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
mercantile transactions that he was able to send over money sufficient
to purchase a small property in Dorsetshire.  He was about to return
home and take possession of it, when he was persuaded to engage in a
voyage to the Mosquito shore.  On the way the vessel fell in with a
squadron of three noted pirates, Coxon, Sawkins, and Sharp.  The whole
of the crew of the merchantman joining them, Dampier was compelled to go
with them also.

Soon afterwards Porto Bello was sacked by two hundred of the pirates,
each of whom obtained as his share one hundred and sixty pieces of
eight.  After this the buccaneers marched across the Isthmus