8 6 The V O Y 
him up for a complete Logwood-cutter, and Trader in 
the Bay of Campeachy. But he afterwards changed his Re- 
solution, and laid out the belt Part of what lie was worth 
in the Purchace of a'fmall Eftate in Dorfetjhire , of a Per- 
fonhe knew to have a good Title ; and then made an Agree- 
ment with one Mr. Hobby, ^ to take a Trip to the Con- 
tinent before he went for England. Soon after their fet- 
ting out, they came to an Anchor in Nigral Bay, at the 
Weft End of Jamaica : They found there the Captains 
Coxon , Sawkins , Sharpe , and other Privateers, with whom 
all Mr. Hobby's Men prefently agreed to go, and left no- 
body with him but our Author ; who, believing that his 
Aflrftance could not do him much good, confented to go 
along with them too. At the Clofe of the Year 1679. ^ e 7 
fet out : Their firft Expedition was againft Porto-Bello , 
which being accomplifhed, they took a Refolution to 
crofs the Ifthmus of Darien , in order to purfue their De- 
igns in the South Seas. On April 5. 1680. they landed 
near Golden IJland , being between 3 and 400 ftrong, car- 
rying with them fuch Provifions as were neceffary, and 
Toys to gratify the free Indians , through whofe Country 
they palTed. In about nine Days time they arrived at 
Santa Maria , which they took without much Difficulty, 
but found there neither Gold nor Provifions, as they ex- 
pected ; fo they ftaid there only three Days, and then em- 
barked on board Canoes, and other fmall Craft, for the 
South Seas. On April 23. they were in Sight of Panama \ 
and, having in vain attempted Puebla Nova , before which 
Captain Sawkins , then acting as Commander in chief, was 
killed, they went off to the Illes of Quibo. On June 6. 
they failed from thence for the Coaft of Peru ; and, touch- 
ing at the Illands of Gorgonia and Plata, they came to 
Tlo, which they took in the Month of Oblober. About 
Chrijlmas, the fame Year, they arrived in the Wand of 
Juan Fernandez, which was the fartheft they went towards 
the South : There they depofed Captain Bartholomew 
Sharpe , who had the chief Command after the Death of 
Sawkins, and made Choice of one Captain Watling to 
command, under whom they attempted Arica \ but were 
repulfed with the Lofs of twenty-eight Men, among whom 
was their new Commander Captain Watling when they 
failed for fome time without any Commander ; but, ar- 
riving in the Wand of Plata, their Crew fplit into two 
FaCtions ; when it was refolved, before they proceeded to 
the Choice of a Commander, that the Majority, with their 
new Captain, Ihould keep the Ship, and the Minority 
fhould content themfelves with the Canoes and Small-Craft : 
Upon the Poll, Captain Sharpe was reftored, and Mr. 
Dampier , who had voted againft him, prepared, with his 
Affociates, to return over Land into the North Seas. 
4. On April 17. 1681. they quitted Captain Sharpe, and, 
without acknowledging any Commander, refolved to pro- 
fecute their Defign of repaffing the Ifthmus, though they 
were but forty-feven Men in all. This was one of the 
boldeft Undertakings that ever came into the Head of 
defperate Men, and yet they performed it without any 
conliderable Lofs. On May 1. they landed on the Conti- 
nent 5 paft the Ifthmus in twenty-three Days ; and, on the 
24th, embarked on board Captain Triftrian, a French Pri- 
vateer, with whom they joined a Fleet of thofe fort of 
People, confifting of nine Veffels, on board of which were 
near 600 Men. This was a very great Force, and they 
flattered themfelves with the Hopes of doing great Things 
againft the Spaniards : But through Variety of Accidents, 
tho* chiefly through the Difagreement among their Com- 
manders, they were able to do very little, except that thefe 
People, who came over Land, made themfelves Mailers 
of a Tartan *, and, putting themfelves under the Command 
of Captain Wright , continued cruifing along the Spanijh 
Coaft, quite down to the Dutch Settlement of Curacao , 
where they endeavoured to fell a good Quantity of Sugar, 
which they had taken on board a Spanijh Ship •, but, failing 
in that Defign, they profecuted their Voyage to Tortugas, 
and from thence to the Caracca Coaft, where they took 
three Barks, one laden with Hides, another With European 
Commodities, and the third with Ear then- ware and Brandy. 
With thefe Prizes they proceeded to the Eland of Roca , 
where they ftiared them, and then refolved to feparate, 
tho* they were but fixty in all : Of thefe, about twenty, 
AGES of Book I. 
