Alexander Selkirk

 Alexander Selkirk was born in Scotland in 1676. In 1703, he joined a privateering expedition to the Pacific Ocean, with the goal of plundering Spanish merchant ships.  The expedition, consisting of the ship St. George and the galleon Cinque Ports, was headed by William Dampier.  The passage around Cape Horn was particularly rough and the Cinque Ports, on which Selkirk served as sailing master, incurred damage.  The ship and the galleon became separated.  The galleon stopped at the uninhabited archipelago of Juan Fernandez [about 400 miles off the coast of Chile] in October 1704 to restock its food supplies and fresh water.  Selkirk proposed that departure from the archipelago be delayed so that repairs could be completed.  The master disagreed.  Selkirk forced the issue, demanding to stay ashore when the galleon departed.  The master had Selkirk put ashore with a musket, gunpowder, carpenter’s tools, a knife, and a Bible.  Selkirk expected to be rescued shortly.  As events turned out, he was not rescued until February 2, 1709, four and one-half years later.  During this period, he was without human companions.  After his gunpowder was expended, Selkirk learned how to run down and capture wild goats, which he killed, skinned, cooked, and ate.  He used the skins for clothing.  By the time he was rescued, he had almost forgotten how to converse, having great difficulty talking with his rescuers.  He was, though, in excellent physical condition, due to his strenuous life style and healthy diet.  The rescuing vessel was another English privateer.  Due to his various skills, Selkirk was placed in the position of mate on the vessel.  Shortly thereafter, the privateer seized a Spanish merchant vessel.  Selkirk’s share of prize made him well-off for the remainder of his life.  All was not well, though.  Selkirk had come to enjoy his seclusion during his extended stay on the island.  After he returned to Scotland, he took to living in a cave, as he had done on the island.  Soon, he returned to sea.  He died on December 13, 1721, while serving as first mate on a Royal ship off the west coast of Africa, apparently succumbing to yellow fever.  Before he returned to sea, though, Selkirk told his story to a journalist, who wrote a popular story about Selkirk’s time on the island.  Daniel Defoe, apparently inspired by the story, wrote his novel Robinson Crusoe shortly thereafter.