Surprisingly, Alexander Selkirk served as a real prototype for the story of Daniel Defoe - “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.”
Four years and four months, or almost 1600 days, Scotsman Alexander Selkirk spent alone. On the small island of Mas a Tierra, about 20 kilometers long and five wide, differing from others only in its kind climate, he landed of his own free will.
The amazing story of the Scottish boatswain from the high-speed galley "Sank Port" began in 1704.
A new captain, Thomas Stradling, arrives on the galley, and the relationship between the boatswain and the captain is not the best. Both had a strong character, defending their own opinions to the end. It comes to the point that, as evidenced by the ship's log, the boatswain Selkirk decides to leave the galley.
He himself chooses an uninhabited island, where sailors replenish fresh water, and lands on it. At the same time, the boatswain is well provided with food supplies. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, he has a flintlock gun, gunpowder, flint, a supply of tobacco, an axe, simple kitchen utensils and a Bible.
Did you talk? that having reached the island, Alexander changed his mind to stay and asked the captain to allow him to stay on the ship, but he was firm in his decision.
Landing on the uninhabited Mas a Tierra island in the Pacific Ocean, which lies 640 kilometers from Chile, the boatswain thought that sea vessels passed here quite often. And his loneliness will not last long. However, boatswain Selkirk was wrong, and spent 4 years and 4 months.
Having explored the mountainous island he inherited, the boatswain found out that it was covered with dense vegetation and wild goats lived here. And on the shore there are many turtles laying eggs. So the boatswain was not in danger of starvation.
Thus began the four-year adventure of Selkirk, who became the sole owner of the island. From scrap materials, logs and leaves, he built two huts. One served him as a kitchen, and the other as a bedroom, and he built an observation tower on which he spent time waiting for ships.
Over time, the pangs of loneliness and the inability to exchange a few words with anyone receded. Selkirk learned to catch goats with his hands, the supply of bullets and gunpowder ran out, and fire had to be produced by rubbing wood against wood. And in place of the shabby, decayed clothes, the boatswain sewed new ones for himself. From goat skins, using a simple nail.
A serious danger overtook the boatswain during a hunt; he managed to catch a goat, and immediately fell into the abyss with it. For a long time Selkirk lay unconscious at the bottom of the abyss. However, the strong body survived the incident safely.
By this time, the boatswain had already come to terms with the idea that he would spend his life completely alone, on a deserted island, completely alone. But fate smiled on the prisoner of loneliness, on January 31, 1709, he saw a sailboat on the horizon heading towards the island.
A boat headed from the sailing ship to the island - the sailors were going to replenish fresh water supplies on the uninhabited island. What a surprise the sailors were when they were met on the shore by a wild man! And this is exactly what 31-year-old Alexander Selkirk looked like by this time.
Overgrown with a beard, wearing goat skins, and at first unable to say a word. The boatswain was able to remember the forgotten ability to speak only on the ship "Duke" - that was the name of the ship.
The captain of the Duke, Woods Rogers, was well acquainted with the pirate admiral William Dampier, in whose flotilla the boatswain Selkirk once sailed. He listened to the story of the poor boatswain and accepted him into his team. Where Selkirk served for another 33 months, and participated in pirate attacks on Spanish and Portuguese sailors.
Selkirk returned to England in October 1711, already the captain of the captured sailing ship Increase, and a well-to-do man. The story of his adventures, and the glory of his pirate raids, brought him popularity among the upper echelons of London society.
Selkirk, a good storyteller, was gladly invited to the houses of aristocrats, and newspapers did not forget to write about him. But alas, the money runs out, and after some time Selkirk enters the Royal Navy. Where the ship Weymouth is placed under his command.
The Story of Alexander Selkirk, ends in 1721, during a trip to the shores of West Africa. In December 1721, Selkirk dies on board the ship, the cause of death apparently being a tropical fever he contracted.
As historians mention, they said that before his death Selkirk whispered, “my dear island, why did I leave you.” Subsequently, the island of Mas a Tierra was named Robinson Crusoe.
