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Updated: April 30, 2025
These they knew, by consulting their chart, were the Gallapagos, the home of the largest land-turtles ever known, monsters so enormous that one of them could walk off with two half-grown boys on his broad back. There are over two thousand volcano cones in these islands, and soon our friends were almost in the midst of them.
It was now resolved to carry their prizes to some secure place, where the best part of the provisions they had now procured might be laid up in safety, for which purpose they steered for the Gallapagos or Enchanted Islands, which they got sight of on the 31st May, and anchored at night on the east side of one of the easternmost of these islands, a mile from shore, in sixteen fathoms, on clear white hard sand.
We shall not relate minutely all the expeditions in which Dampier participated. Suffice it to mention that in this campaign he visited the Gallapagos Islands.
Having but indifferent fortune, and being in sight of point Helena in lat. 2° 10' S. they resolved to bear away for the Gallapagos islands, on the 27th November, having in the first place set ashore the prisoners belonging to the vessel in which Mr Milne was taken.
They are also much larger, being frequently two or three feet thick, and their bellies five feet broad. They remained twelve or fourteen days at the Gallapagos, during which time Captain Cooke lived on shore in a very poor state of health.
He went to the Gallapagos, a horrid dry place on the Equator, where he was nearly baked to death; he went to the Georgia Islands, the Orkneys, Emerald Island, Little Nightingale Island, Gough's Island, Bouvet's Island, the Crossets, and even to a little speck of an island south of the Cape of Good Hope. But everywhere the People of the Sea told him the same things.
At this east point also there are three small high rocks, about a cable's length from the shore; and three much larger rocks at the N.E. point. All round the isle the water is very deep, except at the before-mentioned anchorage. Near the shoal there are great numbers of small sea-tortoises, or turtle, formerly mentioned as found at the Gallapagos.
Cockcrow there happened to be none, in those islands of the Gallapagos, or none in that particular island; though many cocks are heard crowing in the woods of America, and these, perhaps, might be caught by spiritual senses; or the woodcutter may be supposed, upon Hamlet's principle, either scenting the morning air, or catching the sounds of Christian matin bells, from some dim convent, in the depth of American forests.
Yet, wherefore should the ocean be astonished? he that had heard this nightly tumult, by all accounts, for more than a century. My brother, however, poor Pink, was astonished, in good earnest, being, in that respect, of the genus attonitorum; and as often as the gentlemen pirates steered their course for the Gallapagos, he would sink in spirit before the trials he might be summoned to face.
The Spaniards say that there are no others in these seas, except at the Gallapagos, but they are common in Brazil. The 15th, being under sail with a fine breeze, we agreed to lay to till midnight.
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