The story of Robinson Crusoe, told in Daniel Defoe's epic adventure novel, is a classic of English literature. This timeless story is about a man who survived a shipwreck and escaped on a desert island. For a long time, the unfortunate fought for survival, until he met the aboriginal Friday.
Defoe's work has spawned many television and film adaptations, and the novel itself still remains relevant. However, not many readers know that the story of Robinson Crusoe was not fictional.
Based on true events
According to a report in The Smithsonian Journal, in October 1704, an experienced Scottish navigator named Alexander Selkirk found himself alone on a desert island 672 kilometers off the coast of Chile. However, he was not an unfortunate victim of a shipwreck, but a rebel abandoned on the island at his own request.
Selkirk was an adventurer and a very hot-tempered person, long before entering the island, he managed to make a successful career as a helmsman in South America. According to biographer Robert Kraske, Alexander even went on armed merchant ships that could attack and rob anyone who got in their way.
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There is no place for a rebel on a ship
In September 1704, the young captain of the Sank Pora stopped in the Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile to allow the crew to rest and refuel. The helmsman Selkirk believed that the ship could not withstand the long journey, and wanted to stay on the island longer in order to have time to carry out major repairs. When Captain Stradling refused, he stated that he would rather stay on one of the islands than sail back on a rotting ship.
The two men could never agree and were always fighting, so it should come as no surprise that the young captain took the excellent opportunity to get rid of the troubled crew member. He was about to sail away. Selkirk tried to convince the others that he was right. He hoped that the rest of the team would take his side, thereby organizing a mutiny. But, to his disappointment, not a single sailor supported the crazy idea.
When Stradling and his crew returned to the ship, Selkirk rushed to plead with the captain to bring him back on board. However, his remorse was belated. The helmsman was left alone with a musket, an ax, a saucepan, a knife, bedding, a Bible in the Juan Fernandez archipelago.
The first months of loneliness
The first months on the island were terrible. Noises of strange, formidable creatures (elephant seals), howling and roaring at night, did not allow to enjoy the rest for a long time. In addition to this, Selkirk later described such a phenomenon as the invasion of hordes of hungry rats, which attacked him while sleeping and bit his legs.
However, he soon learned to survive and built two huts from the trees that grew on the island. He could fish, as well as crayfish that were found in the sea. He hunted goats and often cooked himself a stew with turnips and cabbage. The dishes were seasoned with black pepper, which grew wild on the island.
Selkirk was not at all alone. Spanish ships visited the archipelago from time to time, but they would not have taken an Englishman on board except by arresting him. In addition, there have long been legends that they often tortured their prisoners. One day, Alexander narrowly escaped capture by hiding in the crown of trees, while the Spanish sailors chatted and urinated directly under him.
Four years on the island
The years he spent on the island gave him the opportunity to reflect on his life. He learned to control anger and temper, began to enjoy every moment and notice the beauty around. Every day he lived was his little triumph, because he was able to survive. His appreciation began to grow as he returned to the Christian faith.
Finally, on February 2, 1709, Selkirk saw the British ship Duke. The team went ashore and rescued him. The ship's captain, Woods Rogers, later described Selkirk's appearance when he found him. His face was almost hidden by a disobedient beard, he was dressed in animal skins, and was alone for so long that he almost forgot how to speak.
Selkirk learned that in the end he did the right thing to stay on the island. The rotting ship Sank Por sank off the coast of Peru and most of the crew died at sea or ended up in a Spanish prison.
Return to England
After returning to his homeland, Selkirk became a real celebrity, and his story inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe. Alexander, after a two-year voyage on board the Duke, received some allowance and returned to Scotland. However, it was difficult to get used to the old life, therefore, ten years later, Selkirk decided to become a navigator again.
Richard Steele, an essayist and playwright who was one of the first to describe Selkirk's adventures, quoted him as saying: "Now I have everything, but I will never be as happy when I had nothing."
Author: Anna Nikiforova