***
-from "" - Alexander Selkirk 1676-1721. A person who actually existed and lived through the story described above. Probably during one of the meetings, Daniel Defoe heard the story of Alexander, and Defoe was also familiar with the notes of Captain Rogers, which reflected the history of Selkir. Defoe published his novel in April 1719, without attribution.
In 2008, an expedition of British archaeologists discovered the place where Alexander Selkirk spent more than four years.
Robinson Crusoe is a fictional character from a book by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719. In this famous work, Robinson is shipwrecked and stranded on an island, surviving alone until he meets Friday, another lone resident of the island.
Alexander Selkirk: biography
Defoe's story, however, is based on the real life experiences of a Scottish sailor. The prototype of Robinson Crusoe, Alexander Selkirk (a photo of his statue is presented below), was born in 1676 in the small fishing village of Lower Largo, in the Fife region of Scotland, near the mouth of the Firth of Forth.
He was hired as a boatswain on the ship Sanc Port, which was heading on a privateering voyage in 1702. The ship's owners received a letter of marque from the Lord Admiral, which not only allowed merchant ships to arm themselves for self-defense against foreign ships, but also authorized attacks on them, especially those sailing under the flags of Britain's enemies. In essence, privateering was no different from piracy - robbery was another way to make money when normal maritime trade was stopped during the war.
The fate of the Sanc Port was inextricably linked with another privateering enterprise led by the captain of the St. George, William Dampier.
License to rob
In April 1703, Dampier left London at the head of an expedition consisting of two ships, the second of which was called Fame and was under the command of Captain Pulling. However, even before the ships left the Downs, the captains quarreled, and Fame sailed, leaving St. George alone. Dampier sailed to Kinsale, Ireland, and there rendezvoused with the Sank Pore, commanded by Pickering. The two ships decided to join forces and a new agreement was made between the two captains.
Dampier was hired by Thomas Escort to lead an expedition to the South Sea (Pacific Ocean) to search for and plunder Spanish ships carrying treasure. The two captains agreed to sail along the coast of South America and capture a Spanish ship in Buenos Aires. If the spoils were worth £60,000 or more, the expedition had to return to England immediately. If unsuccessful, the companions planned to sail around Cape Horn to attack Spanish ships transporting gold from the mines in Lima. If this failed, it was agreed to sail north and try to capture the Acapulco, a Manila ship that almost always carried treasure.
The ill-fated expedition
The privateering expedition left Ireland in May 1703, and as things progressed, things began to go south. The captains and crew quarreled a lot, and then Pickering fell ill and died. He was replaced by Thomas Stradling. The controversy, however, did not stop. The dissatisfaction was caused by the crew's suspicions that Captain Dampier was not decisive enough in making decisions about robbing passing ships and, as a result, a lot of loot was lost. He was also suspected that, after the mission was completed, he and his friend Edward Morgan would not want to share the spoils with the crew.
In February 1704, during a stop on the island of Juan Fernandez, the crew of the Sanc Port mutinied and refused to return aboard the ship. The crew returned to the ship after the intervention of Captain Dampier. To make matters worse, the sails and gear remained on the island after the crew made a hasty retreat after spotting the French vessel. As the voyage continued, the means of cleaning and repairing the ships needed to prevent damage were lost, and the ships soon began to leak. By that time, relations between the two crews had reached a point where they agreed to divide the spoils and go their separate ways upon reaching the Bay of Panama.
Riot on the ship
In September 1704, the St. George sailed and the Saint Port returned to Juan Fernandez in an attempt to recover her sails and rigging, but it turned out that the French ship had taken them. It was here that boatswain Alexander Selkirk rebelled, refusing to sail further. He realized that the condition of the ship was so bad, and his relationship with Captain Stradling so tense, that he chose to try his luck and land on Mas a Tierra, one of the uninhabited islands of the Juan Fernandez group. He was left with a pistol, a knife, an axe, oats and tobacco, as well as a Bible, religious literature and several navigational instruments. At the last moment, Alexander Selkirk asked to be taken on board, but Stradling refused.
