THE ORIGINAL ROBINSON CRUSOE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VII, Issue 2, 10 January 1891, Page 18

THE ORIGINAL ROBINSON CRUSOE.

It is usually stated and commonly believed that the world - renowned romance of Robinson Crusoe, by Defoe, was suggested by the story of the sojourn of a Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk, on the island of Juan Fernandez. Captain Woodes Rogers, of the frigate Duke, found him on the island, and received the relation from his own lips. Selkirk had been the master of the Cinque Ports, commanded by Captain Stradling, a ship that came to Juan Fernandez with Captain Dampier in 1703. On the recommendation of' Dampier, Selkirk was made second mate of the Duke—an honourable recompense for his cruel abandonment on the island by his former chief, Captain Stradling. The Duke was one of two privateers fitted out by the Bristol merchants, the Duke commanded by Captain Woodes Rogers, and the Duchess by a Captain Cooke. The celebrated navigator, Captain Dampier, accompanied this expedition merely as pilot, although during the voyage the skill and experience of the veteran seaman often proved of' vast use to the younger captains. Captain Dampier gives an account of a solitary man left on the Island of Juan Fernandez, where he remained about three years. He was left there in 1681, and released in 1684, several years beforeAlexander Selkirk was heard of. The details are perfectly authentic, for Dampier was in the ship which left him in 1681 and which found him in 1684; and Dampier, during a later voyage commanded one of the two ships, the other of which was commanded by Captain Strading, the tyrannical chief who left Selkirk on the island in 1704, and he was pilot of the Duke privateer, Captain Woodes Rogers, whieh took off" Selkirk, after his solitary exile of four years and four

' months, in 1709. Dani pier knew everything about Sellkirk’s case, but in bis earlier voyage he describes this previous abandonment of a solitary man, and his stay for three years on the same Island. Here is the narrative as given in his book. ‘The nineteenth day (March, 1683), when we looked out in the morning, we saw a ship to the southward of us, -coming with all the sail she could make after us. We lay muzzled, to let her come up with us, for we supposed her to be a Spanish ship come from Baldivia, bound to Lima, we being now to the northward of Baldivia, and this being the ■time of the year when ships that trade thence to Baldivia return home. They had the same opinion of us, and therefore made sure to take us; but coming nearer we both .found our mistakes. This proved to be one Captain Eaton, in a ship sent purposely from London for the South Seas. We hailed each other, and the captain came on board and told us of his actions on the coast of Brazil and in the River Plate. He met Captain Swan (one that came fiom England to trade here) at the east entrance into the Strait of Magellan, and they accompanied each other through the Straits, and were separated after they were through by the storm before mentioned. Both we and Captain Eaton being bound for Juan Fernando’s Isle, we kept company, and we spared him bread and beef, and he spared us water, which he took <in as he passed through the Straits. ‘ March twenty-second, 1684, we came in sight of the island, and the next day got in and anchored in a bay at •the south end of the island. We presently got out our - canoe, and went ashore to seek for a Moskito Indian, whom we left here when we were chased hence by.three Spanish -ships in the year 1681. ‘ This Indian lived here alone above three years, and • though he was several times sought after by the Spaniards, who knew he was left on the island, yet they could > never find him. He was in the wood hunting for goats, when Captain Watlin drew off his men, and the ship was under sail before he came back to shore. He had with him his gun and a knife, with a small horn of powder and a few shot, which, being spent, he contrived a way, by notching bis knife, to saw the barrel of his gun into small pieces, wherewith he made harpoons, •lances, hooks, and a long knife, heating the pieces first in the fire, which he struck with his gun-flint and a piece of the barrel of his gun, which he hardened, having learned to ■do that among the English. The hot pieces of iron he would hammer out and bend as he pleased with stones, and saw them with his jagged knife, or grind them to an edge by ‘long labour, and harden them to a good temper. ‘All this may seem strange to those that are not acquainted with the sagacity of the Indians, but it is no more than these Moskito men are accustomed to in their own -country, where they make all their fishing and strikin a instruments without either forge or anvil, though they spend a great deal of time about them. ‘ With such instruments as he made in that manner he . <>-ot such provision as the island afforded—either goats or Ssh. He told us that at first he was forced to eat seal, which is very ordinary meat, before he had made hooks ; but afterward he never killed any seals but to make lines, cutting their skins into thongs. He had a little house, or hut, half a mile from the sea, which was lined with goatskin ; his couch of sticks lying about two feet distant from the ground, was spread with the same, and was all his bedding. He had no clothes left, having worn out those he brought from Watlin’s ship, but - only a skin about his waist. He saw our ship the day before we came to an anchor, and did believe we were English, and therefore killed three goats in the morning, before we •came to an anchor and dressed them with cabbage, to treat us when we came ashore. He came then to the -sea-side to congratulate our safe arrival, and when we landed, a Moskito Indian, who was named Robin, first leaped ashore, and, running to his brother Moskito man, threw himself flat on his face at his feet, who, helping him up and embracing him, fell flat with his face to the ground, at Robin’s feet, and was by him taken up also. We stood with pleasure to behold the surprise and tenderness and solemnity of this interview, which was exceedingly affectionate on both sides ; and when their ceremonies of civility were over, we also that stood gazing at them drew near, each of us embracing him we had found here, who was overjoyed to see so many of his old friends come hither, as he thought, purposely to fetch him. He was named Will, as the other was Robin. These were names given them 'by the English, for they have no names among themselves, -and they take it as a great favour to be named by any of us, and will complain for want of it if we do not appoint them some name when they are with us, saying of themselves they are poor men, ana have no name.— Bristol Observer.