4/ 
among whom our Author was, took one of the Barks, 
and, with their Share of the Goods, proceeded direftly 
for Virginia , where they arrived in the Month of July 
1682. There they continued for fome time, and then the 
beft Part of them made a Voyage to Carolina , from whence 
they once more came back to Virginia and, having fpent 
the beft Part of their Wealth, were now ready to enter 
on any Scheme that could be propofed for getting more j 
nor was it long before fuch an Opportunity offered. Cap- 
tain Cooke , of v/hom we have given an Account at the Be- 
ginning of the former Seftion, coming thither with a 
Prize, and declaring his Refolution to go into the South 
Seas, and cruife upon the Spaniards ; Mr. Dampier, whofe 
old Acquaintance he was, and who knew him to be an able 
Commander, readily agreed to go with him, and brought 
moft of his Companions into a like Difpofition ; which was 
of greater Confequence to that Commander, as it fur- 
nished him with One-third of his whole Company. In this 
Voyage it was that Captain Cowley afted as Mafter, tho* 
he was not trufted with the true Defign. They failed from 
Achamack in Virginia , Auguji 23. 1683. and fleered their 
Courfe for the Cape de Verd Elands. In their Paffage they 
met with a violent Storm, which lafted a whole Week ; 
of which I the rather take notice, becaufe it is a Circum- 
ftance omitted by Captain Cowley , who, having, perhaps, 
been in greater Storms, was not fo much alarmed at this. 
We have now feen our Author embarked for his firft 
Voyage round the W orld, the Remainder of which, for 
Reafons already affigned, fhall be given in his own man- 
ner, and without dropping any thing that has not been 
before related in our Account of Captain Cowley's Voyage 
becaufe that would only fatigue the Reader with unneceffary 
Repetitions. 
5. The Ifle of Salt is Situated in 16 0 Latitude, and in 
1 9 0 33' Longitude Weft from the Lizard in England. 
It is in Length from North to South 9 Leagues, and in 
Breadth about two Leagues ; has abundance of fait Ponds, 
(whence it derives its Name) but no Trees or Grafs that 
ever I faw. Some few poor Goats feed upon Shrubs near 
the Sea Side. I have alfo feen fome wild Fowl here, and 
efpecially the Flamingos , a reddifh Fowl, of the Shape of 
a Hern, but much larger, living in Ponds, or muddy Places : 
We fliot about fourteen of them, tho* they are very fhy : 
Their Nells they build with Mud, in the fhallow Places in 
Ponds, or Handing Waters;' thefe theyraifeup like Hillocks, 
taperingtothe Top, two Feet above the Surface of the Wa- 
ter, where they leave a Hole to lay their Eggs in, which 
when they do, or are hatching them, they fland with their 
long Legs in the Water clofe to the Hillocks, and fo co- 
ver the Hollo wnefs only with their Rumps ; for, if they 
fhould fit down on them, the Weight of their Bodies 
would break them. The young ones can’t fly, nor do they 
come to their true Colour or Shape, till they are ten or 
eleven Months old, but run very fail : Their Fleffi is lean 
and black, but not ill tailed : They have large Tongues, 
and, near the Root of them, a Piece of Fat, which is ac- 
counted a great Dainty. I faw, at another time, great 
Store of thefe Birds at the Ifle of Rio la Hacha ,. near the 
Continent of America , oppofite to Curacao , but never 
could fo fully obferve their Nefts, or young ones, as here. 
We found not above five or fix Men in the Eland of Salt ; 
the Chief brought us three or four poor Goats *, in Return 
for which, and fome Salt we bought of him, we gave him 
fome old Cioaths. 
6. We failed from the Ifle of Salt to St. Nicolai, an- 
other of the Cape Verd Ifies, twenty-two Leagues Weft 
South- weft. From thence we came to an Anchor on the South- 
eaft Side. It is of a triangular Form, the longeft Side to 
the Eaft being thirty Leagues in Length, and the other two 
twenty Leagues each : Near the Shore it is rocky and bar- 
ren •, but has fome Valleys farther in the Country, which 
produce Vines and Grafs. The Chief of the Ifle, with 
two or three Gentlemen, brought fome of the Wine aboard 
us, which was of a pale Colour, and tailed like Madera 
Wine, but was a little thick : They told us, that the prin- 
cipal Village was in a Valley, fourteen Miles from the Bay, 
where we then were, and contained about 100 Families j 
they were of a dark fwarthy Complexion. After having 
fpent five or fix Days here in digging of Wells for frelh 
c Water, 