As it turned out in the end, although against his will, he saved his life. After sailing, the Sank Time leak became so strong that the crew was forced to abandon ship and transfer to rafts. Only 18 sailors survived and managed to reach the coast of South America, where they were captured. They were treated harshly by the Spaniards and the local population and the crew was then imprisoned.
Alexander Selkirk: life on an island
He found a cave near the shore where he could live, but in the first months he was so frightened by his isolation and loneliness that he rarely left the shore, eating only shellfish. Alexander Selkirk - the prototype of Robinson Crusoe - sat on the beach for days, peering at the horizon with the hope of seeing a ship that would save him. More than once he even thought about suicide.
Strange sounds coming from the depths of the island terrified him, and seemed like the cries of wild bloodthirsty animals. In fact, they were made by trees that fell from a strong wind. Selkirk came to his senses only when his beach was captured by hundreds of sea lions. There were so many of them, and they were so huge and terrible that he did not dare to approach the shore, where his only source of food was located.
Fortunately, the nearby valley was rich in lush vegetation, particularly cabbage palms, which became one of his main food sources. In addition, Selkirk discovered that the island was inhabited by many wild goats, probably left there by pirates. At first he hunted for them with a gun, and then, when the gunpowder ran out, he learned to catch them with his hands. Eventually, Alex domesticated several and fed on their meat and milk.
The trouble with the island was large, ferocious rats that had a habit of gnawing on his arms and legs while he slept. Luckily, there were wild cats living on the island. Selkirk tamed several, and at night they surrounded his bed, protecting him from rodents.
Phantom Hope
Alexander Selkirk dreamed of salvation and looked out for sails every day and lit fires, but several years passed before the ships visited Cumberland Bay. However, the first visit was not quite what he expected.
Joyful, Alex rushed to the shore to signal the two to anchor off the coast. Suddenly he realized that they were Spanish! Since England and Spain were at war, Selkirk realized that a fate worse than death awaited him in captivity, the fate of a slave in a salt mine. The search party landed on the shore and, noticing "Robinson", began shooting at him while he ran and hid. The Spaniards stopped searching and soon left the island. Having evaded capture, Alex returned to his much friendlier cats and goats.
Happy Rescue
Robinson remained alone on the island for four years and four months. He was rescued by another privateer ship led by Captain Woods Rogers. In his ship's log, which he kept during this famous voyage, Rogers described the moment of Selkirk's rescue in February 1709.
“We arrived in Juan Fernandez Island on January 31st. Replenishing supplies, we remained there until February 13th. On the island we found one Alexander Selkirk, a Scotchman, who had been left there by Captain Stradling, who had accompanied Captain Dampier on his last voyage, and who survived for four years and four months, without having a single living soul with whom he could communicate, and not a single companion except wild goats.”
In fact, Selkirk, despite his forced loneliness, had to beg to come on board, as he learned that among his rescuers was the commander of the ill-fated voyage "Sank Port" and now the pilot on Woods's ship, Roger Dampier. He was eventually persuaded to leave the island and was assigned as mate to Rogers' ship, the Duke. The following year, after the capture of the Spanish ship Nuestra Senora de la Incarnacion Disenganio, which was carrying gold, sailor Alexander Selkirk was promoted to boatswain of the new expedition vessel, renamed Batchelor.
Return
Woodes Rogers' voyage ended in 1711 with his arrival in the Thames. Robinson Crusoe's prototype, Alexander Selkirk, became widely known upon his return. He was, however, asked to give evidence in a court case brought against William Dampier by Elizabeth Creswell, daughter of the owner of the first expedition, for losses incurred in 1703.
Robinson then sailed on a merchant ship to Bristol, where he was charged with assault. Probably, the accusation was brought by Dampier's supporters, but nevertheless he remained in prison for 2 years.
Alexander Selkirk, sailor, privateer and Robinson, died at sea in 1721.
