, a fresh gale
sprung up, and the navigators pressed onward. The
flight and pursuit were continued for some time, as
it was not the policy of Drake, with his very inferior
force, to risk an action; while by an oversight,
most fortunate for him and his people, the Spa-
niards, in their confidence of an easy victory, had
neglected to take provisions on board. Famine,
accordingly, soon compelled them to abandon the
chase, though Don Francisco lost no time in remedy-
ing this inadvertence. Three ships, fully equipped,
were again despatched under the command of Pedro
Sarmiento de Gamboa j but as he arrived too late,*
he resolved to intercept the marauders on their re-
turn by the Straits of Magellan. After waiting long
in vain, he retired in despair. It is said to have
been on his recommendation that an endeavour was
subsequently made to fortify the channel, and to
establish a colony, an abortive attempt, which cost
Spain much treasure and many lives.
Near Payta, a small bark, in which some silver
ornaments were found, was rifled and dismissed by
the English. On passing that town they learned, from
the crew of a ship which they had searched, that the
Cacafuego had the start of them by only two days.
Every nerve was now strained in the pursuit ; but
the hope of contingent advantage did not lead them,
in the mean time, to despise present gain, however
trifling. Two vessels were intercepted, from one of
which a negro was taken, and from the other some
* This eminent Spanish officer became afterwards the prisoner
of Sir Walter Raleigh, who obtained from him many particulars
regarding the condition of the Spanish possessions in America.
See Tytler's Life of Raleigh, p. 63, .Edinburgh Cabinet Library,
No. XI.
DRAKE S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
silver, and eighty pounds of gold, besides a golden
crucifix " with goodly great emerauds set in it."*
They also found a supply of useful stores and a large
quantity of cordage, of which the cargo chiefly con-
sisted. The former ship was allowed to depart ; but
the latter, after her crew had been put ashore, was
set adrift. On the 24th February they crossed the
line ; the Cacafuego had not yet been seen ; and
the admiral, to animate the hopes and quicken the
vigilance of his company, promised to the person
who should first descry her the gold chain which
he usually wore.t This reward was gained by
John Drake, a seaman, who at three o'clock in the
afternoon of the 1st March from the masthead dis-
covered the prize, which by six the same evening
was boarded and taken. J
The commander, a Biscayan named Juan de An-
ton, was so little aware of his danger, that, seeing a
vessel coming rapidly towards him, he concluded that
the viceroy had sent some important message, and
struck his sails to await her approach. When, from
closer inspection, he perceived his mistake, he tried
to escape from the Golden Hind ; but he was al-
ready within range of her guns, and possessed no de-
fensive weapons of any kind. Yet, with the brave
spirit which distinguishes the natives of Biscay, he
refused to strike till one of his masts was shot away,
and he himself was wounded by an arrow. ||
The capture was made off Cape Francisco ; the
ship was found to contain twenty-six tons of silver,
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 735. f Ibid - P- 736.
J Ibid. p. 73".
Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 747- Lopez Vaz, in
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 792.
|| Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 747.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 69
thirteen chests of rials of plate, and eighty pounds
of gold, besides diamonds and inferior gems, the
whole estimated at 360,000 pesos.* Among the spoils
were two very richly-gilded bowls of silver, the
property of the pilot. Drake demanded one of them ;
which the indignant Spaniard surrendered, present-
ing the other to the steward, as if he disdained to
hold any thing by the favour of the English. The
" Famous Voyage " records, that much merriment
was occasioned among the captors by the singular
name of the vessel they had just taken. t
Drake stood out some distance to sea with his prize
before he began to unload her ; when he had secured
the treasure, he permitted the commander and his
crew to pursue their voyage, giving them the follow-
ing characteristic letter, addressed to Captain Win-
ter, in the expectation that they might be met by the
Elizabeth : " Master Winter, if it pleaseth God
that you should chance to meete with this ship
of Sant John de Anton, I pray you use him well,
according to my word and promise given unto
them and if you want any thing that is in this
ship of Sant John de Anton, I pray you pay
* Nuno da Silva savs 1300 bars of silver, 14 chests with rials
of eight, and with gold\ Lopez Vaz makes the treasure 850,000
pesos of silver, and 40,000 pesos of gold, which was customed or
had paid duty. Of this, 180,000 pesos were the King of Spain's
property ; the rest belonged to private merchants ; " but what store
of treasure they had besides uncustomed," says Lopez Vaz, ' ' I
knowe not, for many times they cary almost as much more as they
pay custom for." dakluyt, vol. iii. p. 793. The uncoined silver
alone found in the vessel may be estimated at 212,000, at five
shillings an ounce.
t Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 736. The pilot's boy said to our general,
' Captain, our ship shall be called no more the Cacafuego, but the
Cacaplata, and your shippe shall bee called the Cacafuego;' which
pretie speach of the pilot's boy ministred matter of laughter to us
both then and long after."
70 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
them double the value for it, which I will satisfie
againe, and command your men not to doe her any
hurt ; and what composition or agreement we have
made, at my returne into England I will by God's
helpe perfourme, although I am in doubt that this
letter will never come to your hands: notwith-
standing I am the man I have promised to be:
beseeching God, the Saviour of all the world, to have
us in his keeping, to whom onely I give all honour,
praise, and glory. What I have written is not only to
you Mr Winter, but also to Mr Thomas, Mr Charles,
Mr Caube, and Mr Anthonie, with all our other
good friendes, whom I commit to the tuition of him
that with his blood redeemed us, and am in good
hope that we shal be in no more trouble, but that
he will helpe us in adversitie ; desiring you, for the
passion of Christ, if you fall into any danger, that
you will not despaire of God's mercy, for hee will de-
fend you and preserve you from all danger, and
bring us to our desired haven ; to whom bee all
honour, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.
Your sorowfull Captaine, whose heart is heavy for
you. FRANCIS DRAKE."*
Thus richly laden, could he have assured himself
of a safe voyage to England, it is probable that on this
occasion he would not have encompassed the globe.
But the unfavourable season, and the vigilance with
which he was aware the Spaniards watched his re-
turn forbade the attempt of repassing the Straits of
Magellan; while the glory of discovery, and the hope
of carrying his immense treasure to England, deter-
mined him in the resolution of seeking a north-east
* Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 748.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 71
passage homeward. Though not in general commu-
nicative, his plans were no sooner formed than he un-
folded them to his company with that persuasive elo-
quence which so eminently fitted him for command.
The crew, from their recent success, were in high spi-
rits, and full of confidence in the skill and courage
of their leader. His counsel, which carried all the
weight of authority, was, says an old author, " to
seek out some convenient place to trim our ship and
store ourselves with wood and water, and such pro-
visions as we could get ; and thenceforward to hasten
on our intended journey for the discovery of the said
passage (from the South Sea to the Atlantic Ocean
by the northern parts of America), through which
we might with joy return to our longed homes."*
It is not unworthy of notice, that the scheme for
exploring a north-eastern channel from the Pacific,
thus adopted by Drake, is the same with that re-
commended about a century afterwards by the cele-
brated Dampier.t
With this resolution the navigators steered for
Nicaragua, and on the 16th March anchored in a
small bay of the island of Canno, where they found
every facility for procuring water and refitting their
vessel. J The pinnace, once more despatched on ac-
tive duty, brought in a prize laden with honey,
butter, sarsaparilla, and other commodities, having
on board also certain papers, among which were let-
ters from the King of Spain to the Governor of the
Philippines, and sea-cards or charts, which after-
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 339. Hak-
luvt, vol. iii. p. 736.
f Voyage Round the World (4th edition), p. 273.
J Lopez Vaz, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 793. Nuno da Silva, in
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 747. "
72 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
wards proved of use to the captors. While they lay
here, a violent shock of an earthquake was felt.
From Canno they sailed on the 24th March, it
being a rule with Drake never to loiter in any port
beyond the time necessary to repair the ship and
take in water. On the 6th April they made an-
other valuable prize. Being now well supplied with
stores, their choice was become more nice j and, se-
lecting only silks, linen, delicate porcelain, and a
falcon of finely- wrought gold, in the breast of which
a large emerald was set, the vessel was dismissed ;
while of her crew only a negro and the pilot were de-
tained, who steered the adventurers into the harbour
of Guatalco.* Landing, according to their approved
practice, to ransack the town, it is related in the
Famous Voyage, that they surprised a council en-
gaged in the trial of certain negroest accused of a
plot to burn the place. To their mutual astonish-
ment, the court and the culprits were hurried on
board in company, and the chief judge was com-
pelled to write to the inhabitants, advising that they
should offer no resistance. J The only plunder found
at this small station (which contained no more than
seventeen Europeans) consisted in about a bushel of
rials of plate. One of the party, Thomas Moone, ob-
serving a Spanish gentleman betaking himself to
flight, pursued and took from him a chain of gold
and some jewels. All the prisoners on board the
Golden Hind were now set at liberty. The pilot,
Nuno da Silva, who had been brought from the
* Nuno da Silva, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 747. Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 736.
f Probably Indians, the names Negro and Indian being used in;-
discriminately by the early voyagers.
J Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 736.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 73
Cape de Verd Islands, was also dismissed, and it
was here probably that he wrote the narrative of
the voyage which has been so often referred to in
the preceding pages ; it was sent to the Portuguese
viceroy in India, and long afterwards fell into the
hands of the English.
Satiated with plunder on sea and shore, Drake,
on the 26th April, entered on that bold project of dis-
covery formerly communicated to his company, and
by the 3d of June had sailed 1400 leagues, on dif-
ferent courses, without seeing land.* He had now
reached the latitude of 42 north, where the cold was
felt very severely ; and, in advancing two or three
degrees farther, it became so intense that meat was
frozen the instant it was removed from the fire, and
the ropes and tackling of the ship became so stiff as to
be almost unmanageable.t On the 5th, being driven
in by a gale, land was seen, and the Hind anchored in
a small bay, too unsheltered, however, to permit of a
long visit. The captain had not expected to find the
coast stretching so far westward. The wind was
now become adverse to holding a northerly course ;
indeed the extreme cold, and the chill and un-
wholesome fogs which surrounded the ship, made
such a track little desirable. The shores were in
general level ; but wherever a height appeared it was
observed to be covered with snow, though it was near
midsummer.J The voyagers were now coasting
the western margin of California. On the 17th
June they anchored in a good harbour, apparently
that now called Port San Francisco, on the shore of
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737.
f- World Encompassed, p. 63, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 342.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737.
$ Burney, vol. i. p. 343.
74 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
an inhabited country in 38 30' north. As the Hind
drew near, the natives approached, and an ambas-
sador or spokesman, who came off in a canoe, de-
livered a formal harangue, accompanied with much
gesticulation.* When his oration was concluded, he
made a profound obeisance and returned to the land.
A second and a third time he presented himself in
the same manner, bringing as a gift or tribute a
bunch of feathers neatly stuck together, along with
a basket made of rushes. Of these it was after-
wards found that the natives fabricated several useful
and even beautiful articles. The females wore pet-
ticoats composed of a species of bulrush, stripped into
filaments resembling hemp; they employed deer-
skins as a covering for their shoulders ; and the men,
though in general entirely naked, occasionally cloth-
ed themselves in furs. It was observed that the
women were very obedient and serviceable to their
husbands.t It seemed remarkable that the savages
were as sensible to the extreme severity of the wea-
ther as the English seamen, shivering, and huddling
together, even when wrapped up in their hairy gar-
ments. The basket brought by the orator was filled
with an herb which, in some of the original relations,
is called tabah, the native name, and in others to-
bacco.:): He was either afraid or unwilling to accept
anything in return for this simple offering, but picked
up a hat which was floated towards him. The kind-
ness of Drake ultimately gained the confidence of
these people. " Our generall," says the author of the
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737- World Encompassed, quoted in
Burney, vol. i. pp. 344, 345.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737.
J World Encompassed, as quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 344.
Bakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 75
Famous Voyage, " according to his naturall and ac-
customed humanitie, courteously in treated them, and
liberally bestowed on them necessary things to cover
their nakednesse, whereupon they supposed us to be
gods, and would not be perswaded to the contrary."*
The ship had some time before sprung a leak, and
it was here found necessary to land the goods and
stores that she might be repaired. On the 21st this
task was accomplished, though the natives seemed
to view the movement with suspicion and displea-
sure. They, however, laid aside their bows and
arrows when requested to do so, and an exchange of
presents farther cemented the growing amity. They
retired apparently satisfied; but had no sooner
reached their huts, which stood at a considerable
distance, than a general howling and lamentation
commenced, which lasted all night, the females espe-
cially shrieking in a wild and doleful manner. t
The captain, whose presence of mind never forsook
him, and who was seldom lulled into false security
by a show of friendship, mistrusting the state of ex-
citement into which the barbarians were raised, took
the precaution of fortifying the enclosure to which the
goods and the crew had been removed while the re-
pairs of the vessel were in progress. For two days
following " the night of lamentation " no native was
seen. At the end of that time a great number seem-
ed to have joined the party first observed ; and the
whole assembled on a height overlooking the forti-
fied station of the ship's company, and manifest-
ed a desire to approach. J The ceremonies were
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737- + Burney, vol. i. p. 346.
World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 346. Hak-
luyt, vol. iii. p. 737.
7
76 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
opened by an orator or herald, who made a long
speech or proclamation, accompanied by the most
violent gesticulations, his words falling so thick,
"one on the neck of the other, that he could hardly
fetch his breath again."* When he concluded, the
audience were understood to express assent, by
bowing their bodies, and groaning in chorus, oh I
After this friendly demonstration, for such it was
intended to be, a deputation from the assembly
stuck their bows into the earth, and, bearing gifts
of feathers and rush-baskets filled with tabah, de-
scended towards the fort. While this was passing
below, the women, mixed with the group on the
height, began to shriek and howl as on the " night
of lamentation," tearing their flesh with their nails,
and dashing themselves on the ground, till the blood
sprung from their bodies. This is said, in the
Famous Voyage, to have been part of the orgies of
their idol or demon worship.t Drake, it is stated,
struck with grief and horror, and probably not with-
out a tincture of superstition, ordered Divine service
to be solemnized.^ The barbarians sat silent and
attentive, at proper pauses breathing their expressive
" oh !" in token of assent or approbation. With the
psalms they appeared to be affected and charmed,
and repeatedly afterwards requested their visiters
to sing, calling the song gnaah.\ On taking leave,
they restored the gifts received, either from religious
dread, or more probably from having little confidence
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 346.
f Hakluyt, vol. lii. p. 737.
J At Buckland Abbey is preserved the Bible which Drake carried
with him in this voyage, together with his sword and his ship-
drum. There also a fine portrait of the navigator is to be seen.
Mrs Bray's Borders of the Tavy and Tamar, vol. ii. p. 178.
World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 347.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 77
in the motives of the givers. The voyagers ascribed
this fear or delicacy to the deep veneration of the
natives, who might esteem " themselves sufficiently
enriched and happy that they had found so free
access to see us."*
The arrival of the English having, in the mean-
while, been made known in the interior, on the 26th
two heralds arrived at the camp, to request an
audience of the captain-general on the part of their
hioh or king. One of these precursors of majesty
delivered a harangue which occupied more than
thirty minutes, his associate dictating to or prompt-
ing him. He concluded by demanding tokens of
friendship and safe conduct for the chief, which
were cheerfully given.t
The approach of the hioh was well arranged, and
imposing in effect. First came the macebearer, as
he is called (though club-carrier would be a more
correct designation), a tall and handsome man, of
noble presence. To his staff or sceptre, about five
feet in length, made of a dark wood, two crowns,
wrought artificially with feathers of divers colours,
were suspended by chains of network curiously and
delicately formed of innumerable links of a bony
substance, minute, thin, and polished. J These chains
were supposed to be insignia of rank and dignity,
akin to the badges of civilized nations, the number
worn denoting the consequence of the bearer, as the
importance of a pasha is signified by the number of
his tails. The king followed, being a person of
goodly stature and comely aspect. He was succeeded
by a royal guard of one hundred chosen men, tall, and
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 348.
t Hakluyt, vol. lii. p. 737. $ Ibid.
78 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
of warlike appearance, clothed in skins. Some of
them had ornamental headdresses formed of plumes,
or of a feathery down which grew upon a certain
plant. The hioli wore on his shoulders a robe made
of the skins of a particular species of cony which
will be afterwards described. Next in place in
this national procession came the common people,
painted after a variety of patterns, with feathers
stuck in the knots into which their hair was drawn
up at the crown of their heads. The women and
children brought up the rear, carrying each, as a
propitiatory gift, a basket, in which was either
tabah, broiled fish, or a root that the natives ate
both raw and baked.*
Drake, seeing so numerous a body, drew up his
men in order, and under arms, within their forti-
fication. At the distance of a few paces, the proces-
sion halted, and deep silence was observed, while
the sceptre-bearer, prompted as before by another of-
ficial, harangued for more than half an hour; his
eloquent address, whatever it might import, receiv-
ing the concurrent " oh !" of the assembly. He
then commenced a chant, keeping time in a slow
and solemn dance, performed with a stately air;
the king and all the warriors joining both in the
measure and the chorus ; the females took part only
in the former.t As no doubt could now be enter-
tained of their amicable feelings and peaceful inten-
tions, they were admitted, still singing and moving
in a choral dance, within the fort. The orations and
chants were renewed and prolonged ; and the chief,
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 737* World Encompassed, quoted in
Burney, vol. i. p. 349.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 738.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 79
placing one of his crowns upon the head of the cap-
tain-general, and investing him with other imagined
symbols of royalty, courteously tendered him his
whole dominions, and hailed him king ! Songs of
triumph were raised, as if in confirmation of this
solemn cession of territory and sovereignty.* Such
is the interpretation which the old voyagers wrested
from a ceremony that has been more plausibly con-
jectured to resemble such an exchange of names, as
in the South Sea Islands seals the bonds of friend-
ship, and probably meant nothing more than the
words of a European host, who tells his visiter that
he is master of the house.t The admiral, it is
observed, " in the name and to the use of her ma-
jestic, tooke the scepter, crowne, and dignitie of the
said countrey into his hands, wishing that the riches
and treasure thereof might so conveniently be trans-
ported to the inriching of her kingdom at home, as
it aboundeth in the same."J We are expressly in-
formed that the natives afterwards formally wor-
shipped their guests ; and that it was necessary to
check their idolatrous homage. They roamed through
the camp, admiring all they saw, and expressing
attachment to the English in their own peculiar
fashion. The youngest of the company were the
chief objects of their affection ; them the barbarians
surrounded and gazed on for a short time, and then
began to howl and tear their flesh till the stream-
ing blood demonstrated the liveliness and strength
of their devotion. The same uncouth shows of re-
gard were continued as long as the adventurers re-
mained on the coast ; and obeisances were rendered,
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 738. f Burney, vol. i. p. 350.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 738. Purchas, part i. p. 53.
80 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
which, being considered as approaching to adoration
or worship, were strenuously disclaimed. These
people are described as an amiable race; of a free,
tractable, kindly nature, without guile or treachery.
Such was their esteem of the strangers, and confi-
dence in their skill, that they applied to them for
medicaments to heal their wounds and sores.*
The males were so robust and powerful, that
a burden which could hardly be borne by two sea-
men, was carried with ease by one of them up
and down hill for a mile. Their weapons were
bows and arrows, but of a feeble and ineffective
kind. Their dwellings were of a round shape, built
of earth, and roofed with pieces of wood joined to-
gether at a common centre, somewhat in form of a
spire ; and being partly under ground, they were
close and warm. The fire was placed in the middle,
and beds of rushes were spread on the floor.t
When the preparations for his departure were
nearly completed, Drake made an excursion into
the interior. Immense herds of large fat deer were
seen ; and the land seemed one extensive warren
of a species of cony of the size of those of Barbary,
" their heads as the heads of ours, the feete of a want
(mole), and the taile of a rat, being of great length.
Under their chinne is on either side a bag, into the
which they gather their meate when they have
filled their bellies abroad." The natives ate the
flesh of those animals, and greatly prized their skins,
of which the robes of state worn by the king were
made.ij:
* Hakluyt, vol. in p. 738. f Burney, vol. i pp. 352, 353.
J Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 7^8. Purchas, part i. p. 54. Captain
Beechey informs us, that the fields in the vicinity of San Francisco
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 81
The admiral bestowed on this fair and fertile ter-
ritory the name of New Albion, from some fancied
resemblance to the white cliffs of England ;* and,
to commemorate his discovery, erected a monument,
to which was affixed a brass plate, bearing the
name, effigy, and arms of her majesty, asserting her
claims to the region, and recording the date when
possession of it was taken. The author of the Fa-
mous Voyage, who remarks, that apparently the
Spaniards hitherto had never been in that country,
was not aware of the expedition of Juan Rodriguez
Cabrillo, by birth a Portuguese, who, by command
of the Viceroy of New Spain, had explored the same
coast thirty-seven years before, t At this place Drake
spent thirty-six days, a long sojourn, but necessary
to complete the repairs of the ship.
The captain considered that he had now accom-
plished the main object of his voyage, and believing
" himselfe, both in respect of his private injuries re-
ceived from the Spaniards, as also of their contempts
and indignities offered to our countrey and prince in
generall, sufficiently satisfied and revenged : and
supposing that her majestic at his returne would
rest contented with this service, proposed to continue
no longer upon the Spanish coasts, but began to
are burrowed by a small rat resembling the Mus arvalis ; by a
mountain -rat of the cncetus kind; and by another little animal re-
sembling a squirrel, which is named ardilloy and is said to be most
excellent eating. Voyage to the Pacific, vol. ii. p. 80. The spe-
cies above alluded to by Drake has by some been supposed synony-
mous with the tucan of Fernandez, and the Canada pouched rat, or
MILS bursarius of Shaw. Burney, vol. i. p. 351.
* After passing Punta de los Reyes, Captain Beechey awaited
- '' he believed to be those
which induced Sir Francis Drake to bestow on this tract of country
the name of New Albion Voyage to the Pacific, vol. i. p. 472.
f Burney, vol. i. pp. 221-224, 35b'. Herrera, dec. vii. libro v.
cap. iii. iv.
ifcJ DRAKE S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
consider and to consult of the best way for his coun-
trey."* All hope of finding a north-east passage
was abandoned, nor did he judge it prudent to con-
tinue his course farther to the northward, along an
unknown and dangerous coast, and in a climate of
extreme rigour.t To return by the straits he deemed
equally inexpedient ; he dreaded a recurrence of the
violent tempests which he had experienced at their
western entrance, and was aware that the Spaniards
would watch for him with a force with which, as
his strength was now reduced to one ship, he could
not expect to cope. He therefore formed the bold
resolution of crossing the Pacific, and sailing to
England by India and the Cape of Good Hope.
This plan received the unanimous approbation of
his company; and on the 23d July he bore away
from the port, to which he gave his own name,
the kind-hearted natives deeply bewailing the de-
parture of their new friends. J The regret, good-will,
and respect, were indeed mutual. The barbarians
entreated the English to remember them ; and, as
a farewell offering or homage, secretly provided what
is called a sacrifice. So long as the ship remained
in view they kept fires burning on the heights.
For sixty-eight days they continued to sail west.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 736.
* Johnston! Rerum TBritan. Hist. p. 67. " Obstitit Oceanus in
sua secreta inquiri, et ibi procellae, nimbi, tempestates perfrigidae
incubuere."
There is some difference of opinion about the locality of Port
Drake ; English navigators supposing it the Port San Francisco of
the Spaniards, while the latter tnink it an inlet four leagues farther
north. Captain Beechey, who, in the winter of 1826, lay here for
six weeks, gives no opinion on the subject. Chamisso, the natural-
ist of Kotzebue's expedition, 1815-1818, seems to adopt the hypo-
thesis of Burney. Kotzebue's Voyage (Lond. 1821), vol. iii. p. 38.
Burney, vol. i. pp. 354, 355.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 83
wards without coming in sight of land.* On the
30th September they fell in with some islands in
lat. 8 N.t As soon as the Hind was descried by the
natives, they came off in canoes, each of which con-
tained from four to fourteen men, bringing cocoa-
nuts, fish, and fruits. These skiffs, which were or-
namented with considerable elegance, were hollowed
out of a single tree, and so high at the stern and
prow as to be nearly semicircular. The islanders
were found to be of a thievish disposition ; but
Drake (unlike Magellan, who instantly shot the de-
predators or burned their houses) endeavoured to
overcome their propensity to plunder by refusing to
traffic with those who were found dishonest. This
excited their displeasure, and a general attack of
stones was commenced. A cannon, not shotted, fired
over their heads, scared them away a short time ;
but they speedily returned, and the captain was at
last compelled to adopt more severe measures of re-
taliation. We are told, in vague terms, that " smart
was necessary as well as terror.":}: The natives of
those Islands of Thieves, as they were named by
their visiters, had the lobes of their ears cut out into
a circle, which hung down on their cheeks. Their
teeth were black as jet, from the use of a powder
which they constantly employed for the purpose of
staining them, carrying it in a hollow cane. An-
other peculiarity observed was the length of their
nails, which measured an inch. It has been con-
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. pp. 355, 356.
f Such is the date in the World Encompassed, quoted by Bur-
ney, vol. i. p. 356; but the Famous Voyage, in Hakluyt,vol. iii. p.
738, makes it the 13th of October.
% World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 356.
Hakluyt, vol. uL p. 739.
84 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
jectured, with great probability, that this insular
group is identical with the cluster of Lamoliao
Ourou, lying to the southward of the island named
Yap or Eap, in the great range of the Carolines.*
Modern voyagers speak of the honesty of the inha-
bitants of this vast archipelago in terms much more
favourable than those employed by the English
navigator, t
A fair wind springing up, the navigators on the
3d October stood to the westward, and on the 16th
made the Philippines in 7 5' north of the line.J
They first discovered four islands, which appeared
to be densely peopled ; and having visited these
they afterwards anchored at Mindanao. Sailing
from this place on the 22d, they kept a southerly
course, and passed between two islands, about six
or eight leagues south of it, supposed to be Sarangan
and Candigar.||
On the 3d November the Moluccas were seen,
and they steered for Tidore; but in running
along the coast of Motir a skiff came off, from
which they learned that the Portuguese, expelled
from Terrenate (or Ternate) by the warlike mo-
narch of that island, had fixed their headquarters
at Tidore. In the boat was the Viceroy of Motir,
which was under the sovereignty of Ternate. As
* Frejrinet, Voyage autour du Monde, tome ii. pp. 77, 91.
f- u Dans nos echanges reciproques," says Freycinet, " jamais
nous n'avons remarque ni 1'astuce, m la mauvaise foi, ni la honteuse
rapacite, si manifestos et si choquantes chez les Gaebe'ens." Op.
cit. tome ii. p. 97-
The Famous Voyage, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 739, says the
18th October.
. 8 World Encompassed, p. 84, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 357.
if The Famous Voyage, in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 739, says they
steered " by the islands of Tagulada, Zelon, and Zewarra, being
friends to the Portugals."
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 85
soon as he understood that Drake had no reason
either to love or trust the Portuguese, he entreated
him to change his destination; and the captain
accordingly steered for the port of the island just
named.*
Previous to his anchoring before the town, a
courteous offer of friendship was made by the Eng-
lishman, through a messenger whom he sent on
shore with a velvet cloak as a present to the king,
and with instructions to intimate that he came
only to trade, and to procure refreshments. The
viceroy had previously disposed the sovereign to
give him a favourable reception; and a gracious
answer was returned. All that Ternate afforded
was at the disposal of the strangers ; and his majesty
was ready to lay himself and his whole domi-
nions at the feet of so glorious a princess as the
Queen of England. By some of the voyagers this
flourish of oriental hyperbole is most literally in-
terpreted, t The envoy was also received with
great pomp; and, as a pledge of safe-conduct, a
signet was transmitted to the captain-general. Be-
fore the ship anchored, the king, whom Fuller deno-
minates " a true gentleman Pagan/'J came to pay
a visit of welcome and ceremony. The royal equip-
ment consisted of four state barges, filled with the
most distinguished persons of his kingdom. They
wore dresses of muslin, " white lawn of cloth of
Calicut." Over their heads was a canopy or awn-
ing of perfumed mats, supported on a framework of
reeds. " Divers of his lords," says the Famous
Voyage, " being of good age and gravitie, did make
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. J39. f Ibid -
Holy State, p. 12J. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. /39.
86 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
an ancient and fatherly shew."* A number of
young men, attired in a similar manner, stood next
them ; beyond these were ranks of warriors, armed
with sword, target, and dagger; and the whole
were encircled by the rowers, " in certaine gal-
leries, which being three on a side all along the
canoas, did lie off from the side thereof three or
foure yardes, one being orderly builded lower then
another, in every of which galleries were the num-
ber of fourescore rowers." They paddled in cadence
to the clashing of cymbals, and altogether made a
gallant show.t The monarch, who advanced in the
last barge, was saluted with a discharge of artillery,
and by a flourish from the band which Drake em-
ployed on occasions of ceremonial. The canoes sailed
roundandroundtheship,thekingappearingdelighted
with the music, and gratified by the signs of wealth
and magnificence exhibited by the strangers. He
was a tall, stout, graceful man ; and celebrated as a
warrior and conqueror. By policy and force of arms,
he had not only expelled the Portuguese from the seat
of government, but subdued many other islands, so
that seventy now owned his sway. He professed the
faith of Mohammed, which had become that of all his
dominions ; and in the external observances of royalty
the native princes of those insular sovereignties might
have vied with the most polished courts of Europe.
Queen Elizabeth, whose board was daily spread
amidst lowly reverences, was not more punctilious in
ceremonial and etiquette than the monarch of Ter-
nate; for his courtiers and attendants approached
his presence with the most profound respect, no one
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 739. t Ibid.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 87
speaking to him save in a kneeling posture.* As
soon as the ship was moored the king took leave,
promising to repeat his visit on the following day.
That same evening a present of fowls, rice, sugar,
cloves, and/^o, was received, and a sort of " meale,"
says the Famous Voyage, " which they call sagu,
made of the tops of certaine trees, tasting in the mouth
like sowre curds, but melteth like sugar, whereof
they make certaine cakes, which may be kept the
space of ten yeeres, and yet then good to be eaten."t
It is pleasant thus to meet with the first simple
notice of those productions of other climes, which
have so long contributed to the comfort or luxury of
European communities.
The sovereign came not on board next day, but
sent his brother to make his excuse, and to remain
as a hostage for the safe return of the captain-general,
who was entreated to land. The invitation was not
accepted, doubts being entertained of the good faith
of the island prince. But some of the gentlemen went
on shore ; their first acquaintance, the Viceroy of
Motir, remaining on board along with the king's bro-
ther. They were received with the pomp which had
been intended to grace the entrance of Drake into the
capital : another brother of the monarch and a party
of the nobles conducted them to the palace, which
stood near the dismantled fort of the expelled Portu-
guese, and where they found an assembly of at least
a thousand persons, sixty of whom were courtiers
or councillors. " There were besides four grave
persons, apparelled all in red, downe to the ground,
* World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 358.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 740. Purchas, part i. p. 55.
88 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
and attired on their heads like the Turkes, and these
were said to be Romanes, and ligiers there to keep
continual traffike. There were also two Turkes
ligiers in this place, and one Italian." The king
was guarded by twelve lances, and over his head
was borne " a rich canopie embossed with gold."
His garb was a robe of cloth of gold hanging loose
about his person : his legs were bare, but on his feet
he wore slippers of Cordovan leather. From his
neck a weighty chain of gold was suspended, and
fillets of the same metal were wreathed round his
headdress. On his fingers were "six very faire
jewels." At the right side of his chair of state stood
a page cooling him with a fan two feet in length and
One in breadth, embroidered and adorned with sap-
phires, and fastened to a staff three feet long, by
which it was moved.* Drake did not afterwards
land ; and the offers made of exclusive traffic with
the English were, it appears, received by him with
indifference.
Having procured a supply of provisions and a
considerable quantity of cloves, the Golden Hind
left the Moluccas on the 9th November, and on
the 14th anchored near the eastern part of Celebes,
at a spot which was named Crab Island. As it was
uninhabited and afforded abundance of wood, though
no water was found, tents were erected on shore ;
and here the adventurers resolved effectually to repair
the ship for her homeward voyage.t This proved a
pleasant place of sojourn. The land was one con-
tinued forest of great trees, lofty and straight in
the stem, not branching out till near the top ; the
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 740. f Burney, vol. i. p. 361.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 89
leaves resembling broom.* Throughout these groves
there flickered innumerable bats " as bigge as large
hennes." There were also multitudes of <e fiery
wormes flying in the ayre," no larger than the com-
mon fly in England, which, skimming up and down
between the woods and bushes, made " such a shew
and light, as if every twigge or tree had bene a
burning candle." They likewise saw great numbers
of land-crabs, described as a sort of cray-fish, " of
exceeding bignesse, one whereof was sufficient for
foure hungry stomackes at a dinner, being also very
good and restoring meat, whereof wee had experi-
ence j and they digge themselves holes in the earth
like conies."t
At a small island in the neighbourhood water
was procured ; and on the 12th December, the voy-
agers sailed westwards ; but, being soon entangled
among islets and shoals, they were induced to steer
to the south to get free from such dangerous ground.
At this time occurred the most imminent peril and
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 740. But for this resemblance of the foli-
age, we should say the description refers to some species of palm.
f Purchas, part i. p. 66. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 740. The islands
of the Indian and Eastern Seas are still inhabited by several species
of bat of large dimensions ; but it is by no means easy to ascertain,
from the vague and brief allusions of the earlier voyagers, the pre-
cise species which they intended to indicate. The lesser Ternute
bat of Pennant, figured by Seba ( 1 tab. 57, figs. 1 and 2), occurs
both in the island of Timor and in that from which it derives its
specific name. It is the Pteropus stramineus of M. Geoffrey
(Ann. Mus. torn, xv, p. 95), to whom we owe the best part of our
knowledge of the cheiropterous tribes. Several flying quadrupeds
of the genus Galeopithecus likewise inhabit the Moluccas.
The fire-flies of Eastern countries belong chiefly to the hemip-
terous order, especially the genus Fulpora, and are remarkable for
the emission of a very pure and beautiful light.
Land-crabs, properly so called, belong to the genus Gecarcimts ,
they dwell in subterranean excavations during the greater portion
of the year, and proceed to the sea in immense bands, at particular
seasons, to deposit their ova. Their habits are nocturnal.
90 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
providential escape that attended this remarkable
expedition.
After being impeded many days, on the 9th Ja-
nuary 1580, they flattered themselves that the shoals
were at last cleared. But on the same evening,
early in the first watch, while the Hind, with all her
sails set, was running before a fair wind, she struck
suddenly upon a rock, where she remained im-
movable. Violent as was the shock, she had sprung
no leak, and the boats were immediately lowered to
sound, arid to ascertain if an anchor could be placed
in such a situation as would enable them to draw
her off into deep water. The rock however shelved
so abruptly, that at the distance of only a few yards
no bottom could be found. A night of great anxiety
was passed ; and when the dawn permitted a second
search, it only ended in more confirmed disappoint-
ment.* There seemed to be no help within their
reach ; yet in the midst of their calamity several
fortunate circumstances intervened. No leak had
appeared ; and though the ebb-tide left the ship in
only six feet of water, while, so deeply was she laden
that thirteen were required to float her, a strong
and steady gale, blowing from the side to which she
must have heeled as the tide gradually receded,
prevented her from falling over.t In this dread-
ful situation, instead of giving themselves up to
despair or apathy, Drake and his crew behaved
with the coolness and resolution which have ever
in the greatest perils characterized British seamen.
The men were first summoned to prayers; and,
this solemn duty fulfilled, a last united effort
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 741. Burney, vol. i. p. 362.
J- World Encompassed, quoted in Burney, vol. i. p. 363.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 91
was made for the common safety. A quantity of
meal, eight guns, and three tons of cloves were
thrown overboard ; but this partial lightening pro-
duced no visible effect. In the simple language of
the original narrative, " We stucke fast from eight
of the clocke at night til foure of the clocke in the
afternoone the next day, being indeede out of all hope
to escape the danger ; but our generall, as hee had
alwayes hitherto shewed himselfe couragious, and
of a good confidence in the mercie and protection of
God, so now he continued in the same ; and, lest he
should seeme to perish wilfully, both hee and wee
did our best indevour to save ourselves, which it
pleased God so to blesse, that in the ende we clear-
ed ourselves most happily of the danger."* It was,
however, by no effort of their own that they were
finally extricated, though nothing that skill and
courage could suggest or accomplish was wanting.
The wind slackened and fell with the tide, and at the
lowest of the ebb veered to the opposite point, when
the vessel suddenly heeled to the other side. The
shock loosened her, and at that very time of the tide
which appeared least favourable to their hopes, and
when all further effort was deemed useless,t her
keel was freed from the rocks, and she plunged into
the deep water.J This dangerous shoal or reef is
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 741. Purchas, part i. p. 56.
t Burney, vol. i. p. 363.
It has been remarked by Admiral Burney (Chron. Hist. Dis-
cov. vol. i. p. 362), that the seamen never seem to have entertained
the idea of throwing any part of their immense treasure overboard,
which would have materially lightened the vessel. The account of
the escape given in " The Famous Voyage" (Hakluyt, vol. iii. p.
741), differs from the above, which is, however, regarded as the
most authentic relation of this almost miraculous preservation. It
states, that after the Hind was lightened, " the winde (as it were
in a moment by the speciall grace of God) changing from the starre-
92 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
not far from the coast of Celebes, in the latitude of
1 56' S. Their miraculous escape made them after-
wards very wary, and it was not till some weeks had
elapsed, that, cautiously exploring their way, they
finally extricated themselves from this entangled
coast.
On the 8th February they fell in with the island
of Barateve, a pleasant and fruitful place. It afforde4
gold, silver, copper, and sulphur. The fruits and
other natural productions were, ginger, long-pepper,
lemons, cocoas, cucumbers, nutmegs, fri go, and sago.*
Ternate excepted, it produced better and greater
variety of refreshments for the mariner than any
land at which our navigators had touched since they
left Britain. The inhabitants were worthy of the
fertile region they possessed ; they received the
English with kindness and civility, and gladly sup-
plied their wants.t In form and features they were
a handsome people; in disposition and manners,
mild and friendly ; fair in their dealings, and ob-
liging in their behaviour. The men were naked,
save a small turban, and a piece of cloth about
their waists ; but the females were clothed from the
middle to the feet, and had their arms loaded with
bracelets, fashioned of bone, horn, and brass. All
the males wore ornaments in their ears.
Leaving Barateve, the navigators made sail for
Java, which was reached on the 12th of March.
Here they enjoyed during twelve days a course of un-
interrupted festivity. The island was governed by
boord to the larboord of the ship, we hoised our sailes, and the
happy gale drove our ship off the rocke into the sea againe, to the
no litle comfort of all our hearts ; for which we gave God such
pravse and thanks as so great a benefite required."
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 741. f Ibid.
5
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 93
five independent chiefs or rajahs, who lived in per-
fect amity, and vied with each other in showing
hospitality and courtesy to their visiters. The in-
habitants were of good size and well formed, bold
and warlike. Their weapons and armour were
bucklers, swords, and daggers, of their own manu-
facture, the blades admirably tempered, and the
handles highly ornamented. The upper part of their
bodies was entirely naked, but from the waist down-
wards they wore a flowing garment of a gay-coloured
silk.* In every village there was a house of as-
sembly or public hall, where the people met twice
a-day to partake of a common meal, and enjoy the
pleasures of conversation. To this festival every one
contributed, at his pleasure or convenience, fruits, boil-
ed rice,t roasted fowls, and sago. The viands were
spread on a table raised three feet, and the party
gathered round, " one rejoycing in the company of
another." While the Hind lay here a constant in-
terchange of civilities was maintained; the rajahs
coming frequently on board, either singly or toge-
ther. J
But the delights of Java could not long banish
the remembrance of England, to which every wish
was now directed ; and on the 26th our countrymen
took their departure. The first land seen was the
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 741.
p The Javanese cookery of rice, as described by the narrators of
Drake's voyage, seems not unworthy of a place in English treatises
on ^astronomical science. An earthen vessel of a conical form, open
at the wider end, and perforated with holes, was filled with rice,
and plunged into a larger vessel of boiling water. The rice swell-
ing soon stopped the holes, and the mass was steamed till it became
firm and hard like bread, when it was eaten with oil, butter, sugar,
or spices.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 741. Burney, vol. i. p. 363.
F
94 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
Cape of Good Hope, which they passed on the 15th
June.* The Spaniards had not more studiously
magnified the dangers of Magellan's Straits than the
Portuguese had exaggerated the storms which sur-
round the southern extremity of Africa ; and the
ship's company were surprised that in doubling this
dreaded promontory, " a most stately thing, and
the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of
the earth," no violent tempests or awful perils were
encountered. They unhesitatingly denounced the
description of the " Portugals to be most false." t
Deeming it unsafe or inexpedient to land, Drakesteer-
ed towards a shore of which he had better knowledge,
and on the 22d July arrived at Sierra Leone. Water
was obtained here, together with a supply of fruits
and oysters, one kind of which, we are told, " was
found on trees, spawning and increasing infinitely,
the oister suffering no budde to grow."
The remaining portion of his course presented
nothing interesting ; and on the 26th of September
1580, after a voyage of two years and ten months,
he came to anchor in the harbour of Plymouth.
The day of the week was Monday, though, by the
reckoning kept on board, Sunday the 25th was the
true time, a circumstance which had likewise as-
tonished Magellan's crew, though the seeming mys-
tery is now familiar to every student of geography. J
The glory of the enterprise and the immense
wealth acquired were so highly esteemed that the
* The Famous Voyage, in Hakluyt ( vol. iii. p. 742), makes it the
18th.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 742. Purchas, part i. p. 57.
$ The Biographia Britannica and one of the old relations state
that Drake arrived at Plymouth on the 3d November.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 95
return of Drake was hailed throughout the kingdom
as an event of national importance ; and such, in one
view, it truly was, for his success gave an incalcula-
ble impetus to the maritime spirit of the country.
His courage, his exploits, and wonderful adven-
tures, became the theme of every tongue, while
courtiers patronized and poets praised him.* Yet
there were not wanting detractors, who, with some
plausibility, represented that as England and Spain,
though cherishing the bitterest antipathy, were still
nominally at peace, his enterprises were at best
but those of a splendid and fortunate pirate.t It
was urged that his spoliation must provoke re-
prisal, and that of all others a trading nation like
our own should carefully avoid offending in a way
which would lay her open to speedy chastisement,
and frustrate the advancement of her commer-
cial prosperity.^ The fate of the unhappy Doughty
likewise excited murmurs against him ; and his
detention of Nuno da Silva did not escape cen-
* Among the common people his fame was only the greater be-
cause they were unable to appreciate or understand the true diffi-
culties of his enterprise. " In his days the vulgar considered the
world to be composed of two parallel planes, the one at a certain
distance from the other. In reference to this space, it was com-
monly said that Sir Francis had ' shot the gulf, meaning that his
ship had turned over the edge of the upper plane so as to pass on to
the waters of the under. ' There is,' said Mr Davies Gilbert, ' an
old picture of Drake at Oxford, representing him holding a pistol
in one hand, which, in former years, the man who acted as show-
man to strangers was wont to say (still further improving upon the
story) was the very pistol with which Sir Francis shot tne gulf!'"
Mrs Bray's Borders of the Tamar and Tavy, vol. ii. p. 171.
f " The lustre of the name of Drake," says a late writer, " is
borrowed from his success. In itself, this part of his career was
but a splendid piracy against a nation with which his sovereign and
his country professed to be at peace." History of the United States,
by George Bancroft. Boston, 1834, vol. i. p. 33.
J Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 111.
96 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
sure.* On the other hand, his friends and admirers
contended, that he of all men, who had been so
deep a sufferer from their perfidy, was entitled to
take the punishment of the Spaniards into his own
hands ; and that his gallant enterprise, while it in-
spired foreign nations with a high opinion of the
maritime power of England, would at home excite
the noblest emulation, an effect which it had al-
ready produced, all classes being inflamed with an
ardour that was soon manifested in a series of ad-
ventures emanating directly from his example.
In the mean while he lost no time in repairing
to court. He was graciously received though not
openly countenanced, the queen permitting the first
fervour both of admirers and of enemies to abate
before she publicly declared her own sentiments.
A show of coldness was also necessary to prevent a
rupture with Spain. The complaints of the ambas-
sador from that power were so violent and loud, that
Elizabeth deemed it prudent to place under seques-
tration the treasure which the Hind had brought
home. At the same time she replied with becoming
spirit to the remonstrances of the envoy, observing,
that the king his master, by throwing insuperable
obstacles in the way of the foreign commerce of her
people, had brought these evils on himself. She de-
clared that to keep down the rebels whom Philip had
raised against her, both in England and in Ireland,
cost her a greater sum than all the wealth which
Drake had gained. The complaints on the intrusion
of the English into the South Sea she scornfully dis-
*- Johnston! Rer. Britan. Hist p. 6J. " Sed contigit illi, haud
scio an ulli, ut surania severitas amraadversionis non modo non in.
vidiosa, sed etiam popularis esset"
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 97
missed : " She knew not/' was her answer, " why
her subjects and others were prohibited the Indies,
which she knew no reason to thinke proper to the
Spaniards,, by vertue of the Pope's Bull (which could
nothing oblige princes which owed him no obedi-
ence), nor by reason that the Spaniards had arrived
here and there, had erected cottages, and given
names to capes and rivers."* It was her policy
to defer the hostilities impending between the two
countries, and, as a bribe to purchase a continuance
of the peace, several sums were paid to a person
named Pedro Sebura, who styled himself agent for
the merchants whom the voyagers had plundered.t
It was afterwards discovered that this money was
seized by the Spanish sovereign, and employed in
paying the troops raised by the Prince of Parma,
and in supporting the Irish insurgents against the
government of Elizabeth. There remained hence-
forth no reason why she should either enforce resti-
tution or maintain a simulated coldness towards
Drake ; and she soon afterwards resolved openly to
countenance the navigator, whose boldness, discre-
tion, and brilliant success, had already gained her
admiration.
On the 4th of April 1581 she went in state to
dine on board the Golden Hind, then lying at Dept-
ford ; and the captain, who loved show and mag-
nificence, spared no pains in furnishing a repast
worthy of his royal guest.J In compliment to her
Purchas, part iv. p. 1 181. f Ibid. p. 480.
f- The particulars or this " stately visit" would unduly swell the
narrative. Elizabeth was attended in her progress to Deptford by
an immense concourse of people, who crowded so thickly upon the
temporary bridge, or planks placed between the river's bank and the
sliip, that, says Purchas, " it tell with one hundred men thereon
98 DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION.
majesty's learning, copies of Latin verses, com-
posed by the students of Winchester School, were
nailed to the mainmast, in which the praises of the
ship and her commander were alternated and inter-
mingled. After the banquet the queen conferred upon
him the honour of knighthood, and also gave orders
that his vessel should be preserved as a monument of
the glory of the nation and of the illustrious voy-
ager. It was celebrated by the poets and dra-
matists of that age ;* and Purchas, writing in 1625,
informs us, that " the carkasse of the shippe, or some
bones at least of that glorious carkasse, yet remayne
at Deptford, consecrated to Fame and Posteritie."
A chair made from one of the planks, and presented
to the University of Oxford, afterwards afforded a
theme to the muse of Cowley.t
The expedition of Sir Francis Drake thus re-
ceived, however late, the approbation of his sove-
of which none were hurt, as if Good Fortune had both sayled abroad
and feasted at home in that ship/' Part iv. p. 1180.
* From an allusion in the old play of Eastward Hoe (Anc. Brit.
Drama, Lond. 1810, vol. ii. p. 83), the citizens of London seem to
have been in the custom of forming parties to dine on board " the
ship of famous Draco." The vessel is referred to in " Every Man hi
his Humour," in a passage on which a late commentator has the fol-
lowing remarks : " Much of the fondness with which Elizabeth is
yet viewed by the common people is due to her happy dexterity in
flattering the prejudices of the nation, by exalting every circum-
stance and perpetuating every memorial that tended to its glory or
brought to mind its success in arts or arms, an object which has
been greatly overlooked by almost every succeeding government
since her time, who have abandoned to individual patriotism those
tributes to national honour which are only effective when paid by the
state. I regret to say that Barrow found the ship in which Cook
had twice circumnavigated the globe, at Rio de Janeiro, whither
she was carried by the Portuguese, who had purchased her for an
inconsiderable sum ! His feelings on the occasion are just and
proper." Gifford's Ben Jonson, vol. i. pp. 25, 26.
f A notice of this interesting relic will be found in the Nautical
Magazine for August 1835, vol. iv. p. 457-459.
DRAKE'S CIRCUMNAVIGATION. 99
reign ; and as the war, so long impending, was now
unavoidable, his depredations were forgotten even
by his detractors, and his fame became as universal
as it was high. Envy itself had ever been forced
to acknowledge, not merely his maritime skill and
genius for command, but the humanity and bene-
volence that marked his intercourse with the bar-
barous tribes whom he visited, and the generosity
with which he uniformly treated his Spanish cap-
tives, though belonging to a nation at that period of
all others the most hateful to Englishmen, and in
some respects the most injurious to himself.
100 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
CHAPTER m-
Expeditions to the West Indies.
Commencement of Hostilities with Spain Drake takes San Jago
Cruelty of the Portuguese Storming of San Domingo and Car-
thagena The Fever of the West IndiesSir Walter Raleigh's
Colony Drake destroys the Spanish Shipping Observations on
his Character The Spanish Armada Capture of the Galleon of
Don Pedro Valdez Expedition to restore Don Antonio Expe-
dition with Hawkins to the Spanish Settlements in the West
Indies Attempt against Porto Rico Failure of Baskerville's
Expedition across the Isthmus Death of Drake Estimate of
his Character and public Services.
HOSTILITIES with Spain, so long averted by the
policy of England, were now 41585J about to com-
mence ; and Drake, it may be said, struck the first
blow. War was not, indeed, formally declared ; but
into an alliiypre wit.fr the
United_jrovinces against the Spanish monarch ;
English vessels and property within his domi-
nions, she authorized sud^-pf her subjects as had
sustained any loss to indemnify thpmsH|vps by seiz-
ing whatever ships or merchandise belonging to
the Spaniards they might happen toencounter.
Availing nimself of this permisslonTDnike, ni con-
cert with Sir Philip Sidney, planned an expedi-
tion against their possessions in America ; it being
arranged that the one should command the land
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 101
and the other the maritime forces.* But Sir Philip
was compelled to withdraw from the project by the
express order of Elizabeth, who required his services
in the Netherlands, where he had already been use-
fully employed in the public cause, and where, in
the following year, he met an early and a glorious
death. The design seems to have comprehended
not only the invasion of the Spanish settlements, but
even the establishment of a colony on Tierra Firme ;t
and although this part of the scheme was abandon-
ed, her majesty was still desirous that Drake should
conduct a fleet into those regions against her power-
ful enemy. The armament, which was soon in
readiness to sail, consisted of twenty-five vessels,
of which two belonged to the crown. The force
amounted to 2300 seamen and soldiers, and among
the commanders were several leaders of high repu-
tation. The lieutenant-general was Christopher
Carlile, a man of long experience in war both by
sea and land ;| the vice-admiral was the renowned
navigator Martin Frobisher ; while Captain Francis
Knollys and other officers of celebrity gladly joined
an enterprise which promised to unite public ad-
vantage with private emolument.
On the 14th September 1585 the squadron set
sail from Plymouth. Its course was first turned
towards Spain, and, cruising along the shores of that
country, Drake captured some small vessels, in one
of which were found a quantity of plate and an im-
* Memoirs and Letters of the Sidneys, by Collins, vol. i. p. 103.
f- Biographia Britannica, vol. vi. p. "3885. Lite of Sidney.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 534.
Camden, Annals of Elizabeth, in Rennet, vol. ii. p. 509. Hak-
luyt, vol. iii. p. 534. Sir Francis Drake's West Indian Voyage.
102 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
mense silver crucifix belonging to the cathedral of
Vigo. He next stood for the Cape de Verd Islands,
where he landed 1000 men in the night; and plac-
ing himself at the head of a small detachment,
surprised and took San Jago, which the inhabitants
had hastily abandoned. This exploit was performed
on the 17th November, the anniversary of Eliza-
beth's accession to the throne, and the festival was
celebrated by a salute from the guns of the castle,
responded to by those of the fleet. The conquest
had proved easy, but the booty was inconsiderable,
consisting chiefly 'of merchandise of little value, and
of the tawdry wares employed in trading with the
savages of America. What treasure had been in
the place was either carried away or effectually
concealed. Even the threats of fire and sword used
by the English failed to force from the people the
desired ransom : and they seemed resolved either to
weary or to starve the invaders. On the 24th a
village named San Domingo, twelve miles in the
interior, was taken; but the inhabitants still kept
aloof; and the voyagers, having affixed in the most
public places placards in which they denounced the
cruelty as well as the cowardice of the Portuguese,
prepared to take their departure. At this moment
a force appeared, which seemed to watch though at
a distance the movements of the hostile armament ;
but Drake, having much greater objects in view,
set fire to the town, re-embarked his troops in good
order, and made all sail for the West Indies.*
In palliation of these severities, it is stated that
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 536, 538. Camden's Annals, in Kennet,
vol. ii. p. 509.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 103
the Portuguese refused the terms offered to them ;
that they perpetrated the most wanton cruelty on a
boy who had fallen into their hands, and whose
corpse was found disfigured, as if by a tribe of can-
nibals ; and that, five years before, in time of truce,
they had treacherously murdered some of the crew
belonging to a vessel commanded by Captain Wil-
liam Hawkins.* It will be readily admitted, that
the fear of retributive justice must often be the only
protection enjoyed by a small ship's company on
a distant coast; and hence it is a sound policy
which requires that officers in the public service
shall show that neither kindnesses offered nor wrongs
done to the people of their nation are unknown or
forgotten.
A few days after the departure of the fleet, that
malignant fever, which proves the scourge of soldiers
and seamen in these climates, broke out with so
great violence, that between two and three hundred
men were carried off.t Holding on their course,
the voyagers touched at Dominica and St Christo-
pher's, two of the Leeward Islands, where they
had a friendly interview with some of the aborigines,
and where the toys and wares of San Jago were
exchanged for tobacco and cassava. :
They now approached the island of San Domingo,
the chief town of which, " a brave city," bearing
the same name, was one of the oldest and wealthiest
in the Spanish settlements. Drake, having deter-
mined to attempt its reduction, examined the ground
in person, and resolved to assail it at once from
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 538.
f Life of Drake. Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 117.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 539.
104 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
the land and from the water. On New-year's-day
1586 he disembarked his forces about ten miles
to the westward of the town, and, having formed
them into two divisions, made an onset at the same
time on opposite gates. To save themselves from
the guns of the castle, the soldiers rushed forward
sword in hand, until they met in the market-
place in the centre of the town ; and, having com-
pelled the Spaniards to make a precipitate retreat,
they hastily raised a barricade and awaited an at-
tack. But the enemy, panic-stricken, next night
abandoned the castle and fled in boats to the other
side of the haven.* Thus left in possession of the
place, the adventurers on the following day strength-
ened their position, planting within their trenches
the ordnance which they had taken ; and having in
this manner secured themselves, they remained mas-
ters of the city for a month, during which they
employed themselves in collecting plunder as well as
in treating with the inhabitants for a ransom. The
sum demanded was so high that the latter declared
they were unable to pay it ; and the negotiation ac-
cordingly continued to be carried on amidst pillage
and conflagration. Two hundred seamen were
engaged in destroying the principal edifices; but
being lofty and substantially built of stone, their
demolition proved a work of great labour ; so that
eventually, on payment of 25,000 ducats (about
7000) safety was extended to the remains of the
town. Still the booty obtained was deemed incon-
siderable when the size and imagined riches of the
place were taken into account. t
" Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 539, 540.
f Ibid. p. 540. Camden's Annals, in Rennet, vol. ii. p. 509.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 105
An incident which occurred during this enterprise
affords a striking illustration of the energetic charac-
ter of Drake. A negro boy, sent with a flag of truce,
was met by some Spanish officers, one of whom,
pierced him through the body with a spear. Although
mortally wounded, the lad was able to return ; but
while relating the savage treatment he had received,
he fell down and expired at the feet of his master.
The insult offered to his flag, and the barbarous
usage of his envoy, roused the indignation of Drake.
He ordered the provost-marshal to hang two unfor-
tunate monks on the spot where the outrage was
committed ; and a third prisoner was despatched to
announce to the inhabitants that, until the guilty
person was given up, every day two Spaniards would
be put to death till all were '/ consumed which
were in their hands." On the following morning
the criminal was surrendered ; and, that his punish-
ment might be the more ignominious and exemplary,
his own countrymen were compelled to become his
executioners.*
Among other instances of the proud and vain-
glorious temper of the Spaniards, the historians of
the voyage describe an escutcheon suspended in the
town-hall of the city, on which were emblazoned
the armorial ensigns of the nation; beneath was
painted a globe, surmounted by a horse pawing the
air, having in his mouth a scroll, inscribed Non
sujficit orbis. This vaunting legend wounded the
national pride of the English ; and they assured the
townsmen that, should the queen be pleased reso-
lutely to prosecute the war, Philip would find it
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 540.
106 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
difficult to retain even that portion of the world
which he already possessed.*
Their next enterprise was directed against Car-
thagena, which was bravely defended and gallantly
carried, Carlile attacking it from the land, while
the fleet co-operated in its proper element. In this
action some of the assailants were mortally wounded
by Indian arrows dipt in poison, and by sharp
spikes planted in the paths, anointed likewise with
a deadly liquid.t The governor, Alonzo Bravo,
was taken prisoner ; and after the place had been
held six weeks, and many houses destroyed, a ran-
som of 110,000 ducats (upwards of 30,000) was
accepted for the preservation of its remains : from
this treaty the abbey was excepted, its safety being
purchased by a farther sum of 1000 crowns.* Se-
verer terms would have been exacted, had not
that deadly bilious fever, which has so often proved
fatal to the English in the same part of the
world, now raged in the fleet, and compelled
the victors to lower their demands. About seven
hundred men perished of the calentura alone,
* Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 509.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 542.
Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 1 19. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 545.
The calenture, ague, bilious or yellow fever, for by all these
names is the malady of Carthagena known, has never been more
truly and vividly described than in Smollett's Roderick Random,
and' in his account of the " Expedition against Carthagena," where
the sufferings of Drake's expedition were renewed. In the Abbe
Raynal's History of the Indies (liv. vii. c. x.), we find the fatal
distemper ascribed to the same causes to which it was attri-
buted by Drake's company, namely, the pestilential night-dews of a
climate where even the long-continued rams of the wet season never
cool the air, and where the night is as hot as the day. The men on
watch were found peculiarly liable to its attacks. Though there is
some difference of opinion about the sources of the disease, the
symptoms were the same in 1585 as in our own day. The malady,
says Raynal, " se declare par des vomissemens accompagnes d'un
5
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 107
as the disease, since described by Smollett, Glover
and others, was then named. They who struggled
through this frightful malady, if we may fully credit
the early accounts, were more to be pitied than
those that sunk under it. Though they survived,
it was with loss of strength, not soon if ever reco-
vered ; and so many suffered decay of memory and
impaired judgment, that when a man spoke fool-
ishly or incoherently it was a proverbial phrase
in the fleet that he had been sick of the calenture.*
The mortality was so great, that the projected
attempt on Nombre de Dios and Panama, " there
to strike the stroke for the treasure" of which they
had hitherto been disappointed, was necessarily aban-
doned, and the squadron sailed for the coast of
Florida. San Augustine and Santa Helena, two
small Spanish settlements, were burned; and, touch-
ing at Virginia, Drake took on board the governor
and wretched survivors of an unfortunate colony
sent out under the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh
in the preceding year.t
delire si violent, qu'il faut Her le malade pour Pempecher de se de-
chiver : souvent il expire au milieu de ces transports, qui durent
rarement plus de trois ou quatre jours." He adds, that the fever
of Carthagena, like the smallpox and some other disorders, is never
taken but once, a point, however, on which different opinions are
entertained.
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 542.
f Tytler's Life of Raleigh, pp.61, 62, Edinburgh Cabinet Li-
brary, No. XL Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 547, 548. It has been asserted
that this colony, having learned the uses of the plant in Virginia,
first introduced Tobacco into Britain, to the revenue of which it
now contributes upwards of 3,000,000 yearly. But there is reason
to suppose that the " Indian weed" was known in this country at
an earlier date. The colony returned to England on 27th July
1586; and in a narrative written by Thomas Hariot in February
1587, we are told that " the use of it [tobacco] by so many, of
late, men and women of great calling, as els, and some learned
physicians also, is sufficient witnesse ofthe vertues thereof." (Hak-
108 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
It was the 27th of July 1586 before the armament
returned to England, bringing 200 brass and 40 iron
luyt, vol. iii. p. 272.) It is not easy to believe that within seven
months the fashion of smoking became so prevalent as is indicated
in this passage, which is corroborated by many other authorities.
In the Faery Queen (book iii. cant. v. st. 32), published in 1590,
" divine tobacco" is familiarly mentioned ; and in the tragedy of " A
Warning for Fair Women," written before 1590, " smoke out of a
tobacco- pipe" is used as a common comparison ( Collier's Annals of
the Stage, vol. ii. p. 439). Smoking is one of the most prominent
objects of Jonson s ridicule in his play of " Every Man in his
Humour," first acted, as Gifford informs us, in 1595 or 1596; and
Paul Hentzner, who visited England in 1598, relates that the habit
of smoking was universal in the theatres and other places of public
resort.* " Taking tobacco on the stage" is alluded to in Davies and
Marlowe's Epigrams published about 1595 (Epig. 28), where like-
wise an extravagant panegyric on the leaf may be seen (Epig. 36).
It is certain that the English under Hawkins in 1564-5 were
made acquainted with tobacco by the natives and French settlers
in Florida (Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 518) ; it appears likewise to have
been an article of commerce pursued in Drake's fleet before he
took the colonists on board (see above, p. 103); and if tradition
may be trusted, it was in use in England during the reign of
Mary, 1553-1558 : In Herefordshire, to signify the last or
concluding pipe that one means to smoke at a sitting, they use
the term a Kemble Pipe, alluding to a man of the name of Kem-
ble, who, in the cruel persecution under that merciless bigot
Queen Mary, being condemned for heresy, in his walk of some miles
from the prison to the stake, amidst a crowd of weeping friends,
with the tranquillity and fortitude of a primitive martyr, smoked a
pipe of tobacco." (Sir J. Hawkins' notes to Walton and Cotton's
Angler, part ii. cap. ii. 2, n. 5.) These notices seem to warrant the
inference that the nerb was imported into England from the Con-
tinent. It was first seen by Europeans in November 1492, in the
island of Cuba, where the natives smoked it in the shape of the
cigar (Irving's Columbus, vol. i. p. 287). At what time it was in-
troduced into Spain is uncertain; but there is reason to believe that
the first traces of its use occur subsequently to the conquest of
Mexico. From the Peninsula it passed into France in 1559 ; the
honour of introducing it there being contested by the traveller
Andre* Thevet, and by the secretary Jean Nicot, Seigneur de Ville-
* "Utuntur, in hisce spectaculis sicut et alibi ubicunque locorum sint, Angli,
herba Nicotiana, quam tobaca nuncupant (Paetum alii dicunt), hoc modo frequen-
tissimfe. Fistula in hunc finem ex argilla factae, orificio posteriori, dictam her-
bam, probe exsiccatam ita ut in pulverem facile redigi possit, immittunt, ;t igni
admoto accendunt, unde fumus ab anteriori parte ore attrahitxir, qui per nares
rursum tanquam per infurnibulum exit, et phlegma et capitis defluxiones magna
copia secum educit. Circumferuntur insuper in hisce theatris varii fructus ve-
nales. etiam vinum et cerevisia."
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 109
cannon, andabout 60,000 in prize-money, of which
20,000 were divided among the men, and the re-
mainder allotted to the adventurers.* Though the
private gains resulting from the expedition were not
of great value, the dismantling of so many fortresses
at the beginning of a war was of no inconsiderable
importance, and but the first of many services which
our navigator performed in its progress.
The next exploit of Drake was achieved wholly
with public views. The rumour of that formida-
ble armament fitted out by Spain for the invasion
of England, and first in fear though afterwards in
derision called the Invincible Armada, had spread
universal alarm. In a noble spirit of patriotism, the
merchants of London at their own expense equipped
twenty-six vessels of different sizes, which were
main, in the same manner as there has been a controversy whe-
ther Drake or Raleigh first brought it to England. The preten-
sions of Thevet have found few supporters, while science has sanc-
tioned the claims of Nicot, by borrowing the generic title of the
plant from his name. As we may learn from the contemporary
poets and dramatists, the love of our countrymen for Gallic fashions
was in that age no less keen than in our own ; and we may safely
conclude, that after tobacco had found its way to the gay circles of
Paris, not many years elapsed before it was transplanted to the
court of England. In conformity with this supposition we find that
the species of the herb most highly esteemed were the growth
not ot English but of Spanish settlements : Captain Bobadil re-
commends " especially your Trinidado," a description which, in
popular speech, seems at one time to have given its name to the
plant (Gifford's Ben Jonson, vol. i. p. 88) ; and Dr Barclay informs
us, that " the most fine, best, and purest tabacco, is that which is
brought to Europe in leaves, and not rolled in puddings, as the Eng-
lish navigators first brought home" (Nepenthes, or the Vertues
of Tabacco. Edinburgh, 1614. 8vo). It may be plausibly urged
also, that it' the herb had been introduced from Virginia it would
have retained its Virginian name of Uppowoc^ instead of deriving
the appellation of Tobacco from the Spaniards, who borrowed it
from the speech of the natives of San Domingo (Humboldt's Es-
say on New Spain, vol. iii. p. 40. English Translation).
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 548. Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol.
ii. p. 509.
1 10 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
placed under his command.* To this squadron the
queen added, besides two pinnaces, four ships, named
the Bonaventure, commanded by the great seaman in
person ; the Lion, by William Borrough; the Dread-
nought, by Thomas Fenner; and the Rainbow, by
Henry Bellingham.t
With this considerable force, in the beginning of
April 1587, Drake sailed from Plymouth Sound.
On his passage to the coast of Spain he learned,
from the commanders of two Dutch vessels, that a
fleet was lying at Cadiz ready to sail for Lisbon
with provisions and ammunition for the Armada.
On receiving this intelligence he immediately steer-
ed for the former port, and there, in the course of one
day and two nights, captured and destroyed ship-
ping to the extent of about 10,000 tons burthen,
destined to take part in the threatened invasion or
subservient to the purpose of its equipment.^ Hav-
ing thus happily accomplished his public duty, he
resolved on an enterprise which promised to reward
the spirited individuals who had enabled him so
essentially to serve their common country. Possess-
ing private information that the San Philipe, a Por-
tuguese carrack from the East Indies, was about this
time expected to arrive at Terceira, he set sail for
the Azores. But before he could reach the track
of this superb ship his supplies of provisions failed,
and there was a dearth throughout the fleet ; yet,
partly by promises, partly by threats, he induced
his company to persevere in the cruise, and soon
had the satisfaction of carrying home in triumph
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. pp. 125, 126. Camden's Annals,
in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 540. f Hakluyt, vol. ii. part ii. p. 121.
J Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 12J.
Hakluyt, vol. ii. part ii. p. 123.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. Ill
the richest prize that had ever yet been made.
The cargo, though of immense worth, was of less
value to the English merchants than the papers
found on board ; for from these they acquired so
complete a knowledge of Indian traffic,, that they
were enabled at no distant period to engage
in this lucrative trade, and to lay the founda-
tions of that powerful Company to which Britain
owes her magnificent empire in the East.* Drake
is censured for discovering undue exultation at the
triumphant result of this expedition. He is said
to have spoken of his actions in a boastful strain;
but the only ground for this charge seems to be his
expression that he had " singed the Spanish king's
beard ;"t and surely this jocular phrase may be par-
doned in the hero who, by destroying the armament
at Cadiz, delayed for a year the threatened invasion,
and ensured its final discomfiture.^ Nor were Drake's
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii p. 128. Monson's Naval Tracts,
p. 156. Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 540.
j- Lord Bacon on a War with Spain. Bacon's Works, by Mon-
tagu, vol. v. p. 262.
