Podcast – The Rescue of Alexander Selkirk – Progenitor of Character Robinson Crusoe

The Rescue of Alexander Selkirk – Progenitor of Character Robinson Crusoe
This episode relates the rescue of Alexander Selkirk from his plight, stranded on an island for four years. Selkirk would become the inspiration for author Daniel Defoe’s classic novel, Robinson Crusoe.
From the Book
A Day in United States History – Book 1

Transcript

Greetings, today I will talk about the rescue of Alexander Selkirk from his plight, stranded on an island for four years. Selkirk would become the inspiration for author Daniel Defoe’s classic novel, Robinson Crusoe.

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British governor Woodes Rogers, during his mission to destroy the Pirate Republic, accidentally found Alexander Selkirk, who had been stranded on an island for over four years. Author Daniel Defoe used the experience of Selkirk to write his classic book, Robinson Crusoe.

Alexander Selkirk (1676 – December 13, 1721)
A native of Lower Largo, Fife, Scotland, and Selkirk was a spirited, troublesome youth. Finally, to escape his self-imposed troubles, he fled to sea and joined a privateering expedition around 1701. In 1703, he joined Privateer Captain Thomas Stradling aboard his ship, the Cinque Ports. After a couple of battles and other sundry adventures, Stradling brought the Cinque Ports to a deserted island called Más a Tierra in the Caribbean Sea. Stradling had the crew engaged in refreshing their fresh water and other sundries. By this time, the ship had become un-seaworthy. Selkirk wanted the captain to make repairs, declaring he would rather be put ashore on the island than continue on the leaky ship. Stradling obliged, leaving Selkirk on the island alone with only a few personal items, a gun and some powder.
Stranded
Remorseful about his rash statement, Selkirk implored the Captain not to leave him on the island, but Stradling refused. The Cinque Ports sailed off, leaving Selkirk alone on the island. At first, Selkirk stayed near the beach, eating a type of sea lobster for food, hoping for rescue. At length, noisy, mating sea lions drove him inland. There he found feral goats that provided him with both meat and milk. His father had been a tanner, and he used the skills learned as a child to tan the goatskins to make clothing and other things he needed. Some of his companions on the island were rats, which plagued him while he tried to sleep. He found relief by taming feral cats, also staying on the island. Twice he saw ships and hoped for rescue. But both ships were Spanish. Since he had been a privateer and had raided Spanish shipping, he would not have improved his fate by allowing them to capture him.
Rescue
British governor of Nassau Woodes Rogers had formed an expedition under the orders of King George I to end the troublesome Pirate Republic that had infested New Providence Island. During his successful expedition to end the scourge, Rogers had discovered Selkirk on the island. The half delirious with joy Selkirk amazed Rogers with his story of his isolation on the island for four years. Selkirk became part of the crew and soon his prowess as a seamen propelled him into the position of second mate.
Fame, Then Discontent and Back to Sea
Selkirk learned later that he had been correct in abandoning the Cinque Ports. The ship had foundered off the coast of Brazil and sank. After Rogers completed his mission, he wrote a book, A Cruising Voyage Round the World that included Selkirk’s story in 1712. Other articles followed. Selkirk claimed a portion of the prize money he had earned on one of his privateering missions. He enjoyed the easy life for a time, but soon fell into trouble. To escape them, he joined the Royal Navy and died of malaria in 1721. Daniel Defoe probably used Selkirk’s adventures on the island as the basis for his book, Robinson Crusoe.

Written in a “this day in history,” format, each of the two books in this collection of North American colonial history events includes 366 history stories. The historical collection of tales includes many well-known as well as some little-known events in the saga of the United States. The easy to follow “this day in history,” format covers a wide range of the people, places and events of early American history. I is the first book in my series, 366 Days in History Series. Each book includes 366 stories of American history. It is availble, with many of my other titles on gardening, Indiana places and history and United States History, at the Walnut Street Variety Shop in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
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