As children, we all probably read D. Defoe's book about Robinson Crusoe,
dreamed of getting to the same uninhabited island as the main character, testing their own strength,
check character.
What is such a fabulous place where there are mountains covered with tropical forests and picturesque valleys,
and deserted magnificent beaches, and mountain streams with clear water,
and ocean bays with violet-blue water, it simply cannot be.
It turned out that such a beautiful and secluded place exists.
This is Robinson Crusoe Island, which is located in the Juan Fernandez archipelago.
In 1703, Alexander Selkirk, a 26-year-old Scottish sailor, appeared on Mas a Tierra.
served as a boatswain on the Senk Por galley, who quarreled with the captain and went ashore
"of one's own free will."
This is exactly what is written in the ship's log.
Selkirk was landed on an uninhabited island part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago,
where he spent more than four years in complete solitude.
It was his story that served as a source of inspiration for Daniel Defoe, and he wrote a wonderful
book with a long title:
"The life and amazing adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a sailor from York, who lived twenty-eight years
all alone on a desert island off the coast of America near the mouth of the Orinoco River,
where he was thrown out by a shipwreck, during which the entire crew of the ship,
besides him, he died, with an account of his unexpected liberation by pirates, written by himself.”
Britain, or rather London at the beginning of the 18th century, was a city of wealth and dire poverty.
Everyone was stricken with disease, and even the healthiest rarely survived to adulthood.
This century was the century of sea pirates.
More pirates roamed the seas than at any other time in history.
During this turbulent time, in a small Scottish town there lived a guy named Alexander Silkirk.
In 1695, the churchwarden accused him of misbehavior.
The father wanted his son to continue his business, but leather tanning did not attract the stubborn guy.
Alexander was a wayward person and at the age of 15 he left for London,
hired himself onto a ship and went to sea. Eight years later, Alexander Selkirk returned to London.
He became a seasoned and experienced navigator. At this time, the War of the Spanish Succession was underway.
England and its allies fought with Spain and France.
The warring parties actively used privateering, essentially piracy against enemy ships.
Privateers recruited sailors hungry for wealth and adventure onto their ships.
Alexander Selkirk entered the ship of the flotilla, which was about to sail to the Pacific Ocean.
The year was 1703.
Three ships sailed to the southern seas for Spanish gold.
The commander of the unit was the famous privateer William Dampier.
Twenty-three-year-old Alexander Selkirk was hired on the ship "Sink Ports",
the captain of which was a young English gentleman, Thomas Stradling.
The squadron moved south, rounding Cape Horn, and then north into the Pacific Ocean.
These were the favorite hunting grounds of English privateers.
Manila galleons and Spanish ships delivering valuable cargo became major prey
from the Far East.
Alexander Selkirk held the position of ship's boatswain.
Robinson Crusoe Island
But at the beginning of the 18th century, sailors did not know how to accurately measure longitude and could get lost.
Selkirk and the captain often argued over the location and course of the ship.
The Scottish navigator considered Stradling incompetent.
Gradually, living conditions at Sink Ports became appalling.
Scurvy and other diseases decimated the crew. Fresh water supplies on the ships were running low.
The navigators' only hope was to find the islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile
and replenish water and food supplies there.
Disputes between Alexander Selkirk and the captain escalated into open hostility.
The Scottish navigator was convinced that the ship's worm-eaten hull was not reliable.
and that it would sink if they did not land ashore for repairs.
Stradling did not want to listen to him.
The privateers had already been at sea for a year and had not captured any booty, so the crew rebelled.
And Selkirk was the instigator.
Then Captain Stradling ordered him to be shackled and thrown into the hold.
Robinson Cruz Island
In September 1704, the Sink Ports reached the islands of the Juan Fernandez archipelago.
From a crew of 90 people, only 42 remained.
The Scottish navigator demanded to be put ashore, suggesting
that many sailors would join him, but he was mistaken. Nobody supported him.
The captain ordered Alexander Selkirk to be given a gun, some gunpowder, some supplies,
just two servings of food and leave it on the shore.
