teresting of
his life, while his notes on the natural history of the country show his
accuracy as an observer. The logwood-cutters varied their occupation by
hunting the wild cattle, and on one occasion Dampier nearly perished by
having lost his way in the woods. During his wanderings he had the
unpleasant reflection that a short time before six or seven of the crew
of a Boston ship had died, in the vain endeavour to find their way to
the shore.

On another occasion he was, while crossing a small savannah with his
companions, who had gone on ahead, nearly losing his life. He perceived
the strong scent of an alligator; directly afterwards he stumbled over
one, and fell into the water. Recovering, he shouted to the other men,
but they, terror-stricken, were flying towards the woods. A second, and
even a third time he fell, every moment expecting to be seized by the
jaws of the horrid monster; but he at length got safely on shore. An
alligator had a few days before actually seized one of his comrades by
the knee, but the man had the presence of mind to wait until the brute
relinquished his grip to take a firmer hold, when he rammed the butt-end
of his musket down its throat, and scampered off.

During a hurricane he was deprived of his stock of provisions. Having
no means of procuring a fresh supply, he was compelled to join a company
of buccaneers, or privateers as he called them, with whom he spent a
year before he could make his escape, pillaging the Spaniards and making
descents on native villages. While with the freebooters a Spanish fort
was attacked, but they lost ten men killed or desperately wounded, and
obtained little booty, except the flesh of some thirty bullocks, some
Indian corn, poultry, and a number of tame parrots.

While the vessels of the buccaneers were encumbered by the live stock
and provisions they had obtained, they were attacked by some Spanish
armadillos, which they succeeded, however, in beating off. After this
adventure Dampier returned to the island of Trist, and was so successful
in his occupation as a woodcutter, that he was enabled to return to
England in 1678. Here he married a young woman attached to the Duchess
of Grafton's family, but after spending about half a year at home he
again sailed for Jamaica, carrying out a quantity of goods to exchange
for the commodities most in request among the woodcutters.

He spent nearly a year in Jamaica, where he was so successful in his