The Real Robinson Crusoe?
Alexander Selkirk was a privateer born in the small Scottish
town of Lower Large, Fife, near the sea, in 1676. He became a sailor and then a
privateer, that is, a pirate sanctioned by the government.
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Statue of Selkirk in his hometown in Scotland, created by Thomas Stuart Burnett in 1885.
Photo by Hopea1147 via Wikimedia Commons.
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In 1704, he was raiding Spanish ships and coastal villages in
the Pacific, up and down the coast of South America and Mexico. Selkirk served
under the leadership of British explorer and privateer William Dampier. Captain
of the St. George, Dampier was also
responsible for a second ship, the Cinque
Ports, on which Selkirk was sailing master under twenty-one-year-old
Captain Thomas Stradling. There is little doubt that Selkirk had more sailing
experience than his captain.
| Title page of 1835 book about Selkirk, public domain |
The two ships parted ways, and the Cinque Ports stopped in the tropical Juan Fernandez islands off
Chile to restock their water. The island group was uninhabited, but was well
known as a hideout or outpost for privateers and pirates in the 17th
Century.
Selkirk’s ship was among many privateers fighting the
Spanish at that time, during the War of Spanish Succession. During their year
of raiding along the coast and fighting several battles, the Cinque Ports’s condition had
deteriorated. Selkirk told the captain that they should stop and repair it, but
Stradling disagreed. Selkirk declared that he would rather be left on the
island than sail farther in the unseaworthy ship, and Captain Stradling obliged
him.
You Made Your Bed, Now Make Your Hut
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| Woodcut of Selkirk at his hut, reading his Bible, from 1835 biography |
Apparently, Selkirk thought other crew members would agree
with him and force an overhaul of the vessel, but none of them wanted to stick
their necks out. When he saw that he would be left alone, Selkirk begged the
captain to take him back aboard, but Stradling would not. Selkirk was left on
the shore with only a musket and a small supply of gunpowder, his clothing and
bedding, a Bible, some tobacco, and a few tools.
After he was later rescued, Selkirk told how he had
survived. Known as a brawler at home in Scotland, he said he sang psalms and
read from the Bible every day.
He lived near the shore at first, eating lobster and other
offerings of the sea, but a great number of aggressive sea lions invaded his
new home, and he was driven inland. This turned out to be a good thing, as he
discovered a large colony of feral goats. Apparently, some ship that had
previously stopped there let their livestock ashore to graze, and a few goats
escaped and remained on the island.
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Illustration from the 1835 book shows Selkirk catching a goat.
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He shot several goats for food. When his gunpowder ran out,
he learned to outrun and outflank them and kill them with his knife. His
father was a tanner back in Scotland, and Selkirk had no problem tanning the
goatskins and making new clothes from them.
He also found turnips and cabbage leaves growing, and ate
pepper berries. A few feral cats that had probably jumped ship when other
vessels came there kept him company and kept down the rat population.
It Helps to Have a Place to Hide
During Selkirk’s sojourn, two Spanish ships dropped anchor
at the island. Selkirk hid from the enemies. In one case, the sailors saw him
and gave chase, but he was able to hide up in a tree until they gave up the
search.
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| Selkirk being taken aboard the Duke, public domain |
He stayed there alone for four years and four months.
Ironically, his old commander William Dampier was pilot of the Duke, the ship that came to his rescue. Many of the crew were hungry and ill
with scurvy. Selkirk, in his joy to see British men, was able to help them. He killed
three goats a day for them to eat and helped the crew regain their health. The Duke’s captain, Woodes Rogers, referred
to Selkirk as governor of the island. He made the castaway second mate and
later gave him command of a prize ship.
The island on which Selkirk lived for more than four years
is now known as Robinson Crusoe Island. Archaeologists found evidence a few
years ago of Selkirk’s huts and also part of a pair of navigational dividers, a
tool that would only belong to a ship’s master or navigator, such as Selkirk.
The sailors who rescued Selkirk said he had some “practical pieces” and
mathematical instruments in his meager personal possessions.
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| 1742 map of the island now known as Robinson Crusoe Island |
Selkirk’s return to England in 1711, after being gone eight
years, caused a great stir. After that, he continued sailing and privateering.
He became wealthy from his share in the plunder. In 1721, he was master’s mate
on the HMS Weymouth. He died Dec. 13,
1721, off the west coast of Africa, probably of yellow fever, and was buried at
sea.
In 1719, Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe was first published. While Selkirk was clearly one
of his inspirations, it is also believed Defoe drew from other castaway
accounts of the time. Selkirk is mentioned in many books and poems. Films have
been made both of Selkirk’s life and the beloved tale of Robinson Crusoe.
Want more island tales? Leave a comment including your
contact information and you will be entered in a drawing for a paper or e-book
copy of Susan’s novel Frasier Island.
Susan
Page Davis is the author of more than sixty published novels. She’s always
interested in the unusual happenings of the past. Her newest books include Echo Canyon, Seven Brides for Seven Texans,
The Saboteur, River Rest, and Tearoom
for Two. She’s a two-time winner of the Inspirational Readers’ Choice
Award, and the Will Rogers Medallion for western fiction, and also a winner of
the Carol Award and a finalist in the WILLA Literary Awards and the More Than
Magic Contest. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com .