Losing his courage, Silkirk began to beg to be taken back on board,
but Stradling turned and swam away
Alexander Selkirk had no idea how long he would have to spend alone on the island.
It could take a year before any ship appeared at sea.
In reality, his ordeal lasted much longer.
The island where the British left it was called Cumberland Bay.
Alexander Selkirk spent his days looking for a ship on the horizon.
At first, Selkirk settled in a small cave on the shore in order to be able to constantly
watch the horizon.
When the food ran out, he walked around the coastline in search of turtles and oysters and wandered
as if in a fog, collecting the debris left by previous visitors to the island.
He fell into a deep depression.
For the first eight months, he struggled with sadness and horror at the thought of being abandoned.
alone in such a deserted place.
Selkirk had no desire to do anything. He just didn't do anything.
Previously, the island was visited by people and one of the consequences of these visits was rats.
They escaped from the ships and multiplied. They seemed to be everywhere.
Alexander Selkirk hid in his home to escape these predators.
Strange sounds at night terrified him, but these sounds were just the roar of fur seals
on the near shore and the endless howl of the wind.
The feeling of helplessness tormented him for several days, then weeks and months, as time passed.
He was getting weaker. Something needed to be changed and as quickly as possible.
And Alexander went from depression to survival mode, and one of the catalysts for this was that
that he was sick. He was very worried about an upset stomach.
This forced the navigator to concentrate, and he began to tinker.
He built a shelter and had fresh water.
Alexander Selkirk built a place to sleep and a kitchen, and he even solved the rat problem with the help of cats.
He began to make better use of his meager possessions.
He turned his attention to what became his most valuable resource -
on the goats that have bred on the island.
The family business helped him - he knew how to process leather.
And Selkirk received a wonderful soft and durable material. He made good clothes.
He wore a hooded suit, knee-length pants and shoes.
Over time, he changed both physically and psychologically.
The belligerent sailor has turned into a bearded survivalist with the appearance of a savage.
Selkirk had half a kilogram of gunpowder - this was a means of starting a fire,
but it didn't last long. While the navigator had gunpowder left, he killed hundreds of goats.
In July 1706, the days of goat hunting ended.
Alexander was chasing a goat and fell from a cliff, which he did not suspect, since it was hidden by bushes.
He fell from a great height and was so injured that he barely survived.
Alexander Selkirk lay dying without any hope that anyone would help him.
He suffered a severe concussion.
With great difficulty he reached his hut, and then did not leave it for 10 days.
Nightmarish visions swarmed in the brain of the brave navigator.
Selkirk was prudent and stocked up on water and food in advance in case of such an incident.
Selkirk slowly recovered and did everything necessary to survive.
After this incident, Alexander not only killed goats, he caught them and mutilated them,
so that they cannot run far. He understood that he had to do this in order to survive.
Years passed. The year 1707 came when he saw the sails.
He lived for about four years, is the hour of his liberation really near?
But the ship was Spanish - these were his mortal enemies. Selkirk escaped from them.
The Spaniards left, destroying his camp. Selkirk rebuilt it.
By that time, he was no longer the same, dispirited person as when he was abandoned on the island.
Now Alexander Selkirk felt at home on the island and was experienced and strong in spirit.
He found many uses for the materials at hand.
For example, from the bladder of a goat, after drying it first, he made a vessel for water,
and from a found hoop from a barrel, he forged a cutting tool.
He found black pepper and cabbage.
Alexander Selkirk also found spiritual food in the pages of the Bible,
he used this book to sing psalms so as not to forget the gift of speech.
He became the master of his world.
He lit a fire, and the sailors saw it, although they were one and a half kilometers from the island.
The moment of liberation has finally arrived.
A few minutes later, after the sailors landed ashore, carefully
A bearded man, salted by the sea winds, looked out, looking like a savage.
He introduced himself as Alexander Selkirk. The savage struck the sailors.
They practically did not understand Selkirk, since he spoke in half words.
