, in four volumes. These volumes are
profusely illustrated by maps and rough charts, and also with crude cuts,
which are intended to portray the more interesting and strange animals,
birds, fishes, and insects met with in his voyages round the globe.

In 1673 Dampier enlisted as a seaman in the _Royal Prince_, commanded by
the famous Sir Edward Spragge, and fought in the Dutch war.

A year later he sailed to Jamaica in the _Content_, to take up a post as
manager of a plantation belonging to a Colonel Hellier. His restless
spirit soon revolted against this humdrum life on a plantation, and
Dampier again went to sea, sailing in a small trading vessel amongst the
islands.

Dampier's first step towards buccaneering was taken when he shipped
himself on a small ketch which was sailing from Port Royal to load logwood
at the Bay of Campeachy. This was an illegal business, as the Spanish
Government claimed the ownership of all that coast, and did their best to
prevent the trade. Dampier found some 250 Englishmen engaged in cutting
the wood, which they exchanged for rum. Most of these men were buccaneers
or privateers, who made a living in this way when out of a job afloat.
When a ship came into the coast, these men would think nothing of coming
aboard and spending thirty and forty pounds on rum and punch at a single
drinking bout.

Dampier returned afterwards to take up logwood cutting himself, but met
with little success, and went off to Beef Island. He had by this time
begun to take down notes of all that appeared to him of interest,
particularly objects of natural history. For example, he described, in his
own quaint style, an animal he found in this island.

"The Squash is a four-footed Beast, bigger than a Cat. Its Head is much
like a Foxes, with short Ears and a long Nose. It has pretty short Legs
and sharp Claws, by which it will run up trees like a Cat. The flesh is
good, sweet, wholesome Meat. We commonly skin and roast it; and then we
call it pig; and I think it eats as well. It feeds on nothing but good
Fruit; therefore we find them most among the Sapadillo-Trees. This
Creature never rambles very far, and being taken young, will become as
tame as a Dog, and be as roguish as a Monkey."

Dampier's first act of actual piracy was when he joined in an attack on
the Spanish fort of Alvarado, but although the fort was taken, the
townspeople had time to escape with all their valuables before the pirates
could reach them