So warmly were the exploits of Drake resented by the court
of Spain, even before this great blow against the maritime power
and strength of that country, that when, as it was presumed, terror
was struck into the heart of the nation by the expectation that
the formidable armament would every day put to sea, the Spanish
ambassador, it is said, propounded terms of peace to Elizabeth in
certain Latin verses, thus translated by Fuller ( Holy State, p. 303 j.
" These to you are our commands :
Send no help to the Netherlands ;
Of the treasure took by DRAKE
Restitution you must make ;
And those abbeys build anew
Which your father overthrew ;
If for any peace you hope,
In all points restore the Pope."
To this insolent demand the lion-hearted princess replied extem-
poraneously in the same language and in the same vein :
" Worthy king, know this your will,
At Lattar Lammas we'll fulfil."
112 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
services to his country limited to warlike opera-
tions. In the brief interval of leisure which he en-
joyed subsequently to this expedition, he confer-
red a lasting benefit on the town of Plymouth by
introducing into it a supply of water, of which it
was in great need, from springs eight miles distant,
and by a course measuring more than twenty miles.*
This achievement is still gratefully remembered in
Devon, where the common people ascribe its success
less to his skill and science than to the power of his
magical incantations. t
In the following year his distinguished exploits
received the reward to which they were fully en-
titled ; he was appointed vice-admiral under Lord
Charles Howard of Effingham, the commander-in-
chief of the sea-forces of England. But Drake had
hitherto been accustomed to give, not to obey orders,
and his vivacity had nearly produced disastrous
consequences. Certain tidings had been received
of the sailing of the Invincible Armada ; from later
information it was known that the fleet was soon
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 129. Wescot's Survey of
Devonshire. Stowe's Annals, p. 80o. Ridson's Survey of Devon-
shire, vol. i. pp. 69, 70.
f " The people of Plymouth," it is said, " were so destitute of
water, that they were obliged to send their clothes to Plympton to
be washed in fresh water. Drake resolved to rid them of this in-
convenience. So he called for his horse, mounted, road to Dart-
moor, and hunted about till he found a very fine spring. Having
fixed on one that would suit his purpose, he gave a smart lash to
his horse's side, pronouncing as he did so some magical words,
when off went the animal as fast as he could gallop, and the stream
followed his heels all the way into the town." Mrs Bray's Tavy
and Tamar, vol. ii. pp. 171) 172. The popular belief in the potency
of his charms is unbounded : " The people of Tavistock say, that
notwithstanding the place is fourteen miles from the sea (at Ply-
mouth), Drake offered to make his native town a seaport, if the
inhabitants would but have granted to him the estate of Mile-mead."
Ibid. pp. 173, 174.
2
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 113
afterwards dispersed in a violent storm; and, in
the belief that the attempt would be abandoned
for a time, orders were despatched to the admiral
desiring him to send four of his best ships back to
Chatham, as the frugal government was unwilling
to keep them afloat an hour longer than was ne-
cessary. Hardly had this command been received
when Howard was made aware by Thomas Flem-
ing, the captain of a Scottish privateer,* that the
dreaded armament was close at hand ; and it soon
afterwards passed Plymouth, where the English
squadron was taking in supplies to replace those
expended during its cruise on the Spanish coast.
It was on the evening of the 19th July 1588 that
these unexpected news re-awakened the watchful-
ness of the admiral. By noon next day his ships
were manned, warped out, and ready for the fight ;t
and almost at the same instant the enemy's fleet
came in sight. On the 21st, with a greatly inferior
force, he ventured on the attack which, by the bless-
ing of Heaven on the valour and skill of our country-
men, was continued from day to day, till at length
the proud Armada, shattered and disabled, was
entirely swept from the channel.^ On the night of
* The honour of giving this important intelligence belongs to
Scotland, the native country of Fleming ; at the instance of Howard
the (jueen granted him a pardon, and also a pension for the notable
service he had performed.
J- Camden's Annals of Elizabeth, in Rennet, vol. ii.p. 546. Tytler's
Life of Raleigh, Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. XI. pp. 88, 89.
J It was during this troubled period, when the dreaded Armada
hung on our shores, that the first newspaper was printed in Eng-
land. It bore the title of " The English Mercurie, published by au-
thority, imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, her Highnesse's
printer." The earliest number now known to exist is dated July 23,
1588. The circulation of Gazettes in MS. was commenced at Ve-
nice about the year 1536; but Mr George Chalmers claims for our
country the honour of producing the first printed publication of that
114 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
the 21st Drake, who had been appointed to carry
the lantern, so far neglected his duty as to give
chase to several Easterling hulks.* By this impru-
dent measure his lordship was so misled that,
mistaking the Spanish light for his own, he un-
suspectingly followed it until the dawn of the morn-
ing, when he found himself in the very midst of the
enemy. Fortunately he was able instantly to with-
draw; while the vice-admiral amply atoned for
his oversight by his distinguished services in ha-
rassing, capturing, and destroying the Spanish ships.
On the 22d he performed a memorable action.
Among the enemy's fleet there was a large galleon,
commanded by Don Pedro de Valdez, a man of
illustrious family and of high office, having nearly
fifty noblemen and gentlemen in his company. His
ship, crippled and separated from the squadron, had
been hastily passed by Howard, in the belief that it
was abandoned. There was on board a crew of 450
persons ; but, when summoned to surrender in the
formidable name of Drake, they attempted no resist-
ance. Kissing the hand of the victorious leader,
Don Pedro said that he and his companions had
resolved to die in battle had they not experienced
the good fortune of falling into the hands of one cour-
teous, gentle, and generous to the vanquished. That
he might not seem unworthy of these compliments,
nature. M. Lally-Tollendal has disputed this pretension : " Qnant
a la publication d'un journal politique, la France peut reclamer Tan-
teriorite de plus d'un demi siecle; car on conserve a la biblio-
theque du Roi un bulletin de la campagne de Louis XII. en Italic
(1509), in-8o. de 8 p., gothique, commencant ainsi: ' C'est la tres
noble et tres excel lente victoire du roy nostre sire Loys douziesme
de ce nom qu'il aheue moyennant I'ayde de Dieu sur les Venitiens.'
(No. in-4o. L. 607)." Biographic Universelle, tome xiii. p. 56.
* Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 546. Hakluyt, vol. i.
p. 597.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 115
the vice-admiral treated his guests with the utmost
kindness and politeness : they were sent ashore as
prisoners, and two years afterwards he received 3500
for their ransom. In their ship were found 55,000
ducats (upwards of 15,000), which were divided
among the crew.* The running fight between the
fleets, often interrupted, was renewed from day to
day and from hour to hour, until the Spaniards
were forced to make sail to the northwards, with
the view of regaining their country by circumna-
vigating the British islands, an attempt which,
ended in the almost total destruction of their mighty
armament. Of 134 ships which left the shores of
Spain, only 53 returned.t In the fight of the 29th,
which was maintained with desperate valour on both
sides, Drake's ship was pierced by forty balls, two of
which passed through his cabin.
In the following yearj (1589) he commanded as
* Hakluyt, vol. i. p. 598.
f- A more copious account of the equipment and destruction of
the Spanish Armada, founded upon documents preserved in the
State-paper Office, not before published, will be found in Tytler's
Life of Raleigh, p. 75-101. According to legends still current in the
south of England, it was by no human means that Drake overthrew
the mighty Armada : it is told that he placed a block of wood on
the side of his vessel, and hewed it into pieces, which no sooner
touched the water than they sprung up stately ships of war, armed
and equipped at all points. According to another version of the
tradition, he was playing at kales (nine-pins or skittles) on the
Hoe at Plymouth, when it was announced to him that the enemy's
fleet was sailing into the harbour. " He showed no alarm, but
persisted in playing out his game. When it was concluded he
ordered a large block of timber and a hatchet to be brought to him.
He then bared his arm and chopped the wood into small pieces.
These he hurled into the sea, and at his command every block
arose a tire-ship ; and within a short space a general destruction of
the enemy's fleet took place." Mrs Bray's Tamar and Tavy, vol.
ii. p. 170.
On New Year's tide 1589 Drake presented to her majesty " a
fanne of f ethers, white and redd, the handle of golde, inamaled with a
halfe moone of mother of perles, within that a halie moone garnished
116 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
admiral, the fleet sent to restore Don Antonio of Por-
tugal, while Sir John Norris led the land-forces.
Differences arose between them as to the best mode
of prosecuting the enterprise. The failure of the
scheme proposed by the general gives probability to
the assertion that the plan of operations suggested by
Drake would have been more successful. It is at
least certain that the expedition miscarried; and
that hitherto prosperity had not deserted any un-
dertaking in which he had supreme control.* Don
Antonio returned as he went forth ; but, in the pre-
sence of the queen and council, the navigator so
fully justified his own conduct, that their confidence
in his ability and skill remained unabated.t This
was the first check that his fortunes received ; and
it would have been happy for him, it has been
said, if he had now withdrawn from the game.J The
great and fatal error of his next expedition was the
acceptance once more, after an interval of six years,
of a divided command.
The war with Spain, though it languished, was
yet distant from its termination. In conjunction
with Sir John Hawkins, Drake offered his services
in an enterprise to the West Indies, on a scale so
extensive, it was thought, as must crush the Spanish
power in that quarter; and Elizabeth and her mini-
with sparks of dj-amonds, and a few seede perles on the one side,
having her majestie's picture within it ; and on the back-side a de-
vice with a crowne over it." Nichols' Progresses, vol. ii. p. 54, note,
quoted in Drake's Shakspeare and his Times (4to, London, 181 7),
Tol. ii. p. 99.
* Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. pp. 553, 554. Monson's
Naval Tracts, p. 1J4. Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 131-146
inclusive.
f Biographia Britannica, by Kippis, vol. v. p. 350. Art. Drake.
J Ibid. vol. v. p. 351, note.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 117
sters received the proposal with every mark of satis-
faction.* The fleet consisted of six ships of the navy
and twenty- one private vessels, having on board
land and sea forces to the number of 2500.t
It sailed from Plymouth on the 28th of August
1595, after having been detained for some time by
reports that another Armada was prepared to invade
England, a rumour artfully spread abroad in order
to delay the departure of the expedition, of which one
object was known to be the destruction of Nombre
de Dios and the plunder of Panama. A few days
before their departure the adventurers received
tidings that a galleon richly laden had been dis-
abled and separated from the fleet which annually
brought treasure from the Indies to Spain ; and
the capture of this vessel was strongly pressed upon
the commanders by the government. But they had
hardly put to sea when discord appeared in their
councils. Hawkins wished at once to accomplish
the design recommended by the queen; but time was
lost at Dominica, as also in a previous attempt to in-
vade the Canaries, which was suggested by Drake
and Sir Thomas Baskerville;J and these delays
were improved by the enemy in strengthening the
defences of their colonies. The prize now lay at
Porto Rico ; but five frigates had already been de-
spatched to bring it home in safety.
On the 29th October the ships made sail from the
coast of Dominica, where they had been careened
and water was taken on board. On the same even-
ing, the Francis, one of the vessels, was captured by
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 141.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii p. 583.
Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 584.
118 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
the enemy. This misfortune was deemed fatal to
the enterprise, as all hopes of surprising the Span-
iards were now at an end.* Hawkins was morti-
fied by it beyond measure ; he fell sick almost im-
mediately ; and on the 12th November, when the
fleet arrived before Porto Rico, he died of combined
disease and grief. Sir Thomas Baskerville, who sue-
ceeded him, took command of the Garland.
Meditating an instant attack, the English on the
evening of Hawkins' death lay within reach of the
guns of Porto Rico ; and while the officers were at
supper a shot penetrated the great cabin, drove the
stool on which Drake sat from under him, killed
Sir Nicolas Clifford, and mortally wounded Brute
Browne and some others.t That night an assault
was resolved on, and attempted the next day with
desperate valour. But the enemy were prepared at
all points; the treasure had been carried off; the
women and children removed to a place of safety ;
and the fortifications thoroughly repaired. Though
the Spaniards suffered great loss, the invaders reaped
but a barren victory ; J and, after lying a few days
before the city, it was j udged expedient to abandon
this enterprise. The squadron accordingly stood for
the Main, where Rio de la Hacha, La Rancheria, and
some other places, were taken, and, on the failure
of the negotiations for their ransom, were burned to
the ground. Several villages shared a similar fate ;
but Drake began too late to discover, that by this
petty warfare his forces were gradually reduced with-
out the gain of any substantial advantage. Con-
* Hakluyt, voL iii. p. 584. Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii.
p. 584. f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 584.
+ Camden's Annals, in Kennet, vol. ii. p. 584. Biographia
Nautica, vol. iii. pp. 143, 144. Ibid. pp. 144, 145.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 119
tinued disappointments had likewise affected his
health ; indeed, from the moment of his first misun-
derstanding with Hawkins his equanimity was dis-
turbed. On the morning of the assault on Porto
Rico he exclaimed, in taking leave of Browne,
then at the point of death, " Ah! dear Brute, I
could grieve for thee, but now is no time for me to
let down my spirits."*
The Spanish towns were rather abandoned to the
occupation than taken by the arms of the English,
and in this manner Santa Martha and Nombre de
Dios fell into their hands with scarcely a show of re-
sistance: both were given to the flames.t On the
summit of a watchtower in the neighbourhood of
the latter they discovered upwards of 2000 pounds
of silver, two bars of gold, and several valuable
articles of merchandise. On the 29th December,
two days after the capture of Nombre de Dios, Sir
Thomas Baskerville, with 750 soldiers, attempted to
force his way to Panama through the difficult and
dangerous passes of the Isthmus of Darien. But
at every step he was assailed by a desultory fire of
musketry from the woods ; at certain places fortifi-
cations had been thrown up to impede his progress ;
and by the sudden onsets to which he was exposed in
these ambuscades he lost many men. About mid-
way the design was abandoned, and the party be-
gan to retrace their steps. J Harassed by the attacks
of the Spaniards, destitute of provisions, and ex-
Fuller's Holy State, Life of Drake, p. 129. He adds on the
margin: " From the mouth of Hen. Drake, Esquire, there pre-
sent, my dear and worthy parishioner, lately deceased."
-|- Caraden's Annals, m Kennet, vol. ii. p. 585. Biographia
Nautica, vol. iii. p. 144.
Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 145. Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 587 .
120 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
hausted by privation and fatigue, they made their
way to the ships, grievously depressed and disheart-
ened. This last and most fatal of the calamities
which had followed the expedition threw Drake
into a lingering fever, which was speedily followed
by other symptoms of disease. After languishing for
three weeks, he expired near Porto Bello, at four in
the morning of the 28th of January 1595, in the
fifty-first year of his age. His remains were placed
in a leaden coffin, and committed to the deep with all
the pomp attending naval obsequies. Thus " he
lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it."*
Unsuccessful as his latter enterprises had been, his
death was universally lamented by his country;
the tenderness of compassion was now mingled with
admiration of the genius and valour of one " whose
memory will survive as long as the duration of that
world which he surrounded."t
bowels were buried." Hence it might be inferred that the bod}'
had been brought home.
f- Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 145. " Tandem, terribilis ille
Draco, confectis feliciter tot navigationibus et dimicationibus mari-
timis, diutino dysenteriae morbp viribus admodum attenuatis expira-
vit. Talem vitae exitum habuit tantus imperator in navalibus pug-
nis, totiusque belli maritimi instrumentis, et apparatu. Fama de
interritu ejus fines orbis peragravit. Obstupuerunt Iberi, Indi ac
ultimee Turcici imperil orae, ad magnitudinem fortunae ejus virtutis-
que. Multitude Anglica, memor maximorum in regnum meritorum,
cunctis humanis honoribus prosecuta est ; omnia iortia ejus laudi-
bus celebrans. Fama rerum gestarum manet in annuls nominum,
mansuraque in asternum, non in opinione tacita amicorum, sed ad-
miratione magna popularium. Liberalibus disciplinis innutriti,
ad perpetuam f'amae memoriam, carmina meditati sunt. Pauca hue
ascribere non piguit :
Drace perrerati quern novit terminus orbis,
Quemque simul mundi vidit uterque polus ;
Si taceant homines, facient te sidera notum ;
Sol nescit comitis non memor esse sui.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 121
Of Drake's life, the years were few which were
not passed in the public service of his country ; and
of their history little is known. He sat in two par-
liaments, for the burgh of Bossiney or Tintagel in
Cornwall, in 1585-6, and for the town of Plymouth
in 1592-3. Though often described as a bachelor, it
is ascertained that he married Elizabeth, daughter
and sole heiress of Sir George Sydenham of Coombe-
Sydenham in Somersetshire, who survived him, and
afterwards became the wife of William Courtenay
of Powderham Castle in the county of Devon.*
He left no children, but bequeathed to his nephew
Francis Drake, who was advanced to the baronetage
Ingens mortis eius gaudium Iberis et Indis fuit" Johnstoni Rer.
Brit. Hist. p. 208. The concluding lines of this epigram have been
happily rendered :
" The stars above will make thee known,
If man were silent here ;
The sun himself cannot forget
His fellow-traveller."
Willis, Notitia Parliaraentaria, vol. ii. p. 122-295, quoted in
Biographia Britannica, by Kippis, vol. v. p. 352. Article Drake.
There is a romantic tradition in Devonshire, " that while the old
warrior (as Drake is popularly named) was abroad, his lady, not
hearing from him for seven years, considered he must be dead,
and that she was free to marry again. Her choice was made, the
nuptial-day fixed, and the parties had assembled in the church.
At that very hour Sir Francis was at the antipodes of Devonshire,
and one of his spirits, who let him know from time to time how
things went in England, whispered in his ear in what manner he
was about to lose his wife. He rose up in haste, charged one of his
great guns, and discharged a ball so truly aimed that it shot through
the globe, forced its way into the church, and fell with a loud ex-
plosion between the lady and her intended bridegroom. ' It is a
signal from Drake,' she exclaimed ; ' he is alive, and I am still a
wife. There must be neither troth nor ring between thee and me.' "
Mrs Bray's Tamar and Tavy, vol. ii. pp. 172, 173. The same
wild legend is told in Somersetshire, with, this difference, that the
miraculous interruption was made by a great stone, which fell from
the heavens on the bridal train of the forgetful wife as she went to
the church. It is added, that in no long time Drake returned, and,
disguised as a beggar, sought alms of his spouse : a smile betrayed
his deceit, and his lady recognised and welcomed him with tears
of joy.
122 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
by James the First, a considerable landed estate,
purchased by spoils gathered in almost every region
of the earth.
The navigator is described as of low stature, but
exquisitely proportioned ; his chest was broad, his
head round and well-formed. He had a fair and
sanguine complexion, a countenance open and cheer-
ful ; his eyes were large and lively ; his beard full
and comely, and his hair of a brown colour.* In
the portrait which is prefixed to this volume, the
traces may be easily recognised of that quick and
resolute character which he displayed in all his ac-
tions. He willingly listened to the counsel of others,
though he generally acted on his own ; and what-
ever he thus attempted he accomplished with suc-
cess. He was a perfect seaman, skilled in every
point of his art, and able in his own person to dis-
charge all the duties of a ship, even those of attending
the sick and dressing the wounded. In repairing
and watering his vessels, as readily as in what are
esteemed higher offices, he at all times bore an ac-
tive part ; and to his zealous co-operation in these
subordinate toils much of the facility and celerity
of his movements, and no small share of his conse-
quent success, are to be attributed. The sciences
connected with navigation, particularly that of as-
tronomy, so far as they were then known, he
thoroughly understood. Among his many natural
gifts was that of a ready and graceful eloquence.
Courteous, affable, " infinite in promises," he was of
easy access to all men. One who served under him
describes him as of a prompt and lively spirit,
constant in his friendship, but not easily reconciled
* Stowe's Annals, p. 808.
EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES. 123
to those with whom he had ever been at variance.
Among other deeds of enlightened benevolence was
his establishing, in conjunction with Sir John Haw-
kins, the CHEST at Chatham for the relief of aged or
sick seamen, by the honourable means of their own
early providence.* The dark shades of his character
are not many. If he was fond of amassing wealth,
he was generous and bountiful in its distribution.
It must be acknowledged, that he manifested greater
equanimity in misfortune than in prosperity ; and
among his faults are to be numbered susceptibility
to flattery, " aptnesse to anger, and bitternesse in
disgracing."t He has been charged with ambition ;
but it is well remarked, that never in any man did
that infirmity take a happier direction for the wel-
fare of his country. His example did more to ad-
vance the maritime power and reputation of Eng-
land than that of all the navigators who preceded
him ; he indicated or led the way to new sources of
trade ; and opened that career of commercial pro-
sperity and national aggrandizement which his
countrymen are still pursuing. Nor were his tran-
scendent merits unappreciated or unacknowledged
his praises were in the mouths of all men ; poets and
historians celebrated his courage ; J his exploits gave
* Camden's Britannia, p. 133.
f- Purchas, part iv. p. 1186.
J Besides many productions of inferior extent, which need not be
enumerated, there appeared in 1 59H a poem by Charles Fitzgeffray,
a native of Cornwall, entitled, " ^ir Francis Drake, his honorable
Life's Commendation, and his tragical Deathe's Lamentation." This
composition, which is highly extolled by contemporary writers, and
described by a modern critic as " possessing no small portion of
merit," is dedicated in a quaint sonnet " to the beauteous and ver-
tuous Lady Elizabeth, late wife unto the highlie renowned Sir
Francis Drake, deceased." Drake's Shakspeare and his Times,
vol. i. p. 620.
124 EXPEDITIONS TO THE WEST INDIES.
a subject to the drama ;* and, after the lapse of more
than two hundred years, he yet lives as the mytho-
logical hero of the traditions of his native province.
Hostile lands offered equal tribute to his fame;
when tidings of his death were carried to Panama,
two days were given to public rejoicings ; and Lope
de Vega, the most popular poet in Spain, composed
an epic poem to revile his deeds and calumniate his
memory.t
* One of the few plays acted during the usurpation of Cromwell
was " The History of Sir Francis Drake : exprest by instrumental
and vocal music, and by art of perspective in scenes, &c. The first
part, represented daily at the Cockpit in Drury-Lane, at three in
the afternoon punctually." 4to, 1659. It was written probably by
Sir William JD'Avenant ; at least it forms the third and fourth acts
of that assemblage of dramatic fragments which he published in
1673 under the title of " A Play-house to be Let."
f Southey's Naval History of England, vol. iii. p. 346-349.
The poet stigmatizes Drake as a protestant pirate of Scotland,
" el protestante pirate de Escocia." With equal accuracy he calls
the English Caledonians.
CAVENDISH.
CHAPTER IV.
Voyage of Cavendish round the World.
Policy of Queen Elizabeth Public Spirit of the English Nobility
Ancestry of Cavendish His Voyage to Virginia Equipment
of his Squadron for an Expedition to the South Sea Discovery
of Port Desire Colon) 7 of Don Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
Natives of the Straits Indian Tributaries of Santa Maria
Escape of Tome Hernandez A Watering-party cut off Capture
of Spanish Ships Use of Torture by Cavendish Payta captured
Cacique of Puna Skirmish with the Spaniards March into
the Woods Progress of the Squadron Capture of the Santa
Anna Cavendish steers for the Ladrones Description of the
Natives Treachery of a Spanish Pilot Rencounter with a
Party of Spaniards Passes the Moluccas Anchors at Java
Remarkable Customs of the Inhabitants The Desire passes the
Cape of Good Hope Reaches St Helena Arrives at Plymouth.
THE reign of Elizabeth is by nothing more honour-
ably distinguished than by the manliness and dignity
which characterized the pursuits of her courtiers,
and, through their example, those of the entire body
of the English gentry. That period, illustrious in
the national annals, owes much of its glory and feli-
city to this cause. To the queen herself belongs
the praise of having, during a long life, zealously
cherished the flame of public spirit, and of having in-
spired, by her influence, the youth of the kingdom
with that ardent thirst for renown which in so
many ways redounded to the advantage and pros-
perity of her dominions. Distinguished merit,
126 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
whether displayed in the field or in the council,
was a sure path to her regard ; and though her fa-
vourites possessed very different degrees of moral
worth, all were celebrated for ability or patriotism.*
In that age it was not unusual for men of the
higTiest rank to devote their private fortunes and
personal servic^sjtojthe^dvancement Qfjhe_national
interests, byjgndertaking or promoting voyages of
discovery ; by establishing foreign colonies ; Try ex-
ploring new sources of traffic ; orj
state_againsjhe aggressions of its enemies.
* The care which Elizabeth devoted to the rising marine and
commerce of her kingdom has often been the subject of panegyric.
Purchas has addressed her in a passage which the reader may not
be displeased to see quoted : " Thou wast indeed the mother of
English sea-greatnesse, and didst first (by thy generalls) not salute
alone, but awe and terrifie the remotest East and West, stretching
thy long and strong armes to India, to China, to America, to the
Peruvian Seas, to the Californian coast, and New Albion's scepters :
Thou mad'st the northern Muscovite admire thy greatnesse. Thou
gavest name to the North-west Straits and the Southern Negros, and
ilands of the South-unknown-continent, which knew not humanitie,
were compelled to know thee :* Thou imbracedst the whole earthly
globe in tny maritime armes ; thou freed'st England from Easter-
ngs'f and Lumbards' borrowed legs ; and taught'st her not onely
to stand and goe without helpe, but become helpe to our friends, and
with her own sea-forces to stand against, yea to stand upon, and
stampe under feet the proudest of her foes. Thou wast a mother
to thy neighbours, Scots, French, Dutch ; a mirrour to the remotest
of nations. Great Cumberland's twelve voyages are thine, and the
fiery vigor of his martiall spirit was kindled at thy bright lamp, and
quickened by the great spirit of Elizabeth. Drake, Candish, John
and Richard Hawkins, Raleigh, Dudley, Sherley, Preston, Greenvile,
Lancaster, Wood, Raimund, Levison, Monson, Winter, Frobisher,
Davies, and other the star-worthies of England's sphere, acknow-
ledge Eliza's orb to be their first and highest mover." Purchas,
part iv. p. 1819.
* This alludes to the islands of Tierra del Fuego, on which Drake be-
stowed the title of Ettzabethides (see above, p. 60) : this bleak region was
long believed to form a portion of the imaginary Terra Australis Incog'
nita.
f By Easterlings are meant the inhabitants of the Hanse Towns; and
it may be conjectured that by " Easterlings' and Lumbards' borrowed legs"
this quaint writer signifies that the carrying-trade of England, hitherto
engrossed by the shipping of the Italians and the people of the United Pro-
vinces, was now, by the policy of Elizabeth, secured to the English.
5
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 12J
Of this generous and lofty-minded class was
Thomas Cavendish, the second of his countrymen
who sailed round the globe. He was descended from
an old and honourable family, the founder of which
came to England in the train of the Conqueror.
His father was William Cavendish, or, as the name
was then usually written, Candish, of Trimley St
Martin, in the county of Suffolk,* where the fu-
ture navigator was born. The family-mansion stood
near the seashore; and from this circumstance it
is said he early became enamoured of a naval life.
His father died while he was still a minor ; and
succeeding to his patrimony at an unripe age, he is
reported to have squandered it " in gallantry and
following the court," and to have embraced the
nobler pursuits to which his subsequent years were
devoted in order to repair his shattered fortunes. t
According to other authorities, he was impelled to
this course by higher motives ; and the truth is, that,
although the relations of his voyages are ample, very
little is known of his personal history.
It appears certain that in the year 1585 he ac-
companied an expedition to Virginia, under Sir
Richard Grenville, in a vessel equipped at his own
expense. J This voyage, undertaken for the esta-
blishment of the unfortunate colony which was
brought home by Sir Francis Drake in 1586 (see
p. 107), though attended with many hardships, was
Collins' Peerage of England (8vo, Edinburgh, 1735), vol. i.
p. 121.
j- Lediard's Naval History of England (2 vols folio, London,
1735), vol. i. p. 229. Biographia Britannica, by Kippis, vol. iii.
p. 316. Article Cavendish.
Some accounts say this was the Tiger ; but this could not have
been, as the Tiger was the admiral's ship, from which Cavendish
was separated in the Bay of Biscay, and which he did not rejoin till
the fleet had reached the West Indies Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 251.
128 VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
unproductive of gain. Cavendish, however, acquired
from it nautical experience ; in its progress he visited
the Spanish West India settlements; he conversed
with those who had sailed with Drake into the South
Sea ; and his youthful spirit was thus inflamed with
a desire to emulate the glory of that great navigator
in so rich a field of enterprise.
Grenville's fleet returned to England in October,
and, before many months expired, our hero, from
the wreck of his fortune, equipped a small squa-
dron for his projected voyage. While the car-
penters were at work upon two of his vessels,
which appear to have been entirely new,* he busied
himself in collecting maps, charts, and the his-
tories of such former navigations as might be useful
to him ; and haying, through the recommendation
of Lord Hunsdon, received license from the queen
to cruise against her enemies, he departed from Ply-
mouth on the 21st July 1586.t His little fleet con-
sisted of the Desire, of 120 tons burden, in which he
sailed as admiral; the Content, of 60 tons ; and the
Hugh Gallant, a light bark of 40 tons. It was man-
ned by a crew of 123 soldiers, seamen, and officers,
and provided with every requisite for a long resi-
dence in latitudes with which the discoveries of
Drake had now made the public familiar.^
The vessels first touched at Sierra Leone, where
their young commander committed an act of wan-
ton barbarity. One Sunday a party went on shore,
where they remained till nightfall, joining in the
dance and other sports with the friendly negroes.
Their secret object was to gain intelligence of a
* Biographia Britannica, by Kippis, vol. iii. p, 316.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 803.
J Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 240.
VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 129
Portuguese vessel in the harbour, which their leader
was anxious to capture. Baffled in this project,
the adventurers next day landed to the number
of seventy, attacked the town, burned two or three
houses, and carried off what little spoil they found.*
The natives fled at their approach, but no sooner
had the invaders turned their backs than they
were assailed by poisoned arrows discharged from
the shelter of the woods. No reason is assigned for
this unprovoked devastation, save " the bad deal-
ing of negros with all Christians." The village
is described as neatly built, and enclosed by mud
walls; the houses and streets were kept in the cleanest
manner ; the yards were surrounded by suitable
fences ; and the town altogether exhibited signs of
civilisation, of which the slave-trade subsequently
destroyed every trace. t A few days after this outrage
some seamen who went ashore fell into an ambush,
and were nearly cut off. One man died from the hurt
of a poisoned arrow, and several were wounded.
The discoverers departed on the 6th September,
and on the 16th December made the coast of America,
in 47 20' S. The land was observed stretching west,
at the distance of six leagues, and next day they an-
chored in a harbour in 48 S., to which they gave the
name of Port Desire, in honour of the admiral's ship. J
Seals were seen here of enormous size, in the fore-
part of their body resembling lions ; the flesh of
their young afforded food, which in the estimation
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 804. f Ibid. p. 804. J Ibid. p. 805.
In the narratives of the voyage of the Dutch navigators
Schouten and Le Maire, who anchored in Port Desire about thirty
years after the visit of Cavendish, these animals are described as
sixteen feet in length ; to kill them, it was necessary to take aim
at the belly or head, their skins not being penetrable in any other
part Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 365.
130 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
of the seamen was not inferior in delicacy to lamb
or mutton. Birds, apparently penguins, were also
found in great plenty; and in this excellent harbour
the ships were careened. On the 24th December
a man and a boy, on going ashore to wash their
linen, were suddenly surrounded by about fifty In-
dians, who assailed them with arrows made of canes,
skilfully headed with flints, which occasioned very
severe wounds.* Cavendish, with a small party,
pursued them, but unsuccessfully. " They are as
wilde as ever was a bucke, or any other wilde beast,"
says an old author, " as they seldome or never see any
Christians." One of their foot-prints, it is affirmed,
measured eighteen inches in length.f The visiters set
sail on the 28th, halting at an island three leagues
off, to cure and store the sea-fowls which they had
taken ; and on the 30th, standing out to sea, they ob-
served a rock, in 48' 30" S., which resembled that of
Eddystone near Plymouth. Passing several capes,
towhich nonames were given, onthe6th they entered
Magellan's Straits, which the Spaniards had lately
attempted to fortify. At twilight the squadron an-
chored near the first Angostura, or Narrow; and soon
afterwards fires were observed on the northern shore,
which the voyagers, believing to be signals, answered
by lights from the ships. In the morningaboat rowed
aborigines or our own country ; the p
considerable art, are still frequently
By the common people they are callei
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 805. The ere
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 805. Similar weapons were used by the
aborigines of our own country ; the points of flint, often cut with
"" " ently found in tilling the ground.
called Elf-shots.
The crew of Schouten and Le Maire,
having removed heaps of stones which were observed on the sum-
mits of hills and on elevated rocks, found human skeletons, as they
allege, ten and eleven feet in length. " The skulls," say the Dutch-
men, " we could put on our heads in the manner of helmets."
Historical Account of the Circumnavigation of the Globe, p. 111).
Purchas, part ii. p. 91.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 131
towards the beach, on which three men were seen,
making signs by waving a handkerchief. These
were part of the survivors of an unfortunate Spanish
garrison abandoned in this neighbourhood.*
In the history of the first settlers in America,
there is not perhaps a more melancholy page than
that which records the disastrous fate of the colony
left by Don Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa in the
Straits of Magellan. It may be recollected that,
after the appearance of Drake on the coast of Peru,
that commander was despatched by the viceroy to
intercept the daring adventurer in his return by
this channel. t Sarmiento explored with much care
the western shores of Patagonia, the coast of Chili,
and the many openings and intricate channels in the
islands of Tierra del Fuego, which, as he conjectured,
must communicate with the wider inlet discovered by
Magellan through one or more passages. After a
long time thus fruitlessly consumed, he sailed into
the straits, and, passing through them to the east-
ward, minutely examined the coast on both sides.
Spain was at this time alarmed by apprehensions
that the English were about to possess themselves of
what was then considered the only entrance to the
South Seas, for the passage by the Cape of Good Hope
was still exclusively retained by the Portuguese, and
that by Cape Horn was not yet discovered. Philip
was readily induced, by the exaggerated statements
of Don Pedro, to listen to his proposals of colonizing
and fortifying this important outlet; and an arma-
ment of 23 ships, having on board 3500 men,
with large stores of ammunition and ordnance,
was equipped without delay. The history of this
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 241. -J* Supra, p. 67.
132 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
expedition, undertaken on so magnificent a scale,
presents an uninterrupted succession of calamities.
The fleet sailed on the 25th September 1581 ; but
before they lost sight of the shores of Spain, five
of the ships were wrecked in a violent gale, and
800 men perished. The survivors, after returning
to the harbour, issued forth a second time in De-
cember with no better fortune. Their numbers
were soon diminished by sickness and desertion ;
the vessels, attacked by worms, became leaky, and
a large one, containing the greater portion of their
stores, went down at sea with 350 men and twenty
^vomen on board. Sarmiento, who was repeatedly
driven back to the Brazils, did not arrive in the
strait till February 1584, when he landed the
colonists. Nor did his reverses close here; for
Rivera, one of his officers, either wilfully abandon-
ing him or being forced from his anchorage by stress
of weather,* turned his face to wards Europe, carry-
ing away the greater part of the provisions which
were destined to sustain the people through the
rigour of the southern winter. The foundations
were laid of two towns, named Nombre de Jesus
and San Felipe, situated in favourable points of the
straits, and at the distance of about seventy miles
from each other. In the mean while winter set in
with uncommon severity ; in April snow fell inces-
santly for fifteen days. The viceroy, who after esta-
blishing the settlement meditated a voyage to Chili
for supplies, was driven from his anchors and forced
to seek safety in the Brazils, leaving his country-
men without a ship. He has been charged with
* Viage al Estrecho, p. 239, quoted in Burney, Chron. Hist.
Discov. vol. ii. p. 39-52.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 133
intentionally sacrificing this helpless colony;* but
the accusation appears unjust, for he made many
subsequent efforts for its relief, though his ill for-
tune rendered them abortive. The governors of the
neighbouring districts refused farther assistance to
a project which had lost the royal favour ; and,
in returning to Spain to solicit aid, he was
captured by three ships belonging to Sir Walter
Raleigh, luckily in all probability for himself, as
the indignation of his sovereign would not have
been easily appeased.t Of the wretched colonists,
thus abandoned by all to whom they might have
looked for help, many died of famine and cold during
the first winter. The comparative mildness of the
spring and summer allowed a short respite of misery,
and the hope was indulged that Sarmiento would re-
turn, or that some ship would bring them provisions
and clothing. But the year wore away, and no vessel
was seen. The settlers at San Felipe now began to
despair; with difficulty they built two small barks,
to which all the survivors fifty men and five wo-
men committed themselves. Before, however, the
strait was cleared, one of the vessels was wrecked, and
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 54-56.
j- It is said that Queen Elizabeth ordered the captive governor
of the straits to be presented to her, that she conversed with him
in Latin, restored him to freedom, and gave him 1000 crowns to con-
vey him to Spain. However this may be, it was some years before
he found his way to that country. Though singularly unfortunate,
Sarmiento was a bold and skilful navigator. Captain King, who lately
surveyed Tierra del Fuego and the channel of Magellan, in speak-
ing of the unhappy Spaniard, says, " His journal has furnished us
with the description of a coast more difficult and dangerous to ex-
Elore than any that could readily be selected ; for it was at that
me perfectly unknown, and is exposed to a climate of perpetual
snows and rain ; yet the account is written with such minute care
and correctness, that we have been enabled to detect upon our
charts almost every place that is described." Journal of the Royal
Geographical Society, vol. i. p. 157.
134 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
the design was abandoned, for there was no one
among them capable of conducting the perilous na-
vigation. Hunger and sickness, the hostility of the
natives and the inclemency of the weather, so thinned
their numbers, that, of four hundred males and thirty
females landed by Pedro, only fifteen men and three
women survived when the English entered the
straits. Many lay uninterred in their houses, the
survivors not having strength to bury them : and on
the shores, where these miserable beings wandered in
search of shellfish or herbs, they often came upon the
body of a deceased companion who had perished of
famine or of the diseases caused by extreme want.*
It was a party of those forlorn wanderers who
endeavoured to attract the notice of Cavendish on
the day in which he entered the straits. A passage to
Peru was oifered them, but they at first hesitated
to trust the heretics ; and afterwards, when they had
determined to accept this generous aid, accident
rendered their resolution unavailing. While they
were preparing to embark, a fair wind sprung up
and the admiral set sail, having taken on board
only one Spaniard, named Tome Hernandez, who
became the historian of this ill-fated colony. If
our countrymen be justly blamed for abandoning
these unfortunate beings, what shall be said of their
own nation, which, having sent them out, left them
to perish of famine and cold without making a
single effort for their relief!
The navigators, after passing both Angosturas, an-
chored on the 8th of January 1587 at the island of
Santa Magdalena, where in two hours they killed
and salted as many penguins as filled six winepipes.
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 806. Burney,Chron. Hist Disc. vol. ii.p. Jl-73.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 135
They afterwards touched at San Felipe, in the de-
serted ruins of which were seen the bodies of several
Spaniards lying, " where they had died like dogs."
Six pieces of ordnance which the settlers had buried
were dug up and taken on board. A few natives
were observed ; Hernandez represented them as a
treacherous people, a character which the Euro-
pean knives and swords seen in their possession
seemed to confirm; and, when they approached,
Cavendish ordered a discharge of musketry against
them, by which many were killed, and the rest put
to flight. They were said to be cannibals, and to
have preyed upon the bodies of the colonists,* an ac-
cusation which, however unsupported, was considered
a sufficient justification of the utmost violence. To
this place, which was found to be in latitude 53 50'
S., the commander gave the designation of Port Fa-
mine, a title which it retains not only in English
maps, but even in those of Spain, where the site of
the Ciudad de San Felipe is distinguished by the
name of Puerto de Hambre.t
For three weeks the adventurers lay in a sheltered
port, unable to proceed on their voyage from a
continuance of adverse winds ; but at length on the
24th February, after a favourable though tedious
passage, they cleared the western entrance of the
straits.J On the south were a fair high cape and
a point of low land, on the other side lay, about
six leagues from the mainland, several islands with
much broken ground around them. On the 1st of
* " They were men-eaters, and fedde altogether upon rawe flesh,
and other filthie fbode ; which people had preyed upon some of the
Spaniardes before spoken of." Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 80J.
f- Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 241. Southey's Naval Hist, of
Eng. vol. iii. p. 255.
Biographia Britannica, vol. iii. p. 316.
136 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
March they were overtaken by a storm which raged
several days ; and the Hugh Gallant, separated from
the others, was nearly lost owing to a dangerous leak.
The crew were completely exhausted by working
the pumps three days and nights successively;*
but at length on the 15th they rejoined their con-
sorts at the isle of Mocha on the coast of Chili. At
this place the voyagers, being mistaken for Span-
iards, met with a hostile reception from the natives
of the Main. But on the morrow a similar error
led to a happier result ; for when Cavendish with
a party of seventy men went ashore at Santa Maria,
they were received with all kindness and humility
by the chief people of the island ; and were even
permitted to carry off a store of wheat, barley, and po-
tatoes, prepared as tribute to the lieutenant of Philip.
To this the islanders added presents of hogs, dried
dog-fish, fowls, and maize, and received in return
an entertainment on board the admiral's ship.t
" These Indians," it is said, " are held in such
slavery that they dare not eate a hen or a hogge
themselves. But the Spaniards have made them all
Christians. They in the ende perceiving us to bee
no Spaniards, made signes that if wee would goe
over unto the mayne land there was much golde, and
we should have great store of riches." The English
chief, doubtful of their intentions, hastened his de-
parture, and set sail on the 18th of March .J It was
his intention to touch at Valparaiso, but overshooting
that port he anchored on the 30th in the bay of
Quintero, seven leagues to the northward. A herds-
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 80J.
t Biographia Nantica, vol. iii. pp. 242, 243.
J Hakluyt, vol. iii. P . 808.
VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 137
man who lay asleep on the side of the hill awoke as
the ships entered the harbour, and, catching a horse
which was grazing beside him, set off at full speed to
spread the alarm.* Notwithstanding this untoward
accident the commander landed with thirty men, ac-
companied by Hernandez, the Spaniard whom he
had brought from the straits. This person having
entered into conversation with three armed horse-
men, who came apparently to reconnoitre, reported
that they were willing to furnish as much provision
as might be required. He was despatched on a
second conference; when, forgetting all his vows of
fidelity, he sprung to the saddle behind one of his
countrymen, who instantly galloped off.t The ad-
venturers filled some of their water-casks, but they
attempted in vain to shoot the wild cattle, which
were seen feeding in large herds. On the 31st,
about sixty of them marched into the interior in
the hope of discovering some European settlement;
but though they penetrated to the foot of the
mountains they returned without having seen one
human being. The country was found to be fruit-
ful and well watered, abounding in herds of cattle
and horses, besides hares, rabbits, and many kinds
of wild- fowl. J The next day the seamen employed
in procuring water were surprised by a company of
200 horsemen, who, by a sudden charge from the
heights, slew or carried off twelve of their number.
The others were rescued by the soldiers, who ran to
support their comrades, and, it is said, killed twenty-
four of the assailants. Notwithstanding this dis-
aster, Cavendish, by keeping vigilant ward, was
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 880. f Ibid.
J Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 243.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 809.
138 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
enabled to complete his supplies. It was afterwards
learned that of the persons taken captive in this
affray six were executed as pirates, though they
sailed under the commission of their sovereign, who
was then at open war with Spain.
The navigators, leaving Quintero, came on the
15th of April to Moron Moreno, or the Brown Moun-
tain, where the Indians, on their landing, met them
with loads of wood and water, which they carried on
their backs. The natives of this part of the coast
were a very degraded race, removed but little from
the lowest point in the scale of civilisation. Their
dwellings consisted of a few sticks placed across two
poles stuck in the ground, and rudely thatched with
boughs. Their food was fish, raw and putrid.
Considerable ingenuity was displayed in the con-
struction of their fishing-canoes, which were made
of " two skinnes like unto bladders, and blowen
full at one ende with quilles : they have two of these
bladders blowen full, which are sewen together and
made fast with a sinew of some wild beast ; which
when they are in the water swell, so that they are
as tight as may bee. They go to sea in these boates,
and catch very much fish, and pay much of it for
tribute unto the Spaniards : but they use it mar-
vellous beastly." When one of them died, his bow
and arrows, his canoe, and all that he had, were
buried with him.*
On the 23d a vessel laden with Spanish wine was
captured near Arica. A small bark, the crew of
which escaped in their boat, was taken and enrolled
in the squadron by the name of the George. A large
ship, seized in the road, proved but a worthless prize,
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 809.
VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 139
for the cargo had been previously conveyed on shore.
A design at one time entertained of storming the
town was abandoned, as, before the adventurers were
ready for the assault, the enemy, aware of their
intention, had taken measures for defending the city.
The English squadron and the batteries having
exchanged a few harmless shots, Cavendish, in the
hope of recovering the seamen taken prisoners at
Quintero, sent a flag of truce inviting the Spaniards
to redeem their vessels; but all proposals of this
nature were, by order of the viceroy at Lima, pe-
remptorily rejected.*
On the 25th, while the ships still lay before the
town, a vessel was descried to the southward making
for the port, and the admiral sent his pinnace to
take her. The inhabitants endeavoured to warn
their friends of their danger by signals, which were
understood; the bark was accordingly run ashore
among the rocks, and a party of horsemen advanced
to protect the passengers, among whom were several
monks, who made a narrow escape. Our adven-
turers boarded the vessel, but found nothing of
value; and, having burned their prizes, on the
morning of the 26th they bore away from Arica to
the northward. On the day following they captured
a small sloop, sent from Santiago to inform the
viceroy that an English fleet was upon the coast.
The despatches had been cast into the sea dur-
ing the chase, and the crew were bound by an
oath not to disclose the object of their voyage. To
extort their secret it was deemed necessary to
subject them to torture.f An old Fleming, who
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 810.
f- The instrument of torture employed by Cavendish seems to
have resembled that which in Scotland'was called the thumbikius.
140 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
was proof against all menaces, chose rather to die
than to perjure himself; but at last one of the Span-
iards betrayed the secret; and, having destroyed
the vessel, Cavendish carried the people along with
him as the surest means of defeating the purpose of
their expedition. In this vessel there was found
' ' one George, a Greeke, a reasonable pilot for all the
coast of Chili."*
On the 3d May the navigators landed at a small
Spanish town, where they obtained a supply of
bread, wine, figs, and fowls. Their cruise was con-
tinued for a fortnight, and several prizes were made,
whence they procured a needful addition to their
provisions, though they got but little of that species
of wealth which they most highly valued. On the
20th they landed at Payta, which they took without
difficulty; andtheinhabitants,havingfledafterabrief
skirmish, were pursued to a place among the hills
whither theyhad conveyed their treasure. Herewere
found twenty-five pounds of silver, with other costly
commodities, but the admiral, dreading an attack,
would not allow his men to encumber themselves with
much spoil.t The town, which was regularly built,
and consisted of 200 houses, was burnt to the ground,
with goods to the value of five or six thousand
pounds. A ship in the harbour was also given to the
He caused the prisoners " to bee tormented with their thumbes in a
wrinch, and to continue them at severall times with extreme paine."
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 810. It must be recollected that torture was
still sometimes judicially employed in England. In the Letters
illustrative of English History, published by Mr Ellis (vol. ii. p.
260-262), there is a copy of a warrant of the Maiden Queen, in the
handwriting of Lord Burleigh, ordering two servants of the Duke
of Norfolk to be threatened with the rack, and failing threats, if they
still persisted in fidelity to their master, " to find the taste thereof.
It is dated 15 September 1571.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 810. f Ibid. p. 811.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 141
flames ; after which exploit, the fleet held a course
to the northward, and on the 25th anchored in a
good harbour on the island of Puna.
Having sunk a merchantman of 250 tons burden,
which lay in the roads, the navigators landed at the
dwelling of the cacique or " lord of the Hand," who
lived in a style of magnificence rarely seen among
the native chiefs. His house stood near the town,
by the water's edge, and contained many elegant
apartments, with galleries commanding a fine pros-
pect of the sea on the one side and of the land on
the other. He had married a Spanish lady of great
beauty, who was regarded as the queen of the
little domain. She never set her foot upon the
ground, holding it " too base a thing for her," but
was carried abroad on men's shoulders in a sort of
palanquin, sheltered from the sun and wind, and
escorted by a retinue of women and the principal
men of the island.* Her husband and she fled on the
first approach of the English, carrying with them,
as was stated by one of the captives, not less than
100,000 crowns. Induced by this information, Ca-
vendish made a descent on the mainland with an
armed party, in the hope of surprising the fugitives ;
but they once more made their escape, though in
such haste, " that they lefte the meate both boyling
and roasting at the fire." Their treasure, how-
ever, was either removed or effectually concealed.
In a neighbouring islet they had for safety depo-
sited their most valuable furniture and goods, con-
sisting of hangings of Cordovan leather, richly
painted and gilded, with the tackling of ships, nails,
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 812.
142 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
spikes, and other stores, of which the invaders took
a large supply.
The island of Puna was found to be about the
same dimensions as the Isle of Wight, and to con-
tain several towns, the principal of which, in the
neighbourhood of the cacique's palace, consisted of
200 houses. It possessed a large church, which our
countrymen rather ungenerously burned and plun-
dered of its bells.* The Indian chief had been bap-
tized previously to his marriage ; and all his sub-
jects were required to attend mass. Adjoining his
residence was a fine garden laid out in the European
style, and stored with cotton-plants, fig-trees, pome-
granates, and many varieties of herbs and fruits.
An orchard of lemon and orange trees ornamented
another side of this pleasant dwelling. Cattle and
poultry were seen in great abundance, with pigeons,
turkeys, and ducks of unusual size.
Though Cavendish was well aware that a force
was to be sent against him from Guayaquil, he de-
termined to careen his vessel at this place, using the
precaution only of keeping vigilant watch in the
chiefs house, where he had established his head-
quarters.t The ship was again afloat, and the squa-
dron about to sail, when, by a momentary neglect,
his followers suffered a severe loss. On the morn-
ing of the 2d of June a party straggling through
the town in search of provisions were suddenly at-
tacked by a hundred soldiers; seven were killed,
three made prisoners, two were drowned, and only
eight escaped. Forty-six Spaniards and Indians, it
is said, fell in the skirmish. The English com-
mander immediately landed with an armed band,
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 813. f Ibid -
VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 143
drove the enemy from the town, and rased it to the
ground; burning at the same time four ships on
the stocks, and destroying the gardens and or-
chards. On the next day, " in despight of the Spa-
niards," the Content was hauled on shore to be ca-
reened, and the navigators did not sail till the 5th,
when they steered for Rio Dolce, where they wa-
tered. Here they sunk the Hugh Gallant, all the
hands being now required to man the other vessels.*
They also sent on shore their Indian prisoners, and
taking their departure on the llth, held a northerly
course for nearly a month without touching at any
part of the continent.
On the 9th July they captured on the coast of
Mexico a new vessel of 120 tons, which, after re-
moving her ropes and sails, they immediately burnt.
On board of her was a Frenchman, called Michael
Sancius, who informed them that a Manilla ship was
about that time expected to arrive from the Philip-
pines ;t and on the succeeding day they were so
fortunate as to intercept a small bark sent to warn
this galleon of her danger. On the 27th, at early
dawn, they entered the harbour of Guatalco, and
burnt the town, the church, and the custom-house,
in which was found a quantity of dye-stuffs and other
articles. Having unintentionally oversailed Aca-
pulco, on the 24th of August they landed at Puerto
de Navidad, where they destroyed two ships, each of
200 tons, and intercepted a mulatto, who was
charged with letters conveying intelligence to the
inhabitants on the coast of New Galicia.J Still
sailing northward, on the 8th of September they
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 246. Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp.
813, 814. f Ibid. p. 814. $ ibid. p. 815.
144 VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
reached the bay of Chacalla (supposed to be Com-
postella), about 18 leagues from Cape de los Cor-
rientes, and entered a harbour presumed to be that
known in modern geography as San Bias. Next
morning an officer with forty men, guided by
Sancius, marched two full leagues into the inte-
rior, by " a most villanous desert path through the
woods and wildernesse," until they arrived at a place
where they found three Spanish families, a carpen-
ter of the same nation, a Portuguese, and a few
Indians. " Wee bound them all," it is said, " and
made them to come to the seaside with us."* Ca-
vendish, however, liberated the women ; and, on
their bringing to the ships a supply of pine-apples,
lemons, and oranges, allowed their husbands to de-
part, detaining only the carpenter and the Portuguese.
He sailed on the 10th, and on the second day
thereafter reached the isle of St Andrew, where a
store of wood and of dried and salted wild-fowl
was taken on board. Seals were also found, and
iguanos, ' f a kinde of serpents, with foure feete and
a long sharpe tayle, strange to them which have
not scene them, but they are very good meate."t
The hardy voyagers of that age, indeed, were not
fastidious in their choice of food, nor often disposed
to merit the reproach of the old Cimarrone chief
in the Isthmus of Darien, who on seeing Drake
manifest an aversion to otter's flesh, exclaimed,
" Are you a warrior and in want, and yet doubt if
that be food which hath blood in it ?"
On the 24th the discoverer reached the bay of
Mazatlan, and at an island a league to the northward,
where he arrived on the 27th, the ships were careened
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 815. f I bid -
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 145
and the pinnace trimmed. By digging deep wells in
the sands he found water, of which he stood so much
in need, that but for this seasonable supply he would
have been compelled to turn back.*
Departing from this place on the 9th of October,
he steered for Cape San Lucas, which was made on
the 14th. Having resolved to lie in wait here for the
Manilla trader, he continued cruising in the neigh-
bourhood till the morning of the 4th of November,
when the trumpeter from the mast-head reported
that a sail was standing in for the cape. Chase
was immediately given, and after some hours they
came up with the galleon, which they found to be
the object of their search, the Santa Anna of 700
tons, the largest ship at that time in the South Seas,
and then on her passage from the Philippines to New
Spain.t Giving her a broadside and a volley of
small shot, they prepared to board, but were re-
pulsed, with the loss of two men killed and four or
five wounded. " But for al this wee new-trim-
med our sailes," says Francis Pretty, who was an
eyewitness, " and fitted every man his furniture,
and gave them a fresh incounter with our great or-
dinance and also with our small shot, raking them
through and through, to the killing and maiming of
many of their men. Their captaine still, like a va-
liant man, with his company, stood very stoutely
unto his close-fights, not yeelding as yet. Our ge-
neral, encouraging his men afresh with the whole
noyse of trumpets, gave them the third en counter with
our great ordinance and all our small shot, to the great
discomforting of our enemies, raking them through in
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 816.
j- Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 247.
146 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
divers places, killing and spoiling many of their men.
They being thus discomforted and spoiled, and their
shippe being in hazard of sinking by reason of the
great shot which were made, whereof some were
under water, within five or six hours' fight set out
a flagge of truce and parled for mercy, desiring our
generall to save their lives and to take their goods,
and that they would presently yeeld. Our generall,
of his goodnes, promised them mercy., and willed them
to strike their sayles, and to hoyse out their boate
and to come aboord; which newes they were ful glad
to heare of, and presently stroke their sailes, hoysed
their boat out, and one of their cheife marchants came
aboord Unto our generall, and, falling downe upon his
knees, offered to have kissed our general's feete, and
craved mercie. Our general most graciously par-
doned both him and the rest, upon promise of their
true dealing with him and his company concerning
such riches as were in the shippe ; and sent for the
captaine and their pilote, who, at their comming,
used the like duetie and reverence as the former did.
The general, of his great mercy and humanitie, pro-
mised their lives and good usage."*
The vessel thus gallantly captured was the pro-
perty of the King of Spain. Besides a rich cargo
of silks, satins, damasks, wine, preserved fruits,
musk, and other stores, there were found 122,000
pesos in gold (about 49,000), while the provisions
put on board for the use of the passengers afforded
to the English crews luxuries to which they had
hitherto been strangers.
The victor having carried the prize into a bay
* Hakluyt, vol. iii/p. 816. Purchas, part ii. p. 65.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 147
within Cape San Lucas, named by the Spaniards
Aguada Segura or the Safe Watering-place, land-
ed the persons on board, in number 190, among
whom were some females. He deemed it impolitic
to allow them to proceed directly to New Spain.
The place to which he conveyed them afforded wa-
ter, wood, fish, fowl, and abundance of hares and
rabbits ; and he left, with part of the ship's stores,
some wine, and the sails of their dismantled vessel,
from which they might construct tents for their
protection against the weather. He gave them
weapons for their defence, should they be attacked
by the natives, and planks sufficient to build a bark
to carry them to a regular settlement.*
Among the passengers were three boys from Ma-
nilla, and two lads, natives of Japan, who could
read and write the language of that country, t
These, together with a Spanish pilot, and a native
of Portugal, who had visited China and some of
the neighbouring islands, were detained on board
the squadron, if
The division of the spoils occasioned consider-
able jealousy, particularly among the crew of the
Content, who imagined that the admiral favoured
his own ship's company. But their dissatisfaction
appears to have been speedily suppressed. On the
17th November, " the day of the happy corona-
tion of her majestic," a few hours were devoted to
loyal rejoicings ; a discharge of the great guns and
a display of fireworks proclaimed to those lonely
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 817- Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 248.
f An Indian page was at that period a mark of almost regal
splendour. The youngest of these,a child about ten years of age, was
on the return of the expedition presented to the Countess of Essex.
+ Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 81J.
148 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
shores the glory of Queen Elizabeth ; and at the close
of the festivities the Santa Anna, with such part of
her lading as could not be taken on board the
captors, was set on fire/"" The Desire and Con-
tent then bore away for Europe; but in leaving
the bay the latter, commanded by Stephen Hare,
dropped astern, and was never again seen by her
consort.t The Spanish prize, to which was given the
name of the George, had been abandoned before they
made Cape San Lucas, and the Desire was now
left alone to pursue her course across the Pacific.
Cavendish at first held a south-westerly direc-
tion ; but when the latitude of 12 or 13 was at-
tained he steered due west.J He was favoured by
fair winds ; and having, in forty-five days, sailed
* The fate of the Spaniards left on this part of California affords
a remarkable instance of the merciful kindness of an all-seeing
Providence. The place had formerly been abandoned by a colony
planted by Cortes, because the settlers were not able to obtain sus-
tenance ; and the persons now left were even still more helpless.
Though the coast was neither steril nor ungenial in climate, many
of them must have perished before they could build a vessel large
enough to carry nearly 200 persons to Acapulco. Their mode of
deliverance was singular. The English left the Santa Anna burnt
down to the water's edge ; the flames in a short time freed her from
her anchors, and the flood-tide drifted her into the bay, where the
Spaniards were able to extinguish the conflagration just in time to
save so much of the hull as, with slight refitting, proved an ark
ibr their deliverance. Burney, vol. ii. p. 89. Torquemada, vol. i.
p. 699.
f- No trace of this ship appears in any contemporary relation.
It is imagined that the company, dissatisfied with Cavendish, re-
solved to desert him and return by the straits, and that they pe-
rished in the attempt. Another and equally probable conjecture
is, that they had attempted to reach England by circumnavigating
the northern shores of America. This at least, as we incidentally
learn, seems to have been the opinion of the Spanish pilot, who was
compelled to return to the Indies in the Desire. Hakluyt, vol. iii.
p. 819.
$ It will be recollected that he had on board a Spanish pilot
accustomed to the voyage between Acapulco and the Philippines.
Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 149
about 1750 leagues, he canre in sight of Guahan,
one of the Ladrones, on the 3d January 1588.
When he was yet five or six miles distant, fifty or
more canoes crowded with people came off, bringing
such commodities as they were in the habit of ex-
changing with the Spaniards, namely, fish, pota-
toes, plantains, cocoas, and camotes, a root so similar
in taste to the potato, that by the English it was
mistaken for that vegetable.* These articles were
bartered for pieces of iron with an eagerness which
proved troublesome to the voyagers ; and the com-
mander fired on the natives in order to drive them
back from his ship. This cruel measure ought not
to have been adopted until every other had failed,
though it does not appear that any gentler method
was tried ; but the savages dived so nimbly in order
to evade the shot, that it could not be ascertained
what loss was sustained by them.t They are de-
scribed as of tawny complexion, corpulent, and
taller in stature than most Europeans. Their hair
was long ; but some wore it tied up in one or two
knots on the crown of the head. Their canoes,
which excited the admiration of the seamen, were
formed without any " edge-toole :" they were from
six to seven yards in length, though very narrow,
and of the same shape at the prow and the stern.
They had square or triangular sails made of a spe-
cies of cloth manufactured from bulrushes, and were
ornamented with figures carved from wood, " like
unto the images of the devill."J
On the 14th January the adventurers made the
Cape del Espiritu Santo, the first point of the Phi-
* Southey's Naval History, vol. iii. p. 271.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 818. $ Ibid.
150 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
lippines which was seen by them. On the same
night they entered the strait now called San Ber-
nardino ; and the next morning came to anchor in
a safe harbour in the island then named Capul.
Though but of recent origin, the Spanish settle-
ment at Manilla had flourished so rapidly that it
was already a place of great wealth and mercan-
tile importance; for besides the valuable traffic with
New Spain, it carried on a very considerable com-
merce in precious commodities with China and the
Indian Archipelago. The traders of these islands,
particularly the Sanguelos, are described as " of
marveilous capacitie in devising and making all
maner of things, especially in all handie craftes and
sciences : and every one is so expert, perfect, and
skilfull in his facultie, as fewe or no Christians are
able to goe beyond them in that which they take in
hand. For drawing and imbrodering upon satten,
silck, or lawne, either beaste, fowle, fish, or worme,
for livelines and perfectnes, both in silke, silver,
gold, and pearle, they excell."*
As soon as the Desire anchored, one of the seven
chiefs who ruled Capul came on board, presuming
the ship to be Spanish ; and his people brought for
sale camotes, green cocoas, fowls, and pigs. For a hen
they demanded one rial of plate, for a hog eight rials,
a yard of linen was given for four cocoas, and the same
quantity purchased a quart of camotes. These roots
were boiled or roasted, and were much relished by
the crew. The cacique was tattooed, or " carved and
cut with sundry and many strakes and devises
all over his body." Being requested to remain on
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 818. Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 248.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 151
board, a message of invitation was sent to the other
grandees, who immediately repaired to the ship,
bringing hogs and hens to exchange. By this trade,
which was carried on during all that day, the ship
was well supplied with refreshments.*
On the same night a fortunate discovery was made
by the native of Portugal who was taken in the
Santa Anna. The Spanish pilot, Thomas de Ersola,
in whom Cavendish placed great confidence, had se-
cretly prepared a letter to the governor at Manilla,
informing him of the arrival of the English ship.
If the vessel, he said, was allowed to escape with
impunity, the settlement might in a few years be
taken by those who had now the audacity, with so
small a force, to approach its neighbourhood. He
described in what manner the Desire might be cap-
tured where she now rode, and recommended that
she should be instantly attacked. His treachery
being clearly proved, he was condemned and hanged
on the following morning.t
Some singular customs are ascribed to the natives
of Capul. Besides practising circumcision, it is
alleged that they " wholly worship the devill, and
oftentimes have conference with him, which ap-
peareth unto them in most ugly and monstrous
shape.":}: On the 23d the admiral caused the
chiefs of the island, " and of a hundred islands
more," to appear before him, and to pay tribute in
hogs, poultry, cocoas, and potatoes. He then in-
formed them of his country, and of its hostility to
Spain, and thereupon spread the royal standard from
his mast-head, and sounded all the drums. Due
homage and promises of assistance were made to
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 81& f Ibid - P- 81y - Ibid.
152 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
this representative of England, who in turn gave
money equivalent in value to all the tribute which
he received. At parting, the Indians to amuse their
new friends rowed round the ship with great swift-
ness; and the latter having discharged a piece
of ordnance, these recent allies departed from each
other contented and well pleased.*
The Desire made sail on the following morning,
and ran along the coast of Manilla. On the 28th
a frigate was descried, but as she escaped into an
inlet, a boat was sent after her, the water being so
shallow that the ship could not approach with safety.
The crew were fired at by a party of soldiers from the
shore ; and pursued by a vessel till within reach of
the Desire's guns. They had previously taken a
Spaniard prisoner; and the next day Cavendish
sent a message by him to the captain of the hostile
party, who still kept watch along the coast, re-
questing that officer to provide a good store of gold,
for he intended to land at Manilla in a few years.
He added that, if his boat had been larger, he
would have visited it at present.t
About the middle of February the adventurers
passed near the Moluccas, but did not touch at anyof
these islands. Fever now attacked the ship's com-
pany, who had hitherto been very healthy; but
only two men died, one of whom had been so long
sick, that his death could not be attributed to the
excessive heat which occasioned the illness of the
others. On the 1st of March they passed through a
strait formed by the islands eastward of Java, and
* Biographia Nantica, vol. iii. p. 249.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 820.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 153
on the 5th anchored in a bay on the south side* of
that valuable settlement. t
A negro captured in the Santa Anna was able to
converse with the natives, and through this interpre-
ter, who spoke what the old narrator calls theMorisco
or Arabic, but which was more probably the Malay
language, they learned that provisions might be
obtained. In a few days afterwards arrived several
canoes laden with fowls, eggs, fresh fish, oranges, and
limes ; and in order that the ship might be more
conveniently victualled, she was steered closer to the
town, when the king's secretary came on board with
a present, which included, among other things,
." wine as strong as any aquavit*, and as cleare as
any rocke- water. "J This high officer, who promised
that the vessel should be supplied in four days, was
received with all the pomp and magnificence that
the admiral could command ; the choicest wines and
preserves of the Spanish prize were produced for his
entertainment, and the musicians exerted their ut-
most skill. Remaining all night, he saw the watch
set and the guns fired off ; and in the course of his
visit he was informed by the voyagers that they were
natives of England, a country which traded with
China, and that they were come there for discovery
and traffic. || The Portuguese had already establish-
ed afactoryon the island, where they traded in cloves,
pepper, sugar, slaves, and other articles of oriental
* " The eastern district or province of Java," says Burney,
" being- named Ballamboang, was probably the part of the island at
which Cavendish touched." Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. yi.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 821.
In the margin of Hakluyt (vol. iii. p. 821) this liquor is termed
" niper-wine."
No excuse is offered for this pious fraud.
|| Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 821.
154 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
commerce; and two of the merchants afterwards
visited the ship, eager to obtain news of their
country and of Don Antonio their prince. They
were informed that he was then in England,
where he was honourably entertained by the queen ;
and they were still farther delighted to hear of the
havock which Cavendish had made among the Spa-
nish shipping in the South Sea, as he told them
that he was " warring upon them under the King
of Portugal." The Europeans were mutually grati-
fied by their intercourse : the adventurers feasted
their visiters, who in return described the riches of
Java, and the most remarkable customs of its people.
The reigning king or rajah, who was named Bolam-
boam, was held in great veneration. His power, they
said, was absolute ; none of his subjects could trade
without his license under pain of death ; and what
he commanded, however dangerous or desperate, was
implicitly obeyed. The aged despot, it was added,
had a hundred wives, and his son fifty.* His people
were ' ' the most valiant in all the south-east parts
of the world ; for they never feared any death."
The men, who were naked, were of a dark colour ;
the women were partly clothed, and of a much fairer
complexion. At the king's demise his body is burned
and the ashes preserved ; and five days afterwards
his queen assembles the inferior wives, when she
* Burney writes, " The early account says, ' the king of this
country was reported to be very near 150 years old.' " Chron.
Hist. Discov. vol. ii. p. 90. By " the early account" seems to be
indicated the relation of Francis Pretty, inserted in Hakluyt and
in Purchas; but this narrative does not contain the passage
above quoted. Its words are, " The king himselfe is a man of
Seat yeeres, and hath an hundred wives, his sonne hath fiftie."
akluyt, vol. iii. p. 822. Purchas, part i. p. 68. Burney ap-
pears to have been misled by a careless observation of this sentence.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 155
throws from her hand a ball provided for the occa-
sion. The others rush to the place where it alights,
and turning their countenances eastward, with a
sharp dagger or crise stab themselves to the heart,
and, bathed in their blood, fall upon their faces and
expire. " This thing," we are assured, " is as true
as it seemeth to any hearer to be strange."* The
Portuguese factors proposed to Cavendish that Don
Antonio, their king, should instantly repair thi-
ther in person, and found an empire, which would
comprehend the Moluccas, Ceylon, China, and the
Philippines, for they were assured that all the na-
tives of those countries would declare for him. A
kind reception was also promised to his own people
should they ever return ; upon which, having fully
satisfied them for the supplies they had furnished,
he fired a parting salute of three guns, and on the
16th March took his departure. t
Nearly forty days were spent " in traversing that
mightie and vaste sea between the yle of Java and
the maine of Africa, observing the heavens, the
Crosiers or South Pole, the other starres, the foules,
which are marks unto the seamen of faire weather,
foule weather, approching of lands or ylands, the
winds, the tempests, the raines and thunders, with
the alterations of tides and currents." J On the 10th
of May a storm arose, which raged all that day and
the following night. It was succeeded by a calm,
with thick and hazy weather, during which they
mistook Cape False for the Cape of Good Hope.