Woods Rogers - captain of the ship that took Selkirk off the island,
also flew under the pirate (private) flag. He could not remain indifferent to the fate of Selkirk.
But before taking him on board, he agreed that the Scotsman would tell him his story in great detail.
Since then, the young captain could often be seen in the company of Alexander,
who did not skimp on bright colors, talking about how he tamed semi-wild goats,
how he built his own home, learned how to make fire, how he learned the Bible from cover to cover.
In response, Woods apparently pleased Selkirk that shortly after the Centpore left the island,
throwing it, he ran into an underwater rock, pierced his bottom and sank.
Some of the sailors managed to escape on other islands of the archipelago, but they were much luckier,
than "Robinson" - they were soon picked up by a ship.
Unfortunately, he turned out to be Spanish, so the English were shackled and sent to Peru,
where he was imprisoned for maritime robbery.
Ordinary sailors received a sentence of five years, and the captain (with whom Alexander quarreled) all ten.
Two more years passed before Alexander Selkirk saw England, where he had been absent for more than eight years.
During the voyage, Selkirk convinced Captain Rogers that he was well versed in maritime affairs,
and he not only appointed him to his previous position, but also paid him a sum of about 800 pounds.
At that time it was good money.
Robinson Crusoe's Cave. Chile.
They began to write about him. He began to wear fine linen and kept company with London's elite.
In the end, Selkirk returned to his hometown, bought himself a house, and got married.
But sometimes he suddenly became gloomy, unsociable, longing for a desert island,
seemed to not let him go.
To brighten up his life, Alexander built himself a dwelling on the hill closest to his house,
similar to the one he had on the island, but it was a weak resemblance of the old hut.
You couldn't step into the same river twice.
It seemed boring on the shore.
Meanwhile, Captain Woods Rogers turned out to be a very romantic person.
For some time he abandoned his trips to sea and took up writing.
He sat down to a book he called “A Journey Around the World,”
and after some time it was finished.
The publisher liked the work, especially the part that talked about the miraculous
rescue of Alexander Selkirk.
This book had some success, in any case, it fell into the hands of a well-known by that time
writer Daniel Defoe, who “did not disdain” to create his novel based on the book by Woods Rogers.
Daniel Defoe sought a meeting with Selkirk.
The hero of the novel and the writer most likely met in one of the taverns in Bristol
(although many researchers believe that this is fiction).
In 1717, Alexander Selkirk left his inconsolable wife and went on another naval mission.
expedition, again on a pirate ship.
And Daniel Defoe began writing a novel. It became his most famous work.
The book "The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" appeared in April 1719.
It immediately became a bestseller.
The first 1000 copies sold out instantly.
Today, 300 years later, Robinson Crusoe is still published in more than three hundred languages.
The genius of the book is that Daniel Defoe changed the true story of Alexander Selkirk
and gave Crusoe a friend and companion.
The footprint of a bare foot in the sand revealed that he was not alone. Many people know about this, even those who have not read the book.
But Selkirk was completely alone.
Alexander Selkirk maintained relationships not with people, but with goats and cats.
Ten years after the publication of the book, Defoe's life took a turn for the worse, and by 1731 he fell into poverty
and was hiding from creditors.
Daniel Defoe died at the age of 71 and was buried in London.
His masterpiece was in print for centuries, with more than 5,000 editions.
Only the Bible has been translated into more languages.
in Defoe's novel, Robinson Crusoe lived to an old age and died peacefully,
going to heaven in the company of angels.
The real Alexander Selkirk was not so lucky.
A tumultuous life ended suddenly at the age of 41.
The only thing his comrades could do for him was not to throw him into the sea to be devoured by sharks,
and was buried on the shore in African Ghana.
Then it was called the Gold Coast, and the island off the coast of Chile, on which Alexander Selkirk
spent four years, named not in his honor, but in honor of the book hero, of which he was the prototype.
