The VOY 
our Quarter-deck Gun, and feveral Mufquets, fhewing 
tights' in our Mizen and Fore-fhrouds, that our Boat 
might find us whilft we were in the Lee of the Ifland : 
About two in the Morning our Boat came on board, hav- 
ing been two Hours on board the Duchefs , that took them 
up a-itern of us ; we were glad they got well off, becaufe 
it began to blow. We were all convinced the Light was 
on the Shore, and defigned to make our Ships ready to en- 
gage, believing them to be French Ships at Anchor, and 
we muft either fight them* or want Water. All this Stir 
and Apprehenfion arofe, as we afterwards found, from one 
poor naked Man, who palled, in our Imagination, at pre- 
fent, for a Spanifh Garifon, a Body of Frenchmen , or a Crew 
of Pirates. While we were under thefe Apprehenfions, we 
flood on the Backfide of the Illand, in order to fall in with 
the Southerly Wind, till we were palfed the Ifland ; and 
then we came back to it again, and ran clofe aboard the 
Land that begins to make the North-eaft Side. We Hill 
continued to reafon upon this Matter ; and it is in a man- 
ner incredible, what ftrange Notions many of our People 
entertained from the Sight of this Fire upon the Ifland. It 
ferved, however, to fhew Peoples Tempers and Spirits ; 
and we were able to give a tolerable Guefs how our Men 
would behave-, in cafe there really were any Enemies upon 
the Ifland. The Flaws came heavy off the Shore, and 
we were forced to reef our Top-fails when we opened the 
middle Bay, where we expebted to have found our Enemy * 
but faw all clear, and no Ships, nor the other Bay next the 
North-eaft End. Thefe two Bays are all that Ships ride 
in, which recruit on this Ifland •, but the middle Bay is by 
much the beft. W e guelfed there had been Ships there, 
but that they were gone on Sight of us. We fent our Yawl 
afhore about Noon, with Captain Dover, Mr .Fry, and fix 
Men, all armed : Mean while we and the Duchefs kept 
turning to get in, and fuch heavy Flaws came off the Land, 
that we were forced to let go our Top-fail Sheet, keeping 
all Hands to ftand by our Sails, for fear of the Winds car- 
rying them away : But when the Flaws were gone, we had 
little or no Wind. Thefe Flaws proceeded from the Land, 
which is very high in the Middle of the Ifland. Our Boat 
did not return ; we fent our Pinnace with the Men armed, 
to fee what was the Occafion of the Yawl’s Stay ; for we 
were afraid, that the Spaniards had a Garifon there, and 
might have feized them. We put out a Signal for our 
Boat, and the Duchefs fhewed a French Enfign. Immedi- 
ately our Pinnace returned from, the Shore, and brought 
abundance of Cray-fifh, with a Man cloathed in Goat- 
fkins, who looked wilder than the firft Owners of them. 
He had been on the Ifland four Years and four Months, 
being left there by Captain Straddling in the Cinque-ports ; 
his Name was Alexander Selkirk , a Scotfman , who had 
been Mafter of the Cinque-ports , a Ship that came here laft 
with Captain Dampier , who told me, that this was the beft 
Man in her. I immediately agreed with him to be a Mate 
on board our Ship : ’Twas he that made the Fire laft Night 
when he faw our Ships, which he judged to be Englifh. 
During his Stay here, he faw feveral Ships pafs by, but only 
two came in to Anchor : As he went to view them, he found 
them to be Spaniards , and retired from them * upon which 
they fhot at him : Had they been French , he would have 
fubmitted * but chofe to rifque his dying alone on the Ifland, 
S’ather than fall into the Hands of Spaniards in thefe Parts ; 
becaufe he apprehended they would murder him, or make 
a Slave of him in the Mines ; for he feared they would 
fpare no Stranger that might be capable of difcovering the 
South Seas. The Spaniards had landed, before he knew 
what they were ; and they came fo near him, that he had 
much ado to efcape ; for they not only fhot at him, but 
purfued him to the Woods, where he climbed to the Top 
of a Tree, at the Foot of which they made Water, and 
killed, feveral Goats juft by, but went off again without dif- 
covering him. He told us, that he was bom at Largo , in 
the County of Fife, in Scotland , and was bred a Sailor from 
his Youth. The Reafon of his being left here* was a Dif- 
ference between him and his Captain ; which, together 
with the Ship’s being leaky, made him willing rather to 
flay here, than go along with him at firft * and, when he 
was at laft willing to go, the Captain would not receive him. 