This latter promontory they passed on the 16th,
having run 1850 leagues in nine weeks.
Hakluyt,vol. iii.p. 822.
f Ibid. "Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 249.
J Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 822.
156 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
On the 8th June the island of St Helena was
seen, and on the 9th the Desire anchored in the har-
bour. The description given of this station, so im-
portant to navigators, is nearly applicable at the
present day, in so far as regards the external appear-
ance and the natural productions of that delicious
resting-place. The Portuguese had already enjoyed
the sole possession of it for upwards of eighty years ;
and, though they had not established a permanent
colony, they had done much to store it with every
thing necessary to the refreshment of seamen on a
long voyage. It abounded in all sorts of herbs, as
well as in delicious fruits ; while partridges, phea-
sants, turkeys, goats, and wild hogs, were obtained
in great plenty.*
On the 20th, the ship having been cleaned and
provisions obtained, the adventurers once more re-
sumed their voyage homeward. About the end of
August they passed the Azores, and on the 3d Sep-
tember meeting a Flemish hulk from Lisbon, they
were informed of the defeat of the Invincible Ar-
mada, to their " singuler rejoycing and comfort."
In the Channel they were overtaken by the same
terrible tempest that proved so disastrous to the
Spanish ships which were driven on the shores of
Ireland and the western isles of Scotland. After
losing most part of their sails, says the early nar-
rator, " they recovered, by the mercifull favour of
the Almightie, the long wished port of Plimmouth"
on the 9th September 1588t, two years and fifty
days from the time of their departure from the same
harbour, a period considerably shorter than that
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. pp. 823, 824.
f Ibid. p. 585. Purchas, part i. p. 71.
VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 157
occupied either by Drake or by Magellan in the same
voyage.*
Very copious remarks on this navigation were
published by Thomas Fuller of Ipswich, the sailing-
master, which were esteemed of great value at the
time, though they are now altogether superseded by
more modern charts.t The only geographical disco-
very made by the expedition was that of Port Desire,
on the eastern coast of Patagonia; but though its
landmarks were accurately described by the indus-
trious pilot, its precise situation has been a subject
of dispute among later voyagers.
The fame of his exploits, and the great wealth
which Cavendish brought home, " enough to buy a
fair earldom," almost rivalled the renown of Drake's
wonderful voyage. It is said that when he entered
the harbour of Plymouth his sails were of damask,
that his men were clothed in silk, and his top-mast
covered with cloth of gold. Of this idle pomp, part
may have been affected in that spirit of thoughtless
extravagance which is characteristic of English sea-
men ; and part may not improbably be ascribed to
the loss of his sails during the storm in the Channel.
These, in the absence of less costly materials, he
may have replaced by Indian damasks, or by the
canvass fabricated of the silk-grass of the South Sea,
which from its lustrous appearance might be easily
mistaken for silk.J
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. fi 25.
f They are to be found in Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 825-837.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 825. Granger's Biographical History of
England, vol. i. p. 24o. Suarez de Figueroa, p. 211, quoted in
Southey's Naval History, vol. iii. p. 275 " Uno demum navigio,
auratd prord, et versicoloribus veils, Londinum navigavit." John-
stoni, Rer. Brit. Hist p. 126.
K
158 VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD.
Whatever blame in a more enlightened age may
be justly imputed to him for his wanton outrages on
the settlements and subjects of Spain, he himself
appears to have gloried in them. Nor, in compar-
ing his conduct with that of his great predecessor
Drake, should it be forgotten that his enterprise was
sanctioned by a royal commission, and was at the
same time directed against the open enemies of his
country. Yet nothing can palliate the reckless
cruelty which characterized many of his actions.
His earliest leisure was employed in writing to
his patron, Lord Hunsdon, an account of his pros-
perous expedition; and no better recapitulation of
the events of the voyage can be found than what
is contained in this recital : " It hath pleased
the Almighty to suffer mee to circompasse the
whole globe of the world, entring in at the Streight
of Magellan, and returning by the Cape de Buena
Esperan9a. In which voyage I have either discover-
ed or brought certeine intelligence of all the rich
places of the world that ever were knowen or dis-
covered by any Christian. I navigated alongst the
coast of Chili, Peru, and Nueva Espana, where I
made great spoiles : I burnt and sunke nineteen
sailesof ships small and great. All the villages and
townes that ever I landed at I burnt and spoiled :
and had I not bene discovered upon the coast, I had
taken great quantitie of treasure. The matter of
most profit unto me was a great ship of the king's
which I tooke at California ; which ship came from
the Philippinas, being one of the richest of mer-
chandise that ever passed those seas, as the king's
register and merchants' accounts did shew. Which
goods (for that my ships were not able to conteine
VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH ROUND THE WORLD. 159
the least part of them) I was inforced to set on fire.
From the Cape of California, being the uttermost
part of all Nueva Espana, I navigated to the ilands
of the Philippinas, hard upon the coast of China, of
which countrey I have brought such intelligence as
hath not bene heard of in these parts : The state-
linesse and riches of which countrey I feare to make
report of, least I should not be credited: for if I
had not knowen sufficiently the incomparable
wealth of that countrey, I should have bene as in-
credulous thereof, as others will be that have not
had the like experience. I sailed along the ilands
of the Malucos, where among some of the heathen
people I was well entreated, where our countreymen
may have trade as freely as the Portugals, if they
will themselves. From thence I passed by the Cape
of Buena Espera^a, and found out by the way home-
ward the iland of S. Helena, where the Portugals use
to relieve themselves : and from that iland God hath
suffered me to returne into England. All which
services, with my selfe, I humbly prostrate at her
majesties feet, desiring the Almighty long to con-
tinue her reigne among us ; for at this day she is
the most famous and victorious prince that liveth in
the world."*
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 837.
160 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
CHAPTER V.
Second Voyage of Cavendish to the South Sea.
New Expedition to the South Sea Attack on the Portuguese Set-
tlements Delay of the Squadron Letter of Cavendish Rela-
tion hy Jane Sufferings in Magellan's Straits Separation of
Davis Davis' Southern Islands Piety of the Captain Nr.-
tives of Port Desire Nine Men lost Homeward Voyage of
Davis Adventures of Cavendish He loses Twenty-four Men-
Unfortunate Affair at Spirito Santo Indignation of Cavendish
Separation of the Roebuck Discontent of the Crew Firmness
of the Commander They miss St Helena Death of Cavendish
His Character.
THE second and last expedition of Cavendish to
the South Sea was as remarkable for its ill fortune
as his first was memorable for its almost uninter-
rupted prosperity ; which confirming the hopes excit-
ed by the adventures of Drake, encouraged, as is
well known, many similar attempts. During the two
years immediately following, several expeditions
were fitted out with the same object, but none of
them experienced equal success.
Of the history of Cavendish for some years
after his return little is known. His love of plea-
sure and magnificence, it is said, was so great,
that of a fortune of sixty thousand pounds, which
he had acquired at sea, after a brief space no more
remained than was sufficient to equip a squadron
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 161
for a second trip to China by the Straits of Ma-
gellan. His fleet consisted of " three tall ships"
and two barks : the Leicester galleon, in which he
himself sailed as admiral ; his old ship, the Desire,
commanded by the celebrated navigator, Captain
John Davis;* the Roebuck; the Black Pinnace;
and a small bark named the Dainty, which belonged
to Adrian Gilbert, a gentleman of Devonshire, one
of the most zealous promoters of the voyages for the
discovery of the North-west Passage.f The expe-
dition, which was accompanied by the two Japanese
youths captured in the former enterprise, sailed from
Plymouth on the 26th August 1591.
' Under the equinoctial line they were becalmed
twenty-seven days, exposed all the while to a burn-
ing sun and to deadly night- vapours. On the 2d
December, when off the coast of Brazil, they cap-
tured their first prize, a Portuguese vessel, which
was laden with sugar, small wares, and slaves.^ On
the 5th they pillaged Placencia, a small settlement
belonging to the same nation ; on the 16th they sur-
prised the town of Santos, the people being at mass
when the party landed. Though Cavendish lost no
opportunity of spoiling the enemy, the object of this
attack was to obtain provisions ; but his design, by
the negligence of the captain of the Roebuck, was
completely frustrated. The inhabitants were per-
mitted to carry every thing away; the prisoners were
set at liberty or made their escape; and only four old
men were retained as hostages for the delivery of
* See Narrative of Discovery and Adventure in the Polar Seas and
Regions, Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No I. p. 211-222, 4th edition.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 842. Biograplua Nautica, vol. iii. p. 252.
162 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
the supplies. These were never furnished; and
during the five weeks the navigators spent here, the
stores which should have sustained them in passing
the straits were entirely wasted.* Much of this delay,
and the consequent distress, appear to have been oc-
casioned by discords which originated at the time of
the attack upon PJacencia. Anthony Knivet, one of
the seamen, in a narrative which is preserved by Pur-
chas, writes : ' * Here we had such disorder amongst
ourselves, that if the Portuguese had beene of any
courage they might have killed many of us, for our
men would fight for their victuals as if they had
beene no Christians but Jews ; and they that got the
best would get them into some hole, and there they
would remaine as long as they had meat. For mine
owne part, there was such sharking, I could in that
place get neither meat nor mony."t
On the 22d January 1592 they took their depar-
ture from Santos. On the following day they burned
the town of St Vincent ; and the admiral having
named Port Desire, which he had discovered on his
former voyage, as the rendezvous, they set sail on
the 24th for the Straits of Magellan. On the 7th
February the fleet was overtaken by a violent gale,
by which it was dispersed the next day ; and Davis,
in his way to the appointed harbour, fell in with the
Roebuck, which had suffered very severely. :f On the
tith of March they reached Port Desire, where ten
days afterwards they were joined by the Black Pin-
nace. The Dainty, which had stored herself with
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 842.
f_ Purchas' Pilgrims, part IT. p. 1202. Biographia Britannica,
Tol. iii. p. 318.
Cavendish's Letter to Sir Tristram Conies. Purchas, part
iv. p. 1192.
2
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 163
sugar at Santos while the other ships lay idle, return-
ed to England, leaving her captain on board the Roe-
buck, with nothing but the apparel which he wore.*
In this tempest, which scarcely abated till the mid-
dle of March, the commander endured great hard-
ships ; his officers and men had " never ceased to
mutiny against him;" and on rejoining the other
ships on the 18th, he quitted the Leicester galleon
in displeasure, and went on board the Desire.t Nor
did he at this time complain of the gentlemen of
his own ship more bitterly than he afterwards ac-
cused Davis of betraying and deserting him. His sub-
sequent misfortunes seem indeed to have affected his
temper, and even to have perverted his judgment.
Though her crew had not recovered from the ex-
cessive fatigue which they suffered in the late tem-
pest, the galleon sailed with the other ships on the
20th. They were fated to encounter fresh storms ;
and it was not until the 8th April that they arrived
at the eastern entrance of the straits. J
In the collection of Purchas is inserted an account
of this disastrous voyage, drawn up by the unfor-
tunate Cavendish in his last illness, and addressed
to Sir Tristram Gorges, whom he appointed his exe-
cutor. It is assuredly one of the most affecting nar-
ratives ever written, an acknowledgment, wrung
* Biographia Britannica, vol. iii. p. 319.
f* Purchas, part iv. p. 1192. Jane's Narrative, in Hakluyt, dis-
plays a strong feeling against Cavendish, and a partiality equally
strong towards Davis, " with whom," he says, " and for whose
sake I went this voyage." As to the mutiny in the Leicester,
he sa} r s, in speaking of the complaints made by Cavendish, u We
all sorrowed to heare such hard speaches of our good friends ; but
having spoken with the gentlemen of the galeon, we found them
faithfull, honest, and resolute in proceeding, although it pleased our
generall otherwise to conceive of them." Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 843.
iiakluyt, vol. iii p. 843. Purchas, part iv. p. 1192.
164 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
in bitterness of heart from a high-spirited, proud,
and headstrong man, who had set his all upon a cast,
and who, besides finding himself undone, endured
the deeper mortification of believing that he was
the dupe of those whom he had implicitly trusted.
Though neither the force of many of his complaints
nor the justice of his unmeasured invective can be
admitted, it is impossible to withhold sympathy from
his melancholy relation. "We had beene almost foure
moneths," he writes, " betweene the coast of Brasile
and the Straights, being in distance not above sixe
hundred leagues ; which is commonly run in twentie
or thirtie dayes ; but such was the adversenesse of
our fortunes, that in comming thither wee spent the
summer, and found in the Straits the beginning of a
most extreame winter, not durable for Christians.
.... After that the moneth of May was come
in, nothing but such flights of snow, and extremities
of frosts, as in all the time of my life I never saw
any to be compared with them. This extremitie
caused the weake men (in my ship onely) to decay ;
for in seven or eight dayes, in this extremitie there
dyed fortie men and sickened seventie ; so that there
were not fiftie men that were able to stand upon the
hatches."* Another relation even deepens this pic-
ture of distress. The squadron, contending for more
than a week with adverse winds, having in all that
time advanced within the straits only fifty leagues,
lay in a sheltered cove on the south side of the pas-
sage until the 15th May. " In the which time/'
says Mr Jane, " wee indured extreeme stormes with
perpetual snow, where many of our men died with
* Purchas, part iv. p. 1193.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 165
cursed famine and miserable cold/" not having
wherewith to cover their bodies, nor to fill their
bellies, but living by muskles, water, and weeds of
the sea, with a small reliefe of the ship's store in
meale sometimes." A still darker feature remains
to be noticed : " All the sicke men in the galeon
were most uncharitably put ashore into the woods,
in the snowe, raine, and cold, when men of good
health could skarcely indure it, where they ended
their lives in the highest degree of misery ."t Though
Cavendish was at the time on board the Desire, it
is impossible altogether to free him from the guilt of
this inhuman act.
A consultation was now held by the disconsolate
adventurers, and Davis, who had had great experi-
ence of the severity of the seasons in his north-west
* The collection of Purchas comprehends " The admirable ad-
ventures and strange fortunes of Master Antonie Knivet, which
went with Master Thomas Candish in his second voyage," a
narrative which may take its place beside the work of Sir John
Mandeville. Knivet wandered from the ship on the coast of Brazil,
and lived for many years among the " Cannibals." Many are the
wonderful escapes from death which he relates. On one occasion,
in pulling off his stockings he pulled off all his toes with them ; but he
had better fortune than one Harris, a goldsmith, who, as he affirms,
in blowing his nose threw it into the fire, and never recovered it
again, although Knivet seems to have had his toes restored by the
good offices of a surgeon whom Cavendish employed, and who work-
ed his cure by muttering certain words. In his wanderings, Master
Antonie saw both giants and pigmies. At Port Desire, the foot-
marks of the former were four times the length of an Englishman's
loot, their stature being fifteen or sixteen spans long ; and at Port
Famine, or San Felipe, the desolate station of the Spanish colony,
four or five thousand of the latter, from five to six spans in height,
with mouths reaching from ear to ear, were observed at one time.
Some of Knivet's marvels relate to the singular subject of demoniac
possession and satanic influence among the savage tribes with
whom he sojourned. On his return to England, he told Purchas,
that he once heard an Indian conferring with the spirit which pos-
sessed him, and threatening that, if it did not use him better, he
would turn Christian: the spirit took the hint and left him..
Part iv. p. 1213. f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 843.
166 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
voyages, urged them to proceed, declaring that the
weather would speedily improve; but the commander
resolved to sail for China by the Cape of Good Hope.*
For this voyage, however, the other officers re-
presented that there were neither provisions nor
equipments ; and at length he agreed to return to
the coast of Brazil in order to procure supplies for a
second attempt to pass the straits.t
On the 15th May, the admiral having returned
on board the Leicester, the fleet made sail to the east-
ward. About midnight of the 20th, the Desire and
the Black Pinnace parted company, and never again
rejoined their leader, who, to the last moment of his
life, accused Davis of wilfully deserting him. This
unhappy separation took place in the latitude of the
proposed rendezvous, for which the two ships were
steering, in the hope, as they affirmed, of finding the
galleon.J The story of that vessel will be afterwards
told ; in the mean while the narrative accompanies
Davis and his companions.
He made an endeavour, it is said, to go in search
of his superior officer, but the crews would not permit
his departure ; they are even accused of open mu-
tiny against him. To clear himself from all suspi-
cion of bad faith, he drew up, on the 2d June, a re-
lation of the voyage, of the disabled state of the two
ships, and of the manner in which they separated.
This document, to which all the men affixed their
signatures, certainly goes far to exonerate him of
the treachery with which he is charged.
The voyagers remained at Port Desire until the
* Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 843. Purchas, part iv. p. 1193.
f Purchas, part iv. p. 1193.
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 844. Ibid, p 845.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 167
6th of August, keeping watch on the hills for the
galleon and the Roebuck. One part of the company
went in quest of provisions, another erected a forge,
and employed themselves making nails, bolts, and
spikes ; while a third prepared ropes from an old ca-
ble. It has been surmised that all these labours
were undertaken by Davis for the purpose of ena-
bling him to accomplish his great object of passing
the straits, whatever might be the fate, the wishes,
or the orders of his commander. " The circum-
stances/' says Burney, whose opinion is entitled to
much respect, " are certainly of a suspicious nature,
and there is some reason for believing that Captain
Davis considered the engagement mutual between
Cavendish and himself to make a voyage into the
South Sea, and that he was determined, if possible,
not to be disappointed of an enterprise which he had
been brought thus far to prosecute. Instances without
number are to be met with of ships deserting their
commander-in-chief to escape the perils of a long
or dangerous undertaking ; but the case of Captain
Davis is of a different character, and is one of the
few in which the separation, if contrived, was for
the purpose of persevering in a pursuit, after it had
been abandoned by the chief commander as hopeless
and impracticable/'* Whatever may have been his
motives, having refitted his vessels, he set sail on
the 6th August for the straits, there to await the
coining of the admiral, " for in that place hee could
not passe, but of force wee must see him."t
On the 9th a violent storm arose; and on the
14th they were driven in " among certaine isles never
* Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. ii. pp. 101, 102.
t Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 846.
168 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
before discovered by any knowen relation, lying fiftie
leagues or better from the shoare, east and northerly
from the Streights ; in which place, unlesse it had
pleased God of his wonderfull mercie to have ceased
the winde, wee must of necessitie have perished."*
These were the Falkland Islands, of which Davis
was, beyond all doubt, the original discoverer.
They were shortly afterwards observed by Sir
Richard Hawkins, who, ignorant of the visit paid
by the other, gave them the name of Hawkins'
Maiden Land, " for that it was discovered in the
reigne of Queene Elizabeth, my sovereigne lady
and mistris, and a mayden queene, and at my cost
and adventure."t As this honour has been claimed
by the navigators of other countries, a variety of
appellations has been imposed upon them. By Bur-
ney they are called e< Davis' Southern Islands,"
a distinction to which that officer is well entitled,
though to change a name so long established as that
of the Falklands, seems a hopeless attempt. {
On the 18th the adventurers regained the eastern
entrance of the straits, and, after being twice driven
back, penetrated into the South Sea on the 2d Octo-
ber. The same night they encountered a very severe
gale, which continued with unabated violence for
many days. On the 4th the pinnace was lost ; on
the 5th the foresail of the Desire was rent to pieces ;
" then," says one of the survivors of this disas-
trous voyage, " our master tooke the mizzen, and
brought it to the foremast to make our ship worke,
and with our spritsaile we mended our foresayle, the
storme continuing without all reason in fury, with
* Hakkiyt, vol. iii. p. 846. f Purchas, part iv. p. 1384.
J Chron. Hist. Discov. \ol. ii. p. 103.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 109
haile, snowe, raine, and winde, such and so mighty,
as that in nature it could not possibly be more ; the
seas such and so lofty, with continuall breach, that
many times we were doubtfull whether our ship did
sinke or swiinme. The 10th, being by the ac-
compt of our captaine and master very neere the
shore, the weather darke, the storme furious, and
most of our men having given over to travell, we
yeelded ourselves to death without further hope of
succour. Our captaine (Davis) sitting in the gallery
very pensive, I came and brought him some Rosa
Solis to comfort him ; for he was so cold that hee
was scarce able to moove a joint. After he had
drunke and was comforted in heart, hee began for
the ease of his conscience to make a large repetition
of his forepassed time, and with many grievous sighs
he concluded in these words : ' Oh most glorious
God, with whose power the mightiest things among
men are matters of no moment, I most humbly be-
seech thee, that the intolerable burthen of my sinnes
may through the blood of Jesus Christ be taken
from me ; and end our daies with speede, or show
us some mercifull signe of thy love and our preser-
vation.' Having thus ended, he desired me not to
make knowen to any of the company his intolerable
griefe and anguish of minde, because they should
not thereby be dismayed. And so suddenly, before
I went from him, the sunne shinned cleere ; so that
he and the master both observed the true elevation
of the Pole, whereby they knew by what course to
recover the Streights. Wherewithall our captaine and
master were so revived, and gave such comfortable
speeches to the company, that every man rejoyced as
though we had received a present deliverance."*
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 848. ~~
1 70 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
On the next day, after a miraculous escape in
doubling Cape Deseado, they regained the straits in
a most pitiable condition : " the men were not able
to move; their sinewes were stiffe, and their flesh
dead." They found shelter and rest in a cove for a
few days, but famine urged them on, and during
a short interval of calm the voyage was resumed.
Scarcely, however, had they set sail when the wea-
ther became as tempestuous as before. " The storme,
growing outragious, our men could scarcely stand
by their labour ; and the Streights being full of turn-
ing reaches, we were constrained, by discretion of
the captaine and master in their accounts, to guide
the ship in the hell-darke night when we could not
see any shore, the channel being in some places
scarse three miles broad."* In this extremity, on
the 31st they reached Port Desire, where they ob-
tained wood and water ; while in Penguin Island
they found abundance of birds, eggs, and seals.
They procured salt by placing brine in the hollows
of rocks, exposed to the heat of the sun. They fried
scurvy-grass and eggs in train-oil, which " herbe did
so purge the blood, that it tooke away all kind of
swellings, of which many died, and restored us to
perfect health of body, so that we were in as good
case as when we came first out of England
Thus God did feed us even as it were with manna
from heaven."t On the llth November, while most
of the men were absent on a foraging expedition, a
multitude of the natives approached the vessel,
throwing dust upon their heads, " leaping and run-
ning like brute beasts, having vizards on their faces
like dogs' faces, or else their faces are dogs' faces in-
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 849 f Ibid. p. 850.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 171
deed. We greatly feared least they would set our
ship on fire, for they would suddenly make fire,
whereat we much marvelled.* They came to wind-
ward of our ship, and set the bushes on fire, so that
we were in a very stinking smoke ; but as soone as
they came within reach of our shot, we shot at them,
and striking one of them in the thigh they all pre-
sently fled, so that we never heard nor saw more of
them." A few days previous to this incident, a
party of nine men went on shore, and were never
again heard of.f It is conjectured that they were
killed by the savages ; and when, says the old rela-
tion, " we considered what they were that thus
were slaine, and found that they were the principall
men that would have murthered our captain and
master, with the rest of their friends, we saw the
just judgment of God."
On the 22d December they sailed for Brazil with
a stock of 14,000 dried penguins, but a very scanty
supply of every thing else. In the beginning of Fe-
bruary 1593, in an attempt to obtain provisions at
the isle of Placenzia, on the coast of Brazil, thirteen
of the men were killed by the Indians and Portu-
guese. Hence, of seventy-six persons who left Eng-
* In New Guinea Captain Cook saw a peculiar mode of " sud-
denly making fire," probably, however, very different from this.
" Three Indians rushed out of a wood with a hideous shout, at
about the distance of 100 yards ; and as they ran towards us the
foremost threw something out of his hand, which burnt exactly like
gunpowder, but made no report What these fires
were, or for what purpose intended, we could not imagine : those
who discharged them had in their hands a short piece of stick, pos-
sibly a hollow cane, which they swung sideways from them, and
we immediately saw fire and smoke resembling those of a musket,
and of no longer duration." Hawkesworth's Voyages (3 vols 4to,
London, 1773), vol. iii. p. 252-254. Historical Account of the
Circumnavigation of the Globe, p. 339.
f Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 850.
] 72 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
land in the Desire, no more than twenty-seven now
remained.* For three weeks the unhappy survivors
were the sport of baffling winds ; their water failed ;
and in the hot latitudes which they had now reach-
ed, the penguins, almost their sole article of food, suf-
fered decay, "and there bred in them a most lothsome
and ugly worme of an inch long. This worme did
so mightily increase and devoure our victuals, that
there was in reason no hope how we should avoide
famine, but be devoured of these wicked creatures :
there was nothing that they did not devoure, only
yron excepted : our clothes, boots, shooes, hats, shirts,
stockings: and for the ship, they did so eat the
timbers, as that we greatly feared they would undoe
us by gnawing through the ship's side. Great was
the care and diligence of our captaine, master, and
company, to consume these vermine ; but the more
we laboured to kill them, the more they increased ;
so that at the last, we could not sleepe for them, but
they would eate our flesh and bite like mosquitos."t
After crossing the line the men were attacked by
strange and horrible diseases, and some became rag-
ing mad. A supply of water, obtained from heavy
rains, was their only solace. Eleven died between
the coast of Brazil and the British Islands ; and of
the sixteen who survived only five were able to work
the ship. " In fine," says the chronicler of the voy-
age, " our miserie and weaknesse was so great that
we could not take in nor heave out a saile
Thus, as lost wanderers upon the sea, the 11 of June
1593, it pleased God that we arrived at Bear-haven
in Ireland, and there ran the ship on shore." If
Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 851. f Ibid - P' 852 -
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 173
Davis treacherously deserted his admiral, he expe-
rienced a speedy and severe retribution.*
To this unfortunate navigator the narrative again
reverts. He rightly conjectured, that, on losing
sight of the Desire and the Black Pinnace, they
would make for the port named as the rendezvous,
and after having refreshed themselves, and recruit,
ed their stores, would seize a favourable opportunity
to pass the straits. In the letter which has been al-
ready quoted, Cavendish breaks out, " And now
to come to that villaine, that hath beene the death of
me and the decay of this whole action, I meane
Davis, whose onely treacherie in running from me
hath beene an utter ruine of all : if any good returne
by him, as ever you love mee, make such friends, as
he, least of all others, may reape least gain.t I as-
sure myselfe you will bee carefull in all friendship of
my last requests. My debts which be owing be not
much; but I (most unfortunate villaine) was match-
ed with the most abject-minded and mutinous
companie that ever was carried out of England by
any man living The short of all is
this Davis his onely intent was utterly to over-
throw me, which he hath well performed."!
On the dispersion of the fleet, the Leicester and
Roebuck shaped their course for Brazil, keeping in
sight of each other. In the latitude of 36 S. they
* " If," says Purchas, who seems to doubt the fidelity of Davis,
" if hee did deale treacherously, treacherie found him out."
Part iv. p. 1191. After this period Davis made no fewer than
five voyages to the East Indies, in the capacity of pilot : he at last
lost his life, 2Jth December 1605, in a desperate conflict with some
Japanese near the coast of Malacca Biog. Brit. vol. v. p. 4.
Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. VI., British India, vol. i. p. 189.
f Purchas, part iv. p. 1192. Biographia Britannica, vol. iii.
p. 320. $ Purchas, part ii. p. 1194.
L
174 SECOND VOYAGE OP CAVENDISH
encountered a dreadful storm, in which they parted
company.* The galleon came to anchor in the
bay of St Vincent ; and while she lay there a party
of twenty-four men and an officer, almost in open
defiance of their commander, landed to forage for
provisions and plunder the houses of the Portuguese
farmers on the coast. They were wholly cut off;
and their boat, the only one which the admiral pos-
sessed, was lost.t
The Roebuck about this time returned without any
masts but her mizzen, and with the loss of her sails,
" in the most miserable case that ever ship was in."
From the want of the boats and pinnace he was un-
able to enter the harbours, which in many cases were
impeded by bars, to take vengeance on the "base dogs"
who had killed his men. He made an attempt to
sail up the river and raze the town ; but was com-
pelled by his crew to desist from an enterprise which
" was both desperate and most dangerous/'^ With
some difficulty he got back into deep water, having
destroyed a few farmhouses, and carried off some
provisions.
It was now his intention to break up the Roebuck,
and with the Leicester alone to make for the straits ;
but of this purpose he did not venture to inform his
people, lest they should burst out into open muti-
ny. So great was their horror of returning, " that all
the best sort," he says, " had taken an oath upon a
Bible to die rather then ever to yeeld their consents
to goe backe that way againe." He therefore pro-
Purehas, part iv. p. 1194. Biographia Nautica, vol. iii.p. 258.
Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 258.
Purchas, part iv. pp. 1195, 1196.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 175
posed the island of St Helena as the immediate point
of their destination.
In the mean while an attempt was made to seize
three Portuguese ships in the harbour of Spirito
Santo. But the attack was unsuccessful, and of eighty
armed men who were sent on this ill-starred ex-
pedition, about thirty-eight were killed and forty
wounded. Among the former was Captain Morgan,
an officer whom Cavendish highly esteemed, and who
was urged upon his fate by the taunts of those whom
he led. " Some of the harebraine sailers began to
sweare that they never thought other but that Mor-
gan was a coward, and now he will shew it, that
durst not land upon a bable ditch as they tearmed
it -," whereupon, exclaiming that he would leap on
shore happen what would and whatever might be
the orders of his superior, he wilfully ran upon
inevitable destruction.*
An incident which occurred during the assault
strongly moved the generous indignation of the ad-
miral. A party in the great boat, exposed to a gall-
ing fire and eager to get beyond its reach, shouted for
help to some of their comrades who were attempting
to storm a fort. The call was answered by such num-
bers that the boat was grounded, and ten men were
obliged to leave her, who, to save themselves from
the thick shower of Indian arrows, ran under the
walls of the fort and discharged a volley of musketry
against its defenders. Meanwhile the small vessel
was got afloat, " and one that was the master of the
Roebucke (the most cowardly villaine that ever was
borne of a woman) caused them in the boat to rowe
away, and so left those brave men a spoile for the
* Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 259.
176 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
Portugals. Yet they waded up to the necks in the
water to them : but those mercilesse villaines in the
boate would have no pitty on them. Their excuse
was, that the boat was so full of water, that had they
come in she would have sunke with all them in
her. Thus vilely were those poore men lost."*
By this fatal adventure Cavendish was left with
a force which was barely sufficient to raise the an-
chor. To add to his accumulated misfortunes the
Roebuck deserted him, her crew having now re-
solved to return home ; and, though the wounded
lay in his ship, they carried with them the two
surgeons and great part of the common stores.t
Thus overwhelmed with distress, he succeeded
in reaching the small uninhabited island of San
Sebastian, where he repaired his only boat, and
procured a seasonable supply of water, of which he
was in great want. Again he spoke of returning to
the straits, and used all the arts of persuasion to ob-
tain the consent of his crew. He showed them that
they could " relieve their victuals by salting of scales
and birds ; and further, if they got through the strait
now (which they might easily performe, consider-
ing they had the chiefest part of summer before
them), they could not but make a most rich voyage ;
and that they should be most infamous to the world,
that being within six hundred leagues of the place
which they so much desired, to returne home again
so farre being most infamous and beggerly. These
perswasions," he continues, " tooke no place with
them ; but most boldly they all affirmed, that they
* Purchas, part iv. p. 1197.
t Ibid. p. 1 198. Biographia Nautica, vol. iii. p. 260.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 177
had sworne they would never goe again to the
straits ; neither by no meanes would they. And
one of the chiefest of their faction most proudly and
stubbornely uttered these words to my face, in pre-
sence of all the rest : which I seeing, and finding
mine owne faction to be so weake (for there were
not any that favoured my part but my poore cousen
Locke and the master of the ship), I tooke this
bold companion by the bosome, and with mine owne
hands put a rope about his necke, meaning resolutely
to strangle him, for weapon about me I had none.
His companions seeing one of their chiefe champions
in this case, and perceiving me to goe roundly to
worke with him, they all came to the master and
desired him to speake, affirming they would be
ready to take any course that I should thinke good
of. I, hearing this, stayed myselfe, and let the fel-
low goe."*
Having thus extorted their compliance with his
design of returning to the straits, he landed with a
party of soldiers and the carpenters, to rebuild the
boat, while the sailors were employed in mending
the rigging of the vessel. But his suspicions of their
fidelity were still unremoved ; he was in constant
fear lest they should desert ; and was most anxious
to see them once more on board that the ship might
proceed on her voyage. Before this could be accom-
plished he was visited by another severe calamity.
He had sent the wounded men ashore on the island,
which lay about a mile from the main, whence the
Portuguese watched their motions ; and before the
supplies of wood and water were got in, an Irishman,
"*a noble villaine," stole to the continent on a raft,
* Purchas, part iv. p. 1199.
178 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
and betrayed his defenceless comrades to the enemy.
By this act of treachery, not only the sick and those
usually employed ashore, but several others who
chanced to have joined them, were given up to in-
discriminate butchery.* Another serious loss was
that of one of the few remaining sails, which was
here seized. " In this case/' says Cavendish, " was
I forced to depart. Fortune never ceasing to lay her
greatest adversities upon me. But now I am growne
so weake and faint as I am scarce able to hold the
penne in my hand : wherefore I must leave you to
inquire of the rest of our most unhappy proceedings.
But know this, that for the straits I could by no
meanes get my company to give their consents to
goe In truth I desired nothing more
then to attempt that course, rather desiring to dye in
going forward then basely in returning backe againe;
but God would not suffer me to dye so happy a man."t
An attempt was now made to reach the island
of St Helena, for which the crew would not consent
to steer until their leader solemnly assured them
that to England he would never go; and that, if
they declined to take the course which he intended,
the " shippe and all should sinke in the seas toge-
ther.":): This threat produced a temporary obe-
dience to his will ; but on reaching the latitude of
20 S. they refused to proceed farther, declaring that
they would rather die where they were " than be
starved in seeking an island, which that way they
should never get." They were, however, induced
to persevere, and, struggling with stormy seas and
* Purchas, part iv. p. 1200.
h Ibid. Biographia Britannica, vol. iii. p. 320. Article Caven-
dish. ' 5 Ibid. Ibid.
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 179
skies, they regained the latitude of 28 S., when
they stood towards the object of their wishes ; which,
owing to contrary winds and the unskilfulness of
their pilot, was unhappily missed. It was in vain
that the unfortunate commander, by alarming them
with the scarcity of provisions, endeavoured to pre-
vail on his mutinous people to renew the search ;
they replied with one voice, " they would pinch to
death rather then goe to the southward againe."*
It is believed that Cavendish did not long sur-
vive these events ; he died before the ship reached
England, but whether at sea or on shore is uncer-
tain.t His letter to Sir Tristram Gorges, which
has been already mentioned, was not closed when
the galleon reached 8 N. latitude. From its com-
mencement, and it appears to have been written at
many sittings, it is evident that he must have con-
sidered his last hour at hand. " Most loving friend,"
thus he begins, " there is nothing in this world
that makes a truer triall of friendship then at death
to shew mindfulnesse of love and friendship, which
now you shall make a perfect experience of; desiring
you to hold my love as deare, dying poore, as if I
had beene most infinitely rich. The successe of this
most unfortunate action, the bitter torments thereof
lye so heavie upon mee, as with much paine am I
able to write these few lines, much lesse to make
discoverie unto you of all the adverse haps that have
* Purchas, part iv. p. 200.
-( Biog-raphia Britannica, vol. iii. p. 320. One authority expli-
citly states that he was drowned on the coast of Brazil. " Saevis-
sima tempestas naves ad littus Brasilia? rejecit, et allisit ut omnes
ferme qui in navibus erant interirent. Inter quos ipse praefectus
Cavenditius fluctibus obrutus est. Ita vita ejus extincta est, quas
brevis fuit ; sed non gloria, quara nulla aetas conticescet." John-
stoni, Rer. Brit. Hist. p. 16S.
180 SECOND VOYAGE OF CAVENDISH
befallen me in this voyage, the least whereof is my
death." He then adverts to the illness of " a most
true friend, whom to name my heart bleeds/' who,
like himself, fell a victim to the complicated dis-
tresses of the voyage. After relating the history of
their unsuccessful search for St Helena, he pro-
ceeds, " And now to tell you of my greatest
griefe, which was the sicknesse of my deare kins-
man, John Locke, who by this time was growne in
great weakenesse, by reason whereof hee desired
rather quietnesse and contentednesse in our course,
then such continuall disquietnesse, which never
ceased mee. And now by this, what with griefe for
him and the continuall trouble I indured among
such hel-hounds, my spirits were cleane spent, wish-
ing myselfe upon any desart place in the world,
there to dye, rather then thus basely to returne
home againe. Which course I had put in execution,
had I found an iland which the cardes [^charts]
make to be in eight degrees to the southward of the
line. I sweare to you I sought it with all diligence,
meaning (if I had found it) to have there ended my
unfortunate life. But God suffered not such hap-
pinesse to light upon me, for I could by no meanes
finde it, so as I was forced to goe towards England :
and having gotten eight degrees by north the line,
I lost my most dearest cousin. And now consider,
whether a heart made of flesh be able to indure so
many misfortunes, all falling upon me without in-
termission. I thanke my God, that in ending of me
he hath pleased to rid me of all farther trouble and
mishaps." The remaining portion of the letter re-
fers to his private affairs, especially to the discharge
of his debts. " I have now no more to say, but
TO THE SOUTH SEA. 181
take this last farewell, that you have lost the loving-
est friend that was lost by any. Commend mee to
your wife. No more. But as you love God, doe
not refuse to undertake this last request of mine.
. . . . Beare with this scribbling ; for I protest
I am scant able to hold a pen in my hand."*
In his two voyages, this remarkable man expe-
rienced the greatest extremes of fortune ; his first
adventure being even more brilliant and successful
than the last was disastrous and unhappy. When
he died he was still very young ; and no officer can
be said to have sunk more immediately and dis-
tinctly under the disease to which so many brave men
have fallen victims, a broken heart. On several
occasions, it is acknowledged, his conduct displayed
the rashness and impetuosity of youth, and the want
of that firm and steady temper which is among the
first qualities of a naval commander. Nor can the
reproach of cruelty be altogether removed from his
memory, on which it is perhaps the only blot ; and
though it may not be palliated even by his high spirit,
resolute courage, and invincible fortitude, yet the
judgment of those who think of him most unfa-
vourably, will, undoubtedly, be somewhat softened
by calling to mind the great calamities which ob-
scured the close of his short career. As the second
English navigator who circumnavigated the globe,
his name is inseparably linked with the history of
maritime adventure.t
* Purchas, part iv. p. 1192-1201. Bioeraphica Nautica, vol. iii.
pp.2Hl,262.
f- Stowe's Annals, p. 809. Biographia Britannica, vol. iii. p. 321.
Article Cavendish.
DAMPIETL
CHAPTER VI.
The Buccaneers of America.
Origin of the Buccaneers Cattle-hunters of Cuba and Hayti
Policy of France and England Cruelty to the Caribs Seizure of
St Christopher's Buccaneer Settlement of Tortuga Customs of
the Buccaneers Their Maxims Manner of dividing their Spoil
Their Dress and Character Capture of Jamaica Enterprise
of Le Grand Fran9ois, Portuguez, and Mansvelt The Bucca-
neer Chief L'Olonnois His Cruelties Manners of the Buccaneers
Montbars the Exterminator First Expedition of Morgan
Pillage of Puerto del Principe Storming of Porto Bello Heroism
of the Spanish Governor Capture of Maracaibo and Gibraltar
Stratagems of Morgan Projected Buccaneer Settlement Storm-
ing of the Castle of Chagre March of the Buccaneers to Panama
Battle with the Spaniards Cruelty of the Freebooters Return
of the Buccaneers to Chagre Perfidy of Morgan Proclamation
of the Governor of Jamaica Concluding History of Morgan
The Buccaneers again increase Capture of Vera Cruz They
direct their Attention to PeruNarrative of Dampier.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM DAMPIER, whose eventful life
forms the subject of the remaining portion of this
volume, was so intimately associated with the BUC-
CANEERS OF AMERICA, that some account of this
extraordinary brotherhood is an almost indispensa-
ble introduction to the history of his adventures and
discoveries.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 183
They owed their origin, it is well known, to the
grasping and selfish spirit in which Spain adminis-
tered the affairs of her West Indian colonies. Early
in the sixteenth century, both English and French
ships, on trading voyages, had found their way to
those settlements ; though it was not till after the en-
terprises of Drake, Raleigh, and Cumberland, that
their visits became frequent.* The jealousy of the
Spaniards had been alarmed by their first appear-
ance ; and the systematic interference of that people
with the vessels of every nation that approached their
possessions, soon gave rise to the proverb that there
was " No peace beyond the Line."
Though the name,
*' Link'd to one virtue and a thousand crimes,"
by which the freebooters were best known and most
dreaded, is of much later date than the era of Drake
and his daring follower Oxenham,t yet is there no
violation of truth in ascribing to them the character
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 33.
+ See above, p. 25. It is with strict propriety that this brave
and enterprising Englishman is called the first Buccaneer. How
closely the adventurers of his age resembled those of the succeed-
ing century, may be seen from the following extract from a jour-
nal of the expedition of the Earl of Cumberland in lottH:
" Nov. 5. Our men went on shore, and fet rys [fetched rice],
and burnt the rest of the houses in the Niger's town, and our
boat went down to the outermost point of the river, and burnt
a town, and brought away all the rice that was in the town. The
6th day we served God, being Sunday." (Hartley Coleridge's
Biographia Borealis, p. 264.) But for the last sentence this might
be mistaken for an entry in the log-book of L'Olonnois or Mor-
gan ; and even some of their contemporaries and companions,
though they were as impious as they were wicked, seem occa-
sionally to have observed the seventh day. Esquemeling has
this entry in his journal : " January 9, lOOO. This day was the
first Sunday that we kept by command and common consent, since
the loss and death of our valiant commander, Captain Sawkins.
This generous-spirited man threw the dice overboard, finding them
in use on the said day." Buccaneers of America, part. iv. p. 121.
184 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
which it signified, of indiscriminate plunderers by
sea and land, in peace and in war.*
To the rise of this association, whereto they paved
the way, many causes contributed. The diminished
population and decaying trade of Old Spain could
no longer supply her vast colonies with those com-
modities which the West Indies and South America
still continue to receive from the workshops and
looms of Britain, France, and the Netherlands;
nor could the severity of her laws prevent the set-
tlers on many parts of the coast from supplying
themselves with luxuries brought at a cheap rate
from those countries.t Thus, in defiance of prohi-
bitions, the contraband trade increased and became
a thriving nursery for maritime freebooters ; self-
defence leading them to retaliation, wrong to re-
prisal, and spoliation to actual piracy.
Another branch of the fraternity sprung up at
the same time in a different quarter. No portion
of the New World suffered more from the injustice
of the Spaniards than the fine islands of Cuba and
Hayti. About the beginning of the sixteenth cen-
tury, their plantations and mines were forsaken
for the more fertile settlements and richer ores of
Mexico ; and the desolated tracts, whence the native
inhabitants had been expelled, were soon overrun by
immense herds of cattle, which, originally introduced
by the Europeans, had multiplied so rapidly, that it
was become a profitable employment to kill them for
the sake of their hides and tallow. While the Ma-
tadores or hunters pursued this avocation, a more
peaceful description of settlers began to station them-
selves around them ; and to both these classes the
*,- Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 37. t Ibid - P- 38
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 185
stolen visits of French and English traders became
every year more welcome. Necessitated at times to
seek provisions on uninhabited shores, these smug-
glers occasionally exchanged the life of the trafficker
for that of the huntsman, and ranged every where at
will, though still regarded by the Spanish govern-
ment as avowed interlopers/"
The first of these adventurers were natives of
France. From the habits incident to their precari-
ous calling arose the formidable name of Buccaneer,
by which the associates, whether as pirates on the sea
or as forayers in the wilderness, came afterwards to be
distinguished. This term was adopted from the lan-
guage of the Caribs, in which the word boucan sig-
nifies flesh slowly dried and smoked on wooden
hurdles or barbecues ; and the instrument on which
it was prepared bore also the same appellation. t
To this title, by which the desperadoes were known
in England, the French preferred the epithet of
Flibustier, which is said to be a corruption of
our word freebooter. ; The Dutch, by a happier
ambiguity, denominated the natives of their country
employed in this lawless life Zee Roovers ; the ex-
pression denoting either robbers or cruisers. Brethren
of the Coast was another general denomination for
the fraternity ; but all distinctions were finally lost
in that of BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. The same
feeling which induced men of respectable family
to lay aside their real names on entering this so-
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 34.
\ Ibid. p. 42. The word found its way into European languages
at an early period. In Cotgrave's " Dictionarie of the French and
English Tongues," published in 1611, Boucan is defined as " a
woodden gridiron, whereon the cannibals broile pieces of men and
other flesh."
J Burney. Chron. Hist. Discov. p. 43.
186 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
ciety, led them to repudiate a designation too soon
stained with every species of crime and excess ; and
Dampier and others speak of themselvesjas__' f pri-
vateers," while they anxiously describe theirassaults
as falling under the head of legitimate jyarfare.
These bold and dissolute men carried on their
deppedati0ns','~as~smugglers j robbers, orjriratesT^in
thne~oTpeace, and during war under commissions
fromth^rj^pective governments, for a long series
of years~before~They attempted toTorm any regular
settlement. Thrqu^houXthis period~tEey~acTed as
pioneers, clearing away for the industrious and peace-
ful^settlers of France and England, both of which
nations secretly encouraged while they affected to
discountenance the marauders. From the era of
Columbus' discoveries, each had cast a longing eye
upon the West Indies, and by the assistance of the
Buccaneers they at last succeeded in establishing
colonies there. At the beginning of the 17th century,
a prop on which to rest their levers was all that
was required ; and agreeably to a treaty of joint oc-
cupation and partition, colonists from both countries
landed on the same day, in 1625, at opposite points
of the island of St Christopher's, and took possession
of it.* The rights of the Caribs, whom the first
conquerors had not been able either to enslave or
wholly to extirpate, do not appear to have obtained
a moment's consideration from the statesmen of either
kingdom. t Though the Spaniards had no settlement
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. pp. 38. 39.
f- The light in which the Indians were regarded by Europeans,
even towards the close of the seventeenth century, may be gathered
from Esquemeling, who was himself a Buccaneer. In accounting
for the number of wild dogs which overran the islands, he states that,
" The occasion was, that the Spaniards, having possessed themselves
of these isles, found them much peopled with Indians. These were a
barbarous sort of people, totally given to sensuality and a brutish
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 187
there, they could not quietly permit the subjects of
two ambitious nations to obtain a permanent footing
in a territory whence they might quickly extend their
conquests; and in 1629, accordingly, after a residence
of more than four years, the intruders were expel-
led by force of arms. But they waited only the depar-
ture of the enemy to return to their old possessions ;
though some of them, deprived of a home, rendered
desperate by poverty, and inflamed with hatred
custom of life, hating all manner of labour, and only inclined to run
from place to place, killing and making war against their neighbours,
not out of any ambition to reign, but only because they agreed not
with themselves in some common terms of language. Hence, perceiv-
ing the dominion of the Spaniards did lay a great restriction upon
their lazy and brutish customs, they conceived an incredible odium
against them, such as never was to be reconciled ; but more especially
because they saw them take possession of their kingdoms and domi-
nions. Hereupon they made against them all the resistance they
were capable of, opposing every where their designs to the utmost
of their power ; until that the Spaniards, finding themselves to be
cruelly hated by those Indians, and nowhere secure from their
treacheries, resolved to extirpate and ruine them every one. . . .
Hereupon those first conquerors of the New World made use of
dogs to range and search the intricatest thickets of woods and
forests for those their implacable and unconquerable enemies. By
these means they forced them to leave their ancient refuge and sub-
mit unto the sword, seeing no milder usage would serve their turn.
Hereupon they killed some of them, and, quartering their bodies,
placed them in the highways, to the intent that others might take
warning from such a punishment not to incur the like danger. But
this severity proved to be of ill consequence ; for, instead of fright-
ing them and reducing their mindes to a civil society, they conceived
such horrour of the Spaniards and their proceedings, that they re-
solved to detest and fly their sight for ever ; and hence the greatest
part dyed in caves and subterraneous places of the woods and moun-
tains, in which places I myself have seen many times great numbers
of human bones." Bucaniers of America (8vo, London, 1684),
pp. 53, 54. Of the personal history of this author little is known.
It is uncertain whether he was of Flemish or French origin, though
the former is the more probable ; his name is variously written
Esquemeling, Exquemelin, and (Exmelin ; and it is doubtful whe-
ther his Christian name was John or Alexander-Olivier. His work
is said to have been first published in the Dutch language at Am-
sterdam in 1678 ; it was translated into Spanish in 1682, and again
in 1684 : two English versions appeared at London in the latter year,
and a French one at Paris in 1686.
188 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
of their persecutors, had in the mean while joined
the freebooters, whose reckless bravery they are said
to have tempered by their knowledge and the habits
of social life.*
It was thus that step by step the narrow policy
of the Spaniards called into existence those predatory
hordes, who, from so small a beginning, came at last
to infest their commerce by sea and land, and even
to destroy their richest settlements.
As a convenient mart for their trade, which had
been greatly increased by the possession of St Chris-
topher's, the hunters of Cuba and Hayti seized on
the island of Tortuga, surprising the small gar-
rison which defended it. Here, having built ma-
gazines for their hides, tallow, and boucan or dried
flesh, they established their head-quarters, and open-
ed a place of retreat, to which, in the course of a
few years, adventurers flocked from almost every
country of Europe.t French and English settle-
ments were rapidly formed, almost at random, on
different islands, and the new colonists were at
once the natural allies and the best customers of the
Buccaneers, whom they supplied with powder, shot,
hatchets, rum, tobacco, and all things necessary to
their wild manner of life. As these plantations
rose into consequence, they were severally claimed
by the mother-countries ; and the settlers were not
unfrequently expelled to make way for new proprie-
tors who had obtained by favour or purchase, from
the authorities at home, the lands which had been
cleared by the industry of the original adven-
turers. Many of these, fired with indignation at the
injustice of the government, which had left them
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. pp. 40, 41. f Ibid. p. 42.
2
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. J89
unprotected in the first instance and pillaged them
in the last, retired to other deserts, or joined the
ranks of the outlaws.*
The settlement of Tortuga, situated at the very
threshold of Hayti, was on every account obnoxious
to the Spaniards. In the year 1638 they seized an
opportunity of destroying it while most of the men
were absent in the chase., an occupation followed
by them for months and even years together on
the western shores, without once visiting the scene
of comparative civilisation which they had created
in the smaller island.t Of the more peaceful of the
settlers, who had already formed plantations and
begun with success to cultivate tobacco, many were
massacred ; those who fled to the woods and after-
wards surrendered themselves were hanged ; while
only a few escaped to their brethren in the Hay-
tian forests. Tortuga was soon abandoned by the
assailants, who, having taken so much pains to
destroy the nest, flattered themselves that the hor-
nets would not again congregate. But the Buc-
caneers returning almost immediately, soon became
more formidable than ever,J and their numbers,
already exceeding three hundred, were speedily
recruited by the young and the dissolute from
different parts of Europe.
From this time attacks upon the Spaniards be-
camejmore frequent, and as the diminished herds
of cattle rendered the chase a more precarious source
ofTIvelihood, their maritime enterprises were under-
taken on a more extensive scale!
Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. pp. 48, 49.
flbid. pp 49,50.
$ Ibid. p. 50.
M
190 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
The Brethren of the Coast had now been long
known as a. distinct association, and their laws,
manners, and customs, were every where become the
subject of curious inquiry. Though, from that love
of the marvellous which is natural to mankind, their
peculiarities have been greatly exaggerated, many
of their habits were sufficiently remarkable to de-
serve notice. Like the conventional usages of other
communities, the " Statutes of the Buccaneers" ori-
ginated in the necessities of their condition. Pro-
perty, so far as regarded the means of sustenance,
whether obtained in the chase or by pillage, was
held in common. As they had no domestic ties,
neither wife nor child, brother nor sister, being
known among them, the want of family relations
was supplied by the alliance of two comrades, of
whom one attended to household duties while the
other was engaged in the chase.* It has been said
that the survivor, whether seaman or hunter, suc-
ceeded to the estate of his deceased companion ; but
though this probably often happened, it was cer-
tainly not a fixed law, for they are known to have
frequently bequeathed property to their relatives in
France or England.t Their chief, if not their only
virtue, was courage, which, quickened by despair,
was carried to an extravagant excess, perhaps never
Burnejr, Chron. Hist. Discor. vol. iv. p. 45.
-- " Do thou revere
The statutes of the Bucanier ;
Friend to the sea, and foeman sworn
To all that on her waves are borne ;
When falls a mate in battle broil,
His comrade heirs his portioned spoil;
When dies in fight a daring foe,
He claims his wealth who struck the blow."
Sir WALTER SCOTT Rokeby, cant. i. st. xxi.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 191
paralleled before or since that time, except among
the ancient vikingr. Hardihood, or the power of
extreme endurance, may also be reckoned among
their better qualities ; but their long seasons of
entire privation were always followed by scenes of
the most brutal indulgence. Their great principle,
which was indeed necessary to their very existence,
was fidelity to one another ; and it was scrupulously
observed.
As their associations were voluntary, their en-
gagements never extended beyond the immediate
enterprise for which they combined. Such alliances
were indeed frequently renewed, and the bravest,
most able, active, and fortunate of their number, was
chosen to be commander ; but it would seem that
every one who bore arms had a right to assist in
their councils. The same power which elected could
displace the leader; and such depositions accordingly
were often made, either from caprice or expediency.
Personal quarrels they sometimes settled by duel ;
but offences against the fraternity were visited by
different punishments ; in extreme cases by death,
by abandonment on a desert island, or by expul-
sion from the society. There seems to have been
no obstacle to their quitting the brotherhood when
inclination dictated such a step. In sharing their
booty, they appear, as soon as their trade was
reduced to a system, to have followed nearly the
same laws as those which regulate the division of
spoil in privateers; but the owners' shares were
included in those of the crew, who were themselves
the proprietors.
When a party had agreed upon a cruise, the time
and place of embarkation were fixed, upon which
192 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
every man went on board with a specified quantity
of powder and shot. Their next care was to procure
provisions, which consisted chiefly of pork.* The
Spaniards were wont to raise large herds of swine,
and from their yards an abundant supply was ob-
tained with no trouble save that of robbery, often in-
deed followed bymurder.t Turtle slightly salted was
another article of their stores ; while for beeves and
wild hogs they trusted to their fire-arms. Bread
they seldom tasted ; at sea never ; but in later periods
they sometimes procured supplies of cassava, maize,
and potatoes. Of this food they commonly ate twice
a-day and without limitation, for at meals there
was no distinction between the commander and
the meanest seaman. J When the vessel was fully
victualled, a council was held to determine the des-
tination of the enterprise and the plan of operations ;
and, at the same .time, articles were generally sub-
scribed which regulated the division of the spoils.
The commander, the surgeon, and the carpenter,
were in the first place paid from the common stock.
Wounds were next considered; the value of the right
arm, the most useful member of the body, being
reckoned equal to six slaves, or six hundred pieces
of eight. It is worthy of notice that an eye and a
finger were estimated at the same price, which was
one slave, or a hundred pieces of eight. The re-
mainder was shared equally, save that the cap-
tain, in addition to the sum payable to him by
his specific agreement, was entitled to claim five
shares, and his mate two. Boys received half a
share. One of their first maxims was, " No prey, no
* Esquemeling-, Buccaneers of America, p. 85.
f Ibid. p. 86. JIbid.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 193
pay."* An oath was sometimes taken to prevent
concealment of booty, or desertion before the ter-
mination of the adventure.t
In their cruises they often put into remote har-
bours to careen or refit their ships ; to obtain fruits
and fish ; to lie in wait for Spanish traders ; or to
plunder the inhabitants, whether native or Euro-
pean. The former they sometimes carried away,
selling the men as slaves, while the women were
compelled to labour for such of the freebooters as fol-
lowed the chase. J
The dress of these ruffians assorted well with
their brutal and ferocious character. It has been
described as a uniform and conventional costume ;
but there is little doubt that the same necessity
which leads the savage to clothe himself with skins
prescribed to the Buccaneer his loathsome and ter-
rific garb. It consisted of a frock or shirt dyed in
the blood of cattle ; of trousers prepared in the same
manner; of buskins without stockings; the cover-
ing of the head was a cap with a small front ; and
the waist was bound by a leathern girdle, into
which were stuck knives, sabres, and pistols. The
bloody garments, though attributed to design, were
probably among the hunters the effect of chance
and slovenliness.
Among a small body of Frenchmen, who, by the
injustice of the colonial government and other causes,
had been driven to an outlaw's life, there were cherish-
ed honourable sentiments, and even a certain sense
of religion. We hear, for example, of one commander
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, pp. 86, 87, 88.
t Ibid. p. 88. + Ibid. p. 89.
Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov, vol. iv. pp. 45, 46.
194 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
who shot a seaman for indecent behaviour daring the
celebration of mass ; but it is nowhere recorded that
the chalices or images of a church were spared by
these good catholics more than by English heretics.*
One rare instance is mentioned,, where a Buccaneer
carried his notions of honour so far as to punish a
breach of faith towards a Spaniard, and to repress
with the most prompt severity symptoms of treachery
even against the common foe. Under a humane leader,
in short, the remorseless nature of these desperate
men was occasionally softened ; but, altogether, more
degraded and humiliating examples of humanity
could not any where be found. In them was united
the ferocity of the savage with the cunning which
always marks an imperfect civilisation. Yet they
have not been without some admirers. They are
said to have been open and unsuspecting in their
private intercourse, liberal in their dealings, and
even animated by a strictly honourable spirit.t
The French fondly name them " nos braves ;" the
English boast of their " unparalleled exploits ;" and
writers of fiction have graced their character with
many brilliant traits of generosity and delicacy of
feeling. Though to sober judgments there will ap-
pear little to warrant such pictures, it will be readily
admitted that there is a wild interest in the recital
of their adventures, independently of the romantic
notions associated with men placed in circumstances
so different from those of civilized communities.
Nor is it easy to withhold admiration from their
fortitude and unconquerable perseverance, though
exerted too often in the most infamous causes. All
* BurneVj Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 46.
-j- Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, p. 88.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 195
forms of privation and endurance with which the
vicissitudes of maritime life make us acquainted
sink into insignificance when compared with the
hardships voluntarily sustained by them from a
mere love of license or of Spanish gold.
The Buccaneers had not long recovered Tortuga
when, by means of certain foreigners, it was betrayed
into the hands of the French governor-general of the
West Indies, who took possession of it for his sove-
reign, and expelled the English.* From this time
our countrymen began to frequent those islands
which were considered to belong to their own nation ;
and these they enriched by the lavish expendi-
ture of their fortuitous wealth. In 1655 they lent
powerful aid to the armament employed in the con-
quest of Jamaica ; which henceforth was their chief
place of resort, and where they dissipated their plun-
der with the usual profligacy.t
Within a few years after the capture of Jamaica
the French freebooters on the shores of Hayti were
Tound to have greatly increased in numbers, and it
was by them chiefly that the most remarkable ex-
plmtsjvprftpprforrpM af spa At first, indeed, they
had no vessels but Indian canoes, yet in a short
time they possessed themselves of very considerable
squadrons. Among the earliest of their successes, and
one which led the way to many others, was the cap-
ture of a richly laden galleon, commanded by the
vice-admiral of the treasure-fleet. This was achieved
by Pierre le Grand, a native of Dieppe, who, though
his force consisted of only a single boat and twenty-
eight resolute followers, by one bold stroke gained
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 51.
t Ibid. p. 54.
196 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
fame and fortune.* For several weeks they had
been at sea in the hope of attaining this object,
exposed to the burning heat of a tropical sun ; and
they were almost exhausted by suffering and disap-
pointment when their prize was descried separated
from her consorts. The boat in which the ad-
venturers were concealed had been seen from the
galleon all day, and several of the crew even warned
the captain of their suspicion that the skiff was
manned by pirates. The Spaniard haughtily and
carelessly replied, "And what then? shall I be
afraid of so pitiful a thing ? no, though she were as
good a ship as my own !" He probably thought no
more of the circumstance till, in the same evening,
when he was at cards with his friends, the Bucca-
neers rushed into his cabin. t
Thejr hadkep^aloof JiU_^ighibjganJo^Ml, when
they made_joFthe vessel with all the force of^ oars.
The alternative was an ignominious and cruel death
or victory and riches : and they were aware thaUhev
must either make good their attempt or perish. To
render their courage desperate, Pierre commanded
the surgeon to bore holes in the boat, that no other
footing might be left to his people than the decks of
the galleon. His orders were quickly obeyed ; and
the men, armed with swords and pistols, silently
climbed the sides of the ship. One party rushed
into the great cabin, and pointed their weapons at
the officers ; another seized the gun-room, cutting
down all who stood in their way ; and, in short, the
Spaniards were so completely surprised that little
opposition was offered. The prize was carried into
* Esquemeling
t Ibid. p. 81.
, Buccaneers of America, pp. 81, 82.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 197
France ; and the captor, by a rare instance of good
sense, abandoned the calling of a Buccaneer, in which,
if fortunes were quickly acquired, they were as ra-
pidly lost or squandered. He appears on this occa-
sion to have exercised no unnecessary cruelty, and
all the seamen with whose services he could dispense
in the voyage to Europe were sent on shore.*
This successful enterprise induced half the hun-
ters and planters of Tortuga to rush tojhe^sea. In
SFsmall canoes they lay in wait for the barks in
which the Spaniards conveyed to Havannah and
ports adjacent hides, tobacco, and the produce
of the boucan. These cargoes they sold, together
with their boats, which supplied them with the
means of purchasing and equipping larger vessels.
Campeachy and even the shores of New Spain were
now within the range of their expeditions, which
became daily more formidable ; and hence the sub-
jects of Philip found it necessary to arm cruisers for
the protection of the coast-trade, the galleons, and
Flota. The Indian fleet and the treasure- ships were
at all times the chief objects of the pirates, who found
no species of goods so convenient as pieces of eight,
though their allies in the islands used every exer-
tion to relieve them of the embarrassment of more
bulky cargoes. In truth, the merchants of Jamaica
and Tortuga might at this time have been termed
not unaptly the brokers of the Buccaneers.t
Among other brilliant acts, a Frenchman named
Pierre Frai^ois, with one boat and a handful of men,
took the vice-admiral of the Pearl Fleet ; and no
sooner was he possessed of this prize than he raised
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, p. 82.
f Ibid. pp. 83, 84.
198 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
his thoughts to the capture of the convoy ship of war.
In this bold project he was disappointed, and the
galleon retaken ; but he received honourable terms
for himself and his company.*
About this time another celebrated adventurer,
Bartolomeo Portuguez, cruising from Jamaica in a
boat carrying four small pieces and manned by thirty
men, captured a large ship carrying twenty great guns
with a crew exceeding eighty in number. This prize
was also recovered in a few days by three Spanish
vessels ; and the pirate, after being carried into the
harbour of Cam peachy, was for greater security kept
on board till a gibbet should be erected. But on the
night previous to the day fixed for his execution, he
effected his liberation, by killing the sentinel, leap-
ing into the water, and swimming ashore. After suf-
fering incredible hardship, he came to a bay about
forty leagues from the city, and finding there certain
freebooters, he induced them to join in an attempt
to surprise the vessel from which he had just escaped.
The undertaking was successful, though, in passing
the Isle of Pines, the bark struck on a rock and was
totally wrecked, Portuguez with difficulty saving
himself in a canoe. t
The Spanish coasters, taught by experience, now
ventured cautiously to sea ; the number of Bucca-
neers at the same time increased ; and they were ac-
cordingly compelled to undertake expeditions by land,
sacking villages, towns, and even cities. The first
pirate of this description was Lewis Scot, who storm-
ed and plundered Campeachy, and obtained a large
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, pp. 94, 95.
t Ibid. p. 95-102, inclusive.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 199
sum for its ransom.* In this new career he was
followed with success by Mansvelt, and by John
Davis, a renowned chieftain born in Jamaica. It
was in these attempts that the former conceived the
design of creating an independent establishment^
which, while it acknowledged the authority of no
European state, should furnish a place of safe retreat
to the adventurers of all nations. The result of this
scheme will be seen hereafter.
In the annals of the Sea-rovers no characters are
found more terrible than those of L'Olonnois and
Montbars, natives of France, and distinguished even
among that ruthless fraternity by their pre-eminence
in crime. The former, whose real name appears to
have beenNau, derived his nom de guerre of L'Olon-
nois from Sables-d'Olonne, his birthplace. Little
is known of his family ; but it appears, that when
a youth he was either kidnapped or left home under
a form of engagement, then not uncommon in seve-
ral countries of Europe, by which the adventurer
agreed to serve a certain number of years in the
colonies. This practice, which was termed indent-
ing., continued until a very recent period, and was
liable to great abuses. J Escaping from servitude
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, p. 110.
f- Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 56.
J Even so lately as the middle of the last century, several towns
in Scotland were disgraced by this system of deceitful indenting^
or open and forcible kidnapping. " The extent, the misery, and
the horrors, of this ignominious trade," says the author of an account
of Aberdeen, " and the reckless manner" in which it was pursued,
might surpass belief, were they not too clearly established by tes-
timony which it is impossible to doubt. Copartneries were openly
formed for carrying it on ; and ships yearly left this port loaded with
crowds of unhappy beings, of whom hardly one ever returned to
his native land. To entrap the victims, every art of deceit and se-
duction was employed ; agents, drummers, pipers, and recruiting-
sergeants, were dispersed throughout the town and shire to assail
200 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
L'Olonnois joined the Buccaneers. His address and
courage soon rendered him so conspicuous, that in a
few years he was the owner of two canoes, and com-
manded twenty-two men. With this small force he
captured a Spanish frigate on the coast of Cuba, and
the atrocities which are ascribed to him are almost
incredible.* It is said that he frequently threw
overboard the crews of the ships which he took. He
is reported to have struck off with his own arm the
heads of ninety prisoners, refreshing himself by suck-
ing the blood of the victims as it trickled down his
cutlass. It is even related that, in transports of
frantic cruelty, he has been known to pluck out the
tongues of his captives, and to devour the hearts of
those who fell by his hand. By such acts of detest-
able inhumanity this monster not only gratified his
the unwary with bribes, alluring 1 promises, intoxication, and still
more disgraceful temptations. Jrarties of men patrolled the streets
of the burgh like press-gangs, and, by open violence seized on such
boys as seemed fit for their purpose. In all parts of the country
emissaries were abroad ; in the dead of night children were taken
by force from the beds wherein they slept ; and the remote valleys
of the Highlands, fifty miles distant from the city, were infested by
ruffians, who hunted their prey as beasts of the chase
One of twrj vessels which sailed from the harbour in IJ43, contain-
ed no fewer than sixty -nine persons ; and when it is considered that
the trade was carried on to an equal extent for nearly six years, it
is impossible to estimate the number of unhappy beings carried off
at less than six hundred. Their condition in the land to which
they were conveyed was truly miserable. They were sold to plan-
ters for a term of years varying from five to seven. During this
period of slavery, they were treated with harshness and cruelty;
they were whipped at the pleasure of their masters ; if they deserted
for thirty days, twelve months were added to the slavery. In a
word, such was their wretchedness, says one who was an eyewit-
ness to their sufferings, ' that they were often forced to desperate
measures, and to make away with themselves. 1 " The Book of
Bon-Accord, p. 8l!-90. Kennedy's Annals of Aberdeen, vol. i. p.
294-296. Life and Various Vicissitudes of Fortune of Peter Wil-
liamson. Glasgow, 1758. Edinburgh, 178J.