Selkirk, Alexander
Figurine depicting Alexander Selkirk
Alexander Selkirk, outdated Selkirk (English) Alexander Selkirk, Selcraig, - December 13) - a Scottish sailor who spent 4 years and 4 months (in 1704-1709) on the uninhabited island of Mas a Tierra (now Robinson Crusoe), which is part of the Juan Fernandez archipelago, located in the Pacific Ocean, 640 kilometers off the coast of Chile. He served as the prototype for the literary hero of Daniel Defoe's novel, Robinson Crusoe.
Biography
The 27-year-old boatswain of the ship "Sank Port", which was part of the flotilla under the command of William Dampier, went to the shores of South America in 1704. Hot-tempered and capricious, he constantly came into conflict with the ship's captain, Stradling. After another quarrel, which took place near the island of Mas a Tierra, Selkirk demanded to be disembarked; the captain immediately granted his demand. True, later the sailor asked the captain to cancel his order, but he was relentless, and Selkirk was able to leave the island only after more than four years.
Returning to his hometown of Largo, Selkirk initially lived quietly; visited pubs, where he talked about his adventures. Judging by the memoirs of his contemporaries, he was a good storyteller. Thus, Sir Richard Steele noted in the Englishman magazine in 1713 that “he is very interesting to listen to, he thinks soberly and very vividly describes the presence of the soul at various stages of such a long loneliness.”
However, Selkirk was never able to adapt to the new environment. He entered the Royal Navy with the rank of lieutenant and died on board the royal ship Weymouth. According to the ship's log, death occurred at 8 o'clock in the evening on December 13, 1721, and was most likely caused by yellow fever. Selkirk was buried at sea off the coast of West Africa.
Alexander Selkirk Island, located not far from Robinson Crusoe Island, was named directly in honor of the sailor.
Categories:
- Persons:Scotland
- Sailors
- Left on a desert island
- Prototypes of literary characters
- Personalities in alphabetical order
- Born in 1676
- Died in 1721
- Robinson Crusoe
- Deaths from yellow fever
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See what “Selkirk, Alexander” is in other dictionaries:
Figurine depicting Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk, obsolete. Selkirk (English Alexander Selkirk, Selcraig, 1676 December 13, 1721) Scottish sailor who spent several years (released in 1709) on the uninhabited island of Mas a Tierra (now ... ... Wikipedia
Selkirk, Alexander Statuette depicting Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk, obsolete. Selkirk (English: Alexander Selkirk, Selcraig, 1676 December 13, 1721) Scottish sailor who spent several years (released in 1709) ... Wikipedia
Geographical encyclopedia
- ... Wikipedia- an island in the group of islands of Juan Fernandez, Pacific Ocean, possession of Chile. Named in 1960 in honor of the English sailor Alexander Selkirk, who in 1704, after a quarrel with the captain of the ship, was landed on this island and spent five years on it. Adventures… … Toponymic dictionary
Selkirk is a polysemantic term: Selkirk is a town in the south of Scotland. Selkirk is a city in western Canada. Selkirk Indian community in Yukon Territory, Canada. Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. See also Selkirk,... ... Wikipedia
Each country, each land area has its own characteristic flora, that is, its own set of families, genera and species, which is more or less different from the flora of other countries. Floras (like faunas) are never exactly the same in... ... Biological encyclopedia
Selkirk, Alexander Statuette depicting Alexander Selkirk Alexander Selkirk, obsolete. Selkirk (English: Alexander Selkirk, Selcraig, 1676 December 13, 1721) Scottish sailor who spent several years (released in 1709) ... Wikipedia
Robinson Crusoe- an island in the group of Juan Fernandez Islands, Pacific Ocean, possession of Chile. Named in 1960 in honor of the hero of the famous work by Daniel Defoe, although the events described in the novel took place on the neighboring island. Alexander Selkirk. Until 1960, the island was called Mos... ... Toponymic dictionary
This term has other meanings, see Robinson Crusoe (meanings). The first edition of the novel, with ... Wikipedia
Books
- Misadventures of famous travelers. Who was Robinson, Balod Alexander. Robinson Crusoe is a literary hero well known to most of us since childhood. But few people know that Defoe’s famous book is based on the fates of real people -...
