820 
THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
left on the island, William had a musket, a knife, a small horn of powder, and a few 
shot. When his ammunition was expended, he contrived by notching his knife to 
saw the barrel of his gun into small pieces, which he made into harpoons, lances, hooks, 
and a long knife by heating the iron and hammering it out with stones. His clothes 
were soon worn out, and he clad himself with a skin about the waist. From the skins 
of Seals he manufactured fishing lines, and built himself a hut half a mile from the shore 
which he lined with goat skins. 
At the time of Cook’s visit in 1684, the buccaneers found a good supply of 
provisions, consisting of wild vegetables, Goats, Fur Seals, Elephant Seals, and Fish. 
Pigs are not mentioned. 
At the end of 1687 five men voluntarily remained at Juan Fernandez from another 
buccaneer ship commanded by Captain Edward Davis. A canoe, arms, ammunition, and 
various implements were furnished them, together with a stock of maize, and each 
buccaneer had a negro attendant landed with him. They remained on the island until 
October 1690, when the English ship “Welfare,” Captain John Strong, anchored there 
and took them off. Nothing is said of the manner in which they employed themselves, 
except that they lived in subterranean places and had tamed a large number of goats. 
When they landed first, dogs are reported to have been placed on the island by the 
Spaniards with a view of destroying the goats, but as mention is made by Dampier in 
1704 that there were then no dogs, it is probable that these five buccaneers had managed 
to exterminate them. 
In February 1704 Dampier called at Juan Fernandez, and whilst there, Captain 
Stradling of the “ Cinque Ports Galley” quarrelled with his men, forty -two of whom 
deserted, but were afterwards reconciled by Dampier ; five seamen however remained 
on shore. In October 1704 the “ Cinque Ports Galley” returned to Juan Fernandez and 
found two of these men, the others having apparently been captured by the French. 
During this visit, Captain Stradling had some disagreement with the master of 
his ship, Alexander Selkirk, who in the first heat of his dissatisfaction demanded to be 
landed, preferring to be left on a desert island rather than remain any longer under the 
command of Stradling. His desire was complied with and he was sent on shore with his 
clothes, bedding, a firelock, one pound of gunpowder, a hatchet, cooking utensils, some 
tobacco, and his books. Before the ship departed Selkirk changed his mind and desired 
to return on board, but was refused admittance into the ship. Selkirk remained at 
Juan Fernandez until February 1709, when Captain Woodes Rogers in the ship 
“Duke” called at the island and found him. there. Captain Rogers was accompanied 
by another vessel named the “ Duchess,” commanded by Captain Edward Cook, and 
they both wrote accounts of their voyage, and gave a description of Selkirk’s residence 
on shore. 
During Selkirk’s stay of four years and four months, several ships passed by the 