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, pp. 5, 6.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 201
savage nature, but increased his evil powers, for he
considered the terror inspired by his name among
the best means of promoting his success.*
The fruits of rapine enabled him to extend the
range of his depredations, and he at last joined his
forces with those of another notorious brother of the
order, Michael de Basco. With eight ships and
660 men they stormed and plundered the towns of
Gibraltar and Maracaibo ; the former was almost
consumed before a sufficient ransom could be col-
lected ; and the latter was pillaged after terms were
agreed upon. This expedition, in which many
French hunters joined, was the most lucrative that
had yet been undertaken, for besides the plunder
and ransom of the towns, many ships were captured.t
The booty to be divided among the band, at the
island to which they retired for this purpose, amount-
ed to more than 400,000 pieces of eight in money,
pi ate, merchandise, household furniture, and clothes.
The name of L'Olonnois, already so formidable,
now became a word of deeper horror.
After the division of the plunder, the next step
imTTjuccaneering voyage was to repair to some
triendly jsjand, Tortuga or Jamaica, where they
might dispose of their more bulky spoils, and find
" an opportunity for the indulgence of the gross licen-
tiousness injwhich they squandered their gains.j:
These were speedily dissipated in gaming, to which
they were strongly addicted, in the most brutal de-
baucheries, or in those freaks of profligate extrava-
gance which usually characterize uneducated seamen.
" Some of them," says their comrade and historian
* Esquemeliner, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 6,
f Ibid. p. 19-31. J Ibid. pp. 32, 33.
202 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
Esquemeling, " will spend two or three thousand
pieces of eight in one night, not leaving themselves,
perad venture, a good shirt to wear on their backs in
the morning."* He tells of one who placed a pipe
of wine in the streets of Jamaica, and, pointing his
pistols at their breast, forced all who passed to drink
with him. " At other times he would do the same
with barrels of ale and beer ; and very often with
both his hands he would throw these liquors about
the streets, and wet the clothes of such as walked
by, without regarding whether he spoiled their ap-
parel or not, were they men or women."t Of Roche
Braziliano, who, with a milder disposition than
many of his associates, possessed great courage and
capacity in command, the same author remarks,
" howbeit in his domestic and private affairs he had
no good behaviour nor government over himself ;
for in these he would oftentimes show himself either
brutish or foolish. Many times, being in drink, he
would run up and down the streets, beating or
wounding whom he met, no person daring to op-
pose him or make any resistance.":}: Such was the
Buccaneer in his moments of relaxation and enjoy-
ment, and such were the delights which, in a few
weeks, left the companions of L'Olonnois penniless
and eager for a new expedition, in which he, at least,
found a death worthy of his enormous crimes.
The reputation which he had gained by his last
enterprise brought many new adventurers to swell
his armament. Cruising along the coast of Cuba,
he made frequent and sudden descents on Indian
villages or Spanish settlements ; but at length he ex-
* Buccaneers of America, part ii. p. 10(i.
f Ibid. p. 107. Ibid. p. 103.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 203
perienced a reverse, and when he proposed to sail
towards Guatimala many of his principal followers
left him in order to prosecute schemes of their own.
After a train of disasters, he fell into the hands of
certain Indians of the Darien, a fierce and cruel
tribe, who were not unacquainted with the atroci-
ties of the pirates. By them, while he was yet
alive, he was torn limb from limb ; and his body
having been consumed by fire, the ashes were scat-
tered to the winds with " the intent," says his his-
torian, " that no trace nor memory might remain
of such an infamous inhuman creature."* His me-
rited fate was shared by many of his companions.
The character of Montbars is scarcely less degrad-
ing to humanity ; for he appears to have been one of
those unhappy beings with whom cruelty is a pas-
sion and an appetite. Born in Languedoc of a good
family, he is said, from reading in his youth of the
horrible atrocities practised by the Spaniards upon
the Mexicans and Caribs, to have imbibed a hatred
of the whole nation, which possessed him like a
phrensy, and urged him to the commission of worse
cruelties than those which he reprobated.t For ex-
ample, it is related, that while at college, playing in
a dramatic piece the part of a Frenchman who quarrels
with a Spaniard, he assaulted the youth who person-
ated the latter with such fury that he had well nigh
strangled him. His excited imagination, saysRaynal,
was perpetually haunted by the shades of numerous
persons butchered in the colonies, who called upon
him to avenge them upon their murderers. While
on his passage to league himself with the Brethren of
* Esqueraeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 56, 5J.
j- Barney, vol. iv. p. 55.
204 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
the Coast, . the bark in which he sailed captured a
Spanish vessel. No sooner had the crew surrendered,
than Montbars, with his sabre drawn, rushed twice
along the decks, hewing down all who came within
his reach ; and while his comrades were dividing the
booty acquired by his prowess, he gloated over the
mangled limbs of the detested people against whom
he had sworn everlasting hatred. From this and
similar actions he acquired the name of the Exter-
minator.*
At this era the Buccaneers, besides being very
numerous and powerful, had been so successful in
their depredations upon the strongest places, as well
on the main as in the islands, that several settle-
ments were compelled to purchase their forbearance
by contributions similar in principle to the black-
mail formerly levied by banditti in Scotland. This,
however, while it increased their gains, only par-
tially changed the scene of their spoliations j and
hence, their attacks were carried farther into the
interior and extended to a greater distance along
the coasts of the continent.
It was about this time that Mansvelt formed the de-
sign,, before alluded to,t of establishing among them
an independent commonwealth, a project which
was reluctantly abandoned by those of the fraternity
* Burney, vol. iv. p. 55. Raynal, Histoire Philosophique des
deux Indes, liv. x. c. x. Charlevoix represents the character of
M ontbars as not without some favourable points : " Mais on lui
rend cette justice, qu'il n'a jamais tue un homrae desarme, et on
nelui a point reproche, queje sache, ces brigandages ni ces dissolu-
tions qui ont rendu un si grand norabre d'aventuriers abominables
devant Dieu et devant les hommes." The exploits of the Exter-
minator have furnished the subject of a romance by M. Picquenard,
and of a melo-drama produced at one of the pc tits theatres of Paris.
Biographic Universelle, tome xxix. p. 466.
f See above, p. 199.
5
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 205
who were endowed with more foresight or greater
ambition than their associates. The proposed seat of
this anomalous government, which might easily have
been extended on all sides, was the island of Santa
Katalina, now known by the name of Old Provi-
dence;"" and for this place accordingly Mansvelt
sailed in 1664, stormed the fort which the Spaniards
had erected, and garrisoned it with his own men.
But the Governor of Jamaica, who had watched all
these proceedings, considering the marauders more
profitable as customers than desirable as indepen-
dent allies, discountenanced the project of a set-
tlement so far beyond his control. He therefore
strictly prohibited recruiting in furtherance of the
design, and Mansvelt died suddenly before it could
be otherwise effected, t
He was succeeded by the most renowned of the
English Buccaneers, Captain, afterwards Sir Henry
Morgan. This new leader, though not less brave
and daring than his predecessor, was of a more sordid
temper; and his selfishness and cunning were un-
redeemed by any spark of that reckless generosity
which was not unfrequently found in the character
of the freebooters. He was a native of Wales, and
the son of a respectable yeoman. J Early inclination
led him to the sea ; and embarking for Barbadoes, he
soon found himself, by a fate at that time not uncom-
mon in the case of unprotected adventurers, sold to
a hard taskmaster for a term of years. Having
effected his escape or emancipation, he joined the asso-
ciation of pirates, and in a short time acquired such a
* Burney, vol. iv. pp. 56, 5J. "t Ibid. p. 57-
J Esquenieling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. p. UO.
Ibid. p. 61.
206 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
sum of money as enabled him, in concert with a few
comrades, to equip a bark, of which he was chosen the
commander. He made a fortunate cruise in the Bay
of Campeachy ; after which he joined Mansvelt in
the assault on Santa Katalina, and on the death of
that leader succeeded, as has just been noticed, to
the chief authority. But notwithstanding his efforts
to retain the island, as the Governor of Jamaica
still discountenanced the scheme and the merchants
of Virginia declined sending supplies, it once more
fell into the hands of the Spaniards, by whom the
adventurers were compelled to seek a new retreat.
The Cat/os, or islets near the southern coast of Cuba,
had for some time been their usual place of resort.
At these Keys, as they were corruptly termed by
our countrymen, they mustered from all quarters as
often as a joint expedition was contemplated ; and
here they watered, refitted, held their councils, or
waited in security until their fleets were victualled,
whether by spoil or by purchase.*
To this station, the rendezvous appointed by
Morgan, about twelve sail, ships and boats, now
repaired, having on board more than seven hundred
fighting-men, French and English. t A difference
of opinion arose on the disposal of this force ; some
wished to attack Havannah, while others, deeming
that enterprise too formidable for their numbers,
declared for Puerto del Principe, which, accord-
ingly, after a desperate assault, was taken and
plundered.^ The adventurers, as soon as they
became masters of the city, shut up the inhabit-
ants in the churches, that the work of pillage might
* Esqnemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 78, 79.
f Ibid. p. 79. $ Ibid. pp. 82, 83.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 207
be pursued without interruption. Many of these
unfortunate persons died of hunger; others were
put to the torture to compel them to discover con-
cealed treasures, which probably had no existence
except in the rapacious desires and extravagant fan-
cies of the fierce Buccaneers. The wealth obtained
by these means was, however, considerable. Five
hundred bullocks formed part of the ransom, which
the insolent freebooters compelled the Spaniards to
kill and salt for them.* A quarrel which occurred
at this time crippled the strength of Morgan. An
Englishman having seized on some marrow-bones
which one of his French companions had prepared
for his own repast, a duel ensued, in which the
latter was unfairly or treacherously stabbed. His
countrymen embraced his cause, and although the
captain caused the murderer to be executed at Ja-
maica^ yet when the pillage of Puerto del Prin-
cipe was divided, his foreign allies, indignant at the
late crime, and dissatisfied with their share of the
booty, withdrew from the adventure.^:
The enterprises of Morgan, who was at once
ambitious and greedy, display capacity, coolness,
and daring ; and his next attempt combined all
these qualities in a remarkable degree. With nine
vessels, and four hundred and sixty men, he re-
solved to assault Porto Bello, though he did not
venture at first to disclose so bold a design. When
it was at length necessary to reveal it, he replied to
those who objected that their forces were inadequate
to the attack, " That though their numbers were
small, their hearts were great ; and the fewer they
* Esquenieling, Buccaneers of America, part. ii. p. 8f.
t Ibid. p. 87. Ibid. p. fflL
208 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
were the more union and better shares they should
have in the spoil." His arguments prevailed ; and
this strongly-fortified city was carried by a handful
of resolute assailants, who refrained from no cruelty
necessary to the accomplishment of their object. The
first fort or castle was blown up ; fire being delibe-
rately set to the magazine, after many miserable
prisoners, whose mangled limbs soon darkened the
air, had been huddled into one room. Resistance
was nevertheless maintained by the Spaniards ; and
the besiegers were the more exasperated, because it
was into those strengths which still held out that the
wealthy inhabitants had retired with their treasure.
One strong redoubt it was necessary to carry with-
out delay ; and scaling-ladders having been con-
structed, Morgan compelled his captives to fix them
to the walls. Many of those employed in this office
were monks and nuns, dragged from their sanctu-
aries, it being imagined that their countrymen
would spare them ; while, under the protection thus
secured, his men, he hoped, would be able to ad-
vance without being exposed to the fire of the castle.*
In these trying circumstances, regarding neither
the claims of birth nor of sacred character, the
Spanish governor consulted only his official duty ;
and while the unhappy individuals implored his
mercy, he continued to pour vollies of shot upon all
who approached the walls, declaring, in reply to
their entreaties, that he would never surrender
alive.t Many of the friars and nuns were killed
before the scaling-ladders could be fixed; but that
being accomplished, the Buccaneers, carrying fire-
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. p. 90-98.
f IbH. p. 97.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 209
balls and pots filled with gunpowder, boldly mount-
ed the walls, hurled their combustibles into the
place, and speedily effected an entrance. Quarter
was asked by the inhabitants and garrison, except
the governor, who fell fighting, in presence of his
wife and daughter, choosing rather, as he expressed
it, to die like a brave soldier than to be hanged
like a coward. The next act in this horrible drama
quickly followed, pillage, cruelty, and license.
And such was the course of riot and debauchery to
which they abandoned themselves, that fifty reso-
lute men might have regained the town ; but the
panic-struck Spaniards were unable to form any
rational plan of action, or even to muster a force.*
During fifteen days of brutal revelry, interrupted only
to torture individuals for the concealment of trea-
sures which they did not possess, many of the pirates
died from the effects of their excesses, and at length
Morgan deemed it expedient to withdraw them.
Tidings of these proceedings had by this time reach-
ed the chief magistrate of Panama ; who, though far
distant from the miserable inhabitants of Porto
Bello, was shortly expected to come to their aid. The
leader of the freebooters, therefore, carried off some
of the guns, spiked the rest, and having fully sup-
plied his ships with every necessary store, insolently
demanded an exorbitant ransom for his prisoners,
as well as for the preservation of the poor remains of
the plundered city. These terms he sent also to the
Governor of Panama, who had attempted to approach
the place, but being intercepted by the adventurers
in a narrow pass, was compelled to retreat. The
inhabitants collected among themselves a hundred
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part. ii. pp. 98, 99.
210 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
thousand pieces of eight, which Morgan having gra-
ciously accepted, retired to his ships, and prepared
to depart from the coast.*
The astonishment of the Governor of Panama that
so small a body of men should carry the town and
forts, and hold them so long, induced him, it is said,
to send a message to the Buccaneer leader, request-
ing a specimen of the arms which he used. The
latter received the envoy with civility, gave him a
pistol and a few bullets, which he desired his master
to accept as a slender pattern of the weapons where-
with he had taken the fortified city, and to keep them
for a twelvemonth, when he would come to Pana-
ma and receive them again. The governor returned
the loan accompanied with a gold ring, requesting
that the Englishman would spare himself the trou-
ble of so long a journey, and certifying him that he
should not fare so well as at Porto Bello.t
When the spoils were divided at the Keys of
Cuba, it was found that the booty amounted to
250,000 pieces of eight, besides goods of all kinds,
including silks, linen, cloth, and many things which
would meet a ready market in Jamaica: And for that
island accordingly the pirates next sailed, to fit them-
selves for a fresh expedition by the prodigal expendi-
ture of these fruits of their many toils and crimes.;):
This brilliant exploit, in which a few men, with
no other arms than pistols and sabres, had taken a
strong city, greatly increased the reputation of Mor-
gan ; and his invitation to the Brethren of the Coast
to meet him at the Isla de la Vaca, or Cow Island,
to prepare for another cruise, was so eagerly ac-
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 100, 101.
f Ibid. p. 102. J Ibid. p. 103.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 211
cepted that he found himself at the head of a con-
siderable force."" A large French vessel, which re-
fused to join the expedition, he resolved to obtain
by fraud; and having asked the commander and
several of his ablest officers to dine with him, under
some frivolous pretext he made them prisoners.
But from this act of treachery he did not reap much
advantage. While the men whom he had placed on
board were engaged in a carouse, the ship suddenly
blew up, and the prisoners, with three hundred
and fifty of his own followers perished together ;t
a calamity which was attributed to the revengeful
spirit of the Frenchmen who were confined in the
hold. The sordid character of the Buccaneer was
never more strongly displayed than by an expedient
which he adopted in consequence of this mischance.
When eight days had elapsed, he caused the dead
bodies to be fished up, and having stripped them of
clothes, linen, and such valuables as were found on
them, he ordered them to be again cast into the sea
to feed the sharks.^
Of the fleet of fifteen ships, which he now pos-
sessed, he was indebted for some to the selfish kindness
of the Governor of Jamaica, who is supposed to have
encouraged such adventures. His crews amounted
to nearly 1000 fighting-men ; several of his vessels
were armed, and his own carried fourteen guns.
With this force, which, however, discontent dimi-
nished by one- half before the voyage was com-
pleted, he shaped his course for Gibraltar and
Maracaibo. These devoted cities, formerly visited
by L'Olonnois, were now once more taken and
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. p. 104.
f Ibid. p. 10/. Ibid. p. 108. Ibid. p. 109.
212 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
plundered. At the former place the cruelties of the
English buccaneer exceeded, if such were possible,
the enormities of the French pirate ; but it would be
painful and revolting to dwell upon the dismal re-
cord of his atrocities.*
So much time had been consumed at Gibraltar,
that when he was about to leave it he found himself
entangled in a snare, to escape from which required
all his talent and presence of mind. Coolness and
readiness were, however, the familiar qualities of
men whose lives were such a succession of perils and
escapes that their natural element was danger ; and
they never were more admirably displayed than on
this occasion.
The interval spent by his people in pillage
and debauchery had been improved by the Spa-
niards in repairing the fort which protected the pas-
sage of the Lake of Maracaibo, and in stationing
three men of war at the entrance, from whose vi-
gilance it was conceived impossible the pirates could
escape. Of these vessels, one carried twenty-four,
another thirty, and the third forty guns.t In this
embarrassing situation, Morgan, with that spontane-
ous audacity which was often the chief instrument
of his success, sent an envoy to the Spanish admiral,
demanding a ransom as the only condition on which
the city could be preserved. To this insolent message
the other answered, that though the Buccaneers had
taken the castle from a garrison of cowards, it was
now in a good state of defence ; and that not only
would he dispute their egress from the lagoon, but
would pursue them whithersoever they sailed. If,
* Esquemeling-, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 115, 116.
f Ibid. p. 129.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 213
however, they chose to give up the prisoners and the
treasure which they had taken, he would permit
them to pass forth unmolested.* This reply, ac-
cording to their custom, was submitted to a full
council of the freebooters, and at this assembly it
was that one of their number suggested the strata-
gem by which they destroyed the men-of-war. One
of their barks, prepared as a fire-ship, was artfully
disguised under the appearance of being ready for
action. On the decks were placed rows of logs,
dressed in clothes, hats, and Montero caps, and armed
with swords and muskets. The plate, jewels, female
captives, and whatever was of most value, were
then removed to their large boats, each of which
carried twelve armed men. An oath was exacted
from every individual that he would resist to the
last, and refuse all quarter, while ample rewards
were promised for valour and firmness.t On the
30th April 1 669 the fleet sailed, the fire-ship taking
the lead, followed by the boats ; and about dusk they
approached the Spaniards, moored in the middle
of the lagoon. The Buccaneers also anchored, re-
solving here to await the result of their stratagem.
No attack was made by them that night ; they lay
quiet till dawn, when they weighed, and steered
directly towards the enemy, who advanced to meet
them.J The fire-ship, still keeping ahead, soon
came up, and grappled with the largest of their
vessels. The deception was now discovered, but
too late, for the Spaniard had caught fire in tackling
and timbers, and the forepart of her hull soon went
down. The second ran under the guns of the castle,
* Esquemelin-, Buccaneers of America, part ii pp 131, 132.
f Ibid. pp. 133, 134 ; 135. J ibid. pp. 135, 136.
214 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
but was sunk by her own company, that she might
not fall into the hands of the pirates; and the third was
captured. The crew of the burning ship endeavoured
to escape to the shore, but perished in the sea> re-
fusing to accept quarter. The victors, who instantly
gave chase, landed with the resolution of attempting
the castle ; but as their arms were insufficient for the
assault of a place so well fortified, they desisted
from the enterprise, and returned to their ships,
with a loss of thirty men killed and an equal num-
ber wounded.*
Though the Spanish vessels were destroyed the
freebooters had still to pass the fortress, in complet-
ing the defences of which the garrison had laboured
all night. Morgan again had recourse to stratagem.
All day long he affected to send boats filled with
men to a point of the shore which was concealed
by trees from view of the rampart ; but they imme-
diately returned, lying flat in the bottom, so that the
rowers only were visible, and mounted the ship at
the side which was hidden from the enemy. This
manoeuvre seduced them into the belief that an at-
tack was meditated upon the castle from the land ;t
and their conjecture became the more probable,
when the freebooter, who had hoisted his flag in
the captured vessel, again sent to demand a ransom
for Maracaibo as the condition of his departure. To
meet the threatened assault, therefore, the guns of
the fort were removed from the former position,
which commanded the lagoon, and pointed along
shore. J No sooner was this arrangement completed
than the Buccaneer raised his anchors by moonlight,
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 137, 138.
f Ibid. p. 14 + Ibid.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 215
and, assisted by the ebb-tide and a favourable wind,
swept past the castle; the mortified Spaniards in
vain endeavouring to bring their pieces to bear upon
him. When beyond danger he gave them a parting
salute from his great guns, so lately their own, and
bore away for Jamaica. His exultation in his good
fortune was enhanced by the tidings which he re-
ceived of the ill-success of those who forsook him in
the early part of the cruise.* " The accounts being
cast up," says Esquemeling, <c they found to the
value of 250,000 pieces of eight in money and jewels,
besides the huge quantity of merchandise and slaves,
all which purchase was divided unto every ship or
boat, according to their share."t
These riches were speedily squandered by the
dissolute crews in the taverns of Port Royal ; and
they then concerted another expedition, which should
surpass all former achievements of the Sea-rovers.
Nor was there time for delay in its execution, for a
pending treaty between Great Britain and Spain
threatened to put an end to what their admiring
countrymen called the " unparalleled exploits of the
Buccaneers/'^ Letters were therefore despatched
by the commander to every freebooter of note, the
south side of Tortuga being named as the rendez-
vous; and early in October 1670 he found himself
surrounded by adventurers, English, French, and
Dutch, who, from land and sea, the plantation and
the wilderness, flocked to his standard. The first
object, that of victualling the ships, was accomplished
by the pillage of hog-yards and maize-plantations,
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part ii. pp. 149, J51.
f Ibid. p. 147. Burney, vol. iy. pp. ftt, 4.
Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 2, 3.
216
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
as well as by copious supplies of boucan procured
in the way of trade.'* Thus fully provisioned, the
squadron, consisting of thirty-seven vessels, with
more than 2000 fighting-men, sailed for Cape Tibu-
ron, on the western coast of Hayti. At a general
council, three places of attack were deliberated upon,
Vera Cruz, Carthagena, and Panama. The last,
though the most difficult, was chosen, recommended
as it was by the extravagant rumours circulated in
Europe and the West Indies of its amazing wealth,
and of the great riches of Peru.t
Morgan had never abandoned the design ori-
ginated by Mansvelt, of establishing a Buccaneer
settlement on Old Providence; and this island was
accordingly captured on the voyage after a show of
resistance which could scarcely be called serious.
From this point the leader of the pirates detached
400 men to attack the castle of Chagre, the posses-
sion of which he deemed necessary to the success of
his intended operations against Panama ; and it was
eventually carried chiefly owing to the destruction
of part of the defences by the fortuitous explosion of
a magazine. :f While the besieged were occupied in
checking the progress of the conflagration caused by
this accident, the assailants laboured to increase
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 4, 7
+ Ibid pp. 7, 8, 10.
J The manner in which the fire was imagined to be communicated
is singular. A Buccaneer pierced by an arrow drew it from his body,
wound a little cotton round it, and shot it from his musket against
the castle. The cotton kindled by the powder set fire to the palm-
leaf roofs of some sheds within the fort, and the flame caught some
gunpowder, which produced the breach in the walls. At the same
instant the besiegers set fire to the palisadoes ; and the Span-
iards, though unwavering in courage and undaunted in resolution,
were distracted by the pressure of so many dangers Esquemeling,
Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 24.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 217
their confusion by setting fire to the palisadoes in
several places. At last they effected an entrance in
defiance of liquid combustibles which the enemy
poured down among them, and thereby considerably
thinned their numbers. But the resistance was still
continued; and throughout the night the pirates
directed an incessant fire towards the breaches, which
the garrison resolutely defended.*
About noon, the next day, they carried a passage
which was maintained by the governor in person at
the head of twenty-five men, who fought with des-
perate valour. Nothing could now withstand their
impetuosity ; they forced their way through the most
formidable obstacles, and many of the unfortunate
Spaniards who survived, choosing rather to die than
to submit to these infuriated ruffians, threw them-
selves into the sea. The commandant retired into
the corps du garde, before which he planted two
pieces of cannon, and bravely maintained the hope-
less and unequal conflict till he fell by a musket-
shot, which pierced his brain. Of a garrison of 314
men only thirty remained alive, and of these twenty
were wounded : not a single officer escaped.t
From the survivors the pirates learned that the
Governor of Panama was apprized of their design
against that place ; that ambuscades were laid all
along the course of the Chagre; and that a force
of 3600 men awaited their arrival. J But these
tidings did not deter Morgan ; on the contrary he
instantly proceeded to Chagre, carrying with him
all the provisions that could be obtained in Santa
Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. ?.*, 2(J.
Ibid. pp. 26, 27. Ibid. pp. 28, 21).
218 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
Katalina, to which island he intended to return after
the capture of Panama.*
The standard of England floating over the walls
of the castle was a sight of joy to the main body of
his followers ; and he himself was admitted within
the fort with all the honours due to a triumphant
general. Before his arrival, the wounded, the wi-
dows of the soldiers killed in the siege, and the
other women of the place, had been shut up in the
church, where they were subjected to the most cruel
treatment. Though wholly indifferent to their suf-
ferings, he lost no time in releasing the prisoners,
and setting them to work in repairing the defences
and forming new palisadoes. At the same time he
seized all the craft in the river, many of which car-
ried from two to four small pieces.t
When these arrangements were concluded, Mor-
gan, leaving 500 men in the castle of Chagre and
150 in the ships, on the 18th January 1671, com-
menced his march towards Panama, at the head of
1 200 resolute warriors.^ His artillery was conveyed
in five large boats, and part of his forces were trans-
ported in thirty-two canoes. In his eager anxiety
to advance he fell into a great error ; for, relying on
the usual resource of plunder, he carried with him
so small a store of provisions that even on the first
day the supply failed. On the second the adven-
turers were compelled for a time to quit their canoes ;
the lowness of the river rendering this mode of
travelling tedious and nearly impracticable. Hence
their progress, by land and water alternately, was
attended with great suffering, the extremity of famine
* F.squemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 21).
t Ibid. p. 30. Ibid. p. 31. Ibid. p. 32-34.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 219
entering into the number of their hardships ; and
their best hopes were now placed in encountering one
of the threatened ambuscades, where they might at
least find a temporary supply of food. Such indeed
was the degree of hunger which they sustained, that
they made a delicious meal on the leathern bags
found at a deserted station. Nor was this sorry
substitute for meat divided without quarrels; and
some, it is said, openly regretted that no Spaniards
were met with to satisfy their ravening appetites.*
Throughout the whole track to Panama, care had
been taken to leave not the smallest quantity of
provisions ; and there is no doubt that any soldiers
other than the Buccaneers, whose powers of endur-
ance were become almost superhuman, must have
perished long before a distant view was obtained of
the city. At night-fall, when they reached their
halting-place, " happy was he that had reserved
since noon any small piece of leather whereof to
make his supper, drinking after it a good draught
of water for his greatest comfort."t The manner
in which they prepared this tough meal is not un-
worthy of notice. The skins were first sliced, then
alternately dipped in water and beaten between two
stones; lastly, the hair was scraped off, and the
morsel having been broiled, and cut into small bits,
was chewed, with frequent mouthfuls of water to
moisten the repast. J
On the fifth day, at another deserted ambuscade,
a little maize was found, together with some wheat,
wine, and plantains. Scanty as this supply was, it
proved very seasonable to those who were drooping
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 4.
f Ibid. p. 55. Ibid.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
from want, among whom it was thriftily dealt out.
Next day a barn full of similar grain was discovered,
and beating down the doors the famished adventurers
rushed in and devoured it without any preparation.
No hardships could turn them aside from their object,
though symptoms of discontent began to appear
in their ranks.* As they approached a village called
Cruz, they perceived from a distance a great smoke,
and joyfully promised themselves rest and refresh-
ments; but on reaching the place they found it
altogether deserted, and that every house was either
burnt down or in flames, so determined were the
colonists to oppose their march. The dogs and cats,
the only living creatures which remained, were
greedily devoured. t Morgan had some difficulty
in preserving discipline among his followers, and
in preventing them, when straggling in search of
food, from falling into the hands of the Spaniards
or Indians. In this way, however, he lost but one
man.J
He was now within twenty-four miles of Pa-
nama; and the nearer he approached, the more
vigilant was he against an attack from the threat-
ened ambuscades of the enemy, who, he conjec-
tured, might have retired in order to draw toge-
ther their forces. On the eighth day, his people
were surprised by a shower of arrows suddenly
poured upon them from some unseen quarter ; but
advancing into the woods, they encountered a party
of Indians, many of whom were slain, after a brave
resistance. Eight of his men were killed in this
skirmish, and ten wounded. On this occasion, they
* Esquemeling-, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 36, 37-
t Ibid. p. 40. $ Ibid. p. 41.
6
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 221
endeavoured to make some prisoners for the purpose
of procuring intelligence ; but the natives escaped by
speed of foot.*
The hours which succeeded were marked by an
extremity of suffering which none but Buccaneers
or Indians could have sustained. At length, on the
morning of the ninth day, from the peak of a
high mountain, the South Sea was descried by
them with ships and boats sailing on its majestic
bosom ; while herds of cattle, horses, and asses,
feeding in the valley beneath them, formed a sight
not less welcome to their eyes. They instantly
rushed down, and, cutting up the animals, devoured
their flesh half-raw, " more resembling cannibals
than Europeans at this banquet, the blood many
times running down from their beards unto the
middle of their bodies."t This savage meal being
ended the journey was resumed, Morgan still fruit-
lessly endeavouring to gain information; for during
his whole march he had not obtained speech either of
Spaniard or of native.
In the same evening one of the steeples of Pana-
ma was beheld at a distance ; and, forgetting at this
sight all the toils and privations which they had
endured, they surrendered themselves to the most
joyful raptures ; they tossed their caps into the air,
they leaped, they shouted, they beat their drums
and sounded their trumpets, as if their victory were
already consummated. J Encamping near the city,
they resolved to make the assault early next morn-
ing. The same night, a party of fifty horsemen,
apparently sent out to reconnoitre, advanced within
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 42. 43.
t Ibid. pp. 45, 46. $ lUd. p. 56.
222 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
musket-shot of the invaders, and having scornfully
challenged them to come on, retired, with the ex-
ception of six or eight, who remained to watch their
motions. Upon this the great guns of the town
began to play on the camp, but they were too dis-
tant or ill directed to do any harm ; and the ad-
venturers, having placed sentinels around their en-
trenchments, made another voracious meal, threw
themselves upon the grass, and slept soundly till
the dawn.*
They were astir betimes, and their ranks being
mustered and arrayed, with drums and trumpets
sounding they marched towards the city. Quitting
the frequented route, which the Spaniards were pre-
pared to defend, on the advice of an Indian guide
they struck through a wood, by a tangled" and diffi-
cult path, where, however, no immediate obstruction
was to be apprehended ; and before the enemy could
counteract this unexpected movement they had ad-
vanced some way.f The Governor of Panama, who
led the forces, had under his command 400 cavalry
and four regiments of infantry; and his Indian auxi-
liaries conducted a numerous herd of wild bulls,
which they intended to drive among the ranks of the
freebooters, and thereby to throw them into dis-
order. This device was viewed with indifference by
the hunters of Cuba and Hayti ; though they re-
garded with some apprehension the formidable line
of troops drawn up to oppose them.J But as it was
too late to retreat, they divided themselves into three
detachments; and placing two hundred dexterous
marksmen in the van, they began to quit their po-
* Esquemeliner, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 47, 48.
f Ibid. pp. 48, 49. $ Ibid. p. 49.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 223
sition, which was on the top of a little eminence,
whence the opposing army, the city, and the cham-
paign country around, were distinctly seen. As they
moved downward, the Spanish cavalry, shouting
Viva el Rey, immediately advanced to meet them ;
but the nature of the ground, which was soft and
marshy, greatly obstructed the manreuvres of these
horsemen. The foremost ranks of the Buccaneers
knelt down and received them with a volley of
musketry ; upon which the conflict became close
and bloody. Throwing themselves between the horse
and foot, they succeeded in separating them from
each other ; and the wild cattle, frightened by the
tumult and the noise of the guns, galloped off, or
were shot before they could effect any mischief.*
At length, after a contest of two hours, the ca-
valry began to give way; many were slain, and
the rest speedily took to flight, a movement which
was no sooner observed by the foot-soldiers, than
they threw down their arms, and joined in the
rout. Some of them sought refuge in the adjoin-
ing thickets ; and though the victors did not con-
tinue the pursuit, they killed without mercy all
who fell into their hands.t Nor were even the reli-
gious orders spared, for several priests and friars
taken prisoners were pistolled by the orders of Mor-
gan. From a Spanish officer who was made captive
the pirates received accurate intelligence as to the
amount of the enemy's force and plan of defence ;
but although they were thus enabled to approach
the town from the safest point, the advance was
attended with no small difficulty.:):
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 50.
f Ibid. p. 51. % Ibid. pp. 51, 52.
224 THB BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
After the success which crowned their first effort,
the freebooters rested a little space ; and during
this pause they pledged themselves, by solemn oaths
One to another, that they would never yield while
a single man remained alive. Then, carrying their
prisoners along with them, they moved towards the
great guns planted in the streets. In this renewed
assault they suffered severely before they could
come to close quarters, in which they ever main-
tained a decided superiority ; but, notwithstand-
ing, they resolutely advanced under an incessant
fire, and after a desperate conflict of three hours
carried the town at all points.*
In the storm they neither gave nor accepted quar-
ter, and the carnage on both sides was very great.
Six hundred Spaniards were slain ; and the number
of their assailants who perished was not much less.
The city was no sooner gained than Morgan, dread-
ing the vindictive spirit of the inhabitants, pru-
dently prohibited his followers from tasting wine ;
and, with the view of enforcing this order, he assured
them he had received private intelligence that all
the liquor was poisoned.t Though this device failed
to secure rigid abstinence, it restrained them at least
till indulgence became less perilous.
Scarcely was possession taken and guards placed,
than fires broke out simultaneously in different
quarters. These were attributed by the Spaniards to
the pirates, and by them to the inhabitants ; though
both assisted in endeavouring to extinguish the con-
flagration, which raged with great fury. The build-
ings being constructed of cedar, were consumed in a
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 52.
f Ibid. p. 53.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 225
Very short time; but the people had previously
removed or concealed the most valuable part of
their goods and furniture.*
The city of Panama contained about 7000 houses,
of which many were large and magnificent. It pos-
sessed also eight monasteries, with two fine churches,
all richly furnished; and the concealment of the
plate belonging to these sacred edifices drew upon
the ecclesiastics the peculiar vengeance of the con-
querors. t The conflagration which they could not
arrest they seemed at last to take a savage delight
in spreading ; and hence a slave- factory belonging to
some Genoese was burnt to the ground, together with
several warehouses full of meal. Many of the miser-
able Africans, whom these Italians had brought for
sale to Peru, perished in the flames, which raged or
smouldered nearly four weeks.J
Dreading that they might be surprised and over-
powered by the Spaniards, who were still ten times
more numerous, they remained for some time in
their encampment without the town. Their force
had also been weakened by the absence of 150 men,
who were despatched to Chagre with news of the
victory. Yet by this handful of men were the
frightened inhabitants held in subjection, while
the infuriated pirates raged like maniacs through
the burning houses, or prowled among the ruins
in search of gold and precious stones. In a short
time they discovered the greater part of the property
which had been concealed in deep wells and cisterns ;
whereupon the most active of their body were sent
to the woods and heights to bring back the miserable
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 54, 55.
t Ibid. p. 55-57. Ibid. p. 5ti. Ibid.
226 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
people, who had fled from the city with their effects.
In two days the party returned with about two hun-
dred unhappy fugitives, among whom were many
females, who experienced a fate as merciless as their
wildest fears had led them to anticipate.*
While plundering the land Morgan did not neglect
the sea. Many of the principal inhabitants had fled
by water; and a boat being immediately despatch-
ed in pursuit of them, soon brought in three prizes.
A galleon, in which were embarked all the plate
and jewels belonging to the Spanish monarch, and
the wealth of the only nunnery in the town, escaped
through the negligence of the pirates, who indulged
in their usual revelling till the ship was beyond their
reach. The fruitless chase was continued four days,
when, however, they returned to Panama with another
prize, in which, besides a great quantity of valuable
merchandise, were found 20,000 pieces of eight in
ready money. t In the mean time the companies
left at Chagre continued their depredations on the
opposite coast of the isthmus, where they captured
a large vessel, the crew of which, ignorant of late
events, had sought protection under the guns of the
castle. J
While the rovers were thus employed on the
ocean, parties from Panama continued to infest the
neighbouring territory, foraying for booty or search-
* The Spanish colonists of South America had a twofold reason
for detesting the Buccaneers. They were English heretics as well
as lawless miscreants, capahle of the foulest crimes ; and it is not
easy to say, whether in the idea of the indolent, uninstructed, and
superstitious inhabitants of Panama, Porto Bello, and Carthagena,
they were not as hateful and alarming in the former as in the latter
character.
H- Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 60.
Ibid. p. 61.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 227
ing for prisoners, on whom they exercised the most
atrocious cruelties, sparing neither age, sex, nor con-
dition.* Religious persons were the objects of their
most refined barbarity, as they were believed to have
counselled the other inhabitants, both in their first
resistance and in the subsequent concealment of their
property. During the perpetration of these outrages,
Morgan became enamoured of one of his prisoners,
a Spanish lady of great charms, and the wife of one
of the principal merchants. She rejected his in-
famous addresses with a firm and heroic spirit; on
which account the ruffian commander treated her
with a severity that disgusted even those of his
own gang who had not thrown aside every feeling
of manhood. In order to palliate his brutal con-
duct, he accused his beautiful captive of treachery,
in corresponding with her countrymen, and of
endeavouring to effect her escape.t
Meanwhile a party of his followers, without con-
sulting him, resolved to seize one of the vessels in
the port, in which they were to cruise upon the South
Sea till they should be satiated with spoil, when
they designed to establish themselves on some island,
or to return to Europe by the East Indies. But he
could spare neither equipments nor men for this pro-
ject ; and having received private information of it, he
immediately ordered the mainmast of the ship to be
cut down and burnt, together with every other bark
in the harbour. J The arms, ammunition, and stores,
which had been secretly collected for this bold en-
terprise, were forthwith applied to other purposes.
When at length, after a sojourn of four weeks,
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 62, 63.
f Ibid. pp. 67, 68. J Ibid. PP . 69, 70.
228 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
the work of pillage was completed, Morgan prepared
to take his departure from Panama. Beasts of bur-
den, for the conveyance of his plunder, were brought
from every quarter; all the cannon were spiked,
and scouts were sent out to learn what measures had
been taken to obstruct his return to Chagre. It
was found that the Spaniards were so utterly dis-
heartened, that they had not made any preparation
either to annoy or cut off his retreat ; and on the
24th February the Buccaneers left the ruins of Pa-
nama with 175 mules laden with riches, and car-
rying with them more than 600 prisoners, including
women, children, and slaves.* The misery of the
wretched captives, thus dragged in the train of the
lawless pirates, surpasses description. It was their
belief that they would be carried to Jamaica, Eng-
land, or to some wild and distant country, to be
sold for slaves ; and with a cruel cunning the fierce
seaman heightened these fears, that he might the
more readily extort the ransom which he demanded
for their freedom. It was in vain that the women,
throwing themselves at his feet, supplicated per-
mission to remain amidst the ruins of their former
homes, or to seek shelter in the woods with their
husbands and children. His only answer was, " that
he came not thither to listen to lamentations and
cries, but to get money, which unless he obtained,
he would assuredly transport them all unto such
places, whither they cared not to go."t Three days
were granted to them for considering the conditions
of the ransom ; and some were so fortunate as to be
Esquemeline:, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 70, 71-
f Ibid. p. 71.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 229
able to redeem themselves, while others were rescued
by contributions made by their neighbours. With the
remaining captives the pirates pursued their march
onward, making new prisoners and gathering fresh
spoils on their route.
The conduct of Morgan at this period may serve
to refute many extravagant notions entertained as
to the high honour of the freebooters in their trans-
actions with one another. Having halted at a con-
venient place, in the midst of the wilderness, about
half-way to Chagre, he assembled his followers, and
exacted their consent to a proposal, not only that all
plunder should be surrendered to the common stock,
but also that each man should be searched. He him-
self was the first to submit to this degrading scrutiny,
though it was suspected that his motive for enforcing
the ordeal was a desire to conceal his fraudulent
dealing with his associates. The French who ac-
companied the expedition were indignant at treat-
ment so much at variance with the usages of the
Gentlemen Rovers ; but they were the weaker party,
and resistance would have been vain.*
The remainder of the journey was performed by
water. When they arrived at Chagre, the com-
mander, not knowing how to dispose of his unre-
deemed prisoners, despatched them by sea to Porto
Bello, making them bear to the governor of that city
a demand for money, in name of ransom for the
castle of Chagre. To this message the other replied,
that he might make of the fortress what he pleased,
for not a ducat should be given to procure its safety
or surrender.t
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. pp. 74, 75.
f Ibid. p. 75.
230 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
As there was no immediate hope of farther
plunder in this quarter, nothing remained but to
divide the spoils already acquired. The shares fell
so far short of the expectations of the crews, that
they broke out into loud murmurs, and even ac-
cused their chief of secreting the richest of the jewels
for his own use. Two hundred pieces of eight as-
signed by him to each man was considered a very
trifling proportion of the plunder of so wealthy a
city, and a miserable recompense for the toils and
dangers undergone in assaulting it. The discontent
at last assumed so serious an aspect, that Morgan,
who well knew the temper of his fraternity, deemed
it advisable to depart in secret. He immediately
caused the walls of Chagre to be destroyed, con-
veyed the guns on board his own ship, and, followed
by one or two vessels which were commanded by
persons in his confidence, sailed for Jamaica, leaving
his enraged associates destitute of every necessary.
Those who accompanied him were Englishmen, who,
as the French firmly believed, connived at his frauds
and shared in his gains. They would instantly have
pursued him to sea, and the Spaniards might have
seen the Buccaneers divided and fighting one against
another, had the force of the deserted party not been
so small as to render an encounter with the other
altogether hopeless. Here the former separated to
seek their fortunes in different quarters, none of them
much enriched by the misery and devastation they
had inflicted on Panama.*
On his arrival at Jamaica, laden with plunder
and elated by his recent success, Morgan endeavour-
ed once more to levy forces for the establishment of
* Esquemeling, Buccaneers of America, part iii. p. 76.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 231
the independent state which he was still desirous to
found at Santa Katalina, and of which, as he was
already generalissimo of the Buccaneers, he himself
might hope to be the prince. But circumstances
were still unfavourable to this project. Lord John
Vaughan, the newly-appointed governor of Jamaica,
had received orders for the strict enforcement of the
treaty concluded with Spain in the previous year.
He was directed also to proclaim pardon and to
offer a grant of lands to such of the pirates as might
choose to cultivate them in quiet; while depre-
dations on the settlements of that nation were at
the same time forbidden under severe penalties.
But no edict, however rigorous, could at once tame
down the adventurous seaman into apeaceful planter,
or confine to thirty-five acres of ground him who had
for years freely roamed over sea and land, reaping
his harvest with the sword wherever men of greater
industry had sown it. Rather than sink into the
tranquil life of the agriculturist many of the Eng-
lish freebooters chose to join the Flibustiers at Tor-
tuga, or to become logwood-cutters in the Bay of
Campeachy. In the course of the next year a war
broke out between Great Britain and Holland, which
enabled some of them to resume their former calling ;
and both classes of rovers cruised for a short time
against the Dutch, with as much zeal as they were
wont to pursue their old enemies the Spaniards.*
Before quitting this part of the subject, it may not
be improper to notice the termination of Morgan's
career. In the period which elapsed between the
plunder of Panama and the year 1680, by ad-
dress and interest, or, more probably, by means of
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. pp. 70, 72, 73.
232 THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA.
his ill-gotten wealth, he obtained from Charles II.
the honour of knighthood, and was afterwards ap-
pointed Deputy-governor of Jamaica. Though it
was believed that he still secretly shared in the
plunder acquired by the pirates, he treated many
of his old comrades with great severity. Under
his administration several were hanged, and others
were delivered up to the authorities at Cartha-
gena, as was reported, for the price of blood, a sus-
picion which his selfish character renders not im-
probable.* But the strictness with which he exer-
cised justice on his old friends and countrymen could
not induce the Spaniards to place confidence in him ;
they suspected him of secretly favouring the Buc-
caneers, whose numbers had again increased ; and
after the accession of James II. they succeeded in
having him removed from his office and committed to
prison in England, where he lay several years.t
The same unwise restrictions and troublesome
interference which encouraged the system of bucca-
neering in its commencement, now fostered it once
more. France took an active part in this mistaken
policy. The regulations adopted by its government
for the management of the West India trade, and
the partial and oppressive administration of colonial
affairs, more than any other circumstance tended
to recruit the ranks of the freebooters ; for men dis-
turbed in their peaceful industry by vexatious pro-
hibitions and monopolies readily placed themselves
beyond the law, which they regarded more as an
annoyance than a protection.
In 1683 the adventurers, led by three noted chiefs,
* Burney, Chron. Hist Discov. vol. iv. p. 126. f Ibid.
THE BUCCANEERS OF AMERICA. 233
Van Horn, Granmont, and Laurent de Graaf, took
by stratagem the city of Vera Cruz in the Gulf of
Mexico. This was considered the most brilliant ex-
ploit that had yet been achieved by the Flibustiers.
Their fleet consisted of twelve ships, having on board
more than 1000 men, among whom were many
English, though none of them held a high command.
They had received information that two Spanish
vessels of great tonnage were expected at Vera Cruz
from the Caraccas. In consequence of these tidings
a number of the most daring embarked in two of
their largest ships ; on coming in sight of the city
they hoisted Spanish colours, and, with all their
canvass set, steered directly for the port, as if
chased by the other vessels of their own fleet,
which in the mean while appeared at a distance
crowding all sail after them. The inhabitants,
believing that the foremost ships were those the
arrival of which they had expected, allowed them to
anchor within the harbour ; and in the middle of
the night the freebooters having surprised the fort, in
a short time made themselves masters of the town.
The people were shut up in the churches, at the
doors of which barrels of gunpowder were placed,
with sentinels beside them, holding lighted matches
ready to produce an explosion on the slightest symp-
tom of revolt. The city was thus pillaged without
molestation from the inhabitants; and the famished
prisoners were afterwards glad to purchase their
freedom on any terms which their conquerors chose
to dictate. Ten millions of livres were demanded,
but when the half of that sum had been paid, the
sudden appearance of a body of troops, and of a fleet
of seventeen sail, caused the invaders to make a
7
234 THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA.
precipitate retreat. Carrying with them 1500
slaves, and laden with booty, they boldly sailed
through the hostile squadron, which did not ven-
ture to fire a single gun. They might even have
attacked the Spaniards, had they not been more
anxious to preserve their plunder than desirous of
a barren victory over ships carrying no cargoes.*
Fortunately for the freedom and repose of the
Spanish colonists, no Buccaneer corps could long
act in harmony. Their lawless confederations were
dissolved as rapidly as they were formed; and
those between the French and English seldom en-
dured to the conclusion of an expedition. On
the present occasion they, speedily separated in
anger ; the former, on pretext of a quarrel which
they had artfully fomented, withholding the due
share of pillage from their allies. The more recent
cruises of these robbers indeed were seldom distin-
guished by the honour and fidelity which are said to
have marked their first exploits. The Flibustier
sought but a shallow excuse to plunder the Bucca-
neer, who, on the other side,, lost no opportunity of
retaliation.t
The tardy though now earnest efforts of France
and Britain to crush the Brethren of the Coast ; the
increasing military and maritime strength of the
Spanish colonists ; and the magnificent ideas enter-
tained of the wealth of Peru, were powerful mo-
tives in urging the Sea Rovers, whether French or
English, to abandon for a wider region a field which
was too narrow for their augmented numbers.^
Their estimate of the riches of the western shores
* Burney, vol. iv. pp. 127, 128. Raynal, vol. iii. pp. 409, 410.
f Burney, vol. iv. pp. 12b, 129. J Ibid. p. 132.
THE BUCCANEERS OP AMERICA. 235
was founded on the circumstance that in the
course of a few years a new city of Panama had
arisen, which in splendour and wealth eclipsed
the desolated town. The Peruvian coast and the
South Sea presented a scene which neither France
nor England could reach ; and as to any opposi-
tion at the hands of the indolent and effeminate
inhabitants, the expedition of Morgan had taught
them how little it was to be dreaded. In the new
design of crossing the continent, and searching for
untried regions of victory and spoliation, they were
urged rather by rapacity, and by the desire of escap-
ing from the selfish severity of the chief officers in
the West India islands, than by any enlightened or
comprehensive plan of operations. The ideas of con-
quest entertained by them were limited to the plun-
der of a city or a ship, to plate, silks, and pieces of
eight ; nor were their enjoyments and pleasures of a
more liberal or elevated nature.
We here close this outline of the history and pro-
ceedings of the Buccaneers. All that is interesting
in their subsequent career, from the plundering of
Vera Cruz till their decay and suppression, is closely
interwoven with the personal adventures of Dampier,
which we are now about to trace. In the narrative
of this remarkable navigator, instead of monotonous
details of fraud, violence, and cruelty, on which it
has been painful to linger, the reader is gratified
with researches in natural science, and with pictures
of life and manners which have never yet, among
the multitude of succeeding voyagers, fallen under
the notice of a more acute observer, or of a delinea-
tor more faithful, and occasionally more glowing
and poetical.
236 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
CHAPTER VII.
Adventures among the Wood-cutters and Buccaneers.
Ancestry and Education of Dampier His Voyage to Java Goes
to Jamaica as a Planter Becomes a Logwood-cutter in Cam-
peachy Habits of the Wood-cutters Appearance of the Coun-
tryIts Natural Productions The Wild Pine Snakes Ants
The Humming-bird Alligators Dampier loses himself in the
Woods Copartnership with three Scotchmen Dreadful Hurri-
cane in the Bay Its Consequences Beef Island Thelndians
John d'Acosta Mode of hocksing Cattle Dampier joins the
Buccaneers The Manatee, or Sea-cow The River Tobasco
Indians under the Spanish Priests Their Manners and Condi-
tion Attack of Alvarado Escape of the Buccaneers from the
Spanish Armadilloes Munjack Dampier rejoins the Logwood-
cutters Returns to England.
To Dampier himself the world is indebted for the
only authentic record of his early history. He was
born about the year 1652 at East Coker, near Yeovil,
a considerable market-town in Somersetshire.* His
father was probably a farmer ; as we learn inci-
dentally that his wife who survived him held the
lease of a small piece of ground from Colonel Hel-
lier, the lord of the manor. The farms in this pa-
rish it appears were held for life, and varied in rent
from 20 to 50. By a singular, but at that time
* Dampier's Voyages and Descriptions (2 vols 8vo, London,
1699), vol. ii. part ii. p. 4. The author states, that on the conclu-
sion of the second Dutch war, which was in January 1674, he was
22 years of age.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 237
probably not an uncommon arrangement, each occu-
pier had a slip of land of all the kinds of soil, black-
loam, clayey, or sandy, in the parish, varying in
rent from forty shillings an acre to ten groats. On
these scattered patches every yeoman raised wheat,
oats, barley, beans, rye,* hemp, and flax, for the
consumption of his own family. While he was very
young, Dampier was initiated in the elements of
classical learning preparatory to his being bound to
some trade, as his friends did not then, he tells us,t
design him for the sea. But on the death of his
parents, he was removed from the Latin school, and
sent to acquire writing and arithmetic, in order to
qualify him for some humbler employment than
that to which he was originally destined ; and in a
short time afterwards he was placed with a shipmas-
ter of Weymouth.J Slender as were the advantages
of education which he enjoyed, he profited largely
by them, adding one to the many proofs elsewhere
supplied, that the best part of man's knowledge is
that which he acquires by his own exertions.
His first voyage was to France; in his se-
cond, which took place in 1670, he sailed to New-
foundland, where he suffered so severely from the
climate, that he resolved never to revisit that unge-
nial region. On his return he spent some time
among his friends, and then repaired to London.
He was now a youth of eighteen, animated by rest-
* Dampier, in the early edition of his work, which lies before us,
says rice ; but this is probably a slip of the pen of one who was
now more familiar with this foreign grain than with the rye of his
childhood. The system of agricultural cultivation described in the
text somewhat resembles that which in Scotland was termed riiit-
ridge.
j- Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p 2. Ibid. p. 3.
238 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
less activity, curiosity, love of change, of adventure,
and peril. Associating with mariners and mer-
chants, the bent of his disposition was speedily gra-
tified by " the offer of a warm voyage and a long
one, which," he says, " soon carried me to sea
again."* He entered as a private sailor on board
the John and Martha East Indiaman, commanded
by Captain Earning. This vessel sailed direct from
London to Bantam, in Java ; and having remained
there two months, returned to England, after an ab-
sence of little more than a year, and probably about
the beginning of January 1672.t From his child-
hood Dampier had been a keen observer. On his
former voyages he had gained some nautical expe-
rience, which he enlarged during the present by a
diligent study of the practical part of his profession.
He had not yet however commenced a journal, the
compiling of which came afterwards to be the solace
of his wandering life, and the means of great men-
tal improvement. J
The summer after his return from India he
spent in Somersetshire with his brother, whose
house seems to have been his home while on shore.
His next service was on board the Royal Prince.
Great Britain was then (1673) at war with Hol-
land ; and in this ship he was present at two engage-
ments ; but of a third, in which his commander, Sir
Edward Spragge, was killed, he was not a witness,
having been obliged by sickness to quit the service.
He was sent to Harwich Hospital, where he lan-
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 3.
j- He says they returned about two months before Sir Robert
Holmes went out to fall on the Dutch Smyrna fleet, which was in
the beginning 1 of March 1672. Vo} T ages, vol. ii part ii. p. 3.
J Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 3. Ibid.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 239
guished a Jong time before he again repaired to
his brother's house.*
His recovery was slow ; but with renewed health
the love of the sea returned. In the mean while
however he accepted an offer made to him by Colo-
nel Hellier, and went to Jamaica as under-manager
of a plantation belonging to that gentleman. He
formed a special agreement with the captain of the
ship in which he sailed, " to work as a seaman for
his passage, having it under his hand that he should
be cleared on his first arrival." The object of this
precaution was to protect himself from being tre-
panned and sold on landing at Jamaica.t The vessel
went "merrily along/' steering for Barbadoes, which
was the first of the islands he beheld.
St Lucia was next seen, and afterwards Tobago
an St Vincent's. The condition of the Caribs,
the aboriginal inhabitants of these insular groups,
forcibly arrested the attention of the young voyager ;
and the manner in which he relates an incident
that occurred at this part of the voyage, affords a
pleasing testimony of the correctness of his moral
feelings, while it places the Indian character in a
very favourable light.
In passing St Lucia, the captain, seeing a smoke
on the shore, sent a boat's crew to purchase fruit; and
meantime three natives came to the ship in a canoe
laden with sugar-canes, plantains, pine-apples, and
other tropical productions. They seemed much
agitated, often repeating the name of " Captain
Warner," who it was discovered was the son by an
Indian woman of a governor of Antigua. Though
bred in his father's family, he had acquired from
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 4 -f- Ibid.
240 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
his mother the language of her tribe; and when
he grew up, finding himself ill-treated by his
English relatives, he fled to St Lucia, and adopt-
ing the manners of his savage kinsmen, became
one of their chiefs, roving with them from island
to island, making inroads upon the planters, and
not sparing even his native place. To avenge
these injuries a legitimate son of the governor
was sent at the head of a party to encounter the
marauders. Having accidentally met with his Carib
brother, the young man affected great joy, and in-
vited him and his warriors to a feast, at which, on a
preconcerted signal being given, he and all his fol-
lowers were treacherously murdered. " Such per-
fidious doings as these," says our voyager, " besides
the baseness of them, are great hinderances to our
gaining an interest with the Indians."*
As a planter Dampier was " clearly out of his
element ;" and after some time passed in this occu-
pation, he engaged with different traders of Port-
Royal, who coasted round Jamaica, carrying goods
from the plantations to that port. In these trips he
became thoroughly acquainted with all the harbours
and bays of the island, as well as with the land
and sea winds and currents. t Neglecting no op-
portunity of acquiring knowledge, this singular man
appears through life to have become wearied of every
scene the moment he had exhausted the information
it afforded. In August 16/5 he sailed to the island of
Trist, in the Bay of Campeachy, for a cargo of log-
wood ; and though in his former voyages he had taken
no note of passing occurrences, he now began to keep a
* Voyages, vol. ii. partii. pp. 5, 6. -f- Ibid. p. 8.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 241
regular journal. He was no common observer, and
his remarks on the appearances and bearings of the
coasts, the headlands, bays, and islands visited by
him on this occasion are distinguished by the clear-
ness and perspicuity which mark all his subsequent
relations.
The free life of the logwood-cutters had many
charms for the young adventurer ; and he was so
struck with their jovial manners, frank hospitality,
and the lucrative nature of their occupation, that he
resolved to join their ranks so soon as his present
engagement should terminate.
This employment had now, in many instances,
superseded that of hunting wild cattle, which were
become scarce. Some, indeed, pursued both voca-
tions ; others confined themselves to the hewing of
wood; and a third class occasionally added to the
quieter duties of this calling the excitement and
profits of a privateering cruise. The settlers in the
Bay of Campeachy, at this time upwards of 250 in
number, were mostly natives of England, though
there were some Scots and Irish among them. By
Spain they were regarded as interlopers, and their
trade prohibited as contraband. To make up a cargo,
they generally formed themselves into joint-stock
companies, the partnership lasting only till the con-
tract was completed. The traders who bought the
dye-wood supplied them with rum, sugar, tobacco,
and other necessaries. The commencement of these
sales was usually celebrated by a drinking-match
on board the ships, where healths were pledged,
and salvoes fired in honour of each toast, with all
the customary demonstrations of Buccaneer ban-
queting. The purchaser who was the most liberal
242 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
on such occasions might assure himself of the best
bargain ; for the cutters prided themselves in cheat-
ing those whom they considered niggardly of their
liquor and good cheer.*
While taking in the cargo Dampier was often on
shore, and he frequently visited the cabins of the
woodmen, who hospitably entertained him with the
rough substantial fare that abounded among them,
pork and pease, or beef, for which they hunted
in the savannahs, with dough-boys, a kind of thick
unleavened cake, kneaded with their own hands.
Of their drink, so long as it lasted, they were equally
profuse.t
The returning voyage to Jamaica was singularly
disastrous. The passage from Trist to Port-Royal
occupied thirteen weeks, and of its adventures and
perils he has left a very lively account. A passen-
ger named Wooders, by his knowledge of the coast,
was the means of saving them from being cap-
tured by two Spanish vessels, which gave chase to
their bark.J Though the crew had added to their
stores both by fishing and hunting, they were greatly
in want of provisions; and on coming to anchor
after so many hardships, they lost no time in send-
ing ashore for a supply. While they were com-
mencing their festivities, Captain Rawlins, the com-
mander of a New England trader, accompanied by
a friend, came on board and was invited to share
in the carouse. What follows is an amusing trait
of the nautical manners of the place and time :
" Mr Hooker being drank to by Captain Rawlins,
who pledged Captain Hudswell, and havingthe bowl,
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 18.
f Ibid. p. 18. $ Ibid. p. 20.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 243
I think there might be six quarts in it, in his hand,
said that he was under an oath to drink but three
draughts of strong liquor a-day, and putting the
bowl to his head turned it off at one draught, and
so making himself drunk, disappointed us of our
expectations till we made another bowl."""
Dampier, as soon as he was discharged, returned
to the Bay of Campeachy to try his fortunes among
the logwood-cutters. He had provided himself with
hatchets, knives, axes, saws, wedges, a sleeping-
pavilion necessary for defence against the insects of'
the climate, and a gun, with a supply of powder and
shot. A power of attorney, lodged with a merchant
who acted as factor for the settlers, completed his
arrangements : the party whom he joined had sta-
tioned themselves on the West Lagoon of Trist
Island.t
The first wood-cutters adopted this occupation
when buccaneering became nearly profitless from
the multitude of competitors, and dangerous from
prohibitory edicts. They settled near the forests of
Cape Catoche ; and when these were exhausted they
removed to the Isle of Trist ; the first intimation
which the Spaniards received of their arrival being
from the strokes of their axes on the trees, or the
report of their guns in the woods and savannahs.
They were divided into parties of from three to ten
or twelve. The company which consented to accept
the young seaman as a helper, ignorant as he still
was of their employment, consisted of six indivi-
duals, who had a cargo of a hundred tons of logwood
felled and ready to be carried to the creek, where
it was to be shipped for New England. His wages,
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 39. f Ibid - P- 41.
244 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
according to agreement, were to be the price of one
ton of wood per month.*
The cutters had built their cabins on the mar-
gins of the inlets at the East and West Lagoons of
Trist, that they might enjoy the refreshing sea-
breezes, and be near the dye-wood groves. When
the nearest trees were cut down, they frequently
found themselves so unwilling to abandon a fa-
vourite habitation, that they repaired to the scene of
their labours by water. To each company belonged
a canoe, pirogue, or large boat, which was necessary
at once for conveying their lading to the traders, and
for the uses of the chase ; it being their practice to
hunt by water as well as land, driving the cattle into
narrow creeks. Their cabins were of frail construc-
tion, but well thatched with palm-leaves, to shelter
the inmates from the violent rains during the wet
season. t Above the floor a wooden frame was raised
to the height of three or four feet ; this barbecue,
with the pavilion or mosquito-curtains stretched over
it, formed the sleeping-place; another scaffold of
equal altitude, covered with earth, constituted a
kitchen; and a third served for a sitting room.J
The first adventurers in the bay, after the value
of the dye-wood on its shores was accidentally dis-
covered, were actual Buccaneers, " who, though
they could work well enough if they pleased, yet
thought it a dry business to toil at cutting wood."
Being good marksmen, they took great delight in
hunting, though piracy was still their favourite pur-
suit ; and besides plundering on the seas, they often
sallied out against the nearest Indian villages, which
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 82. + Ibid. pp. 79, 80.
* Ibid. p. 79-81. ibid. p. 53.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 245
they pillaged without remorse, carrying off the wo-
men to serve in the most laborious offices, while
their husbands were sold to the logwood merchants
who visited the coast. On such occasions, scenes of
riot and dissipation continued to disgrace both the
trader and the woodsman. But though such may
have been the prevailing character of the cutters
at the time of Dampier's visit, the small company
to which he was attached appear to have been of
more prudent habits. Two or three of them were
natives of Scotland, who, we may believe, if not
actuated by higher motives, were restrained from
joining in the extravagance and riot of their compa-
nions by the desire of accumulating money sufficient
to enable them to enter upon a better way of life.
The logwood-groves were near the sea, for this plant
thrives best in low wet ground, and among timber
of inferior height. The trees, which were from two
to six feet in circumference, resembled except in
size the white thorn of England. The heart of the
trunk, which is red and heavy, is alone used as a
dye, the spongy outer part being chipped away.
The wood burns well ; and for this reason the hunt-
ers and Buccaneers, in all instances where it could
be obtained, preferred it for hardening the steel of
their fire-arms.* Blood wood, another dye-stuff
much esteemed, was found in the Gulf of Nicara-
gua, and brought double the price of logwood,
the one selling at l5t per ton, the other at 30.{
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 57-
f- Valuable as this wood was, the French Buccaneers who cap-
tured Campeachy on one occasion displayed their enthusiastic loy-
alty by burning 42,000 worth in celebrating the birthday of their
king, or the festival of St Louis Raynal, liv. x. c. x.
J Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 58.
246
ADVENTURES AMONG THE
Five days each week these rude settlers indus-
triously plied their labours in the groves ; but on
Saturday they hunted in the savannahs, as well for
the purpose of recreation as to store their larders.*
When a bullock was shot, it was cut up where it
fell, and having been divided into quarters, and the
larger bones taken out, each man placed a portion
on his shoulders, and turned his steps homewards.t
If his load became too heavy, part was cut off and
flung to the beasts and birds of prey which were ever
prowling and hovering near the hunter. If more
than four were engaged in the slaughter, while two
or three were employed in dressing the meat the
others went in search of more game, a carcass being
the weekly allowance of four persons.
In this part of the Bay of Campeachy, the dry
season commences in September and continues till
April or May, when the wet weather sets in with
fierce tornadoes, and from June to the end of
August rain falls almost incessantly. By this time
the rivers have overflowed the savannahs and all
the low grounds ; the former appearing like inland
lakes, till December or January, when the floods
subside. About the beginning of April the pools
are dried up, and the whole country is so parched,
* Darapier (vol. ii. part ii. p. 81) says that Saturday was employ,
ed by his party for hunting; out his predecessors had not been so
scrupulous in their observance of the Sabbath. Raynal (liv. x. c.
viii.) tells us that a Buccaneer, when one of his helpers (flqroftc,
or indented men) expostulated with him for compelling him to
work on Sunday, saying 1 , God had forbidden this practice when
He gave the commandment, "' Six days shalt thou labour, and on
the seventh day shalt thou rest," " And I," replied the ruffian,
" say to thee, Six days thou shalt kill bulls and strip them of their
skins, and on the seventh day thou shalt carry their hides to the
seashore."
f Voyages, vol ii. part ii. p. 81. Ibid. pp. 55, 56.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 247
that, but for a beautiful provision of Nature, which
furnishes a supply in the wild pine, the human
beings, the birds and beasts, so lately surrounded
with water, must perish of thirst.
During the consuming heats of summer, the wood-
cutters betook themselves to the forests in search of
that tree, which is thus described by Dampier :
" The wild pine is a plant so called because it some-
what resembles the bush that bears the pine; they
are commonly supported, or grow from some bunch,
knot, or excrescence of the tree, where they take
root and grow upright. The root is short and thick,
from whence the leaves rise up in folds one within
another, spreading off at the top. They are of a good
thick substance, and about ten or twelve inches
long. The outside-leaves are so compact as to con-
tain the rain-water as it falls. They will hold a pint
and a half or a quart ; and this water refreshes the
leaves and nourishes the root. When we find
these pines we stick our knives into the leaves just
above the root, and that lets out the water, which
we catch in our hats, as I have done many times
to my great relief."* His account of the other na-
tural productions of the country is equally interest-
ing. The wild animals were the squash, the waree,
and pecaree, a species of wild hog, the opossum,
tiger-cat, monkey, ant-bear, armadillo,t porcupine,
land-turtle, and the sloth, besides lizards, snakes,
and iguanas of many varieties.
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 56.
-|- The armadilloes, of which many species are now ascertained, be-
long to the genus Dasypus of naturalists. They are entirely confined
to the New World, of which they inhabit chiefly the warmer por-
tions. They are animals of omnivorous habits, dwelling in woods,
and preying on insects, eggs, small birds, and the roots of plants.
248 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
The land near the sea is described as " mangrovy"
and always wet; at a little distance the soil, which
is fast and firm, and never overflowed except in
the rainy season,* is a strong yellow clay, having a
thin surface of black mould ; and here flourishes the
logwood with low-growing timber of various other
kinds. Still farther from the shore the land rises,
and trees of taller growth are seen, till the forests ter-
minate in large savannahs. These flats or natural
meadows are generally three miles in width, and
often of much larger dimensions. The soil is black,
deep, and rich, and the grass luxuriant in growth,
but of a coarse kind. As an easy mode of hus-
bandry, the hunters at the close of the dry season
set fire to the grass, which, immediately after the
return of moisture, was replaced by a new and deli-
cate herbage. These plains are bounded by high
ridges and declivities of the richest land, covered
with stately trees; and these alternate elevations and
flats, fine woodlands and grassy valleys, stretch from
ten to twenty miles into the interior, beyond which
distance Dam pier's knowledge did not extend.
In the woods monkeys abound, ranging in bands
of from twenty to thirty. "When I have been
alone," says he, " I have been afraid to shoot them,
especially the first time I met them. They were a
great company, dancing from tree to tree over my
head, chattering and making a terrible noise and a
great many grim faces, and shewing antick gestures.
Some broke down dry sticks and threw at me ;
others scattered their dung about my ears. At last,
one bigger than the rest came to a small limb just
over my head, and leaping directly at me, made me
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 56.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 249
start back; but the monkey caught hold of the
bough with the tip of his tail, and there continued
swinging to and fro, and making mouths at me. At
last I past on, they still keeping me company, with
the like menacing postures, till I came to our huts."
