40 THBTARPON 



CHAPTER II 



THE HISTOBY OF ITS CAPTURE BY BOD AND BEBL 



APTAiN William Dampieb, the English, buccaneer, 

 has written of his exploits as a sacker of towns 

 and ships and as an explorer. He had as keen 

 an eye for natural history as he had for prizes and 

 loot. His travels read like a romance. In the course 

 of his journeys to the Bay of Campeche, just west of 

 Yucatan (1675), he gave a description of the tarpon 

 which is one of the first recorded. It deserves inclu- 

 sion here. He is describing conditions near the Bay: 

 '*A little to the East of the River is a Fish- 

 Range and a small Indian Hutt or two within the 

 Woods ; where the Indian Fishers who are subject 

 to the Spaniards lye in the Fishing-Seasons, their 

 Habitations and Families being further up in the 

 Country. Here are Poles to hang their nets on 

 and Barbacues to dry their fish. When they go 

 off to Sea they fish with Hook and Line about four 

 or five Leagues from the shore for Snappers and 

 Gropers which I have already described in my 

 Voyage around the World. 



"Since the Privateers and Logwood-ships have 

 sailed this way these Fisher-men are very shy, 

 having been often snapp'd by them. So that now 

 when they are out at Sea, if they see a Sail they 

 presently sink their Canoas even with the edge of 

 the Water; for the Canoas when they are full of 

 water will sink no lower and they themselves lye 

 just with their heads above Water till the Ship 