He had been at the Ifland before to wood and water, when 
AGE S of Book I 
two of the Ship’s Company were left upon it for fix Months, 
till the Ship returned, being chafed thence by two French 
South Sea Ships. He had with him his Cloaths and Bed- 
ding, with a Firelock, feme Powder, Bullets, and Tobacco, 
a Hatchet, a Knife, a Kettle, a Bible, lome practical Pieces, 
and his mathematical Inftruments and Books. Fie diverted 
and provided for himfelf as well as he could * but, for the 
firft eight Months, Bad much ado to bear up againft Melan- 
choly, and the Terror of being left alone in fuch a defolate 
Place. He built two Huts with Pimento-trees, covered 
them with long Grafs, and lined them with the Skins of 
Goats, which he killed with his Gun as he wanted, fo long 
as his Powder lafted, which was but a Pound •, and that 
being almoft fpent, he got Fire by rubbing two Sticks of 
Pimento Wood together upon his Knee. In the lefler 
Hut, at fome Diftance from the other, he dreffed his Vic- 
tuals * and in the larger he flept, and employed himfelf in 
reading, finging Pfalms, and praying •, fo that he faid, he 
was a better Chriftian, while in this Solitude, than ever he 
was before, or than, he was afraid, he fhould ever be again. 
At firft he never eat any thing till Hunger conftrained him, 
partly for Grief, and partly for want of Bread and Salt : 
Nor did he go to Bed, till he could watch no longer •, the 
Pimento Wood, which burnt very clear, ferved him both 
for Fire and Candle, and refrefhed him with its fragrant 
Smell. He might have had Fifh enough, but would not eat 
them for want of Salt, becaufe they occafioned a Loofe- 
nefs, except Cray-fifh, which are as large as our Lobfters, 
and very good : Thefe he fometimes boiled, and at other 
times broiled, as he did his Goats Flefh, of which he made 
very good Broth, for they are not fo rank as ours : He 
kept an Account of 500 that he killed while there, and 
caught as many more, which he marked on the Ear, and 
let go. When his Powder failed, he took them by Speed 
of Feet ; for his way of Living, continual Exercile of 
Walking and Running, cleared him of all grofs Humours; 
fo that he ran with wonderful Swifmefs thro’ the Woods, 
and up the Rocks and Hills, as we perceived when we 
employed him to catch Goats for us : We had a Bull-dog, 
which we fent, with feveral of our nimbleft Runners, to 
help him in catching Goats ; but he diftanced and tired 
both the Dog and the Men, caught the Goats, and brought 
them to us on his Back. He told us, that his Agility in 
purfuing a Goat had once like to have coft him his Life ; 
he purfued it with fo much Eagernefs, that he catched hold 
of it on the Brink of a Precipice, of which he was not 
aware, the Bullies hiding it from him ; fo that he fell with 
the Goat down the Precipice, a great Height, and was fo 
ftunned and bruifed with the Fall, that he narrowly, efcaped 
with his Life •, and, when he came to his Senfes, found the 
Goat dead under him : He lay there about twenty-four 
Hours, and was fcarce able to crawl to his Hut, which 
was about a Mile diftant, or to ftir abroad again in ten 
Days. He came at laft to relifh his Meat well enough 
without Salt or Bread ; and, in the Seafon, had Plenty of 
good Turneps, which had been fowed there by Captain 
Dampier ’ s Men, and have now overfpread fome Acres of 
Ground. He had enough of good Cabbage from the Cab- 
bage-trees, and feafoned his Meat with the Fruit of the 
Pimento-trees, which is the fame as Jamaica Pepper, and 
fmells delicioufly : He found alfo a black Pepper, called 
Malageta, which was very good to expel Wind, and againft 
Griping in the Guts. He foon wore out all his Shoes and 
Cloaths by running in the Woods ; and, at laft, being 
forced to fliift without them, his Feet became fo hard, that 
he ran every-where without Difficulty ; and it was fome 
time before he could wear Shoes after we found him ; for, 
not being ufed to any fo long, his Feet fwelled, when he 
came firft to wear them again. After he had conquered 
his Melancholy, he diverted himfelf fometimes with cut- 
ting his Name bn the Trees, and the Time of his being 
left, and Continuance there. He was at firft much peftered 
with Cats and Rats, that had bred in great Numbers, from 
fome of each Species, which had got afhore from Ships that 
putin there to wood and water: The Rats gnawed his 
Feet and Cloaths whilft afleep, which obliged him to cherifh 
the Cats with his Goats Flefh, by which many of them be- 
came fo tame, that they would lie about him in Hundreds, 
and foon delivered him from the Rats : He likewife tamed 
fome 
