APPENDIX 265 



maker. The fact that lie was the seventh son bom to his 

 parents, without an intervening daughter, is believed to 

 have exerted no little influence upon the famous adven- 

 turer's life, for the leniency and partiality which his moth- 

 er exercised toward him was, no doubt, in part the result 

 of her belief in the old Scottish superstition which held 

 that a seventh son, born in an unbroken succession of 

 male children, was destined to achieve both fame and 

 wealth. 



" The constant sight of the ships in Largo Bay, and a 

 familiarity with the sailors who came ashore, naturally 

 turned the thoughts and expectations of the shoemaker's 

 son in the direction of the sea, and, while attending the 

 village school, he took up the study of navigation and 

 made no little progress in its mastery. His ambition in 

 this direction probably received a needless stimulus by re- 

 flecting upon the fame which had been won by Sir Andrew 

 Wood, the hero of Largo, who became one of the most 

 noted admirals of his day. 



" Much against his desire, Alexander was kept in his 

 father's shop until he was nineteen years of age, when an 

 inability or failure to control his merriment in church 

 turned the whole course of his career. For this undigni- 

 fied misdemeanor he was cited to appear before the ' Kirk 

 Session,' August 25, 1695. Two days later the following 

 entry was made in the kirk record : ' Alexander Selcraig 

 called out ; did not appear, having gone to sea. Continued 

 until his return.' 



" Six years passed before the session had an opportunity 

 to complete its business with the young truant, and his 

 return would probably have been unnoticed by that body 

 had he not become involved in a quarrel with his brothers, 

 for which he suffered a severe humiliation. His punish- 

 ment is described in the church records of November 30, 

 1701, as follows : 



" ' Alexander Selcraig, according to the session's ap- 

 19 



