While we were at work there came nine or 10 of the natives to a small hill a little way from us, and stood there menacing and threatening of us, and making a great noise. At last one of them came towards us, and the rest followed at a distance.

The pirates then raided Spanish settlements in Peru before returning to the Caribbean. Early life
William Dampier was born in East Coker Somerset in 1651. Sentence: Forfeit all pay due and deemed unfit to command any of HM's ships.

Others influenced by Dampier include James Cook Lord Nelson and Charles Darwin. Dampier has been described as the first natural historian of Australia and the greatest explorer-adventurer between Sir Walter Raleigh and James Cook.