Though these animals were easily shot, it was dif-
ficult to take them, as, after being struck, they per-
tinaciously clung to the high branches by their tails
or claws so long as life remained. " I have pitied
the poor creature, to see it look on and handle
the wounded limb, and turn it about from side to
side."* The sloth is described as "a four-footed,
hairy, sad-coloured animal, with a round head,
small eyes, short nose, and extraordinary long sharp
claws." It feeds on leaves, and is very destruc-
tive to trees, never forsaking one on which it has
settled till the foliage is entirely devoured. It re-
quires eight or nine minutes to move one of its feet
three inches forward, and it can neither be provoked
nor frightened to move faster. Its extraordinary
sluggishness resists even the cravings of hunger, so
that having eaten all the leaves on one tree, it takes
five or six days to move itself to the next, even
when quite hard by ; and thus, although plump and
fat at the commencement of the descent, it is nothing
but a bag of bones before it has made preparations
to begin a fresh banquet.t
Of some species of snakes he remarks that they
lurk in woods, " and are so mighty in strength as
to hold a bullock fast by one of his horns," if the
latter come so near as to enable it to coil itself
round a horn and the limb of a tree. The Buc-
caneers sometimes ate the flesh of this reptile; though
Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 51), 60. f Ibid, p, 61.
250 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
our navigator has not given a favourable report of
the food.* An anecdote which he relates may per-
haps afford a rational explanation of some of the
wonderful stories which attribute a power of fasci-
nation to this creature. The green snake,, which is
from four to five feet long and no thicker than a
man's thumb, lurks for its prey among leaves,
from which it can hardly be distinguished. One
day he was about to take hold of a bird, which,
to his astonishment, though it fluttered and cried,
did not attempt to fly away, when he discovered
that one of these animals was wreathed round the
upper part of its body.t
Spiders J of prodigious size were seen ; and some
of them are described to be almost as big as a man's
hand, with long small legs like those of the species
familiar to Europe. ' ' They have two teeth, or rather
horns, an inch and a half or two inches long, and
of a proportionable bigness, which are black as jet,
smooth as glass, and their small end sharp as a thorn."
These the Buccaneers and wood-cutters used as
pickers for their tobacco-pipes, and as tooth-picks, as
they were said to cure toothach. There was abun-
dance of ants of different kinds. The great black
one, says Dampier, " stings or bites almost as bad as
a scorpion, and next to this the small yellow ant's bite
is most painful, for their sting is like a spark of fire,
and they are so thick among the boughs in some
places, that one shall be covered with them before he
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 63. -J- Ibid.
J The Epeira curvicauda, described by M. Vautier (Annales
des Sciences Nattirelles, tome i. p. 261 ), is remarkable for the pos-
terior enlargement of its abdomen, which is terminated by a couple
of arched and elongated spines. See plate 50 of the new edition of
the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 251
is aware. These creatures have nests on great trees,
placed on the body between the limbs. Some of their
nests are as big as a hogshead ; this is their winter
habitation, for in the wet season they all repair to these
theircities. Here theypreserve theireggs. * * * In the
dry season, when they leave their nests, they swarm
over all the woodland, for they never trouble the
savannahs. You may then see great paths made by
them in the woods, of three or four inches broad,
beaten as plain as the roads in England. They go
out light, but bring home heavy loads on their backs,
all of the same substance, and equal in bigness ; yet
they would march stoutly, and so many still pressing
after, that it was a very pretty sight, for the path
looked perfectly green with them."* By building
their nests on trees the ants provide against the con-
sequences of the rainy season, when their hillocks,
if on the ground, would be overflowed or swept away.
One species was observed to march in troops, always
in haste, as if in search of something, steadily fol-
lowing their leaders wherever they went. Occa-
sionally a band would march through the cabins,
over the beds or chests of the wood-cutters, who
allowed them to proceed without molestation, though
some hours might be occupied in the passage.
Frequently as the humming-bird has been de-
scribed since the days of Dampier, his account of
this, the most delicate of all the winged species, still
retains its freshness and its interest. " It is," he
writes, ' f a pretty little feathered creature, no bigger
than a great overgrown wasp ; with a black bill no
bigger than a small needle, and legs and feet in pro-
portion to his body. This creature does not wave
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 64, 65.
252 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
its wings like other birds when it flies, but keeps
them in a continued quick motion, like bees or other
insects ; and like them makes a continued humming
noise as it flies. It is very quick in motion, and
haunts about flowers and fruit like a bee gathering
honey; making many near addresses to its delight-
ful objects, by visiting them on all sides, and yet
still keeps in motion, sometimes on one side, some-
times on the other, as often rebounding a foot or two
back on a sudden, and as quickly returns again,
keeping thus about one flower five or six minutes or
more."*
The adventurers by their sylvan life became fa-
miliar with all the living creatures of those prolific
regions, and gave them English names significant
of their habits. Adopting the superstition of the
Spaniards, they refrained from killing the carrion-
crow, which was found of great use in clearing the
country of the putrid carcasses of animals.t Trains
of these birds gathered from all quarters around
the hunters, and following them into the savannahs
shared in the prey. A bird named the Subtle Jack,
about the size of a pigeon, suspended its nest from
the boughs of lofty trees, especially those the trunks
of which, up to a considerable height, were witn-
out limbs. The branches most frequently selected
were such as spread widest; and the nests were
placed at the very extremity of these, hanging
down two or three feet from the twigs to which they
were fastened, and resembling " cabbage-nets stuffed
with hay."J The thread by which it was sustained,
like the nest itself, was made of long grass ingeni-
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 65, 66. f Ibid. p. 68.
Ibid. p. 69.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 253
ously twisted, small at the upper end, but gradually
thickening. On trees that grew apart the birds
built all round ; but where the wood was close they
made choice of such as bordered upon a savannah, a
pool, or creek, and more particularly the branches
that stretched over the water or rank grass. The
nest was entered by a hole at the side. " Tis very
pretty," says Dampier, " to see twenty or thirty of
them hanging round a tree."*
In these primeval forests there was an endless
variety of birds and insects ;t while the rivers and
lagoons, as well as the open sea, were equally prolific
of fishes unknown in English waters. J Nor did any
place more abound in alligators. The Buccaneers,
whose stomachs rejected scarcely any sort of food,
could not, except in cases of great necessity, overcome
their disgust at the strong musky flavour which dis-
tinguishes the flesh of this hideous creature. It
was generally harmless when unmolested ; but ac-
cidents sometimes occurred, of which one seems not
unworthy of notice. In the height of the dry season,
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 69. It is sometimes by no means
easy to connect the observations of the sailor abroad with the lucu-
brations of the man of science at home ; and each perhaps regards
the designations of the other as barbarous. There is, however,
frequently more meaning in the names bestowed by the practical
observer than in those of the closet-naturalist. The chief objection
to popular names is, that they too often proceed upon mere analo-
gies in habits, rather than on identity of specific forms. Thus, the
carrion-crow, frequently mentioned by Dampier and other voyag-
ers along the American shores, is not a crow but a species of vul-
ture. In regard to the Subtle Jack, there are several species of
birds which construct their nests in the ingenious and elaborate
manner above mentioned. Of these one of the most noted is the
Hang-nest-oriole (Oriolus nidipendnlus of Latham), described
by Sir Hans Sloane in his History of Jamaica. It builds in woods,
and forms its nest of the internal fibres of a parasitic plant popu-
larly known in the West Indies by the title of old mail's beard.
The nest is suspended from the extreme twigs of the tree.
f Ibid. pp. fcU, 70, 71- Ibid. pp. 71, 72, 73. Ibid. p. 75.
Q
254 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
a party of wood-cutters,, English and Irish, went to
hunt in the neighbourhood of a lake called Pies Pond
in Beef Island, a place to which the wild cattle re-
paired in herds to drink. The chase had been pro-
secuted with great success for a week, when one of
the hunters going into the water during the night,
came into contact with an alligator, which seized him
by the knee. His cries alarmed his companions,
who, in the belief that the Spaniards, to whom the
island belonged, were making an attack, precipitately
fled from their huts. Being thus left without help,
he quietly waited, with happy presence of mind, till
the animal should relax its jaws to take a new and
surer hold, when, withdrawing his leg, he interposed
the butt-end of his gun, which it grasped so eager-
ly as to jerk it from his hand. Crawling up a neigh-
bouring tree, he again shouted after his comrades, who
now found courage to return. His musket, which was
recovered next day, had been dragged ten or twelve
yards from the spot where it was seized by the
ferocious beast.*
At the same place Dampier himself had a re-
markable escape. Passing with some of his friends
through a small savannah, where the water was two
or three feet in depth, he perceived a strong scent
of an alligator, and presently stumbled over one, by
which he was thrown down. He cried aloud for
help, but his associates, anxious for their own safety,
ran towards the woods. No sooner had he regained
his feet, than in the agitation of the moment he fell a
second and even a third time, momentarily expecting
instant death. He however escaped unhurt ; but, as
he candidly says, " I was so frighted, that J never
Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 77
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 255
cared to go through the water again as long as I
was in the Bay."*
On the first Saturday after he joined the wood-
cutters he was occupied in the humble duties of
rousing the cattle and driving them from the sa-
vannahs into the woods, where the hunters lay in
wait.t The following week he resolved to have a
more active share in the sport; and accordingly, after
proceeding four miles by water and three by land
towards the hunting-ground, he dropped behind the
rest and rambled so far that he speedily lost his
way. The conclusion of the adventure cannot be
better narrated than in his own words. " This was
some time in May (the dry season), and it was be-
tween ten o'clock and one when I began to find that
I was, as we call it, marooned, or lost, and quite out
of the hearing of my comrades' guns. I was some-
what surprised at this; but, however, I knew I
should find my way out as soon as the sun was
a little lower. So I sat down to rest myself, re-
solving however to run no farther out of my way,
for the sun being so near the zenith I could not
distinguish how to direct my course. Being weary
and almost faint for want of water, I was forced to
have recourse to the wild pines, and was by them
supplied, or else I must have perished with thirst.
About three o'clock I went due north, as near as
I could judge, for the savannah lay east and west,
and I was on the south side of it.
" At sunset I got out into the clear open savan-
nah, being about two leagues wide in most places,
but how long I know not. It is well stored with
bullocks, but by frequent hunting they grow shy,
Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 1UU. flbidr^pTsS.
256 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
and remove farther up into the country. There I
found myself four or five miles to the west of the
place where I straggled from my companions. I
made homewards with all the speed I could ; but
being overtaken by the night I lay down on the
grass a good distance from the woods, for the bene-
fit of the wind to keep the mosquitoes from me ; but
in vain, for in less than an hour's time I was so
persecuted, that though I endeavoured to keep them
off by fanning myself with boughs, and shifting
my quarters three or four times, yet still they
haunted me so that I could get no sleep. At day-
break I got up and directed my course to the creek
where we landed, from which I was then about
two leagues. I did not see one beast of any sort
whatever in all the way, though the day before I
saw several young calves that could not follow their
dams ; but even these were now gone away, to my
great vexation and disappointment, for I was very
hungry. But, about a mile farther, I espied ten or
twelve quams* perching on the boughs of a cotton-
tree. These were not shy: therefore I got well enough
under them, and, having single bullets but no shot
about me, fired at one of them but missed it, though
I had before often killed them so. Then I came up
with and fired at five or six turkeys with no better
success, so that I was forced to march forward, still in
the savannah, toward the creek ; and when I came
to the path that led to it through the woods, I found
to my great joy a hat stuck upon a pole, and when I
The quam, quan, or guan, is a species of the genus Penelope.
It is frequently domesticated in Brazil for the sake of the flesh,
which is excellent eating. Another species of the genus (Pene-
fopepipile of Temminck) is known under the name of the Yacou
Turkey.
WOOB-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 257
came to the creek I found another. These were set up
by my consorts, who were gone home in the even-
ing, as signals that they would come and fetch me.
Therefore I sat down and waited for them ; for al-
though I had then not above three leagues home by
water, yet it would have been very difficult if not
impossible for me to have got thither overland, by
reason of those vast impassable thickets, abounding
every where along the creek's side, wherein I have
known some puzzled for two or three days, and
have not advanced half a mile, though they la-
boured extremely every day.* Neither was I dis-
appointed of my hopes, for within half an hour after
my arrival at the creek my consorts came, bringing
every man his bottle of water and his gun, both to
hunt for game and to give me notice by firing, that
I might hear them; for I have known several men lost
in the like manner, and never heard of afterwards." t
He had the more reason to congratulate him-
self on the issue of this adventure, when he con-
sidered the fate of seven mariners belonging to a
Boston ship who wandered into the woods not long
previously. The captain was found in a thicket
reduced to a state of extreme exhaustion ; his men
having dropped one by one, from excessive thirst in
the parched savannahs. J
When his first month's service was ended, he
received as his stipulated wages the price of a
ton of wood, with which, after supplying himself
with a stock of provisions, he was able to form a
new engagement, on the footing of comradeship,
with other partners. Of his former companions
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 04, 85.
f Ibid. p. 85. J Ibid. pp. 86, 87-
258
ADVENTURES AMONG THE
some went to Beef Island to hunt bullocks for their
skins. They prepared the hides of these animals
for sale by fastening them firmly on the ground,
exposing to the sun first the fleshy and then the
hairy side, till both were thoroughly dried. They
afterwards suspended them on a pole, and beat them
from time to time in order to drive away the worms
which were apt to breed in their grosser parts.
Lastly, they were soaked in salt water with a view
to the destruction of any vermin that might still
remain; and being once more thoroughly dried,
they were packed for exportation.*
To this occupation Dampier preferred that of
wood-cutting. His associates were three Scotsmen,
Price Morrice, Duncan Campbell, and a third,
who is only known by his Christian name of George.
The two latter had been educated for mercantile
pursuits, and liking neither the employment nor
the society into which they had fallen, they only
waited for a good opportunity to quit it. A vessel
having arrived from Boston, they freighted her with
forty tons of dyewood ; it being agreed that Camp-
bell should accompany the cargo to New England,
and, having sold it there, bring back flour and other
things suited to the market of the Bay, while George
should remain in order to prepare another lading
of wood before the return of the ship.t And here
the navigator records an observation which deserves
to be noticed as the result of much experience on
human life and manners. " This," he says, " re-
tarded our business, for I did not find Price Mor-
rice very intent at work ; for 'tis like he thought he
had logwood enough. And I have particularly ob-
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 87, 88. -f- Ibid. pp. 88, 89~
WOOD-CUTTERS ANI> BUCCANEERS. 259
served there and in other places, that such as had
been well bred were generally most careful to im-
prove their time, and would be very industrious and
frugal, when there was any probability of consider-
able gain. But, on the contrary, such as had been
inured to hard labour, and got their living by the
sweat of their brows, when they came to have plenty,
would extravagantly squander away their time and
money in drinking and making a bluster."*
To compensate for the indolence of their comrade
he and George applied the more assiduously to work
until Dampier was attacked by a singular disease. An
irritable swelling or boil arose on his right leg, which
he was directed to foment with a poultice of the
roasted roots of the white lily. In this treatment he
persisted some days, " when two white specks ap-
peared in the centre of the boil, and on squeezing it
two small white worms spurted out, about the thick-
ness of a hen's quill and three-fourths of an inch
long."t They were quite different from the Guinea-
worm, common in some of the West India Islands,
and in the time of Dampier very often observed in
Curaoa, and from which he afterwards suffered
severely.^
Shortly after his recovery from this attack, in June
1676, the Bay was visited by one of those tremen-
dous hurricanes known only in tropical countries,
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 89.
f Ibid. The worms above mentioned, distinguished by their
comparative shortness and thickness from the more slender Guinea-
worm, were probably the larvae of a species of gadfly, which has
been named (Estrus hominis, on account of its occasionally deposit-
ing its eggs on the skin of the human race. See an account of
a similar species in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal,
vol. xxii. p. 284-288.
+ Voyages, vol. ii. part ii pp. 90, 91.
260 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
which raged without intermission for more than
twenty-four hours. Two days before the storm arose
the wind "whiffled" about to the south and back
again to the east, but blew faintly, while the wea-
ther continued very fair, though the men-of- war-
birds came trooping towards the shore in vast
flocks, and hovered over the land. The hunters
and logwood-cutters, among their numerous super-
stitions, augured the arrival of ships from the ap-
pearance of these birds, believing that the number
of fowls indicated that of the expected vessels.*
It was observed, that for two days the tide con-
tinued to retire until the creek on which the wood-
men's huts were situated was left nearly dry. At
the usual ebb there were seven or eight feet of
water, but now there were scarcely three even in
the deepest places. At four o'clock in the after-
noon of the second day on which this phenomenon
was witnessed the sky looked very black, the wind
sprung up at S.E. with a violence which in less
than two hours blew down all the cabins save
one, which they propped with posts, and secured
by ropes thrown over the roof, and made fast on both
sides to trunks of trees. In this frail shed were
they all huddled together while the hurricane raged
abroad. The rain descended in torrents during
nearly the whole period of the tempest ; and in two
hours after its commencement the waters flowed so
fast into the creek that they soon reached the level
of the banks. Though the wind shifted, and blew
offshore, the tide continued to rush in ; and, as the
rain did not abate, by ten o'clock next morning the
shores of the inlet were overflowed. The situation
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 91 ; part iii. pp. 66, 67.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 261
of the woodmen now became perilous. They brought
their canoe to the side of the hut, and fastened it to
the stump of a tree ; it was their only hope of
safety, as beyond the banks of the creek the land
fell, and there " was no walking through the woods
because of the water. Besides, the trees were torn
up by the roots, and tumbled down so strangely
across each other that it was almost impossible to
pass through them."
In consequence of this violent tempest many fish
were cast alive upon the shore or found dead floating
in the lagoons. Of four ships riding at anchor near
One-Bush-Key, three were driven from their moor-
ings, and one of them was carried up into the woods
of Beef Island. The settlers suffered in many ways,
for the whole country being laid under water to the
depth of three feet, they could not for some time re-
sume their labours. A large portion of their pro-
visions was destroyed, and they had no way of
cooking what remained except in their canoes.* It
is remarkable that the hurricane, as they afterwards
ascertained, did not extend to the windward more
than ninety miles.t
As soon as the storm abated they embarked in
their skiff and made for One-Bush-Key, about four
leagues distant, in the hope of procuring assistance
from the ships there. Three of these, as has been
noticed, had been driven from their anchors ; and
the kindness of the crew of the remaining one had
been severely taxed by the wood- cutters who flocked
hither from different points. Dampier and his com-
panions could get " neither bread nor punch, nor so
much as a dram of rum, though they offered to pay
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 91. t -f Ibid, part iii. pp. 66, 67, 6 .
262 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
for it."* Thus disappointed they rowed towards Beef
Island, their landmark being the flag of a ship float-
ing above the woods. The vessel herself was found
at the distance of two hundred yards from the sea,
whence she had been forced by the storm, which
levelled the trees on each side, and cleared a path
through the forest. In this passage the stumps had
gone through her bottom, so that there was no way
of saving her ; but meanwhile, as she still held to-
gether, the forlorn woodmen were well entertained
with victuals and punch, and even invited to remain
during the night. Hearing, however, signal-guns
fired from a distant lagoon, and concluding that one
of the ships had been driven in there, they forth-
with proceeded to her assistance.t With a Captain
Chandler, whom they found here greatly in want
of their services, Dampier and his partners laboured
two days, after which they returned to Beef Island
to hunt cattle. This settlement is about seven
leagues long, and from three to four in breadth :
the east end is " low drowned land ;" the middle
is one large savannah, bordered with trees ; but
the south side, between the central plain and the
swampy ground, appeared very rich.J
Its social condition, however, at that time was
much more an object of interest than its natural pro-
ductions. It had been lately taken possession of by
a colony of savages : " It is no new thing," the sea-
man remarks, " for the Indians in these woody parts
of America to fly away, whole towns at once, and
settle themselves in the unfrequented woods to enjoy
their freedom ; and if they are accidentally disco-
vered they will remove again; which they can easily
'Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 92^ f Ibid. p. W. J Ibid. p. 94.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 263
do, their household-goods being little else but their
cotton hammocks and their calabashes. They build
every man his own house, and tie up their hammocks
between two trees, wherein they sleep till their
houses are made. The woods afford them some sub-
sistence, as pecaree and waree ; but they that are thus
strolling (or marooning as the Spaniards call it)
have plantain- walks that no man knows but them-
selves, and from thence they have their food till they
have raised plantation-provision near their new-
built town. They clear no more ground than what
they actually employ for their subsistence. They
make no paths ; but when they go far from home
they break now and then a bough, letting it hang
down, which serves as a mark to guide them in their
return. If they happen to be discovered by other
Indians inhabiting among the Spaniards, or do but
mistrust it, they immediately shift their quarters to
another place, this large country affording them
good fat land enough, and very woody, and there-
fore a proper sanctuary for them."
"It was some of these fugitive Indians that came
to settle at Beef Island, where, besides gaining their
freedom from the Spaniards, they might see their
friends and acquaintances, that had been taken some
time before by the privateers and sold to the log-
wood-cutters, with whom some of the women lived
still, though others had been conducted by them
to their own habitations. It was these women,
after their return, that made known the kind
entertainment they met with from the English,
and persuaded their friends to leave their dwellings
near the Spaniards and settle on this island. They
had been here almost a year before they were dis-
264 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
covered by the English, and even then were acci-
dentally found out by the hunters as they followed
their game : They were not very shy all the time I
lived there," continues Dampier ; " but I know that
upon the least disgust they would have been gone."*
This avoidance of their " kind entertainers" seems
to show that they were not desirous of cultivating a
more intimate acquaintance. The poor savages were
doubtless equally anxious to conceal themselves and
their plantations from the Spaniards, from whom
they fled, and the English, whom they shunned.
John d'Acosta, of the town of Campeachy, who
held a grant of the island, had more success than any
of his countrymen in securing his property from the
depredations of the Buccaneers. In the dry season
he usually spent a couple of months on it with his
servants, "hocksing" cattle for their hides and tallow.
The flesh was to him of small value ; and happening
to encounter the logwood-men hunting in his savan-
nahs, he requested them to desist, because firing made
the cattle wild, and added, that if they wanted beef
he would supply them with as much as they pleased.
They accepted the offer, and acted honourably to-
wards him. He soon became very popular among
them, but their friendship was fatal to his character
in the eyes of his countrymen. He was thrown
into prison upon suspicion of conniving at the ma-
rauders, and his right to the island being forfeited,
it was abandoned to the freebooters.t
The manner of hunting wild cattle, termed hock-
sing or houghing, was peculiar to the Spaniards,
who, in the course of many years' practice, became
singularly dexterous in their art. They were mounted
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 95. f Ibid ' P- yt >.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 265
on good horses, early trained to the sport, and knew
well when to advance or to retreat with advantage.
They were armed with a hocksing-iron, about seven
inches in length, shaped like a crescent, having a very
sharp edge, and fastened to a pole about fourteen feet
in length. With this instrument the hunter strikes,
and seldom fails to hamstring his prey, his horse in-
stantly wheeling to the left to avoid the attack of
the wounded animal. If the blow has not severed
all the sinews, they are soon broken by the attempts
of the beast to leap forward ; and when he is some-
what exhausted by this exertion, the hunter again
attacks him in front, aiming now at the knee of
one of his fore-legs. On this the bullock usually
falls, when the horseman dismounts, and plunges his
sharp-pointed knife into the neck a little behind the
horns so dexterously, that at one stroke the head
drops as if separated from the trunk. Dampier ob-
served that " the right ear of the hocksing-horse, by
the weight of the pole laid constantly over it when
on duty, hangs down always, by which you may
know it from other horses."*
The English had so thinned the wild cattle on
Beef Island that it was now dangerous for a single
man to give them chase, or even to venture through
the savannahs, so desperate had they become. An
old bull, once fired at, never failed to remember the
attack or to offer battle ; and a whole herd sometimes
drew up in array to defend themselves. The account
given of the tactics of these animals almost borders
upon the marvellous, though the narrator is one of
the most veracious and unpretending of travellers,
diminishing rather than exaggerating the dangers
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 97? 98.
266 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
which he passed, and the wonders that he saw.
In the rear of the old bulls who led the van were
ranged the cows, and behind these the young cattle
were drawn up. Wherever there was an attempt to
break the line, the leaders opposed their embattled
front, wheeling round in every direction to face the
enemy. The hunters therefore chose to encounter
a single one detached from the herd rather than to
make a general or open attack. If the animal was
desperately wounded, in its rage it rushed against
the assailant ; but if its hurts were slight, it scam-
pered off. These adventures, however, were some-
times attended with fatal accidents.*
By the hurricane Dam pier was deprived of his
slender stock of provisions, and having neither mo-
ney nor credit to obtain a fresh supply, he was forced,
for immediate subsistence, to join a company of "pri-
vateers." With these he continued nearly a year,
rambling about the Bay of Campeachy, visiting its
numerous creeks, islands, and rivers, and making
frequent descents upon native villages and Spanish
settlements. At these places they obtained plenty
of Indian corn, which, with the flesh of the cattle
they hunted, joined to turtle and manatee, formed
their principal food.t
The manatee or sea-cow which he saw in this
bay, in the River Darien, at Mindanao, and on the
coast of New Holland, is described by him as being
about the height of a horse, and ten or twelve feet in
length. The mouth is like that of a cow ; the lips
are very thick, the eyes no bigger than peas, and the
ears two small holes. It frequents creeks, inlets,
and mouths of rivers, never leaving the water
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 99. -f- Ibid. p. 128.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 267
very long, and feeding on a sort of grass which
grows abundantly in the sea. The flesh is white,
sweet, and wholesome ; and the tail of a young one
was esteemed a delicate morsel by the Buccaneers,
as was the sucking-calf, which they usually cooked
by roasting. The tough thick skin of the manatee*
was applied by them to various uses.t
The Mosquito Indians were so peculiarly dexte-
rous in fishing, in striking the sea-cow and catching
turtle, that the privateers were at all times desirous
to have one or two of this tribe attached to their
company as purveyors.^
Abundance of the former was found in the river of
Tobasco, especially near its mouth, where there was
* The manatee (Manatus Americanus) is a cetaceous animal
belonging 1 to the herbivorous division of that order. They live in
troops ; the male is said to be remarkable for his attachment to the
female, and the latter is characterized by the strength of her affec-
tion for her young, which she supports by means ot her swimming-
paws for some days after tJieir birth. The genus inhabits the
mouths of the great rivers of the western shores of Africa, as well
as those of the eastern coast of the New World. The species
alluded to in the text has now become much more rare in places
of frequent resort than it appears to have been in former times.
The females of one or other of the species, in common with the In-
dian dugong, are supposed, from the peculiarity of their appearance
in the water, to have given rise to the stories of mermaids, syrens,
and other imaginary monsters.
The mountain-cow of Dampier and the earlier voyagers, which,
from being occasionally seen in the water, they sometimes con-
founded with the manatee, is a species of tapir ( Tapirus Ameri-
canus), and has no alliance with the hippopotamus, which never
occurs in the New World. From a supposed resemblance, how-
ever, to that animal in form or habit, it was named Hippopotamus
terrestris by LinnEeus. It inhabits the eastern shores of South
America, from the Isthmus of Darien to the Straits of Magellan ;
and although it breeds in dry places on the sides of hills, it also fre-
quents moist and marshy stations, and is an excellent swimmer.
When hunted it takes to the water, and descends for safety to the
bottom. Its food consists of wild fruits, and the delicate sprigs
and branches of various shrubs. It also searches eagerly after a
kind of nitrous earth called barrero.
t Voyages, vol. i. p. 33-37- Ibid. p. 2.
268 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
good feeding for them. In one creek, which ran
into the land two or three hundred paces, they
were seen in great numbers, though the water was
so shallow that their backs were distinctly visible to
the spectator on shore ; but on the least noise they
dashed into the deep. A fresh-water species was
also met with resembling that peculiar to the sea,
but of inferior size.* The banks of the inlet which
they frequented were swampy and overgrown with
trees, and afforded great plenty of land-turtle, the
largest Dampier ever saw except those at the Gala-
pagos Islands in the Pacific. On the borders of
the Tobasco lie ridges of dry rich land, covered
with lofty ' ' cabbage and cotton trees, which make
a pleasant landscape," and in some places guava-
trees, bearing plump and finely-flavoured fruit, co-
coa-plums, and grapes. The savannahs, on which
herds of deer and bullocks were seen feeding, espe-
cially in the mornings and evenings, were fenced
with natural groves of the guava ; and altogether
the navigator appears to have been delighted with the
aspect of this " delicious place." He records a me-
lancholy accident which befel a hunting party ; one
of whom, while skinning an animal, was shot dead
by a comrade, who in the twilight mistook him for
a deer.t
To the extent of more than twenty miles up the
river there was no settlement ; but a little beyond
there was a small fort, garrisoned by a Spaniard and
eight or ten Indians, whose business was rather to
spread an alarm into the interior than to resist
the attacks of the Buccaneers. Their precautions
were, however, useless when opposed to the address
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 109. f Ibid. pp. 107, 108.
5
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 269
and activity of the pirates who had frequently pil-
laged the towns and villages on this river, though
of late they had been occasionally repulsed with
loss. In some of these places there were merchants
and planters, cocoa-walks being frequent on both
sides of the stream. Certain parts too were thickly
studded with Indian hamlets, each having a padre,
and a cacique or governor.* The natives were free
labourers in the employment of the Spanish settlers,
but a few of them had fields of maize, plantain-
walks, and even small cocoa-grounds. Some were
bee-hunters, searching in the woods for hives, and
selling the wax and honey. They were so ingenious
as to supply the wild beest with trees artificially hol-
lowed, and thus to increase the profits of their traffic. J
" The Indians inhabiting these villages live like
gentlemen," says Dampier, " in comparison of many
near any great towns, such as Campeachy or Merida ;
for there even the poorer and rascally sort of people,
that are not able to hire one of these poor creatures,
will by violence drag them to do their drudgery for
nothing, after they have worked all day for their
masters."
They subsisted chiefly on maize, which they baked
into cakes; they procured from it also a sort of
liquor, which, when allowed to sour, afforded a
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 109, 110, 112.
-f- All the bees native to the New World at the period of its dis-
covery by the Spaniards were found to be distinct from those of
Europe. The honey-bee (Ar>is me/li/ica) is now common in Ame-
rica, but it was imported thither for its economical uses. Many
swarms have cast in the woods ; and the European bee (itself of
Asiatic origin) may now be found wild at great distances from any
human habitation. We cannot name with certainty the precise
species alluded to by Dampier.
J Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 1 12. Ibid. p. 113.
270 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
pleasant and refreshing draught. On great occasions
a little honey was mixed with it; but a much
stronger potion was made of parched corn and
anotta, which was drunk without straining. They
also reared abundance of turkeys, ducks, and fowls,
the padre exacting his tithe so rigorously, that it
was necessary to procure his license before they dared
to kill one. They likewise raised cotton, and manu-
factured their own clothing, which for both sexes
was decent and becoming.*
All marriages were contracted under the sanc-
tion of the village-priest, the men entering into
wedlock at the age of fourteen, the women at
twelve; and if at these years they had made no choice,
the padre selected for them. These early unions
were one means of securing the power and increasing
the gains of the clergyman ; while the young couples
were contented, happy, and affectionate. They in-
habited good houses, lived in comfort by the sweat
of their brows, and kept the holidays of the church in
gayety under the direction of their spiritual guides,
who not only permitted them the recreation of pipe,
tabor, hautboy and drum, but even lent them vi-
zards, peruques, and ornaments for the mummings
and other amusements which they practised. The
churches were lofty when compared with the ordi-
nary dwelling-houses ; and were ornamented with
coarse pictures of tawny or bronze-coloured saints
and madonnas, recommended to the Indians by the
tint of the native complexion. To their good padres
the villagers were submissive and devoted. t
We cannot here follow the minute account which
Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 114 f Hd- pp. 114, 1 15.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 271
Dampier has given of all the rivers of Campeachy
during his cruise of eleven months.* The most
westerly point that he visited was Alvarado, to
which the Buccaneers with whom he sailed went in
two barks, having thirty men in each. The river
flows through a fertile country, diversified with Spa-
nish towns and Indian villages. At its mouth is a
small fort, on a sandy declivity, mounting six guns ;
the banks on each side being about 200 feet high.t
This place, which the freebooters attacked, held
out stoutly five hours, so that the neighbourhood
was alarmed, and the inhabitants of the adjoining
town escaped in their boats, with all their money
and the greater part of their other goods. The
pirates had ten men killed or desperately wounded ;
and when they landed next morning to pillage, for
it was dark before the fort yielded, little spoil was
found, except twenty or thirty bullocks, which they
killed, salted, and sent on board, together with some
fish, Indian corn, and abundance of poultry. They
also brought away many tame parrots of a very
beautiful species, distinguished by having yellow and
scarlet hues curiously blended together, being the
largest birds of their kind which he at any time saw
in the West Indies. " They would prate," says he,
lt very prettily." J
Though the booty obtained was not of much value,
yet the ships were crowded with provisions, chests,
hen-coops, and parrots' cages. While they were in
this incommoded state, seven armadilloes, detached
from Vera Cruz in pursuit of them, were descried
making all sail into the river. Not a moment was
* Voyages, voL ii. part ii. chap. vi. p. 117-127.
t Ibid. p. 123. $ Ibid. pp. 128, 129.
272 ADVENTURES AMONG THE
to be lost : clearing their decks of lumber by throw-
ing all overboard, they got under weigh, and passed
the bar before the enemy, who could with difficulty
stem the current, had reached the mouth of the es-
tuary.* The Spanish vessels were to windward, and
a few shots were of necessity exchanged. The Toro,
the admiral's bark, of itself more than a match
for the freebooters, carried 10 pieces and 100 men ;
while their whole force was diminished to 50 men
and two ships, one of which carried six, the other only
a couple of guns. Another of the hostile squadron car-
ried four guns, with 80 men, and the remaining five,
though they were not mounted with cannon, had
each 60 or 70 men armed with muskets. f( As soon,"
says Dampier, " as we were over the bar, we got
our larboard tacks aboard, and stood to the eastward
as nigh the wind as we could lie. The Spaniards
came away quartering on us, and our ship being the
headmost, the Toro came directly towards us, de-
signing to board us. We kept firing at her, in hopes
to have lamed either mast or yard ; but failing,
just as she was sheering aboard we gave her a good
volley, and presently clapped the helm a- weather,
wore our ship, and got our starboard tacks aboard,
and stood to the westward, and so left the Toro ;
but were saluted by all the small craft as we passed
them, who stood to the eastward after the Toro, that
was now in pursuit and close to our consort. We
stood to the westward till we were against the river's
mouth, then we tacked, and by the help of the cur-
rent that came out of the river we were near a mile
to windward of them all. Then we made sail to
* Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. p. 129.
WOOD-CUTTERS AND BUCCANEERS. 273
assist our consort, who was hard put to it; but on
our approach the Toro edged away toward the shore,
as did all the rest, and stood away for Alvarado;
and we, glad of the deliverance, went away to the
eastward, and visited all the rivers in our return
again to Trist."*
Such visits produced little advantage. They were
more successful in their search for munjack, " a sort
of pitch or bitumen which we find in a lump washed
up by the sea, and left dry on all the sandy bays of
the coast." This substance they tempered with tal-
low or oil, and employed as pitch for repairing their
ships and canoes.t
On the return of Dam pier to the island of Trist,
the effects of the dismal hurricane of the former
year had disappeared, and he resumed his labours
among the woodmen. This employment was pro-
bably more lucrative than his buccaneering cruise,
as in the course of the following season he was able
to visit England, intending to return to the Bay
when he had seen his friends. He sailed for Jamaica
in April 1678, and in the beginning of August
reached London.
Cutting dye-wood was still a profitable though a
laborious pursuit j and he shrewdly remarks, that
though it was not his business to determine how
far the English had a right to engage in it, he was
sure the Spaniards never received less damage
from the persons who usually followed that occu-
pation than when they had exchanged the musket
for the axe, and the deck of the privateer for the
logwood-grove. J
Voyages, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 129, 130.
f Ibid. p. 130. * Ibid. p. 131.
274 ADVENTURES, &c.
During his short residence in England at this
time he must have married ; for we learn long
afterwards, while he lay off the Bashee or Five
Islands, that he had left a wife at home, as, in
compliment to the Duke of Grafton, he named the
northernmost of that group Grafton's Isle, " hav-
ing," as he says, " married my wife out of his
duchess' family, and leaving her at Arlington
House at my going abroad."*
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 422.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 275
CHAPTER VIII.
Adventures with the Buccaneers.
Dam pier leaves England for Jamaica Joins the Buccaneers
Assault of Porto Bello Description of the Mosquito Indians
Their Ingenuity in Fishing In using the Harpoon Acuteness
of their Senses Their Customs The Buccaneers under Captain
Sharp cross the Isthmus of Darien Sea-fight in the Road of
Panama Differences among the Buccaneers Sharp leaves the
South Sea Retreat of Dampier and a Party of Buccaneers across
the Isthmus Difficulties of the Journey They reach the Sam-
ballas Isles Cruise of Dampier with the Buccaneers Adven-
tures of Wafer among the Indians of the Darien Carthagena
and the Monastery there Pearl-fishery Dutch Governor
Wreck of the French Fleet Stratagem of a French Buccaneer
Pillage of Rio de la Hacha The Tropic-bird Iguanas Negro
Doctor Dampier's farther Adventures indicated.
AFTER spending five or six months with his wife
and friends, Dampier, in the beginning of 1679,
sailed as a passenger for the West Indies, intending
immediately to return to his old trade and com-
panions in the Bay of Cain peachy. He took out goods,
which he meant to exchange at Jamaica for the
commodities most in request among the wood-cut-
ters.* Instead, however, of prosecuting this design,
he remained in the island all that year, and by some
means was enabled to purchase a small property in
Dorsetshire. This new possession he was about to
* Voyages, vol. i. p. i. Introduction.
276 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
visit, when induced to engage in a trading voyage
to the Mosquito Shore ; by means of which, as it
was likely to be profitable, he was anxious to realize
a little more money before returning to England to
settle for life. He accordingly embarked, having
previously sent home the title-deeds of his estate.
Soon after leaving * Port- Royal, his captain came
to anchor in a bay at the west end of the island,
where were found Cox on, Sawkins, Sharp, and
" other privateers," as he gently terms these the most
noted piratical commanders of that period. The
whole crew deserted the merchantman to join the
Buccaneers; and the Mosquito voyage being thus
frustrated, Dampier " was the more easily per-
suaded to go with them too."*
Their first attempt was on Porto Bello, of which
assault he gives no account, and it is probable he
was not present at the capture. Two hundred men
were landed ; and the better to prevent alarm, this
was accomplished at such a distance from the town
that it took them three days to reach it. A negro
at length gave notice, but not before they were so close
upon his heels that the inhabitants were completely
taken by surprise, and fled in every direction. The
freebooters continued their plunder two days and
nights, though in momentary expectation of the
country rising upon them; but, stimulated by avarice
and rapacity, they were unable to tear themselves
away from this scene of devastation.
To the shame of the Spaniards they got clear off,
and found their individual shares amount to 160
pieces of eight. Elated by this success, they re-
* Voyages, vol. i. p. iii. Introduction.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 277
solved immediately to march across the Isthmus.
They conceived that such strokes of good fortune as
they had now enjoyed could not again be expected
on the eastern shores of America, and, besides, their
imaginations had been for some time running upon
the boundless wealth of the South Seas. They re-
mained about a fortnight at the Samballas, and dur-
ing this time, preparatory to their grand attempt,
endeavoured to conciliate the Indians of the Darien
by trifling gifts and many fair promises.* They
also persuaded some of the Mosquito-men to join
them, who were not only active auxiliaries in all
marauding expeditions, but, on account of their ex-
pertness in fishing and striking turtle and manatee,
were useful either in peace or war. Of this tribe,
so long the friends, and, as they named themselves,
the subjects of Britain, Dampier has given an ex-
ceedingly interesting account. In his time the clan
or sept properly so distinguished must have been
very small, as the fighting-men did not amount to
a hundred. They inhabited a tract on the coast near
Cape Gracias a Dios, stretching between Cape Hon-
duras and Nicaragua. " They are," says he, " very
ingenious at throwing the lance, fisgig, harpoon, or
any manner of dart, being bred to it from their in-
fancy; for the children, imitating their parents,
never go abroad without a lance in their hands,
which they throw at any object till use hath made
them masters of the art.t Then they learn to put
by a lance, arrow, or dart ; the manner is thus :
Two boys stand at a small distance, and dart a
blunt stick at one another, each of them holding
* Voyages, vol. i. p. iii. Introduction. -f- Ibid. pp. 7> 8.
278 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
a small stick in his right hand, with which he
strikes away that which is darted at him. As
they grow in years they become more dexterous and
courageous ; and then they will stand a fair mark
to any one that will shoot arrows at them, which
they will put by with a very small stick no bigger
than the rod of a fowling-piece ; and when they are
grown to be men they will guard themselves from
arrows though they come very thick at them, pro-
vided two do not happen to come at once. They
have extraordinary good eyes, and will descry a sail
at sea farther and see any thing better than we.
Their chiefest employment in their own country is
to strike fish, turtle, or manatee. For this they are
esteemed and coveted by all privateers, for one or
two of them in a ship will maintain 100 men ; so
that when we careen our ships we choose commonly
such places where there is plenty of turtle or ma-
natee for these Mosquito-men to strike, and it is
very rare to find a privateer destitute of one or more
of them, when the commander and most of the men
are English ; but they do not love the French, and
the Spaniards they hate mortally."*
" They are tall, well made, raw-boned, lusty,
strong, and nimble of foot, long-visaged, lank black
hair, look stern, hard-favoured, and of a dark
copper-colour complexion. When they come among
privateers they get the use of guns, and prove very
good marksmen. They behave themselves very bold
in fight, and never seem to flinch nor hang back ;
for they think that the white men with whom they
are know better than they do when it is best to
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 8.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 279
fight; and let the disadvantage of their party be
never so great, they will never yield nor give back
while any of their party stand. I could never
perceive/' he continues, " any religion nor any ce-
remonies or superstitious observations among them,
being ready to imitate us in whatsoever they saw us
do at any time. Only they seem to fear the devil,
whom they call Willesaw ; and they say he often
appears to some among them, whom our men com-
monly call their priests, when they desire to speak
with him on urgent business. They all say they
must not anger him, for then he will beat them ;
and he sometimes carries away these their priests.*
They marry but one wife, with whom they live till
death separates them. At their first coming together
the man makes a very small plantation ; and they
delight to settle near the sea, or by some river,
for the sake of striking fish, their beloved em-
ployment. After the man hath cleared a spot of
land, and hath planted it, he seldom minds it after-
terward, but leaves the managing of it to his wife,
and he goes out a-striking. Sometimes he seeks
only for fish, at other times for turtle or manatee,
and whatever he gets he brings home to his wife
and never stirs out to seek for more till it is eaten.
When hunger begins to bite, he either takes his
canoe and seeks for more game at sea, or walks
out into the woods and hunts forpecaree and waree,
each a sort of wild-hogs, or deer, and seldom re-
turns empty-handed, nor seeks any more so long as
any of it lasts. Their plantations have not above
twenty or thirty plan tain- trees, a bed of yams and po-
* Voyages, vo!. i. p. 9.
280 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
tatoes, a bush of Indian pepper, and a small spot of
pine-apples, from which they make a sort of drink, to
which they invite each other to be merry. Whoever
of them makes of this liquor treats his neighbours,
providing fish and flesh also."*
At their drinking-matches they often quarrelled,
but the women prevented mischief by hiding their
weapons. They were kind and civil to the English,
who endeavoured to retain the regard of such use-
ful friends; but for this purpose it was necessary to let
them have their own way in every thing, and to
return home the moment they desired it. If con-
tradicted there was an end of their services ; and
though turtle and fish abounded, they would ma-
nage to kill nothing. They called themselves, as
has been stated, subjects of the King of England,
and not unfrequently visited Jamaica, esteeming
the governor of that island to be one of the greatest
princes in the world. t In subsequent periods, how-
ever, the fidelity and regard of this brave and in-
genious tribe were ungratefully requited by their
powerful allies.
The Buccaneers commenced their march across
the Isthmus on the 5th April 1680, about 330
strong, each armed with a hanger, fusil, and pistol,
and provided with several cakes of the bread which
they called dough- boys. Their generalissimo was
Captain Sharp ; and the men, marshalled in divi-
sions, proceeded in something like military order,
with flags and ensigns. They were accompanied by
those Indians of Darien who were the hereditary
enemies of the Spaniards, whom they had subsi-
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 9, 10. f Ibid. pp. 10, 11.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 281
dized with the hatchets, knives, beads, and toys,
which they obtained at Porto Bello. These auxi-
liaries furnished them with plantains, venison, and
fruit, in exchange for European commodities. The
march was easily performed, and in nine days they
reached Santa Maria, which was taken without op-
position, though this did not prevent the exercise of
much cruelty ; the Indians deliberately butchering
many of the inhabitants. The plunder falling far
short of the expectations of the freebooters, made
them the more desirous to push forward. They ac-
cordingly embarked in canoes and pirogues, on a
river of the same name, which falls into the Gulf of
San Miguel, having previously, in their summary
way, deposed Sharp, and chosen Captain Coxon for
commander.*
They had no sooner reached the Bay than they
captured a small vessel, on board of which a party
established themselves, happy, after being so long
cramped and confined in the canoes, to tread again
the deck of a ship. At this time they divided into
small parties, first appointing a rendezvous at the
island of Chepillo, situated in the mouth of the river
Cheapo. Dampier was with Sharp, who went to
the Pearl Islands in search of provisions.
In a few days the whole body mustered for the
attack of Panama ; and on the 23d April engaged
three Spanish ships in the road, of which two were
taken by boarding, while the third got off. The
onset was fierce and sanguinary; the assailants hav-
ing eighteen killed and twenty-two wounded. Nor
was the resistance less vigorous and brave ; for the
* Ringrose's Account of the Voyage of Captain Sharp, &c. ia
Buccaneers of America, part iv. p. 4-12.
282 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
Spanish commander with many of his people fell
before the action terminated. Even after this vic-
tory the Buccaneers did not consider themselves
strong enough to attack Panama, but they con-
tinued to cruise in the Bay, making valuable prizes.
In the late fight Captain Sawkins had greatly dis-
tinguished himself by courage and conduct ; and a
quarrel breaking out while Coxon was absent, he was
chosen to fill his place. He had not many days
enjoyed this office, when, in an attack on Puebla
Nueva, he was killed leading on his men to the as.
sault of a breastwork ; and on his death, Sharp, the
second in command, showing faint heart, they all
retreated. New discontents arose, and the party
once more divided, not being able to agree in the
choice of a leader ; at length those who remained in
the South Sea, among whom was Dampier, decided
in favour of Sharp. For some months he cruised
on the coast of Peru, occasionally landing to pillage
small towns and villages j and on Christmas-day*
anchored in a harbour at the island of Juan Fer-
nandez to rest and refit. Here they obtained abund-
ance of cray-fish, lobsters, and wild-goats, which
were numerous ; and now Sharp, who had always
l>een unpopular, was once more formally deposed,
and Captain Watling elected in his stead.t
Having enjoyed themselves till the 12th January,
they were greatly alarmed by the appearance of
three Spanish ships of war, which they concluded to
be in pursuit of them. They accordingly proceeded to
* At any season of the year, when the Buccaneers, after a period
of watching and toil, had" obtained booty, provisions, and liquor,
they often retired to some of their nearest haunting-places, " to
keep a Christmas," as they chose to term their revel.
f Voyages, vol. i. p. v. Introduction.
6
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 283
sea in all haste, leaving in their trepidation one of
the Mosquito Indians named William upon the
desert island.
They again cruised along the coast, and their at-
tacks on the Spanish settlements were resumed.
But in attempting to capture Arica, Watling was
killed, and his men completely repulsed, having had
a narrow escape from being all made prisoners.
For want of a more competent leader, Sharp was
again raised to the command ; and the Pacific having
so greatly disappointed their hopes, many of them
were now disposed to re- cross the Isthmus. But
they were far from being unanimous, for one party
would not continue under their chief, while another
wished to try their fortunes still further on the
western coast. It was therefore resolved that the
majority should retain the ship, and that the others
should have the long-boat and canoes.* Sharp's
party proving the more numerous, they cruised in
the South Sea, on the coast of Patagonia and Chili,
for the remainder of the season, and early in 1682
returned to the West Indies by doubling Cape Horn.
The captain soon afterwards going home, was tried
in England with several of his men for piracy, but
escaped conviction.
In the minority which withdrew from him was
Dampier, who appears at this time to have been little
distinguished among his companions. The party
consisted of forty- four Europeans, a Spanish Indian,
and two Mosquito-men, all bearing arms.t Their
object was to recross the Isthmus, an undertaking
of no small difficulty, as well from the nature of
* Voyages, vol. i. p. v. Introduction. -f- Ibid. p. 1.
284 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
the country as from the hostility of the Spaniards.
Before they left the ship they entered into a mutual
engagement, that if any of them should be unable
to complete the journey he should be shot by his
comrades, as one man falling into the hands of the
enemy must betray the others to certain destruc-
tion.* At the end of a fortnight they landed
at the mouth of a river in the Bay of San Mi-
guel, where taking out all their provisions, arms,
and clothing, they sunk their boat.t During the
few hours they spent in preparing for the march, the
Mosquito-men caught some fish, which afforded one
plentiful meal to the whole party ; after which they
commenced their journey in the afternoon of the
1st of May 1681. At night they constructed huts,
in which they slept, and in the morning, striking
into an Indian path, they came to a village, where
they obtained refreshments. They heard, however,
with some uneasiness, that they were at no great dis-
tance from the Spaniards, who had placed ships at
the mouths of the rivers to look out for them and in-
tercept their return. Next day they proceeded with
a hired guide, and reached the dwelling of a native,
who received them with sullen churlishness, which
in ordinary times they would ill have brooked;
" though this was neither a time nor place to be
angry with the Indians, all our lives lying at their
hands."J The offer of dollars, hatchets, and long
knives, had no effect on this intractable savage,
till one of the seamen, taking a sky-coloured pet-
ticoat from his bag, threw it over the lady of the
* Wafer's New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of Ame-
rica (I vol. 8vo, London, 1699), p. 7-
f Dampier's Voyages, vol. i. p. 7- Ibid. p. 13.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 285
house, who was so much delighted with the gift,
that she soon put her husband into better humour ;
and he now not only gave them information, but
found them a guide.* During both days rain fell
in torrents, but they were still too near hostile gar-
risons and guard-ships to mind the weather. The
country was difficult and fatiguing, without any
trace of a path, as the Indians trusted to the direc-
tion of the rivers, which they were sometimes com-
pelled to cross twenty or thirty times in a day.
Rain, hardship, and hunger, soon expelled all fear
of the Spaniards, who were, besides, not likely to
follow them into these intricate solitudes.t
On the fifth day they reached the dwelling of a
young native, a civilized person, who had lived
with the Bishop of Panama, and spoke the Spa-
nish language fluently. He received them kindly,
and though unable to provide for the wants of so
many men, freely gave what he had. This included
plenty of eggs, yams, and potatoes, but no flesh, ex-
cept two fat monkeys, which they had shot and
given to those among their company who were weak
and sickly.^ At this place they rested to dry their
clothes and ammunition, and to clean their fire-arms.
While thus employed Mr Wafer, their surgeon,
had his knee so much scorched by an accidental ex-
plosion of gunpowder, that, after dragging himself
forward during another day, he was forced to re-
main behind his companions, together with one or
two more who had been exhausted by the march.
He dwelt among the Indians of the Darien three
* " She immediately began to chatter to her husband, and soon
brought him into better humour." Voyages, vol. i. p. 13.
f Ibid, p. 14. Ibid.
ZOO ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
months, and has left an account which is considered
the best we yet possess of those tribes.*
The march was continued in very bad weather,
this being the commencement of the rainy season,
when thunder and lightning are most violent. As
the bottoms of the valleys and the rivers' banks
were now overflowed, instead of constructing huts
every night for their repose, they were often obliged
to seek a resting-place and to sleep under trees. To
add to their hardships their slaves deserted, carrying
off whatever they could lay their hands upon.t
Before leaving the ship, foreseeing the difficulties
of the journey, and the necessity of perpetually ford-
ing the rivers, Dampier had taken the precaution to
deposite his journal in a bamboo-cane, closed at both
ends with wax ; an expedient by which his papers
were secured.^ In crossing one where the current
ran exceedingly strong, a man, who carried his
whole fortune of three hundred dollars on his back,
was swept away and drowned ; and so completely
exhausted were his comrades, that, fond as they were
of gold, they would not at this time take the trouble
to recover the lost treasure.
It was on the twenty-third day that the adven-
turers reached the river Conception, where they ob-
tained canoes, in which they proceeded to La Sound's
Key, one of the Samballas Islands, which were much
frequented by men of their order. Here they enter-
ed on board a French privateer commanded by Cap-
tain Tristian ; and, with better faith than freebooters
usually displayed, generously rewarded their Indian
guides with money, toys, and hatchets, before they
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 15. Wafer's Voyage. -f- Ibid. p. 16.
J Ibid. Ibid. p. 17.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 287
dismissed them.* The Buccaneers of this time were
somewhat less ferocious in manners than those under
Morgan and L'Olonnois, though it never entered
into their thoughts that there could be any wrong
in robbing the Spaniards. Sawkins and Watling
maintained stricter discipline than had been custom-
ary in former periods, approximating in this respect
to the regulations of a ship of war. They even made
the Sabbath be observed with outward signs of re-
spect. The former, on one occasion when his men,
who like all other pirates were inveterate gamblers,
played on that day, flung the dice overboard.
Two days after they had gone on board Tristian's
vessel, he left La Sound's for Springer's Key, another
of the Samballas, where eight vessels then lay, the
crews of which had unanimously formed the de-
sign of crossing to Panama.t From this expedition
they were, however, diverted by the dismal report
given by their new friends; and the assault of
other places was accordingly taken into consideration.
They had now an intimate knowledge of every
town upon the coast from Trinidad to Vera Cruz,
and for twenty leagues into the interior ; including
an acquaintance with the strength and wealth of each,
as well as with the number and quality of the in-
habitants. The preliminary consultations lasted a
week, as the French and English could not agree ;
but at last they sailed for Carpenter's River, going
first towards the Isle of San Andreas.^ In a gale
the ships were separated ; and Dampier being left
with foreigners, conceived such a deep dislike to them,
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 22. f Ibid. vol. i. p 26.
$ Ibid. pp. 29, 30.
288 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
that he and some others who had crossed the Isth-
mus induced Captain Wright, a countryman of
their own, to fit up a small vessel, with which they
cruised along the coast in search of provisions. The
Mosquito- men caught turtle, while they themselves
hunted in the woods for pecaree, rvaree, deer,
quaums, parrots, pigeons, and Curassow birds,* and
also monkeys, which in times of hardship were es-
teemed a delicate morsel. At one place several of the
men were suddenly taken ill after eating land-crabs
which had fed upon the fruit of the manchineel-tree ;
all animals that use this vegetable being avoided as
unwholesome, if not poisonous. In selecting wild-
fruits they were guided by the birds, freely eating
whatever kind had been pecked; and no bird, it
was observed, ever touched the manchineel.t
On returning to La Sound's Key they were joined
by Mr Wafer. He had been all the while generously
* Of the Curassow birds (genus CY<r), so named, we presume,
from Curassow in Guiana, several species are known to naturalists.
They belong to the gallinaceous order, and are of large size, easily
domesticated, and much esteemed for the flavour of their flesh.
They feed on fruits and seeds, and build as well as pereh on trees.
Many of them are distinguished by a singular contoi tion in the
trachea or windpipe, of which an account was published by Dr
Latham in the fourth volume of theZ,mre. Trans. The crested
Curassow (Crnx a lector) is a beautiful bird, nearly three feet in
length. It inhabits Guiana, Mexico, Brazil, and Paraguay. A
curious variety, or hybrid, is described by Temminck as having
sprung from the intermixture of this species with the Crax rubra.
This latter species has likewise a fine crest, and is nearly as large
as a Turkey. The globe-bearing Curassow (Crax ylobifera.) is
characterized by a remarkable tubercle at the base of the beak.
The whole of the plumage is of a fine black, with a tinge of green ;
the abdomen, under tail-coverts, and tips of the tail-feathers, are
white. It inhabits Guiana. A new species, called the carunculated
Curassow (Crax carunculata), was discovered and described by
M. Temminck. The upper parts of the plumage are black, with
green reflections ; the abdomen is of a chestnut colour. It mea-
sures about three feet in length, and inhabits Brazil.
f Voyages, voL i. pp. 38, 39.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 289
entertained by an Indian chief, who offered him his
daughter in marriage, and grudged him nothing
save the liberty of departing. From this kind in-
dividual he escaped under pretence of going in search
of dogs to be employed in hunting, the other being
a ware of the superiority which these animals gave to
the Spaniards in the chase. The surgeon had been
painted by the women, and his own clothes being
worn out, he was now dressed, or rather undressed,
like the natives ; whom, under this disguise, he re-
sembled so much, that it was some time before
Dampier recognised his old acquaintance. Wafer's
own account of the recognition is humorous and
graphic: " The four Englishmen with me were
presently known and caressed by the ship's crew ;
but I sat a while cringing upon my hams among
the Indians after their fashion, painted as they were,
and all naked but only about the waist, and with my
nose-piece hanging over my mouth. I was willing
to try if they would know me in this disguise, and
'twas the better part of an hour before one of the
crew, looking more narrowly upon me, cried out,
' Here's our doctor !' "*
From the Samballas they cruised towards Cartha-
gena, which they passed, having a fair view of the
city, and casting longing eyes upon the rich monas-
tery built on the steep hill behind it. This edifice,
dedicated to the Virgin, is, says the nautical journa-
list, " a place of incredible wealth, by reason of the
offerings made here continually ; and for this reason
often in danger of being visited by the privateers,
did not the neighbourhood of Carthagena keep them
Wafer's Voyage, p. 42.
290 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
in awe. 'Tis, in short, the very Loretto of the West
Indies, and hath innumerable miracles related of it.
Any misfortune that befalls the privateers is attri-
buted to this Lady's doing; and the Spaniards re-
port that she was abroad that night the Oxford
man-of-war was blown up at the Isle of Vacca, and
that she came home all wet j as belike she often re-
turns with her clothes dirty and torn with passing
through woods and bad ways when she has been out
upon any expedition, deserving doubtless a new suit
for such eminent pieces of service/'*
The party of Captain Wright pillaged several
small places about Rio de la Hacha and the Ran-
cheries, which were the head-quarters of a Spa-
nish pearl-fishery. The pearl-banks lay about four
or five leagues from the shore. In prosecuting this
branch of industry, the Indians dived and brought
up full the baskets previously let down ; and when
their boats were filled, they went ashore, and the
oysters were opened by the old men, women, and
children, under the inspection of an overseer.t
A short time afterwards the adventurers cap-
tured an armed ship of twelve guns and forty men,
"laden with sugar, tobacco, and marmalade, bound
to Carthagena from St Jago in Cuba. By the mode
of selling this cargo some insight is afforded into
the mysteries of buccaneering. It was offered first
to the Dutch governor of Curacoa, who having, as
he said, a great trade with the Spaniards, could not
openly admit the freebooters to his island, though
he directed them to go to St Thomas's, which be-
longed to the Danes, whither he would send a sloop
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 42. f Ibid. p. 43.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 291
with such commodities as they required, and take
the sugar off their hands. The rovers, however, de-
clined the terms suggested by this cautious ruler, and
sailed to another Dutch colony, where they found
a better merchant. From hence they departed for
the Isle of Aves, which, as its name imports, abound-
ed in fowls, especially boobies and men-of-war-birds.
The latter was about the size of a kite, black, with
a red throat. It lives on fish, yet never lights in the
water ; but, soaring aloft like the kite, ' ' when it
sees its prey, it flies down head foremost to the
water's edge, very swiftly takes its prey out of the
sea with its bill, and immediately mounts again as
swiftly/'*
On a coral reef near the south side of this island
the Count d'Estrees had shortly before, in a dark
night, lost the French fleet. Firing guns to warn
those that followed him to avoid the danger, they
imagined that he was engaged with the enemy, and
crowding all sail, ran upon destruction. The ships
held together till next day, when part of the crews
got on shore, though many perished. Dampier relates
that the ordinary seamen who landed died of fatigue
and famine, while such of them as had been Buc-
caneers, " being used to such accidents, lived mer-
rily j and if they had gone to Jamaica with 30
a-man in their pockets, could not have enjoyed
themselves more ; for they kept in a gang by them-
selves, and watched when the ships broke, to get
the goods that came from them ; and though much
was staved against the rocks, yet abundance of wine
and brandy floated over the reef, where they waited
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 45, 46, 4J.
292 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
to take it up." The following anecdote of the
wrecked crew presents a dreadful picture : " There
were about forty French men onboard one of theships,
where there was good store of liquor, till the after-
part of her broke away, and floated over the reef, and
was carried away to sea, with all the men drinking
and singing, who being in drink, did not mind the
danger, but were never heard of afterwards."*
After a brief space, this island was the scene of
a clever trick, which Dampier relates with some
glee. Those numerous wrecks had left the coast
a perfect arsenal of masts, yards, and other tim-
bers, and thither the Buccaneers repaired to careen
and refit their ships, and among others Captain
Pain, a native of France. A Dutch vessel of twenty
guns, despatched from Cura9oa to bring off the
cannon lost on the reef, descried the privateer,
which she resolved to capture before engaging in
the business of her voyage. Pain abandoned his
brig, which he saw no chance of preserving, but
brought ashore some of his guns, and resolved to
defend himself as long as possible. While his men
were thus employed, he perceived at a distance a
Dutch sloop entering the road, and in the evening
found her anchored at the west end of the island.
During the night, with two canoes, he boarded and
took her, found considerable booty, and made off,
leaving his empty vessel as a prize to the man-of-
war.t
At this island the English party remained some
time, careened the largest ship, scrubbed a sugar-
prize formerly taken, and recovered two guns from
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 47, 50, 51. f Ibid - PP- 51 > 52 -
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 293
the wreck of D'Estrees' fleet. They afterwards
went to the Isles of Rocas, where they fell in with
a French frigate of thirty-six guns ; and the captain,
who was a Knight of Malta, bought ten tons of their
sugar. To Dampier he and his lieutenant were
particularly attentive, and offered him every en-
couragement to enter their navy, a temptation
which he resisted from feelings of patriotism.*
Here he saw, besides men-of-war- birds, boobies,
and noddies, numbers of the tropic-bird. t It was
as big as a pigeon, round and plump like a partridge,
and all white, save two or three light- gray feathers
in the wing. One long feather or quill, about seven
inches in length, growing out of the rump, is all the
tail these birds have. They are never seen far with-
out the tropics, but are met with at a great dis-
tance from land. J After taking in what water could
be obtained, they left Rocas and went to Salt Tor-
tuga, so called to distinguish it from Dry Tortuga
near Cape Florida, and from the Tortuga of the first
Buccaneers, near Hispaniola, which place was now
better known as Petit Guaves. They expected to
sell the remainder of their sugar to the English ves-
sels which came there for salt ; but not succeeding,
they sailed for Blanco, an island north of Margar-
ita, and thirty leagues from the Main. It was
uninhabited, flat and low, being mostly savannah,
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 52.
f- There are several species of tropic-bird ; but the one alluded
to above is the Phaet-m ethereu* of naturalists, remarkable for its
restriction to the regions from which it derives its English name.
It feeds on fish, and is characterized by a singular degree of ease
and gracefulness in its mode of flight. It inhabits the Atlantic
Ocean and the South J*ea, and its pure and pearly plumage is dis-
tinguished by a lustre like that of satin.
Voyages, vol. i. p. 53.
294 ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS.
with a few wooded spots, in which flourished the
lignum mice. Iguanas, or guanoes, as they were
commonly called in the West Indies, abounded here.
They resembled the lizard species, but were bigger,
about the size of the small of a man's leg. From the
hind-quarter the tail tapered to the point; and if
seized by it near the extremity, it broke off at a
joint, and the animal escaped. They are amphi-
bious creatures ; but both their eggs 'and flesh were
highly esteemed by the Buccaneers, who made soup
of the latter for their sick. There were many spe-
cies found at Blanco, living on land or water, in the
swamps, among bushes, or on trees. Green turtle
also frequented this island.* The pirates returned
to Salt Tortuga, and went from thence, after four
days, to the coast of the Caraccas.
. While cruising on that shore, they landed in some
of the bays, and took seven or eight tons of cocoa,
and afterwards three barks, one laden with hides,
another with brandy and earthenware, and a third
with European goods. With these prizes they re-
turned to the Rocas to divide the spoil ; after which
Dampier and nineteen others, out of a company of
sixty, took one of the vessels, and with their share
of the plunder held their course direct for Virginia,
which was reached in July 1682.t
Of the thirteen months which he spent in Vir-
ginia he has left no distinct record ; but from another
portion of his memoirs it may be gathered that
he suffered from sickness during most of the time.
His disease was not more singular than was the
mode of cure practised by a negro Esculapius, whose
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 56, 57. "\ Ibid. pp. 64, 65.
ADVENTURES WITH THE BUCCANEERS. 295
appropriate fee was a white cock. The disease was
what is called the Guinea-worm. " These worms,"
says he, " are no bigger than a large brown thread,
but (as I have heard) five or six yards long, and
if it breaks in drawing out, that part which re-
mains in the flesh will putrefy, and be very pain-
ful, and endanger the patient's life. I was in
great torment before it came out. My leg and
ankle swelled, and looked very red and angry,
and I kept a plaster to it to bring it to a head. At
last, drawing off my plaster, out came about three
inches of the worm, and my pain abated presently.
Till then I was ignorant of my malady, and the
gentlewoman at whose house I was took it (the
worm) for a nerve, but I knew well enough what
it was, and presently rolled it up on a small stick.
After that I opened it every morning and evening,
and strained it out gently, about two inches at a
time, not without pain." The negro doctor first
stroked the place affected, then applied some rough
powder to it, like tobacco-leaves crumbled, next
muttered a spell, blew upon the part three times,
waved his hands as often, and said that in three
days it would be well. It proved so, and the sti-
pulated fee of the white cock was gladly paid.*
The next adventure of Dampier was the circum-
navigation of the globe, a voyage extending to
about eight years, which, in point of interest and
variety, has seldom been surpassed.
* Voyages, vol. ii. pp. 90, 91.
296 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
CHAPTER IX.
Circumnavigation of the Globe.
Dampier's new VoyageCape de Verd Isles Bachelor's Delight
Falkland Isles Mosquito WiJliara Nautical Remarks of
Dam pier Junction of Cook and Eaton The Galapagos Islands
Death of Cook Escape of the Buccaneers Descent at Ama-
palla Spanish Indians The Buccaneers separate La Plata
and Manta The Cygnet joins the Buccaneers Descent on Paita
Attempt on Guayaquil Darapier's Scheme of working the
Mines Indians of St Jago The Buccaneers watch the Plate-
fleet Battle in the Bay of Panama Assault of Leon Dam pier
remains in the Cygnet His Sickness Crosses the Pacific
Island of Guahan Mindanao Its Customs The Buccaneers
desert Swan Future Cruise of the Cygnet Pulo Condore The
Bashee Isles Character and Manners of the Islanders Cruise
to New Holland The Country and People The Nicobar Isl-
ands Dampier leaves the Buccaneers His Voyage to Acheen
Voyages with Captains Bowry and Weldon Remains at
Bencoolen Prince Jeoly Dampier's Return to England Pub-
lication of his Voyages.
AMONG the companions of Dampier in his journey
across the Isthmus, and in his subsequent cruise, was
Mr John Cook, a Creole, born in St Christopher's,
and a man of good capacity. He had acted as
quarter- master, or second in command, under Cap-
tain Yanky, a French Flibustier, who at this time
held a commission as a privateer. By the ordi-
nary laws of that fraternity, when a prize fit for
their service was taken, the second in command
was promoted to it, and, in virtue of this title, Cook
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 297
obtained at Isle a la Vache an excellent Spanish
ship. At this, however, the Frenchmen were secretly
discontented, and on the first opportunity they
seized the vessel, plundered the sailors, who were
English, of their arms and goods, and turned them
ashore. Tristian, the captain already named, either
took compassion on some of the number, or hoped
to find them serviceable, for he carried eight or ten
with him to Petit Guaves, among whom were Cook
and Davis.* But they had not lain long there when
he and part of his men being one day on shore,
the English party, in revenge of the late spolia-
tion, overmastered the rest of the crew, and took the
ship. Having sent the men ashore, they sai led for the
island mentioned above, where they picked up their
comrades, and before they could be overtaken, pro-
ceeded to Virginia, where Dampier now was, taking
two prizes by the way, one of which laden with wine
belonged to France.t Having thus committed open
piracy on the commerce of that nation, the West
Indies was no longer a safe latitude for these rovers. J
The wines were therefore sold, together with two
of the ships; and the largest prize, which car-
ried eighteen guns, was named the Revenge, and
equipped for a long voyage. A mong her crew of se-
venty men were most of the adventurers who lately
crossed the Isthmus, including Dampier, Lionel
Wafer, Ambrose Cowley, and the commander, John
Cook. Before embarking on this expedition, they
all subscribed certain rules for maintaining disci-
pline and due subordination, and for the observance
of sobriety.