One such book is the famous novel about Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe. This story, which tells about the adventures of a man on a desert island, describes their confrontation and the hero’s ability to overcome all difficulties on the way to the goal.
The boatswain's mistake, or how it all began
Not everyone knows that the prototype of the main character, who suffered difficult trials, was a very real person named Alexander Selkirk. He was a simple sailor, a native of the small Scottish town of Largo, located on the North Sea coast. To this day, on one of the streets of the town there is a small old house in which this man with an amazing destiny lived. Tourists often come here to get acquainted with Robinson's life - the chest with the sailor's weapons is still kept in the room, as well as a coconut cup that he made with his own hands.
This story took place at the end of the 17th century. Alexander Selkirk got a job as a boatswain on the ship Sink Pore, owned by William Dampier, an English privateer and explorer. It is known that Alexander had a very quarrelsome character and often came into conflict with the ship’s crew, but at the same time he was a good boatswain who knew his job. One day he got into a verbal altercation with the captain himself, and the quarrel ended with the boatswain being dropped off on a deserted island (allegedly at his own request). Selkirk took with him only a gun and some necessary supplies. That's how it ended.
Life on a desert island
The boatswain did not even suspect that this deserted coast would become his home for several years. The island of Mas a Tierra, on which he was landed, was a small piece of land, no more than 100 square meters in size. km. It has long been known to sailors, who often landed here to replenish their supplies of fresh water. This is exactly what Alexander Selkirk was counting on - he decided to wait for the next ship that would pick him up and take him to the mainland. However, his expectations were not destined to come true.
All ships sailing in these waters have recently chosen another island, where the sources turned out to be even more powerful. For several years, not a single ship moored to Mas a Tierra, and the crew that left the boatswain on the island very quickly forgot about it. Selkirk had no choice but to adapt to new circumstances and survive. By the way, it turned out to be not as difficult as it might have seemed - the island was literally teeming with wild goats and guinea fowl, tropical fruits grew everywhere, and there was fish in the sea. Thus, the boatswain's diet was quite decent.
Soon all the sailor's clothes were worn out, and he had to dress in goat skins. He also learned to constantly maintain the fire necessary for cooking. The same days on the island followed each other, the boatswain constantly peered into the horizon so as not to miss the ship. She was tested by the unfortunate sailor and, however, no one responded to his messages.
The life of Robinson Crusoe in Defoe's novel of the same name was more colorful and eventful. After many years of loneliness, the hermit managed to make a friend, which did not happen to Selkirk. Alexander did not meet bloodthirsty cannibal Indians, as was described in the book.
The end of the adventure
Four years later, the boatswain saw the long-awaited sails, but his joy did not last long - the flag of the worst enemy of Britain in those days fluttered on the masts of the ships. Instead of running out to his rescue, the sailor hid deep into the island so as not to reveal his presence to the Spaniards.
Fortunately, the British ship Duke soon approached the shore. The captain of the ship noticed a fire in the distance and sent the sailors to the island. Selkirk, which had almost lost its last hope of liberation, joyfully greeted the British sailors. Over the years of loneliness, the boatswain's character has changed greatly; not a trace remains of his former bitterness. Surprisingly, he did not blame anyone for his misfortune and simply rejoiced at his long-awaited release.
Ironically, Dampier, the owner of the ship that left Selkirk on the island, was on the Duke. He told the boatswain about an Indian whom he had discovered on another uninhabited island - the poor fellow had been forgotten there by pirates. Later, when Alexander was writing his memoirs, he remembered this incident. Perhaps it was this Indian who served as the prototype for Friday, Robinson's faithful friend.
It is known that Selkirk’s memoirs were used by different authors. Echoes of his memories can be found in the novels of Jonathan Swift and Walter Scott, but it was Daniel Defoe who made full use of the boatswain's notes. This happened after they met personally in an ordinary pub. Thanks to the writer, the whole world learned the story of Alexander Selkirk.
