a story still survives amongst the inhabitants of these
islands that there is hidden somewhere in the sandhills a treasure, which
Dampier is believed to have put there for safe keeping, but for some
reason never removed. But poor Dampier never came by a treasure in this or
any other of his voyages, and though the legend is a pleasant one, it is a
legend and nothing more. Dampier went on board one of the men-of-war, the
_Anglesea_, with thirty-five of his crew. Taken to Barbadoes, he there
procured a berth in another vessel, the _Canterbury_, in which he sailed
to England.

Dampier had now made so great a name for himself by his two voyages round
the globe that he was granted a commission by Prince George of Denmark to
sail as a privateer in the _St. George_, to prey on French and Spanish
ships, the terms being: "No purchase, no pay." Sailing as his consort was
the _Cinque Ports_, whose master was Alexander Selkirk, the original of
Robinson Crusoe. This voyage, fully recounted in Dampier's book, is a long
tale of adventure, hardship, and disaster, and the explorer eventually
returned to England a beggar. However, his travels made a great stir, and
he was allowed to kiss the Queen's hand and to have the honour of relating
his adventures to her.

Dampier's last voyage was in the capacity of pilot or navigating officer
to Captain Woodes Rogers in the _Duke_, which sailed with another Bristol
privateer, the _Duchess_, in 1708. The interesting narrative of this
successful voyage is told by Rogers in his book, "A Cruising Voyage Round
the World," etc., published in 1712. Another account was written by the
captain of the _Duchess_, Edward Cooke, and published in the same year.
This last voyage round the world ended at Erith on October 14th, 1711, and
was the only one in which Dampier returned with any profit other than to
his reputation as an explorer and navigator.

Dampier was now fifty-nine years of age, and apparently never went to sea
again. In fact, he henceforth disappears from the stage altogether, and is
supposed to have died in Colman Street in London, in the year 1715. Of
Dampier's early life in England little is known, except that he owned, at
one time, a small estate in Somersetshire, and that in 1678 he married "a
young woman out of the family of the Duchess of Grafton." There is an
interesting picture of Dampier in the National Portrait Gallery, painted
by T. Murray, and I take this opportunity to thank the dire