* Vovages, vol. i. p. 68. f Ibid. p. 69.
J Ibid? Ibid. F
298 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
They sailed from Achamack in Virginia on the
23d August 1683,, captured a Dutch vessel, in which
they found six casks of wine and a quantity of pro-
visions, and near the Cape de Verd Islands en-
countered a storm which raged for a week, " drench-
ing them all like so many drowned rats."* After
this gale they had the winds and weather both fa-
vourable, and anchored at the Isle of Sal, one of the
Cape de Verd group, so named from its numerous
salt-ponds.
A Portuguese at this place, by affecting the mys-
tery which gives so much zest to clandestine bar-
gains, prevailed with one of the crew to purchase
from him a lump of what he called ambergris,
which appears to have been spurious. Of the genuine
substance Dampier relates that he was once shown
a piece separated from a mass weighing upwards of
]00 Ibs. found in the sandy creek of an island in
* In this storm, it is related in Dampier's Voyages (vol. ii. part iii.
p. 64), that the ship was saved by an odd but very simple expe-
dient : The ship was scudding- before wind and sea, under bare
poles, when, by the inadvertence of the master, she was broached
to, and lay in the trough of the sea; the waves at that time run-
ning tremendously high, and threatening to overwhelm her, so that
if one had struck on the deck, she must have foundered. The
person who had committed this nearly fatal mistake, was in a state
of distraction, and shouted for any one to cut away the mizzen-mast,
to give the ship a chance of righting. All was confusion and dis-
may ; the captain and the officer second in command objecting to
this certainly hazardous, and probably useless attempt to save
themselves. The whole crew had given themselves up for lost,
when a seaman called to Dampier to ascend the fore-shrouds with
him ; this the man alleged might make the ship wear, as he had
seen the plan succeed before now. As he spoke he mounted, and
Dampier followed him ; they went half-shrouds up, spread out the
Haps of their coats, and in three minutes the ship wore, though such
had been the violence of the tempest, that the main-sail having got
loose, as many men as could lie on it, assisted by all on deck, were
not able to furl it, though the main-yard was nearly level with the
deck.
CIRCUBINAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 299
the Bay of Honduras. It was discovered by a per-
son of credit, Mr Barker of London, lying dry
above high-water-mark, and in it a multitude of
beetles.* It was, he adds, of a dusky black colour,
the consistence of mellow cheese, and of a very
fragrant scent.t
At the Isle of Sal he first saw the flamingo. It
was in shape like the heron, but larger, and of a
red colour. These creatures kept together in large
flocks, and, standing side by side near the ponds at
which they fed, looked at a distance like a new
brick wall. Their flesh was lean and black, but
not unsavoury, and the fat at the root of their
tongue makes a dish fit for a prince's table.J
From this island they went to St Nicholas, where
the governor and his attendants, though not quite
so tattered in their apparel as the dignitaries of the
same rank in the Isle of Sal, were not very splen-
didly equipped. Here they dug wells, watered the
ship, scrubbed its bottom, and went to Mayo to ob-
tain provisions, but were not suffered to land, as,
about a week before, Captain Bond, a pirate of Bris-
tol, had entrapped some of the people, and carried
them away.
From the Cape de Verd Isles the adventurers in-
tended to hold a direct course to the Straits of Ma-
gellan ; but by adverse weather were compelled to
steer for the Guinea coast, which was made in
* The substance called ambergris, at one time regarded by che-
mists as a kind of petroleum or mineral oil, is now ascertained to be
an animal production, which has its origin in the intestinal canal of
certain species of the whale-tribe. The beetles alluded to in the
text were no doubt accidental ; and their occurrence in the amber-
gris is accounted for by its position above high- water-mark.
f Voyages, vol. i. pp. 73, ;4. % Ibid. p. 71. Ibid. p. 75.
300 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
November, near Sierra Leone. They anchored in
the mouth of the river Sherborough, near a large
Danish ship, which they afterwards took by strata-
gem. While in sight of the Dane, who felt no
alarm at the appearance Of the stranger, most of
the men remained below, no more appearing on deck
than were necessary to manage the sails. As their
design was to make the capture without discovering
their intention, they advanced closely, still wearing
the semblance of a weakly-manned merchant-ves-
sel. When quite close, Captain Cook in a loud
voice commanded the helm to be put one way,
while by a preconcerted plan the steersman shifted
it into the quite opposite direction, and the Re-
venge, as if by accident, suddenly fell on board the
other, which by this dexterous manoeuvre was se-
cured with the loss of only five men. She carried
thirty-six guns, and was at the same time victualled
for a long voyage.*
This fine vessel was, by the exulting conquerors,
named the Bachelor's Delight; and immediately
burning their own, that she " might tell no tales,"
they sent their prisoners on shore, and steered for
Magellan's Straits.t
On the voyage thither, they encountered several
alarming tornadoes, accompanied by thunder, light-
ning, and rain. Many of them were seized with
fever, and one died.J Having little fresh food of
* Cowley's Manuscript Journal, quoted by Burney, Chron. Hist.
Discov. vol. iv. p. 136.
f- It is proper to notice, that we owe these particulars to the
narrative of Cowley. Dampier does not mention this stratagem,
which he must on reflection have thought little to the credit ot the
contrivers.
J Voyages, vol. i. p. 79.
5
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 301
any kind, they caught sharks during the calms,
which they prepared by first boiling and afterwards
stewing them with pepper and vinegar. About the
middle of January they lost one of the surgeons,
who was greatly lamented ; and on the 28th they
made the Falkland Isles, then, however, more ge-
nerally known under the name of Sibald de Weert.'"
These islands are described as rocky and barren,
without trees, and having only some bushes upon
them. Shoals of small lobsters, which coloured the
sea with red spots for a mile round, were seen
here. They were not larger than the tip of a man's
little finger, yet perfect in shape, and having the
colour that other lobsters assume after they are
boiled.t
In the course of their voyage, Dampier, who pos-
sessed more geographical and nautical knowledge
than his companions, endeavoured to persuade Cap-
tain Cook to stop here to procure water, and after-
wards to proceed to Juan Fernandez by doubling
Cape Horn, avoiding the Straits altogether, which,
he judiciously says, " I knew would prove very
dangerous to us, the rather because our jpen being
privateers, and so more wilful and less under com-
mand, would not be so ready to give a watchful
attendance in a passage so little known. For al-
though these men were more under command than
I had ever seen any privateers, yet I could not
expect to find them at a minute's call, in coming
to an anchor or weighing anchor.":}:
But his advice was not taken ; and as westerly
Voyages, vol. i. p. 80. f Ibid. p. 81.
Ibid.
302 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
winds prevented them from making the entrance
of the Straits, on the 6th February they arrived at
the passage of Le Maire. They had only advanced
about four miles, when a strong tide setting north-
ward, " made a short cockling sea/' which ran
every way, as if in a place where two opposing tides
meet ; sometimes breaking over the poop, sometimes
over the waist and the bow, and tossing the ship
"like an egg-shell."*
In the same evening, having a breeze from west-
north-west, they bore away eastward, and the wind
being fresh all night, they passed the east end of
Staten Island next day. Our navigator, on the 7th
at noon, found the latitude to be 54 52' S. ; and
the same night the crew, losing sight of Tierra del
Fuego,saw no other land till they reached the Pacific.
In doubling Cape Horn they were so fortunate as
to collect twenty-three barrels of rain-water, besides
an abundant supply for present consumption.t
On the 3d March they entered the South Sea
with a fresh breeze, which from the south had
shifted to the eastward. On the 9th they were in
latitude 47 10', and on the 17th in latitude 36,
still standing for Juan Fernandez. On the 19th a
strange sail was seen towards the south, bearing full
upon them, which was mistaken for a Spaniard,
but proved to be the Nicholas of London, command-
ed by Captain Eaton, fitted out as a trader, though
in reality a pirate. This officer came on board, related
his adventures, and, like a true brother, gave the
company water, while they spared him a supply of
bread and beef. Together they now steered for
* Voyages, \ol. i. p. 82. f Ibid. p. 83.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 303
the island just mentioned, and on the 23d anchored
in a bay at its southern extremity, in twenty-five
fathoms water.* From their new friend they learned
that there was in the South Sea another London
vessel, the Cygnet, commanded by Captain Swan,
which was really a merchantman, and held a li-
cense from the High Admiral of England. This
ship and the Nicholas, which had proceeded some
time in company, were separated in a gale.t
It may be remembered that when Captain Wat-
ling and his crew escaped from Juan Fernandez
three years before, they had left a Mosquito-man
on the island. This individual, named William,
was the true Robinson Crusoe, the original hermit
of this romantic solitude. Immediately on ap-
proaching it, Dampier and a few others, together
with an Indian named Robin, put off for the shore,
where they soon perceived William standing ready to
give them welcome. From the heights he had seen
the ships on the preceding day, and knowing them
to be English vessels by the way they were worked,
he had killed three goats, and dressed them with
fruit of the cabbage-tree, to have a feast ready on
their arrival. How great was his delight, as the
boat neared the beach, to see Robin leap ashore,
and running up to him, fall flat at his feet ! He
raised up his countryman, embraced him, and in
turn prostrated himself at his feet, who again lifted
him up, when they renewed their embraces. " We
stood with pleasure," says Dampier, " to behold the
surprise, and tenderness, and solemnity of this in-
terview, which was exceedingly affecting on both
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 83, 84. t Ibid. '
304 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
sides ; and when their ceremonies of civility were
over, we also that stood gazing at them drew near,
each of us embracing him we had found here, who
was overjoyed to see so many of his old friends,
come hither, as he thought, purposely to fetch
him."*
At the time William was abandoned, he had
with him in the woods his gun and knife, and a
small quantity of powder and shot. As soon as his
ammunition was expended, by notching his knife
into a saw he cut up the barrel of his musket into
pieces, which he converted into harpoons and lances.
To accomplish this he struck fire with his flint
and a little bar of iron, which he hardened in a way
he had seen practised by the Buccaneers. In this
fire he heated his metal, hammered it out with
stones, sawed it with his jagged knife, grinding his
implements to an edge, and tempering them; "which
was no more than these Mosquito-men were accus-
tomed to in their own country, where they make
their own fishing and striking instruments without
either forge or anvil, though they spend a great deal
of time about them."t Thus furnished, he supplied
himself with goats' flesh and fish, though previously
he had been compelled to eat seal. He built his
house about half a mile from the shore, and lined it
snugly with goat-skins, with which he also spread
his couch or barbecue, raised two feet from the floor.
As his clothes wore out he supplied this want also
with goat-skins, and, when first seen, he wore no-
thing save one of these about his waist. Though the
Spaniards, who had learned that a Mosquito-man
Voyages, vol. i. p. 84. f Ibid. p. 85.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 305
was left there, had looked for him several times, he
had always, by retiring to a secret place, contrived
to elude their search.*
The island of Juan Fernandez is hilly, but in-
tersected by several pleasant valleys ; the mountains
are partly savannah and partly woodland; the
grass of the flat places being delicate and kindly, of
a short thick growth, unlike the coarse sedgy produce
of the marshy plains in the West Indies. The cab-
bage-tree was found there, and well-grown timber of
different kinds, though none that was fit for masts.
There were at the east end of the island two
bays, where ships might anchor, and into each of
them flowed a rivulet of good water, which was also
to be obtained in every valley. Goats, that accord-
ing to Dampier had been originally conveyed thither
by the discoverer, were now found in large flocks, and
seals swarmed about the coast " as if they had no
other place in the world to live in, every bay and
rock being full of them." Sea-lionst were also nu-
merous, and different kinds of fish were found. The
seals were of different colours, black, gray, and
dun, with a fine thick short fur. Millions of them
were seen sitting in the bays, leaving or entering
the sea, or, as they lay at the top of the waves, sport-
ing and sunning themselves, covering the water fora
mile or two from the shore. When they come out
of the sea " they bleat like sheep for their young ;
and though they pass through hundreds of others'
young, yet they will not suffer any of them to suck."
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 84, 86.
f The leonine seal, so frequently mentioned in this volume as
the sea-lion seen by Cavendish and others.
J Voyages, vol. i. p. 87-89.
306 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
The sea-lion is shaped like a seal, but is six times as
big, with "great goggle eyes," and teeth three inches
long, of which the sailors sometimes made dice."*
The Buccaneers remained sixteen days at this
island, as well to procure provisions as for the recovery
of the sick and those affected with scurvy, who were
sent ashore and fed with vegetables and fresh goats'
flesh, a regimen that was found beneficial. On the
8th April they sailed for the American coast, which
they approached in 24 S. ; but stood off at the distance
of fourteen or fifteen leagues, that they might not be
observed from the high grounds by the Spaniards.t
The observations of Dam pier in this tract of the
Pacific are important. The land from the 14th to
the 10th degree south is of prodigious height. " It
lies generally in ridges parallel to the shore, and
three or four ridges, one within another, each sur-
passing the other in height ; those that are farthest
within land being much higher than the others.
They always appear blue when seen at sea." To
the great elevation of the mountain-ridges he im-
putes the want of rivers in this region.
On the 3d of May they captured a Spanish ship
bound to Lima, laden with timber from Guayaquil ;
from the crew of which they learned that the fact
of pirates being on the coast was known in the
settlements.^
On the 9th they anchored with their prize at the
Isle of Lobos de la Mar, which is properly a cluster
of small islets divided by narrow channels. They
are sandy and barren, destitute of water, and fre-
quented by sea-fowl, penguins, and a small black
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 90. t I bid. p. 93. J Ibid. p. 96.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 307
bird that our navigator never saw except here and
at Juan Fernandez, which made holes in the sand
for a night-habitation.* At this place the ships
were scrubbed, and the prisoners rigidly examined,
that from their information the voyagers might guide
their future proceedings. Truxillo was the town at
last fixed upon for making a descent. As Eaton
and Cook had now agreed to unite their forces, the
companies of both ships, amounting to 108, were
mustered, and the arms were proved. But before
they sailed three vessels were seen steering north-
ward. Cook stood after one of them, which made
for the land, and Eaton pursued the others to sea,
and captured them the same day. They contained
cargoes of flour sent from Lima for the city of Pa-
nama, whither they were charged with intelligence
from the governor respecting the robbers who now
threatened the coast. On board of one were eight
tons of quince-marmalade. But, amidst their suc-
cess, the Buccaneers were deeply mortified to learn
that they had missed a prize containing 800,000
pieces of eight ; the treasure being landed at an in-
termediate port, in consequence of the rumour that
English ships were cruising in the neighbourhood^
The design against Truxillo was now abandoned,
as they learned that it had been lately fortified, and
strengthened by a Spanish garrison. On the even-
ing of the 19th accordingly they sailed with their
prizes for the Galapagos, which they descried on the
31st, " some appearing on the lee-bow, some on the
weather-bow, and others right ahead." These
* This is described by Woodes Rogers as a kind of teal. Voy-
age round the World (8vo, London, 1712), p. 148.
-j- Voyages, vol. i. pp. 98, 99.
308 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
islands were very little known at the time the free-
booters made this visit. They lie under the equator,,
are numerous, and were uninhabited, abounding
only in iguanas and large land-turtle; otherwise
they are rocky and barren, and destitute of water,
except in a few places.* Several of the isles are seven
or eight leagues long, and from three to four broad,
and partially wooded. Land-turtle were found here
in such multitudes, that Dampier says "500 or 600
men might subsist on them for several months with-
out any other sort of provision. "t Some of them
weighed from 150 to 200 pounds, and were two feet
or two feet six inches over the callipee, and sweet as
a young pullet. There was also abundance of sea-
turtle, the creeks and shallows being filled with
the grass on which they feed. Of these there were
four kinds: the green-turtle, the loggerhead, the
trunk-turtle, and the hawksbill ; on the back of this
last species is found the shell so much valued in
commerce, of which the largest afforded about three
pounds and a half.f
At the Galapagos the Buccaneers remained twelve
days, and deposited a portion of their flour against
future necessity. Good salt was found here, pigeons
abounded, the sea teemed with fish, and the leaves
* The Buccaneers at their first visit could not discover how the
small birds, and especially the turtle-doves, which were here nume-
rous and so tame that they would light upon the men's shoulders,
obtained water. On another voyage some seamen, lying- under a
prickly pear-tree, observed an old bird supplying the young ones
with drink, by squeezing a liquid from a small berry into their bills.
This liquid was found to be slightly acid, and not unpleasant in
taste. For drink at these islands, when water could not be obtained,
the seamen chewed leaves that they gathered, which they describe
as of a thick pulpy consistence.
j- Voyages, vol. i. pp. 101, 102. + Ibid. pp. 102, 103.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 309
of the mammee-tree* furnished them with vege-
tables ; so that these isles were in all respects well
adapted for a maritime station.
By the advice of an Indian, one of their prisoners,
they were induced to visit Ria Lexa, his native place,
where he promised them a rich harvest of plunder.t
At Juan Fernandez, Captain Cook had been taken
ill ; he now died somewhat suddenly as they stood
off Cape Blanco, and, as a mark of respect, was
buried on shore. While his men were digging the
grave they were seen by three Indians, who, stand-
ing at a distance, asked them many questions ; " and
our men," says Dampier, " did not stick to sooth
them up with as many falsehoods, purposely to
draw them into their clutches ; and at length drilled
them by discourse so near, that they laid hold on
all three at once."J One, however, escaped be-
fore the funeral was over, and the two others were
taken on board. When examined, notwithstand-
ing their pretended simplicity, they confessed that
they had been sent out as spies by the Governor
of Panama, who had received intelligence of this
squadron.
The voyagers were informed by these prisoners
* Mamraea Americana, Linn., of the Linnaean class and order
Polyandria, Monogyma, and of the natural family Gnttiferce. it
is a handsome tree, sixty or seventy feet high, with an elegant
branching head. The flowers are white, and sweet-scented ; the
fruit roundish, five or six inches in diameter, enclosing a rich yellow
pulp within a leathery rind. It is called Abricot-sauvage by the
French, and, according to Jacquin, is eaten either in a raw state,
or cut into slices with wine and sugar, or preserved in syrup. The
skin and seeds are bitter, with a strong resinous flavour. In Mar-
tinique, the flowers are distilled with spirits, and made into a liquor
called Eau Creole. May not the mammee-tree mentioned in the
text as furnishing edible leaves be a different plant ?
f Voyages, vol. L p. 110. J Ibid. pp. 113, 1 14. Ibid. p. 114.
310 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
that large herds of cattle were reared in this neigh-
bourhood,, which was welcome news to seamen who
had seen no fresh meat since their run from the Ga-
lapagos. Two boats were immediately sent with an
Indian guide to obtain a supply ; but the enterprise
appearing dangerous, Dampier with twelve men re-
turned on board. Those who were more fool-hardy,
and who even slept on shore, found next morning
that their boat was burnt, and themselves watched
by forty or fifty armed Spaniards. The enemy, afraid
to come forward, still lurked in their ambush; and
the seamen, when landing, having observed an insul-
ated rock which just appeared above water, resolved
to seek refuge on this fortress, and, accordingly,
holding fast by each other, and wading to the neck,
they accomplished their purpose, under a shower of
balls. In this perilous condition they had remained
seven hours ; but the tide, which was at the ebb when
they reached the rock, now rose around them, and
gained so rapidly, that, had not help come from the
ships, they would soon have been swept away. The
Spaniards, who relished bush-fighting better than
the open field, meanwhile lay in wait for the catas-
trophe ; and even when the English boat bore off the
men, they offered no resistance.*
The quarter-master, Edward Davis, was now
elected commander in the room of Cook ; and after
taking in water, and cutting lancewood for handles
to their oars, they bore away for Ria Lexa, and on
the 23d July were opposite the harbour. The situa-
tion of the town is known by a high-peaked vol-
canic mountain, which rises within three leagues of
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 115-11J.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 311
the port, and may be seen at the distance of sixty
miles. A small flat island, about a mile long and
a quarter of a mile broad, forms the harbour, in
which 200 sail can ride.*
The Spaniards had here also got the start of their
enemy. They had thrown up a breastwork in a
strong position, and stationed sentinels to give instant
alarm ; and the Buccaneers, who wished to surprise
and plunder, and not to fight against great odds,
deemed it prudent to steer for the Gulf of Amapalla,
an arm of the sea running inland eight or ten
leagues, and known by two remarkable headlands
at the entrance, namely, Point Casivina on the south
side, in latitude 12 40" N., and on the north-west
Mount St Michael. t
At a previous consultation, it had been agreed that
the captain should advance first, with two canoes,
and endeavour to seize some Indians to assist in
careening the ships, and also a prisoner of better
condition, from whom intelligence might be obtain-
ed. On the island of Mangera the padre of a village,
from which all the other inhabitants had fled, was
caught while endeavouring to escape, and with him
two native boys.J With these Davis proceeded to
Amapalla, where, having previously gained over or
frightened the priest, he told the people that he and
his company were Biscayners, sent by the King of
Spain to clear the seas of pirates, and that his busi-
ness in the island was only to repair his ships. On
this assurance he and his men were well received, and
they all marched together, strangers and natives, to
church, which was the usual place of public assem-
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 118. f Ibid, pp, 120, 121. Ibid. pp. 121, 125.
312 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
bly, whether for business or amusement. The images
in the churches here, like those in the Bay of
Campeachy, were painted of the Indian complexion;
and the people, under the sway of their padres, lived
in much the same condition as the tribes described
on the banks of the Tobasco, cultivating maize,
rearing poultry, and duly paying tithe.* Here,
too, they were indulged in masques and other pas-
times, with abundance of music, on saints' eves and
holidays. "Their mirth," says Dam pier, " consists in
singing, dancing, and using as many antick gestures.
If the moon shine they use but few torches ; if not,
the church is full of light. They meet at these times
all sorts of both sexes. All the Indians that I have
been acquainted with who are under the Spaniards,
seem to be more melancholy than other Indians that
are free ; and at these public meetings, when they
are in the greatest of their jollity, their mirth seems
to be rather forced than real. Their songs are very
melancholy and doleful ; so is their music." Upon
this he makes a fine reflection, strongly charac-
teristic of the contemplative turn of mind which
must have elevated him so far above the fierce and
brutal associates with whom this portion of his life
was passed. " Whether," says he, " it be natural
to the Indians to be thus melancholy, or the effect
of their slavery, I am not certain. But I have al-
ways been prone to believe, that they are then only
condoling their misfortunes, the loss of their coun-
try and liberties, which, although these that are
living do not know, nor remember what it was to
be free, yet there seems to be a deep impression in
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 124.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 313
their thoughts of the slavery which the Spaniards
have brought them under, increased probably by
some traditions of their ancient freedom."*
In attending them to the church under the guise
of friendship, Davis intended to ensnare these un-
suspecting people and make them all his prisoners,
at least till he should have dictated his own terms
of ransom ; the padre having, probably from com-
pulsion, promised his aid in entrapping his flock.
This detestable project was frustrated by one of the
Buccaneers rudely pushing a man into the church
before him. The alarm was given, the Indian fled,
and his countrymen " sprung out of the church like
deer;" upon which the captain and his men fired,
and killed one of their leaders.t
The pirates were, however, afterwards assisted by
several of the natives in storing the ships with cattle
plundered from an island belonging to a nunnery ;
and from some feelings of remorse, on leaving this
quarter the commander presented the inhabitants of
Amapalla with one of his prizes, and a considerable
part of the flour which it contained. The ships here
separated; the crews having quarrelled about the
division of the spoil. Eaton left the Gulf on the 2d
of September, and Davis, with -whom our journalist
continued, departed on the day following, having
previously set the padre on shore. J
The latter party stood for the coast of Peru, having
constant tornadoes, accompanied with thunder and
lightning, weather of this kind generally prevail-
ing in these latitudes from June to November. When
these gusts were over the wind generally shifted to
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 12J. f I bid - P- 128 Ibid. pp. 129, 130.
314 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
the west. Near Cape San Francisco they again fell
in with Eaton, who had also encountered some ter-
rible storms ; " such as he and his men had never
before met with, the air smelling very much of
sulphur, and they fancying themselves in great dan-
ger of being burnt by the lightning/'"" This officer
had touched at Cocos Island, where. he laid up a
store of flour, and took in water and cocoa-nuts.
It is described by him as being nearly surrounded
with rocks ; but at the north-east end there is one
small and secure harbour, a brook of fresh water
flowing into it. The middle is considerably ele-
vated, and, though destitute of trees, looks verdant
from the abundance of an herb which the Spaniards
called gramadael, growing upon the high grounds ;
and near the shore all round were groves of cocoas.t
At the island of La Plata, so named, it is said,
from Sir Francis Drake having divided upon it the
plunder of the Cacafuego, the Buccaneers found only
a scanty supply of water, but plenty of small sea-
turtle.J Eaton's company would again have joined
their former consorts ; but Dampier relates that his
comrades were still so unreasonable as not to con-
sent to new-comers having an equal share of what
they pillaged ; so the Nicholas held southward, while
the Bachelor's Delight steered for Point Santa Elena
in 2 15' S. This was pretty high but flat land,
naked of trees and overgrown with thistles ; and as
there was no fresh water, the inhabitants brought it
from the river Golan che, at the distance of four leagues.
Water-melons, large and very sweet, were the only
things cultivated at this place; and pitch was the
Voyages, vol. i. p. 131. f Ibid. p. 111. J Ibid. p. 132.
Algatrane, a bituminous earth.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 315
principal mercantile commodity. It boiled out of a
hole in the earth, at five paces above high- water-
mark, and was found plentifully at flood-tide ; when
first obtained it was like thin tar, but was easily
boiled down to a proper consistence.*
Davis' men landed at Manta, a village on the
mainland, about three leagues to the eastward of
Cape San Lorenzo, where they made two old women
prisoners, from whom they learned that many
Buccaneers had lately crossed the Isthmus from the
West Indies, and were cruising on the coast in ca-
noes and pirogues.t The viceroy had taken every
precaution against this new incursion. On all the
uninhabited islands the goats had been destroyed;
ships were burnt to save them from the freebooters ;
and no provisions were allowed to remain at any
place on the coast, but such as might be required for
the immediate supply of the inhabitants. Davis re-
turned to La Plata, at a loss what course to take ;
when, on the 2d October, he was joined by the
Cygnet of London, commanded by Captain Swan,
who, ill-treated by the Spaniards, and disappointed
of peaceful traffic, for which he had come prepared
with an expensive cargo, had been compelled by his
crew to receive on board a number of rovers, and in
self-defence to become pirate. Before he had adopted
this course some of his men had been kllied at Bal-
divia, where he had attempted to open a trade.
With the small party now mentioned, which had
come by the Darien, plundering all the way, he fell
in near the Gulf of Nicoya. It was led by Peter
Harris, the nephew of a commander of the same
' Voyages, vol. i. pp. 133, 134. f Ibid. p. 136.
6
316 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
name, who had fallen in the battle with the Spanish
ships in the Bay of Panama three years before.
Harris served under Swan,, in a small bark wholly
manned by adventurers.*
This was a joyful meeting of old associates ; and
the departure of Eaton was now deeply regretted,
as their united force might have ensured success in
more important undertakings than any they had
yet dared to contemplate. While the ships were
refitting at La Plata, a small bark, which Davis had
taken after the Spaniards had set it on fire, was sent
out to cruise, and soon brought in a prize of 400 tons
burthen, laden with timber, from which intelli-
gence was obtained that the viceroy was fitting out
a fleet of ten frigates to sweep them from the South
Seas. Again the loss of Eaton was felt, and the
same little vessel being despatched to search for him
on the coast of Lima, proceeded as far as the Isle of
Lobos.t Meantime Swan's ship, which was still
full of English goods, was put in better fighting-
trim, and made fit to accommodate her additional
crew. The supercargo sold on credit to every Buc-
caneer who would purchase, taking his chance of
payment, while the bulky commodities which re-
mained, such as silks, muslins, and finer goods,
w r ere thrown overboard ; iron bars, which were kept
for ballast, being alone retained. To compensate for
these sacrifices, the men on board the Cygnet agreed
that ten shares of all kinds of booty should be set
aside for the owners. J
The men-of-war w r ere now scrubbed and cleaned ;
a sloop was equipped as a fire-ship ; and though
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 137. f Ibid. p. 138. J Ibid. p. 137.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 317
the vessel which was sent in search of Eaton had
not returned, the squadron sailed on the 20th
October. On the 3d November they landed a party
at Paita, which was found nearly abandoned, and
left without f e money, goods, or so much as a meal of
victuals." They anchored, however, before the place,
and demanded ransom, ordering in the mean while
300 pecks of flour, 3000 pounds of sugar, twenty-
five jars of wine, and 1000 of water, to be sent
to the ships; but, after wasting six days, they
obtained nothing, and in revenge burnt the town.*
The road of Paita was one of the best in Peru,
roomy, and sheltered from the south-west by a
point of land. The town had no water except
what was carried thither from Golan, a distance of
six miles, from whence it was also supplied with
fruits, hogs, plantains, and maize. Dampier says
that on this coast, from about " Cape Blanco to
30 S., no rain ever falls that he ever observed or
heard of." He calls this range " the dry country."
Wafer states that heavy nightly dews fertilize the
valleys, though the district around was mountainous
and extremely steril.t
From information obtained here, it was gathered
that Captain Eaton had paid a visit before them,
and after burning a large merchantman in the road,
had landed all his prisoners. They also learned
that a small bark, which they concluded to be their
own, had approached the harbour, and made some
fishermen bring out water. {
Harris' ship being found a heavy sailer, was burnt
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 139, 144, 145. + Ibid, pp. 140, 144.
$ Ibid. p. 146'.
318 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
before leaving Paita, from which place the squa-
dron steered for Lobos de Tierra. On the 14th they
anchored near the east end of the island, and took
in a supply of seals, penguins, and boobies, of
which they ate " very heartily, not having tasted
flesh in a great while before." To reconcile his men
to what had been the best fare of the crews of Drake,
Cavendish, and the earlier navigators, Captain Swan
commended this food as of extraordinary delicacy,
comparing, in a jocular manner, the seals to roast-
ing-pigs, the boobies to pullets, and the penguins to
ducks. On the ]9th the fleet reached Lobos de la
Mar, where a letter was found, left according to
agreement by the party who had been despatched
after Eaton. It was now feared he had sailed for
the East Indies, which turned out to be the fact.*
Here the Mosquito-men supplied the companies
of both ships with turtle ; while the crews laboured
to clean, repair, and provide them with fire-wood,
preparatory to an attempt upon Guayaquil, for which
town they sailed on the morning of the 29th. Ac-
cording to Dampier, this was at that time one of
the chief ports of the South Seas. The commodities
it exported were hides, tallow, cocoa, sarsaparilla,
and a woollen fabric named Quito cloth, generally
used by the common people in Peru. The Bucca-
neers having anchored off Cape Blanco, left the
ships and entered the bay with their canoes and a
bark. They captured a small sloop, the master of
which informed them of a look-out being kept at
Puna, which lay in their way, and that three ves-
sels with negro slaves were then about to sail from
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 146.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 319
Guayaquil. One of these they took shortly after-
wards, cut down her main-mast, and left her at
anchor, and next morning surprised the two others,
from which only a few blacks were selected.*
Owing to a disagreement between the command-
ers and the men in the two ships, the expedition
against Guayaquil entirely failed. It was imagined
that the town was alarmed and prepared to oppose
them ; and accordingly after having landed, remain-
ed in the woods all night, and made their way with
considerable difficulty, they abandoned the design
before one shot was fired, and while the place lay
full in view of them at a mile's distance without
manifesting any appearance of resistance-^
Dampier, whose ideas took a wider range than
those of his companions, deeply lamented their ill
conduct upon this occasion, which would probably
have poured wealth into their pockets at less than the
ordinary expense of crime. " Never/' he says, " was
there put into the hands of men a greater oppor-
tunity to enrich themselves." His plan was, with
the 1000 negroes found in the three ships, to go to
Santa Maria and work the gold-mines there. The
Indians he considered as friends, because they mor-
tally hated the Spaniards ; for present sustenance
they had 200 tons of flour laid up at the Galapagos ;
the North Sea was open to them j thousands of
adventurers would have joined them from all parts
of the West Indies ; and thus united they might
have been a match for all the force Peru could
raise, besides being masters of the richest mines on
the w r estern coast of America.^ Whether he un-
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 153, 158. f Ibi d- PP- 156, 15J.
$ Ibid. pp. 158, iff.
320 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
folded this " golden dream" at the time does not
distinctly appear. The freebooters, at all events,
sailed to La Plata, where they found their bark ;
and having divided the cloth of Quito equally be-
tween the companies of Swan and Davis, they con-
verted the vessel in which it had been taken into a
tender for the Cygnet.*
This ship ever since joining had depended almost
wholly upon the Bachelor's Delight for provisions, as
it had neither Mosquito-purveyors nor a store of
flour ; and the original crew of Davis now murmur-
ed loudly at feeding the cowards who, they alleged,
had baulked the attempt on Guayaquil. But neither
could afford to part from the other; and they ac-
cordingly sailed together on the 23d December to
attack LaVelia in the Bay of Panama. t During this
cruise, they supplied, from the charts found in their
prizes, the ignorance and deficiencies of the native
pilots whom they had on board. Their object, in
the first place, was to search for canoes, in rivers
where the Spaniards had neither trade nor settle-
ments of any kind, as concealment was most import-
ant to the success of their operations. After being
five days at sea, they made a sudden descent upon
the village of Tomaco, where they captured a vessel
laden with timber, in which was a Spanish knight,
named Don Diego de Pinas, with a crew of eight
Europeans, and also took what they valued much
more, a canoe with twelve jars of good old wine.f
A party rowed six leagues farther up the river, which
Dampier names St Jago, and came to a house be-
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 159, 160. f id. p. 162.
$ IbidTpp. 163, I/O:
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 321
longing to a lady, whose servants at this remote
station traded with the natives for gold. They fled ;
but the invaders found several ounces of the pre-
cious metal left in their calabashes. The land on
the banks of this river was a rich black mould, pro-
ducing fine timber. Cotton and cabbage trees also
flourished here ; and at some distance in the interior
Indian settlements were seen, with plantations of
maize, plan tain- walks, hogs, and poultry. At To-
maco a canoe with three natives visited the strangers,
whom they did not distinguish from Spaniards.
They were of middling stature, straight and well-
limbed, " long-visaged, thin-faced, with black hair,
ill-looked men of a very dark copper complexion."*
The plunderers presented them with wine, which
they drank freely.
On the 1st of January 1685 the Cygnet and
Bachelor's Delight sailed for the island of Gallo, car-
rying with them the knight and two canoes. On
the way they captured the packet-boat from Lima,
and fished up the letters which the crew when pur-
sued had thrown overboard attached to a line and
buoy. From these despatches they learned the im-
portant fact that the governor had hastened the
sailing of the triennial Plate-fleet from Callao to
Panama, previous to the treasure being conveyed
across the Isthmus to Porto Bello. Could this fleet
be intercepted every man among them would be
enriched at once ; and to this single object therefore
every faculty was now bent.t As a fit place to careen
their ships, and at the same time to lie in wait for
their prey, they fixed upon the Pearl Islands, for
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 170. f Ibid. p. 1J1.
322 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
which they sailed on the morning of the 7th ; two
ships, three sloops, a fire-ship, and two small tenders.*
On the 8th they opportunely captured a bark with
flour, and then " jogged on with a gentle gale" to
Gorgona, an uninhabited island well wooded, and
watered with rivulets issuing from the high grounds.
Pearl-oysters abounded here at no greater depth
than four or six fathoms. The pearls were lodged
near the head of the animal, between the shell and
the meat, and the inside of the former was " more
glorious than the pearl itself."t
Landing most of their prisoners at Gorgona, the
squadron, now consisting of six sail, steered for the
Bay of Panama, and anchored at Galera, a barren,
uninhabited islet, from whence they proceeded on
the 25th to one of the southern Pearl Islands, as a
place more suitable for repairs. While this was in
progress, the barks brought in a prize laden with
beef, Indian corn, and fowls, which were all highly
acceptable. Having supplied themselves with water
and fire- wood, they set out to watch the Plate-fleet,
and cruised before Panama ; where, says Dampier,
" it was very pleasant sailing, having theMain on one
side, which appears in divers forms. It is beautified
with many small hills, clothed with woods of divers
sorts of trees, which are always green and flourishing.
There are some few small high islands within a
league of the Main, scattered here and there one, part-
ly woody partly bare, and they as well as the Main
appear very pleasant.";}: Most of the Pearl Islands
were wooded and fertile; and from them were drawn
the rice, plantains, and other vegetables, which
Voyages, vol. i. p. 171. f Ibid - P- !7 3 - * Ibid - PP- } 77, 1/8.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 323
supplied New Panama, " a very fair city standing
close by the sea, about four miles from the ruins of
the old town," encompassed behind with a fine
country of hill and valley, beautified with groves
and spots of trees, appearing like islands in the sa-
vannahs. It had been walled since the visit paid to
it by Sawkins, Coxon, and Sharp, and guns were
now mounted pointing seaward.*
As Davis lay nearly opposite the city, its sup-
plies from the islands were completely cut off; while
his people every day fished, hunted, or pillaged
among them. At this time he negotiated for an
exchange of prisoners, giving up forty, of whom he
was very glad to be rid, in return for one of Harris'
band, and a man who had been surprised when shoot-
ing ashore. Attention to the safety of the meanest
individual in their crews was at all times one of the
fundamental principles of the Buccaneers ; and it is
stated on good authority that, when they pursued the
occupation of huntsmen in the wilds of Hispaniola,
if at nightfall one comrade was missing, all business
was suspended till he was either found or his ab-
sence satisfactorily accounted for.t
As the Lima-fleet did not make its appearance,
they proceeded to sea, and came to anchor near
Taboga, an island abounding in cocoa and mammee,
and having brooks of pure water gliding through
groves of fruit-trees. About this time they were
nearly ensnared by the stratagem of a Spaniard,
who, under pretence of clandestine traffic, sent a
fire-ship among them at midnight ; but the treach-
ery was suspected in time, and avoided. This ves-
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 1J8, 1J9. t Ibid - P- 18 7-
324 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
sel had been fitted up by the same Captain Bond
of whom they had heard at the Cape de Verd Islands.
He was an English pirate who had deserted to the
enemy.*
The squadron, which was scattered by the alarm
just mentioned, had scarcely returned to its station,
when they were thrown into fresh consternation
by seeing more than twenty canoes full of armed
men steering directly towards them. They also bore
up ; but the strangers proved to be a party of Buc-
caneers, French and English, 280 in number, who
had just crossed the Isthmus on an expedition to
the South Sea. The latter, amounting to eighty,
entered with Swan and Davis ; and the flour-prize
was given to the others, who took possession of it
under the command of M. Groigniet, their country-
man. They announced, at the same time, another
party of 180, under Captain Townley, all British,
who were at this time constructing canoes to bring
them down the rivers into the South Sea ; and on
the 30th of March they joined the fleet in two ships
which they had taken as soon as they entered the
Bay, laden with flour, wine, brandy, and sugar.
The squadron was farther increased by the arrival
of a vessel commanded by William Knight; and
the Indians of Santa Martha brought intelligence
that yet another strong body, belonging to the same
nations, were on the way. These also came, to the
number of 264 men, with three commanders ; one
of whom, Le Picard, was a veteran who had served
under L'Olonnois and Morgan at Porto Bello.t
Their force now amounted to about 1000 men,
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 188-190. f "<* PP- 191, *92.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 325
whose greatest want was coppers to cook their pro-
visions.* From intercepted letters it was ascertained
that the Lima-fleet was now at sea ; and the design
upon the city was suspended till the flotilla should
be secured, though, as it happened, in counting on
their easy capture, the adventurers had fallen into
a miscalculation.
It was now the latter end of May, and for six
months they had concentrated their attention on
this single enterprise. Their squadron consisted of
ten sail ; but, except the Bachelor's Delight, which
carried thirty-six guns, and the Cygnet, which was
armed, none were of much force, though all were
fully manned. The Spanish fleet, it was afterwards
learned, amounted to fourteen of various classes; two
of forty guns, one of thirty-six, another of eighteen,
one of eight, and two fire-ships, all supplied with
numerous crews.
Before the Buccaneers had finally resolved on
their plan of operations, their antagonists advanced
in order of battle. And, " being to windward of
the enemy, we had it not," says Dampier, " in
our choice whether to fight or not. It was three
o'clock in the afternoon when we weighed, and be-
ing all under sail, we bore down right afore the
wind on our enemies, who kept close on a wind to
come to us ; but night came on without any thing
beside the exchanging of a few shot on each side.t
When it grew dark the Spanish admiral put out a
light as a signal for his fleet to come to an anchor.
We saw the light in the admiral's top for about
half an hour, and then it was taken down. In a
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 199, 200. f Ibid. p. 208.
326 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
short time after we saw the light again, and being
to windward, we kept under sail, supposing the light
had been in the admiral's top; but, as it proved, this
was only a stratagem of theirs, for this light was put
out the second time at one of the barks' topmast-
head, and then she was sent to leeward, which
deceived us, for we thought still the light was in
the admiral's top, and by that means thought our-
selves to windward of them." At daybreak, they
found that by this stratagem their opponents had
the weather-gage of them, and were bearing down
full sail, which compelled them to retreat ; and a
running-fight was maintained, till, having made a
turn almost round the Bay, they anchored at night
near the very spot whence they had set out in the
morning. Thus terminated their hopes of the trea-
sure-ships, though it was afterwards learned that the
plate had been previously landed.* The French
captain, Groigniet, had kept out of the action, for
which he and his crew were afterwards cashiered by
their associates. The common accusation, indeed,
which the English brought against their allies was
reluctance to fight ; while the latter blamed them
for their indecent contempt of the Catholic religion,
displayed as often as they entered a church by hack-
ing and mutilating every thing with their cutlasses,
and firing their pistols at the images of the saints.
Next morning the enemy's fleet was seen at an-
chor three leagues to leeward, and, as the breeze
sprung up, it stood away for Panama, contented
with safety and the small advantage obtained on
the former day. The freebooters were equally well
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 208, 209.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 327
satisfied to escape a renewed engagement ; and,
after due conference, they bore away for the Keys
of Quibo to seek Harris, who had been separated
from them in the battle or flight. They met him at
this appointed rendezvous, and after a fresh consulta-
tion they resolved to assault Leon, first securing the
port of Ria Lexa.*
The capture of these places offers nothing of in-
terest or novelty ; they were carried by the united
force of the pirates, amounting to 640 men, with
eight vessels, three of which were tenders, and one
a fire-ship. During this expedition Dampier was
left with fifty-nine men to guard the canoes in which
the party had landed. At Leon they lost a veteran
whom he thus eulogizes : " He was a stout old gray-
headed man, aged about eighty-four, who had served
under Oliver (Cromwell) in the Irish rebellion; after
which he was at Jamaica, and had followed priva-
teering ever since. He would not accept the offer
our men made him to tarry on board, but said he
would venture as far as the best of them ; and when
surrounded by the Spaniards, he refused to take
quarter, but discharged his gun amongst them, keep-
ing a pistol still charged ; so they shot him dead
at a distance. His name was Swan. He was a
very merry, hearty old man, and always used to de-
clare he would never take quarter."t A merchant
or supercargo named Smith, who had sailed from
London to trade in the South Sea, was made prisoner
on the march.
Leon, situated near the Lake of Nicaragua, is
described as one of the most healthy and pleasant
Voyages, vol. i. p. 209-215. f Ibid - PP- 219, 220.
328 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
cities in all America. No sooner were the Bucca-
neers masters of it than they demanded a ransom
of 300,000 dollars, which was promised but never
paid ; and becoming suspicious that the enemy
were dallying with them merely to gain time, they
set the town on fire, and returned to the coast,
after supplying themselves with beef, flour, pitch,
tar, and cordage. One gentleman, who had been
released on engaging to send 150 head of cattle,
redeemed his parole with scrupulous honour ; and
Mr Smith was exchanged for a female prisoner.*
The squadron now separating, broke into several
small detachments, Dampier choosing to follow Cap-
tain Swan, who intended first to cruise along the
shores of Mexico, the country of the mines, and then,
after sailing as high as the south-western point of
California, to cross the Pacific, and return to Eng-
land by India.t This plan presented many temp-
tations to our hero, whose curiosity and thirst of
knowledge were insatiable ; and he may also have
shared in the hopes of his comrades, who promised
themselves a rich booty in the neighbourhood of the
mines before they turned their faces westward. Cap-
tain Townley had kept by Swan when they separated
from Eaton, and each ship had now a tender belong-
ing to it. Putting to sea on the 3d September, they
encountered frequent and fierce tornadoes till near
the end of the month. Early in October they
approached the excellent harbour of Guatalco, the
mouth of which may be known by a great hollow
rock, from an aperture in which every surge makes
the water spout up to a considerable height, like the
blowing of a whale. { From the sea the neighbour-
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 223. f Ibid. p. 224. $ Ibid. p. 232.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 329
ing country looked beautiful; and finding some
provisions, they landed their sick for a few days.
The Cygnet and her consort advanced slowly along
the coast. When near Acapulco they sent a party
ashore, who plundered a carrier conducting sixty
laden mules, and killed eighteen beeves. They next
passed on to Colima, stimulated by the desire to ob-
tain that splendid prize which for generations had
quickened the avarice of maritime adventurers,
the Manilla ship, and for her they kept watch at
Cape Corrientes.* After quitting Ria Lexa, many
of the men had been seized with a malignant fever ;
and as the same disease broke out in Davis' squa-
dron, it was with some probability imputed to infec-
tion caught at that place, where many of the inha-
bitants had been carried off by a disorder of the
same kind some months before the English visited
the town.t
To victual the ship for the long voyage in view
was the main reason why Captain Swan continued
to cruise on this coast ; but the attempts made for
that purpose were often baffled ; and so much time
had now elapsed, that it was suspected the galleon
had eluded their vigilance. About the beginning of
January 1686, Townley left them in the Bay of
Valderas, and returned towards Panama, carrying
home a few Indians of the Darien who had accom-
panied the Cygnet thus far. The Mosquito-men
still remained on board.J
To obtain provisions, Swan captured the town of
Santa Pecaque, on the coast of New Galicia, where
large stores were kept for supplying the slaves who
. 243, 244, 250. f Ibid. p. 224.
330 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
worked in the neighbouring mines. On the first day
lie brought off a considerable quantity of maize ; and
as long as he held possession of the town, these
visits were repeated. At length the Spaniards col-
lected a force, of which the captain gave his men
due warning, exhorting them to keep together in a
compact body. But choosing to follow their own
course, they straggled singly as they returned to
their ship ;* and accordingly falling into the am-
bush prepared for them, they were surprised, and
mercilessly butchered to the number of sixty- three.
The conquerors, seizing their arms and loaded horses,
carried them away before Swan, who heard the
distant firing, could come to the assistance of his
party. Fifty-four Englishmen and nine blacks fell
in this affair, which was the most severe loss the
Buccaneers had suffered in the South Sea. Ring-
rose, an ingenious man, who wrote that portion of
their history which relates to Captain Sharp, was
killed in this skirmish. He was then supercargo on
board the Cygnet, and had no mind to the voyage,
but was necessitated to engage in it or starve.t It
is in perfect consonance with the spirit of the age to
find Dampier relating that Swan had been warned
of this disaster by an astrologer. J Many of the men
had also, he states in his manuscript journal, fore-
boded this misfortune, and in the previous night,
while lying in the church of Santa Pecaque, " had
been disturbed by grievous groanings, which kept
them from sleeping."
This disheartening affair determined the captain
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 268, 271. f Ibid. p. S72.
J It was then customary before undertaking a voyage to consult
an astrologer.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 331
and his diminished company to quit the coast ; and
they accordingly steered for Cape San Lucas, the
southern point of California, to careen, as well as to
refresh themselves before crossing the Pacific : but
adverse winds compelled them to put into a bay at
the east end of the middle island of the Tres Marias,
where they found iguanas, racoons, rabbits, pigeons,
and deer, fish of various kinds, turtle and seals.
There they repaired the ship, divided the provisions
between it and the tender, and went over to the
mainland for water, having previously landed the
prisoners and pilots, who were now of no use. The
abandoning of these unhappy persons on an unin-
habited island is said to have been perpetrated in
revenge of the fatal affair at Santa Pecaque.*
While they lay here our navigator, who had
escaped the contagious fever, languished under a
dropsical complaint, of which several of the men died.
The method of cure was singular, but the patient
believed it successful. " I was," he says, "laid and
covered all but my head in the hot sand : I endured
it near half an hour, and then was taken out, and
laid to sweat in a tent: > did sweat exceedingly
while I was in the sand, and I do believe it did me
much good, for I grew well soon after." t
While careening the ship, Swan had more fully
laid before his company his plan of going to the East
Indies, holding out to them hopes of plunder in a
cruise among the Philippines. Dampier describes
many of them as so ignorant that they imagined it
impossible to reach India from California; while
others entertained more reasonable fears that their
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 275, '27<>. f Ibid. p. 2J6.
332 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
provisions would fail before they could reach the
Ladrones.* Maize, and the fish which the Mosquito,
men caught, some of which were salted, now con-
stituted the whole store laid up for more than 150
men, and of this but a short allowance could be
afforded, calculating on a run of at least sixty days.t
On the 31st March, having all agreed to attempt
the voyage, and consented to the restricted allow-
ance, the Cygnet, accompanied by her tender, sailed
from the American coast, steering south-west till
she arrived at 13 N., in which parallel she held
due west for the Ladrones. The men received but
one meal a-day, and there was no occasion, it is re-
marked, to call them to their victuals, which were
served out by the quarter-master with the exactness
of gold. Two dogs and two cats which were on board
soon learned to attend daily for their respective
shares.^
* The discussion about the homeward -voyage at this time led
Dampier into speculations upon a north-west passage, which shows
him to have been as a navigator far in advance of his age. " All our
countrymen," he says, " that have gone to discover the north-west
passage, have endeavoured to pass to the westward. Were I to at-
tempt a north-west passage, I would go first into the South Seas,
bend my course from thence along by California, and that way seek a
passage into the western seas. If I succeeded in my attempt, I should
then be without that dread which others must have had of passing
from a known to an unknown region ; and which, it is not impro-
agai
winter about Japan, Corea, or the north-east part of China; and,
taking the spring and summer before me, make my first trial on the
coast'of Tartarv, wherein if I succeeded, I should come into some
known parts, and have a great deal of time before me."*
-(-Ibid. p. 276. "Some thought, such was their ignorance,
that he would carrv them out of the world." See also p. 279.
$ Ibid. pp. 280," 281.
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 273, 274.
6
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 333
The Cygnet enjoyed a fair wind, and went on
briskly, which was some consolation for scanty fare;
but at the end of twenty days they had made so
much progress that the men began to murmur at be-
ing still kept upon such short allowance. " Captain
Swan/' says the historian of the voyage, " with
much reluctance gave way to a small enlargement
of our commons, for now we had not above ten
spoonfuls of boiled maize a-man once a-day, whereas
before we had eight. I do believe," he continues,
" this short allowance did me a great deal of good,
though others were weakened by it, for I found
that my strength increased and my dropsy wore off.
Yet I drank three times every twenty-four hours,
but many of the men did not drink in nine or ten
days, and some not in twelve days : one of the men
did not drink in seventeen days time, and said
he was not adry when he did drink."* By the
time they reached Guahan they were almost in
open mutiny, and had, it was said, resolved to kill
and eat their captain in the first place, and after-
wards, in regular order, all who had promoted this
voyage ! On hearing this, Swan said to his friend,
" Ah, Dampier ! you would have made but a poor
meal (for I was as lean as he was lusty and
fleshy)."t In the long run of 5000 miles they had
seen no living thing, whether bird, fish, or insect,
save, in longitude 18, a flock of boobies, presumed
to be the denizens of some cliffs or islands, though
none were discovered. On the 21st of May, near
midnight, they had the happiness of coming to an-
chor on the western side of Guahan, about a mile
* Voyages, vol. L p. 282. f Ibid, p, 284.
X
334 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
from the shore, after a run which was calculated
at 7302 miles.* At this island the Spaniards had
a small fort and a garrison of thirty men. Presum-
ing that the Cygnet was one of their own vessels
from Acapulco, a priest came off, and was detained
as a hostage till terms were arranged for obtaining
provisions ; and, as these were dictated by fair prin-
ciples of exchange, no difficulty was experienced,
the inhabitants gladly bringing their goods to a safe
and profitable market.t
The natives were at this time in open insurrec-
tion against the European governor. Captain Eaton,
who had touched at Guahan on his way to India,
had been instigated by him to plunder and practise
every cruelty upon the inhabitants. " He gave us
leave," says Cowley's manuscript narrative of the
voyage, " to kill and take whatever we could find
in one-half of the island where the rebels lived.
We then made wars with these infidels, and went
on shore every day, fetching provisions and firing
among them wherever we saw them ; so that the
greater part of them left the island. The Indians
sent two of their captains to treat with us, but we
would not treat with them. The whole land is a
garden."J
Dampier reckons that at this time there were not
above 100 Indians remaining, as most of those who
had escaped slaughter destroyed their plantations,
and went elsewhere, remote from the Spaniards and
their new allies the Buccaneers. While a friendly
trade was going on between the Cygnet and the
people ashore, the Acapulco vessel came in sight,
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 28?. f Ib 'd- PP- 290, 301.
+ Cowley's Voyage.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 335
but, receiving a signal from the governor, changed
her course, without having been descried by the free-
booters. In the eagerness of flight, however, she ran
upon a shoal, where her rudder being struck off,
she was detained three days. As soon as the na-
tives informed the rovers of this prize, they " were
in a great heat to be after her;" but Swan, who
disliked his present vocation, and still hoped to
open an honest traffic at Manilla, persuaded or
frightened his wild crew out of this humour by re-
presenting the dangers of the chase.*
Suitable presents were exchanged between the
governor, the priest, and the English captain, and
preparations made to depart. The last gift of his
excellency comprehended the substantial commo-
dities of " some hogs, a jar of pickled mangoes, a
jar of excellent pickled fish, a jar of fine rusks baked
like biscuit, and six or seven packs of rice." With
this came a polite hint to be gone, in the shape of
information, " that the west monsoon was at hand,
and it behoved them to be jogging." To this Swan
returned his best thanks, and set the priest, w r hom
they had hitherto detained as a hostage, on shore,
giving him a brass clock, an astrolabe, and a large
telescope ; for which the grateful friar sent on board
six hogs, four bushels of potatoes, a roasting pig, and
some tobacco, t AtGuahan the journalist firstsawthe
bread-fruit, the staff of life to so many of the insu-
lated tribes of Polynesia. Of the flying-proas, or
sailing-canoes of these islands, so often described, he
expresses the highest admiration. " I believe they
sail the best of any boats in the world ;" one that he
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 303. f Ibid. pp. 303, 304.
6
326 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
tried would, he thinks, have run twenty-four miles
an hour ; and another had been known to go from
Guahan to Manilla, a distance of more than 400
leagues, in four days.*
It took the Cygnet nineteen days to reach the coast
of Mindanao, for which she sailed on the 2d June;
and after beating about through several channels
and islands she came to anchor on the J8th July
opposite the river's mouth, and at no distance from
the city. They hoisted English colours, and fired
a salute of seven or eight guns, which was returned
from the shore by three.t This island was divided
into small states, governed by hostile or at least
rival sultans. The town stood on the banks of the
river, about two miles from the sea. It was nearly
a mile in length, but narrow, and following in the
plan of its building the curvature of the stream.
The houses were raised on posts, from fourteen to
twenty feet high ; and as this was the rainy season,
they looked as if standing in a lake, the inhabit-
ants plying from door to door in canoes.f They
were of one storey, divided into several rooms, and
entered by a ladder or stair placed outside ; the roofs
being covered with palm or palmetto leaves. There
was a piazza, generally lying in a state of great filth,
under each house, some of them serving for poultry-
yards and cellars. " But at the time of the land-
floods all is washed very clean." The floors were of
bamboo wicker- work.
Captain Swan had many reasons for desiring to
cultivate the friendship of the ruling powers at Min-
danao. Immediately after he brought his ship to
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 299, 300. f Ibid. pp. 309, 349.
$ Ibid/pp. 328, 32y. Ibid. pp. 329, 330.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 337
anchor, Rajah Laut, the brother and prime minister
of the sultan, and the second man in the state, came
off in a canoe, rowed with ten oars, to demand
whence they came. He was accompanied by one of
his nephews, who spoke the Spanish language.
When informed that the strangers were English,
they were welcomed, though the rajah appeared
disappointed that they were not come to establish a
factory, for which proposals had already been made
to him by the East India Company.* The conver-
sation was carried on by Mr Smith, the late pri-
soner at Ria Lexa, and the sultan's son, who with
his uncle remained all the while in the canoe. They
promised to assist in procuring provisions, and im-
mediately returned to the shore.
Dampier regrets that the permission to form an
establishment here was not accepted, " by which,"
he says, ff we might better have consulted our own
profit and satisfaction than by the other loose roving
way of life ; so it might probably have proved of
public benefit to our nation, and been a means of
introducing an English settlement and trade, not
only here, but through several of the Spice Islands,
which lie in its neigh bourhood."t In a short time,
however, they received another invitation to settle
in a different island, the sultan of which sent his
nephew to Mindanao to negotiate secretly with Cap-
tain Swan.J In his reflections upon this project of a
settlement in the Spice Islands, the journalist inci-
dentally describes, in a passage well worthy of notice,
the character and talents of a buccaneering crew.
" As to the capacity we were then in of settling
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 349. f Ibid. pp. 349, 350.
* Ibid. p. 350.
338 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
ourselves at Mindanao, although we were not sent
out for any such design, yet we were as well pro-
vided, or better, than if we had. For there was
scarce any useful trade but some one or other of us
understood it, we had sawyers, carpenters, joiners,
brickmakers, bricklayers, shoemakers, and tailors.
We only wanted a good smith for great work, which
we might have had at Mindanao. We were very
well provided with iron, lead, and all sorts of tools,
as saws, axes, and hammers. We had powder and
shot enough, and very good small-arms. If we had
designed to build a fort we could have spared eight
or ten guns out of our ship, and men enough to have
managed it, and any affair of trade beside. We
had also a great advantage above raw men that are
sent out of England into these places, who proceed
usually too cautiously, coldly, and formally, to com-
pass any considerable design, which experience better
teaches than any rules whatsoever ; besides the dan-
ger of their lives in so great and sudden a change of
air : whereas we were all inured to hot climates,
hardened by many fatigues, and in general daring
men, and such as would not be easily baffled. To
add one thing more, our men were almost tired, and
began to desire a quietus est, and therefore they
would gladly have seated themselves any where."*
The Cygnet's company knew not the dignity of
their first visiters till after they were gone. This
information was given to them by a government,
officer, who, according to the custom of China and
other parts in the East, came on board to measure
the ship, a practice of which Dampier could not
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 352, 353.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 339
conceive the reason, unless the natives wished to im-
prove their knowledge of ship-building.*
The same afternoon, Captain Swan sent Mr More,
one of the supercargoes, to the city with a present
for the sultan, consisting of three yards of scarlet
cloth, three yards of broad gold-lace, a Turkish
scimitar, and a pair of pistols ; and to his brother,
the rajah, three yards of the same cloth with silver
lace. After some preliminary ceremonies, the envoy
was admitted to an audience, to which he was con-
ducted by armed men, accompanied by servants bear-
ing torches, t The chief ruler, with ten privy-coun-
cillors all seated on carpets, awaited his arrival. The
present was graciously accepted, and a conference
took place in Spanish, after which Mr More and his
attendants, being first treated with supper, returned
on board. Next day the captain was invited on
shore, whither he went, preceded by two trumpeters.
He was also honoured with a hearing, and entertain-
ed with betel and tobacco. Two letters were shown
him, sent by East India merchants to the sultan,
requesting liberty to build a factory and fort, and
specifying the terms of traffic, rates of exchange, as
also of weights and measures. One of the epistles
was beautifully written, and between each line there
was drawn a line of gold. Another note, left by a
Captain Goodlud who had lately visited Mindanao,
and directed generally to any Englishman who might
touch there, concluded, " Trust none of them, for
they are all thieves; but face is Latin for a candle!";}:
After the interview with the sultan, Swan visited
Rajah Laut, who, being rather in disgrace with his
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 354. f I bid - lbid - PP- 355 > 356 >
340 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
brother at this time, had not been present at the
audience. He entertained the captain with boiled
fowls and rice, and strongly urged him to bring the
ship into the river, as stormy weather was to be
expected at that season. He also advised him to warn
his men against offending the natives by infringing
their customs, and altogether appeared very familiar
and friendly. To impress his visiter with an idea
of his justice, he ordered a man who had formerly
robbed Captain Goodlud to be now punished ; and
the miserable wretch was accordingly bound to a
post, and stripped naked with his face opposite the
scorching sun, to which he was shifted round and
studiously kept in torture, following its course all
day, stung by the gnats and mosquitoes.* At night-
fall it was announced that his life was left at the
mercy of the stranger, who informed the prime mi-
nister that he had no right to take cognizance of any
crime which had not been committed by his own
men or on board his own ship.
The letters from the Company's agents, by con-
vincing Swan that there was a serious intention
of establishing a factory at this place, gave him
confidence to enter the river, trusting also to the
friendly professions of the rajah. The Cygnet ac-
cordingly, being lightened of part of her cargo, was,
with the help of sixty native fishermen, warped
across the bar at the first spring-tide, and moored
in a place of safety. t The Buccaneers remained so
long upon a familiar footing with the inhabitants of
Mindanao, that Dampier has been enabled to give
a very full and minute account of them. A singular
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 356, 357. t Ibid. p. 358.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 341
custom of the country, besides, facilitated easy in-
tercourse with the natives, though seamen, having
their pockets stored with gold and their ships with
desirable commodities, have rarely found the half-
civilized tribes of the Indies difficult of access.
The custom alluded to, and which is common in
the South Sea islands, is that of exchanging names
and forming a comradeship with a native, whose
house is thenceforward considered the home of the
stranger. This ceremony as practised in Mindanao
extended to the other sex, and " an innocent pla-
tonic female friend, named a pagally" was also
offered to each of the Englishmen.* These intima-
cies were, however, not so perfectly disinterested
as not to require the cement of presents on the one
side and flatteries on the other. In this island, as
in more refined parts of the world, those who were
best dressed and furnished with the largest portion
of gold obtained most readily both companions and
pagallies. Under the sanction of this singular cus-
tom, the wives of the greatest men might choose
friends among the strangers, or be selected as such,
and were allowed to converse in public with the per-
sons who had distinguished them by their preference.t
On their first arrival for owing to their reck-
less and dissolute manners they soon declined in
favour the seamen could not pass along the
streets without being compelled to enter the houses,
where they were presented with betel and tobacco.
To express the vivacity of their affection, the natives
would place the forefingers of both hands close toge-
ther, saying the English and themselves were like
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 328. -|- Ibid.
342 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
this ; the Dutch were signified by holding the same
fingers six inches apart, and the Spaniards at double
that distance.* Captain Swan, who still had a large
quantity of iron and lead, as well as other goods be-
longing to his owners, traded meanwhile with Rajah
Laut, at whose house he dined every day till he
established himself at a dwelling which he hired
in the town. Such of the men as had money also
took houses on shore ; lived a jovial life among
their comrades and pagallies ; and hired female ser-
vants from their masters as temporary housekeepers.t
The most important division of this island, the
largest save Luconia of the Philippine group, was,
as has been mentioned, under the sway of the Sul-
tan of Mindanao, who was often at war with the
tribes that occupied the interior and the opposite
coasts, and were less civilized than his subjects.
The soil in general was deep and black, producing
great varieties of timber; and among others the
tree named by the natives libby, from the pith of
which sago is manufactured. J Rice was raised in
some places, and on the hilly land potatoes, yams,
and pumpkins. The principal fruits were plantains,
guavas, bananas, musk and water melons, betel and
cocoa nuts, jacas, durians, cloves, nutmegs, and
oranges. Of the ripe plantains the sailors made an
excellent pudding, taking six or seven, mashing
them into a lump, boiling them in a bag, and call-
ing the dish a buff-jacket. || From the fibres with
which it is enveloped the common people manufac-
tured the only cloth they wore, making webs seven
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 358, 359. + Ibid. pp. 359, 365.
+ Ibid. p. 310. Ibid. p. 311. || Ibid. p. 314.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 343
or eight yards long.* The betel-nut, which is so
much esteemed in most parts of India, grows here
on a plant like the cabbage-tree, but smaller. At
the top the nuts hang on a tough stem, as thick as a
man's, finger, in clusters of forty or fifty. It re-
sembles the nutmeg, except that it is rather larger
and rounder. When used for chewing, it was cut
into bits, one of which was wrapped up in an areca-
leaf, spread with a soft paste made of lime. Every
native carried his lime-box by his side, into which
he dipped his finger, spread his betel-leaf, wrapped
up his nut, and proceeded to masticate. The fruit is
most liked when young, and while it is yet green
and juicy.t It tastes rough in the mouth, dyes the
lips red and the teeth black, but at the same time
preserves them.J
The prevailing religion was that of the Moham-
medan creed ; and the children were taught to read
and write, though business was generally transacted
by Chinese, the people of the island being indif-
ferent accountants. Besides what was supposed
their native tongue, they spoke a dialect of the
Malay, which among them was the language of
commerce. Many of them also understood Spanish ;
as the colonists of that nation had only been ex-
pelled during the reign of the present sultan's father.
The rajah both spoke and wrote the language ; and
had, from reading and conversation, acquired a con-
siderable knowledge of European countries. The
natives were of middle size, with slender limbs,
particularly the females. They had straight bodies,
* Voyages, vol. i. p 315. f Ibid. pp. 318, 319.
The preservation of the teeth is with as mucli probability attri-
buted to the lime. Voyages, vol. i. pp. 330, 331, 337.
344 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
with small heads ; their faces being oval, though
those of the women were more round. Their fore-
heads were low, with small black eyes, short low
noses, their lips thin and red, their skins tawny,
but inclining to a brighter yellow than some of the
other Indians.* Young ladies of rank were often
much fairer than the other women, and their noses
rose to a more aristocratic prominence than those
of the meaner sort. In female children the nose
was sometimes scarcely perceptible. The natives
all walked with a stately air, and the women,
though unaccustomed to shoes, had very small feet.
The nail of the left thumb was allowed to grow
very long.t The men wore a small turban, the
laced ends hanging down, with trousers and a
frock, but neither stockings nor shoes. The women
tied up their hair in a knot, which hung down
on the crown of the head. Their clothing was a
petticoat, and a frock that reached below the waist,
with very long sleeves, which, pushed up, sat in
puckered folds, and were a source of great pride
to the wearers. They were also adorned with ear-
rings and bracelets, which the pagally would some-
times beg from her English friend. f The dresses
of the higher class were made of long cloth, but the
lower universally wore the saggen, or that manu-
factured from the plantain-tree. They used no
chairs, choosing to sit cross-legged, either on the floor
or on mats. The food of the common people was
sago or rice, with occasionally a fish or two ; but the
better classes had often fowls and buffaloes' flesh. ||
Like all oriental tribes they bathed frequently
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 325, 326. f !bid. pp. 325, 342.
% Ibid. pp. 326, 327. Ibid. p. 329. || Ibid.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THB GLOBE. 345
and took great delight in swimming, to which
exercise both sexes are accustomed from infancy.*
The trades practised here were those of goldsmiths,
blacksmiths, and carpenters, every man being more
or less a joiner, and handling with dexterity their
scanty tools, which consisted of the axe and the
adze alone, saws and planes being altogether un-
known. t Yet the ships and barks they built were
stout and serviceable, used by them when they made
war, or traded to Manilla, and sometimes to Borneo
and other distant places, exchanging the gold and
bees-wax found in the interior of the island for
calicoes, silks, and muslins. They had also a traffic
with the Dutch in tobacco, which in Mindanao
was of excellent quality, and sold so low as twelve
pounds for about sixpence sterling.^ The inhabit-
ants were resolute in fight, though they avoided the
open field, preferring rather to erect forts and small
works, on which they mounted guns. These they
would defend or besiege for months together, some-
times making sallies. Their weapons were lances,
swords, and what Dampier calls hand-cressets, re-
sembling a bayonet, which they wore at all times,
whether in war, at work, or pastime. When likely
to be overcome, they sold their lives dearly, and
seldom either gave or took quarter; the conqueror
hewing down his antagonist without mercy. ||
The people at large were liable to a leprous disease,
the skin becoming blotched and scurfy, and rising
in white scales from the continual rubbing induced
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 330. f Ibid. p. 332. J Ibid. p. 333.
Dampier's hand-cressets are the kreeses of the Malay tribes,
the favourite weapon throughout all the islands and coasts into
which this warlike race have forced their way.
8 Voyages, vol. i. pp. 337, 338.
346 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
by intolerable itchiness. Some had white spots on
the skin, all over their body, but quite smooth : and
these, it was conjectured, were individuals who had
been cured.* Poly gamy was common. Thesultanhad
one queen and twenty-nine inferior wives, of whom
one was called the war-queen, as she always attend-
ed her lord to battle. The daughter of the sultan
by this lady was kept in strict seclusion ; but troops
of his other children roamed about the streets, often
begging things which they fancied from the English
seamen. It was said that the young princess had
never seen any man except her father and Rajah
Laut; though all other women were occasionally
allowed to appear abroad in pageants, or at public
festivals.t
The sultan was an absolute prince, who, in ori-
ental fashion, encouraged the industry and commer-
cial enterprise of his subjects by borrowing sums,
however small, which he discovered they had accu-
mulated by trade. By way of varying this system
of arbitrary exaction, he would at other times first
compel them to purchase goods belonging to himself,
which had probably been confiscated, and afterwards
find some political reason why he should reclaim
them for the public service. J He was a little man,
between fifty and sixty, and altogether inferior to
his brother the vizier, who, though only equal in
trickery, was superior to all his compeers in capa-
city and intelligence. It was he who led the forces,
managed the foreign policy, and regulated all inter-
nal affairs. Without his license no one could either
buy or sell ; nor could a fisherman leave the port
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 334- f lbid - PP- 335 > 341 -
+ Ibid. p. 335.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 347
without his permission. He was, in short, the hero
of the island, the women, on all great occasions,
singing his praises and celebrating his exploits.*
When the Cygnet came to anchor in the river,
besides being the wet season, it was the fast of Ra-
madan, and consequently amusement and pleasure
were nearly suspended in Mindanao ; but as soon as
this solemn period was passed, the prime minister
entertained Captain Swan every night with the per-
formances of dancing- women, common over India.
All the females were fond of dancing, which they
practised in a ring of forty or fifty, joining hand- in-
hand, singing in chorus, and keeping time;^and
though they never moved from the same spot, they
made various gestures, throwing forward one leg,
shouting aloud, and clapping their hands at the
close of each verse.t The rajah was in return
entertained by Swan's men, who performed English
dances to the music of violins, in a ball-room or-
namented with gold and silver lace, and illu-
minated by a profusion of wax-candles. Dampier
relates with great humour the very natural mistake
into which the vizier fell regarding one of these
quarter-deck performers: "Among the rest of our
men," says he, " that did use to dance thus before
the general, there was one John Thacker, who was
a seaman bred, and could neither write nor read,
but had formerly learnt to dance in the music-
houses about Wapping. This man came into the
South Seas with Captain Harris, and getting with
him a good quantity of gold, and being a pretty
good husband of his share, had still some left, be-
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 336, 337. t Ibid - PP-
348 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
sides what he laid out in a very good suit of clothes.
The general supposed by his garb and his dancing
that he had been of noble extraction; and to be
satisfied of his quality asked one of our men if he
did not guess aright of him. The man of whom
he asked this question told him he was much in
the right, and that most of our ship's company were
of the like extraction, especially all those that had
fine clothes, and that they came abroad only to see
the world, having money enough to bear their ex-
penses wherever they came ; but that for the rest,
those that had but mean clothes, they were only
common seamen. After this the general showed a
great deal of respect to all that had good clothes,
but especially to John Thacker, till Captain Swan
came to know the business and marred all, unde-
ceiving the general, and drubbing the nobleman."*
By this time the captain was deeply chagrined
at the result of his voyage. Most of his crew were
turbulent and lawless ; those who had money revel-
ling on shore, and continually involving themselves
in quarrels with the natives, while those who were
poor growled on board at the privations they suf-
fered, and the time wasted in inaction. t In the
number of the penniless was Dampier, who had no
means of recreation and no source of enjoyment ex-
cept the faculty of a powerful and quick observa-
tion, and the delight of entering his remarks in his
journal. The single object of the rest of the crew
was gold, the plunder of the Manilla ship ; nor
durst the commander reveal his dislike to their pro-
ject. He said privately to his literary shipmate,
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 361, 362. f Ibid, pp 370, 3J1.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 349
that " he never did intend to cruise about Manilla ;
that what he had already done of that kind he was
forced to ; but now being at liberty he would never
more engage in any such design; for," said he,
" there is no prince on earth able to wipe off the
stain of such actions."* About the time that his
men grew violently discontented, he became himself
suspicious of the good faith of his friend the prime
minister, who for the iron and lead which he had
purchased continued to pay with fair promises.t
Beef was one of the articles which he had engaged
to procure for the English, and a party went a- hunt-
ing with him, but found no prey. Dampier, a prac-
tised sportsman, was always on these excursions,
and used the opportunities they afforded to extend
his knowledge of the country. In the more distant
expeditions the rajah carried his wives, children,
and servants along with him in large proas, which
were fitted up with rooms. They settled at some
village in the neighbourhood of the hunting-ground ;
the chief and his family occupying one end of the
house and the seamen the other. While he and
his men, who always pursued their sport from
dawn till late in the afternoon, were abroad, the
strangers were frequently left with the women and
children. Though these ladies never quitted their
own apartment while their lord remained at home,
he was no sooner gone than they flocked to the visiters'
room, asking a thousand questions about the condi-
tion of the females, and the fashions and observances
of England.^ These were the subject of long and
earnest argument among themselves, some condemn-
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 364. f Ibid - PP- ^9, 370.
$ Ibid. pp. 364, 3ft, 367.
350 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
ing and others applauding the custom, which all
allowed to be singular, of even the king and chiefs
having but one wife. Among the proselytes to mo-
nogamy was the war-queen ; and her reasons, if they
did not convince, at least silenced her opponents.*
During this excursion Dampier considerably in-
creased his acquaintance with the character and
manners of the people. They bathed daily, and
washed after every meal ; and if rendered unclean
by accidentally touching any forbidden thing, they
underwent a scrupulous purification. Wild-hogs
abounded, but the flesh of that animal was held in
the utmost abhorrence by them. Though they in-
vited the seamen to destroy such as came into the
city during night to feed on garbage, they were or-
dered to take them on board ; and those who had
touched these creatures were ever afterwards avoided
by the natives, and forbidden to enter their houses.t
This superstitious dislike was carried to so great a
length, that Rajah Laut returned in a rage a pair of
shoes made in the English fashion, of leather he
himself had furnished, as soon as he was informed
that the thread with which they were sewed had
been pointed with hog's bristles. The shoemaker got
fresh materials and made another pair, with which
the chief was fully satisfied. {
At this village, in the evenings, the women danced
in the presence of the rajah ; and before the party
broke up to return to Mindanao, he entertained the
strangers with a jar of " rice-drink," a fermented
liquor, on which he and his attendants got very
merry. He drank first himself, and then his men ;
Voyages, vol. L p. 368, f Ibid. pp. 343, 344.
Ibid. p. 344.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 351
" and they took turns," says Dampier, " till they
were all as drunk as swine before they suffered us
to drink ; after they had enough then we drank,
and they drank no more, for they will not drink
after us."*
That balance in human affairs which pervades all
conditions was now turning in favour of the less
fortunate portion of the Cygnet's crew. The natives,
though hospitable, were, when offended, very deadly
in their resentments; and, as the conduct of the
seamen who lived ashore had given them just cause
of complaint, sixteen of their number were in a
short time taken off by poison, to which more after-
wards fell victims. The islanders were skilled in
the use of deleterious draughts, which had not their
full operation till a long while after they were ad-
ministered. Some of the men, though perfectl/
aware of having swallowed a mortal infusion, lin-
gered on for months. When they died, their lirers
were found black, dry, and shrivelled " like co;k."t
The ship had not lain long in the river before it
was discovered that her bottom was perforated by
worms, an insect which bred in such numbers that
shortly before, a Dutch vessel had been, destroyed
by them in less than two months. Kajah Laut
became heir to her great guns ; and i/ began to be
suspected that he entertained the iope of being
equally fortunate in a similar legacy from the Cyg-
net, as he had given no intimat/on of a danger
which the islanders always avoided by placing their
barks and boats in a dry-dock the moment they
came into port, even when only returned from fish-
Voyages, vol. i. p. 369. f Ibid - PP< 3 7 4 > 398.
352 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
ing.* When he saw that the sheathing of the ves-
sel had prevented serious damage, he shook his head
and seemed displeased ; gravely remarking, " that
he never did see a ship with two bottoms before."
Dampier had observed myriads of the same kind of
creatures in the bays of Campeachy and Panama,
and even in Virginia, though in smaller numbers.
They are never seen far at sea.t
This damage was repaired in time, and, along
with other circumstances, strengthened the suspi-
cions of Swan, and excited the discontent of his
men by increasing their alarm. The rajah also,
if he did not absolutely refuse, still delayed to fur-
nish the beef and rice necessary to their subsistence,
and which were to be the price of the commodities
with which the captain had so largely furnished
Mm. The same officer had also lent him twenty
ouices of gold to defray the expense of a solemn
festival, when his son was circumcised. This splen-
did Ceremony, at which the English were present,
had b*en celebrated with music, the singular war-
dance of the country, banquets, pageants, and pro-
cessions ^y torchlight.^ But the vizier, in a man-
ner not uncommon in eastern countries, not only
declined to refund the gold ; he even insisted that
it had been i present, and finally demanded pay-
ment for all the victuals which Swan and his men
had consumed it his table.
While he thts refused to discharge his debts,
the pirate crew became openly mutinous, and a
party among them resolved to carry off the ship.||
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 382, 363. t I bid - PP- 3t52 > 363.
J Ibid. p. 339-341. 8 Ibid. pp. 369, 370.
|| Ibid. p. 372, 373.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 353
Neither Dampier, who happened to be on board,
nor the surgeon's mate, approved of this treacherous
design, but they were reluctantly compelled to go
with the rest, leaving the captain and thirty-six men
at Mindanao. The others sailed on the 14th Janu-
ary 1687, intending to cruise off Manilla, under the
direction of a Buccaneer of Jamaica, named Read,
who was chosen commander; and the first intimation
Swan had of his abandonment was the gun which
was fired as his vessel got under weigh.* To his
own irresolution, bad temper, and want of firmness,
is imputed this signal misfortune. If, when apprized
of the design of the mutineers, he had gone on board
and behaved with prudence and courage, he might
have brought back the greater part of the men to
their duty, and taken his own measures with the
ringleaders, to some of whom he had certainly given
just cause of discontent.t
After leaving this port, the Cygnet, with a crew
now reduced by various causes to eighty men, coast-
ed to the westward. They fell in with a great many
Keys, or small low islets, between which and Min-
danao there was a good channel. To the eastward of
these spots they anchored and obtained green tur-
tle, and at different places cut ratans such as were
used in England for walking-canes. They saw
large bats, " seven or eight foot from tip to tip"
of the extended wings, which regularly at dusk took
their flight from the smaller islands in swarms like
bees, and returned like a cloud before sunrise.J
On the 23d they reached Luconia, having captured
two Spanish vessels bound for Manilla, in which
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 372, 374, 380, 402. f Ibid. p. 374.
* Ibid. pp. 378, 380, 381.
354 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
they found a considerable quantity of rice and cot-
ton cloth. The master of one of them had been
boatswain of the Acapulco ship which escaped them
at Guahan, and which now lay safe in port.*
Nothing, therefore, of consequence could be hoped
for this season, and, to beguile the time and wait
a more favourable opportunity, they resolved to
sail for Pulo Condore, or " Isles of Calabashes/'
a group situated on the coast of Cambodia. They
anchored at Condore on the 14th March. Two of
the cluster are pretty high, tolerably well wooded,
and on the larger of them was found a tree from
which the inhabitants extracted a viscid juice that
they made into good tar, and which, if boiled long
enough, became pitch.t The mangoes whereof the
Indian pickle is manufactured were likewise found. {
They were now ripe, and attracted the attention of the
seamen by their delicious fragrance. The grape-tree
was also seen, with the wild or spurious nutmeg, and
many sorts of beautiful birds, such as parrots, paro-
quets, and doves. The inhabitants of Pulo Condore
resembled the natives of Mindanao, but were darker
in complexion. Their chief business was to make
tar of the pith of the tree mentioned above, which
they exported to Coch in-China, from whence these
islanders were originally a colony. The oil of the
turtle was another article of their commerce with
the mother-country. They were idolaters, and in a
temple Dampier saw the image of an elephant as
well as that of a horse, which they were supposed to
worship
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 384.
f Probably the danutr, the most important of the gums found
in the Indian islands, and extensively used for ships and boats.
$ Voyages, vol. i. p. 389-391. Ibid. pp. 391, b92, 395, 396.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 355
At this place the Buccaneers remained a month ;
after which they cruised in the Gulf of Siam and in
several parts of the Chinese Sea, taking all vessels
that fell in their way, whether belonging to Spa-
niards, Portuguese, or natives.* The surgeon and
Dampier, who, against their inclination, had ac-
companied " this mad crew, and were sufficiently
weary of them," would have escaped here, and taken
their chance of getting to Sumatra or any other
English factory ; but they were constrained to re-
main on board.t
The adventurers next proceeded to the Ponghoo
or Piscadore Islands, which in no respect answered
their purpose of quiet and security. At the place
where they anchored there was a large town occu-
pied by a Tartar garrison.
In the charts they possessed, there were laid down
a number of islands situated between Luconia and
Formosa ; and these they hoped to find either unin-
habited or only peopled by tribes whom they might
plunder with impunity. They steered for them, and
upon the 6th August reached the interesting group
now known as the Bashee Islands.^ They ap-
proached the largest, on which they rejoiced to see
goats browsing ; but safe anchorage was not obtained
till next day at the eastern side of the most northerly
of them. The sails were scarcely furled when a
hundred small boats swarmed round the ship, each
carrying from three to six men, with whom the
deck was soon crowded. The pirates, alarmed by
the number of these visiters, got their fire-arms in
readiness ; but iron was the only thing that capti-
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 400-401. t Ibid. p. 402.
J Ibid. p. 421. Ibid. p. 434.
356 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
vated the Basheeans, who quickly picked up all the
little pieces they could find, though they were other-
wise perfectly quiet and orderly. Waxing bolder by
indulgence, one of them tried to wrench out a linch-
pin from the carriage of a gun. He was seized, and
his cries made all his countrymen leap overboard in
a fright.* The man was, however, kindly treated,
and, being first made sensible of his error in at-
tempting to steal, was presented with a piece of
the metal, with which he swam to his comrades.
Thus reassured, the islanders returned, and a brisk
trade was opened, which was renewed daily. A
hog was got for two or three pounds of iron, a fat goat
for an old hoop, and the liquor of the islands, the
Bashee-drmk, from the name of which the pirates
gave the whole group their general appellation, for
nails, spikes, or bullets.t
These five islands were more particularly named :
1. Orange Island, so called by the Dutchmen
among the crew, in honour of their native prince.
It is the largest and most westerly of the group, and
was uninhabited. 2. Grafton Island was so named
by Dampier in compliment to the noble family in
whose household he had, as has been mentioned,
left his wife. 3. Monmouth Island was designated
by the seamen in memory of the unfortunate duke
the son of Charles II. The other two received
the appellations of Goat and Bashee, from the num-
bers of that animal seen on the one, and from the
abundance of the beverage made on the other.
The latter are small, and lie to the southward in
the channel which divides Orange Island from those
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 435. f Ibid.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 357
called Grafton and Monmouth.* The last-mention-
ed one is high, and so fenced with steep rocks and
precipitous cliffs that the Buccaneers did not land
upon it as they did upon all the others. It, as well
as Grafton, was thickly inhabited, though on Ba-
shee there was only one village. The natives, says
Dam pier, were "short squat people, generally round-
visaged, with low foreheads and thick eyebrows;
their eyes of a hazel colour and small, yet bigger than
those of the Chinese ; short low noses, their lips and
mouths middle-proportioned ; their teeth white,
their hair black, thick, and lank, which they wore
cut short; it will just cover their ears, and so is cut
round very even," and to this fashion they seemed
to attach great importance.t Their skins are of a
very dark copper-colour. They wear neither hat,
cap, turban, nor any thing to protect them from the
heat of the sun. The men had a cloth about their
middle, and some wore jackets of plan tain- leaves,
" as rough as any bear's skin." The women were
dressed in a short cotton petticoat which fell be-
low the knees, consisting of " a thick stubborn"
cloth of home manufacture. Both men and women
wore large ear-rings of a yellow glistering metal,
found in the mines in their own mountains, re-
sembling gold, but paler in colour. These ornaments
completely baffled the science of the pirates, who
had rather an instinctive love of the precious metal
than much knowledge of its natural properties.}:
When first polished the rings looked peculiarly bril-
liant, but they soon faded and became quite dim,
when it was necessary to throw them into the fire,
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 421, 422. f Ibid. pp. 426> 42J.
$ Ibid. p. 427.
358
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
first casing them in a soft paste made of a red earth.
After being heated red hot they were cooled in
water, and the paste rubbed off, when the glistering
lustre was found renewed. Our navigator was un-
fortunately too poor to be able to purchase any of
this metal,* or rather too honest to appropriate to
himself any part of the iron belonging to Captain
Swan's owners, though his companions appear to
have been less scrupulous. t The language of the
people of these islands was quite strange to the
pirates, though they were now tolerably well ac-
quainted with the Malay tongue and the Chinese. J
No foreign commodities were seen among the
Basheeans, nor any thing that could have been
introduced by sea, except a few bits of iron and
pieces of buffalo-hides. In all points they appeared
an unmixed race, and in their dispositions singularly
mild, amiable, and peaceful. Their lands produced
plantains, bananas, pumpkins, and yams, which
constituted the principal part of their food. They
had no grain of any kind, and consequently but few
fowls, which, according to Dampier, never abounded
where there was not either maize, rice, or grain of
some sort. Some cotton-plants were seen, as well as
sugar-canes, from the boiled juice of which the na-
tives made the liquor so agreeable to their visiters.
This extract, with which a small black berry was
mixed, was allowed to ferment three 1 or four days,
and when it had settled, was poured off from the
* The Bashee Islands have since been known to afford a consider-
able quantity of gold-dust, washed down from the mountains by the
torrents. The Spaniards in 1JH3 formed a settlement on Grafton
Island to collect the gold, and left a garrison of about 100 men.
+ Voyages, vol. i. p. 42J. Ibid. p. 431.
Ibid. p. 426.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 359
lees, in a state fit to be drunk.* It was much like
English beer, both in taste and colour, and, as our
navigator believed, a perfectly wholesome beverage ;
none of the men, many of whom drank it copiously,
being ever sick in consequence of their excess. The
natives sold it cheaply, and when the seamen visited
at their houses freely gave it to them, and would
sometimes buy a jar from a neighbour to entertain
their guests.t These purchases were made with
small crumbs of the glistering metal above described,
which, wrapped in plantain-leaves, served as a sub-
stitute for coin. Though cleanly in their persons
and habitations, the inhabitants were in some re-
spects very filthy in their eating. They were not
seen at this time to kill any animals for their own
use; but of the goats purchased by the Buccaneers
they begged the skin and garbage, and when the
surly sailors threw them into the sea, they would
take them out. With the hogs they never meddled.
The goat-skin they broiled and gnawed ; and of
the paunch made what to them appeared a delicious
dish.J The whole crude contents of the stomach
were emptied into a pot, stewed and eaten with
raw fish, which they took what Dampier thought
very superfluous trouble in cleaning and mincing,
considering the nature of the substances with which
they were mixed. This mess was eaten as the
natives of the Philippines eat their rice j he being
reckoned the best bred among the inhabitants of
Mindanao who could most dexterously roll up
and swallow the largest ball. The people of these
islands had another singular dish made of locusts,
Voyages, vol. i. p. 431. f Ibid. J Ibid. pp. 429, 430.
360 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
which at this season attacked the potato-leaves
in multitudes, and in their ravages spared no green
thing. They were about an inch and a half in
length, and as thick as the tip of a man's little
finger, with large thin wings and long small legs.
The owners of the crops caught them in nets, a
quart frequently at one sweep. When enough were
obtained for a dish, they were parched in an earthen
pot over the fire, till the legs and wings dropped off,
when from brown they became red. The bodies
were rather succulent, though the heads crackled
under the teeth of the eater.*
The dwellings of the islanders, and the places
upon which they had perched them, were among
the most singular features of their social condition.
In describing them we adopt the words of the Diary :
" These people make but small low houses. The
sides, which are made of small posts, wattled with
boughs, are not above four foot and an half high :
the ridge-pole is about seven or eight foot high.
They have a fireplace at one end of their houses,
and boards placed on the ground to lie on. They
inhabit together in small villages built on the sides
and tops of rocky hills, three or four rows of houses
one above another, and on such steep precipices that
they go up to the first row with a wooden ladder,
and so with a ladder still from every storey up to
that above it, there being no way to ascend. The
plain on the first precipice may be so wide as to
have room both for a row of houses, that stand all
along on the edge or brink of it, and a very narrow
street running along before their doors, between
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 430.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 361
the row of houses and the foot of the next precipice,
the plain of which is in a manner level to the tops
of the houses below, and so for the rest. The com.
mon ladder to each row or street comes up at a nar-
row passage, left purposely about the middle of it, and
the street being bounded with a precipice also at each
end, 'tis but drawing up the ladder if they be assault-
ed, and then there is no coming at them from be-
low but by climbing up as against a perpendicular
wall. And that they may not be assaulted from
above they take care to build on the side of such
a hill whose back hangs over the sea, or is some
high, steep, perpendicular precipice, altogether inac-
cessible." These terraces, however regular, appeared
quite natural.* Grafton and Monmouth Islands
abound in such rocky fortresses, in which the na-
tives felt themselves secure from pirates, and from
other enemies whether foreign or domestic.
The boats of the islanders were ingeniously con-
structed, somewhat like Deal yawls, and some of
them so large that they could carry forty or fifty men.
They were propelled by twelve or fourteen oars on
each side.t Though scantily provided with iron,
the Basheeans could work this metal, employing the
same sort of bellows, remarkable for rude ingenuity,
which Dampier had seen at Mindanao. This primi-
tive implement was formed of two hollow cylinders,
made of the trunks of trees, like our wooden water-
pipes. They were about three feet long, and placed
upright in the ground, close to the blacksmith's
fire, which was made on the floor. Near the bottom
of each, on the side next the forge, a hole was bored,
Voyages, voL i. pp. 428, 429. f U>id. P-
I
362 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
into which a tube was exactly fitted. These tubes
met in a common centre or mouth opposite the fire.
The bellows being thus prepared, a man stood be-
tween the hollowed trunks with a brush of feathers
in each hand, which he worked alternately in the
cylinders, like the piston of a pump, thus impelling
the air through the small pipes below, and by this
means keeping up a continued blast.*
While the Cygnet anchored at the Five Islands,
the men were generally employed in fishing, leaving
the plantations to the care of the women. Their
weapons were wooden lances, of which only a few
were headed with iron ; their armour a buffalo's
hide, as thick as a board, covering them to the knees,
and having holes for the head and arm's.t No form
of worship was observed among this tribe, nor did
any one seem to have more authority than another.
" Yet 'tis probable/' says the navigator, " that they
have some law or custom by which they are governed ;
for while we lay here we saw a young man buried
alive in the earth, and 'twas for theft as far as we
could understand from them. There was a great
deep hole dug, and abundance of people came to the
place to take their last farewell of him. Among the
rest there was one woman who made great lamenta-
tion, and took off the condemned person's ear-rings.
We supposed her to be his mother."J Every man
had one wife, with whom he appeared to live hap-
pily, the children respecting and honouring their
parents. The boys went out to fish with their fa-
thers, while the girls attended to domestic duties.
Each family had a small plantation in the valleys ;
Voyages, vol. i. p. 332. f Ibid. PP- 429, 432.
Ibid. J. 432.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 363
and thither the young women descended every day
from their rocky abodes to dig yams and potatoes,
which they carried home on their heads for the use
of the household.*
In no part of the world had Dampier seen people
so perfectly quiet and civil as these islanders. " They
dealt justly and with great sincerity," he says,
" and made us very welcome to their houses with
Bashee-drink."t
Meanwhile the cruise off Manilla was not forgot-
ten. Eighty hogs were salted, and yams and pota-
toes laid up for sea-store. J The crew had taken in
water, and now only waited the settling of the east-
ern monsoon to take their departure. On the 24th
September the wind shifted to that quarter, and by
midnight blew so fiercely that they were driven to
sea, leaving six of their men on the island. It
was the 1st October before they were again able to
come to anchor, and the natives immediately con-
veyed the sailors on board, whom they had treated
with great kindness during the temporary absence
of the ship. They only stipulated that the strangers
should cut their hair in the Bashee fashion ; and on
this condition offered each of them a wife, and, as a
dowry, a plantation and implements of labour.
The late storm, and their long and profitless cruise,
now extending with some of them to several years'
duration, combined to depress the spirits of the crew;
and once more every man heartily wished himself
at home, " as they had done a hundred times be-
fore." || They were, however, persuaded by the cap-
tain and master to try one chance more, arid agreed
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 432. f Ibid. p. 433. + Ibid. p. 43?.
Ibid. pp. 438, 439. 11 Ibid. p. 439.
364 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
to steer for Cape Comorin, for ever renouncing the
long-indulged dream of capturing the Manilla ship.
Dampier believed that the ultimate object of the
commanders was to cruise in the Red Sea, and
by one desperate effort to make or for ever mar
their fortunes.* Of all the company none was
more heartily tired than he himself, who had been
betrayed into this voyage, and whose thoughts, since
leaving Mindanao, had run continually on mak-
ing his escape to some of our own settlements. To
avoid the danger of meeting English or Dutch ships,
they agreed, instead of steering for the Straits of Ma-
lacca, to go round the east side of the Philippines, and,
keeping southward to the Spice Islands, pass these,
and enter the Indian Ocean about Timor. To him
all routes were alike. " I was well enough satisfied,"
he says, " knowing that the farther we went the
more knowledge and experience I should get, which
was the main thing that I regarded, and should also
have the more variety of places to attempt an escape
from them."t
On the 3d October they sailed from the Bashee
Isles, leaving for the first time a somewhat favour-
able impression of their characters, and bearing
away grateful and affectionate remembrances of this
amiable tribe. They steered south-south-west, with
the wind at west and fair weather ; and passed cer-
tain islands which lie near the north end of Lu-
conia. Leaving this coast, and with it " all their
golden projects," they steered southward, keeping
to the east of the Philippines, and on the 15th
anchored between the two small islands named
Voyages, vol. I p. 439. f Ibid. p. 440.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 365
Candigar and Sarangan, near the south-eastern ex-
tremity of Mindanao ; and next day found a proper
place to careen and refit the ship.* While they lay
here the nephew of the sultan, who, in name of his
uncle, had formerly treated with Captain Swan to
garrison his island and take in a cargo of spice, came
on board and requested a passage home, as they were
understood to be going southward. From him they
obtained intelligence of their late commander and
comrades, who had been fighting under Rajah Laut
with a hostile tribe in the interior. The English-
men had conducted themselves so bravely that they
were in high favour with the chief; though, it was
feared, they had been found too useful as allies
to be permitted to leave their new service. Swan
had for some time been unsuccessfully attempting to
hire a vessel to convey him to Fort St George, t
Dam pier now took an opportunity of persuad-
ing the men to return to their duty, to carry the
ship back to the river of Mindanao, and give her
up to the captain to whom she had been originally
intrusted ; but before this could be effected, an in-
dividual, who seemed most zealously to embrace
the proposal, gave information, upon which Read
deemed it prudent to weigh anchor with all expedi-
tion. Without waiting the arrival of the prince, to
whom a passage had been promised, he held a south-
west course, and once more disappointed the hopes
of the journalist, who believed that, by carrying
home the youth, they might have obtained leave
to establish a factory and a lawful traffic.^
The ultimate fate of Swan, of whom we are now
* Voyages, \ol. i. pp. 442, 443. f Ibid. p. 444.
$ Ibid. pp. 445, 446.
366 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
to lose sight, was not a little painful. Two super-
cargoes of the ship, Harthope and Smith, died at
Mindanao ; and when the commander, after a series
of disappointments, was going out to a Dutch vessel
which lay in the river, hoping at length to get away,
the boat was run down by the emissaries of the
rajah, and he and the surgeon were both killed in
the water. The property of the captain was im-
mediately seized by the same perfidious chief, who
justified his conduct by imputing as crimes to the
unfortunate navigator some idle threats wrung from
him by irritation and grief.*
The Cygnet continued her voyage among the
channels of the Philippines as far as to the Spice
Isles, and anchored off Celebes, where the seamen
obtained a supply of turtle. Among other shell-fish
they are said to have also found cockles of so mon-
strous a size that the meat of one of them was suf-
ficient to make a meal for seven or eight persons.
It was palatable and wholesome. Here they also
discovered a species of vine, of which the leaves,
pounded and boiled with lard, were converted into
an infallible salve. One of the company had for-
merly learnt its uses from the Indians of the Darien ;
and most of his comrades now laid up a store, such
of them as had ulcers finding great benefit from its
healing properties. t On the 29th November they
left this place ; and after encountering the dangers
of the shoals which surround Celebes, and expe-
riencing fierce tornadoes, they, on the 5th Decem-
ber, approached the north-west end of the island of
Bouton.J
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 445, 446. f Ibid. p. 449.
$ Ibid. p. 45J .
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 367
An Indian who spoke the Malay tongue came on
board with some of the turtle-strikers, and informed
them of a good harbour on the eastern side of the
island, for which they sailed. They came to an-
chor within a league of Callasusung, a clean and
handsome town, situated upon a hill in the middle
of a fertile plain, surrounded with cocoa-trees.* The
people resembled the inhabitants of Mindanao, and
their houses were built in the same style ; but they
appeared in all respects much more " neat and tight."
They were Mohammedans, and used the Malay
language. The same description seems to fit every
sultan whom the voyagers saw, " a little man
about forty or fifty, with a great many wives and
children."t Unaware of the exact character of his
visiters, the chief of Bouton was pleased to hear
that they were English, and made them a visit in
a handsomely-ornamented proa, with a white silk
flag displayed at the mast-head, edged with red and
having in the centre, neatly painted, his national or
family arms, a green griffin trampling upon a dra-
gon or winged- serpent. J
The adventurers had no object in remaining here,
and from a feeling of curiosity resolved to steer for
New Holland " to see what that country would af-
ford them." Upon leaving the land they got among
shoals, and it was about three weeks before they
passed Timor and escaped all the dangers of this
chain. On the 4th January J688 they fell in
with the north-west coast of what may be esteemed
the Australian continent, in 16 50', due south from
a shoal, the longitude of which is now ascertained
Voyages, vol. i. p. 464. f I bid - PP- M*> 45 ^
$ Ibid. p. 455.
368 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
to be 122 15' east. They ran close in, but found
no safe anchoring- ground, as the land lay open to
the north-west. They steered about twelve leagues
north-east by east, keeping close in by the shore,
and reached a point, three leagues to the eastward
of which they found a deep bay with many islets,
and finally anchored nearly a mile from the beach.
Seeing people walking about, a canoe was sent off,
but they ran away and hid themselves ; and though
traces of fires were seen, no habitation could be dis-
covered. Toys and trinkets were left at such places
as the natives were most likely to find them.*
The coast here was low and level, with sand-banks;
and, though no water could be obtained, old wells
were seen dry at several places on the margin of the
bay. Having failed in their object on the mainland,
as neither provisions nor water could be found, some
of the boats visited the contiguous islands, and sur-
prised a party of the natives. The men at first
threatened the intruders, and showed their lances
and swords; but the noise of a single gun frightened
them, and the women more especially seemed in
very great alarm. Screaming aloud, they ran away
with their children, while their husbands stood to
parley. Those who, from sickness or old age, were
unable to follow, lay still by their fires uttering
doleful lamentations ; but when it was seen that no
harm was intended them, they became tranquil, and
many of the fugitives returned.t
The Buccaneers had formed against these wretch-
ed people no design more flagitious than to make
them assist in carrying the water-casks to the boats.
* Voyages, p. 459-467. f Ibid. pp. 463, 467.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
To this they tried to bribe them with ragged shirts
and old breeches, a species of clothing which would
have charmed the inhabitants of the South Sea
islands, though it was totally disregarded by the
inert natives of New Holland, whose first associa-
tions with European manufactures were connected
with compulsory labour. " We put them on them,"
says Dampier, speaking of the tattered rags supplied
by the crew, " thinking that this finery would have
brought them to work heartily for us; and our
water being filled in small long barrels, about six
gallons in each, we brought these our new servants
to the wells, and put a barrel on each of their
shoulders for them to carry to the canoe. But all
the signs we could make were to no purpose ; for
they stood like statues, without motion, but grinned
like so many monkeys, staring one upon another."
It was found that they had not strength sufficient
even for this easy task ; and it was believed that an
English ship-boy of ten years old would have been
able to bear heavier burdens than these feeble savages.
" So we were forced," he resumes, " to carry our
water ourselves ; and they very fairly put the
clothes off again, and laid them down, as if clothes
were only to work in. I did not perceive that they
had any great liking to them at first ; neither did
they seem to admire any thing that we had."* In.
his estimation, they were lower in the scale of hu-
manity than any tribe of which he had ever heard,
the Hottentots not excepted. " The Hodmadods
of Monomatapa, though a nasty people, are gen-
tlemen to these. Setting aside their human shape,
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 467, 468.
370 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
they differ but little from brutes. They are tall,
straight-bodied, and thin, with small long limbs.
They have great heads, round foreheads, and great
brows. Their eyelids are always half closed, to
keep the flies out of their eyes, so that they never
open their eyes as other people; and therefore
they cannot see far, unless they hold up their heads
as if they were looking at somewhat over them.
They have great bottle- noses, pretty full lips, and
wide mouths. The two fore-teeth of their upper
jaw are wanting in all of them, men and women,
old and young. Whether they draw them out I
know not; neither have they any beards. They
are long-visaged, and of a very unpleasing aspect,
having no one graceful feature in their faces. Their
hair is black, short, and curled, like that of negroes ;
and the colour of their skins coal-black, like that
of the negroes of Guinea. They have no sort of
clothes, but a piece of the rind of a tree tied like a
girdle about their waists, and a handful of long
grass, or three or four small green boughs full of
leaves thrust under it. They have no houses, but
lie in the open air without any covering, the earth
being their bed, and the heaven their canopy." They
lived in groups or families of from twenty to thirty,
men, women, and children ; their only food being a
small kind of fish which they caught at flood-tide
in a sort of weirs.* Yet even these miserable people
were possessed of some good qualities. Whatever
they caught was fairly divided. Were it little or
much, every one had a share of the bounty that
Providence had sent, " the old and feeble who were
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 464, 465.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 371
unable to go abroad, as well as the strong and lusty."
This disinterestedness, with their bold defence of
the women and children on the first appearance of
the Europeans, is, however, all that can be said in
praise of apparently the most abject and wretched
tribe of the human race. When they had consumed
what was caught, they lay down till next low- water,
and then all who were able went to examine the
weirs. No iron was seen among them ; but they
had wooden swords, and a kind of lance like a long
pole, sharpened at the upper end, and hardened by
heat.*
No sort of land-animal was observed ; yet there
were a few birds, and plenty of manatee and turtle,
though the natives had never learned to strike
them. They had neither boats, canoes, nor rafts,
and therefore, when they had occasion to pass to the
several islands in the bay, they had recourse to
swimming. No form of worship was observed; and
though they greedily devoured rice, or whatever
was given them, their minds never once appeared
to awaken to any feeling of curiosity. Four men
who were taken on board were utterly insensible
to every thing but the food which they devoured
and the delight of getting away. The wonders
around them, the ship and her strange company,
which would have charmed many of the tribes of
Polynesia to an ecstacy of surprise, were unnoticed
by the savages of this part of New Holland.t
The Mosquito-men were busily employed during
the time that the vessel was cleaned and the sails
repaired ; nor did Dampier miss this opportunity of
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 465, 465*. f Ibid. pp. 468, 469.
372 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
again endeavouring to persuade his messmates to go
to some English factory and give her up. But the
threat of being left on this barren and melancholy
coast compelled him to consult his prudence rather
than his duty, and to wait a fairer chance of escape.*
The destination of the Cygnet was still Cape Co-
morin ; and on the 4th of May they made the Nicobar
Islands, the chief commodities of which were am-
bergris and fruits, which the inhabitants sold to any
class of traders who happened to visit them.t Our
navigator now openly expressed his intention of
leaving the ship ; and the captain believing that he
could not more effectually punish his refractory dis-
position than by granting his wish, at once gave
him leave to depart. Lest the commander should
change his mind, he immediately lowered his bed-
ding and chest, and induced one of the men to row
him to the land.J He had not been long on shore,
however, when a party were sent to bring him back,
and he went with them, aware that if he secreted
himself, the pirate-chief would not hesitate to make
a descent on the coast and kill some of the natives,
who would naturally revenge themselves on him.
On returning to the ship, he found that his example
had been followed by several of the crew, three of
whom, including the surgeon, now entertained the
same views. The captain refused on any terms to let
the medical officer depart ; but after some altercation
Dampier and his two companions, on a clear moon-
light night, were landed and left in a sandy bay of
this unknown island. A seaman who conducted
the party ashore stole an axe and gave it to them, as
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 469. f Ibid - P- 4 ? 6 '
$ Ibid. pp. 481, 482.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 373
the means of propitiating the natives or of buying
provisions. They were speedily joined by four
Acheenese previously captured in a proa, whom
Captain Read released before setting sail, as also by
a native of Portugal, who had likewise been made
prisoner ; and now they fancied themselves strong
enough to row to Sumatra.* Accordingly, having
exchanged their axe for a canoe, they placed their
goods in it, and embarked for Acheen. This frail
vessel, however, upset almost as soon as it was put
in motion, and though no life was lost, Dampier's
journal and drafts suffered considerable damage.t
Three days were spent in converting their little ves-
sel into a sailing-boat, which was expertly done by
the Acheenese, who fitted her with a mast, out- rig-
gers, and a suit of mat-sails. With the natives, who
watched all their movements, though more from cu-
riosity than suspicion, they bartered rags and strips J
of cloth for mellory a variety of the bread-fruit,
shaped like a pear, with a tough, smooth, light-green
rind, which was thought to be confined to these
islands. They also obtained cocoa-nuts, and might
have had hogs, but that they did not choose to dis-
gust their Malayan friends, who were Mohammed-
ans. Once more they embarked, their only guides
being a pocket-compass, with which Dampier had
provided himself, and a sketch of the Indian Seas,
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 483, 484, 486. f Ibid. 486, 487.
$ A strip of cloth which those islanders wear attached to their
slight covering led Linnaeus into the ludicrous mistake of asserting,
on the authority of an ignorant Swedish sailor, that here existed
a race of men with tails.
The mellnry of the Nicobars, called by the natives larum,
is a speciea of bread-fruit, said to be superior even to that of Ota-
heite.
374 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
which, contemplating escape, he had previously co-
pied from a chart in the ship into his pocket-book.*
They had been only three days at sea when the
weather became tempestuous. To describe what
followed we shall employ his own striking language,
which, while it reveals so much of his true character
and feelings, affords a good specimen of his more
elevated style : " The wind continued increasing
all the afternoon, and the sea still swelled higher
and often broke, but did us no damage; for the
ends of the vessel being very narrow, he that steer-
ed received and broke the sea on his back, and so
kept it from coming in so much as to endanger the
vessel, though much water would come in, which
we were forced to keep heaving out continually. By
this time we saw it was well that we had altered
our course ; every wave would else have filled and
sunk us, taking the side of the vessel ; and though
our outlayers were well lashed down to the canoe's
bottom with rattans, yet they must probably have
yielded to such a sea as this, when even before, they
were plunged under water and bent like twigs. The
evening of this 18th day was very dismal. The sky
looked very black, being covered with dark clouds.
The wind blew hard, and the seas ran high. The
sea was already roaring in a white foam about us ;
a dark night coming on, no land in sight to shelter
us, and our little ark in danger to be swallowed by
every wave ; and, what was worst of all, none of us
thought ourselves prepared for another world. The
reader may better guess than I can express, the con-
fusion that we were all in. I had been in many
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 487, 493.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE. 375
imminent dangers before now, but the worst of them
all was but a play-game in comparison with this. I
must confess that I was in great conflicts of mind at
this time. Other dangers came not upon me with
such a leisurely and dreadful solemnity a sudden
skirmish or engagement or so was nothing when
one's blood was up, and pushed forward with eager
expectations ; but here I had a lingering view of ap-
proaching death, and little or no hopes of escaping
it, and I must confess that my courage, which I had
hitherto kept up, failed me here ; and I made very
sad reflections on my former life and looked back
with horror and detestation on actions which be-
fore I disliked, but now I trembled at the remem-
brance of. I had long before this repented me of
that roving course of life, but never with such con-
cern as now. I did also call to mind the many mi-
raculous acts of God's providence towards me in the
whole course of my life, of which kind I believe few
men have met with the like. For all these I returned
thanks in a peculiar manner, and this once more
desired God's assistance, and composed my mind as
well as I could in the hopes of it, and as the event
showed I was not disappointed of my hopes. Sub-
mitting ourselves therefore to God's good providence,
and taking all the care we could to preserve our lives,
Mr Hall and I took turns to steer, and the rest took
turns to heave out the water ; and thus we provided
to spend the most doleful night I ever was in."*
The pious trust of Dampier and his companions did
not fail them. After enduring great hardship, they
came in sight of a small fishing- village on the island
" Voyages, vol. i. pp. 496, 497.
376 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OP THE GLOBE.
of Sumatra, with which their Malay companions
were previously acquainted. But they were now
so much exhausted as to be unable to row their
boat ashore, another example of the sudden pros-
tration of strength to which persons who have been in
imminent jeopardy are liable as soon as the danger
appears to be past. The people of the place assisted
them to land, and a chief who came to see them, un-
derstanding that they were prisoners escaped from
pirates, treated them with great kindness. A house
being provided for their reception, provisions were
sent to it in much larger quantities than they could
use, as they were all sick from excessive fatigue and
the alternations of cold and heat to which they had
been exposed.* After resting ten days, though not
yet restored to health, they entreated to be allowed
to proceed to Acheen to their countrymen; and, being
supplied with a large proa, they were permitted to
depart. On their arrival at that settlement, they
were strictly examined by the native magistrate, and
then given up to the care of an Irish gentleman con-
nected with the factory. The Portuguese died, and
Ambrose, one of the Englishmen who left the
Cygnet, did not long survive him ; while Dampier,
whose constitution, originally robust, was now by
his hardy mode of life rendered almost invincible,
recovered but slowly.t
When his health was somewhat re-established,
he embarked on a voyage to Nicobar with a captain
named Bowry, who traded to different parts of
India; but after two days they were driven back
and the enterprise was abandoned.^ His next trip
* Voyages, vol. i. pp. 499. 500. f Ibid. pp. 502, 503.
$ Ibid. p. 504.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 377
was to Tonquin under Captain Welden, with whom
he afterwards went to Malacca, and thence to Fort
St George, where he remained five months, and then
returned to Bencoolen, to a factory lately established
by the English on what was then called the West
Coast. Here he also officiated several months as
gunner of the fort.*
Some time afterwards he met at Acheen his former
shipmate, Mr Morgan, from whom he learned the
fortunes of his brethren on board the Cygnet. After
he had left them at Nicobar, they steered for Ceylon,
in the course of which voyage they were compelled
by stress of weather to seek refreshments upon the
coast of Coromandel. Half the crew at this time
left the ship, part of whom subsequently found
their way to Agra, and entered the service of the
Mogul as guards ; but upon the offer of a pardon
made to them by the governor at Fort St George,
most of them repaired to that garrison. The re-
mainder reached Madagascar, where they enlisted
into the army of one of the petty princes, who was
then at war with a neighbouring chief, t
We may here take a farewell glance of the Buc-
caneers, and especially of those left by Dampier in
the South Sea. In pursuing their old vocation they
captured many vessels, and revelled in the plunder
of several towns ; sometimes cruising together, but
as often in detached bands. Townley was so fortu-
nate as to obtain at Lavelia the treasure landed
from the Lima ship the former year, for which Swan
had watched so long in vain; and with his whole force
he had hazarded a sanguinary engagement in the
Voyages, vol. I p. 505. f Ibid. p. 50/-509.
378 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
Bay of Panama. But he afterwards died of wounds
received in another adventure. The French party
stormed Granada ; and Groigniet, having also fallen
by the sword, was succeeded by Le Picard. Harris
followed Swan across the Pacific; and Knight,
satiated with plunder, returned by Cape Horn to
the West Indies, those of his party who had gam-
bled away their share of the pillage remaining in
the Bachelor's Delight. The narrative written by
Lionel Wafer, who remained with Davis, possesses
considerable interest, as descriptive of his proceed-
ings on the coasts of Peru and New Spain. This
captain, who generally kept apart from the French
freebooters, joined them in an attack on Guayaquil,
where they amicably divided a rich booty. The
latter, among whom, however, there were many
Englishmen, afterwards with great difficulty made
their way overland, from the Bay of Amapalla to
the head of a river which falls into the Caribbean
Sea. Each man, on this occasion, carried his silver
and gold on his back ; the more fortunate hiring as
porters such of their comrades as they had previously
stripped at the gaming-table.
Davis, who during his long cruise had frequently
remained for weeks at Cocos Island and the Gala-
pagos group, now repaired thither from Guayaquil
to careen and victual his ship previous to leaving
the South Sea by Cape Horn.* These islest were
* Wafer's Voyages, pp. 191, 192, 195.
f Captain Colnet, who made a voyage in the Pacific in 1794,
one hundred and ten years after the retreat of the Buccaneers from
the South Sea, relates that he found the remains of their seats,
made of turf and stones, empty jars like those in which the Peru-
vian wine is kept, and nails, daggers, and other articles left by them.
Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 202.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 379
become to the Buccaneers in the Pacific what Tor-
tuga had been to their predecessors in the West
Indies. In his run south from the Galapagos, he
discovered an island which afterwards received the
name of Easter, and by which it is now generally
known.* At this time he left five of his men with
as many negro slaves on Juan Fernandez. They
had lost at the gaming-table every farthing which
they possessed, and were unwilling to leave the re-
gion of treasure as poor as they entered it.t The
Bachelor's Delight successfully doubled Cape Horn,
and the captain, who stood high among the Buc-
caneers both for capacity and worth, reached the
West Indies just in time to avail himself of the
pardon offered by royal proclamation. f
Though the French Flibustiers, countenanced by
their government, continued to flourish during the
war which followed the accession of William III. to
the throne of Great Britain, and did brave service to
their country in the West Indies, buccaneering, al-
ready severely checked, ceased among the English
from that period. For more than twenty years,
however, a few desperate characters, pretending
to be the true successors of the old Rovers, con-
tinued to infest the commerce of every nation,
and haunted every sea from Cape Wrath to the
islands of the Indian Ocean, wherever robbery could
be practised with impunity, whether on land or wa-
ter. The better to forward or conceal their designs,
* The claim of Davis to this discovery has undergone consider-
able discussion ; but there seems no reason to deprive him of the
merit. See Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 207. Beeche}*,
Voyage to the Pacific, vol. i. p. 39. Historical Account of the
Circumnavigation of the Globe, p. Ititi.
f Water's Voyages, p. 2lti. + Ibid. p. 223.
380 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
these lawless ruffians often allied themselves with
native princes, as the new commander of the Cyg-
net had done at Madagascar. Among the last of
these degenerate descendants of the American free-
booters, may be mentioned the crew of a pirate- ship
named the Revenge, captured among the Orkney
Isles, who suffered by the sentence of the Court of
Admiralty so late as the year 1724.*
While Dampier was at Fort St George an English
vessel arrived from Mindanao laden with clove-bark,
having on board an Indian prince he had formerly
seen a slave at that place, and whom Mr Moody,
the supercargo of the ship, had purchased from his
owner.t He was from the islands named Meangis,
which he said abounded in gold and cloves ; and it
had been a favourite speculation with our hero to
form a mercantile concern there, which might have
been managed from Mindanao. This scheme was
however abandoned; and Prince Jeoly, whom, while
he was at that island, he had proposed to buy from
his master to be his guide, was now on the way to
England to be exhibited. Mr Moody meanwhile was
appointed to the factory of Indrapoor, then just esta-
blished on the western coast of Sumatra; and to
induce Dampier to accompany him and take charge
of the guns, he promised that a vessel should be
procured in which he might proceed to Meangis with
Jeoly, and realize his commercial scheme. :f But
being unable to fulfil this promise, Moody not only
released his friend from the engagement, but pre-
sented him with a half-share of the " painted
* We need scarcely remind the reader that Sir Walter Scott's
romance of The Pirate is founded upon this incident.
f Voyages, vol. i. p. 51 J. $ Ibid. p. 51'2. Ibid. p. 519.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 381
prince," whom he left in the mean time under his
charge. As this was the first tattooed man ever
seen in Europe, the account given of him is still
curious. The islands from which he came lay about
twenty leagues to the south-east of Mindanao; being
three in number, small but fertile, and abounding,
according to his report, in gold and cloves. His
father was rajah of the island on which they lived,
where there were about thirty men and a hundred
women, of whom five were his wives. By one of
these he had been tattooed down the breast, between
the shoulders, and on the thighs ; and also round
the arms and legs in the form of broad rings and
bracelets. The figures, it is said, bore no resem-
blance to the outline of animals or plants, but were
full of ingenious flourishes, and showed a variety of
lines and chequered work in intricate figures. Upon
the shoulder-blades the patterns were peculiarly
elegant; and most of the men and women of his
little territory were thus " painted." They wore
gold bracelets and anklets, had canoes, and lived
upon potatoes, yams, fruits, and fish. They had
also plenty of fowls. Their native language was
quite different from the Malayan, which the youth
had acquired during his slavery. In passing with
some of his relations from one island to another,
they had been driven by a violent tempest towards
the coast of Mindanao, where they were all made
prisoners by the fishermen, who stripped them of
their golden ornaments, and sold them for slaves.*
With his situation at the fort of Bencoolen Dam-
pier found reason to be dissatisfied, the character
* Voyages, vol. i. p. 513-515.
382 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.
of the governor being by no means gracious. But
besides his disgust with this official, from whose
treatment of others he drew no favourable augury
for himself, he began strongly to experience the
stirrings of that longing after his native country
to which every wanderer is subject. Though his
pecuniary affairs were in greater disorder than on
the day he embarked with the Buccaneers, and
he had been glad to earn two dollars, his sole
treasure, by teaching plain sailing to the lads of
Welden's ship, he nevertheless promised himself a
fortune from exhibiting the prince in England ;
hoping that he would be able to obtain a ship to
carry him back to his native island, where, thus in-
troduced, he could not fail to establish a lucrative
trade.* Mr Moody had meanwhile disposed of the
share which he retained of the unfortunate captive
to the mate of an Indiaman, on board which vessel
Dampier wished to go home ; but the capricious and
tyrannical governor, who had at first consented to
his departure, revoked the permission when the
ship was about to sail, nor would he yield to any
entreaties, though the captain and others importuned
him to let the navigator return to his native land.t
The night before she weighed anchor, he crept in
the dark through an embrasure of the fort, abandon-
ing all his property except his journal and manu-
scripts for the chance of freedom. The mate, by
previous agreement, waited for him with a boat, and
kept him concealed on board till the vessel put to sea,
which took place on the 25th January 1691.J
The voyage, owing to the illness of the crew,
Voyage?, vol. i. pp. 518, 519. f Ibid. p. 520.
CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE. 383
proved tedious, and the same bad fortune which
had attended Dampier at so many turns of life de-
prived him of all advantage from bringing home
Jeoly. Arriving in the Thames in utter poverty,
he was compelled by necessity to sell his share of the
tattooed savage ; thus for ever renouncing the ro-
mantic project of carrying him back to Meangis,
which the poor captive was destined never to revisit.
After being seen by many " eminent persons," he
caught the small-pox at Oxford, and died.*
Of the navigator himself at this time we hear no
more. The narrative of his eight years' ramble
round the globe breaks off abruptly by saying, " we
luffed in for the Downs, where we anchored Sep-
tember the 16th, 1691."
All that can now be learned is, that in the follow-
ing year he published his " New Voyage round the
World," and afterwards a Supplement, which he
entitled " Voyages and Descriptions." This work
was dedicated to Charles Montague, President of
the Royal Society and a Commissioner of the Trea-
sury, with whom it appears he had no previous ac-
quaintance. Its intrinsic merits, and the charm of
the narrative, soon brought the author into notice ;
his book ran rapidly through several editions ; and
was at length translated into French and Dutch.
Voyages, vol. i. pp. 549, 550.
384 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
CHAPTER X.
Voyage to New Holland.
Voyage of Discovery to New Holland and New Guinea Dampier
on the Coast of New Holland Dirk Hatichs' Reede Appear-
ance and Productions of the Country Discoveries on the North-
ern Coasts Plants and Animals Appearance and Character of
the Natives Voyage to New Guinea New Islands and their
Productions Discovery of King William's Island Slinger's
Bay Manners of the Natives Discovery of Cape St George
and Cape Orford Natives of Port Montague Their suspicious
and inhospitable Character Affray with the Natives Volcanic
Island Discovery of Nova Britannia Islands in Dampier's
Strait Return to King William's Island, and Second Voyage to
the Coast of New Holland Dampier's Shipwreck Ungrateful
Reception His Voj T age in the St George Bad Conduct of his
Officers His Imprisonment by the Dutch Return to England
Voyage in the Duke Account of the celebrated Alexander
Selkirk Testimony borne to the Merits of Dampier Reflections
on his Character and Fate The End.
IN the year 1699, the country being in a state of
profound peace, an expedition for the discovery of
unknown lands was projected by William III., the
conduct of which was committed by the Earl of
Pembroke, then at the head of the Admiralty, to
Dampier, who was recommended solely by his qua-
lifications as a seaman, his great experience, and ac-
knowledged capacity. The countries which he was
more particularly desired to examine in this voyage
were New Holland and New Guinea.
The vessel in which he sailed was a king's ship
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 385
named the Roebuck, old and crazy before she left the
port.* She carried 12 guns, and a crew of 50 men
and boys, with provisions for twenty months, t be-
sides the equipments necessary to the accomplish-
ment of a voyage undertaken for the future promo-
tion of traffic, though the immediate object was dis-
covery. The commander, who had always been fond
of natural history, carried on this occasion a drafts-
man with him. He left the Downs on the 14th
January 1699, and proceeded prosperously to the
Cape de Verd Islands, and afterwards to the coast of
Brazil, where bethought it necessary to put into some
port, as he intended, after obtaining suitable refresh-
ments, to steer direct for New Holland. On the
25th March he accordingly anchored at Bahia de
todos los Santos, where thirty large European vessels
then lay, besides other ships, and a multitude of
small craft. The governor was named Don Juan
de Lancastrio, and, claiming to be of high English
extraction, was exceedingly courteous to the British
navigator.J
He again sailed on the 23d April, and on the fol-
lowing days the crew caught several small sharks,
which they cooked in the Buccaneer fashion. On their
way to the Cape of Good Hope they observed nothing
more remarkable than the carcass of a whale, about
which hovered " millions" of sea- fowl, darkening the
air to a great distance. They also saw the stormy-
petrel, a bird resembling a swallow, but smaller.
Sailors call them foul- weather birds, and at all times
dislike their appearance. " In a storm they will hover
* Dedication to the Voyage to Terra Australia.
f Voj'age to Terra Australis, p. 1. J Ibid. pp. 33, 36.
Had. pp. 62, 67.
386 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
close under the ship's stern, in the wake or smooth-
ness which the ship's passing has made on the sea ;
and there as they fly gently, they pat the water al-
ternately with their feet, as if they walked upon it,
though still upon the wing. Hence the seamen
give them the name of petrels, in allusion to St
Peter's walking upon the Lake of Gennesareth."*
The voyage proceeded favourably. On the 4th of
July they made frequent soundings ; at ninety
leagues from New Holland, saw many whales ; and
when at the distance of thirty leagues they observed
bones of the scuttle-fish floating, and also sea- weed.
Being now close upon the western coast, they kept
the lead constantly going, and on the night of the
1st of August found bottom on the northern part
of the Abrolhos shoal, about the latitude of 27 40'
S. In the morning they descried the mainland at
the distance of six leagues, but were unable to find
a safe harbour, and owing to foul weather were com-
pelled to stand off till the 5th, when they again
approached.t Next morning they ran into an open-
ing, keeping a boat sounding before the ship, and
moored two miles from the shore in the harbour
named Dirk Hatichs' Reede, so denominated from
the first discoverer, who in 1616 had cast anchor
there. To this place our navigator gave the name
of Shark's Bay, and he lays down the mouth of the
inlet in latitude 25 S.J
The land here is of moderate height, and from the
sea appears level, though it is found to be gently
undulating. On the open coast the shore is bluff;
but ia the bay the country is low, and the soil sandy,
Voyage to Terra A
$ Ibid. pp. 83, 84.
ustralis, p. 6J. f Ibid. pp. J8, 79, 81.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 387
producing a species of samphire. " Farther in," says
the captain, " the mould is reddish, a sort of sand,
producing some grass, plants, and shrubs. Of trees
or shrubs here are divers sorts, but none above ten
feet high.* Some of the trees were sweet-scented,
and reddish within the bark like sassafras, but red-
der. The blossoms of the different sorts of trees
were of several colours, but mostly blue, and smelt
very sweet and fragrant. There were also beautiful
and fragrant flowers growing on the ground, unlike
any I had ever seen elsewhere." There were eagles,
but no other large birds ; though of the small winged
songsters there was great variety. Besides the or-
dinary sea- fowl there were many strange kinds, quite
new to the voyager. Among the animals which he
observed was " a sort of racoon, different from that
of the West Indies, chiefly as to the legs, for these
have very short fore-legs; but go jumping upon
them [the hind legs ?] as the others do, and like
them are very good meat." " This," it is remarked
by the unfortunate Flinders, " appears to be a de-
scription of the small kangaroo since found upon
the islands which form the road ; and if so, this
account is probably the first ever made of that sin-
gular animal. "t Of the iguanas of this country
Dampier gives a striking description. They were
inferior as food to those with which he had been
familiar in the Atlantic and South Sea, and when
opened their smell was very offensive. Nothing
* Voyage to Terra Australis, p. 84.
f Voyage to Terra Australis (Lond. 1814), vol. i. p. Ixiii. The
large kangaroo seems to have remained unknown until the days of
Cook. See Hawkesworth's Collection, vol. iii. pp. 157, 165, 173,
174. Historical Account of the Circumnavigation of the Globe,
p. 336. Edinburgh Cabinet Library, No. XXI.
388 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
can be more loathsome and disgusting than the
picture he gives of this large species of lizard, which
is the Scincus troplcurus of naturalists.* In this
bay, besides abundance of sharks, large green-turtle
were found, which furnished welcome refreshment
to the seamen. The fish were skate, rays, and other
flat kinds, with muscles, oysters, and smaller varie-
ties. " The shore was lined with strange and beau-
tiful shells."t
They had anchored at three different places to
search for water; and on the llth, to accomplish
this purpose as well as to prosecute discovery, they
stood farther into the bay, but, after several abortive
attempts, again bore out to sea, having previously
scrubbed the ship. Sea-snakes were seen of different
kinds, one sort yellow with brown spots, about four
feet in length and of the thickness of a man's wrist,
with a flat tail ; another kind smaller, shorter, and
round, spotted black and yellow.J
On the 14th of August they sailed out of this bay
or bight, and plied off and on towards the north,
keeping about six or seven leagues from the shore,
and frequently sounding. On the 15th they were in
latitude 24 41' S. ; on the 16th in 23 22', " jogging
on northward," seeing in their progress many small
dolphins and whales, with abundance of scuttle-fish-
shells and water-serpents. On the afternoon of the
18th, off a shoal in 22 22', of which they kept
clear, numerous whales were seen on all sides of the
ship. " The noise which they made by blowing and
dashing of the sea with their tails, making it all of a
* Voyage to Terra Australia, p. 86. f Ibid. p. 87.
* Ibid. pp. 89, 90.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 389
breach and foam, was very dreadful to us, like the
breach of the waves in very shoal water."*
On the 18th they were carried out of sight of
land, which was recovered on the 21st, visible only
from the mast-head bearing south-east by east, and
appearing at the distance of nine leagues like a bluff
promontory. Around this place was an archipelago
of islands, of considerable height, which Dampier be-
lieved to be a range stretching from east north-east to
west south-west for about twenty leagues, or probably
as far as Shark's Bay.t Next day he ran in among
them, having a boat sounding ahead. The water
was of very unequal depth, and the arid appearance
of the shores and rusty colour of the rocks made him
despair of finding water, though still hoping that
he might either discover a new channel leading
through to the mainland of New Holland or find
some sort of rich mineral or ambergris, for which
this was a favourable latitude, he was unwilling
to turn back. J The island near which he anchored
he named Rosemary, as a plant similar to it,
though destitute of smell, grew here in abundance.
Two kinds of beans were found ; the one growing
on bushes, the other on a shrub that ran along the
ground. Cormorants and gulls were also seen, and
a kind of white parrot, which flew in large flocks. ||
They left this place on the 23d, and for some
time coasted along with the land-breeze, having had,
* Voyage to Terra Australia, p. 91. f Ibid. p. 92-94.
$ Ibid. pp. 94, 93.
The genus called Dampiera, containing thirteen species of
sbfubby or perennial herbaceous plants, all natives of New Hol-
land, was named in honour of the celebrated navigator by Mr Ro-
bert Brown, in his Prodromus Flora? Novae ilolumdia?.
|| Voyages to Terra Australia, p. 96.
390 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
since leaving Shark's Bay, fine weather, which still
continued. Water- snakes, whales, noddies, and
boobies were seen. On the 27th they lost sight of
land, which was recovered on the 30th in latitude
18 21' S., smoke being observed at several places on
the shore. At night there was a well-marked eclipse
of the moon.*
Early next day an armed party landed in search
of water, carrying with them pickaxes and shovels.
Three tall natives were seen on the beach, but
they speedily retreated. The boat lying at anchor
a little way from the shore was, in order to prevent
seizure, left in the care of two sailors, while the rest
followed the savages, who were soon joined by eight
or nine more. They stood on an eminence, from
which however they again fled on the approach of
the English.t
From this height the party descried a savannah
studded with what they at first thought were huts,
but discovered to be only rocks scattered up and
down. They returned to the place at which they
had landed and began to dig, but were menaced by
another body of the inhabitants, who vociferated with
angry gestures, as if ordering the strangers to be gone. J
One of them at length venturing to approach, the
rest followed at a cautious distance ; and Dampier
went forward to meet them, making signs of peace
and friendship. The leader, however, fled,,, while
the others kept aloof ; but as the want of water made
it absolutely necessary to establish a communication
with these people, an attempt was made to catch
some of them, and a nimble young man who was
to Teira Aus trails, pp. 98, 99. f l bid - P- 10 -
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 391
with the commander tried to run them down.* As
soon as he overtook them they faced about and at-
tacked him ; and Dampier, who was himself assail-
ed, was compelled to fire his musket in defence of
the seaman, who, though armed with a cutlass, was
unable to beat back so many lances. The first shot,
intended only to scare them, was, after a momentary
alarm, treated with indifference or contempt. They
tossed up their arms, exclaiming Pooh, pooh, pooh !
and pressing closer upon the sailor, the captain could
no longer withhold his fire. One native fell, his
friends paused in alarm, and the Englishman
escaped. " I returned back," says the voyager,
" with my men, designing to attempt the natives no
farther, being very sorry for what had happened. "t
The seaman was wounded in the cheek by a lance.
Among the savages there was one who, from his
appearance and dignity of demeanour, was ima-
gined to be a chief, an impression produced by
something distinct from either height of stature or
personal beauty ; for, it is remarked, he was neither
so tall nor well-made as some of the others, but " a
brisk young man," active and courageous. He was
the only one of the group that was painted. A circle
drawn with some sort of white pigment surrounded
each of his eyes, and a white streak reached from
the forehead to the tip of the nose. His breast and
part of his arms were also stained, " not for beauty
or ornament, but that he seemed thereby to design
the looking more terrible, this his painting adding
very much to his natural deformity."} Dampier
imagined this party to belong to the same nation
Voyage to Terra Australis, p. 101. f lMd- PP- 1M> 1C2.
J Ibid. p. 102.
392 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
with those he had seen when the Cygnet touched
on this coast. " They were the same blinking crea-
tures with the most unpleasant looks and worst
features of any people I had ever seen."* He did
not get near enough to discover if this tribe like the
former also wanted the two fore-teeth. Near the
fire-places quantities of shells were found of the
kinds on which the other island-tribe lived, and
their lances were similar in shape. The general
features of the country were the same as those al-
ready described, low, with chains of sand-hills, the
land round the shore extremely dry, though bearing
many shrubs with beautiful blossoms of various
colours and of delicate fragrance, t Farther on,
there was mixed woodland and savannah. The
plains are described as studded with detached rocks
resembling haycocks, some red and others white,
and appearing at a distance like the hovels of the
Hottentots near the Cape of Good Hope.J Some
animals resembling wolves, and lean as skeletons,
were also observed.
Water was at last obtained, which, being brack-
ish, was employed to boil the oatmeal, in order to
save what remained in the casks ; and on the 5th
September our navigator left this steril coast. On
the 7th, in latitude 16 9' S., when already beyond
sight of land, he stood out to sea, and on the 8th, in
15 37', shaped his course for Timor. On the 22d
Voyage to Terra Australia, p. 102. f Ibid. pp. 103, 105.
J It is remarked by Flinders that " Dampier could not have
examined these rocks closely ; for there can be little doubt that
they were the ant-hills described by Pelsert as being 'so large that
they might have been taken tor tl
to Terra Australis, vol. i. p. Ixv.
Ibid. p. 106.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 393
he came to anchor in Copang Bay, near the Dutch
fort Concordia, but afterwards went to Laphao, a
Portuguese settlement on the opposite side of the
island.*
After resting and refitting at Timor, he sailed on
the 20th of December for New Guinea ; and on the
1st January 1700 descried the western coast of this
country, high level land covered with large trees.*
Near the shore the navigators were assailed by torna-
does ; and black clouds hovered over it, while at sea
the weather was clear and settled. On the 7th they
landed, caught at one haul more than 300 mackerel,
and next day anchored in the mouth of a river, where
they took in water. Fruits of unknown kinds were
brought on board by the pinnace, and one of the
men shot a stately land-fowl about the size of the
dunghill-cock, sky-coloured, but with a white spot
surrounded by others of a reddish hue on the
wings, and a long bunch of feathers on the crown.
From this bay, to which they gave the name of
Freshwater, they sailed out by White Island, which
lies in lat. 3 4' S., and is distinguished by white
cliffs. J They now beat up to the northward against
currents and adverse winds, passing many dangerous
shoals, and occasionally anchoring to obtain wood and
water. At an island named by the natives Sabuda,
in lat. 2 43' S., Dampier found a tawny tribe closely
resembling his old friends at Mindanao. Negroes
were also seen here, having the same curly hair
which had originally obtained for this country the
* Voyage to Terra Australis, pp. 1 04, 1 07. Also Continuation
of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 126, 135, 136, 147.
f Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp 179, 182, 183.
J Ibid. p. 183-185. ibid. pp. 187, 188.
394 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
name of New Guinea ; and some of them appeared
to be slaves to the yellow or Malay race. The
weapons were the same as in Mindanao, the lances
being pointed with bone. These islanders had a very
ingenious way of making the fish rise. A block of
wood carved and painted like a dolphin was let
down into the water by a line, to which a weight
was attached, in order to sink it. When they had
waited the effect of this stratagem, the decoy was
rapidly raised, the fish followed it, and the strikers
stood ready prepared.*
Still plying northward, on the 4th February they
reached the north-west cape of New Guinea, called
by the Dutch Mabo. A small woody island lies off
this promontory, and to the north and north-east
are numerous smaller ones. The land is generally
high, and covered with tall healthy timber. Near
one of these islands, to which, from the enormous
size of the shellfish found on it, he gave the name of
Cockle, Dampier touched upon a shoal, but got off,
and, coming to anchor, sent the boats ashore for
provisions. Pigeons were procured, and the cockles
weighed ten pounds, whereas the shell alone of one
formerly seen amounted to seventy-eight pounds ;
but being high water they could not reach the spot
where the larger sort were gathered. Bats of great
size were seen here.t
Standing onward four or five leagues towards the
east, they found at a small woody islet cockles in pro-
digious abundance, and numerous flocks of pigeons.
On the 7th they anchored at an island bearing tall
" straight trees fit for any use/' which the captain
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 188.
t Ibid. p. 189-191.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 395
with due loyalty named after King William.* " The
trees/' says the scientific navigator, " were of divers
sorts, mostly unknown to us, but all very green
and flourishing ; many of them had flowers, some
white, some purple, others yellow, all which smelt
very fragrantly. I saw one of a clean body with-
out knot or limb, sixty or seventy feet high by esti-
mation. It was three of my fathoms about, and
kept its bigness without any sensible decrease even
to the top."t From the time of passing Cape Mabo
till the 12th, owing to adverse winds and currents,
they had not advanced above thirty leagues to the
eastward. When they got to lat. 2 S. the easterly
gales increased, which, as they approached the
equator, blew more directly from that point. At
the distance of six leagues from the shore they de-
scried two headlands about twenty miles apart, one
to the east, the other to the west ; the last of which
they named the Cape of Good Hope.J On the
morning of the 15th they were in danger of run-
ning upon an island not laid down in their charts,
which Dampier named Providence, in commemora-
tion of the escape. Large trees, which they con-
jectured had come out of some of the rivers of New
Guinea, were this day seen floating on the surface
of the sea. || On the 16th they crossed the line.
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 191, 192.
t Ibid. pp. 192, 193. Ibid. p. 194.
A recent French navigator is of opinion that the island or
islands on which Dampier bestowed the appellation of Providence,
are the same with those which Captain Carteret in 176J denomi-
nated Stephen's. See H istorical Account of the Circumnavigation
of the Globe, p. 241. H awkesworth's Coll. vol. i. p. 38J. Me-
moire sur les Operations Geographiques faites dans la Campagne de
la Corvette de S. M. la Coquille. Par 31. L. J. Duperrey (Addi-
tions a la Connaissance des Terns, 1830, p. 199).
|| Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 19;).
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
The captain steered for an island seen on the 25th
at the distance of fifteen leagues, supposed to be that
called Vischer's by the Dutch ; but as it was to him
unknown land he named it Matthias, it being dis-
covered on the day dedicated to that apostle. It
was about ten leagues long,, hilly and wooded, but
intersected by savannahs and spots of ground which
seemed to have been artificially cleared. Another
insular spot, low and level, seven or eight leagues
to the eastward of this, was named Squally Island,
as they here encountered tornadoes so violent that
they durst not venture to approach the coast.*
They afterwards stood for the mainland, the wea-
ther still continuing stormy, and steered for a part of
the coast whence smoke was seen arising in many
places. The group they had first passed are those now
distinguished by the name of the Admiralty Islands.t
The land now approached was mountainous and
well wooded, with large plantations and cleared
patches on the hill-sides. As the discoverer wished
to have some intercourse with the natives here, he
was glad to see boats and proas come off in great
numbers. They advanced near enough to make
signs and to be heard, but their language was totally
unknown to all the crew. Nor could they be in-
duced to come alongside even by the allurement of
beads, knives, and glasses, though when some of
these toys were floated to them in a bottle, they
seemed greatly pleased. They often struck their
left breast with the right hand, and held a black
truncheon over their heads, as if in token of friend-
ship. But it was impossible, from the state of the
Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 190, 19J.
j- Buruey, Cliron. Hist Discov. vol. iv. p. 410.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 397
current, to get the ship into the bay to which they
pointed; and when she wore off they appeared
angry, though they still followed in their proas, now
increased to a formidable fleet. The shores were also
lined with men. The crew got ready their small-
arms, and when the Roebuck fairly stood out, the
natives launched showers of stones after her from
their slings. One gun was fired, and some of the
natives, it was conjectured, were either killed or
wounded. In reference to such untoward events,
Dampier named this place Slinger's Bay.*
On the 2d of March they passed an island on
which smoke was seen in various places. Some of
the inhabitants were also observed paddling in three
canoes, but they were unable to overtake the ship.
Next day another island was discovered, the Gerrit
Denijs or Gerard Dynas of the Dutch.t It is high,
mountainous, and woody. The hill-sides were co-
vered with plantations, and in the sheltered bays
were cocoa-nut trees. It seemed very populous ;
the natives were black, with crisped hair, which
they shaved in different figures, and dyed of va-
rious hues. They were strong and well-limbed,
with great heads, broad round faces, and large
bottle noses, yet the expression of their coun-
tenance, making allowance for its being disfigured
by their singular taste, was not unpleasant. Besides
being painted, they wore some kind of ornament,
about four inches long and as thick as a man's
thumb, through their noses, while their ears, perfor-
ated with large holes, were filled with similar decora-
tions. Their weapons appeared to be swords, lances,
" Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 199, 200.
f Ibid. p. 201. Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 41<>
2B
398 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
slings, with bows and arrows. The proas were inge-
niously built, and beautified with carved and paint-
ed figures, though they had neither sail nor an-
chor ; and the natives were expert and fearless in
managing them. Their language was clear and
distinct. The black truncheon, used as at Slinger's
Bay, or a leafy bough, was their symbol of friend-
ship. These they placed upon their heads, to which
they often lifted their hands.*
Next day the voyagers reached Anthony Kaan's
Island, which in its external features and social
condition closely resembled the neighbouring group.
It lies in lat. 3 25' S. As the Roebuck sailed along
the coast, some of the savages approached, three of
whom ventured on board, to whom the captain
gave a knife, a looking-glass, and some beads ; show-
ing them at the same time pumpkins and cocoa-nut
shells, and by signs requesting them to bring simi-
lar articles to the ship.t They understood his hint,
and brought from one of the canoes three cocoa-nuts,
which they presented to him. When nutmegs and
gold-dust were laid before them, they appeared to
intimate that such things were to be obtained on
their island. Like the people already observed, they
were black, tall, strong, and well-made, with crisp
hair ; their noses and ears were also ornamented in
the fashion which prevailed at Gerard Dynas.J
Dampier's next stage was St John's, an island
about ten leagues in circumference, abounding in
plantations and cocoa-nut-trees, with fine groves of
palms along the shore. All these places appeared so
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 202, 203.
f Ibid. p. 203-205. Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 413.
Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 205.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
populous that he was afraid to send a party on shore
for wood or water, as he could not find an anchor-
age where the ship might be so moored as to pro-
tect them ; and he therefore stood for the main-
land of New Guinea to supply his wants.* On the
8th he approached so near that smoke could be
clearly perceived, and the coast was observed to be
high and woody, with here and there a savannah
interspersed. Several canoes with people exactly
resembling those they had last visited came off to
the ship. A headland lay to the south in latitude
5 2' S., from which point, as nothing was seen
beyond it, he concluded that the shore must trend
to the westward. This promontory he called Cape
St George, the meridian distance of which from
that of Mabo is 1290 miles. To an island near it
he also gave the name of St George, and an inlet be-
tween it and the west point he farther distinguished
as St George's Bay.t Great quantities of smoke
arose in sight, and next day a volcano was discovered.
The south-western extremity of the bay, in compli-
ment to his noble patron, he named Orford.J It is
a bluff point, of moderate height, and flat at the
top. In advancing on the 14th, a cluster of islands
were seen in a bight where he hoped to find anchor-
age. With this view he ran in, and, having doubled
the point, observed houses, plantations, and cocoa-
nut-trees. Approaching within a few miles of the
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 206.
f In 1767, Captain Carteret discovered that St George's Bay
was but the mouth of a channel which separated Nova Britannia
from a country on which he bestowed the title of New Ireland,
while he transferred to the strait the name of the supposed harbour
of Dampier. Historical Account of the Circumnavigation of the
Globe, p. 239-241. Hawkesworth's Coll. vol. i. p. 3/5-3H2.
J Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 208, 20t).
400 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
shore, several proas, with about forty natives, came
out to view the Roebuck, which lay becalmed, but
they would not venture on board.* As other canoes
full of men were advancing from different points,
one being of large size, the commander became un-
easy, and beckoned to the first party to return to the
shore ; but they either could not understand or
would not obey him. He therefore " whistled a
shot over their heads," which made them pull off
with all speed. Two boats starting from opposite
sides, seemingly intended to effect a junction and
attack the ship ; one of which was very long, with
a high head and stern, painted and fully manned.
At this formidable bark he fired another shot; but
though at first the savages were frightened, they
soon recovered, and exerted themselves more vigor-
ously to join the other boat, which was still advanc-
ing. To prevent this, the gunner was directed to
fire a shot between them as they approached each
other, which he did with so true an aim, that they
instantly separated and made for the shore with
great expedition.t A favourable breeze springing
up, he bore after them into the bay ; and when he
reached the point, a great many men were seen
lurking among the rocks. Another shot was fired
as a measure of intimidation, and the ball lodged
very near the concealed party. : Still they con-
tinued to sit in considerable numbers under the
cocoa-trees, and Dampier knowing them to be in-
hospitable and treacherous (a character which the
Oceanic negroes had obtained from all previous
navigators), deemed it necessary to disperse them ;
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 209, 210.
f Ibid. pp. 210, 211. J Ibid. p. 211.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 401
a third gun was therefore fired over their heads in-
to the wood before the boat was sent out to sound.*
The ship following discovered good anchorage at a
quarter of a mile from the shore, opposite to the
mouth of a small river, where the crew hoped to
find fresh water, the only object of all this apparent
harshness. A group of natives stationed on a small
point near the bank of the stream were scattered
by similar means, though none of the shots were
meant to do them any harm. The seamen then
rowed for the shore, but before they could land, the
Indians rushed into the water, and placed cocoa-
nuts in their boat as a present or propitiatory of-
fering.t
Water was obtained, one boat's crew keeping
watch while the other filled the casks, and an at-
tempt was made to commence a trade by exchang-
ing axes and hatchets for yams, potatoes, and other
commodities. The inhabitants were not insensible to
the value of these goods ; but they would part with
nothing save cocoa-nuts, which they climbed the
trees to gather, at the same time making signs to
the strangers to quit their island.
Having obtained a considerable quantity both of
wood and water, the captain consulted with his
officers whether they should put to sea or remain
some time longer for the purpose of fishing, and
endeavour to obtain hogs, goats, yams, and what-
ever other refreshments the place might afford. It
having been agreed to prolong their stay, the men
were sent to cut wood ; and while they were thus
employed a party of about forty natives, of both sexes,
Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 211. f Ibid.
402 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
passed near them. They at first appeared fright-
ened ; but being somewhat reassured by the signs
of friendship made by the sailors, they marched
quietly on. The men were finely bedecked with
feathers of gay colours stuck in their hair, and car-
ried lances; while the women trudged behind totally
naked, except a few green boughs stuck into the
string tied round their waists. On their heads
they carried large baskets full of yams. (f And
this," says Dampier, tf l have observed amongst all
the wild natives I have known, that they make
their women carry the burdens, while the men
walk before without any other load than their arms
and ornaments."* Next time the boats went ashore,
some of the seamen entered the dwellings of the
inhabitants, who, instead of becoming familiar on
farther acquaintance, grew more shy and distrustful.
They had now gathered all the cocoa-nuts, and
driven their hogs to a place at the bottom of the bay.
The commander himself, therefore, landed, carrying
with him articles proper for presents and trade ; but
even he was unable to inspire them with any degree
of confidence. Few of them approached him, and
those with reluctance. He visited three different
villages, and uniformly found the huts abandon-
ed, and tlve furniture and live-stock carried off.
On his return to the ship, finding both officers and
men most importunate to obtain his permission to
visit the place to which the hogs had been driven,
he reluctantly gave his consent, and they departed
furnished with commodities for traffic, being strictly
enjoined to deal fairly with the people, and for
Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 212, 213.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 403
their own security to act with caution. The bay
was two miles distant, and the captain, who had
great misgivings as to the consequences of this en-
terprise, prepared to assist them with the ship's guns,
as the Indians were now seen in large groups on
the shore, prepared to resist the landing, shaking
their weapons and using threatening gestures.* The
party displayed their tempting wares, and made
signs which were disregarded by the savages, some
of whom plunged into the sea with their lances and
targets to commence the attack. But the seamen
were resolved to obtain provisions at all hazards ;
and since fair means were rejected, they made no
scruple at having recourse to severity. At the first
discharge of musketry the greater part of the warriors
fled, though a few seemed still resolved to oppose the
invaders. The boldest having at last dropt his tar-
get, it was conjectured that he was hit in the arm,
and the whole took to flight. Dampier acknowledges
that " some felt the smart of our bullets, but none
were killed ; our design being rather to fright than
to kill them." The sailors shot nine hogs, besides
wounding many that escaped, and in the evening
made a second trip and brought off eight more. As
a sort of compensation for the injury done the cap-
tain sent to the shore a canoe which had been taken,
and deposited in it two axes, two hatchets, six knives,
six looking-glasses, four bottles, and a quantity of
beads, t
This bay, in lat. 6 10' S., and 151 miles west of
Cape St George, he named Port Montague, in ho-
nour of the President of the Royal Society. Of the
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 214, 215.
J- Ibid.
404 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
appearance and nature of the country he makes a
very favourable report ; observing that " it is moun-
tainous and woody, with rich valleys and pleasant
fresh- water brooks." The rivers abounded in fish ;
cocoa-nut-trees grew on every island, and many
fruits of unknown kinds were seen. Ginger also
was among the spontaneous productions.*
The adventurers were now well supplied with
wood and water, and the hogs had been salted as
soon as brought on board. On the 22d March they
left Port Montague, and on the evening of the 24th
saw high land bearing north-west half- west. Steer-
ing west- north- west, under easy sail, they observed
during the night a pillar of fire, which at daylight
was found to proceed from a burning island, for
which they directed their course, being at a meri-
dian distance 332 miles from Cape St George.
They passed through a channel about five leagues
broad, between the Burning Island and the main-
land. All the night of the 25th, being still in this
strait, they saw the volcano, " which vomited fire
and smoke very amazingly ;" every belch being ac-
companied with a dreadful noise like thunder.t
On the night of the 26th they sailed to the west-
ward of the Burning Island, whence the fire could
no longer be seen, as the crater lay on its southern
side. Dampier had now attained an important stage
in his voyage of discovery. " The easternmost part
of New Guinea," he writes, " lies forty miles to the
westward of this tract of land, and by hydrographers
they are made joining together/'^ He detected this
mistake, having passed through a channel, in which
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 216, 21 /.
t Ibid. pp. 217, 218. $ Ibid. p. 219.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 405
were many islands. Before entering the strait he
named the promontory on the north-east of this
coast King William's Cape.* It is high and moun-
tainous ; and smoke was seen rising from it. Leav-
ing it upon the larboard-side, they bore away close
upon the east land, which ends with two remark-
able capes, distant from each other about six leagues,
with two very high mountains rising from the sea
within these headlands. The country appeared
partly wooded and partly savannah, the latter being
as smooth and verdant as an English meadow.t
Smoke was again observed; but the commander,
who wished to repair his pinnace at some uninha-
bited place, stood over to the islands in search of a
spot fit for the purpose. Seeing no land to the north,
he became assured that he had passed through a
strait, and named the island which he had now
nearly circumnavigated Nova Britannia, the north-
west point of the strait Cape Gloucester, and the
south-west Cape Anne. To the mountain farthest
to the north-west he gave the appellation of Mount
Gloucester.^ The passage thus discovered is now
known as Dampier's Strait ; and Nova Britannia,
in productions and inhabitants, was found to resem-
ble New Guinea. 1 1
Advancing in his course he fell in with several
islands, one of which, about eleven leagues in length,
he named after Sir George Rooke. On the 31st he
shot in between two others : to one of these, in refer-
ence to its dimensions, he gave the appellation of Long
Island, while the second, from the appearance of its
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 219.
t Ibid. J Ibid. pp. 219, 220. Burney, vol. iv. p. 421.
|| Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 220.
406 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
eminences, was denominated Crown Island. Both
were pleasant, and seemed fertile, savannah and
woodland interspersed, the trees green and flourish-
ing, and many of them covered with white blossoms.
Cocoa-nuts were abundant in the bays of Crown
Island. It was believed to be but thinly inhabited.
A boat was seen, which just peeped forth from the
shore, and drew back ; but neither plantations nor
smoke were observed.* In the afternoon of the
31st another island was seen bearing north-west
by west ; and next morning, the ship having held
a course to the northward of it, lay about mid-
way between it and Crown and Long Islands,
from which position the mainland of New Guinea,
lying to the southward, was seen rising very high.t
From this new island, named by the navigator after
Sir Robert Rich, four canoes came off, which from
a distance reconnoitred the ship. One advanced
within call, but when invited the men would not
approach closer.J The Roebuck bore onward and
discovered four more islands, as well as land to the
southward, which, it is remarked, might either be
another island or part of New Guinea. These isles
were generally high, full of trees, mixed with clear
spots ; and all of them, including even the Burning
Island, were fertile. On the 2d April they passed
by its north side, and saw that the land near the
sea was rich and good two- thirds up the sides of the
mountains. Among this group three small vessels
having sails were seen, though with the use of these
the inhabitants of Nova Britannia appeared to be
quite unacquainted. Another island was descried
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 221, 222.
Ibid. p. 223.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 407
that sent forth smoke,, which however soon dispersed.
This is presumed to have been the Brandende Berg
of Schouten.* Several observations made at this
time showed a variation in the ship's reckoning, for
which the navigators were at a loss to account. On
the 17th April they observed a volcano on the
main, which had been passed unnoticed when they
sailed round King William's Island. This island,
which they had discovered about two months before,
was again seen, and they exerted themselves to reach
it before dark; but the wind having fallen, they
were becalmed within two miles of the shore. The
moon was bright, and a delightful fragrance was
wafted from the land.t Next morning, when about
two leagues to the westward of this place, they met
such whirling tides that the ship refused to obey the
helm, and frequently turned round in the eddies;
though, profiting by a gale which fortunately sprung
up, she was at length carried out in safety. J
The voyage was prosecuted to the island of Ceram,
which they reached on the 26th April. Having
obtained a supply of rice from a Dutch vessel, they
next went to Timor, from whence the captain in-
tended once more to approach the coast of New Hol-
land in about lat. 20 S. Here he obtained sound-
ings at 40 fathoms, but did not see the land, and
steered westward to search for the Trial Rocks, ||
which were supposed to lie in this parallel. But he
soon fell sick, and as his officers were inefficient or
careless, this important point was not ascertained ;
* Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 422.
j- Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 225.
$ Ibid. p. -226. Ibid. p. 230.
|| So named from an English ship called the Trial, which was
wrecked upon them in the year 1622.
408 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
nor could more be attempted at this time for the pur-
poses of discovery, as many of the crew were affected
with scurvy, and the ship greatly in want of repairs.*
He accordingly sailed for Java, and on the 3d July
anchored in the road of Batavia, where he sup-
ported the dignity of his mission by making the only
English vessel in the harbour strike her pendant.t
On the 17th October he sailed for Europe, and,
having touched at the Cape of Good Hope and St
Helena, approached the island of Ascension on the
21st February, where the crew now reckoned them-
selves almost at home. J On the evening of the 22d
the ship, old and damaged before the voyage had
commenced, sprung a leak, and it was with great
difficulty that the pumps kept her afloat till day-
light, when they anchored in the bay. Every
exertion was made to free her from water ; but the
carpenters showed great want of judgment if not of
skill in their business, and in spite of all the inge-
nious contrivances resorted to by Dampier, their ef-
forts proved entirely abortive. He himself remained
on board till the very last, and, besides a collection
of curious shells gathered at New Holland, he had
to regret the loss of many valuable books and
papers. 1 1 The plants he contrived to save.
The situation of his crew was less distressing than
that which generally falls to the lot of shipwrecked
seamen. They were happy in discovering a spring,
though eight miles distant from their tents and
across a very high mountain, and he thankfully
relates, that " they were now by God's providence
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, pp. 238, 240.
f Ibid. p. 246. J Ibid. p. 249. Ibid. pp. 250, 251.
I 1 , Ibid. p. 2o2.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 409
in a condition to subsist for some time, having plenty
of very good turtle by their tents, and water for the
fetching." Here he and his company remained
about five weeks, and during this time had the
mortification of seeing many vessels pass without ob-
serving their signals. At length, on the 2d of April,
an Indiaman and three English ships of war came
into the bay, when he went on board one of them
with thirty-five of his men, the remainder being
accommodated in the others.*
Though the main purpose of his voyage had
been accomplished, and during its progress many
important additions were made to geographical
knowledge, the loss of his ship and papers depress-
ed his spirits, as it would but too probably lessen
his merit in the eyes of those who rarely judge of
any undertaking except by its apparent success.
He was now to suffer for the ignorance or mistaken
economy of the official persons, who, projecting a
distant and perilous expedition, imagined that it
might be accomplished in a crazy vessel, unfit for
what was considered better service.t
Neither reward nor the promise of future em-
ployment awaited the return of this able naviga-
tor. His original patron, or at least the person who
appointed him to the Roebuck, no longer presided
at the Admiralty. To this nobleman, however, the
Earl of Pembroke, he inscribed his relation of the
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.^
About his own private affairs and personal feel-
* Continuation of Voyage to New Holland, p. 253.
f- Dedication to the Earl of Pembroke, prefixed to the Voyage
to Terra Austral is.
* A Voyage to New Holland in the year 1G99.
410 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
ings Dampier is at all times modest and reserved,
and we can only conjecture that he suffered disap-
pointment from an incidental remark into which he
is betrayed in the dedication of his narrative. " The
world/' he says, " is apt to judge of every thing by
the success ; and whoever has ill-fortune will hardly
be allowed a good name. This was my unhappi-
ness in my late expedition in the Roebuck, which
foundered through perfect age, though I comfort
myself with the thoughts that no neglect can be
charged against me."* So far from being chargeable
with inattention, he was entitled by his judicious
conduct in this voyage, independently of his other
merits, to honourable employment ; but we hear no
more of him in the public service. The history
of this expedition, with the exception of a small
paper which he gave to the world in 1707? is the
last of his published writings ; and what we gather
from other sources relative to the remainder of his
eventful life is at once scanty and afflicting.
Captain Dampier had not been long at home when
the death of William III. took place, and was fol-
lowed by the War of the Spanish Succession. Among
the incidents attending this memorable struggle
may be mentioned a very active system of pri-
vateering; and he obtained the command of the
St George and Cinque Ports, two vessels equipped
by a company of merchants, for the purpose of
cruising against the Spaniards in the South Seas.
The former of these, which carried twenty-six guns
and 120 men, left the Downs in April 1703, with
the captain on board ;t but it was September before
* Dedication of the above Work to the Earl of Pern broke.
f In the Gazette for 18th April 1703 it is stated that Captain
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 411
both vessels left Kinsale.* The basis of this adven-
ture was the old Buccaneer maxim, No prey, no
pay, a principle extremely ill-adapted to the main-
tenance of discipline. In this voyage he had in
view three special objects, namely, the capture of
the flotilla which sailed from Buenos Ayres ; and,
failing that, to double Cape Horn, and lie in wait
for the ship that carried gold from Baldivia to Lima ;
or, finally, to secure if possible the seizure of the
Manilla galleon.t
The character of Dampier has been subjected to
many unfounded imputations, drawn from histories
of this enterprise published without his knowledge
or sanction. The principal one, written by Funnel,
who had sailed as his steward, is full of mis-
statements regarding the navigation as well as the
private transactions of the ship.J So far as these
misrepresentations respected professional matters the
captain afterwards corrected them, though he took
no notice of the allegations against himself farther
than in one or two instances to point out their
glaring falsehood. Hardly was the voyage begun
when quarrels broke out among the inferior officers,
some of whom withdrew altogether, while the com-
mander, without being invested with power to re-
strain them, was left to bear the blame of their mis-
conduct.
The ships rounded Cape Horn, and reached Juan
Fernandez without any remarkable adventure.
While lying at the latter place a strange sail was
Dampier, presented by his Royal Highness the Lord High Admiral,
had the honour of kissing her Majesty's (Queen Anne's) hand, be-
fore departing on a new voyage to the West Indies.
Funnel's Voyage round the World (12mo, London, 1729), p. 2.
f Ibid. p. 2. J Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 432.
t>
412 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
seen, to which they both gave chase. She proved
to be a French cruiser employed in those seas, and
so strongly did the old Buccaneer associations influ-
ence the mind of the commodore, that he acknow-
ledges it was not without reluctance he attacked a
European vessel of whatever nation. He however
engaged, and after a fight of seven hours, in which
both sides suffered considerably, they parted.*
Before the proper latitude was reached, the Bal-
divia treasure-ships had sailed. Though Dampier
was the nominal commander, Stradling, in the
Cinque Ports, acted independently ; and as they dif-
fered about their future operations they resolved to
separate. A design to surprise Santa Maria in the
Bay of Panama failed ; and though the St George
captured a few small vessels, no prize of any value
was obtained.t
While lying in the Gulf of Nicoya, Dampier
and his chief mate, John Clipperton, quarrelled,
and the latter, with twenty-one of the crew, seized
the tender, in which were most of the ammunition
and stores, and put to sea. It is alleged that, on
this occasion, the petty officer stole his captain's com-
mission ;t and certainly no one ever sailed with a
more turbulent set of men than it now fell to the lot
of our navigator to command. They had all the bad
qualities of Buccaneers, without their bravery, ex-
perience, and hardihood.
The St George bore northward, and on the 6th
December, when only a short way beyond Port de
Navidad, descried a sail, which proved to be the
* Funnel's Voyage, pp. 9, 10. Burney, vol. iv. p. 434.
f Burney, vol. iv. p. 437.
Funnel's Voyage, pp. 45, 46. Burney, vol. iv. p. 439.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 413
Manilla galleon. The crew of this vessel, having no
suspicion of any enemy being on the coast, received
several broadsides from the St George before they
could clear for action. But, though taken thus at
disadvantage, they no sooner brought their guns to
bear than they drove in the rotten planks of the pri-
vateer, and obliged her to sheer off. The galleon
also proceeded on her voyage, though the number
of men on board was supposed to be four times as
great as that of the English ; and, while her guns
carried shot of eighteen and twenty-four pounds
weight, those of her antagonist were five-pounders
only.*
This proved a bitter disappointment to the crew,
and they became more and more impatient to ter-
minate an adventure at once so profitless and fa-
tiguing. In the hope of better success, they were,
however, induced to continue the cruise a few weeks
longer on the coast of New Spain ; but as this in-
terval produced nothing, it was at length agreed to
dissolve their association. One party, instigated by
Funnel, the mendacious historian of the voyage,
resolved to sail for India, and thence to return home.
A brigantine of seventy tons which had been cap-
tured was given up to him and thirty-four men who
chose to follow his counsels ; and the stores, small-
arms, ammunition, and even the great guns were
divided.t Dampier, whose company was thus re-
duced to twenty-nine, upon refitting his crazy ship
returned to the coast of Peru, where he plundered
the town of Puna. After this exploit he pursued his
fortune till the St George was no longer in a con-
* Funnel's Voyage, pp. 56, 57- Burney, vol. iv. pp. 441, 442.
{ Funnel's Voyage, pp. 57? 58.
2c
414 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
dition to keep the sea, and accordingly abandoning
her near Lobos de la Mar, he embarked in a brigan-
tine which had been taken from the Spaniards, and
forthwith crossed the Pacific.*
Of this voyage and the subsequent misfortunes
which befell him in India there remain no certain
accounts, though it is known that, as he had not
a commission to show, he was thrown into prison by
the Dutch. Before he obtained his freedom and
got back to England, Funnel, his unworthy subal-
tern, had returned ; and a London bookseller, the
publisher of Dampier's former voyages, had been in-
duced by their popularity to print this person's nar-
rative of the expedition in the St George, under the
false title of the fourth volume of the works of the
celebrated navigator. On coming home, he put
forth a few pages of explanation, entitled, " Cap-
tain Dampier's Vindication of his Voyage in the
Ship St George, with some small Observations on
Mr Funnel's chimerical Relation." The latter ac-
count, however, as no other was ever given to the
world, keeps its place as the history of that adven-
ture; though its palpable misrepresentations, and
the malevolent spirit in which it is written, have
drawn upon the writer the reprobation of every lover
of justice and impartial inquirer after truth. t
The fortunes of the distinguished seaman must
have been at a very low ebb when, after this dis-
astrous cruise, he reached his native country ; and it
is with pain that we find him, in 1708, obliged to
act as a pilot under very inferior commanders. This,
his last voyage, extended also round the world, and
* Burney, vol. iv. p. 443. f Ibid - vo1 iv ' PP' 448 > 449
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 415
was undertaken in the Duke and Duchess, two pri-
vateers fitted out by some Bristol merchants.*
Copious narratives of this exploit were written by
the chief officers, Woodes Rogers and Cook, but it
is only incidentally that we learn any thing from
them concerning their renowned pilot.
At Juan Fernandez they brought off the cele-
brated Alexander Selkirk, who had been left or rather
abandoned here by Captain Stradling,four years pre-
viously. The description of this singular man, as it is
given by Rogers, is graphic and interesting : " Our
pinnace," says he, " returned from the shore, and
brought abundance of craw-fish, with a man clothed
in goat-skins, who looked wilder than the first own-
ers of them. He had been on the island four years
and four months, being left there by Captain Strad-
ling in the Cinque Ports ; his name was Alexander
Selkirk, a Scotchman, who had been master of the
Cinque Ports, a ship that came here last with Cap-
tain Dampier, who told me that this was the best
man in her. During his stay here, he saw several
ships pass by, but only two came in to anchor. As
he went to view them, he found them to be Spa-
niards, and retired from them; upon which they
shot at him. Had they been French, he would
have submitted ; but chose to risk his dying alone
on the island, rather than fall into the hands of the
Spaniards in these parts, because he apprehended
they would murder him, or make a slave of him in
the mines; for he feared they would spare no stranger
that might be capable of discovering the South Sea.
The Spaniards had landed before he knew what
Woodes Rogers' Voyage round the World (8vo, London,
1712), p. 26. Burney, Chron. Hist. Discov. vol. iv. p. 458.
416 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
they were, and they came so near him that he had
much ado to escape ; for they not only shot at him,
but pursued him into the woods, where he climbed
to the top of a tree, at the foot of which they made
water, and killed several goats just by, but went off
again without discovering him. He told us that he
was born at Largo, in the county of Fife, in Scot-
land, and was bred a sailor from his youth. The
reason of his being left here was a difference betwixt
him and his captain; which, together with the ship
being leaky, made him willing rather to stay here
than go along with him at first ; and when he was
at last willing, the captain would not receive him.
He had been in the island before to wood and water,
when two of the ship's company were left upon it for
six months till the ship returned, being chased thence
by two French South Sea ships.
" He had with him his clothes and bedding, with
a firelock, some powder, bullets, and tobacco, a
hatchet, a knife, a kettle, a Bible, some practical
pieces, and his mathematical instruments and books.
He diverted and provided for himself as well as he
could ; but for the first eight months had much ado to
bear up against melancholy, and the terror of being
left alone in such a desolate place. He built two huts
with pimento-trees, covered them with long grass,
and lined them with the skins of goats, which he
killed with his gun as he wanted, so long as his
powder lasted, which was but a pound; and that
being near spent, he got fire by rubbing two sticks
of pimento wood together upon his knee. In the
lesser hut, at some distance from the other, he dressed
his victuals, and in the larger he slept, and employed
himself in reading, singing psalms, and praying;
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 417
so that he said he was a better Christian while in
this solitude than ever he was before, or than, he
was afraid, he should ever be again. At first he
never ate any thing till hunger constrained him,
partly for grief, and partly for want of bread and
salt ; nor did he go to bed till he could watch no
longer : the pimento wood, which burnt very clear,
served him both for firing and candle, and refreshed
him with its fragrant smell.
" He might have had fish enough, but could not
eat them for want of salt, because they occasioned a
looseness, except crawfish, which are there as large
as our lobsters, and very good. These he sometimes
boiled, and at other times broiled, as he did his
goat's flesh, of which he made very good broth, for
they are not so rank as ours : he kept an account of
500 that he killed while there, and caught as many
more, which he marked on the ear and let go. When
his powder failed, he took them by speed of foot ; for
his way of living and continual exercise of walk-
ing and running, cleared him of all gross humours ;
so that he ran with wonderful swiftness through the
woods and up the rocks and hills, as we perceived
when we employed him to catch goats for us. We
had a bull-dog, which we sent with several of our
nimblest runners, to help him in catching goats;
but he distanced and tired both the dog and the men,
catched the goats, and brought them to us on his
back. He told us that his agility in pursuing a goat
had once like to have cost him his life ; he pursued
it with so much eagerness that he catched hold of it
on the brink of a precipice, of which he was not
aware, the bushes having hid it from him ; so that he
fell with the goat down the said precipice a great
418 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
heigh t, and was so stunned and bruised with the fall,
that he narrowly escaped with his life, and when he
came to his senses, found the goat dead under him.
He lay there about twenty-four hours, and was
scarce able to crawl to his hut, which was about a
mile distant, or to stir abroad again in ten days.
" He came at last to relish his meat well enough
without salt or bread, and in the season had plenty
of good turnips, which had been sowed there by
Captain Dampier's men, and have now overspread
some acres of ground. He had enough of good cab-
bage from the cabbage-trees, and seasoned his meat
with the fruit of the pimento- trees, which is the same
as the Jamaica pepper, and smells deliciously. He
found there also a black pepper called malagita,
which was very good to expel wind, and against
griping of the guts.
" He soon wore out all his shoes and clothes by
running through the woods ; and at last being forced
to shift without them, his feet became so hard, that
he ran every where without annoyance ; and it was
some time before he could wear shoes after we found
him; for not being used to any so long, his feet
swelled when he came first to wear them again.
" After he had conquered his melancholy, he di-
verted himself sometimes by cutting his name on
the trees, and the time of his being left, and con-
tinuance there. He was at first much pestered with
cats and rats, that had bred in great numbers from
some of each species which had got ashore from ships
that put in there to wood and water. The rats
gnawed his feet and clothes while asleep, which
obliged him to cherish the cats with his goats' flesh ;
by which many of them became so tame, that they
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 419
would lie about him in hundreds, and soon delivered
him from the rats. He likewise tamed some kids,
and to divert himself would now and then sing and
dance with them and his cats : so that by the care
of Providence and vigour of his youth, being now
but about thirty years old, he came at last to con-
quer all the inconveniences of his solitude, and to be
very easy. When his clothes wore out, he made
himself a coat and cap of goat-skins, which he stitch-
ed together with little thongs of the same, that he
cut with his knife. He had no other needle but a
nail ; and when his knife was worn to the back, he
made others as well as he could of some iron hoops
that were left ashore, which he beat thin and ground
upon stones. Having some linen cloth by him, he
sewed himself shirts with a nail, and stitched them
with the worsted of his old stockings, which he
pulled out on purpose. He had his last shirt on
when we found him on the island.
" At his first coming on board us, he had so much
forgot his language for want of use, that we could
scarce understand him, for he seemed to speak his
words by halves. We offered him a dram, but he
would not touch it, having drank nothing but water
since his being there ; and it was some time before
he could relish our victuals." On the recommen-
dation of Dampier, Selkirk was made second mate
of the Drake.
The cruise of the privateers was successful. At
Guayaquil, where their famed pilot commanded the
artillery, they obtained plunder to the value of
2000, and 27,000 dollars as ransom of the town.*
" Woodes Rogers' Voyage round the World, pp. 1J4, 1J5, 183.
420 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
Afterwards, off Cape San Lucas, they captured a
Manilla ship deeply laden with merchandise, and
12,000 in gold and silver.* Having brought
their prize into Puerto Segura, they waited for the
richer and larger galleon. At length they encoun-
tered her, but, after a severe engagement, were
beaten off;t and in this fight the Duchess alone had
twenty-five men killed and wounded. The natives
of Puerto Segura were blacker than any other people
seen in the South Sea by Woodes Rogers,, being be-
sides of a disagreeable aspect, and having a very
harsh guttural language. They carried bows seven
feet long, strung with the silk-grass ; and their ar-
rows were of cane, tipped with bone.J
The privateers now turned their thoughts home-
ward, and, keeping in the usual track of the galleons,
reached Guahan on the 10th March, after a run of
exactly two months, and anchored under Spanish
colours. Apart from this venial deception, em-
ployed to facilitate the purchase of supplies, their con-
duct was altogether unexceptionable. They rested
here ten days, and made the north of Gilolo in
about a month afterwards. At Bouton they stopped
to take in provisions and water, and next sailed for
Batavia, where they experienced those noxious ef-
fects of climate from which hardly any ship's com-
pany escapes at that most unhealthy station. ||
Leaving Java in the end of October, they waited
long at the Cape for a homeward-bound fleet, in com-
pany with which, being in all five-and-twenty sail,
Dutch and English, they anchored in the Texel in
* Woodes Rogers, pp. 293, 296. f Ibid. p. 303.
ilbid. p. 314. Ibid. p. 361.
|| Ibid. pp. 377, 379, 397.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 421
July of the following year. Receiving instructions
from their owners to remain some time in Holland,
it was not till the 14th October 1711 that they
came to the Thames, with booty, in money and mer-
chandise, valued at 150,000.* From this date
we hear no more of Dampier, whose name appears
less frequently in the narrative of Rogers than from
his eminent nautical abilities might have been ex-
pected ; and more especially as it appears that in all
difficulties he was constantly applied to, and his for-
mer knowledge and experience were taken as guides.
At Bouton, where he had been in the Cygnet, he
was intrusted to carry a present to the sultan ; and,
from respect to his judgment and integrity, he was
also chosen umpire in the very delicate affair of
deciding what part of the plunder ought to be held
as a perquisite of the crew, and in allotting to each
their respective shares.
Dampier was not only a navigator of distinguished
eminence, but a man of strong natural genius ; and
it implies something of a reproach upon England,
that talents which have gained their possessor a
European reputation, should have been less appre-
ciated in his own country than by foreign nations.
By French and Dutch discoverers, as well as learned
men, he has been uniformly regarded with the
warmest admiration. They delight to style him
the " eminent," the ( < skilful," the " exact," the " in-
comparable." Humboldt has borne testimony to
his merits, placing this Buccaneer seaman above
* From an incidental source we learn that this prize-money was
not divided so late as 1J19, so that it is probable that even from
this tardy piece of good fortune Captain JJampier obtained no ad-
vantage.
422 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
those men of science who afterwards went over the
same ground ; Malte-Brun terms him " the learned
Dampier;" and the author of the Voyages to Australia
inquires, "Mais oit trouve-t-on des Navigateurs
comparables ti Dampier ?" The acuteness, accuracy,
and clearness of his nautical delineations, as well as
of his descriptions and general remarks, have made
his voyages be followed by foreign navigators as the
safest guides ; and his rapidity and power of observa-
tion are fully as remarkable as his accuracy. For ex-
ample, his hasty glance at the places where he touched
on New Holland has left to subsequent voyagers
little else but the labour of verifying his descriptions.
In no instance has his veracity been questioned, even
by those the most disposed to cavil at facts, which,
being remote from their own limited experience,
appear extraordinary or impossible. Other writers,
combining into one the relations of many different
travellers, have no doubt added to his descriptions ;
but there is no detached account of the countries he
visited more full of interest and exact information
than the volumes of this experienced seaman.
The succession of brilliant discoveries which illus-
trated the early part of the reign of George III.,
cast, for a time, the adventures of Dampier, and
of every previous navigator, into the shade, but they
are again rising into popularity. Compared with
the more systematic voyages of our own days, his
long solitary rambles are like the enterprises of
the single knightly combatant, which, though they
bear no proportion to the magnitude and splendour
of a regular engagement, yet, from their individual-
ity, often command a more intense and powerful
interest.
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 423
The cloud which rested on the personal character
of Dampier, arising either from the misrepresenta-
tions of envious contemporaries, or from the careless-
ness of subsequent compilers, is fast clearing away.
By Pinkerton he is termed " the Cook of a for-
mer age;" and Admiral Burney has taken a ge-
nerous pleasure in doing justice to his high pro-
fessional merits, and in rebuking the thoughtless
repetition of unfounded calumnies. " It is," he says,
" matter of regret, and not less of dissatisfaction,
to see that some late writers have been so little
conscious of the merits of Dampier, as to allow
themselves to speak of him with small respect, for
no other cause than that it appears he had dis-
agreements with some of his shipmates, the par-
ticular circumstances of which are not known, far-
ther than that he had to deal with a quarrelsome
and mutinous crew. Such petty considerations
should never have been lifted up against the me-
mory of such a man as Dampier. It is not easy
to name another voyager or traveller who has given
more useful information to the world, or to whom
the merchant and mariner are so much indebted."*
To these Burney might have added the philosopher
and the naturalist, who have rarely been so much
indebted to any adventurer whose pursuits were so
* Burney's History of Discovery in the South Sea, vol. iv. p.
48fi The comparatively recent " Survey of the Coasts of Austra-
lia," by Captain P. P. King, also does Dampier great justice, and
connects his name with the geography of the north-west coast of
New Holland in a manner that must gratify every admirer of pro-
fessional eminence. Captain King has not merely adopted the
distinctions conferred on his celebrated predecessor by the com-
manders of the French expeditions, but extended their meaning,
and added to their number.
424 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
entirely remote from the objects of their research.
This testimony, alike honourable to the author and
to the great seaman whose merits it commemorates,
will remain to future ages, when the vague state-
ments and unsifted calumnies, which other authors
have allowed themselves to repeat, will be for ever
forgotten.
Though the life of this navigator was spent in
incessant action, his natural genius appears to have
been rather speculative than enterprising. He loved
to reason and to scheme, and often lost sight of present
advantages in brilliant plans for the future, which
his evil fortune forbade him to realize. He may,
indeed, be pointed out as an example of what the
world calls an unlucky man, one to whom every
event proves adverse, who seems singled out for
misfortune. His capital error was unquestionably
the choice of the wild life upon which he originally
entered ; yet from this unhappy connexion he came
forth less polluted than might have been feared ; and
it is certain that while those lawless pursuits en-
riched many of his contemporaries, they kept him
in poverty, and left him a beggar. Nor, in relating
its incidents, has he once attempted to justify or
even to palliate the occupation in which he spent so
many years. Amidst the temptations to which it
exposed him, his excellent understanding, and the
principles he had imbibed in the virtuous household
of a Somersetshire yeoman, preserved him, if not
from all evil, at least from that deadness of moral
feeling which is amongst the worst consequences
of vicious companionship. He was humane, just,
candid, charitable, and rare virtues in a Buc-
VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND. 425
caneer orderly and temperate, detesting the riotous
excess of his less thoughtful associates. Such was the
respect his shipmates entertained for his abilities that
in the South Sea, and afterwards in the Cygnet,
he might have obtained command ; but the love of
adventure was his strongest passion, and his sole
ambition was the acquisition of knowledge.
Towards the close of his career he appears to have
deeply felt the disgrace and galling servitude in
which his earlier days were passed ; and serious re-
flection as well as remorseful feeling pressed heavily
upon his mind long before he was able to get away
from his loose associates in the Cygnet.
By the time that he returned to England with
Woodes Rogers he was far advanced in life ; having
during forty years devoted himself to the most as-
siduous professional exertions. It is therefore proba-
ble that he did not embark in any subsequent voy-
age ; and as the remaining part of his existence is in-
volved in complete obscurity, there is but too much
reason to believe that it was allowed to pass in ne-
glect, if not in poverty. Of this eminent seaman and
traveller it may be remarked, that though little more
than a century can have elapsed since his death, no
one is now able to tell how the evening of his days
was spent, when he died, or where he was buried.
Had he expired in some remote island of the Pacific,
or perished in the element on which so great a por-
tion of his life was passed, some imperfect record
might have remained to satisfy our natural desire
to know the incidents which marked the last hours
of the veteran navigator. But it was his fate to
sink unheeded amidst the conflicting waves and
426 VOYAGE TO NEW HOLLAND.
tides of society ; and no memorial or tradition re-
mains of his death, in whose remarkable life the ad-
ventures of Selkirk, Wafer, and the Buccaneer com-
manders of the South Sea, appear but as episodes.
So much for human fame.
INDEX.
A.
Ac a E E N, a seaport of Sumatra, page
373.
Alvarado, a town of Mexico, taken
by the Buccaneers, 271.
Amapalla, a seaport of Mexico, 311.
Stratagem of the Buccaneers at,
ib. Spanish Indians of, 312, 313.
Arica, a seaport of Peru, 64, 138.
Attack of the Buccaneers upon,
repulsed, 283.
Ascension, island of, 408.
Aves, an island in the Caribbean Sea,
291. Wreck of the French fleet
under the Count d'Estrees on a
coral rock near, ib. A place of
resort to the Buccaneers, 292.
B.
Baldivia, or Valdivia, a seaport of
Chili, 315.
Barateve, one of the Spice Islands,
Bashee Islands, 355-363. Descrip-
tion of, 356. Character and man-
ners of the islanders, 356-363.
Baskerville, Sir Thomas, failure of
the expedition against Panama
under, 119.
Beef Island, in the Bay of Cam-
peachy, 26&
Blanco, island of, in the Caribbean
Sea, 293. Abounds with iguanas
or guanoes, 294.
Bouton, one of the Molucca Islands,
366, 420.
Buccaneers of America, origin of,
183. Hunters of Cuba and Hayti,
184. The Flibustiers of the French
and Zee Hoovers of the Dutch,
185. Seize on the island of Tor-
tuga, 188. Their customs and
maxims, 190-192. Manner of di-
viding their spoil, 192. Dress and
character, 193-195. Extend the
range of their depredations, 197.
Their expeditions by land, 198.
Cruelties of L'Olonnois, 199. De-
sign of establishing an independ-
ent state, 199, 204. Their profli-
gate habits, 201. Character of
Montbars, the Exterminator, 203.
History and adventures of Mor-
gan, 205-232. Capture Vera Cruz,
233. Quarrel among themselves,
234 Direct their attention to
Peru and the South Sea, ib.
Narrative of their adventures and
enterprises, from the plundering
of Vera Cruz till their suppression,
236-379. See DAMPIER.
C.
California, 73. Natives of, 74.
Their singular manners, 75. The
name of New Albion given to it
by Sir Francis Drake, 81.
Callao, the port of Lima, 65.
Campeachy, bay of, 241. Habits of
the wood-cutters, 241-245. Log-
wood-groves, 245. Appearance
of the country, 246. Its natural
productions, 247. The wild pine,
ib. Snakes, 249. Ants, 250. The
humming-bird, &c., 251-253. Al-
ligators, 253. Dreadful hurricane
in the bay, 259-261. Indians, 262.
Manner of hunting wild cattle,
264-266.
Cape de Verd Islands, 102.
Capul, island of, one of the Philip-
pines, 150. Singular customs of
the natives of, 151.
Carder, Peter, his shipwreck on the
coast of Brazil, 50 note, 58. Re-
lates his adventures before Queen
Elizabeth, 59.
Carthagena, 106, 289. Stormed by
Drake and Carlile, 106. Calenture,
or fever of, great mortality from,
ib.
Catoche, a cape of Mexico, 243.
Cavendish, Thomas, voyage of,
round the world, 125-159. The
second English circumnavigator,
127. His ancestry, ib. Voyage to
Virginia, ib. Expedition to the
South Sea, 128. Coast of South
America, 129. Enters Magellan's
Straits, 130. Reaches the coast of
2
428
INDEX.
Chili, 136. A party of his seamen
cut off, 137. Captures several Spa-
nish vessels, 138,139. Takes Paita,
140. Lands on the island of Puna,
141. Skirmish with the Spaniards,
142. Arrives on the coast of
Mexico, 143. Steers for Cape San
Lucas, 145. Capture of the Santa
Anna galleon, 145, 146. Sails for
the Ladrones, 149. Arrives at the
Philippines, ib. Passes the Mo-
luccas, 152. Anchors at Java, 153.
Passes the Cape of Good Hope,
155. Reaches St Helena, 156.
Arrives at Plymouth, ib. Fame
of his exploits, 157. His letter to
Lord Hunsdon, 158, 159. His se-
cond voyage to the South Sea,
160-181. Attacks various Portu-
guese settlements in Brazil, 161.
Sufferings in Magellan's Straits,
163. Separation of Davis, 166.
Steers for Brazil, where he loses
twenty-four men, 174. Unsuccess-
ful attack on Spirito Santo, 175.
Separation of the Roebuck, 176.
Discontent of the crew, 176-179.
Letter to Sir Tristram Gorges,
163, 164, 173, 176, 178, 180. His
death and character, 179-181.
Cayos Islets, near Cuba, the resort
of the Buccaneers, 206.
Celebes, island of, 88, 366.
Ceram, island of, 407.
Chagre, castle of, on the Isthmus of
Panama, captured by the Bucca-
neers, 216, 217.
Chili, 61. Adventures of English
navigators with the natives of, 61,
136-138.
Cimarrones, a savage tribe of the
Isthmus of Darien, 24, 26, 144.
Cocos Island, in the Pacific, 314,
378.
Cook, Captain John, 296, 301. Junc-
tion of Eaton with, 302. His death,
309.
Coquirabo, a seaport of Chili, 63.
Corrientes, a cape of Mexico, 144.
Cuba, island of, 184.
Curacoa, an island in the Carribean
Sea, 292.
Curassow birds, 288, note.
D.
DAMPIER, William, Adventures of,
among the Wood-cutters and Buc-
caneers, 236-295. His ancestry
and education, 236. Voyage to
Java, 238. Goes to Jamaica as
manager to a planter, 239. Be-
comes a logwood- cutter in Cam-
peachy, 240. Loses himself in the
woods, 255-257. Copartnership
with three Scotsmen, 258. Joins
the Buccaneers, 266. Escape
from the Spanish armadilloes,
271-273. Rejoins the logwood-
cutters, 273. Returns to England,
ib. Embarks for Jamaica, 275.
Again joins the Buccaneers, 276.
Assault of Porto Bello, ib. March
across the Isthmus of Darien,
280. Seafight in the road of Pa-
nama, 281. Retreat across the
Isthmus, 283, 284. Difficulties of
the journey, 285, 286. Arrival at
the Samballas Islands, 286. Cruise
along the coast of the Main, 288-
294. Arrival in Virginia, 294.
DAMPIER'S Circumnavigation of the
Globe, 296-383. Sails from Acha-
mack in Virginia, 298. Cape de
Verd Islands, ib. He encounters
a dreadful storm, 298 and note, ib.
Capture of a Danish ship on the
coast of Guinea, 300. Falkland
Islands, 301. Cape Horn, 302.
Arrival at Juan 1-ernandez, 303.
Capture of Spanish ships, 306, 307.
Galapagos Islands, 307. Edward
Davis elected commander, 310.
Descent on Amapalla, 311. Voyage
along the coast of Peru, 313. Paita,
317. Failure of the attempt on
Guayaquil, 319. Scheme for work-
ing the mines, ib. Adventures
during the cruise to the bay of
Panama, 320-322. Accession to
the force of the Buccaneers, 324.
Skirmish with the Spanish fleet,
325-327. Capture of Ria Lexa and
Leon, 327. Cruise along the
shores of Mexico, 328. Passage
across the Pacific, 332. The La-
drones, 333. Arrival at the
island of Mindanao, 336. Pro-
ceedings of the Buccaneers there,
339-353 ; they desert Swan, and
leave Mindanao, 353. Luconia
or Luzon, ib. Pulo Condore, 354.
Piscadore or Ponghoo Islands,
355. Bashee Islands, 355-364.
Spice Islands, 366. Voyage to
New Holland, 367-372. Leaves
the Buccaneers, 372. Sails for
Acheen, 373. Encounters a vio-
lent storm, 374. His voyages
with Captains Bowry andWelden,
376, 377. Return to England, 383.
Publication of his voyages, ib.
DAMPIER'S Voyage of Discovery to
Xew Holland and New Guinea,
384-426. His arrival at Shark's
Bay, New Holland, 386. Dis-
coveries on the northern coasts,
388. Appearance and character
of the natives, 390-392. Island of
INDEX.
429
Timor, 393. Voyage to New
Guinea, ib. New islands and
their productions, 394-399. Dis-
covery of New Britain, and islands
in the straits called by his name,
405.407. Second voyage to New
Holland, 407. He arrives at Ba
tavia, 408. Sails for Europe, ib.
Shipwreck, ib. Arrival and un-
grateful reception in England,
409. His voyage to the South
Seas in command of the St George
and Cinque Ports, 410. Bad con-
duct of his officers, 412. He crosses
the Pacific, 414. Is imprisoned
by the Dutch, ib. Returns to
England, ib. His last voyage, as
pilot in the Duke, ib. Arrival at
Batavia, 420. Return to England,
421. Testimony borne to his me-
rits, 421-423. Reflections on his
character and fate, 424, 425.
Davis, Captain Edward, 310, 311,
313, 378, 379.
Davis, John, Captain of the Desire
in Cavendish's second voyage, 161,
163, note. His separation from the
commander, 166. He discovers
the Falkland Islands, 168. His
Passage and return through Ma-
gellan's Straits, ib. Disastrous
homeward voyage, 171-173. His
death, 173, note.
Doughty, Thomas, 35. Accused of
conspiracy against Drake, 45. His
trial and execution, 47-50.
DRAKE, SIR FRANCIS, Life of, pre-
vious to his Circumnavigation,
13-28. The first Englishman who
sailed round the globe, 13. His
birth and parentage, 15. Early
passion for a naval life, ib. He
sails for Guinea in the squadron
of Captain John Hawkins, 17. His
arrival offthecoast of Florida, 18.
Is attacked by the Spaniards, 19.
His escape and return, 20, 21.
Loss of his fortune ; his hatred
of the Spaniards, 21. New expe-
ditions to America, 22. Ha attacks
the town of Nombre de Dios, 23.
His first view of the Pacific, 24.
Intercepts Spanish treasure, 26.
Surprises Venta Cruz, ib. Arrives
at Plymouth, 27. Is employed
during the Irish Rebellion, ib. Is
introduced to Queen Elizabeth.ib.
DRAKE, his Circumnavigation, 29-
99. He equips an expedition of
five ships, 30. Reaches Cape Can-
tin, 32. Adventure at Mogadore,
ib. Coast of Brazil, 36. Arrives at
Port San Julian, 42. Atf'ray with
the Patagonians, 43. Trial and
execution of ThomasDoughty, 45,
51. Passes through the Straits
of Magellan, 52-54. Enters the
South Sea, 54. His fleet separ-
ated in a storm, 55. Fate of
his shallop's crew, ib. He dis-
covers Cape Horn, 59. Lands on
the coast of Chili, 61. Captures
several Spanish vessels, 62, 64, 65 ;
lamas with treasure, 64. Takes
the Cacafuego Spanish plate-ship,
68. Proceeds in search of a north-
east passage, 70. Steers for Ni-
caragua, 71. Sails along the coast
of California, 73. Ad ventures with
the natives, 75-80. He crosses the
Pacific, 82. Reaches theLadrones,
84 ; and the Moluccas, 85. Re-
markable preservation from ship-
wreck, 90. He sails for Java, 92.
His voyage home, 93. Arrival at
Plymouth, 94. Receives the ap-
probation of Queen Elizabeth, 98.
DKAKE, his Expeditions to the West
Indies, 100-124. He is appointed
commander of a fleet against
Spanish America, 101. Takes
San Jago in the Cape de Verd
Islands, 102. Storms San Do-
mingo, 103 ; and Carthagena, 106.
Many of his men carried off by
fever.ib. Returns to England,108.
Commands a squadron against the
Spanish Armada, 109. Destroys
the shipping at Cadiz, 110. Takes
the San Philipe carrack, ib. Is
appointed vice-admiral to Lord
Charles Howard, 112. Captures
the galleon of Don Pedro de Val-
dez, 114. His expedition to re-
store Don Antonio, 116. Voyage
with Hawkins to the Spanish West
Indies, ib. Attempt against Porto
Rico, 1 1 8. Capture of Santa Mar-
tha and Nombre de Dios, 119.
His death near Porto Bello, 120.
Estimate of his character and
public services, 121-124.
Easter Island, discovered by Ed-
ward Davis, 379.
Eaton, Captain, 302, 314.
Elizabeth, Queen, secretly approves
Sir Francis Drake's expedition in
1577, 29. Her reception of the
navigator on his return, 96. Visits
his ship at Deptford, 97. Her zeal
for the promotion of maritime en-
terprise, 125, 126, note.
Ersola, aSpanish pilot, treachery of,
to Cavendish, 151.
Esquemeling, author of the " Buc-
caniers of America," 1H7, note.
2D
430
INDEX.
F.
Falkland Islands, discovery of, by
Captain John Davis, 168, 301.
Fletcher, Francis, chaplain of
Drake's fleet, 48, 60.
Flibustiers, the name given by the
French to the Buccaneers, 185.
Fogo, a volcanic island, one of the
Cape de Verd group, 35.
France, mistaken policy of, 232.
Francois, Pierre, captures a rich
galleon, 197.
Frobisher, Martin, appointed vice-
admiral of the expedition against
Spanish America, 101.
G.
Galapagos Islands, in the Pacific,
268. Abound in land and sea
1 turtle, 307. Frequented by the
Buccaneers, 378.
Gallo, an island on the coast of
Colombia, 321.
Good Hope, Cape of, 94.
Gorgona, an island on the coast of
Colombia, 322.
Grenville, Sir Richard, his expedi-
tion to Virginia, 127.
Guahan Island, one of theLadrones,
333-336, 420. Description of the
natives of, 149.
Guatalco, a Mexican seaport, 72, 328.
Guayaquil, 318. Failure of an at-
tempt upon, 319. Taken by the
Buccaneers, 378.
H.
Hawkins, John, captain of a slave-
ship, 16. Trades between Guinea
and Spanish America, 17. His
squadron enters the port of San
Juan de Ulloa, 18. Treachery of
the Spaniards, 19. His escape and
subsequent hardships, 20. Expe-
dition, with Drake, to the Spanish
West Indies, 116. His death at
Porto Rico, 118.
Hawkins, Sir Richard, 60, 168.
Hayti, or St Domingo, island of, 184.
Horn, Cape, discovery of, by Sir
Francis Drake, 14, 59.
Howard, Lord Charles, of Effing-
ham, 112. Defeats the Spanish
Armada, 113-115.
I.
Indenting, a system of kidnapping,
practice of, 199, note.
Indians, or Caribs, cruelty of the
Spaniards to, 186, note. Incident
regarding, at St Lucia, 239.
J.
Jamaica, capture of, by the Eng-
lish, 195. Resorted to by the
Buccaneers, 201. Proclamation
of the governor of, 231.
Java, island of, 92, 153. Customs of
the inhabitants, 153, 154.
Jeoly, an Indian prince, 380. His
arrival in England, 383. Death, ib.
Juan Fernandez, an island in the
Pacific, 282, 305, 379. Residence
of Mosquito William, 303-305. Of
Alexander Selkirk, 415-419.
Ladrone Islands, 83, 149. Descrip-
tion of the natives, 149.
La Plata, an island on the coast of
Colombia, 314, 316, 320.
Le Grand, Pierre, captures a Spa-
nish galleon, 195.
Leon, a city of Guatimala, taken by
the Buccaneers, 327.
Lima, capital of Peru, 66.
Lobos de la Mar, an island on the
coast of Peru, 306,318.
Lobos de Tierra, an island on the
coast of Peru, 318.
L'Olonnois, a French Buccaneer
chief, 199. Captures a Spanish
frigate, 200. His cruelties, ib.
Manner of his death, 203.
Luconia, or Luzon, the principal of
the Philippine Islands, 342, 353.
M.
Magellan, 13 and note.
Magellan, Straits of, 52-54. Fate
of the Spanish colony in, 131.
Natives of, 53, 134-136.
Manatee, or sea-cow, 266, 267, note.
Manilla, settlement at, 150, 152.
Mansvelt, a Buccaneer, forms the
design of establishing an indepen-
dent state, 199, 204. Storms the
Spanish fort in Old Providence
Island, 205.
Mayo, one of the Cape de Verd
Islands, 34.
Meangis Islands, south-east of the
Philippines, 380, 381.
Mindanao, island of, 336-353. Pro-
ceedings of the Buccaneers at,
339-353. Customs of the natives
of, 341, 343. Their character and
manners, 350.
Mogadore, a seaport of Morocco,
adventure at, 32.
Molucca or Spice Islands, 84.
Montbars, a French Buccaneer, cha-
racter of, 203, 204, note.
Morgan, Henry, the most renowned
of the English Buccaneers, 205.
His first expeditions, 206. Pillage
of Puerto del Principe, ib. Storm-
ing of Porto Bcllo, '207. Cruelties
INDEX.
431
practised, 208,209. Captures Mara-
caibo and Gibraltar, 121. Strata-
gem against theSpaniards,122-215.
Projected attack of Panama, 216.
Capture of OldProvidence Island,
and of the castle of Chagre, 216,
218. Hardships on the march to
Panama, 218-221. Battle with
the Spaniards, 222. Storming and
conflagration of Panama, 224.
Cruelties exercised, 226. Returns
to Chagre, 229. Sails for Jamaica,
230; is knighted by Charles II.,
and made deputy-governor of that
island, 232. Concluding history of,
ib.
Mosquito Indians, Dampier's ac-
count of, 277-280.
Mosquito William, 283. His resi-
dence on the island of Juan Fer-
nandez, 303-305.
Muley Moloc, ruler of Morocco,
33.
N.
New Britain, island of, its discovery
by Dampier, 405-407.
New Guinea and contiguous islands,
393-407. Natural productions,
and manners of the people, 394-
399. Suspicious and inhospitable
character of the natives, 403-403.
New Holland, Dampier's Voyages
of discovery to, 367-372, 386-392,
407. Appearance and productions
of the country, 367-371, 386-388.
Character of the natives, 390-392.
Nicobar Islands, in the Bay of Ben-
gal, 372.
Nombre de Dios, a seaport on the
Isthmus of Darien, attack of, 23.
Taken by Drake, 119.
North-west Passage, speculations
by Dampier upon, 332, note.
Nuno da Silva, a Portuguese pilot,
author of a narrative of Sir Fran-
cis Drake's Voyage, 35, 69 note,
72.
O.
Old Providence, or Santa Katali-
na, an island in the Caribbean
Sea, 205, 216, 231.
Ostriches, manner of snaring, in
Brazil, 38.
Oxenham, John, the first English-
man that sailed on the Pacific,
25, note, and the firstEnglish Buc-
caneer, 183, note.
P.
Paita, a seaport of Peru, plundered
by the Buccaneers, 140 ; burntby
them, 317.
Panama, governor of, his message
to Morgan, the Buccaneer chief,
210. Stormed by the Buccaneers,
224-228.
Patagonia, 39. Natives of Seal Bay ;
their manners and dispositions, ib.
Port San Julian, 42. Stature of
the Patagonians, 44, 45, note.
Pearl Islands, in the Bay of Pana-
ma, 322.
Philippine Islands, 84, 149.
Piscadore or Ponghoo Islands, in
the Chinese Sea, 355.
Plymouth, supplied with water by
Drake, 112 and note.
Port Desire, in Patagonia, natives
of, 170.
Porto Bello, stormed by the Buc-
caneers, 207 ; plundered, 276.
Porto Rico, attempted assault of,
by Drake, 118.
Portuguese, cruelty of, 103.
Portuguez, Bartolomeo, bold enter-
prise of, 198.
Pulo Condore, in the Chinese Sea,
354
Puna, island of, in the gulf of Guay-
aquil, 141, 142. The town taken
by Dampier, 413.
Raleigh, Sir Walter, colony of,
107, 127.
Revenge, pirate ship, captured
among the Orkney Isles, 380.
Ria Lexa, or Realejo, a seaport of
Guatimala, 310. Taken by the
Buccaneers, 327.
Rio de la Hacha, a seaport of Co-
lombia, taken by Drake, 17 ; and
again, 118.
Rocas, islands in the Caribbean
Sea, 293.
Rogers, Woodes, voyage of, round
the world, 415.
S.
St Andrew, an island on the coast
of Mexico, 144.
St Christopher, island of, colonized
by the English and French, 186.
St Domingo, city of, stormed by
Drake, 103. Island of, 184.
St Helena, island of, 156.
Sal, one of the CapedeVerd Islands,
298, 299.
Samballas, islands on the northern
coast of the Isthmus of Darien,
277. Frequented by the Bucca-
neers, 286.
San Felipe, a town on Magellan's
Straits, 132, 135.
San Francisco, a seaport of Califor-
nia, 73. Natives of, 74.
432
INDEX.
San Jago, one of the Cape de Verd
Islands, descent on by Drake. 102.
San Juan de Ulloa, a seaport of
Mexico, treachery of the Spa-*
niards at, 18-20.
San Lucas, a cape of California, 145,
331.
Santa Katalina. See Old Provi-
dence.
Santa Maria, a seaport in the bay
of Panama, taken by the Bucca-
neers, 281 . Failure of Dampier's
design to surprise, 412.
SantaPecaque, a seaport in Mexico,
329. Disaster of the Buccaneers
at, 330.
Santos, a seaport of Brazil, 161.
Sarmiento de Gamboa, 67, 131, 133
and note. Lands colonists in the
Straits of Magellan, 131. Their
disastrous fate, 133, 134
Sawkins, Cap tain, killed in an attack
on Puebla Nueva, 282.
Scot, Lewis, a Buccaneer, stormed
and plundered Campeachy, 198.
Selkirk, Alexander, account of his
residence in Juan Fernandez, 41 5-
419.
Sharp, captain of the Buccaneers,
280. He is deposed, 282. Again
raised to the command, 283.
Cruises in the South Sea, ib.
Returns to the West Indies, and
thence to England, ib.
Sidney, Sir Philip, 14, 100.
Sierra Leone, slave-trade to, 17.
Attacked by Cavendish, 128.
Spain, hostilities with, 100.
Spaniards destroy the Buccaneer
settlement of Tortuga, 189.
Spanish Armada, 100, 112. Defeat
and destruction of, 113-115. Fleet
at Cadiz destroyed by Drake, 110.
Pearl-fishery, 290.
Spirito Santo, a seaport of Brazil,
175.
Staten Island, 302.
Sumatra, island of, 376.
Swan, captain, 315, 318, 329. Sails
for the East Indies, 331. His
death, 365.
T.
Taboga, island of, in the bay of
Panama, 323.
Ternate,one of the Molucca Islands,
85-88.
Tierra del Fuego, island of, 57, 131,
302.
Tobacco, account of its introduc-
tion into Britain, 107, note.
Tobasco, river of, abounds with the
manatee or sea-cow, 267. Man-
ners nd condition of the Indians
of, 268-270.
Tortuga, an island on the northern
coast of Hayti, taken by the Buc-
caneers, 188. The settlement
destroyed by the Spaniards, 189.
Taken possession ofbytheFrench,
195. The rendezvous of the Buc-
caneers, 201.
Trist, an island in the Bay of Cam-
peachy, 240.
Tropic-bird, 293 and note.
Vera Cruz, pillaged by the Bucca-
neers, 233.
Wafer, Lionel, surgeon, his resi-
dence among the Indians of the
Darien, 285, 289, 378.
Winter, John, captain of the Eliza-
beth, in Drake's voyage round
the world, 30. His navigation of
the Straits of Magellan, 5G. Re-
turn to England, 57.
Z.
Zee Roovers, the name given by the
Dutch to the Buccaneers, l"85.
THE END.
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1837
Johnstons, Christian Isobel
Lives and voyages of
Drake, Cavendish, and Dampier
